2018 MERCEDES-BENZ S-CLASS SEDAN Owner's Manual

*NO
TEDama gedue toexcessive tracti ve
po we r
Ifyo upull away sharpl y,the tractive po wer
may be too high and theve hicles could be
damaged.
#Pull away slowly and smoo thly.
Loading the vehicle for transport
#Obser vethe no tes on towing away
(→page 405).
#Connect theto w bar totheto wing eyeto
load theve hicle.
#Shift the automatic transmission toposition
i.
% The automatic transmission may be loc ked
in position jintheeve nt of damage tothe
electrics. Toshift toi, pr ovide the on-
board electrical sy stem with po wer
(
→page 401).
#Load theve hicle onto the transpor ter.
#Shift the automatic transmission toposition
j.
#Only secure theve hicle bythe wheels.
Ve hicles with ADS PLUS (Adaptive Damping
Sy stem PLUS)
&
WARNING Risk of an accident when
transporting vehicles with Adaptive
Damping Sy stem PLUS
The reduced damping forc es on theve hicle
being transpor ted can cause theve hicle/
trailer combination tostart toswing.
As a result, when transporting vehicles with
th eAd aptive Damping Sy stem PLUS, the
ve hicle/trailer combination may start toskid.
Consequentl y,yo u could lose cont rol of your
ve hicle.
#When transporting, ensure that:RThe vehicle has been loaded onto
th e transpor ter cor rectly
RThe vehicle is secured at all four
wheels with suitable tensioning
st ra ps
RThe maximum permissible speed of
35 mph(6 0 km/h) is not exceeded
when transporting
* NO
TEDama getotheve hicle from secur‐
ing it incor rectly
#Af ter loading, theve hicle must be
secured on all four wheels. Otherwise,
th eve hicle could be damaged.
#A minimum dis tance of 4 in (10 cm)
up wa rds and 8 in (20 cm) down wards
must be kept tothe transport platform.
%
Transport le vel is not available forth efo llow‐
ing vehicles:
RMercedes‑AMG vehicles
RVe hicles with MAGIC BODY CONTROL
Breakdown assis tance 407

#Toactivate transport leve l:press button
1.
Indicator lamp 2lights up.
The vehicle is raised by1.2 in (30 mm) com‐
pared tothe normal le vel.
#Press button 1again and hold it for at least
fi ve seconds.
The vehicle is raised from thera ised le velto
th e transport le vel.
The transport le vel is reached when indicator
lamp 2flashes and the0D[ VSHHG
 NPK display message appears in the
multifunction displa y.
Load theve hicle and lash it down at all four
wheels. Otherwise, theve hicle could be dam‐
aged.
% A minimum dis tance of 4 in (10 cm) up wards
and 8 in (20 cm) down wards must be kept to
th e transport platform.
The vehicle is lo wered again in thefo llowing sit‐
uations:
RWhen driving fasterthan 21 mp h (35 km/h).
RAfter selecting a drive program using the
DY NA MIC SELECT switch.
The vehicle is adjus tedto the height of the last
active drive prog ram.
#To deactivate transpo rtleve l:start the
engine when theve hicle is at a standstill.
If transport leve l is activated, indicator lamp
2 flashes.
#Press and hold button 1for at least five
seconds.
The vehicle is adjus tedto the height of the
last active drive prog ram. Indicator lamp 2
goes out.
#Drive theve hicle off the transpor ter.
4MATIC vehicles
#Make sure that the front and rear axles come
to rest on the same transport vehicle.
408
Breakdown assis tance

*NO
TEDama getothe driv etra in due to
incor rect positioning
#Do not position theve hicle abo vethe
connection point of the transport vehi‐
cle.
To wing eye
Towing eye1 is located with theve hicle tool kit
under the trunk floor.
Installing theto wing eye
#Press the mark on co ver1 inwa rds and
re mo ve.
#Scr ew intheto wing eyeclockwise tothe
st op.
% Make sure that co ver1 engages in the
bumper when youre mo vetheto wing eye. *
NO
TEDama gedue toincor rect use of
th eto wing eye
When a towing eye is used toreco ver a vehi‐
cle, theve hicle may be damaged in the proc‐
ess.
#Only use theto wing eyeto to waw ay or
to w start theve hicle.
To w- starting theve hicle (eme rgency engine
st art)
* NO
TEDama getothe automatic trans‐
mission due to towstarting
The automatic transmission may be damaged
in the process of tow starting vehicles with
automatic transmission.
#Ve hicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow star ted.
#Ve hicles with automatic transmission must
not be tow- star ted.
Breakdown assis tance 409

Electrical fuses
Notes on electrical fuses
&
WARNING Risk of accident and injury
due to ov erloaded lines
If yo u man ipulate orbridg e afaulty fuse or if
yo ure place it with a fuse with a higher
amperage, the electric line could be overloa‐
ded.
This could result in a fire .
#Alw aysre place faulty fuses with speci‐
fi ed new fuses conta iningthe cor rect
amperage.
* NO
TEDama gecaused byincor rect fuses
Incor rect fuses may cause damage toelectri‐
cal components or sy stems.
#Only use Mercedes-Benz appr oved
fuses with the cor rect fuse rating.
Blown fuses must bereplaced with fuses of the
same rating, which you can recognize bythe
color and fuse rating. The fuse ratings are li sted in
the fuse assignment diagram. The fuse assign‐
ment diagram is in theve hicle document wallet.
* NO
TEDama geor malfunctions caused
by moisture
Moisture may cause dama getothe electrical
sy stem or cause it tomalfunction.
#When the fuse box is open, make sure
th at no moisture can enter the fuse
box.
#When closing the fuse box, make sure
th at the seal of the lid is positioned cor‐
re ctly on the fuse box.
Ifth e newly inser ted fuse also blo ws, ha vethe
cause traced and rectified at a qualified special‐
ist workshop, e.g. an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Ensure thefo llowing before replacing a fuse:
RThe vehicle is secured against rolling away.
RAll electrical consumers are switched off.
RThe ignition is switched off. The electrical fuses are located in
various fuse
bo xes:
RFu se box in the engine compartment on the
driver's side (→page 410)
RFu se box on the driver's side of the dash‐
board (→page 412)
RFu se box in the front-passen gerfo ot we ll
(→page 412)
RFu se box in the trunk on theright-hand side
of theve hicle, when vie wed in the direction
of tra vel (
→page 412)
Fu se box in the engine compa rtment
Requ irements:RObser vethe no tes on electrical fuses
(→page 410).
Ha ve thefo llowing readily available:
RA dry clo th
RA screwdriver
410
Breakdown assis tance

Opening
&WARNING Risk of injury from usingthe
windshield wipers while the engine hood
is open
When the engine hood is open and the wind‐
shield wipers are set in motion, you can be
trapped bythe wiper linkage.
#Alw ays switch off the windshield wipers
and ignition before opening the engine
hood.
#Re lease retaining clips 1.
Pull co ver2 up.#Remo veany existing moisture from the fuse
box using a dry clo th.
#Loosen scr ews4, remo vefuse box lid 3
from theto p.
Closing
#Check whe ther the seal is positioned cor‐
re ctly in the lid.
Breakdown assis tance 41
1

#Insertthe lid into the brac ket at there ar of
th e fuse box.
#Fo ld down lid of the fuse box and tighten
scr ews4.
#Insert co ver2 on bo thsides and engage
re taining clips 1.
#Closethe hood.
Dashboard fuse box
The fuse box is on the side of the dashboard
under a co ver.
#Open co ver1 inthe direction of the ar row
and remo veit.
Fuse box in the front-passenger foot we ll
Requirement:RObser vethe no tes on electrical fuses
(→page 410).
#Open cover1 inthe direction of the ar row
and remo veit.
Fuse box in the trunk
Re quirement:RObser vethe no tes on electrical fuses
(→page 410).
#Fo ld co ver1 down in the direction of the
ar row .
412
Breakdown assis tance

Noise or unusual handling characteristics
While driving, pay attention tovibrations, noises
and unusual handling characteristics, e.g. pulling
to one side. This may indicate that the wheels or
tires are damaged. If you suspect that a tire is
defective, reduce your speed immediatel y.Stop
th eve hicle as soon as possible tocheck the
wheels and tires for dama ge. Hidden tire dam‐
age could also be causing the unusual handling
ch aracteristics. If youfind no signs of damage,
ha ve the tires and wheels checked at a qualified
specialist workshop.
Checking wheels and tires regular ly
&
WARNING Risk of accident from dam‐
aged tires
Dama ged tires can cause tire pressure loss.
As a result, you could lose cont rol of your
ve hicle.
#Check the tires regularly for signs of
dama geand replace any damaged tires
immediatel y.
&
WARNING Risk of aquaplaning due to
insuf ficient tire tread
Insuff icient tire tread will result in reduced
tire grip. The tire tread is no longer able to
dissipate water.
This means that in heavy rain or slush the
ri sk of hydroplaning is increased, in particu‐
lar if vehicle speed is not adap tedto suit the
conditions.
If th e tire pressure is too high or too lo w,
tires may exhibit dif fere nt le vels of wear at
dif fere nt locations on the tire conta ct sur‐
fa ce.
#Thus, you should regularly check the
tread de pth and the condition of the tire
conta ct surf ace across the entire width
of all tires.
Minimum tread dep thfor:
RSummer tires: âin (3 mm)
RM+S tires: ãin (4 mm)
#For saf etyre asons, replace the tires
before the legally prescribed limit for
th e minimum tread dep thisreached.
Car ryout thefo llowing checks on all wheels reg‐
ularly, at least once a month or as requ ired, e.g.
prior toa long journey or driving off- road:
RCheck the tire pressure (→page 414).
RVisual inspection of wheels and tires for
damage.
RCheck theva lve caps.
The valves must be pr otected against mois‐
ture and dirt bytheva lve caps appr oved
especially foryo ur vehicle byMercedes-Benz.
RVisual check of the tread dep thand the tire
conta ct surf ace across the entire width.
The minimum tread dep thfor summer tires is
â in (3 mm) and for winter tires ãin
(4 mm).
Wheels and tires 41
3

Six marks1 show where the bar indicators
(ar row ) are integrated into the tire tread. They
are visible once a tread dep thof appr oximately
á in (1.6 mm) has been reached.
Note s on snow chains
&
WARNING Risk of accident due toincor‐
re ct mounting of snow chains
If yo u ha vemounted snow chains tothe front
wheels, the snow chains may drag against
th eve hicle body or chassis components.
This could cause damage totheve hicle or
th e tires.
#Ne ver mount snow chains on the front
wheels.
#Only mount snow chains on there ar
wheels in pairs.
* NO
TEDama getothe wheel trim from
mounted snow chains
If snow ch ains are mounte dto steel wheels,
th e wheel trims can be damaged.
#Re mo vethe wheel trims of steel wheels
before mounting snow chains.
RSn ow chains are only pe rmissible for cer tain
wheel/tire combinations. You can obtain
information about this from an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
RFo r saf etyre asons, only use snow ch ainsthat
ha ve been specifically appr oved foryo ur
ve hicle byMercedes-Benz, or snow chains
with the same quality standard.
RIf snow ch ains are ins talled, the maximum
permissible speed is 30 mph (50 km/h).
RVehicles with Active Parking Assis t:Do
no t use Parking Assist PARKTRONI Cwhen
sn ow ch ains ha vebeen ins talled.
RVe hicles with AIR BODY CONT ROL or
MAGIC BODY CONT ROL:If snow chains are
installed, only driv e atraised vehicle le vel.
% You can deactivate ESP
®to pull away
(→page 191). This allo ws the wheels tospin,
achieving an increased driving forc e.
Tire pressure
Note s on tire pressure
&
WARNING Risk of accident due toinsuf‐
fi cient or excessive tire pressure
Underinfla ted or overinfla ted tires pose the
fo llowing risks:
RThe tires may bur st, especially as the
load and vehicle speed increase.
41 4
Wheels and tires