2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class tow

Contents
Flat tire .............................................. 723
Preparing the vehicle ................... 723
Mounting the spare wheel............ 723
Batteries ............................................ 729
Disconnecting starter battery ...... 731
Removing starter battery ............. 732
Charging battery .......................... 732
Reinstalling starter battery........... 733
Reconnecting starter battery ....... 733
Jump starting ..................................... 734
Towing the vehicle ............................. 737
Towing with front wheels raised ... 738
Towing with all wheels
on the ground............................... 739
Installing towing eye bolt ............. 740
Fuses ................................................. 741
Fuse boxes in
engine compartment .................... 742
Fuse boxes in
passenger compartment .............. 743
Emergency engine shut-down ...... 744
Technical data.................................. 745
Parts service....................................... 746
Warranty coverage ............................. 747
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet ...................... 747
Identification labels ............................ 748
Layout of poly-V-belt drive .................. 750
S 450 4MATIC, S 550 and
S 550 4MATIC............................... 750
S 63 AMG ..................................... 750
S 600 and S 65 AMG .................... 750
Engine ................................................ 751
Rims and tires .................................... 754
Same size tires ............................. 755
Mixed size tires ............................. 757
Spare wheel .................................. 759
Electrical system ................................ 760
Main dimensions and weights ............ 762
Main dimensions........................... 762
Weights ......................................... 763Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. .......... 764
Capacities ..................................... 764
Engine oils .................................... 769
Engine oil additives ....................... 769
Air conditioning refrigerant ........... 769
Brake fluid .................................... 769
Premium unleaded gasoline.......... 770
Fuel requirements......................... 770
Gasoline additives......................... 771
Coolants ....................................... 771
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system ........... 774
Index................................................. 775

19 Introduction
Operating safety
Operating safety
Proper use of the vehicle
Proper use of the vehicle requires that you
are familiar with the following information
and rules:

the safety precautions in this manual


the “Technical data” section in this
manual


traffic rules and regulations


motor vehicle laws and safety stan-
dards
Warning!
G
Work improperly carried out on electronic
components and associated software could
cause them to cease functioning. Because
the vehicle’s electronic components are in-
terconnected, any modifications made may
produce an undesired effect on other sys-
tems. Electronic malfunctions could seri-
ously impair the operating safety of your
vehicle.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter for repairs or modifications to electronic
components.
Other improper work or modifications on the
vehicle could also have a negative impact on
the operating safety of the vehicle.
Some safety systems only function while the
engine is running. You should therefore nev-
er turn off the engine while driving.
Warning!
G
Heavy blows against the vehicle underbody
or tires/wheels, for example when running
over an obstacle, road debris or a pothole,
may cause serious damage and impair the
o per at i ng s a fet y of yo ur veh ic l e. I f y ou f ee l a
sudden significant vibration or ride distur-
bance, or you suspect that damage to your
vehicle has occurred, you should turn on
your hazard warning flashers, carefully slow
down, and drive with caution to an area
which is a safe distance from the road.
Inspect the vehicle underbody and
tires/wheels for possible damage. If the ve-
hicle appears unsafe, have it towed to the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
or other qualified maintenance or repair fa-
cility for further inspection or repairs.
Warning!
G
Various warning labels are attached to your
vehicle. These warning labels are intended
to make you and others aware of various
risks. You should not remove any of these
warning labels unless explicitly instructed to
do so by information on the label itself. Re-
moval of any of these labels may cause you
and others to be unaware of certain risks
which may result in an accident and/or per-
sonal injury.

25 At a glance
Exterior view
Item
Page
1
Trunk

Unlocking


Opening and closing


Minispare wheel


Vehicle tool kit
511
511
723
705
2
Rear lamps
715
3
Rear window, defrosting
506
4
Fuel filler flap
Gasoline
570
770
5
Doors

Locking and unlocking


Opening and closing
358
358
Item
Page
6
Exterior rear view mirror
Parking position
388
391
7
Towing the vehicle
737
8
Rims and tires

Checking tire inflation
pressure


Minispare wheel


Flat tire
754
592
707
723
9
Hood, opening
Engine oil
Coolant
573
575
579
Item
Page
a
Headlamp cleaning system
403
b
Front lamps
715
c
Windshield wipers
Wiper blades, replacing
Wiper blades, cleaning
408
721
622
d
Window, cleaning
622
e
Roofs

Power tilt/sliding sunroof


Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel*
518
521

73 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
For more information, see “Practical hints”
section (
page 634) and (
page 642).Electronic traction system
The electronic traction system is a compo-
nent of ESP
®.
The electronic traction system improves
the vehicle’s ability to utilize available trac-
tion, especially under slippery road condi-
tions by applying the brakes to a spinning
wheel.
When you switch off the ESP
®, the elec-
tronic traction system is still enabled.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase the traction afforded. The ESP
®
cannot prevent accidents, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns, or
hydroplaning. Only a safe, attentive, and
skillful driver can prevent accidents. The ca-
pabilities of an ESP
® equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or danger-
ous manner which could jeopardize the us-
er’s safety or the safety of others.
i
DISTRONIC Plus* and cruise control are
switched off when the ESP
® engages.
i
The ESP
® will only function properly if you
use wheels of the recommended tire size
(
page 754).
!
Vehicles without 4MATIC:
Because the ESP
® operates automatically, the
engine and ignition must be shut off (SmartKey
in starter switch position0 or1 or KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button* in position0 or1) when


the electronic parking brake is being tested
on a brake test dynamometer


the vehicle is being towed with the
front/rear axle raised
Active braking action through the ESP
® may oth-
erwise seriously damage the brake system.
For information on vehicles with 4MATIC, see
“Four wheel electronic traction system (4MATIC)
with the ESP
®” (page 76).
Warning!
G
If you are driving too fast, the electronic
traction system cannot reduce the risk of an
accident.
The electronic traction system cannot pre-
vent the natural laws of physics from acting
on the vehicle.

77 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
PRE-SAFE
® Brake* (vehicles with
DISTRONIC Plus* only)
PRE-SAFE
® Brake* can assist you in mini-
mizing the risk of a rear-end collision with
a vehicle in front of you and in reducing the
severity of an accident. At speeds over ap-
prox 20 mph (30 km/h), it will


warn you of a possible collision


automatically begin to brake the vehi-
cle lightly in a speed range of up to
112 mph (180 km/h)


activate preventative occupant safety
measures (PRE-SAFE
®) (page 57)
Warning!
G
If you see the ESP
® warning lampv
flashing in the speedometer, proceed as fol-
lows:


While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible


While driving, ease up on the accelera-
tor


Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents result-
ing from excessive speed.
!
Do not tow with one axle raised.
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Lim-
ited Warranty.
!
Performance testing must only be conduct-
ed on a two-axle dynamometer.
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Lim-
ited Warranty.
!
Because the ESP
® operates automatically,
the engine and the ignition must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0 or1 or
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* in position0
or1) when the parking brake is being tested on a
brake test dynamometer.
Active braking action through ESP
® may other-
wise seriously damage the front or rear axle
brake system.
Operational tests with the engine running can
only be conducted on a two-axle dynamometer.
Warning!
G
PRE-SAFE
® Brake is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The responsibility for the vehicle
speed and the distance to the vehicle ahead,
including most importantly brake operation
to assure safe stopping distance, always re-
mains with the driver.


95 Control systems
COMAND introduction
Entering charactersIllustration: entering a navigation destina-
tionSelecting characters
Slide omp or rotate ymz.

Confirming selection: Press n.
COMAND completes your entry as
soon as it can be clearly identified. In
this case, you do not need to switch to
the list.Deleting individual characters

Select and press ) repeatedly in the
bottom line.
Deleting entire words or numbers

Press and hold ) in the bottom line
until the word or number is deleted.
Exiting character entry

Select and press “Back” in the bottom
line.
or

Press back button L in the center
console (
page 88).
Switching to the list

Slide qm.
or

Select and press ? in the second line
from the bottom.

Exiting list: Slide om to select “Back”.Accepting first entry

Press nuntil you exit the character
entry window.
Selecting list item
Illustration: list of towns and cities for navi-
gation1Symbol for other selection options
(e.g. county)
Selecting a line: Slide rmq or
rotateymz.


100 Control systemsCOMAND introductionAdjusting balance or fader
Balance is used to determine whether the
sound focus should be shifted toward the
driver’s side or the passenger’s side.
Fader is used to determine whether the
sound focus should be shifted toward the
front or rear of the vehicle.
Select “Sound”
“Balance/Fader”.
The setting last selected is indicated by
an outlined bar.
Adjusting balance and fader1Current setting indicated by orange
cross-hair symbol

Changing setting: Slide rmq or omp
until desired balance/fader setting is
reached.

Exiting menu: Press n or L.
The setting is saved.
Surround sound
With surround sound, you can choose be-
tween “LOGIC7
® ON” and “LOGIC7
® OFF”.
Harman/kardon LOGIC7
® surround sound
is available for the following operating
modes:


Audio DVD (MLP, DTS, PCM, and Dolby
Digital audio formats)


Video DVD (DTS, PCM, and Dolby Digi-
tal audio formats)


Audio CD


MP3


Radio (FM, AM, WB, Satellite)


PCMCIA


AUX
i
Since some DVDs contain both stereo as
well as multi-channel audio formats, it may be
necessary to adapt the audio format
(
page 128).
i
The “LOGIC7
® ON” function of the har-
man/kardon LOGIC7® surround sound system
makes it possible to play discrete 5.1 and stereo
recordings with optimal surround sound for ev-
ery passenger. Music on CDs or audio DVDs with
high-resolution surround formats such as MLP,
DTS or Dolby Digital is played back optimally.
For an ideal sound experience on all seats,
LOGIC7
® distributes 5.1 surround information
via the 13-channel system architecture. The re-
sult is a sound as intended by the sound engi-
neers during the original recording.
harman/kardon LOGIC7
® converts all two-chan-
nel stereo sound material into multi-channel sur-
round sound. With the help of LOGIC7
®,
surround information stored during the original
recording are read out and distributed through
the 13 channels. No effects are created during
this process; only that which was already there
becomes audible.
In addition, harman/kardon LOGIC7
® moves the
perceived sound source away from the individual
loudspeakers, thus generating a natural 360°
sound experience for every passenger.

121 Control systems
COMAND audio CD/audio DVD/MP3
Loading an individual magazine tray
Press desired magazine tray button 3.
If a disc is loaded, it will be ejected.

Take disc out of slot 1.

Wait until LED for magazine tray
button3 which you pressed flashes
quickly.

Insert disc into slot 1.
The DVD changer draws the disc in and
begins playback if:

it has been loaded correctly


it is a permissible type of disc
Loading all six magazine trays

Press load button 2.
The DVD changer checks the load sta-
tus of all magazine trays and switches
to the first empty tray.

Wait until LED for corresponding maga-
zine tray button 3 flashes quickly.

Insert disc into slot 1.
The DVD changer switches to the next
empty magazine tray.

Repeat last two steps until all trays are
loaded.
The DVD changer will play the last disc
you loaded if:

it has been loaded correctly


it is a permissible type of disc
Inserting a PCMCIA card1Slot for PCMCIA card

Insert PCMCIA card into slot 1.
The side with the contact must point
towards the slot.
If the PCMCIA card contains a storage
medium with MP3 tracks, COMAND
switches to MP3 mode.
i
If a disc is not inserted within approximately
15 seconds COMAND resumes playback of the
last disc.
i
COMAND supports commercially available
PCMCIA cards or PCMCIA card adapters with
storage media that may not be designed for the
temperatures which occur in the vehicle. You
should therefore remove the PCMCIA card from
the vehicle when not in use since extreme tem-
peratures could damage these devices.