2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class cooling

Contents
Parktronic system* ...................... 472
Park Assist* ................................. 476
Advanced Parking Guidance*....... 481
Rear View Camera*...................... 487
Night View Assist* ....................... 491
Blind Spot Assist* ........................ 495
Air vents ............................................ 498
Opening and closing air vents ...... 500
Ventilated storage compartment
(Canada only) ............................... 500
Automatic climate control ................. 501
Deactivating climate
control system ............................. 503
Operating climate control system
in automatic mode ....................... 503
Setting temperature ..................... 504
Adjusting air volume .................... 504
Front defroster ............................. 504
Rear window defroster ................. 506
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
(USA only) .................................... 506
Air recirculation mode.................. 506
Residual engine heat and
ventilation .................................... 509
Rear passenger compartment
climate control* ........................... 509Trunk .................................................. 511
Opening trunk ............................... 511
Closing trunk ................................ 512
Trunk emergency release.............. 516
Valet locking ................................. 517
Power tilt/sliding sunroof................... 518
Opening and closing
power tilt/sliding sunroof ............. 518
Synchronizing ............................... 520
Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel* ............................... 521
Roller sunblinds ............................ 521
Opening and closing panorama
roof with power tilt/sliding panel.. 522
Synchronizing ............................... 524
Loading and storing ............................ 525
Roof rack* .................................... 525
Loading instructions ..................... 525
Storage compartments ................. 526
Cupholders ................................... 530
Trunk ............................................ 532
Useful features ................................... 534
Sun visors ..................................... 534
Vanity mirror in rear...................... 534
Rear window sunshade ................. 535
Ashtrays........................................ 536Cigarette lighters .......................... 537
Power outlet ................................. 538
Floormats* ................................... 538
Telephone* ................................... 539
Tele Aid ......................................... 542
Garage door opener ...................... 551
Infrared reflecting windshield ....... 556
Operation.......................................... 557
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) .......... 558
Driving instructions ............................ 559
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 559
Drinking and driving...................... 559
Pedals ........................................... 559
Power assistance .......................... 559
Brakes .......................................... 560
Driving off ..................................... 562
Parking ......................................... 562
Tires.............................................. 563
Hydroplaning ................................ 563
Tire traction .................................. 564
Tire speed rating ........................... 564
Winter driving instructions ............ 565
Standing water ............................. 566
Passenger compartment............... 567

273 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control
COMAND automatic climate control
You can operate the automatic climate
control via COMAND or via the buttons on
the front and rear* automatic climate con-
trol panel (
page 501).
Some of the special climate control func-
tions can only be set via COMAND.The following automatic climate control
functions can be operated via COMAND:
i
The components and operating principles of
COMAND can be found on (
page 87).
Warning!
G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents can be very
hot or very cold (depending on the set tem-
perature). This may cause burns or frostbite
to unprotected skin in the immediate area of
the air vents.
Always keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the air
vents. If necessary, use the air distribution
adjustment (
page 275) to direct the air to
air vents in the vehicle interior that are not
in the immediate area of unprotected skin.
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pages
and pages in the “Controls in detail” part
(page 501) Otherwise the windows could
fog up, impairing visibility and endangering
you and others.
Function
Page
Temperature
274
Air distribution
275
Air volume
275
Switching off cooling (“AC
OFF”)
276
Central climate control (“Mono”)
277
Footwell temperature
278
Air flow from air vents
279
Rear climate control*
279

276 Control systemsCOMAND automatic climate control
Changing air volume: Slide qmr or
rotate ymz.
or

Switching back to automatic mode:
Rotateymz and select “AUTO”.

Exiting menu: Press n, back
buttonL in the center console
(page 88) or slideomp.
The setting is saved.Central climate control menu via
COMAND
The central climate control menu is in the
center of the climate control settings.
When the automatic climate control is
switched on, you will see “on” in the cen-
tral menu. The following functions can only
be operated in the central climate control
menu via COMAND:
Select climate control settings
Cen-
tral menu.Switching cooling on or off
The cooling function, only operational
when the engine is running, cools the vehi-
cle interior down to the selected tempera-
ture. The cooling function also
dehumidifies the air in the vehicle interior,
thus preventing the windows from fogging
up.
Function
Page
Switching off cooling (“AC
OFF”)
276
Central climate control (“Mono”)
277
Footwell temperature
278
Air flow from air vents
279
Rear climate control*
279


277 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control
The “AC
OFF” function is used to permanent-
ly switch off the cooling function of the au-
tomatic climate control system.

Select climate control settings
Cen-
tral climate control menu.

Selecting “AC
OFF”: Slide qmr or
rotateymz.

Confirming selection: Press n.
A checkmark appears when the cooling
is switched off.
“AC
OFF” appears in the central menu of
the climate control settings.Selecting “Mono” mode
“Mono” is used to adjust the climate zones
for the entire vehicle at the same time.
When the “Mono” function is switched on
and you change the climate on the driver’s
side, these changes will be carried out in
the same manner for all climate zones.

Select climate control settings
Cen-
tral climate control menu.

Selecting “Mono”: Slide qmr or
rotateymz.

Confirming selection: Press n.
A checkmark appears when the func-
tion has been selected.

Exiting menu: Press back button L
in the center console (
page 88) or
slideomp.
i
Condensation may drip out from underneath
the vehicle. This is normal and not an indication
of a malfunction.Warning!
G
If you turn off the cooling function, the
vehicle will not be cooled when weather
conditions are warm. The windows can fog
up more quickly. Window fogging may
impair visibility and endanger you and
others.
!
If the air conditioning cannot be turned on
again, this indicates that the air conditioning is
losing refrigerant. The compressor has turned it-
self off.
Have the air conditioning checked at the nearest
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

279 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control
Adjusting air flow from air vents
The “Airflow” setting defines air distribu-
tion and air volume in automatic mode:

“Focused” (default setting, increased
air flow)


“Medium” (reduced air flow)


“Diffuse” (minimal air flow)

Select climate control settings
Cen-
tral climate control menu
“Airflow”.
A selection list appears.
The current setting is indicated by a
dotR.

Changing air flow: Slide qmr or
rotateymz.

Confirming selection: Press n.Operating rear climate control* from
the front
The “Rear)” function is used to oper-
ate the rear climate control via COMAND
and the buttons on the center console con-
trol unit (
page 510).
Switching on rear climate control oper-
ation from the front

Select climate control settings
Cen-
tral climate control menu.

Selecting “Rear)”: Slide qmr or
rotate ymz.

Confirming selection: Press n.
i
In automatic mode, this setting optimizes
the air flow when outside temperatures are high.
i
When the interior ambient temperature of
the vehicle is very hot and the automatic climate
control is cooling the interior, the setting for air
flow is temporarily overridden.


421 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
The coolant temperature is above
248°F (120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as
soon as possible and turn off the en-
gine. Allow engine and coolant to cool
off.

Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 579).In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking gasoline:

Do not start the engine under any cir-
cumstances.

Move away from vehicle.

Notify local fire and/or police authori-
ties.
If the extent of the damage cannot be de-
termined:

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If no damage can be determined on the


major assemblies


fuel system


engine mount:

Start the engine in the usual manner.
Parking
i
Excessive coolant temperatures trigger a
warning message in the multifunction display
(
page 680).
Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and the
steering systems. In this case, it is impor-
tant to keep in mind that a considerably
higher degree of effort is necessary to brake
and steer the vehicle.Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay, or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Engage electronic parking brake.


502 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlThe automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.
It can only function optimally when you are
driving with the windows and the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof/panorama sunroof* closed.
It is possible to completely deactivate the
climate control system (
page 503). Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
i
If you have the air distribution and air vol-
ume automatically controlled, you can adjust the
temperature, footwell temperature and air flow.
The following basic settings are recommended:


Automatic air distribution control
(page 501)


Temperature: 72°F (22°C) (
page 504)


Footwell temperature: 0 (
page 278)


Air flow: focused (
page 279)
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pages
and in the “COMAND automatic climate
control” section (
page 273). Otherwise
the windows could fog up, impairing visibili-
ty and endangering you and others.
Warning!
G
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before
its scheduled replacement interval. A
clogged filter will reduce the air volume to
the interior and the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others. Have a clogged filter replaced as
soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.i
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate the in-
terior before driving off, see “Summer opening
feature” (
page 412). The automatic climate
control will then adjust the interior temperature
to the set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the wind-
shield free of snow, leaves, sticks, and any other
debris.

503 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
The following automatic climate control
functions can be operated via COMAND:
Deactivating climate control system
Deactivating: Press button´
(page 501) up or down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. You will see “Climate Con-
trol OFF” in the COMAND display.

Reactivating: Press button´
(page 501) up or down.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. You will see the previous settings
in the COMAND display.Operating climate control system in
automatic mode
Air distribution and air volume is adjusted
automatically by the automatic climate
control system. You can also adjust the
settings for air distribution and air volume
manually.
Activating
Press buttonU (
page 501) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Do not obstruct air volume by placing objects on
the air volume-through exhaust slots below the
rear window.Function
Page
Temperature
274
Air distribution
275
Air volume
275
Switching off cooling (“AC
OFF”)
276
Central climate control (“Mono”)
277
Footwell temperature
278
Air flow from air vents
279
Rear climate control*
279
Warning!
G
When the automatic climate control is
switched off, the outside air supply and cir-
culation are also switched off. Only choose
this setting for a short time. Otherwise the
windows could fog up, impairing visibility
and endangering you and others.
i
In automatic mode, cooling with dehumidify
is switched on. This function can be switched off
if necessary (
page 276).