air condition MERCEDES-BENZ S550 2007 W221 Owner's Manual

ContentsTechnical data.................................. 649
Parts service ...................................... 650
Warranty coverage ............................. 651
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet...................... 651
Identification labels............................ 652
Layout of poly-V-belt drive ................. 653
S 550 ........................................... 653
S 600 ........................................... 653
Engine ................................................ 654
Rims and tires .................................... 655
Same size tires ............................. 656
Mixed size tires ............................ 657
Minispare wheel ........................... 658
Electrical system................................ 659
Main dimensions and weights............ 660
Main dimensions .......................... 660
Weights ........................................ 660Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. ......... 661
Capacities .................................... 661
Engine oils.................................... 663
Engine oil additives ...................... 663
Air conditioning refrigerant .......... 663
Brake fluid .................................... 663
Premium unleaded gasoline ......... 664
Fuel requirements ........................ 664
Gasoline additives ........................ 665
Coolants....................................... 665
Windshield and headlamp
washer system ............................. 668
Technical terms............................... 669Index................................................. 679

15 Introduction
Operator’s Manual
Important notice for California retail
buyers and lessees of Mercedes-Benz automobiles
Under California law you may be entitled to
a replacement of your vehicle or a refund
of the purchase price or lease price, if
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC and/or its au-
thorized repair or service facilities fail to fix
one or more substantial defects or mal-
functions in the vehicle that are covered by
its express warranty after a reasonable
number of repair attempts. During the pe-
riod of 18 months from original delivery of
the vehicle or the accumulation of
18 000 miles (approx. 29 000 km) on the
odometer of the vehicle, whichever occurs
first, a reasonable number of repair at-
tempts is presumed for a retail buyer or
lessee if one or more of the following oc-
curs:
(1) the same substantial defect or mal-
function results in a condition that is
likely to cause death or serious bodily
injury if the vehicle is driven, that de-
fect or malfunction has been subject to repair two or more times, and you have
directly notified Mercedes-Benz USA,
LLC in writing of the need for its repair,
(2) the same substantial defect or mal-
function of a less serious nature than
category (1) has been subject to repair
four or more times and you have direct-
ly notified us in writing of the need for
its repair, or
(3) the vehicle is out of service by reason
of repair of the same or different sub-
stantial defects or malfunctions for a
cumulative total of more than
30 calendar days.
Written notification should be sent to us,
not a dealer, at Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC,
Customer Assistance Center,
One Mercedes Drive, Montvale,
NJ 07645-0350.
Maintenance
The Maintenance Booklet describes all the
necessary maintenance work which should
be performed at regular intervals.
Always have the Maintenance Booklet with
you when you take the vehicle to your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center for ser-
vice. The service advisor will record each
service in the booklet for you.

60 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyPreventive occupant safety (PRE-SAFE
®)
Your vehicle automatically takes preven-
tive measures to better protect the occu-
pants in the following hazardous
situations.PRE-SAFE
® takes action in the following in-
stances:


Emergency braking situations, e.g.
when BAS (
page 71) is activated or
when
BAS Plus* (page 71) is strongly inter-
vening.


Critical dynamic driving situations, e.g.
when the vehicle is understeering or
oversteering because it has exceeded
its physical limitations.


Evasive steering maneuvers at speeds
above 19 mph (30 km/h).
When you are driving faster than 19 mph
(30 km/h), PRE-SAFE
® takes the following
measures in such situations:


The front seat belts are pre-tensioned
electrically.


If the OCS senses that the front pas-
senger seat is occupied and the seat is
in an unfavorable position, it will be
adjusted to a better position.


If the vehicle is equipped with power
adjustable rear seats* and the passen-
ger outer seats are in an unfavorable
position, they will be adjusted to a bet-
ter position.


It increases the air pressure in the air
pockets (on the sides of the seat cush-
ion and backrest) of the multicontour*
and/or drive-dynamic front seats*.


If the vehicle is understeering or over-
steering, the tilt/sliding sunroof and
the side windows also close until only a
small gap remains.
Once the hazardous situation is over with-
out an accident occurring, PRE-SAFE
®
loosens the belt pre-tension and decreas-
es the air pressure in the air pockets of the
multicontour and drive-dynamic seats*.
You can readjust all of the settings made
by PRE-SAFE
®.
Warning!
G
The PRE-SAFE
® system is intended to re-
duce the effects of an accident on properly
seat-belted vehicle occupants. Despite
having the PRE-SAFE
® system in your vehi-
cle, the possibility of injuries occurring as a
result of an accident cannot be eliminated.
Therefore, you should always drive carefully
and adjust your driving to the prevailing
road, weather, and traffic conditions.
i
If the closing procedure of the tilt/sliding
sunroof or door windows is blocked, the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof or door windows will stop and open
slightly.

78 Control systemsCOMAND operating safetyWarning!
G
Any alteration of electronic components or
software can cause malfunctions.
Radio, satellite radio* (USA only), amplifier,
CD changer, navigation module, telephone
and voice control systems* are intercon-
nected. Therefore, if one of the components
is not operational, or has not been re-
moved/ replaced properly, the function of
other components could be impaired.
Such conditions might seriously impair the
operating safety of your vehicle.
We recommend to have any service work on
electronic components carried out by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
In order to avoid distraction which could
lead to an accident, the driver should enter
system settings while the vehicle is at a
standstill, and operate the system only
when permitted by road, weather and traffic
conditions.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/ h), your car covers a
distance of 44 feet (approximately 14 m) ev-
ery second.
COMAND supplies you with information to
help you select your route more easily and
guide you conveniently and safely to your-
destination. For safety reasons, we encour-
age the driver to stop the vehicle in a safe
place before answering or placing a call, or
consulting the COMAND screen to read nav-
igational maps, instructions, or downloaded
information.
Warning!
G
While the navigation system provides direc-
tional assistance, the driver must remain fo-
cused on safe driving behavior, especially
attention to traffic and street signs, and
should utilize the system’s audio cues while
driving.
The navigation system does not supply any
information on stop signs, yield signs, traffic
regulations or traffic safety rules. Their ob-
servance always remains in the driver’s per-
sonal responsibility. DVD maps do not cover
all areas nor all routes within an area.

141 Control systems
COMAND navigation (introduction)
Updating the map software
You can update the map software yourself
using a DVD.
Notes about handling DVDs

Only hold discs by the edge.


Handle discs carefully to prevent read
problems.


Avoid getting scratches, fingerprints
and dust on discs.


Use a commercially-available cleaning
cloth to clean discs. Do not wipe them
with a circular motion, but only in
straight lines from the center out-
wards.


Place discs back in their boxes after
use.


Protect discs from heat and direct sun-
light.
Updating process
The updating process has the following
phases:

Loading a DVD into the DVD changer
(page 142)


Updating process (
page 142)
i
The updating process can take between 10
and 60 minutes, depending on the size of the
map software. If the radio was switched on be-
fore you started the updating process, you can
still adjust the volume. You can also use
COMAND to operate the automatic air condition-
ing and to cancel the process. Other functions
are not operational.
If possible, carry out the update when the vehicle
is stationary.
i
If you carry out the update with the engine
switched off and the vehicle battery has insuffi-
cient power, COMAND may automatically switch
off during the process in order to protect the bat-
tery. If this occurs, restart the update with the
engine running period. Similarly, if the SmartKey
position is unintentionally switched to 0, restart
the update.Warning!
G
Never leave the engine running in an en-
closed space. The exhaust gases contain
carbon monoxide. Inhaling exhaust gases
constitutes a health hazard and could lead
to loss of consciousness or even death.

231 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control

Changing air volume: Slide qmr or
rotate ymz.

Exiting menu: Press n, back
buttonL in the center console
(page 80) or slideomp.
The setting is saved.
Central climate control menu via
COMAND
The central climate control menu is in the
center of the climate control settings.
When the automatic climate control is
switched on, you will see “on” in the cen-tral menu. The following functions can only
be operated in the central climate control
menu via COMAND:

Select climate control settings
Cen-
tral menu.Switching cooling on or off
The cooling function, only operational
when the engine is running, cools the vehi-
cle interior down to the selected tempera-
ture. The cooling function also
dehumidifies the air in the vehicle interior,
thus preventing the windows from fogging
up.
The “AC
OFF” function is used to permanent-
ly switch off the cooling function of the au-
tomatic climate control system.
Function
Page
Switching off cooling (“AC
OFF”)
231
Central climate control (“Mono”)
232
Footwell temperature
232
Air flow from air vents
233
Rear climate control
234
i
Condensation may drip out from underneath
the vehicle. This is normal and not an indication
of a malfunction.Warning!
G
If you turn off the cooling function, the
vehicle will not be cooled when weather
conditions are warm. The windows can fog
up more quickly. Window fogging may
impair visibility and endanger you and
others.

232 Control systemsCOMAND automatic climate control
Select climate control settings
Cen-
tral climate control menu.

Selecting “AC
OFF”: Slide qmr or
rotateymz.

Confirming selection: Press n.
A checkmark appears when the cooling
is switched off.
“AC
OFF” appears in the central menu of
the climate control settings.Selecting “Mono” mode
“Mono” is used to adjust the climate zones
for the entire vehicle at the same time.
When the “Mono” function is switched on
and you change the climate on the driver’s
side, these changes will be carried out in
the same manner for all climate zones.

Select climate control settings
Cen-
tral climate control menu.

Selecting “Mono”: Slide qmr or
rotateymz.

Confirming selection: Press n.
A checkmark appears when the func-
tion has been selected.

Exiting menu: Press back button L
in the center console (
page 80) or
slideomp.The “Mono” function is automatically
switched off when you:


change an automatic climate control
setting for the front passenger’s side
using COMAND


operate a button from the automatic
climate control for the front passen-
ger’s side


operate one of the buttons for the rear
climate control system.
Adjusting footwell temperature
The “Footwell Temperature” function is
used to adjust the temperature difference
between the footwell and the rest of the
passenger compartment.
The higher the selected value, the higher
the temperature in the footwell will be.

Select climate control settings
Cen-
tral climate control menu.
!
If the air conditioning cannot be turned on
again, this indicates that the air conditioning is
losing refrigerant. The compressor has turned it-
self off.
Have the air conditioning checked at the nearest
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
In automatic mode, this setting optimizes
the footwell temperature when outside tempera-
tures are low.

378 Controls in detailInstrument clusterA full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the “At a glance”
section of this manual (
page 28).
The instrument cluster is activated when
you:


open a door


switch on the ignition (
page 315)


switch on the exterior lamps
The language setting for the multifunction
display can be changed via COMAND
(
page 79).Adjusting instrument cluster and
COMAND display illumination
1To adjust instrument cluster illumina-
tion and multifunction display
2To adjust COMAND display

Brightening illumination: Turn
knob1 or2 clockwise.

Dimming illumination: Turn knob1
or2 counterclockwise.
Coolant temperature gauge
Warning!
G
No messages will be displayed if either the
instrument cluster or the multifunction dis-
play is inoperative.
As a result, you will not be able to see infor-
mation about your driving conditions, such
as speed or outside temperature, warning/
indicator lamps, malfunction/warning mes-
sages or the failure of any systems. Driving
characteristics may be impaired.
If you must continue to drive, please do so
with added caution. Visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.i
The instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to suit am-
bient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will also be
adjusted automatically when you switch on the
vehicle’s exterior lamps.
Warning!
G


Driving when your engine is overheated
can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously
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.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out of
the vehicle and do not stand near the vehicle
until the engine has cooled down.

380 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control and DISTRONIC Plus*,
with which the vehicle can maintain a
preset speed.


Distance warning function* (only avail-
able with DISTRONIC Plus*), which
warns of a stationary obstacle or slow-
er moving vehicle that you are closing
on to quickly.


Airmatic (S 550 only) and ABC* adjust
the vehicle suspension characteristics
automatically and control the vehicle
level.


Parktronic* and Park Assist*, which
serve as a parking assistant.


Dynamic Rear View Monitor* is an
electronic and visual parking aid.


Night View Assist* illuminates the road
with infrared light in addition to the nor-
mal headlamps.For information on the ABS, Adaptive
Brake, BAS, BAS Plus*, EBP, and ESP
® driv-
ing systems, see “Driving safety systems”
(
page 69).
Cruise control
Cruise control automatically maintains the
speed you set for your vehicle.
The use of cruise control is recommended
for driving at a constant speed for extend-
ed periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed over 20 mph
(30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle’s speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

386 Controls in detailDriving systemsWarning!
G
DISTRONIC Plus requires familiarity with its
operational characteristics. We strongly rec-
ommend that you review the following infor-
mation carefully before operating the
system.Warning!
G
DISTRONIC Plus cannot take street and traf-
fic conditions into account. Only use
DISTRONIC Plus if the road, weather and
traffic conditions make it advisable to travel
at a steady speed.Warning!
G
Use of DISTRONIC Plus can be dangerous
on slippery roads. Rapid changes in tire trac-
tion can result in wheel spin and loss of con-
trol.
DISTRONIC Plus does not act upon adverse
sight distance conditions. Do not use
DISTRONIC Plus during conditions of fog
and heavy rain, snow or sleet.Warning!
G
DISTRONIC Plus cannot take weather condi-
tions into account. Switch off
DISTRONIC Plus or do not turn it on if:

roads are slippery or covered with snow
or ice. The wheels could lose traction
while braking or accelerating, and the
vehicle could skid.


the sensor is dirty or visibility is
diminished due to snow, rain or fog. The
distance control could be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even while DISTRONIC Plus is switched on.
Otherwise, you may not be able to recognize
dangerous situations until it is too late and
could cause an accident resulting in person-
al or fatal injury to you or others.
Warning!
G
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.Warning!
G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not DISTRONIC Plus is activated.
Use of DISTRONIC Plus can be dangerous
on winding roads as conditions do not allow
safe driving at a steady speed.
DISTRONIC Plus may not react to stationary
objects in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehi-
cle in a traffic jam or a disabled vehicle).
DISTRONIC Plus will also not respond to on-
coming vehicles.