MERCEDES-BENZ S500 2004 W220 Owner's Manual
Page 131 of 435
130 Controls in detailLightingDeactivating automatic control
Press the ñ symbol on rocker
switch 4.
The interior lighting remains switched
off in darkness, even when you:
unlock the vehicle
open a door
remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch
Manual control
Switching front interior lamps on and off
Press the ð symbol on rocker
switch 4.
The front interior lighting switches on.
Press the ñ symbol on rocker
switch 4 again.
The interior lighting switches off. The
automatic control function is activated.Switching rear interior lamps on and off
Press switch2 on theò symbol.
The rear compartment lighting is
switched on.
Press switch2 on theò symbol
again.
The rear compartment lighting is
switched off.
Switching front reading lamps on and
off
Press switch 1 or 3.
The corresponding reading lamp is
switched on.
Press switch 1 or 3 again.
The corresponding reading lamp is
switched off.
Courtesy lighting
For better orientation in the dark, courtesy
lamps will illuminate the interior of your ve-
hicle as follows:
With parking lamps switched on:
the door entry lamps
the driver and passenger footwells
With SmartKey in starter switch position1:
the door entry lamps
the center consoleiIf you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and switch off the
exterior headlamps, the door entry
lamps will remain lit for approximately
five minutes.
Page 132 of 435
131 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster
A full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the “At a glance”
section of this manual (
page 22).
The instrument cluster is activated when
you:
open a door
turn on the ignition
press the reset button (
page 22)
switch on the exterior lamps
You can change the instrument cluster set-
tings in the instrument cluster submenu of
the control system (
page 154).
Instrument cluster illumination
1Knob for adjusting instrument cluster
illumination
Use knob1 to adjust the illumination
brightness for the instrument cluster.
Press knob1.
The knob will pop out.
To brighten illumination
Turn knob1 in the instrument cluster
clockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
brighten.
To dim illumination
Turn knob1 in the instrument cluster
counterclockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
dim.
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to
suit ambient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will
also be adjusted automatically when
you switch on the vehicle’s exterior
lamps.
Page 133 of 435
132 Controls in detailInstrument clusterCoolant temperature gauge
During severe operating conditions,
e.g. stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248°F (120°C),
i.e. close to the red zone of the tempera-
ture gauge.
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C), i.e. in the red zone of the coolant
temperature gauge. Doing so may cause
serious engine damage which is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited War-
ranty.
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip
odometer display.
If it is not displayed, press the è or
ÿ button on the multifunction
steering wheel repeatedly until the trip
odometer appears (
page 134).
Press and hold reset button on the in-
strument cluster (
page 22) until the
trip odometer is reset.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly over-
heated can cause some fluids which
may have leaked into the engine com-
partment to catch fire. You could be se-
riously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the hood. Stay away from
the engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.
iExcessive coolant temperature triggers
a warning in the multifunction display
(page 323).
Page 134 of 435
133 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer de-
notes excessive engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
S 55 AMG
The tachometer of the S 55 AMG does not
have a red marking denoting excessive en-
gine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated at
an excessive engine speed.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is diplayed in the
instrument cluster (
page 22). For infor-
mation on how to select the unit of the dis-
played temperature, i.e. degrees
Celsius (°C) or degrees Fahrenheit (°F),
see “Selecting temperature display mode”
(
page 154).The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. There-
fore, the accuracy of the displayed temper-
ature can only be verified by comparison to
a thermometer placed next to the sensor,
not by comparison to external displays
(e.g. bank signs, etc.).
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.
Page 135 of 435
134 Controls in detailControl system
Control systemThe control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* is in
position1. The control system enables you
to:
call up information about your vehicle
change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Trip odometer
2Main odometer
iThe displays for the audio systems (ra-
dio, CD player) will appear in English,
regardless of the language selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his /her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
Page 136 of 435
135 Controls in detail
Control system
Multifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled using the buttons on the multi-
function steering wheel.
1
Multifunction display in the speed-
ometerOperating the control system
2
Selecting the submenu or setting
the volumeæ
up / to increase
ç
down / to decrease
3
Telephone*s
to take a call
t
to end a call
4
Menu systemsè
for next menu
ÿ
for previous menu
5
Moving within a menuj
for next display
k
for previous display
Page 137 of 435
136 Controls in detailControl systemPressing any of the buttons on the multi-
function steering wheel will alter what is
shown in the multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or CD op-
erations under
AUDIO
, for example). These
functions serve to call up relevant informa-
tion or to customize the settings for your
vehicle.It is helpful to think of the menus, and the
functions within each menu, as being ar-
ranged in a circular pattern.
If you press buttonè orÿ
repeatedly, you will pass through each
menu one after the other.
If you press buttonk orj
repeatedly, you will pass through each
function display, one after the other, in
the current menu.In the
SETTINGS
menu, instead of functions
you will find a number of submenus for
calling up and changing settings. For in-
structions on using these submenus, see
“Settings menu” (page 151).
The number of menus available in the sys-
tem depends on which optional equipment
is installed in your vehicle.
The menus are described on the following
pages.
Page 138 of 435
137 Controls in detail
Control system
MenusThis is what you will see when you scroll
through the menus.The table on the next page provides an
overview of the individual menus.
Page 139 of 435
138 Controls in detailControl systemMenus, submenus and functions
Menu1
Standard dis-
play
Menu2
AUDIO
Menu3
Telephone*
Menu4
NAVI
Menu5
Distronic*
Menu6
Trip computer
Menu7
Malfunction
memory
Menu8
Settings
Commands/submenusCall up FSS
Select radio
station
Load phone
book
Activate
route guid-
ance
Call up set-
tings
Fuel consump-
tion statistics af-
ter start
Call up malfunc-
tion messages
Reset to factory
settings
Check tire
pressure*
Select satellite
radio station*
(USA only)
Search for
name in
phone book
Fuel consump-
tion statistics
since the last re-
set
Instrument clus-
ter submenu
Check engine
oil level
Operate CD
player
Select
number last
dialed
Call up range
Lighting sub-
menu
Digital speed-
ometer
Operate
cassette player
Vehicle sub-
menuConvenience
submenu
Page 140 of 435
139 Controls in detail
Control system
Standard display menu
You can select the functions in the stan-
dard display menu with buttonk
orj.
The following functions are available:
Display digital speedometer
Press the j or k button repeat-
edly until you see the digital speedom-
eter appear in the display.
The current vehicle speed is shown in
the multifunction display.
AUDIO menu
The functions in the
AUDIO
menu operate
the audio equipment which you currently
have turned on.
If no audio equipment is currently turned
on, the message
AUDIO OFF
is shown in the
display.
The following functions are available:
iThe headings used in the menus table
are designed to facilitate navigation
within the system and are not neces-
sarily identical to those shown in the
control system displays.
The first function displayed in each
menu will automatically show you
which part of the system you are in.
Funktion
Page
Call up FSS
295
Check tire pressure*
287
Check engine oil level
274
Call up digital speedometer
139
Funktion
Page
Select radio station
140
Select satellite radio* station
(USA only)
140
Operate CD player
141
Operate cassette player
141