2012 MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS SEDAN lights

Setting the vehicle level
Select the "Normal" setting for normal road
surfaces and "Raised" for driving with snow
chains or on particularly poor road surfaces.GWARNING
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands and
feet away from wheel housing area, and stay
away from under the vehicle when lowering
the vehicle chassis.
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
Setting raised level
XStart the engine.
If indicator lamp ; is not lit:
XPress button :.
Indicator lamp ; lights up. The vehicle
height is adjusted to raised level.
Setting the normal level
XStart the engine.
If indicator lamp ; is lit:
XPress button :.
Indicator lamp ; goes out. The vehicle is
adjusted to normal level.
Suspension tuning
The electronically controlled ABC suspension
system works continuously. This improves
driving safety and comfort.
The ABC suspension system is tuned
individually to each wheel and depends on:
R your driving style, e.g. sporty
R the road surface condition, e.g. bumps
R your individual selection, i.e. sports or
comfort
R the vehicle load
Your selection remains stored even if you
remove the SmartKey from the ignition lock.
Sports tuning
The firmer suspension tuning in Sport mode
ensures even better contact with the road.
Select this mode when employing a sporty
driving style, e.g. on winding country roads.
XIf indicator lamp ; is not lit: press
button :.
Indicator lamp ; lights up. You have
selected the suspension for a sporty driving
style.
The ABC Active Body Control SPORT
message appears in the multifunction
display.
Comfort tuning
In Comfort mode, the driving characteristics
of your vehicle are more comfortable.
Therefore, select this mode if you favor a
more comfortable driving style.
XIf indicator lamp ; is lit: press
button :.
Indicator lamp ; goes out. You have
selected the suspension for a comfortable
driving style.Driving systems349Driving and parkingZ

Warning display for the front area
:Segments on the left-hand side of the
vehicle;Segments on the right-hand side of the
vehicle=Segments showing operational readiness
The warning display for each side of the
vehicle is divided into five yellow and two red
segments. PARKTRONIC is operational if
yellow segments showing operational
readiness = light up.
The selected transmission position
determines which warning display is active
when the engine is running.
Transmission
positionWarning displayDFront area activatedRRear and front areas
activatedNIf the electric parking
brake is engaged: no
areas are activated
If the electric parking
brake is released:
rear and front areas
are activatedPNo areas activated
One or more segments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, depending on the
vehicle's distance from the obstacle.
When the first red segment lights up, you hear
an intermittent warning for about two
seconds. From the second red segment, you
hear a continuous warning. This indicates that
you have now reached the minimum distance.
Deactivating/activating PARKTRONIC:To deactivate/activate PARKTRONIC;Indicator lamp
If indicator lamp ; lights up, PARKTRONIC is
deactivated.
i PARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you turn the SmartKey to position 2
in the ignition lock.
352Driving systemsDriving and parking

Problems with PARKTRONICProblemPossible causes/consequences and M SolutionsOnly the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displays are lit.
You also hear a warning
tone for approximately
two seconds.
PARKTRONIC is
deactivated after
approximately
20 seconds, and the
indicator lamp in the
PARKTRONIC button
lights up.PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has switched off.XIf problems persist, have PARKTRONIC checked at a qualified
specialist workshop.Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displays are lit.
PARKTRONIC is
deactivated after
approximately
20 seconds.The PARKTRONIC sensors are dirty or there is interference.XClean the PARKTRONIC sensors ( Y page 470).XSwitch the ignition back on.The problem may be caused by an external source of radio or
ultrasound waves.XSee if PARKTRONIC functions in a different location.Parking Guidance
Important safety notes
Parking Guidance is an electronic parking aid
with ultrasound. Ultrasound is used to
measure the road on both sides of the vehicle.
A suitable parking space is indicated by the
parking symbol. You receive steering
instructions when parking. You may also use
PARKTRONIC ( Y page 350).
GWARNING
Parking Guidance is merely an aid and may
display parking spaces that are not suitable
for parking, for example:
R no-parking areas
R parking spaces with unsuitable surfaces
(road surface)
R driveways
R entrances and exits
Parking Guidance detects and measures
potential parking spaces while driving past.
Changes to the parking space after this point
are not taken into account, for example if the
vehicle in front of or behind the parking space
changes position or objects in the parking
space are moved.
Even when using Parking Guidance, you are
still responsible for driving carefully. If you
rely on Parking Guidance alone, you could
cause an accident and injure yourself and
others.
Safety always remains your responsibility and
you must continue paying careful attention to
your immediate surroundings when parking
and maneuvering.Driving systems353Driving and parkingZ

When Blind Spot Assist is activated, indicator
lamp : in the exterior mirrors lights up
yellow at speeds of up to 20 mph(30 km/h).
At speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h), the
indicator lamp goes out and Blind Spot Assist
is operational.
If a vehicle is detected within the monitoring
range of Blind Spot Assist at speeds above
20 mph (30km/h), warning lamp : on the
corresponding side lights up red. This warning
is always emitted when a vehicle enters the
blind spot monitoring range from behind or
from the side. When you overtake a vehicle,
the warning only occurs if the difference in
speed is less than 7 mph (12km/h).
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse
gear is engaged. In this event, Blind Spot
Assist is no longer active.
The brightness of the indicator/warning
lamps is adjusted automatically according to
the ambient light.GWARNING
Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds below
approximately 20 mph (30 km/h). The
indicator lamps in the exterior mirrors are
yellow. Vehicles in the monitoring range are
then not indicated.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognize dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others.
Collision warning
If a vehicle is detected in the monitoring range
of Blind Spot Assist and you switch on the
corresponding turn signal, a double warning
tone sounds. Red warning lamp : flashes. If
the turn signal remains on, detected vehicles
are indicated by the flashing of red warning
lamp :. There are no further warning tones.
Switching on Blind Spot Assist
XMake sure that the radar sensor system
( Y page 389) and Blind Spot Assist(Y page 387) are activated in the on-board
computer.XTurn the SmartKey to position 2 in the
ignition lock.
Warning lamps : light up red in the
exterior mirrors for approximately
1.5 seconds and then turn yellow.
Lane Keeping Assist
Important safety notes
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in
front of your vehicle by means of a camera at
the top of the windshield. Lane Keeping Assist
detects lane markings on the road and warns
you before you leave your lane
unintentionally.
:Lane Keeping Assist camera
If you have chosen the Display Unit
Speed-/Odometer (Y page 388) function in
the on-board computer and select km as the
unit of measurement, Active Lane Keeping
Assist is active from speeds of 60 km/h. If
the mph display unit is selected, the
assistance range begins at 40 mph.
GWARNING
Lane Keeping Assist does not keep your
vehicle in its lane. It is only an aid and may
detect the lane markings on the road
incorrectly or not at all.
Driving systems365Driving and parkingZ

audible warnings are emitted and the system
does not brake the vehicle to correct your
course.
If the lanes are very wide, it may not be
possible to monitor the complete width of the
neighboring lane. For this reason, vehicles in
the next lane may not be detected, especially
if they are driving in a staggered formation.
This may be the case if vehicles are driving at
that edge of their lane which is furthest away
from your vehicle.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognize dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others.
If the lanes are narrow, vehicles driving in the
lane beyond the lane next to your vehicle may
be indicated, especially if the vehicles are not
driving in the middle of their lane. This may
be the case if there are vehicles driving at the
inner edge of their lanes.
Due to the nature of the system:
R warnings may be issued in error when
driving close to crash barriers or similar
solid lane borders.
R warnings may be interrupted when driving
alongside long vehicles, for example
trucks, for a prolonged time.
Two Active Blind Spot Assist radar sensors
are integrated into the front and rear bumpers
respectively. An additional radar sensor is
located behind the cover in the radiator grill.
Make sure that the sensors and areas around
them are free of dirt, ice or slush. The rear
sensors must not be covered, for example by
cycle racks or overhanging cargo. Following
a severe impact or in the event of damage to
the bumpers, have the function of the sensors
checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
Blind Spot Assist may otherwise not work
properly.Indicator and warning display:Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
When Active Blind Spot Assist is activated,
indicator lamp : in the exterior mirrors lights
up yellow at speeds of up to
20 mph(30 km/h). At speeds above 20 mph
(30 km/h), the indicator lamp goes out and
Active Blind Spot Assist is operational.
If a vehicle is detected within the monitoring
range of Blind Spot Assist at speeds above
20 mph (30 km/h), warning lamp : on the
corresponding side lights up red. This warning
is always emitted when a vehicle enters the
blind spot monitoring range from behind or
from the side. When you overtake a vehicle,
the warning only occurs if the difference in
speed is less than 7 mph (12km/h).
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse
gear is engaged. In this event, Active Blind
Spot Assist is no longer active.
The brightness of the indicator/warning
lamps is adjusted automatically according to
the ambient light.
GWARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds
below 20 mph ( 30km/h). The indicator lamps
in the exterior mirrors are yellow. Vehicles in
the monitoring range are then not indicated.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions and
your surroundings. Otherwise, you may fail to
recognize dangers in time, cause an accident
and injure yourself and others.
368Driving systemsDriving and parking

activating/deactivating Blind Spot
Assist
You can use the Blind Spot Assist
function to activate or deactivate Blind Spot
Assist ( Y page 363) or Active Blind Spot
Assist ( Y page 367).
XPress the = or ; button on the
steering wheel to select the DriveAssist
menu.XPress 9 or : to select Blind Spot
Assist .XPress the a button.
The current selection is displayed.XTo activate/deactivate: press the a
button again.
activating/deactivating Lane Keeping
Assist
You can use the Lane Keeping Assist
function to activate/deactivate Lane Keeping
Assist ( Y page 365) or Active Lane Keeping
Assist ( Y page 369).
XPress the = or ; button on the
steering wheel to select the DriveAssist
menu.XPress 9 or : to select Lane
Keeping Assist .XPress the a button.
The current selection is displayed.XTo activate/deactivate: press the a
button again.
When Lane Keeping Assist or Active Lane
Keeping Assist is activated, the à symbol
appears in the multifunction display when the
ignition is on.
Service menu
In the Service menu, you have the following
options:
R call up display messages ( Y page 390)
R check the tire pressure electronically
( Y page 499)
R
call up the service due date ( Y page 465)
R check the oil level ( Y page 459)
Settings menu
Introduction
The Settings menu can be used for:
R Switching the daytime running lamps on/
off
R switching Adaptive Highbeam Assist on/
off
R showing or hiding the additional
speedometer
R selecting the units for speed and distance
R switching the belt adjustment on/off
R activating/deactivating the radar sensor
system
Switching the daytime running lamps
on/off
This function is not available in Canada.
If you have activated the Daytime running
lights function and the light switch is in the
$ or c position, the daytime running
lamps are automatically switched on when
the engine is running.
Depending on the ambient light, the following
will additionally light up:
R parking lamps
R tail lamps
R license plate lamp
R side marker lamps
If you turn the light switch to a different
position, the corresponding lights are
switched on. If you switch off the daytime
running lamps at night, make sure that the
light switch is set to L or c .
The factory setting is On.
Menus and submenus387On-board computer and displaysZ

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and M SolutionsThe red F (USA only)/ ! (Canada only) indicator lamp
flashes, the yellow F (USA only)/ ! (Canada only) warning
lamp lights up and a warning tone sounds.
The electric parking brake is malfunctioning and the braking effect
is restricted.
While the vehicle is in motion:XRelease the electric parking brake handle.
While the vehicle is stationary:
XSwitch off the ignition and turn it back on.XRelease the electric parking brake.
If the display message continues to be displayed:
XShift the transmission to P.XUse the folding wheel chock (Y page 476) from the vehicle tool
kit to secure the vehicle against rolling away.XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.F (USA only)
! (Canada only)
Parking Brake See
Oper. ManualThe yellow F (USA only)/ ! (Canada only) warning lamp
lights up. Additionally, the red F (USA only)/ ! (Canada
only) indicator lamp may light up.
The electric parking brake is malfunctioning.
To release:XPull the electric parking brake handle.
or
XPull away carefully.XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.
To apply:
XSwitch the ignition off.XPull the electric parking brake lever for at least ten seconds,
until the display message disappears.
If the display message continues to be displayed:
XShift the transmission to P.XUse the folding wheel chock (Y page 476) from the vehicle tool
kit to secure the vehicle against rolling away.XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.Display messages395On-board computer and displaysZ

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and M SolutionsThe red F (USA only)/ ! (Canada only) indicator lamp lights
up.
The power supply for the electric parking brake was interrupted.XPull the electric parking brake handle.
or
XPull away carefully.
or
XPull the electric parking brake handle until the display message
disappears.The red F (USA only)/ ! (Canada only) indicator lamp
flashes and the yellow F (USA only)/ ! (Canada only)
warning lamp lights up.
The electric parking brake is malfunctioning.XSwitch off the ignition and turn it back on.XEngage or release the electric parking brake.
or
XPull away carefully.XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.The yellow F (USA only)/ ! (Canada only) warning lamp
lights up. The red F (USA only)/ ! (Canada only) indicator
lamp flashes for approximately ten seconds after the electric
parking brake has been applied or released. It then goes out or
remains lit.
The electric parking brake is malfunctioning, e.g. because of
overvoltage or undervoltage.XPull away carefully.XVisit a qualified specialist workshop.
If there is overvoltage or undervoltage:
XRemove the cause for the overvoltage or undervoltage, e.g. by
charging the battery or restarting the engine.XSwitch the ignition off and on, and then engage or release the
electric parking brake.
If this does not release the electric parking brake:
XDo not drive on.XConsult a qualified specialist workshop.396Display messagesOn-board computer and displays