2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S600 coolant temperature

Contents
Shifting procedure ....................... 402
Transmission positions................. 403
Driving tips ................................... 406
Gear ranges ................................. 408
Automatic shift program .............. 409
Steering wheel gearshift control .. 411
Manual shift program
(S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG only) ... 413
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 416
Instrument cluster ............................. 417
Adjusting instrument cluster
display illumination ...................... 417
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 417
Tachometer .................................. 418
Outside temperature indicator ..... 418
Fuel gauge ................................... 418
Driving systems ................................. 419
Cruise control .............................. 419
DISTRONIC Plus* ......................... 424
Airmatic (S 550 only) ................... 440
Active Body Control (ABC)*.......... 442
Parktronic system* ...................... 444
Park Assist* ................................. 448
Dynamic Rear View Monitor* ....... 453
Night View Assist* ....................... 461Air vents ............................................. 466
Opening and closing air vents ....... 468
Ventilated storage compartment .. 468
Automatic climate control .................. 469
Deactivating climate control
system .......................................... 471
Operating climate control system
in automatic mode ........................ 471
Setting temperature...................... 472
Adjusting air volume ..................... 472
Front defroster.............................. 472
Rear window defroster .................. 473
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
(USA only) ..................................... 474
Air recirculation mode .................. 474
Residual engine heat and
ventilation ..................................... 476
Rear passenger compartment
climate control* ............................ 477
Trunk .................................................. 479
Opening trunk ............................... 479
Closing trunk ................................ 480
Trunk emergency release.............. 484
Valet locking ................................. 484
Power tilt/sliding sunroof................... 486Opening and closing
power tilt/sliding sunroof ............. 486
Synchronizing ............................... 488
Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel*............................... 489
Roller sunblinds ............................ 489
Opening and closing panorama
roof with power tilt/sliding panel . 490
Synchronizing ............................... 492
Loading and storing............................ 493
Roof rack* .................................... 493
Loading instructions ..................... 493
Storage compartments ................. 494
Cup holders .................................. 498
Trunk ............................................ 500
Useful features ................................... 502
Sun visors ..................................... 502
Vanity mirror in rear...................... 502
Rear window sunshade ................. 503
Ashtrays........................................ 503
Cigarette lighters .......................... 504
Power outlet ................................. 506
Floormats* ................................... 506
Telephone* ................................... 507
Tele Aid......................................... 510
Garage door opener ...................... 518

Contents
Infrared reflecting windshield ....... 524
Operation......................................... 525
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) ......... 526
Driving instructions ............................ 527
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 527
Drinking and driving ..................... 527
Pedals .......................................... 527
Power assistance ......................... 527
Brakes .......................................... 528
Driving off..................................... 530
Parking ......................................... 530
Tires ............................................. 531
Hydroplaning ................................ 531
Tire traction .................................. 532
Tire speed rating .......................... 532
Winter driving instructions ........... 533
Standing water ............................. 534
Passenger compartment .............. 535
Driving abroad .............................. 535
Control and operation of radio
transmitters.................................. 535
Catalytic converter ....................... 536
Emission control........................... 536
Coolant temperature .................... 537At the gas station .............................. 538
Refueling ...................................... 538
Check regularly and before
a long trip ..................................... 540
Engine compartment ......................... 541
Hood ............................................ 541
Engine oil ..................................... 543
Transmission fluid level ................ 546
Active Body Control* (ABC*)
fluid level...................................... 547
Coolant level ................................ 547
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system ........... 548
Tires and wheels ................................ 550
Important guidelines .................... 550
Tire care and maintenance ........... 551
Direction of rotation ..................... 553
Loading the vehicle ...................... 553
Recommended tire
inflation pressure ......................... 558
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 560
Tire labeling.................................. 567
Load identification ....................... 571
DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) ............................................. 572
Maximum tire load ....................... 573Maximum tire inflation pressure .. 573
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) ............. 574
Tire ply material ........................... 575
Tire and loading terminology........ 576
Rotating tires ............................... 578
Winter driving .................................... 580
Winter tires .................................. 580
Snow chains................................. 581
Maintenance...................................... 582
Maintenance service indicator
message ...................................... 582
Calling up the maintenance
service indicator display .............. 583
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator .......................... 584
Vehicle care....................................... 585
Cleaning and care of vehicle ........ 585
Practical hints................................. 597
What to do if …? ................................ 598
Lamps in instrument cluster ........ 598
Air bag off indicator lamp............. 610
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display.................... 612

29 At a glance
Instrument cluster
ItemPage
1Coolant temperature gauge417
2Fuel gauge with:
Fuel tank reserve warning
lamp
AHigh beam headlamp
indicator lamp
-ABS indicator lamp
=SRS indicator lamp
605
375
598
607
3Parktronic*/Park Assist*
warning indicator for left
front area 446,
451
4Multifunction display with:
Speedometer
0
USA only
!
Canada onlyElectronic
parking brake
warning or indi-
cator lamps600
ItemPage
;
USA only
3
Canada onlyBrake warning
lamp599
HCombination low tire
pressure/TPMS mal-
function telltale, USA
only
Low tire pressure*
telltale, Canada only608
LLeft turn signal
indicator lamp393
KRight turn signal
indicator lamp393
vESP® warning lamp604
lDistance warning
lamp*178,
427,
604
1Vehicles without DISTRONIC Plus*: Warning lamp
without function. It illuminates when the ignition is
on. It should go out when the engine is running.
ItemPage
5Parktronic*/Park Assist*
warning indicator for right
front area 446,
451
6Gear position/range
indicator 408
7Tachometer with:
±Engine malfunction
indicator lamp602
8Selected program mode indi-
cator 410
9Main menu for control sys-
tem, multifunction display264
aOutside temperature 418
bDisplay with:
Additional speedometer282
:PRE-SAFE® Brake*
indicator279

394 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 547).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
iExcessive coolant temperatures trigger a
warning message in the multifunction display
(
page 646).
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.

417 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster
A full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the “At a glance”
section of this manual (
page 28).
The instrument cluster is activated when
you:

open a door

switch on the ignition (page 344)

switch on the exterior lamps
The language setting for the multifunction
display can be changed via COMAND
(
page 238).Adjusting instrument cluster display
illumination
1Knob
Brightening illumination: Turn
knob1 clockwise.
Dimming illumination: Turn knob1
counterclockwise.
Coolant temperature gauge
The coolant temperature gauge is on the
left side in the instrument cluster
(
page 28).
Warning!G
No messages will be displayed if either the
instrument cluster or the multifunction dis-
play is inoperative.
As a result, you will not be able to see infor-
mation about your driving conditions, such
as speed or outside temperature, warning/
indicator lamps, malfunction/warning mes-
sages or the failure of any systems. Driving
characteristics may be impaired.
If you must continue to drive, please do so
with added caution. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to suit am-
bient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will also be
adjusted automatically when you switch on the
vehicle’s exterior lamps.
Warning!G

Driving when your engine is overheated
can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously
burned.

Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the hood. Stay away from
the engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out


418 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer de-
notes excessive engine speed.To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature indicator is on
the bottom left-hand side of the instru-
ment cluster (
page 28).
The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. There-
fore, the accuracy of the displayed temper-ature can only be verified by comparison to
a thermometer placed next to the sensor,
not by comparison to external displays
(e.g. bank signs, etc.).
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge is on the left-hand side of
the instrument cluster (
page 28). Once
the fuel level has fallen below the reserve
mark, the yellow segment indicator for the
fuel reserve comes on (
page 605).
of the vehicle and do not stand near the ve-
hicle until the engine has cooled down.
!Excessive coolant temperature triggers a
warning in the multifunction display
(
page 646).
The engine should not be operated with the cool-
ant temperature above 248°F (120°C), i.e. in
the red zone of the coolant temperature gauge.
Doing so may cause serious engine damage
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Lim-
ited Warranty.
iDuring severe operating conditions,
e.g. stop-and-go traffic, the coolant temperature
may rise close to 248°F (120°C), i.e. close to
the red zone of the temperature gauge.
!Avoid driving at excessive engine speeds, as
it may result in serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Warning!G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.


477 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Activating
Switch off the ignition (page 344).
Press buttonT (page 469) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating
Press buttonT (page 469) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Rear passenger compartment climate
control*
Automatic climate control panel, rear
iRegardless of the selected air volume, the
blower operates at low speed when heating. In
case of ventilation the blower operates at higher
speed.
iHow long the system will provide heating de-
pends on

the coolant temperature

the temperature set by the operator
iThe residual heat is automatically turned off:

when the ignition is switched on

after approximately 30 minutes

if the battery voltage drops

if the coolant temperature is too low
Warning!G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling as given in the instructions
for the front climate control (
page 469).
Otherwise the windows could fog up, impair-
ing visibility for the driver and endangering
you and others.
Item
1Temperature control, left
2Air distribution, left
(automatic, manual)
3Air volume (automatic, manual)
4Mode selector
5Air distribution, right
(automatic, manual)
6Temperature control, right

537 Operation
Driving instructions
Coolant temperature
During severe operating conditions,
e.g. stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to approximately
248°F (120°C).
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature over 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious en-
gine damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide (CO), and inhaling it can cause un-
consciousness and possible death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated. If you think that exhaust gas
fumes are entering the vehicle while driving,
have the cause determined and corrected
immediately. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive only with at least one win-
dow fully open at all times.
Warning!G

Driving when your engine is badly over-
heated can cause some fluids, which
may have leaked into the engine com-
partment, to catch fire. You could be se-
riously burned.

Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the hood. Stay away from
the engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out of
the vehicle and do not stand near the vehicle
until the engine has cooled down.