2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 4MATIC Maintain

426 Controls in detail
Driving systems
DISTRONIC Plus does not act upon adverse
sight distance conditions. Do not use
DISTRONIC Plus during conditions of fog
and heavy rain, snow or sleet.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus cannot take weather condi-
tions into account. Switch off
DISTRONIC Plus or do not turn it on if:

roads are slippery or covered with snow
or ice. The wheels could lose traction
while braking or accelerating, and the
vehicle could skid.

the sensor is dirty or visibility is
diminished due to snow, rain or fog. The
distance control could be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even while DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.
Otherwise, you may not be able to recognize
dangerous situations until it is too late and
could cause an accident resulting in person-
al or fatal injury to you or others.
Warning!G
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.
Warning!G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not DISTRONIC Plus is activated.
Use of DISTRONIC Plus can be dangerous
on winding roads as conditions do not allow
safe driving at a steady speed.
DISTRONIC Plus may not react to stationary
objects in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehi-
cle in a traffic jam or a disabled vehicle).
DISTRONIC Plus will also not respond to on-
coming vehicles.
Switch off DISTRONIC Plus:

when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly
in the left lane

when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp

in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, DISTRONIC Plus will
continue to maintain the set speed unless
deactivated.
DISTRONIC Plus is designed and intended
only to maintain a set speed and keep a set
distance from moving objects in front of it.
iDo not use DISTRONIC Plus if you are driv-
ing on a road with steep uphill or downhill slopes.
iDue to its radar-emitting nature DISTRONIC
Plus may have an appearance similar to a radar
detector to law enforcement officials. You may
want to refer to this section of your Operator’s
Manual when asked.


428 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Displaying the distance graphic
In the “Assistance” menu under “Distance
display” you see the current settings for
DISTRONIC Plus. The information shown in
the multifunction display depends on
whether DISTRONIC Plus is activated or
deactivated.
vehicle ahead and your vehicle’s current
speed indicate that DISTRONIC Plus will not
be capable of slowing the vehicle sufficiently
to maintain the preset following distance,
which creates a danger of a collision.
Immediately brake your vehicle to increase
the distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front of you. The warning sound is
intended as a final caution that you have not
interceded with your own braking inputs to
avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Do
not wait for the operation of the warning sig-
nal to intercede with your own braking, as
that will result in potentially dangerous
emergency braking which will not always re-
sult in an impact being avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus brakes your vehicle with a
maximum of 13 ft/s2. This corresponds to
about 40% of the maximum deceleration
ability of your vehicle.
You must also apply the brakes yourself to
avoid a collision. DISTRONIC Plus brakes
the vehicle in an effort to restore the preset
distance or to maintain the speed. The brake
pedal is automatically applied as this hap-
pens which results in the brake pedal mov-
ing.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement which could interfere with the
braking ability of the DISTRONIC Plus sys-
tem.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
– your foot could become caught.Warning!G
If you do not receive visual or acoustic warn-
ing signals during a critical traffic situation,
DISTRONIC Plus has either not recognized
the collision risk, has been deactivated or is
malfunctioning.
Remember, whether or not DISTRONIC Plus
is operating, it is ultimately always the driv-
ers responsibility to apply the brakes in or-
der to control the vehicle and avoid a
collision.
iFor activating or deactivating the
DISTRONIC Plus system, see “Activating
DISTRONIC Plus” (
page 430) or “Deactivating
DISTRONIC Plus” (
page 435).


432 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Starting off
When the vehicle in front of you starts off:
Remove your foot from the brake
pedal.
Pull DISTRONIC Plus lever briefly in di-
rection of arrow4.
or
Briefly step on the accelerator pedal.
Your vehicle starts off and adapts its speed
to the vehicle in front of you.Driving
If no vehicle is driving ahead of you,
DISTRONIC Plus functions like the cruise
control (
page 419).
When DISTRONIC Plus detects that the ve-
hicle in front of you is driving more slowly,
it brakes the vehicle in order to keep the
distance specified by you.
When DISTRONIC Plus detects that the ve-
hicle in front of you is driving faster, the ve-
hicle accelerates up to the set speed.Stopping
iIf DISTRONIC Plus is switched off,
PRE-SAFE® Brake* (page 76) will warn of an
impending collision if this function has been ac-
tivated with the instrument cluster control sys-
tem (
page 279).
Warning!G
When you step on the brake pedal, you
switch off DISTRONIC Plus except when the
vehicle is at a standstill. DISTRONIC Plus will
no longer brake your vehicle. You are always
responsible for maintaining a distance from
other vehicles, observing road speeds and
braking well in advance.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus’s braking effect is canceled
and the vehicle can start to roll if

DISTRONIC Plus is switched off using
the DISTRONIC Plus lever

you accelerate

the system or the power supply is mal-
functioning, e.g. due to battery failure

the electrical components in the engine
compartment or the fuses have been
manipulated

the battery is disconnected


437 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The distance setting switch for the target
distance is located on the DISTRONIC Plus
lever.
1Distance setting switch for target dis-
tance
2To increase target distance
3To decrease target distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting causes
DISTRONIC Plus to maintain a greater fol-
lowing distance to the vehicle ahead.
Move distance setting switch 1 in di-
rection 2.Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting causes
DISTRONIC Plus to maintain a shorter fol-
lowing distance to the vehicle ahead.
Move distance setting switch 1 in di-
rection 3.
Driving with DISTRONIC Plus
This section describes a number of driving
situations where special precaution is re-
quired on the part of the driver. Be pre-
pared to brake in such situations which will
deactivate the DISTRONIC Plus system.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus works to maintain the
speed selected by the driver unless a mov-
ing obstacle proceeding directly ahead of it
in the same travel direction is detected (e.g.
following another vehicle ahead of you at a
distance set by DISTRONIC Plus).
This means that:

Your vehicle can pass another vehicle
after you change lanes.

While in a sharp turn or if the vehicle in
front is in a sharp turn, DISTRONIC Plus
could lose sight of a vehicle traveling in
front of it, then your vehicle could accel-
erate to the previously selected speed.
DISTRONIC Plus regulates only the distance
between your vehicle and those directly
ahead of it. It may not register stationary ob-
jects in the road, e.g.:

a stopped vehicle in a traffic jam

a disabled vehicle

an oncoming vehicle
The driver must always be on the alert, ob-
serve all traffic and intercede as required by
steering or braking the vehicle.
Warning!G
DISTRONIC Plus should not be used in
snowy or icy road conditions.

442 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Press switch1 again to lower the ve-
hicle. The indicator lamp2 is off.Suspension tuning
The Adaptive Damping System (ADS) auto-
matically tunes shock absorbers and
springs.
The suspension tuning is set according to:

your driving style

road surface conditions

the vehicle loading

your choice of suspension style
The program mode selector switch (C/S)
(
page 409) is used to adjust the suspen-
sion tuning:
Start the engine.
Select the desired driving program.
Active Body Control (ABC)*
The ABC system is an active, comput-
er-controlled system that hydraulically ad-
justs the suspension at all four wheels in
response to various driving situations. It
automatically selects the optimum suspen-
sion tuning and ride height for your vehicle.
iThe selected vehicle level setting remains
stored in memory even if the engine is turned off
and restarted except when you

exceed a speed of 75 mph (120 km/h)
or

maintain a speed of between 50 mph
(80 km/h) and 75 mph (120 km/h) for more
than 3 minutes
The vehicle then lowers to regular level.
Driving programSuspension tuning
CComfortcomfortable
(default setting)
SSportsporty
for dynamic driving
Warning!G
S63AMG and S65AMG only:
When you switch off the engine, the entire
vehicle is lowered. You should therefore
make sure that no one is near the wheel
housing or under the vehicle when you
switch off the engine. Otherwise, parts of
the individuals body could be trapped.
!S63AMG and S65AMG only:
When you switch off the engine, the entire vehi-
cle is lowered. When parking, position your vehi-
cle in such a way that it will not scrape against a
curb, for example, when it is lowered. Your vehi-
cle could otherwise be damaged.


483 Controls in detail
Trunk

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

The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.Closing trunk from inside
automatically*
In vehicles with trunk opening/closing sys-
tem* you can close the trunk from the in-
side using the remote trunk opening/
closing* switch.
1Remote trunk opening/closing* switch
(vehicles with trunk opening/closing
system*)
iIf the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has been
piled too high) in the upper motion sequence, the
closing procedure is stopped and the trunk re-
opens slightly.
Warning!G
Maintain sight of trunk area while operating
door mounted switch. Monitor the closing
procedure carefully to make sure no one is
in danger of being injured.
To interrupt the closing procedure, release
the door mounted remote trunk open-
ing/closing* switch.
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 remote trunk
opening/closing* switch can be operated.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
i n t h e v e h i c l e , o r w i t h a c c e s s t o a n u n l o c k e d
vehicle. A child’s unsupervised access to a
vehicle could result in an accident and/or
serious personal injury.
iIf the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has been
piled too high) in the upper motion sequence, the
closing procedure is stopped and the trunk re-
opens slightly.


526 Operation
In the “Operation” section you will find de-
tailed information on operating, maintain-
ing and caring for your vehicle.
The first 1000 miles (1500 km)
The more cautiously you treat your vehicle
during the break-in period, the more satis-
fied you will be with its performance later
on.

Drive your vehicle during the first
1 000 miles (1 500 km) at varying but
moderate vehicle and engine speeds.

During this period, avoid heavy loads
(full throttle driving) and excessive en-
gine speeds (no more than
2/3 of maxi-
mum rpm in each gear).

Avoid accelerating by kick-down.

Do not attempt to slow the vehicle
down by shifting to a lower gear using
the gear selector lever.

Select gear ranges3,2or1 only when
driving at moderate speeds (for hill
driving).

Select C as the preferred shift program
(
page 409) for the first 1 000 miles
(1 500 km).After 1 000 miles (1 500 km) you may grad-
ually increase vehicle and engine speeds
to the permissible maximum.
All of the above instructions, as may apply
to your vehicle type, also apply when driv-
ing the first 1 000 miles (1 500 km) after
the engine or the rear differential has been
replaced.
!Additional instructions for S 63 AMG and
S65AMG:

During the first 1 000 miles (1 500 km), do
not exceed a speed of 85 mph (140 km/h).

During this period, avoid engine speeds
above 4 500 rpm in each gear.

Shift gears at the correct time.
iAlways obey applicable speed limits.

528 Operation
Driving instructions
Brakes
To help prevent brake disk corrosion after
driving on wet road surfaces (particularly
salted roads), it is advisable to brake the
vehicle with considerable force prior to
parking. The heat generated serves to dry
the brakes.
If your brake system is normally only sub-
jected to moderate loads, you should occa-
sionally test the effectiveness of the
brakes by applying above-normal braking
pressure at higher speeds. This will also
enhance the grip of the brake pads.Refer to the description of the Brake Assist
System (BAS or BAS Plus*) (
page 68).
Brake pad wear or a leak in the system may
be the reason for low brake fluid level in
the reservoir.
The brake fluid level in the reservoir may
be too low if the red brake warning lamp in
the instrument cluster comes on while the
engine is running and an acoustic warning
sounds (
page 601). Observe additional
messages in the multifunction display that
may appear (
page 612).
Have the brake system inspected
immediately. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
After driving in heavy rain for some time
without applying the brakes or through wa-
ter deep enough to wet brake components,
the first braking action may be somewhat
reduced and increased pedal pressure may
be necessary to obtain expected braking
effect. Maintain a safe distance from
vehicles in front.
Resting your foot on the brake pedal will
cause excessive and premature wear of the
brake pads.
It can also result in the brakes overheating,
thereby significantly reducing their effec-
tiveness. It may not be possible to stop the
vehicle in sufficient time to avoid an
accident.
!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.
Warning!G
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when carrying out these braking ma-
neuvers.