2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 4MATIC Footwell

37 At a glance
Storage compartments
ItemPage
1Glove box494
2Document holder in sun visor502
3Door pocket
4Ruffled storage pocket498
5Door pocket
Ashtray
503
6Side storage pocket in trunk
Retainer for Operator’s Manu-
al pouch
501
7Storage spaces under trunk
floor500
8Side storage pocket in trunk
9Door pocket
Ashtray
503
ItemPage
aRuffled storage pocket498
bDoor pocket
cDocument holder in sun visor502
dAshtray
Cigarette lighter503
504
eEyeglasses compartment in
overhead control panel495
fParcel net in front passenger
footwell496
gFront passenger seat storage
compartment with first aid kit668
hFront center armrest with

Storage tray/telephone*
compartment

Storage compartment
495
ItemPage
jCup holder in the rear center
armrest
Cup holder under the rear
center storage compartment*498
498
kRear center armrest with stor-
age compartment
Storage compartment be-
tween rear seats496
497
lRear storage box497
mCup holder in the front center
console498
nDriver’s seat storage com-
partment495

57 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
PRE-SAFE® takes action in the following in-
stances:

Emergency braking situations, e.g.
when BAS (
page 68) is activated or
when
BAS Plus* (
page 69) is strongly inter-
vening.

Critical dynamic driving situations, e.g.
when the vehicle is understeering or
oversteering because it has exceeded
its physical limitations.

Evasive steering maneuvers at speeds
above 20 mph (30 km/h).
When you are driving faster than 20 mph
(30 km/h), PRE-SAFE
® takes the following
measures in such situations:

The front seat belts are pre-tensioned
electrically.

If the OCS senses that the front pas-
senger seat is occupied and the seat is
in an unfavorable position, it will be
adjusted to a better position.

If the vehicle is equipped with power
adjustable rear seats* and the passen-
ger outer seats are in an unfavorable
position, they will be adjusted to a bet-
ter position.

The system increases the air pressure
in the air pockets (on the sides of the
seat cushion and backrest) of the mul-
ticontour* and/or drive-dynamic front
seats*.

If the vehicle is understeering or over-
steering, the tilt/sliding sunroof and
the door windows also close until only
a small gap remains.
Once the hazardous situation is over with-
out an accident occurring, PRE-SAFE
®
loosens the seat belt pre-tension and de-
creases the air pressure in the air pockets
of the multicontour and drive-dynamic
seats*. You can readjust all of the settings
made by PRE-SAFE
®.If the seat belts do not release:
Adjust the backrest or seat slightly to
the rear until the seat belt tension is di-
minished.
The locking mechanism releases.
Children in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:
Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child.
Make sure the infant or child is
properly secured at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
iIf the closing procedure of the tilt/sliding
sunroof or power windows is blocked, the
tilt/sliding sunroof or power windows will stop
and open slightly.
!When moving the seat, make sure there are
no items in the footwell or behind the seats. Oth-
erwise you could damage the seats.

251 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 469).
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:
iThe components and operating principles of
COMAND can be found on (
page 85).
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 253) 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 469) Otherwise the windows could
fog up, impairing visibility and endangering
you and others.
FunctionPage
Temperature252
Air distribution253
Air volume253
Switching off cooling (“ACOFF”)254
Central climate control (“Mono”)255
Footwell temperature255
Air flow from air vents256
Rear climate control*257

254 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control
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.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.
FunctionPage
Switching off cooling (“ACOFF”)254
Central climate control (“Mono”)255
Footwell temperature255
Air flow from air vents256
Rear climate control*257
iCondensation 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.

255 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control
Selecting “ACOFF”: 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 86) or
slideomp.The “Mono” function is automatically
switched off when you:

change an automatic climate control
setting for the front passenger’s side
using COMAND

operate a button from the automatic
climate control for the front passen-
ger’s side

operate one of the buttons for the rear
climate control system
Adjusting footwell temperature
The “Footwell Temperature” function is
used to adjust the temperature difference
between the footwell and the rest of the
passenger compartment.
The higher the selected value, the higher
the temperature in the footwell will be.
Select climate control settings
Cen-
tral climate control menu.
!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.
iIn automatic mode, this setting optimizes
the footwell temperature when outside tempera-
tures are low.


256 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control
Selecting “Footwell Temperature”:
Slide qmr or rotate ymz and then
pressn.
Changing temperature difference:
Slide qmr or rotate ymz.
Exiting menu: Press n, back
buttonL in the center console
(
page 86) or slideomp.
The setting is saved.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.
iIn automatic mode, this setting optimizes
the air flow when outside temperatures are high.
iWhen 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.


348 Controls in detail
Seats
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 259).Front power seat adjustment
Example driver’s door
1Head restraint height (page 353)
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat cushion depth
5Seat fore and aft
6Seat backrest tilt
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
or
Open the respective door.
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 57).
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.
iIf 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.
iThe memory function (page 365) 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.

350 Controls in detail
Seats
Adjusting front passenger seat from
driver’s seat*
You can adjust the front passenger seat
using the seat switches on the driver’s
side.
1Adjusting front passenger seat
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
Press button1.When the indicator lamp on button1 is
on, you can operate the following features
of the front passenger seat:

seat adjustment

seat heating/ventilation*

memory functionSetting front passenger seat position
from rear*
The switch is located on the right rear pas-
senger door.
1To select front or rear passenger seat
2Seat height
3Head restraint height (
page 353)
4Backrest tilt
5Seat fore and aft
!Do not move the front passenger seat com-
pletely forward if objects are stored in the parcel
net in the front passenger-side footwell. Items in
the net may be damaged.