2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class change time

16 IntroductionOperator’s ManualFor additional information refer to the
Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance Pro-
gram brochure (in the USA) or the Road-
side Assistance section of the Service &
Warranty Information booklet (in Canada)
in your vehicle literature portfolio.Change of address or ownership
If you change your address, be sure to
send in the “Change of Address Notice”
found in the Service and Warranty Informa-
tion Booklet, or simply call the
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance
Center (in the USA) at
1-800-FOR-MERCedes, or Customer
Service (in Canada) at 1-800-387-0100.
This will assist us in contacting you in a
timely manner should the need arise.
If you sell your Mercedes, please leave all
literature with the vehicle to make it avail-
able to the next operator.If you bought this vehicle used, be sure to
send in the “Notice of Purchase of Used
Car” found in the Service and Warranty In-
formation Booklet, or call the
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Cen-
ter (in the USA) at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes,
or Customer Service (in Canada) at
1-800-387-0100.
Operating your vehicle outside the USA
or Canada
If you plan to operate your vehicle in for-
eign countries, please be aware that:

service facilities or replacement parts
may not be readily available,


unleaded gasoline for vehicles with cat-
alytic converters may not be available;
the use of leaded fuels will damage the
catalysts,


gasoline may have a considerably low-
er octane rating, and improper fuel can
cause engine damage.Certain Mercedes-Benz models are avail-
able for delivery in Europe under our Euro-
pean Delivery Program. For details, consult
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or
write to:
In the USA:
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
European Delivery Department
One Mercedes Drive
Montvale, NJ 07645-0350
In Canada:
Mercedes-Benz Canada, Inc.
European Delivery Department
98 Vanderhoof Avenue
Toronto, Ontario M4G 4C9

44 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag
i
Air bags are designed to deploy only in cer-
tain frontal impacts (front air bags), and in side
impacts (side impact and window curtain air
bags) which exceed preset thresholds, and in
certain rollovers (window curtain air bags). Only
during these events will they provide their sup-
plemental protection.
The driver and passengers should always wear
their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible for
air bags to provide their supplemental protec-
tion.
In case of other types of impacts and impacts be-
low air bag deployment thresholds, air bags will
not deploy. The driver and passenger will then be
protected to the extent possible by a properly
fastened seat belt. A properly fastened seat belt
is also needed to provide the best possible pro-
tection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
air bags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of your pas-
sengers that you replace deployed air bags and
repair any malfunctioning air bags to make sure
the vehicle will continue to provide supplemental
crash protection for occupants.
Warning!
G


Damaged seat belts or seat belt that
were highly stressed in an accident
must be replaced and their anchoring
points must also be checked. Only use
seat belts installed or supplied by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.


Air bags and pyrotechnic emergency
tensioning devices (ETDs) are designed
to function on a one-time-only basis. An
air bag or ETD that is deployed must be
replaced. PRE-SAFE
® has electrically
operated reversible pre-tensioners in
addition to the pyrotechnic ETDs.


Air bags and Emergency Tensioning De-
vices (ETDs) contain Perchlorate materi-
al, which may require special handling
and regard for the environment. Check
with your local government’s disposal
guidelines. California residents, see
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWa
ste/Perchlorate/index.cfm.


Do not pass seat belt over sharp edges.
They could tear.


Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the seat
belts.


Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.

59 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Infant and child restraint systems
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
All lap-shoulder belts except the driver’s
seat belt have special seat belt retractors
for secure fastening of child restraints.
To fasten a child restraint, follow child
restraint instructions for mounting. Then
pull the shoulder belt out completely and
let it retract. During seat belt retraction, a
ratcheting sound can be heard to indicate
that the special seat belt retractor is acti-
vated. The seat belt is now locked. Push
down on child restraint to take up any
slack.To deactivate, release seat belt buckle and
let seat belt retract completely. To deacti-
vate the special seat belt retractor for the
front passenger seat, the front passenger
seat must be in the most backward posi-
tion. The seat belt can again be used in the
usual manner.
The use of infant or child restraints is re-
quired by law in all 50 states, the District
of Columbia, the U.S. territories and all Ca-
nadian provinces.
Warning!
G
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if they are secured in a child re-
straint system. The children could

injure themselves on parts of the vehicle


be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or
cold
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system’s
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts.
If children open a door, they could


injure other persons


get out of the car and injure themselves
or be injured by following traffic
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child’s risk of injury in the event
of

strong braking maneuvers


sudden changes of direction


an accident
Warning!
G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.i
Information on child seats with mounting fit-
tings for tether anchorages (
page 62).
For information on LATCH-type child seat
mounts (
page 63).

120 Control systemsCOMAND audio CD/audio DVD/MP3Notes about handling CDs/DVDs

Only hold discs by the edge.


Handle discs carefully to prevent play-
back problems.


Avoid getting scratches, fingerprints
and dust on discs.


Clean discs from time to time with a
commercially-available cleaning cloth.
Do not wipe them with a circular mo-
tion, but only in straight lines from the
center outwards.


Only use a pen designed for such a pur-
pose to label discs.


Place discs back in their boxes after
use.


Protect discs from heat and direct sun-
light.
Inserting CDs and DVDs Loading the CD/DVD changer
The CD/DVD changer can hold up to a to-
tal of 6 audio CDs or DVDs.
1Disc slot
2Load button (all magazine trays)
3Magazine tray buttons 1 – 6Warning!
G
Only insert a CD or DVD when the vehicle is
stationary. There is a risk of accident by be-
ing distracted from road and traffic condi-
tions if you load a CD/DVD while the vehicle
is in motion.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.i
If the CD/DVD has a printed side, this must
face upwards when the CD/DVD is inserted. If
neither side is printed, the side to be played
should face downwards.
i
Each magazine tray button3 indicates the
status of the corresponding magazine tray by
means of an LED.


LED off = magazine tray is empty


LED constantly lit = magazine tray is loaded


LED flashes = CD/DVD changer requesting
disc to be loaded

125 Control systems
COMAND audio CD/audio DVD/MP3
Example display in MP3 mode
1Current playback option
2Medium type
3Disc number (not on PCMCIA card)
4Track name
5Current folder path
6Current folder
7Track time
8Graphic time and track display
9Sound settings
aMedium selection
bFolder listing
cTrack listing
dPlayback options
Stop function
Stopping playback: Select “Audio”

“Audio”
“DVD-Audio”
“Stop”.

Restarting playback: Select “Audio”

“Audio”
“DVD-Audio”
“Play”.
Playback starts at the beginning of the
DVD.
Pause function
In audio CD, audio DVD and MP3 mode
Pausing playback:
PressF briefly.

Continuing playback: PressF
again briefly.
Only in audio DVD mode

Pausing playback:
Select “Audio”
“Audio”
“DVD-Au-
dio”
“Pause”.
The “Pause” screen changes to “Play”.

Continuing playback: Select “Audio”

“Audio”
“DVD-Audio”
“Play”.
The “Play” screen changes to “Pause”.
i
This function is only available in audio DVD
mode.

134 Control systemsCOMAND video DVDSubmenu overview of video DVDSwitching to video DVD mode
Insert a DVD (
page 120).
or

Select “Video”
“Video”
“Video
DVD”.
or

Press the M shortcut button once or
twice.
DVD-V
Pause/Play
Stop
Changer
Sound
DVD Functions
Pause playback
Pause Playback
Select medium
Treble
Brightness
Continue playback
Stop playback
Bass
Contrast
Restart playback
Balance/Fader
Color
3D Sound
16:9 Optimized4:3Widescreen
i
The M shortcut button takes you directly
to the previously set disc mode (audio CD/DVD,
MP3-CD/DVD or video DVD). The number of
times you have to press the shortcut button de-
pends on the previously set mode.

135 Control systems
COMAND video DVD
Hiding/showing the DVD control menu 
Hiding the menu: Slide qmr.

Showing the menu: Slide qmr.
or

Wait for approximately 8 seconds.
Control menu1Disc type
2Current track
3Current scene
4Elapsed track time
5Show the menu system
Hiding/showing the menu system
Showing the menu: Press n.

Hiding the menu: Press n when the
main menu area is selected.
Menu system1Video DVD options
2Pause
3Stop
4Medium selection
5Sound settings
Fast forward/rewind
Slide omp and hold until you get to the
desired scene.
Selecting the DVD medium
Select “Video”
“Video”
“Video
DVD”.

Show the menu system, if necessary
(page 135).

Select “Changer”.
The media list appears. The dotR indi-
cates the current medium.

Select a medium.
COMAND changes the medium.

157 Control systems
COMAND telephone*

Sending a phone book entry as a
character string: Select “Name”.

Select desired phone book entry.
The entry is immediately sent as a char-
acter string.

Switching back to the call display:
Select “Y”.
Sending character strings via the tele-
phone keypad

Press corresponding button on tele-
phone keypad.
Each character you select is immedi-
ately sent.Ending an active call

Ending a call: Select “4END” in the
call display.
or

Press t on the telephone keypad or
on the multifunction steering wheel.
The COMAND display will change to
the previously selected display, if
applicable.
Transferring a call
From the hands-free system to the
Bluetooth
® headset
The call transfer is controlled by pressing
the PTT button on the Bluetooth
® headset
(see headset operating instructions). Nor-
mally, it is sufficient to press the PTT but-
ton once, but under certain circumstances
you may have to press it a second time.
Once the call has been transferred to the
Bluetooth
® headset, all the functions will
be available to you which are described in
the “Functions during a single-call connec-
tion” section (
page 155).
Exception: “Switching the hands-free mi-
crophone on or off” function (
page 156).
i
Telephone numbers containing the + char-
acter may impair the function.
i
The + character may impair the function.
i
The use of a Bluetooth
® headset requires
Bluetooth
® to be activated and the Bluetooth
®
headset to be authorized (
page 180).