2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class height adjustment

Contents
Multicontour seats*, rear ............. 383
Easy-entry/exit feature ................ 384
Steering wheel ................................... 386
Steering wheel adjustment........... 386
Heated steering wheel* ............... 387
Mirrors ............................................... 388
Interior rear view mirror ............... 388
Exterior rear view mirrors ............. 388
Power folding exterior rear
view mirrors ................................. 389
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors ... 390
Activating exterior rear
view mirror parking position ......... 391
Memory function................................ 392
Storing positions into memory ..... 393
Recalling positions from memory . 393
Storing exterior rear view
mirror parking position ................. 394
Fastening the seat belts..................... 395
Proper use of seat belts ............... 397
Seat belt height adjustment
automatically ................................ 397
Seat belt height adjustment
manually ....................................... 398
Lighting .............................................. 399
Exterior lamp switch ..................... 399High beam .................................... 403
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 403
Corner-illuminating lamps ............ 404
Hazard warning flasher ................ 405
Interior lighting............................. 406
Door entry lamps ......................... 407
Trunk lamp ................................... 407
Windshield wipers .............................. 408
Switching on/off
windshield wipers......................... 408
Intermittent wiping....................... 409
Single wipe................................... 409
Wiping with windshield
washer fluid.................................. 409
Power windows .................................. 410
Opening and closing
power windows ............................ 410
Rear side window sunshades* ..... 412
Summer opening feature.............. 412
Convenience closing feature ........ 413
Driving and parking............................ 416
Starting the engine....................... 416
Driving off .................................... 419
Turn signals .................................. 420
Problems while driving ................. 420
Parking ......................................... 421Turning off the engine .................. 424
Releasing seat belts ..................... 425
Automatic transmission ..................... 426
Gear selector lever....................... 426
Shifting procedure ....................... 429
Transmission positions ................ 430
Driving tips................................... 433
Gear ranges ................................. 435
Automatic shift program .............. 436
Steering wheel gearshift control .. 438
Manual shift program
(S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG only) ... 440
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 443
Instrument cluster ............................. 444
Adjusting instrument cluster
display illumination ...................... 444
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 444
Tachometer .................................. 445
Outside temperature indicator ..... 445
Fuel gauge ................................... 445
Driving systems ................................. 446
Cruise control .............................. 446
DISTRONIC Plus* ......................... 451
Airmatic ....................................... 468
Active Body Control (ABC)* ......... 470

374 Controls in detailSeats
You can adjust the lumbar support, multi-
contour seats* for driver and front passen-
ger, as well as drive-dynamic multicontour
seats* using COMAND (
page 282).
Front power seat adjustment
Example driver’s door1Head restraint height (
page 379)
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat cushion depth
5Seat fore and aft
6Seat backrest tilt

Seat height: Press the switch up or
down in the direction of arrow2.

Seat cushion tilt: Press the switch up
or down in the direction of
arrow3until your upper legs are
lightly supported.

Seat cushion depth: Press the switch
forward or backward in the direction of
arrow4 until your legs are supported
comfortably.
Warning!
G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended for
the size and weight of the child. For addi-
tional information, see “Children in the vehi-
cle” (
page 58).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
i
If PRE-SAFE
® has been activated, the front
passenger’s seat and/or electrically adjustable
rear seats* will be moved to a more favorable
seat position.
i
The memory function (
page 392) lets you
store the settings for the seat positions together
with the settings for the steering wheel and the
exterior rear view mirrors.
!
When moving the seats, make sure there are
no items in the footwell or behind the seats; oth-
erwise, you could damage the seats.

375 Controls in detailSeats

Seat fore and aft: Press the switch for-
ward or backward in the direction of
arrow5.

Seat backrest tilt: Press the switch
forward or backward in the direction of
arrow6.Rear power seat* adjustment
(rear outer seats)
Example rear right door1Seat cushion tilt
2Seat backrest tilt
3Folding down and placing upright head
restraint (
page 382)
4Head restraint tilt (
page 382)
5Seat fore and aft

Adjust desired seat using seat
switches1,2 and5.
i
Depending on the set height of the head re-
straint, the seat fore and aft position is automat-
ically pre-set.
i
Depending on vehicle production date you
have to switch on the ignition or open the re-
spective door before adjusting the rear power
seats.

397 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
Proper use of seat belts

Do not twist the seat belt when fasten-
ing.


Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the seat belt under
your arm.


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.


Place the seat backrest in a nearly up-
right position.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.


Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant restraints or toddler restraints or
children in booster seats, always follow
the child seat manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.


Check your seat belt during travel to
make sure that it is properly posi-
tioned.


Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.For more information, see “Seat belts”
(
page 52).
Seat belt height adjustment
automatically
Depending on production date, your vehi-
cle automatically adjusts the seat belt
height for the driver’s and passenger’s
seat as well as for the rear outer seats.
Comply with the instructions on how to
properly fasten a seat belt (
page 395).
Warning!
G
Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not allow the seat belt to get caught in
the door or in the seat adjustment mecha-
nism. This could damage the seat belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness 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 adequate protection.
Damaged seat belts or seat belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be re-
placed. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

398 Controls in detailFastening the seat beltsSeat belt height adjustment manually
Depending on vehicle production date, you
can adjust the height of the seat belt for
the driver’s and front passenger seat. The
seat belts for the rear outer seats are ad-
justed automatically.
1Seat belt height adjuster
2Release button

Raising: Slide the seat belt height
adjuster1 upward.
The seat belt height adjuster1 engag-
es in different positions.

Lowering: Press and hold release
button2.

Slide the seat belt height adjuster1
downward.

Release button and make sure the seat
belt height adjuster1 engages into
place.

469 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Vehicle level control with Airmatic
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to:

increase vehicle safety


reduce fuel consumption
The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:


W it h inc re a sing s pe ed, ri de hei ght is re -
duced by up to approximately 0.8 in
(20 mm).


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the selected vehicle
level.The following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary:
Select the “Raised” level setting only when
required by current driving conditions.
Otherwise:


Fuel consumption may increase.


Handling may be impaired.1Vehicle level control switch
2Indicator lamp

Start the engine.

Briefly press switch1 to change from
one level setting to the other.
The message:
“Vehicle Rising”
appears in the multifunction display
when changing from normal level to
raised level.
The indicator lamp2 is then lit. The
display switches off when the vehicle is
raised.
Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands
and feet away from wheel housing area, and
stay away from under the vehicle when low-
ering the vehicle chassis.
i
These height adjustments are so small that
you may not notice any change.
LevelNormal
For driving on normal roads.
The indicator lamp is off.
Raised
For driving on rough roads or
with snow chains. The indica-
tor lamp is on.


471 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Vehicle level control with ABC
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to:

increase vehicle safety


reduce fuel consumption
The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:


W it h inc re a sing s pe ed, ri de hei ght is re -
duced by up to approximately 0.6 in
(15 mm).


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the selected vehicle
level.
The following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary:
Select the “Raised” level setting only when
required by current driving conditions.
Otherwise:


Fuel consumption may increase.


Handling may be impaired.1Vehicle level control switch
2Indicator lamp
Selecting a higher level

Start the engine.
If indicator lamp2 is off:

Press switch1.
Indicator lamp2 comes on. The vehi-
cle is raised to a higher level.
i
S63AMG and S65AMG only:
When you switch off the engine, the entire vehi-
cle is lowered by 0.2 in (5 mm).
Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands
and feet away from wheel housing area, and
stay away from under the vehicle when low-
ering the vehicle chassis.
i
These height adjustments are so small that
you may not notice any change.
LevelNormal
For driving on normal roads.
The indicator lamp is off.
Raised
For driving on rough roads or
with snow chains. The indica-
tor lamp is on.
i
The selected vehicle level setting remains
stored in memory even if the engine is turned off
and restarted.

784 IndexHeated steering wheel* 387
Height adjustments
Vehicle level (ABC*) 471
High beam
Replacing bulbs 715
High beam flasher 403
High beam headlamp
Indicator lamp 29
High mounted brake lamp 715
High-performance brake system
(AMG vehicles only) 561
Hood 573
Message in display 683
Opening 573
Horn 27
Hydroplaning 563I
Identification labels 748
Identification Number, Vehicle (VIN) 749
Ignition 370, 372
Switching on 370
Switching on, KEYLESS-GO* 372
Immobilizer 82
Indicator lamps see Lamps,
indicator and warning
Individualization
Voice Control 355
Infant and child restraint systems see
Children in the vehicle
Infrared reflecting windshield 556
Inside door handle 367
Instrument cluster 28, 444
Coolant temperature gauge 29, 444
Fuel gauge 29
Illumination 444, 492
Lamps 628
Multifunction display 287
Outside temperature indicator 445
Selecting the language
(COMAND) 262Interior lighting 406
Activating automatic control 406
Ambient lighting (COMAND) 269
Deactivating automatic control 406
Delayed switch-off (COMAND) 270
In the rear 407
Reading lamps in the front 407
Reading lamps in the rear 407
Interior rear view mirror
Adjusting 388
Auto-dimming 390
Interior storage spaces see
Storage compartments
J
Jack 706, 724
Jacking up the vehicle 724
Jump starting 734