2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class Comand Manual

384 Controls in detailSeatsEasy-entry/exit feature
This feature allows for easier entry into and
exit from the vehicle. When entering and
exiting the vehicle, the driver’s seat is in its
maximum rearward position and the steer-
ing wheel is in its uppermost position.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be activat-
ed or deactivated in the “Vehicle” menu of
the COMAND system (
page 268).With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel and driver’s seat will re-
turn to their last set memory position or a
factory-set maximum forward position
when you:


close the driver’s door with the ignition
switched on


insert the SmartKey into the starter
switch or press the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button (
page 372) once
with the driver’s door closed
Warning!
G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and driver’s seat when the easy-en-
try/exit feature is activated.
To stop seat/steering wheel movement, do
one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(page 374).


Move steering wheel adjustment stalk
(page 386).


Press one of the memory position but-
tons or the memory buttonM
(page 393).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
!
Do not activate the easy-entry/exit feature
if the seat backrest is in an excessively reclined
position. Doing so could cause damage to front
or rear seats.
First move the seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion.
i
For safety reasons, the driver’s seat will not
return to its last set position with the easy-en-
try/exit feature activated if the system recogniz-
es the last set position as an extreme forward
position. Instead, the driver’s seat will remain at
or move to a factory-set maximum forward posi-
tion. To again fully return the driver’s seat to

385 Controls in detailSeats
With the easy-entry/exit feature activated
the steering wheel tilts upwards and the
driver’s seat moves a few inches to the
rear when you:

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch,
or


open the driver’s door with the
SmartKey in starter switch position0
or1 or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 372) in position1
your last set position or to memory position, ad-
just the seat to the desired position or press and
hold the respective memory position button
(page 393).
i
The last set driver’s seat and steering wheel
positions are stored when


the ignition is switched off (
page 370)


the position is stored in memory
(page 392)
i
If the current position for the steering wheel
is in the uppermost tilt position, the steering
wheel will no longer be able to move upward
when the easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
If the current seat position falls into a factory-set
position range and the system recognizes the
current seat position to be rearward enough for
easy entry and exit, the driver’s seat will not
move to the rear when the easy-entry/ exit fea-
ture is activated.
The adjustment procedure is briefly interrupted
when the engine is started.Warning!
G
Let the system complete the adjustment
procedure before setting the vehicle in mo-
tion. All driver’s seat and steering wheel ad-
justments must be completed before setting
the vehicle in motion. Driving off with the
driver’s seat/steering wheel still adjusting
could cause the driver to lose control of the
vehicle.

386 Controls in detailSteering wheel
Make sure that

you can reach the steering wheel with
your arms slightly bent at the elbows


you can move your legs freely


all displays (including malfunction and
indicator lamps) on the instrument
cluster are clearly visible
Steering wheel adjustment
1Adjusting steering wheel, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down
Adjusting steering wheel in or out:
Move stalk forward or back in the direc-
tion of arrow1 until a comfortable
steering wheel position is reached with
your arms slightly bent at the elbow.

Adjusting steering wheel up or
down: Move stalk up or down in the di-
rection of arrow2.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the steering
wheel adjustment feature can be operated.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. A child’s unsupervised access to a
vehicle could result in an accident and/or
serious personal injury.
i
The memory function (
page 392) lets you
store settings for the steering wheel together
with the settings for the seat position and the ex-
terior rear view mirrors.

387 Controls in detail
Steering wheel
Heated steering wheel*
The steering wheel heating warms up the
leather area of the steering wheel.
1Switching on
2Switching off
3Indicator lamp
Switch on the ignition (
page 370).

Switching on: Turn switch at the tip of
stalk in the direction of arrow1.
The steering wheel is heated. Indicator
lamp3 comes on.

Switching off: T u r n s w i t c h a t t h e t i p o f
stalk in the direction of arrow2.
The steering wheel heating is turned
off. Indicator lamp3 goes out.
i
The steering wheel heating will not switch
on, when the temperature of the vehicle interior
is above 86°F (30°C).
i
Indicator lamp3 flashes or goes out


in case of power surge or undervoltage


in case of a steering wheel heating malfunc-
tion
i
The steering wheel heating switches off au-
tomatically:


when you remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch


on vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*, when you
switch off the ignition (
page 370) and
open the driver’s door


when the temperature of the vehicle interior
is above 86°F (30°C)


after approximately 24 minutes

388 Controls in detailMirrorsAdjust the interior and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.Interior rear view mirror
Manually adjust the interior rear view
mirror.
For more information, see “Auto-dimming
rear view mirrors” (
page 390).
Exterior rear view mirrors1 Selector switch for right or left exterior
mirror
2Adjustment button

Switch on the ignition (
page 370).

Press button1 repeatedly until de-
sired exterior mirror is selected.
The left or right indicator lamp in
button1 comes on.

Push adjustment button2 up, down,
left, or right according to the desired
setting.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passenger
side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
terior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
i
When you press button1 for the first time,
the exterior mirror on the driver’s side is always
selected.
If you do not make adjustments to the selected
exterior rear view mirror within 15 seconds, the
indicator lamp goes out. You will then have to se-
lect the desired exterior rear view mirror again
before any adjustments can be made. Adjust-
ments can only be made with the indicator lamp
for the respective exterior rear view mirror but-
ton illuminated.
i
At low ambient temperatures, the exterior
rear view mirrors will be heated automatically.
i
The memory function (
page 392) lets you
store the setting for the exterior rear view mir-
rors together with the setting for the steering
wheel and the seat positions.

389 Controls in detail
Mirrors
Power folding exterior rear view mirrors
Folding exterior rear view mirrors in
and out automatically
When the corresponding function in the
COMAND system is activated
(page 266):


The exterior rear view mirrors automat-
ically fold in as soon as the vehicle is
locked from the outside.


The exterior rear view mirrors automat-
ically fold out as soon as the vehicle is
unlocked and the driver’s or front pas-
senger door are subsequently opened.Folding exterior rear view mirrors in
and out manually
The exterior rear view mirrors can vibrate if
they are not folded out completely.
1Folds the exterior mirrors in and out

Switch on the ignition (
page 370).

Folding in: Press button1.

Folding out: Press button1 again.
!
Before driving the vehicle through an auto-
matic car wash, fold the exterior mirrors in. Oth-
erwise they may get damaged.
i
If you are driving at more than approximately
9 mph (15 km/h), you will not be able to fold the
exterior mirrors in.
i
The mirrors do not fold out if they were pre-
viously folded in manually. Please make sure
both mirrors are folded out before driving off.
!
If an exterior rear view mirror housing has
been forcibly pushed forward (hit from the rear),
reposition it manually by applying firm pressure
until it snaps back into place.
If an exterior rear view mirror housing has been
forcibly pushed rearward (hit from the front),
press button1 to fold mirrors in, then press
button1 again to fold mirrors out. Do not force
mirrors by hand as this may damage the adjust-
ment mechanism.
The mirror housing is then properly positioned
and you can adjust the mirror in the usual
manner.

390 Controls in detailMirrorsAuto-dimming rear view mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when

the ignition is switched on
(page 370)
and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror
The interior rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gearR is engaged


the interior lighting is turned on
Warning!
G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at the
sensors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the rear window sun-
shade is in raised position.
Light hitting the mirror(s) at certain angles
(incident light) could blind you. As a result,
you may not be able to observe traffic con-
ditions and could cause an accident.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
side rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.

391 Controls in detail
Mirrors
Activating exterior rear view mirror parking position
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror will be
turned downward to the stored position.
Make sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 394).

Make sure the “Lower mirror when re-
versing” function in the “Exterior Mirror
Convenience Settings” submenu of the
COMAND system is selected
(page 266).

Switch on the ignition (
page 370).1Selector switch for right or left exterior
mirror

Press switch1 repeatedly until the
exterior mirror on the front passenger
side is selected.

Shift the automatic transmission in re-
verse gearR.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror will be turned downward to the
stored position.
The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:


when you switch off the ignition


10 seconds after you have put the au-
tomatic transmission out of reverse
gearR


immediately once your vehicle exceeds
a speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h)


immediately when you press button1
for driver’s side exterior rear view mir-
ror.
i
With the automatic transmission in reverse
gearR, the previously selected exterior rear
view mirror is activated.
i
If you adjust the exterior mirrors while they
are in the parking position, the new mirror posi-
tion is stored as a new parking position.