2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S600 light

347 Controls in detail
Seats
Seats
Seat adjustment
Warning!G
All seat, head restraint adjustments, as well
as fastening of seat belts, must be done be-
fore the vehicle is put into motion.
Warning!G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide un-
der the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause se-
rious or fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belts provide the best restraint when
the wearer is in a nearly upright position and
seat belts are properly positioned on the
body.
Warning!G
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt
(
page 368).
Observe the following points:

Adjust the backrest until your arms are
slightly angled when holding the steer-
ing wheel.

Adjust the seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach the
accelerator/brake pedal safely. The po-
sition should be as far back as possible
with the driver still able to operate the
controls properly.

Adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to the head as possible and the
center of the head restraint supports
the back of the head at eye level.

Never place hands under the seat or
near any moving parts while a seat is be-
ing adjusted.
Failure to do so could result in injury to per-
sons.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle.
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 power seats
can be operated when the respective door is
open. Therefore, do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

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.

357 Controls in detail
Seats
Selecting a seat: Press rocker
switch1 or7 forward or backward.
The indicator lamp on the selected but-
ton lights up for a short while.
Gentle massage
Switching on: Press rocker switch2
forward.
Switching off: Pull rocker switch2
backward.
Vigorous massage
Switching on: Press rocker switch3
forward.
Switching off: Pull rocker switch3
backward.
Position of backrest curvature
Moving upward: Press rocker
switch4 forward.
Moving downward: Pull rocker
switch4 backward.Lumbar region support
Selecting greater curvature: Press
rocker switch5 forward.
Selecting less curvature: Pull rocker
switch5 backward.
Side bolster adjustment
Reducing width: Press rocker
switch6 forward.
Increasing width: Pull rocker
switch6 backward.
Easy-entry/exit feature
This feature allows for easier entry into and
exit from the vehicle. When entering and
exiting the vehicle, the driver’s seat is in its
maximum rearward position and the steer-
ing wheel is in its uppermost position.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be activat-
ed or deactivated in the “Vehicle” menu of
the COMAND system (
page 246).
Warning!G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and driver’s seat when the easy-en-
try/exit feature is activated.
To stop seat/steering wheel movement, do
one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(
page 348).

Move steering wheel adjustment stalk
(
page 359).

Press one of the memory position but-
tons or the memory buttonM
(
page 366).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

359 Controls in detail
Steering wheel
Steering wheel
Make sure that

you can reach the steering wheel with
your arms slightly bent at the elbows

you can move your legs freely

all displays (including malfunction and
indicator lamps) on the instrument
cluster are clearly visible
Steering wheel adjustment
1Adjusting steering wheel, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
or
Open the driver’s door.
Adjusting steering wheel in or out:
Move stalk forward or back in the direc-
tion of arrow1 until a comfortable
steering wheel position is reached with
your arms slightly bent at the elbow.
Warning!G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle.
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 steering
wheel adjustment feature can be operated
when the driver’s door is open. Therefore,
do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
A child’s unsupervised access to a vehicle
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
iThe memory function (page 365) lets you
store settings for the steering wheel together
with the settings for the seat position and the ex-
terior rear view mirrors.


363 Controls in detail
Mirrors
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when

the ignition is switched on
(
page 344)
and

incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror
The interior rear view mirror will not react if

reverse gearR is engaged

the interior lighting is turned on
Warning!G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at the
sensors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the rear window sun-
shade is in raised position.
Light hitting the mirror(s) at certain angles
(incident light) could blind you. As a result,
you may not be able to observe traffic con-
ditions and could cause an accident.
Warning!G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
side rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.

371 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.iIf you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country in
which the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
iThe active Bi-Xenon headlamps monitor
your steering angle and driving speed, then auto-
matically shift their beams to either side to bet-
ter follow the curvature of the road ahead,
increasing usable illumination over conventional
headlamps.
1‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
2ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left
one stop)
3MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 373)
4*Automatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 373)
5CParking lamps (also side marker
lamps, tail lamps, license plate
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
6BLow beam headlamps or high
beam headlamps when the com-
bination switch is pushed for-
ward. The tail lamps, license
plate lamps, side marker lamps,
parking lamps and instrument
panel lamps also come on.
7‡Front fog lamps
8†Rear fog lamp

372 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch.
Switching on low beam headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch toB.
The green indicator lampC in the
exterior lamp switch comes on.Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off au-
tomatically depending on the brightness of
the ambient light:

Low beam headlamps

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
iIf you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the headlamps before opening
the driver’s door.
In addition the message “Please switch off
lights” appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps.
!Failure to switch off the headlamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.
Warning!G
If the exterior lamp switch is set to*,

the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright am-
bient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.

the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others, acti-
vate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch to B when driving or when traffic
and/or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from position * to B with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from * to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.

373 Controls in detail
Lighting
Turn the exterior lamp switch to *.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once, only
the parking lamps and the side marker
lamps will switch on and off automati-
cally.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the license plate lamps, and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off automatically.Daytime running lamp mode
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionM or*.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the fol-
lowing lamps will switch on additional-
ly:

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
Canada only
The daytime running lamp mode is manda-
tory and therefore in a constant mode.When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
the low beam headlamps will switch off
with a 3-minute delay.
When the engine is running, and you
turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the parking lamps and
the side marker lamps switch on addi-
tionally.

turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime run-
ning lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 371).
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle’s lights at all
times.
iUSA only:
With the automatic headlamp mode activated
you can switch on the high beam headlamps in
low ambient lighting conditions.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode activat-
ed and the engine running, the low beam head-
lamps cannot be switched off manually.
iWith the exterior lamp switch in position
M or *, you cannot switch on the high
beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving you should turn the exterior
lamp switch to positionB to permit activa-
tion of the high beam headlamps.