2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S600 buttons

356 Controls in detail
Seats
Press switch down in the direction of
arrow3.
The rear power head restraint will fold
down.
Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow2 or4.
The power head restraint will be tilted.
Luxury head restraints*
(rear outer seats)Adjustment
1Head restraint side cushions
2Head restraint height
You can individually adjust side
cushions1 of the luxury head restraints:
Adjusting side cushions: Pull or push
side cushions1 into desired position.
Adjusting head restraint angle: Push
or pull on the lower edge of the head re-
straint cushion in the direction of
arrow2.
Multicontour seats*, rear
You can adjust the rear outer multicontour
seats using the buttons on the center con-
sole.
1To select right rear passenger seat
2Massage setting, gentle
3Massage setting, vigorous
4To adjust position of backrest curva-
ture (lordosis)
5Lumbar region support
6Side bolster adjustment
7To select left rear passenger seat
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
Warning!G
When folding back the side cushions, never
reach between the side cushion and the
mounting post. You could otherwise be
trapped.


366 Controls in detail
Memory function
MMemory button
1 2 3Memory position buttons
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
or
Open the respective door.
Storing positions into memory
Adjust the seat (page 347) to the de-
sired position.
On the driver’s side: Adjust the steering
wheel (
page 359) and the exterior
rear view mirrors (
page 361) to the
desired position.
Press memory buttonM.
Release memory buttonM and press
one of the memory position buttons
within 3 seconds.
All the settings are stored with the se-
lected position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold one of the position
buttons until the seat, steering wheel
and exterior rear view mirrors have fully
moved to the stored positions.
!Do not operate the power seats using the
memory button if the seat backrest is in an ex-
cessively reclined position. Doing so could cause
damage to front or rear seats.
First move seat backrest to an upright position.
iReleasing the button immediately stops
movement to the stored positions.
The multicontour seat* and/or lumbar support
will continue to be adjusted.

367 Controls in detail
Memory function
Storing exterior rear view mirror park-
ing position
For easier parking, you can adjust the pas-
senger-side exterior rear view mirror so
that you can see the right rear wheel as
soon as you engage reverse gearR.
For information on activating the parking
position, see “Activating exterior rear view
mirror parking position” (
page 364).
1Memory button M
2Adjustment button
3Selector switch for right or left exterior
mirror
Stop the vehicle.
Make sure the ignition is switched on
(
page 344).
Press switch3 until the exterior mir-
ror on the front passenger side is se-
lected.
Adjust the passenger-side exterior rear
view mirror with button2 so that you
see the rear wheel and the road curb.
Press memory button M.
Within 3 seconds, press one of the
adjustment buttons2.
The parking position is stored if the
mirror does not move.
iIf the mirror does move, repeat the above
steps. After the setting is stored, you can move
the mirror again.

378 Controls in detail
Lighting
Interior lighting Interior lighting in the front
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Left reading lamp on/off
2Rear interior lamps on/off
3Front interior lighting on/off
4Interior lighting control
5Right reading lamp on/offAutomatic control
Deactivating: Press button4.
The OFF indicator lamp next to the but-
ton comes on.
The interior lighting remains switched
off in darkness, even when you:

unlock the vehicle

remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch

open a door
Activating: Press button4.
The interior lighting switches on in
darkness, when you:

unlock the vehicle

remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch

open a door
iEven with the SmartKey being removed from
the starter switch you can still use the lighting for
the storage compartment, glove box and vanity
mirrors, when you open a door or press one of
the interior lighting buttons. If a lamp is switched
on and you do not lock the vehicle, it will be
switched off automatically after 30 minutes.
When you lock the vehicle from the outside, the
interior lighting is switched off.iThe interior lighting is factory-set to auto-
matic mode.

402 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting from D or R to N
If you want to select neutral positionN
with the transmission being in drive
positionD or reverse gearR:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Press the handle for electronic parking
brake (
page 395).
Move gear selector lever up to resis-
tance point when in drive positionD or
down to resistance point when in
reverse gear R to select neutral
positionN.
Release the brake pedal.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

drive positionD(page 403) with
gear ranges (
page 408)

the selected program mode:
(C/S) (
page 409)
or
(M/C/S) (S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG
only) (
page 413)

the position of the accelerator pedal
(
page 406)

the vehicle speedWith drive positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control
buttons (
page 411) or gearshift control
paddles (
page 411) to influence trans-
mission shifting by:

limiting the gear range

changing gears manually
iWhen the vehicle needs to be moved with
the engine switched off and the transmission set
to neutral positionN (
page 403), do not press
the handle for electronic parking brake.
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the op-
erating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extended
period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. This may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

411 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Steering wheel gearshift control
With drive positionD selected and driving
in program modeC orS, you can limit or
extend the gear range.
If your vehicle is equipped with manual
shift program M, you can use the steering
wheel gearshift control to manually shift
the gears.
Gearshift control buttons
1Left shift button: limiting gear range
2Right shift button: extending gear
range
Gearshift control paddles (S 63 AMG and
S65AMGonly)
1Left shift paddle: limiting gear range or
downshift (in program modeM)
2Right shift paddle: extending gear
range or upshift (in program modeM)
The following instructions describe opera-
tion of the steering wheel gearshift control
when driving in program modeC orS.
iS63AMG and S65AMG only:
For information on using the steering wheel gear-
shift control in program mode M, see “Manual
shift program (S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG only)”
(
page 413).
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the op-
erating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extended
period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. This may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
iYou cannot shift with the steering wheel
gearshift control buttons or paddles when the
transmission in positionP,N orR.

462 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The Night View Assist image on the multi-
function display is not impaired

by the headlamps of approaching vehi-
cles

if you cannot switch on the high beams
due to oncoming traffic
As a result, you can better follow the
course of the road and detect obstacles
earlier on.
The camera is at the top of the windshield.
1Night View Assist cameraSwitching on or off
You can only switch on the Night View As-
sist if

the SmartKey in the starter switch is
set to position2

it is dark

the light switch is set to * or B
or if the daytime driving lamps are
switched on

the automatic transmission is not in
positionR
1Night View Assist on or off
Press button1 up or down.
The Night View Assist image appears
on the multifunction display.
Image on multifunction display
When you switch on Night View Assist, the
image for the speed gauge changes on the
multifunction display. The speed gauge is
shown as a bar on the lower edge of the
multifunction display. The line for main
menus is no longer available. If you would
like to change a setting using the steering
wheel buttons, you must first switch off
Night View Assist.
iInfrared light is invisible to the human eye
and can therefore remain permanently switched
on without blinding oncoming traffic.
iThe infrared headlamps only come on above
a speed of approximately 9 mph (15 km/h).
Therefore, when you are at a standstill, you do
not have a complete view and cannot check the
function of the Night View Assist.

472 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Setting temperature
Use temperature controls %$
2anda (
page 469) in the center con-
sole or COMAND (
page 252) to sepa-
rately adjust the air temperature on each
side of the passenger compartment. You
should raise or lower the temperature set-
ting in small increments, preferably start-
ing at 72°F (22°C). The automatic climate
control will adjust to the set temperature
as fast as possible.
Press temperature control %$
2and/ora (
page 469) upward or
downward.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Adjusting air volume
Use buttonsQ (
page 469) in the cen-
ter console or COMAND to separately ad-
just the air volume on each side of the
passenger compartment.
Press buttonQ up to increase or
down to decrease air volume.
The indicator lamps on buttonsU
(
page 469) goes out.
The automatic function is switched off.
The air volume is adjusted correspond-
ing to the set blower speed.
Front defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, for example if it is iced up. You
can also defog the windshield and the door
windows.Activating
Press button; (page 469) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning switches to the follow-
ing functions automatically:

most efficient blower speed and heat-
ing power, depending on outside tem-
perature

air flows onto the windshield and the
front door windows

the air conditioning compressor
switches on at outside temperatures
above approximately 41°F (5°C) for
air-drying

the air recirculation mode is switched
off
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.