light MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS 2003 Manual Online

234 Controls in detailUseful features
1Rear door lighters
Turn SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or2.

Lightly touch the back of the ashtray to
open it (
page 233).

Push in cigarette lighter1.
The lighter will pop out automatically
when hot.
Warning!
G
Never touch the heating element or sides of
the lighter; they are extremely hot. Hold the
knob only.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card (if so equipped) with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of
vehicle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.iThe lighter socket can be used to ac-
commodate electrical accessories up
to a maximum 85 W.
Warning!
G
Never touch the heating element or sides of
the lighter; they are extremely hot. Hold the
knob only.
To avoid possible injury to children sitting in
the rear seat, deactivate the operation of
the rear door windows, see (
page 74). De-
activation of the rear windows also deacti-
vates the lighters.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card (if so equipped) with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of
vehicle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

235 Controls in detail
Useful features
Heated steering wheel*
The steering wheel heating warms up the
leather area of the steering wheel.
The lever is on the lower left-hand side of
the steering wheel.
1Switching on
2Indicator lamp
3Switching offSwitching on

Make sure that the ignition is switched
on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
should light up.

Turn lever in the direction of arrow1.
The steering wheel is heated. Indicator
lamp2 lights up.Switching off

Turn the lever in direction of arrow3.
The steering wheel heating is turned
off. Indicator lamp2 goes out.iThe steering wheel heating does not
turn off automatically.

241 Controls in detail
Useful features
A voice connection between the Roadside
Assistance dispatcher and the occupants
of the vehicle will be established. When a
voice connection is established, the audio
system mutes and the message
TELE AID
– ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE CALL ACTIVE
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.

Describe the nature of the need for as-
sistance.
The Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance
dispatcher will either dispatch a qualified
Mercedes-Benz technician or arrange to
tow your vehicle to the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Center. For services such
as labor and/or towing, charges may ap-
ply. Refer to the Roadside Assistance man-
ual for more information.These programs are only available in the
USA:


Sign and Drive services: Services such
as jump start, a few gallons of fuel or
the replacement of a flat tire with the
vehicle spare tire are obtainable.


Remote Vehicle Diagnostics: This func-
tion permits the Mercedes-Benz Road-
side Assistance dispatcher to
download malfunction codes and actu-
al vehicle data.
iThe indicator lamp in the Roadside As-
sistance button
•
remains illumi-
nated in red for approx. 10 seconds
during the system self-check after turn-
ing the key in the starter switch to
position2 (together with the SOS but-
ton and the Information button
¡
).
See system self-check (
page 238)
when the indicator lamp does not light
up in red or stays on longer than ap-
proximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Roadside
Assistance button
•
is continuous-
ly illuminated and no voice connection
to the Response Center was estab-
lished, the Tele Aid system could not
initiate a Roadside Assistance call (e.g.
the relevant cellular phone network is
not available). The message
ROADSIDE
ASSISTANCE – CALL FAILED appears in
the multifunction display. Roadside As-
sistance calls can be terminated using
the
ì
button on the multifunction
steering wheel.

242 Controls in detailUseful featuresInformation button
¡
The information button
¡
is located be-
low the center armrest cover.

Press and hold the button (for longer
than 2 seconds).
A call to the Customer Assistance Cen-
ter will be initiated. The button will
flash while the call is in progress. The
message
INFO – CONNECTING CALL
will
appear in the multifunction display.
When the connection is established, the
message
INFO – CALL CONNECTED
appears
in the multifunction display. The Tele Aid
system will transmit data generating the
vehicle identification number, model, color
and location (subject to availability of cel-
lular and GPS signals).
A voice connection between the Customer
Assistance Center representative and the
occupants of the vehicle will be estab-
lished. When a voice connection is estab-
lished, the audio system mutes and the
message
TELE AID – INFO CALL ACTIVE

appears in the multifunction display. Infor-mation regarding the operation of your ve-
hicle, the nearest Mercedes-Benz Center
or Mercedes-Benz USA products and ser-
vices is available to you.
For more details concerning the Tele Aid
system, please visit www.mbusa.com and
use your ID and password (sent to you sep-
arately) to learn more (USA only).
iThe indicator lamp in the Information
button
¡
remains illuminated in red
for approx. 10 seconds during the sys-
tem self-check after turning the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position2 (together with the SOS but-
ton and the Roadside Assistance
button
•
).
See System self-check (
page 238)
when the indicator lamp does not light
up in red or stays on longer than ap-
proximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Information
button
¡
is continuously illuminat-
ed and no voice connection was estab-
lished to the Response Center, then the
Tele Aid system could not initiate an In-
formation call (e.g. the relevant cellular
phone network is not available). The
message
INFO – CALL FAILED
appears
in the multifunction display.
Information calls can be terminated us-
ing the
ì
button on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.
!If the indicator lamps do not start flash-
ing after pressing one of the buttons or
remain illuminated (in red) at any time,
the Tele Aid system has detected a
fault or the service is not currently ac-
tive, and may not initiate a call. Visit
your Mercedes-Benz Center and have
the system checked or contact the Re-
sponse Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in
the USA) or 1-888-923-8367 (in Cana-
da) as soon as possible.

246 Controls in detailUseful featuresProgramming or reprogramming the in-
tegrated remote control
Turn SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or2.

Hold the end of the hand-held transmit-
ter of the device you wish to train
approximately 2 to 5 inches (5 cm to
12 cm) away from the surface of the in-
tegrated remote control located on the
inside rear view mirror, keeping the in-
dicator lamp in view.

Using both hands, simultaneously push
the hand-held transmitter button and
the desired integrated remote control
button. Do not release the buttons until
completing next step.
The indicator lamp on the integrated re-
mote control will flash, first slowly and
then rapidly. The rapid flashing lamp indi-
cates successful programming of the new
frequency signal.

When the indicator lamp flashes rapid-
ly, release both buttons.

To program the remaining two buttons,
repeat the above steps.
Rolling code programming
To train a garage door opener (or other roll-
ing code devices) with the rolling code fea-
ture, follow these instructions after
completing the “Programming” portion of
this text. (A second person may make the
following training procedures quicker and
easier.)

Locate training button on the garage
door opener motor head unit. Exact location and color of the button
may vary by garage door opener brand.
If there is difficulty locating the trans-
mitting button, refer to garage door
opener operator’s manual.

Press “training” button on the garage
door opener motor head unit.
The “training light” is activated.
You have 30 seconds to initiate the follow-
ing step.

Firmly press and release the pro-
grammed integrated remote control
transmit button.

Press and release same button a sec-
ond time to complete the training pro-
cess.
Some garage door openers may require
you to do this procedure a third time to
complete the training.

Confirm the garage door operation by
pressing the programmed button on
the integrated remote control transmit-
ter.
iIf, after several attempts, you do not
successfully program the integrated re-
mote control device to learn the signal
of the hand-held transmitter, the ga-
rage door opener could be equipped
with the “rolling code feature.”

257 Operation
Driving instructions
Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal braking effect.
We therefore recommend depressing the
brake pedal periodically when traveling at
length on salt-strewn roads.
This can bring road salt impaired braking
efficiency back to normal. Be very careful
that you carry out these braking maneu-
vers without endangering any other road
users.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed while observing the
safety rules in the previous paragraph.
For more information, see “Winter driving”
(
page 278).
Standing water
Warning!
G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make
sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around the vehicle with the
engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle in-
terior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the wind.Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
s i g n e d t o s e r v e a s a n i c e - w a r n i n g d e v i c e a n d
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose. In-
dicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road
surface is free of ice.
!Do not drive through flooded areas or
water of unknown depth.
If you must drive through standing wa-
ter, drive slowly to prevent water from
entering the passenger compartment
or the engine compartment. Water in
these areas could cause damage to
electrical components or wiring of the
engine or transmission, or could result
in water being ingested by the engine
through the air intake causing severe
internal engine damage. Any such dam-
age is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

262 OperationAt the gas station
Check regularly and before a long trip
1Windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning system
More information on refilling the reser-
voir can be found in the “Operation”
section on (
page 271).
2Coolant level
More information on coolant can be
found in the “Operation” section on
(
page 268).
3Brake fluid
More information on brake fluid can be
found in the “Technical data” section
on (page 373).Engine oil level
More information on engine oil can be
found in the “Operation” section on
(
page 264).
Opening hood see (
page 263).
Vehicle lighting
Check function and cleanliness.More infor-
mation on replacing light bulbs can be
found in the “Practical hints” section
(
page 331).
Exterior lamp switch see “Switching on
headlamps” (
page 46).
Tire inflation pressure
More information on tire inflation pressure
can be found in the “Operation” section
(
page 273).
iLeaving the engine running and the fuel
cap open can cause the
?
lamp to
illuminate.
More information can be found in the
“Practical hints” section (
page 289).

266 OperationEngine compartmentIf there is excessive engine oil with the en-
gine at normal operating temperature, the
following message will appear:ENGINE OIL LEVEL
REDUCE OIL LEVEL!
Have excess oil siphoned.
See “Practical hints” (
page 289) if the
engine oil level indicator lights up in the
display while the engine is running.
More information on engine oil can be
found in “Technical data” (page 357).Checking the engine oil level with the
oil dipstick (except S 430 4MATIC,
S 500 4MATIC, and S 600)
The engine oil level can be checked by ei-
ther oil dipstick1 or via the multifunction
display in the instrument cluster
(
page 265). The amount of engine oil
needed is shown more precisely on the op-
erating system display.
1Oil dipstick

Open the hood (
page 263).

Pull out oil dipstick1 (
page 267).

Wipe oil dipstick1 clean.

Fully insert oil dipstick1 into the dip-
stick guide tube, and remove after ap-
proximately three seconds to obtain
accurate reading.
The oil level is acceptable when it
leaves a line between the upper and
lower marks of oil dipstick 1.
For adding oil see (
page 267).
See “Practical hints” (page 289) if the
engine oil level indicator lights up in the
display while the engine is running.
iIf you want to interrupt the checking
procedure, press the
k
or
j
but-
ton on the multifunction steering
wheel.
iThe filling quantity between the upper
and lower marks on the oil dipstick is
approximately 2.1 US qt. (2.0 l).

273 Operation
Tires and wheels
Life of tires
The service life of a tire is dependent upon
varying factors including but not limited to:

driving style


tire pressure


distance driven
Direction of rotation
Unidirectional tires offer added advantag-
es, such as better hydroplaning perfor-
mance. To benefit, however, you must
ensure that the tires rotate in the direction
specified.
An arrow on the sidewall indicates the in-
tended direction of tire rotation.
Checking tire inflation pressure
Correct the tire pressure only when tires
are cold.
Regularly check your tire pressure at inter-
vals of no more than 14 days.
If the tires are warm, you should only cor-
rect the tire pressure if it is too low for cur-
rent operating conditions.
A table on the fuel filler flap lists the spec-
ified tire inflation pressures for warm and
cold tires as well as for various operating
conditions.
Warning!
G
Tires and spare tire should be replaced after
six years, regardless of the remaining tread.!Keep unmounted tires in a cool, dry
place with as little exposure to light as
possible. Protect tires from contact
with oil, grease and gasoline.
Warning!
G
If the tire pressure repeatedly drops:

Check the tires for punctures from
foreign objects.


Check to see whether air is leaking from
the valves or from around the rim.

274 OperationTires and wheelsTire pressure changes by approximately
1.5 psi (0.1 bar) per 18°F (10°C) of air
temperature change. Keep this in mind
when checking tire pressure where the
temperature is different from the outside
temperature.
Tire temperature and tire pressure also in-
crease while driving, depending on the
driving speed and the tire load.Check the spare tire periodically for condi-
tion and inflation pressure. Spare tires will
age and become worn over time even if
never used, and thus should be inspected
and replaced when necessary or after a
maximum of six years.
Checking tire pressure electronically*
The tire inflation pressure monitor only
functions on wheels that are equipped with
the proper electronic sensors. It monitors
the tire inflation pressure, as selected by
the driver, in all four tires. A warning is is-
sued to alert you to a decrease in pressure
in one or more of the tires.
Tire pressure inquiries are made using the
multifunction display (
page 130). The in-
flation pressures are displayed only after a
few minutes travel time.
You can select the unit of measure used for
the tire inflation pressure by changing the
setting in the control system (
page 130).
iThe pressures listed for light loads are
minimum values offering high driving
comfort.
Increased inflation pressures listed for
heavier loads may also be used for light
loads. These higher pressures produce
favorable handling characteristics. The
ride of the vehicle, however, will be
somewhat harder. Never exceed the
max. values or inflate tires below the
min. values listed on the fuel filler flap.
Warning!
G
Follow recommended tire inflation pres-
sures.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflating tires
can result in sudden deflation (blowout) be-
cause they are more likely to become punc-
tured or damaged by road debris, potholes
etc.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated tires
wear unevenly, adversely affect handling
and fuel economy, and are more likely to fail
from being overheated.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified vehicle capacity weight (as indicat-
ed by the label on the pillar in the driver’s
door opening). Overloading the tires can
overheat them, possibly causing a blowout.