MERCEDES-BENZ S550 2007 W221 Owner's Manual

420 Controls in detailDriving systemsNight View Assist*
Night View Assist illuminates the road with
infrared light in addition to the normal
headlamps.
A camera at the top of the windshield mea-
sures the infrared light and shows a
black-and-white image on the multifunc-
tion display. The image on the multifunction display cor-
responds to a road lit up by high-beam
headlamps.The Night View Assist image on the multi-
function display is not impaired


by the headlamps of approaching vehi-
cles


if you cannot switch on the high beams
due to oncoming traffic
As a result, you can better follow the
course of the road and detect obstacles
earlier on.
The camera is at the top of the windshield.
1Night View Assist camera
Warning!
G
Night View Assist is only an aid to support
you while driving and cannot substitute your
careful attention. Do not rely on the display
of the Night View Assist; instead, continue
to look through the windshield. You are al-
ways responsible for safety and must drive
in accordance with traffic conditions. Other-
wise, you could endanger yourself and oth-
ers.
If it is foggy, raining or snowing, the clarity of
the Night View Assist image on the multi-
function display may be diminished.
Warning!
G
Night View Assist cannot record objects im-
mediately in front of or next to the vehicle.
When maneuvering, continue to look
through the windshield. Make sure that no
persons or animals are in or near the area in
which you are maneuvering.
i
Infrared light is invisible to the human eye
and can therefore remain permanently switched
on without blinding oncoming traffic.

421 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Switching on or off
You can only switch on the Night View As-
sist if

the SmartKey in the starter switch is
set to position2


it is dark


the light switch is set to * or B
or if the daytime driving lamps are
switched on


the automatic transmission is not in
positionR
1Night View Assist on or off

Press button1.
The Night View Assist image appears
on the multifunction display.
Image on multifunction display
When you switch on Night View Assist, the
image for the speed gauge changes on the
multifunction display. The speed gauge is
shown as a bar on the lower edge of the
multifunction display. The line for main
menus is no longer available. If you would
like to change a setting using the steering
wheel buttons, you must first switch off
Night View Assist.1Night View Assist image
2Speedometer display
i
The infrared headlamps only come on above
a speed of approx. 9 mph (15 km/h). Therefore,
when you are at a standstill, you do not have a
complete view and cannot check the function of
the Night View Assist.
i
If you change the brightness of the instru-
ment cluster while Night View Assist is switched
on, only the brightness of the multifunction dis-
play is changed.

422 Controls in detailDriving systemsDirty or fogged-up windshield
If the windshield in front of the camera is
fogged up on the inside or outside or if it is
dirty, the Night View Assist image is dimin-
ished.Removing condensation
1Recessed handles on camera cover

Fold camera cover downward using re-
cessed handles1.

Check settings of automatic climate
control and change them, if necessary
(page 424).
Once the image is no longer impaired:

Fold camera cover back up using re-
cessed handles1.Cleaning inside of windshield

Clean inside of windshield in front of
camera (
page 539).
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle. A driver’s
attention to the road must always be
his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, stop be-
fore trying to remove window fogging or
cleaning the window in front of the Night
View Assist camera.
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.

423 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Night View Assist* malfunctionProblem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
The quality of the Night View Assist image
has diminished.
The windshield wipers are leaving streaks
on the windshield.

Replace windshield wiper blades
(page 627).
The area of the windshield within the cam-
era’s field of view is dirty.

Clean windshield (
page 539).
The area of the windshield within the cam-
era’s field of view has been damaged.

Replace windshield.
The area of the windshield within the cam-
era’s field of view is fogged over.

Remove condensation (
page 539).
The area of the windshield within the cam-
era’s field of view is iced over.

Defrost windshield (
page 429).

424 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control

425 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Item
1
Left side air vent, adjustable
2
Left side defroster vent, fixed
3
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left air vent
4
Left center air vent, adjustable
5
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
6
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
7
Right center air vent, adjustable
8
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right air vent
9
Right side defroster vent, fixed
a
Right side air vent, adjustable
b
Climate control panel
i
For draft-free ventilation, move the sliders
for the center air vents 4 and 7 to the middle
position.
Warning!
G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents can be very
hot or very cold (depending on the set tem-
perature). This may cause burns or frostbite
to unprotected skin in the immediate area of
the air vents.
Always keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the air
vents. If necessary, use the air distribution
adjustment (
page 230) to direct the air to
air vents in the vehicle interior that are not
in the immediate area of unprotected skin.

426 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAutomatic climate control panel, front
Item
1
AUTO mode for air distribution and
volume, left
2
Temperature control, left
3
Manual fan speed adjustment, left
4
Front defroster
Item
5
Air recirculation
6
Automatic climate control on/off
7
Residual engine heat and ventilation
(REST)
8
Rear window defroster
Item
9
Manual fan speed adjustment, right
a
Temperature control, right
b
AUTO mode for air distribution and
volume, right

427 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.
It can only function optimally when you are
driving with the windows and the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof/panorama sunroof* closed.
It is possible to completely deactivate the
climate control system (
page 428). Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.The following automatic climate control
functions can be operated via COMAND:
i
If you have the air distribution and air vol-
ume automatically controlled, you can adjust the
temperature, footwell temperature and air flow.
The following basic settings are recommended:


Automatic air distribution control
(page 428)


Temperature: 72°F (22°C) (
page 429)


Footwell temperature: 0 (
page 232)


Air flow: focused (
page 233)
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pages
and in the “COMAND automatic climate
control” section (
page 229). Otherwise
the windows could fog up, impairing visibili-
ty and endangering you and others.
i
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before its
scheduled interval. A clogged filter will reduce
the air volume to the interior.
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate the interior
before driving off, see “Summer opening fea-
ture” (page 355). The automatic climate con-
trol will then adjust the interior temperature to
the set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the wind-
shield free of snow, leaves, sticks, and any other
debris.
Do not obstruct air volume by placing objects on
the air volume-through exhaust slots below the
rear window.Function
Page
Temperature
230
Air distribution
230
Air volume
230
Switching off cooling (“AC
OFF”)
231
Central climate control (“Mono”)
232
Footwell temperature
232
Air flow from air vents
233
Rear climate control*
234

428 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDeactivating climate control system
Deactivating: Press button´
(page 426) up or down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.

Reactivating: Press button´
(page 426) up or down.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Operating climate control system in au-
tomatic mode
Activating
Press buttonU (
page 426) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating

Press buttonU (
page 426) up or
down.
or

Adjust air distribution (
page 230).
or

Adjust air volume (
page 429).
The indicator lamp on buttonU
goes out. The automatic function is
switched off.
You can adjust the air distribution
(
page 230) or air volume
(page 429) manually.
Warning!
G
When the automatic climate control is
switched off, the outside air supply and cir-
culation are also switched off. Only choose
this setting for a short time. Otherwise the
windows could fog up, impairing visibility
and endangering you and others.
i
When operating the climate control system
in automatic mode, you will only rarely need to
adjust the temperature, air volume and air distri-
bution.

429 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Setting temperature
Use temperature controls %$
2anda (
page 426) in the center con-
sole or COMAND (
page 230) to sepa-
rately adjust the air temperature on each
side of the passenger compartment. You
should raise or lower the temperature set-
ting in small increments, preferably start-
ing at 72°F (22°C). The automatic climate
control will adjust to the set temperature
as fast as possible.

Press temperature control %$
2and/ora (
page 426) upward or
downward.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Adjusting air volume
Use buttonsQ (
page 426) in the cen-
ter console or COMAND to separately ad-
just the air volume on each side of the
passenger compartment.

Press buttonQ up to increase or
down to decrease air volume.
The indicator lamps on buttonsU
(page 426) goes out.
Front defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, for example if it is iced up. You
can also defog the windshield and the side
windows.Activating

Press button; (
page 426) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning switches to the follow-
ing functions automatically:


increased blowing and heating power


air flows onto the windshield and the
front side windows


the air conditioning compressor
switches on at outside temperatures
above approximately 41°F (5°C) for
dehumidifying the air


the air recirculation mode is switched
off
i
When you change the air volume, the auto-
matic function of the climate control system is
switched off.
i
Keep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.