2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class Vehicle

80 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsTo maintain the proper distance to the ve-
hicle in front of you and thus prevent a
rear-end collision, you must apply the
brakes yourself.
Immediately brake the vehicle to avoid
a collision.
Under no circumstances should the
driver await the intermittent warning
sound before braking. See the follow-
ing warning note.
The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the distance warning lampl
goes out when the necessary distance
to the vehicle ahead is again
established.PRE-SAFE
® Brake can react to stationary
obstacles such as standing or parked vehi-
cles at road speeds of up to approximately
40 mph (70 km/h).

Activating and deactivating: Activate
or deactivate PRE-SAFE
® Brake using
the instrument cluster control system
(
page 303).
After the function has been activated,
indicator : appears on the
left-hand side of the multifunction dis-
play.
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the dis-
tance warning lampl in the instrument
cluster is illuminated if PRE-SAFE
® Brake
calculates that the distance to the vehicle
ahead and your vehicle’s current speed indi-
cate that PRE-SAFE
® Brake will not be capa-
ble 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 driving 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 situ-
ation. Do not wait for the operation of the
warning signal to intercede with your own
braking, as that will result in potentially dan-
gerous emergency braking which will not al-
ways result in an impact being avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!
G
If you do not receive visual or acoustic warn-
ing signals, PRE-SAFE
® Brake has either not
recognized the collision risk, has been deac-
tivated or is malfunctioning. Apply the
brakes yourself to avoid a collision.

81 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
PRE-SAFE
® Brake does not always clearly
interpret complex traffic situations. If a vi-
sual and/or acoustic warning is issued in
an uncritical driving situation, or if the ve-
hicle brakes lightly, you can interrupt the
PRE-SAFE® Brake maneuver by


pressing down all the way on the accel-
erator or using kickdown


releasing the brake pedalThe PRE-SAFE
® Brake maneuver is termi-
nated immediately when


you avoid the obstacle by evasive
steering


you drive less than 9 mph (15 km/h)


an obstacle can no longer be identified
ahead of you


the system no longer senses the risk of
a collisionAfter a hard collision or damage to the
front of the vehicle from an accident, have
the settings and operation of the radar
sensors checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
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PRE-SAFE
® Brake will remain passive while
DISTRONIC Plus* is switched on (
page 451).

82 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsImmobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
with you, and lock the vehicle. The engine
can be started by anyone with a valid
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
that is left inside the vehicle.
Activating
With the SmartKey: Remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch.

With the KEYLESS-GO*: Turn off the
engine (
page 372) and open the driv-
er’s door.
Deactivating

Switch on the ignition (
page 370).
Anti-theft alarm system
Once the alarm system has been armed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered when
someone opens:

a door


the trunk


the hood
The alarm will stay on even if the activating
element (a door, for example) is immedi-
ately closed.
The alarm system will also be triggered
when


the vehicle is opened with the
mechanical key


a door is opened from the inside
To cancel the alarm after it has been trig-
gered, see “Canceling the alarm”
(
page 83).
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Starting the engine will also deactivate the
immobilizer.
In case the engine cannot be started (yet the ve-
hicle’s battery is charged), the system is not op-
erational. Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center or call 1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the
USA), or 1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).

83 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
1Indicator lamp
Arming: Lock your vehicle with the
SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash three times
to indicate that the vehicle is locked.
The indicator lamp1 flashes to indi-
cate that the alarm system is armed.

Disarming: Unlock your vehicle with
the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash once to in-
dicate that the alarm system is dis-
armed.
Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm, do one of the follow-
ing:
Insert the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch.

Press the Œ or ‹ button on the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.
In vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Grasp an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton (
page 372).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
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If the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response Center is ini-
tiated automatically by the Tele Aid system
(
page 542) provided Tele Aid service was sub-
scribed to and properly activated, and that nec-
essary mobile phone, power supply and GPS
coverage are available.
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If the turn signal lamps does not flash three
times one of the following elements may not be
properly closed:


a door


the trunk
Close the respective element and lock the vehi-
cle again.
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The alarm system will rearm automatically
again after approximately 40 seconds if no door
was opened.

85 Control systems
COMAND operating safety
COMAND introduction
COMAND FM/AM radio
COMAND satellite radio
COMAND
audio CD/audio DVD/MP3
COMAND AUX
COMAND video DVD
COMAND telephone*
COMAND navigation
COMAND system settings
COMAND vehicle menu
COMAND automatic climate control
COMAND seats
Instrument cluster control system
Voice Control

86 Control systemsCOMAND operating safetyWarning!
G
Any alteration of electronic components or
software can cause malfunctions.
Radio, satellite radio, amplifier, CD/DVD
changer, navigation module, telephone and
Voice Control Systems* are interconnected.
Therefore, if one of the components is not
operational, or has not been removed/ re-
placed properly, the function of other com-
ponents could be impaired.
Such conditions might seriously impair the
operating safety of your vehicle.
We recommend to have any service work on
electronic components carried out by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
In order to avoid distraction which could
lead to an accident, the driver should enter
system settings while the vehicle is at a
standstill, and operate the system only
when permitted by road, weather and traffic
conditions.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/ h), your car covers a
distance of 44 feet (approximately 14 m) ev-
ery second.
COMAND supplies you with information to
help you select your route more easily and
guide you conveniently and safely to your
destination. For safety reasons, we encour-
age the driver to stop the vehicle in a safe
place before answering or placing a call, or
consulting the COMAND screen to read nav-
igational maps, instructions, or downloaded
information.
Warning!
G
While the navigation system provides direc-
tional assistance, the driver must remain fo-
cused on safe driving behavior, especially
attention to traffic and street signs, and
should utilize the system’s audio cues while
driving.
The navigation system does not supply any
information on stop signs, yield signs, traffic
regulations or traffic safety rules. Their ob-
servance always remains in the driver’s per-
sonal responsibility. DVD maps do not cover
all areas nor all routes within an area.

87 Control systems
COMAND introduction
COMAND introduction
COMAND (C
ockpit M
anagement and D
ata
System) is an information and operating
center for vehicle sound and communica-
tions systems, including the radio and nav-
igation system, as well as other optional
equipment (satellite radio, telephone*,
etc.).
Availability of functions while the vehi-
cle is in motion
For safety reasons, certain COMAND func-
tions are not available while the vehicle is
in motion or they are only available to a
limited extent. You will notice this, for ex-
ample, by the fact that certain menu items
cannot be selected or that the COMAND
display shows a corresponding message.
Switching COMAND on or off
Press the o shortcut button in the
center console (
page 88).
COMAND calls up the menu last select-
ed.
COMAND components
In your vehicle, COMAND can be used to
operate:

audio functions


the navigation system


the telephone* and communication
functions (SMS*)


external audio and video sources


video DVD


various vehicle settings
COMAND consists of the following:


COMAND shortcut buttons


COMAND display


telephone* keypad


COMAND controller
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When you switch off COMAND, you also
switch off the currently playing audio source.
During a telephone call, you cannot switch off
COMAND.

89 Control systems
COMAND introduction
Instrument cluster multifunction
display
This section describes features and con-
trols via the COMAND controller, display
and shortcut buttons only.
Please refer to the “Instrument cluster
control system” section of this manual
(page 287) for function descriptions and
operation of the instrument cluster multi-
function display and multifunction steering
wheel buttons as they relate to COMAND
features described in this section.Adjusting COMAND display
illumination
1Knob

Brightening illumination: Turn
knob1 clockwise.

Dimming illumination: Turn knob1
counterclockwise.Swiveling COMAND display
1Button for swiveling display to the left
2Button for swiveling display to the right
You can swivel the COMAND display to the
left or right. The buttons are on the
right-hand side of the instrument cluster.
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The layout of the menus may vary depending
on your vehicle’s equipment. This manual shows
the menus for a fully equipped vehicle.