2013 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class width

be replaced and their anchoring points must
also be checked.
Only use seat belts which have been approved
by Mercedes-Benz.
Do not make any modifications to the seat
belts. This can lead to unintended activation
of the ETDs or to their failure to activate when
necessary.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Have all work carried out only by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Correct use of the seat belts G
WARNING
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY
R Seat belts can only work when used
properly. Never wear seat belts in any other
way than as described in this section, as
that could result in serious injuries in the
event of an accident.
R Each occupant should wear their seat belt
at all times, because seat belts help reduce
the likelihood of and potential severity of
injuries in accidents, including rollovers.
The integrated restraint system includes
SRS (driver front air bag, front-passenger
fron tair bag, side impact air bags, window
curtain air bags for the side windows),
Emergency Tensioning Devices, seat belt
force limiters, and front seat knee bolsters.
The system is designed to enhance the
protection offered to properly belted
occupants in certain frontal (front air bags
and ETDs) and side (side impact air bags,
window curtain air bags, and ETDs) impacts
which exceed prese tdeployment
thresholds and in certain rollovers (window
curtain air bags and ETDs).
R Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, across your neck or off your shoulder.
In a frontal crash, your body would move too far forward. That would increase the
chance of head and neck injuries. The seat
belt would also apply too much force to the
ribs or abdomen, which could severely
injure internal organs such as your liver or
spleen.
Adjust the seat belt so that the shoulder
section is located as close as possible to
the middle of the shoulder. It should not
touch the neck .Never pass the shoulder
portion of the seat belt under your arm. For
this purpose, you can adjust the height of
the seat belt outlet.
R Position the lap belt as low as possible on
your hips and not across the abdomen. If
the lap belt is positioned across your
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries in
a crash.
R Never wear seat belts over rigid or
breakable objects in or on your clothing,
such as eyeglasses, pens, keys etc., as
these might cause injuries.
R Make sure the seat belt is always routed
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.
R Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat belt
around a person and another person or
other objects at the same time.
R Seat belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you would not have the full width of
the seat belt to distribut eimpact forces.
The twisted seat belt against yourb ody
could cause injuries.
R Pregnant women should also always use a
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible on
the hips to avoid any possible pressure on
the abdomen.
R Place the seat backrest in a position that is
as upright as possible.
R Check your seat belt during travel to make
sure it is properly positioned.
R Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always 62
Occupant safetySafety

The ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detect
vehicles when cornering is limited. Your
vehicle may brake unexpectedly or late.
Vehicles traveling on adifferent line DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect vehicles
traveling on a different line. The distance to
the vehicle in fron twill be too short.
Other vehicles changing lane DISTRONIC PLUS has not detected the
vehicle cutting in yet. The distance to this
vehicle will be too short.
Narrow vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS has not yet detected the
vehicle in front on the edge of the road,
because of its narrow width
.The distance to
the vehicle in front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for
obstacles or stationary vehicles. If, for
example, the detected vehicle turns a corner
and reveals an obstacle or stationary vehicle,
DISTRONIC PLUS will not brake for these.
Crossing vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS may mistakenly detect
vehicles that are crossing your lane.
Activating DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights
with crossing traffic, for example, could cause
your vehicle to pull away unintentionally. Driving systems
345Driving and parking Z

R
the trunk lid is open
R it is raining or snowing strongly or if it is
foggy
R it is night or if you are parking/
maneuvering your vehicle in a very dark
area
R a very bright white light is affecting the
camera
R the immediate vicinity is illuminated with
fluorescent light (the displa yofthe
COMAND system can flicker)
R temperature changes abruptly, for example
if you drive out of the cold into a heated
garage (condensation on the lens)
R the camera lens is dirty or covered
R the rear of your vehicle is damaged
In this case, have the position and the
setting of the camera checked at a
specialist workshop. Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you consult a Mercedes-
Benz Center for this purpose.
Do not use the rear view camera in these
situations. You could otherwise injure
yourself and other people and/or cause
damage -including damage to your vehicle -
while parking/maneuvering.
Activating the rear view camera X
Make sure tha tthe SmartKey is in position
2 in the ignition lock.
X Engage reverse gear.
The area behind the vehicle is shown in the
COMAND display with guide lines.
Guide lines in the COMAND display G
WARNING
Use of rear view camera can be dangerous if
you are color-blind or have impaired color
vision.
Only use rear view camera if you can see and
distinguish all colored guidelines shown by
rear view camera on the COMAND system
display. G
WARNING
Please note that objects that do not touch the
ground may appear to be further away than
they actually are, for example:
R the bumper of a vehicle parked behind you
R the trailer drawbar
R the ball coupling of a trailer tow hitch
R the rear end of a truck
R a slanted post
In such cases, you should not use the guide
lines to judge the distance. You may misjudge
the distance, which increases the risk of
impacting the objects.
Even if the object you approach is directly on
the ground, do not approach the object any
closer than the red guide line. Example: information in the COMAND display
Guide lines
0003and 0026show the approximate
distance to the rear area. Yellow guide
line 0003indicates a distance of approximately
3 ft (1 m) and red guide line 0026indicates a
distance of approximately 10 in (0.25 m).The
distances only apply to objects that are at
ground level. Blue guide lines 0002depict the
width required for the vehicle. They are used
to align the vehicle with the edge of the road,
e.g. the curb. 358
Driving systemsDriving and parking

This device has been approved by the FCC
as a “Vehicular RadarS
ystem”.The radar
sensor is intended for use in an automotive
radar system only. Removal, tampering, or
altering of the device will void any
warranties, and is not permitted by the
FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in
any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority to
operate the equipment.
For Blind Spot Assist to assist you when
driving, the radar sensor system must be
activated (Y page 389) and operational.
Monitoring range of the sensors
Active Blind Spot Assist monitors the area up
to 10 ft (3 m) behind your vehicle and directly
next to your vehicle, as shown in the diagram. G
WARNING
Blind Spot Assist monitors certain areas in the
immediate vicinity of your vehicle. Vehicles
that approach and drive past at high speeds
are not detected. There is no display and no
warning.
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.
The two radar sensors for Blind Spot Assist
are integrated into the sides of the rear
bumper. Make sure that the bumper is free
from dirt, ice or slush around the sensors. The
sensors must not be covered, for example by
cycle racks or overhanging loads. 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 0002
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp 364
Driving systemsDriving and parking

audible warnings are emitted and the system
does no
tbrake 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 yourv ehicle.
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 nextt o 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
0002
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
When Active Blind Spot Assist is activated,
indicator lamp 0002in the exterior mirrors lights
up yellow at speeds of up to
20 mph(30 km/h). At speeds above 20 mph
(30km/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 (30km/h), warning lamp 0002on 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 7mph (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. G
WARNING
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. 368
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Notes on regularly inspecting wheels
and tires G
WARNING
Damaged tires can cause tire inflation
pressure loss. As a result, you could lose
control of your vehicle. There is a risk of
accident.
Check the tires regularly for signs of damage
and replace any damaged tires immediately.
R Regularly check the wheels and tires of
your vehicle for damage (e.g. cuts,
punctures, tears, bulges on tires and
deformation or cracks or severe corrosion
on wheels) at leas tonce amonth, as well
as after driving off-road or on rough roads.
Damaged wheels can cause a loss of tire
pressure.
R Regularly check the tire tread depth and
the condition of the tread across the whole
width of the tire (Y page 499). If necessary,
turn the front wheels to full lock in order to
inspect the inner side of the tire surface.
R All wheels must have a valve cap to protect
the valve against dirt and moisture. Do not
mount anything onto the valve (such as tire
pressure monitoring systems) other than
the standard valve cap or other valve caps
approved by Mercedes-Benz for your
vehicle.
R Regularly check the pressure of all the tires
including the emergency spare wheel or the
spare wheel, particularly prior to long trips,
and correc tthe pressure as necessary
(Y page 501). Tire tread
G
WARNING
Insufficient tire tread will reduce tire traction.
The tire is no longer able to dissipate water.
This means that on wet road surfaces, the risk
of hydroplaning increases, in particular where
speed is not adapted to suit the driving
conditions. There is a risk of accident. If the tire pressure is too high or too low, tires
may exhibit different levels of wear at
different locations on the tire tread. Thus, you
should regularly check the tread depth and
the condition of the tread across the entire
width of all tires.
Minimum tire tread depth for:
R
Summer tires: 0009in (3 mm)
R M+S tires: 000Ain (4 mm)
For safety reasons, replace the tires before
the legally prescribed limit for the minimum
tire tread depth is reached.
Tread wear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. Six indicators are positioned on the tire
tread. They are visible once the tread depth
is approximately 0008in (1.6 mm). If this is the
case, the tire is so worn that it must be
replaced. Bar marking
0002for tread wear is integrated
into the tire tread. Notes on selecting, mounting and
replacing tires
R Only mount tires and wheels of the same
type and make.
R Only mount tires of the correct size onto
the wheels.
R After mounting new tires, run them in at
moderate speeds for the first 60 miles
(100 km) as they only reach their full
performance after this distance. Operation
499Wheels and tires Z

i
The actual values for tires are vehicle-
specific and may deviate from the values in
the illustration.
Maximum tire load 0002is the maximum
permissible weight for which the tire is
approved. Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards
Overview of Tire Quality Grading
Standards
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards are
U.S. government specifications. Their
purpose is to provide drivers with uniform
reliable information on tire performance data.
Tire manufacturers have to grade tires using
three performance factors: tread wear 0002,
tire traction 0003, and heat resistance 0026. All
tires sold in North America are provided with
the corresponding quality class mark on the
sidewall of the tire, even though these
regulations do not apply to Canada. i
The actual values for tires are vehicle-
specific and may deviate from the values in
the illustration.
Where applicable, the tire grading
information can be found on the tire sidewall
between the tread shoulder and maximum
tire width.
For example: Tread wear Traction Temperature
200 AA A
All passenger car tires must conform to the
statutory safety requirements in addition to
these grades.
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is acomparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified
U.S. government course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-half
times as well on the government course as a
tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly from
the norm, due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate conditions. Traction
G
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades represent
the tire's ability to stop on a wet surface as
measured under controlled conditions on Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
513Wheels and tires Z

Tire size designation
,load-bearing
capacity and speed rating 0002
Tire width
0003 Nominal aspec tratio in %
0026 Tire code
0025 Rim diameter
0023 Load bearing index
0024 Speed rating
i Tire data is vehicle-specific and may
deviate from the data in the example.
General: depending on the manufacturer's
standards, the size imprinted in the tire wall
may not contain any letters or may contain
one lette rthat precedes the size description.
If there is no letter preceding the size
description (as shown above): these are
passenger vehicle tires according to
European manufacturing standards.
If "P" precedes the size description: these are
passenger vehicle tires according to U.S.
manufacturing standards.
If "LT" precedes the size description: these
are light truck tires according to U.S.
manufacturing standards.
If "T" precedes the size description: these are
compact emergency spare wheels at high tire
pressure, to be used only temporarily in an
emergency.
Tire width: tire width0002shows the nominal
tire width in millimeters.
Height-width ratio: aspect ratio0003is the
size ratio between the tire height and tire
width and is shown in percent.T he aspectratio is calculated by dividing the tire width by
the tire height.
Tire code:
tire code0026specifies the tire type.
"R" represents radial tires; "D" represents
diagonal tires; "B" represents diagonal radial
tires.
Optionally, tires with a maximum speed of
over 149mph (240km/h) may have "ZR" in
the size description, depending on the
manufacturer (e.g. 245/40 ZR 18).
Rim diameter: rim diameter0025is the
diameter of the bead seat, not the diameter
of the rim flange. The rim diameter is
specified in inches (in).
Load-bearing index: load-bearing index0023
is a numerical code that specifies the
maximum load-bearing capacity of a tire.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit. The maximum
permissible load can be found on the
vehicle's Tire and Loading Information
placard on the B-pillar on the driver's side
(Y page 508).
Example:
Al oad-bearing index of 91 indicates a
maximum load of 1,356lb (615kg) that can be
carried by the tires. For further information on
the maximum tire load in kilograms and
pounds, see (Y page 512).
For further information on the load-bearing
index, see Load index (Y page 517).
Speed rating: speed rating0024specifies the
approved maximum speed of the tire. G
WARNING
Exceeding the stated tire load-bearing
capacity and the approved maximum speed
could lead to tire damage or the tire bursting.
There is a risk of accident.
Therefore, only use tire types and sizes
approved for your vehicle model. Observe the
tire load rating and speed rating required for
your vehicle.
Regardless of the speed rating, always
observe the speed limits. Drive carefully and Tire labeling
515Wheels and tires Z