2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S600 Owner's Manual

584 Operation
Maintenance
Resetting the maintenance service
indicator
In the event that the maintenance service
on your vehicle is not carried out by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center, you can
have the maintenance service indicator re-
set. The automotive maintenance facility
carrying out the maintenance service will
find the information for resetting the main-
tenance service indicator in the mainte-
nance-relevant information for your
vehicle. Such information is available from
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or
directly from Mercedes-Benz.iIf the battery is disconnected, the days of
disconnection will not be included in the count
shown by the maintenance service indicator.
To arrive at the true maintenance service dead-
line, you will need to subtract these days from
the days shown in the maintenance service indi-
cator message or maintenance service indicator
display.iIf the maintenance service indicator was in-
advertently reset, have an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center correct it.
Only reset if the proper maintenance service has
been performed. Resetting the system without
performing the proper service as called for by
the maintenance service indicator will result in
engine damage and/or other vehicle damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

585 Operation
Vehicle care
Vehicle care
Cleaning and care of vehicle
Regular and proper care will help to main-
tain the value of your vehicle. The best way
to protect your vehicle from harmful envi-
ronmental influences is to wash it and use
protective treatments regularly.
While in operation, even while parked, your
vehicle is subjected to varying external in-
fluences which, if gone unchecked, can
attack the paintwork as well as the vehicle
underbody and cause lasting damage.Such damage is caused not only by
extreme and varying climatic conditions,
but also by:

Air pollution

Road salt

Tar

Gravel and stone chipping
To avoid paint damage, you should imme-
diately remove:

Grease and oil

Fuel

Coolant

Brake fluid

Bird droppings

Insects

Tree resins, etc.
Frequent washing reduces and/or elimi-
nates the aggressiveness and potency of
the above adverse influences.More frequent washings are necessary to
deal with unfavorable conditions:

near the ocean

in industrial areas (smoke, exhaust
emissions)

during winter operation
You should check your vehicle from time to
time for stone chipping or other damage.
Any damage should be repaired as soon as
possible to prevent corrosion.
In doing so, do not neglect the underbody
of the vehicle. A prerequisite for a
thorough check is a washing of the
underbody followed by a thorough
inspection. Damaged areas need to be
re-undercoated.
Your vehicle has been treated at the facto-
ry with a wax-base rustproofing in the body
cavities which will last for the lifetime of
the vehicle. Post-production treatment is
neither necessary nor recommended by
Mercedes-Benz because of the possibility
Warning!G
Many cleaning products can be hazardous.
Some are poisonous, others are flammable.
Always follow the instructions on the partic-
ular container. Always open your vehicle’s
doors or windows when cleaning the inside.
Never use fluids or solvents that are not de-
signed for cleaning your vehicle.
Always lock away cleaning products and
keep them out of reach of children.

586 Operation
Vehicle care
of incompatibility between materials used
in the production process and others ap-
plied later.
We have selected car-care products and
compiled recommendations which are
specially matched to our vehicles and
which always reflect the latest technology.
You can obtain Mercedes-Benz approved
car-care products at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Scratches, corrosive deposits, corrosion or
damage due to negligent or incorrect care
cannot always be removed or repaired with
the car-care products recommended here.
In such cases it is best to seek aid at an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
The following topics deal with the cleaning
and care of your vehicle and give important
“how-to” information as well as references
to Mercedes-Benz approved car-care
products.Power washer
Tar stains
Quickly remove tar stains before they dry
and become more difficult to remove. A tar
remover is recommended.Paintwork, painted body components
Mercedes-Benz approved Paint Care
should be applied when water drops on the
paint surface do not “bead up”. This should
normally be done every 3 to 5 months, de-
pending on the climate and washing deter-
gent used.
Mercedes-Benz approved Paint Cleaner
should be applied if the paint surface
shows signs of embedded dirt (i.e. loss of
gloss).
Do not apply any of these products or wax
if your vehicle is parked in the sun or if the
hood is still hot.
Use the appropriate MB-Touch-Up
Stick for quick and provisional repairs
of minor paint damage (i.e. chips from
stones, vehicle doors, etc.).
!Follow the instructions provided by the pow-
er washer manufacturer on maintaining a dis-
tance between the vehicle and the nozzle of the
power washer.
Never use a round nozzle to power-wash tires.
The intense jet of water can result in damage to
the tire.
Always replace a damaged tire.
Always keep the jet of water moving across the
surface. Do not aim directly at electrical parts,
electrical connectors, seals, or other rubber
parts.
iVehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
If a door handle is hit by a strong jet of water, and
a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is in close prox-
imity, i.e. within approximately 3 ft (approxi-
mately 1 m), the vehicle could be inadvertently
locked or unlocked.
!Affixing stickers, magnets, adhesive tape or
similar materials to painted body components
may damage the paintwork.

587 Operation
Vehicle care
Engine cleaning
Prior to cleaning the engine compartment,
make sure to protect electrical compo-
nents and connectors from contact with
water and cleaning agents.
Corrosion protection, such as
MB Anticorrosion Wax, should be applied
to the engine compartment after every
engine cleaning. Before applying, all
control linkage bushings and joints should
be lubricated. The poly-V-belt and all pul-
leys should be protected from any wax.
Vehicle washing
In the winter, thoroughly remove all traces
of road salt as soon as possible.
When washing the vehicle underbody, do
not forget to clean the inner sides of the
wheels.Hand-wash
Do not use hot water or wash your vehicle
in direct sunlight.
Only use a mild car wash detergent,
such as Mercedes-Benz approved Car
Shampoo.
Thoroughly spray the vehicle with a dif-
fused jet of water.
Direct only a very weak spray towards
the ventilation intake.
Use plenty of water and rinse the
sponge and chamois frequently.
Rinse with clean water and thoroughly
dry with a chamois.
Do not allow cleaning agents to dry on
the finish.Automatic car wash
You can have your car washed in an auto-
matic car wash from the start. Automatic
car washes without brushes are prefera-
ble.
To protect the filter system, switch the
automatic climate control to air recir-
culation mode (
page 474).
If the vehicle is very dirty, prewash it be-
fore running it through the automatic car
wash.
iVehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
If a door handle is hit by a strong jet of water, and
a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is in close prox-
imity, i.e. within approximately 3 ft (approxi-
mately 1 m), the vehicle could be inadvertently
locked or unlocked.
!Do not use scouring agents on these parts.
Never apply strong force and only use a soft,
non-scratching cloth when cleaning the vehicle.
Do not attempt to wipe the surface with a dry
cloth or sponge.
Otherwise you may scratch or damage the paint.
!Do not clean your vehicle in an automatic
touchless car wash which uses caustic spray.
Otherwise the caustic spray will damage the
paint or ornamental moldings.
!Make sure that the windshield wiper switch
is set to0 (
page 381). Otherwise, e.g. the rain
sensor could activate and cause the wipers to
move unintentionally. This may lead to vehicle
damage.
Due to the width of the vehicle, fold in exterior
rear view mirrors prior to running the vehicle
through an automatic car wash to prevent dam-
age to the mirrors.

588 Operation
Vehicle care
When taking the vehicle through an auto-
matic conveyor type car wash, observe the
following instructions.
Vehicles with SmartKey:
With the vehicle at a standstill and the
ignition switched on shift the
automatic transmission to neutral
positionN.
If engaged, manually release the
electronic parking brake (
page 395).
Switch off the ignition and leave the
SmartKey in the starter switch.Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.
Shift the automatic transmission to
park positionP.
Release the brake pedal.
Remove the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button from the starter switch
(
page 345).
Insert the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
into the starter switch.
With the ignition switched on shift the
automatic transmission to neutral
positionN.
If engaged, manually release the
electronic parking brake (
page 395).
Switch off the ignition and leave the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO in the
starter switch.Ornamental moldings
For regular cleaning and care of ornamen-
tal moldings, use a damp cloth.
Warning!G
When leaving the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch, do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle.
It is possible for children to switch on the
ignition which could result in unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment. Unsupervised use
of vehicle equipment could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
iAfter running the vehicle through an auto-
matic car wash, wipe any wax off of the wind-
shield (
page 592). This will prevent smears
and reduce wiping noise which can be caused by
residual wax on the windshield.
When leaving the car wash, make sure that the
mirrors are folded out. Otherwise they may
vibrate.
!Do not use chrome cleaner on ornamental
moldings. Although ornamental moldings may
have chrome appearance, they could be made of
anodized aluminum that will be damaged when
cleaned with chrome cleaner. Instead, use a
damp cloth to clean those ornamental moldings.
For very dirty ornamental moldings of which you
are sure are chrome-plated, use a chrome clean-
er. If in doubt whether an ornamental molding is
chrome-plated, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

589 Operation
Vehicle care
Headlamps, tail lamps, side markers,
turn signal lenses
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as
Mercedes-Benz approved Car
Shampoo, with plenty of water.Cleaning the DISTRONIC Plus*/
PRE-SAFE
® Brake* system sensors
(USA only)
The sensors are integrated in the front
bumpers and cannot be seen from the out-
side.
1Sensor cover
2Bumper area near sensors
Switch off the ignition (page 344).
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as
Mercedes-Benz approved Car
Shampoo, with plenty of water and a
non-scratching cloth to clean sensor
cover1.
Clean a wide area of the bumpers sur-
rounding the sensor2.
Cleaning the Parktronic* system
sensors
1Parktronic system* sensors in front
bumper
!Only use window cleaning solutions that are
suitable for plastic lamp lenses. Window clean-
ing solutions which are not suitable may damage
the plastic lamp lenses of the headlamps. There-
fore, do not use abrasives, solvents or cleaners
that contain solvents.
Never apply strong force and only use a soft,
non-scratching cloth when cleaning the lenses.
Do not attempt to wipe dirty lenses with a dry
cloth or sponge.
Otherwise you may scratch or damage the lens
surface.
!To prevent scratches or damage, never
apply strong force and only use a soft,
non-scratching cloth when cleaning the sensor
cover and/or bumper area near sensors. Do not
attempt to wipe dirty sensors and/or bumper
with a dry cloth or sponge.


590 Operation
Vehicle care
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as
Mercedes-Benz approved Car Sham-
poo, with plenty of water and a soft,
non-scratching cloth to clean
sensors1 on the bumpers.Cleaning the Park Assist* system
sensors (USA only)
The sensors are integrated in the front and
rear bumpers and cannot be seen from the
outside.
1Bumper area near sensors
Switch off the ignition (page 344).
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as
Mercedes-Benz approved Car Sham-
poo, with plenty of water and a soft,
non-scratching cloth to clean the
bumper area near sensors.
Cleaning the Dynamic Rear View
Monitor lens*
1Camera lens
!Do not apply strong pressure to the sensor
covers. Applying strong pressure may damage
the sensor covers.
Follow the instructions provided by the power
washer manufacturer on maintaining a distance
between the vehicle and the nozzle of the power
washer.
!To prevent scratches, never apply strong
force and only use a soft, non-scratching cloth
when cleaning the sensors. Do not attempt to
wipe dirty sensors with a dry cloth or sponge.
!To prevent scratches or damage to the sur-
face, never apply strong force and only use a
soft, non-scratching cloth when cleaning the
bumper area near sensors. Do not attempt to
wipe a dirty bumper with a dry cloth or sponge.


591 Operation
Vehicle care
Only use clean water and a soft,
non-scratching cloth to clean the cam-
era lens1.
Be careful not to apply wax to the camera
lens1 when waxing the vehicle. If neces-
sary, remove the wax using the
Mercedes-Benz approved Car Shampoo
with plenty of water.Cleaning the windshield in front of the
Night View Assist camera*
1Recessed handles of camera cover
Use recessed handles1 to swing
camera cover downward.
2Camera
!Do not clean the camera and the area
around the camera:

with a high-pressure cleaner

with a dry cloth and high pressure

with aggressive cleaning agents
You could otherwise damage the camera.
Warning!G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle. A driver’s
attention to the road must always be
his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, stop be-
fore trying to remove window fogging or
cleaning the window in front of the Night
View Assist camera.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
!Do not clean the lens of the Night View
Assist camera. If the camera lens is dirty, please
contact a qualified specialist workshop such as a
Mercedes-Benz Center.