2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class lock

366 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Global locking: Close all doors and
touch outside of door handle1
(page 364). Do not keep your hand in
the door handle recess.
With the trunk and both doors closed:


All turn signal lamps flash three
times.


An acoustic signal sounds three
times (if equipped and feature acti-
vated).


The locking knobs in the doors
move down.


The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.

Restoring to factory setting: Press
and hold buttonsŒ and‹ si-
multaneously for about 5 seconds until
battery check lamp5 (
page 361)
flashes twice.
Checking batteries in the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Press button‹ orŒ.
The battery check lamp (
page 358)
or (
page 361) comes on briefly to in-
dicate that the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO batteries are in or-
der.Loss of the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*
If you lose your SmartKey, SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO or mechanical key, you
should do the following:
Have the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO deactivated by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.

Report the loss of the SmartKey,
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO or the me-
chanical key immediately to your car
insurance company.

Have the mechanical lock replaced if
necessary.
Any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center will
be glad to supply you with a replacement.
i
Vehicles with trunk opening/closing
system*:
You can also lock the vehicle using the
KEYLESS-GO locking/closing switch
(
page 514).
!
If the battery check lamp does not come on
briefly during check, the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO batteries are discharged.
Replace the batteries (
page 712).
You can obtain the required batteries at any au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
If the batteries are checked within signal
range of the vehicle, pressing button‹ or
Πwill lock or unlock the vehicle accordingly.


367 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening doors from the inside
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
1Locking knob
2Inside door handleFront doors

Pull on door handle2 on the respec-
tive front door to open door.
If the door was locked, locking knob1
will move up.
Rear doors

Pull up locking knob1 on the respec-
tive rear door to unlock door.

Pull on door handle2 on the respec-
tive rear door to open door.
i
If the vehicle has been locked with the
SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*, opening a door from
the inside will trigger the anti-theft alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the following:


Insert the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch.


Press button Œ or ‹ 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 button
(page 372).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* must be
inside the vehicle.
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the low beam headlamps or the
parking lamps before opening the driver’s door.
In addition the message “Please Switch Off
Lights” appears in the multifunction display.Switch off the low beam headlamps or the park-
ing lamps.
If the message “Turn Lights Off or Remove Key”
appears in the multifunction display remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch or switch off
the automatic headlamp mode.
!
Failure to switch off the exterior lamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.

368 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingPower closing assist for doors and trunk lid
It is not necessary to slam the door or
trunk lid closed. An electrical power-assist-
ed mechanism draws doors and trunk lid
closed quietly and automatically once door
and trunk lid has been latched. When the
electrical power-assisted mechanism has
stopped, doors and/or trunk can be
re-opened.

Power closing assist for doors: Press
the doors gently past the initial engage
position into the lock.
The doors close automatically.

Power closing assist for trunk lid:
Press the trunk lid gently into its lock.
The trunk closes automatically.For more information on closing the trunk
lid, see “Closing trunk” (
page 512).
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
when the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more. The
locking knobs in the doors move down.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the COMAND system (
page 267).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
or trunk lid opening when closing a door or
the trunk. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
In case of danger, pull the inside or outside
door handle, or pull the trunk lid handle.
To prevent personal injury, never actuate
the closing assist mechanism by tampering
with the door or trunk lid latch.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the doors closed. Otherwise,
one or more of the doors could open while
the vehicle is in motion, putting you and/or
others at risk.Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.
These fumes may be damaging to your
health.
i
The doors are designed to unlock automati-
cally after an accident if the force of the impact
exceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle locks automatically when the ignition
is switched on and the wheels are turning at ve-
hicle speeds of approximately 9 mph (15 km/h)
or more. You could therefore lock yourself out
when the vehicle


is pushed or towed


is on a test stand

369 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
trunk from the inside using the central
locking or unlocking switch. This can be
useful, for example, if you want to lock the
vehicle before starting to drive.
The central locking switch and central un-
locking switch do not lock or unlock the
fuel filler flap or the interior storage com-
partments such as the glove box.1Central unlocking switch
2Central locking switch

Locking: Press switch ‹.
If the front passenger door is closed,
the vehicle locks.

Unlocking: Press switch Œ.
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!
G
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. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
i
You can open a locked door from inside at
any time. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally locked
with the SmartKey or with KEYLESS-GO*, it will
not unlock using the central unlocking switch.
If the vehicle was previously locked with the cen-
tral locking switch:


and the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* is set to factory settings, the
complete vehicle is unlocked when a door is
opened from the inside


and the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* is set to selective settings,
only the door opened from the inside is un-
locked

370 Controls in detailStarter switch positionsSmartKeyStarter switch
0For removing SmartKey
1Power supply for some electrical con-
sumers
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position.
All lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instru-
ment cluster come on. If a lamp in the
instrument cluster fails to come on
when the ignition is switched on, have
it checked and replaced if necessary.
If a lamp in the instrument cluster re-
mains on after starting the engine or
comes on while driving, refer to “Lamps
in instrument cluster” (
page 628).
3Starting positionFor information on starting the engine us-
ing the SmartKey, see “Starting with the
SmartKey” (
page 417).
Warning!
G
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. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
i
When you switch on the ignition, the indica-
tor and warning lamps (except high beam head-
lamp indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instrument cluster
come on. The indicator and warning lamps (ex-
cept high beam headlamp indicator lamp and
turn signal indicator lamps if activated) should go
out when the engine is running. This indicates
that the respective systems are operational.
i
When the SmartKey is removed from the
starter switch and the automatic transmission is
in a position other than park positionP, the auto-
matic transmission automatically shifts to park
positionP.
!
If the SmartKey cannot be turned in the
starter switch, the battery may not be sufficient-
ly charged.


Check the battery and charge it if necessary
(page 729).


Have the vehicle jump-started (
page 734).
To prevent accelerated battery discharge or a
completely discharged battery, always remove
the SmartKey from the starter switch when the
engine is not in operation.

373 Controls in detailSeats
Seats
Seat adjustmentWarning!
G
All seat, head restraint adjustments, as well
as fastening of seat belts, must be done be-
fore the vehicle is put into motion.Warning!
G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide un-
der the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause se-
rious or fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belts provide the best restraint when
the wearer is in a nearly upright position and
seat belts are properly positioned on the
body.
Warning!
G
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt
(page 395).
Observe the following points:


Adjust the backrest until your arms are
slightly angled when holding the steer-
ing wheel.


Adjust the seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach the
accelerator/brake pedal safely. The po-
sition should be as far back as possible
with the driver still able to operate the
controls properly.


Adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to the head as possible and the
center of the head restraint supports
the back of the head at eye level.


Never place hands under the seat or
near any moving parts while a seat is be-
ing adjusted.
Failure to do so could result in injury to per-
sons.
Warning!
G
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 power seats
can be operated. Therefore, do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s un-
supervised access to a vehicle could result
in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.

376 Controls in detailSeatsAdjusting front passenger seat from
driver’s seat/rear*
Adjusting front passenger seat from
driver’s seat*
You can adjust the front passenger seat
using the seat switches on the driver’s
side.
1Adjusting front passenger seat

Press button1.When the indicator lamp on button1 is
on, you can operate the following features
of the front passenger seat:


seat adjustment


seat heating/ventilation*


memory function
Warning!
G
When adjusting the front passenger seat,
make sure the seat, if occupied, is as far
from the passenger front air bag as possi-
ble.
Otherwise, the passenger could be seriously
or even fatally injured in the event of an ac-
cident or braking maneuver.
Make sure no one is caught or injured while
the seat is being adjusted.
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 power seats
can be operated. Therefore, do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s un-
supervised access to a vehicle could result
in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
!
Do not move the front passenger seat com-
pletely forward if objects are stored in the parcel
net in the front passenger-side footwell. Items in
the net may be damaged.

381 Controls in detailSeats
Folding head restraints back
The rear seat head restraints and the rear
seat power head restraints* can be folded
backward for increased visibility.
1Switch in the front center console
Switch on the ignition (
page 370).

Press switch1 in the front center con-
sole briefly.
The rear head restraints will fold back-
ward.Placing head restraints upright

Pull the rear head restraint upright until
it locks into position.Placing power head restraints* upright
(rear outer seats)

Switch on the ignition (
page 370).

Press and hold switch1 in the front
center console (
page 381).
The rear outer seats head restraints
will place upright.

Pull the rear center seat head restraint
upright manually until it locks into posi-
tion.
!
M ake s ure t he h ead re str ain ts e ng ag e w he n
placing them upright manually. Otherwise their
protective function cannot be ensured.
i
When you fasten your seat belt in the rear,
the respective rear outer seat head restraint
places upright automatically.