2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class reset

446 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control (
page 446) and
DISTRONIC Plus*(page 451), with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed.


Airmatic (
page 468) and ABC*
(
page 470) adjust the vehicle sus-
pension characteristics automatically
and control the vehicle level.


Parktronic* (
page 472), Park Assist*
(
page 476) and Advanced Parking
Guidance* (
page 481), which serve
as a parking assistant.


Rear View Camera* (
page 487) is an
electronic and visual parking aid.


Night View Assist* (
page 491) illumi-
nates the road with infrared light in ad-
dition to the normal headlamps.


Blind Spot Assist* (
page 495) de-
tects and warns you about vehicles in
your blind spot.For information on the ABS, Adaptive
Brake, BAS, BAS Plus*, EBP, ESP
® and
PRE-SAFE
® Brake*, see “Driving safety
systems” (page 67).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
The use of the cruise control is recom-
mended for driving at a constant speed for
extended periods of time.
You can set or resume the cruise control at
any speed over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
Warning!
G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must always re-
main responsible for the vehicle’s speed and
for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road,
traffic, and weather conditions make it ad-
visable to travel at a steady speed.

The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on winding roads or in heavy traf-
fic because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on slippery roads. Rapid changes
in tire traction can result in wheel spin
and loss of control.


Deactivate the cruise control when driv-
ing in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

450 Controls in detailDriving systems
Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle set speed increases in in-
crements 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
Setting a lower speed
You can reduce the set speed in two ways.Adjustment in 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h)
increments

Briefly press the cruise control lever
down to the resistance point in direc-
tion of arrow2 (
page 447).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle set speed decreases in in-
crements 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h).
Adjustment in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments

Briefly press the cruise control lever
down past the resistance point in
direction of arrow2 (
page 447).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle set speed decreases in in-
crements 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)
i
The new speed is set and the vehicle will ac-
celerate. Keep in mind that it may take a brief
moment until the vehicle has reached the set
speed.Warning!
G
If you decrease the set speed, keep in mind
that it may take a brief moment until the ve-
hicle has made the necessary adjustments.
Decelerate the set speed to a value that the
prevailing road conditions and legal speed
limits permit. Otherwise, sudden and unex-
pected deceleration of the vehicle could
cause an accident and/or serious injury to
you and others.
i
When you use the cruise control lever to de-
celerate, the brake system will automatically
brake the vehicle if the engine’s braking power
does not brake the vehicle sufficiently.
i
The set speed value is decreased in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments each time you
press the cruise control lever down to the resis-
tance point.
i
The set speed value is decreased in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments each time you
press the cruise control lever down past the re-
sistance point.
i
The new speed is set and the vehicle will de-
celerate. Keep in mind that it may take a brief
moment until the vehicle has reached the set
speed.Warning!
G
The set speed stored in memory should only
be set again if prevailing road conditions
permit. Possible acceleration or decelera-
tion differences arising from returning to the
preset speed could cause an accident
and/or serious injury to you and others.


451 Controls in detail
Driving systems

Briefly pull the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow4 (
page 447).
The cruise control resumes to the last
set speed or if no speed is stored, it will
set and store the current speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The last set speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately
5 seconds, and the corresponding
speedometer segments from the se-
lected speed to the vehicle maximum
speed are illuminated.
DISTRONIC Plus*
When activated, the DISTRONIC Plus adap-
tive cruise control system increases driv-
ing convenience afforded by the cruise
control during travel on expressways and
other major roadways.

If the DISTRONIC Plus distance sensor
detects a slower moving vehicle direct-
ly ahead, your vehicle speed will be re-
duced so that you follow that vehicle at
a preset distance.


If there is no vehicle directly ahead of
you, DISTRONIC Plus will function in
the same way as the cruise control
(page 446).
DISTRONIC Plus functions within a speed
range of 0 to 120 mph
(Canada: 0 to 200 km/h).When travelling in Canada in a vehicle not
registered in Canada, you must switch off
the radar sensor system. Canadian law
does not permit the use of the radar sensor
system for vehicles from outside of Cana-
da. When you switch off the radar sensor
system, the following functions are deacti-
vated:


BAS Plus* (
page 70)


PRE-SAFE
® Brake* (
page 77)


DISTRONIC Plus* (
page 451)


Park Assist* (
page 476)


Advanced Parking Guidance*
(page 481)


Blind Spot Assist* (
page 495)
i
The last stored set speed is deleted when
the engine is turned off.

453 Controls in detail
Driving systems
DISTRONIC Plus does not act upon adverse
sight distance conditions. Do not use
DISTRONIC Plus during conditions of fog
and heavy rain, snow or sleet.Warning!
G
DISTRONIC Plus cannot take weather condi-
tions into account. Switch off
DISTRONIC Plus or do not turn it on if:

roads are slippery or covered with snow
or ice. The wheels could lose traction
while braking or accelerating, and the
vehicle could skid.


the sensor is dirty or visibility is
diminished due to snow, rain or fog. The
distance control could be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even while DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.
Otherwise, you may not be able to recognize
dangerous situations until it is too late and
could cause an accident resulting in person-
al or fatal injury to you or others.
Warning!
G
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.Warning!
G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not DISTRONIC Plus is activated.
Use of DISTRONIC Plus can be dangerous
on winding roads as conditions do not allow
safe driving at a steady speed.
DISTRONIC Plus may not react to stationary
objects in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehi-
cle in a traffic jam or a disabled vehicle).
DISTRONIC Plus will also not respond to on-
coming vehicles.
Switch off DISTRONIC Plus:

when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly
in the left lane


when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp


in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, DISTRONIC Plus will
continue to maintain the set speed unless
deactivated.
DISTRONIC Plus is designed and intended
only to maintain a set speed and keep a set
distance from moving objects in front of it.
i
Do not use DISTRONIC Plus if you are driv-
ing on a road with steep uphill or downhill slopes.
i
Due to its radar-emitting nature DISTRONIC
Plus may have an appearance similar to a radar
detector to law enforcement officials. You may
want to refer to this section of your Operator’s
Manual when asked.

455 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Displaying the distance graphic
In the “Assistance” menu under “Distance
Display” you see the current settings for
DISTRONIC Plus. The information shown in
the multifunction display depends on
whether DISTRONIC Plus is activated or
deactivated.
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the dis-
tance warning lampl in the instrument
cluster is illuminated if the DISTRONIC Plus
system calculates that the distance to the
vehicle ahead and your vehicle’s current
speed indicate that DISTRONIC Plus will not
be capable of slowing the vehicle sufficiently
to maintain the preset following distance,
which creates a danger of a collision.
Immediately brake your vehicle to increase
the distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front of you. The warning sound is
intended as a final caution that you have not
interceded with your own braking inputs to
avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Do
not wait for the operation of the warning sig-
nal to intercede with your own braking, as
that will result in potentially dangerous
emergency braking which will not always re-
sult in an impact being avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!
G
DISTRONIC Plus brakes your vehicle with a
maximum of 13 ft/s
2. This corresponds to
about 40% of the maximum deceleration
ability of your vehicle.
You must also apply the brakes yourself to
avoid a collision. DISTRONIC Plus brakes
the vehicle in an effort to restore the preset
distance or to maintain the speed. The brake
pedal is automatically applied as this hap-
pens which results in the brake pedal mov-
ing.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement which could interfere with the
braking ability of the DISTRONIC Plus sys-
tem.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
– your foot could become caught.
Warning!
G
If you do not receive visual or acoustic warn-
ing signals during a critical traffic situation,
DISTRONIC Plus has either not recognized
the collision risk, has been deactivated or is
malfunctioning.
Remember, whether or not DISTRONIC Plus
is operating, it is ultimately always the driv-
ers responsibility to apply the brakes in or-
der to control the vehicle and avoid a
collision.i
For activating or deactivating the
DISTRONIC Plus system, see “Activating
DISTRONIC Plus” (
page 457) or “Deactivating
DISTRONIC Plus” (page 463).


456 Controls in detailDriving systems
Press ( or & to select the
“Assistance” menu.

Press % or $ to select the
“Distance Display” function.

Press #.
The DISTRONIC Plus distance graphic
appears and you will see one of the fol-
lowing displays on the multifunction
display.DISTRONIC Plus activated
When you turn DISTRONIC Plus on, you will
see the set speed in the multifunction dis-
play for about 5 seconds. You then see the
following display in the multifunction dis-
play.
1DISTRONIC Plus activated
2Your vehicle
3Preset distance threshold to vehicle
ahead
4Vehicle ahead, if detectedDISTRONIC Plus deactivated
If DISTRONIC Plus is deactivated, the stan-
dard display of DISTRONIC Plus appears in
the multifunction display.
1Vehicle ahead, if detected
2Actual distance to vehicle ahead
3Preset distance threshold to vehicle
ahead
4Your vehicle
i
The menu overview can be found on
(
page 289).


463 Controls in detail
Driving systems

Briefly press the DISTRONIC Plus lever
down past the resistance point in
direction of arrow2 (
page 457).

Release the DISTRONIC Plus lever.
The vehicle speed decreases in incre-
ments of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).Setting to last stored speed (“Resume”
function)

Briefly pull the DISTRONIC Plus lever in
the direction of arrow4 (
page 457).
DISTRONIC Plus is set to the last
stored speed.
DISTRONIC Plus resumes the last set
speed or if no speed is stored, it will set
and store the current speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.Deactivating DISTRONIC Plus
There are several ways to deactivate the
DISTRONIC Plus system:

Briefly tip the DISTRONIC Plus lever in
the direction of arrow3 (
page 457).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
DISTRONIC Plus will be deactivated.
The last speed set will be stored into
memory.
DISTRONIC Plus deactivates automatically
when:


the vehicle is secured with the elec-
tronic parking brake


the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(30 km/h) and no preceding vehicle is
detected


the ESP
® is in operation or switched off
with the ESP
® switch (
page 74)
i
The set value is decreased in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments each time you
press the DISTRONIC Plus lever down past the
resistance point.
i
The new speed is set and the vehicle will de-
celerate. Keep in mind that it may take a brief
moment until the vehicle has reached the set
speed.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to preset
speed could cause an accident and/or seri-
ous injury you and others.i
Upon switching off the engine, the last
stored speed is deleted.
i
The last stored speed is deleted when you
turn off the engine.

613 Operation
Maintenance

To clear the maintenance service
indicator message: Press L
(page 288).
The maintenance service indicator
message is cleared and the standard
display appears in the multifunction
display (
page 291).Maintenance service term exceeded
If you have exceeded the suggested main-
tenance service term, you will see the fol-
lowing message in the multifunction
display:
“Service A Exceeded by XXX miles (km)
Service A Exceeded by XX days”
In addition, a signal sounds when the mes-
sage appears.
Any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center will
reset the maintenance service indicator
following a completed maintenance
service.Calling up the maintenance service
indicator display
You can call up the maintenance service in-
dicator display at any time to check when
the next maintenance service is due.
Switch on the ignition (
page 370).
The standard display of the control sys-
tem appears (
page 291).

Press ( or & on multifunction
steering wheel to select “Service”
menu.

Press % or $ to select the main-
tenance service indicator display.

Press #.
The service deadline appears in the
multifunction display.
i
The Maintenance System in your vehicle
tracks distance driven and the time elapsed
since the last maintenance service and calcu-
lates other maintenance service work required.
i
The maintenance service indicator message
is automatically cleared


after approximately 10 seconds when you
switch on the ignition or when reaching the
service threshold while driving


after approximately 30 seconds, once the
suggested maintenance service term has
passed
You can also clear it yourself.
i
The menu overview can be found on
(
page 289).