ESP MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 2007 W219 Repair Manual

220 Controls in detailDriving systemsWarning!
G
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account. Only use Distronic if
the road, weather and traffic conditions
make it advisable to travel at a steady
speed.Warning!
G
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on slip-
pery roads. Rapid changes in tire traction
can result in wheel spin and loss of control.
Distronic does not act upon adverse sight
distance conditions. Do not use Distronic
during conditions of fog and heavy rain,
snow or sleet.
Warning!
G
Distronic cannot take weather conditions
into account. Switch off Distronic 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 is switched on. Other-
wise, 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
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not Distronic is activated.
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on wind-
ing roads or in heavy traffic because condi-
tions do not allow safe driving at a steady
speed.
Distronic will not react to stationary objects
in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehicle in a
traffic jam or a disabled vehicle). Distronic
will also not respond to oncoming vehicles.
Switch off Distronic:

when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly
in the left lane


when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp


in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, Distronic will continue to
maintain the set speed unless deactivated.

222 Controls in detailDriving systems
Immediately brake the vehicle to avoid
a collision.
Under no circumstances should the
driver await the intermittent warning
sound before braking. See the follow-
ing warning note.
The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the red distance warning
lampl goes out when the neces-
sary distance to the vehicle ahead is
again established.
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the
distance warning lampl in the instru-
ment cluster is illuminated if the Distronic
system calculates that the distance to the
vehicle ahead and your vehicle’s current
speed indicate that Distronic will not be ca-
pable of slowing the vehicle sufficiently to
maintain the preset following distance,
which creates a danger of a collision.
Immediately brake the vehicle to increase
the distance to the vehicle in front of you.
The warning sound is intended as a final cau-
tion that you have not interceded with your
own braking inputs to avoid a potentially
dangerous situation. Do not wait for the op-
eration of the warning signal to intercede
with your own braking, as that will result in
potentially dangerous emergency braking
which will not always result in an impact
being avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!
G
Distronic brakes your vehicle with a maxi-
mum deceleration of 6.5 ft/s
2 (2 m/s
2).
This corresponds to about 20% of the maxi-
mum deceleration ability of your vehicle.
Distronic brakes the vehicle in an effort to
restore the preset distance or to maintain
the speed.

224 Controls in detailDriving systemsCruise control lever
The Distronic system is operated by means
of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever on the left-hand side of the steering
column.
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Deactivate Distronic
4Resume at last set speedActivating Distronic
You can activate Distronic if:


you are driving between 20 mph
(30 km/h) and 110 mph (180 km/h)


the ESP
® is activated (
page 94)
If Distronic has not been activated after
pressing the cruise control lever you will
see the message
---
in the multifunction
display.
In the following cases you cannot activate
Distronic:


up to 2 minutes after starting the
engine


when you brake


if you have set the parking brake


if the gear selector lever is in
positionP, R or N


if the ESP
® is switched offSetting the current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift or depress the cruise control
lever.
Distronic is activated and the current
speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
i
If you do not take your foot off the
accelerator completely, the following message
will appear in the multifunction display:
DISTRONIC override
.
The distance to a slower moving vehicles in front
of you will not be set. Your vehicle speed will
then be determined only by the accelerator ped-
al position.

226 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting stored speed
(“Resume” function)
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4 (
page 224).
Distronic is activated and set to the last
stored speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.Deactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow3 (
page 224).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored in memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when:


you set the parking brake


you drive slower than 20 mph
(30 km/h)


the ESP
® is active (
page 94) or you
deactivate the ESP
®


you move the gear selector lever into
positionN
A signal will sound. The
DISTRONIC Off
message appears in the multifunction
display for approximately 5 seconds.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to the pre-
set speed could cause an accident and/or
serious injury to you and others.
i
The following message will appear in the
multifunction display for approximately
5seconds:
DISTRONIC Off
.
The last stored speed is deleted when you turn
off the engine.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of approximately
20 mph (30 km/h) by operation of the
system. At that time the driver must apply
the brakes in order to reduce vehicle speed
further or bring it to a stop.

228 Controls in detailDriving systemsWhen pressing the brake pedal, the warn-
ing sound ceases. The warning sound will
also cease when the distance to the vehi-
cle ahead is sufficient again without apply-
ing the brakes. In this case, the distance
warning lamp also go out.Activating

Press switch1.
The indicator lamp2 on the switch
comes on. A loudspeaker symbol
appears in the multifunction display
(page 223).
Deactivating

Press switch1.
The indicator lamp2 on the switch
goes out. No loudspeaker symbol
appears in the multifunction display.Driving with Distronic
This section describes a number of driving
situations where special precaution is
required on the part of the driver. Be pre-
pared to brake in such situations. This will
deactivate the Distronic system.
Warning!
G
If the distance warning lampl in the in-
strument cluster comes on while driving
and/or an intermittent warning sounds, im-
mediate attention on the part of the driver is
required. As required by the traffic situation,
apply the brakes and navigate around a pos-
sible obstacle. However, do not drive by
relying on the distance warning function, as
this will result in an emergency braking
application. Especially depending on road
surface conditions and driver reaction, this
will not always enable you to avoid a colli-
sion.
i
Complex driving situations are not always
fully recognized by Distronic. This could result in
wrong or missing distance warnings.
Warning!
G
Distronic works to maintain the speed se-
lected by the driver unless a moving obsta-
cle proceeding directly ahead of it in the
same travel direction is detected (e.g. fol-
lowing another vehicle ahead of you at a dis-
tance set by Distronic). This means that:

Your vehicle can pass another vehicle
after you change lanes.


While in a sharp turn or if the vehicle in
front is in a sharp turn, Distronic could
lose sight of a vehicle traveling in front
of it, then your vehicle could accelerate
to the previously selected speed.

229 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The most likely cause for a malfunctioning
system is a dirty sensor (located behind
the hood grille), especially at times of snow
and ice or heavy rain. In such a case,
Distronic will switch off, and the message DISTRONIC
currently unavailable
See Operator’s Manualappears in the multifunction display.
For cleaning and care of the Distronic sen-
sor, see “Cleaning the Distronic* system
sensor cover” (
page 336).Turns and bends
In turns or bends, Distronic may not detect
a moving vehicle in front, or it may detect
one too soon. This may cause your vehicle
to brake late or unexpectedly.
Distronic regulates only the distance be-
tween your vehicle and those directly ahead
of it, but does not register stationary objects
in the road, e.g.:

a stopped vehicle in a traffic jam


a disabled vehicle


an oncoming vehicle
The driver must always be on the alert,
observe all traffic and intercede as required
by steering or braking the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Distronic should not be used in snowy or icy
road conditions.
i
If the message
DISTRONIC
currently unavailable
See Operator’s Manualdisappears during driving and the last speed
stored flashes for approximately 5 seconds, the
dirt (e.g. slush) has dissolved; Distronic works
again.

231 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Airmatic DC (Dual Control)
Airmatic automatically selects the opti-
mum suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle. The Airmatic consists of two
components:

Adaptive Damping System (ADS)


Vehicle level control
The ADS automatically selects the opti-
mum damping for the respective driving
conditions. At the same time the suspen-
sion is set to either Sport 1, Sport 2 or
Comfort.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:


Your driving style


Road surface conditions


Your choice of suspension style,
Sport 1, Sport 2 or Comfort, which you
select using the damping buttonThe following suspension styles are avail-
able:


Comfort
Both indicator lamps2 are off.


Sport 1
One indicator lamp2 is on.


Sport 2
Both indicator lamps2 are on.
1Damping button
2Indicator lamps

Start the engine (
page 51).

Press the damping button1 until the
desired suspension style is set.
!
If you have selected the Comfort suspen-
sion tuning (
page 231), the vehicle lowers
slightly when you lock it within approximately
60 seconds after switching off the engine. When
parking, make sure that your vehicle cannot
come into contact with other objects, such as a
curb, while lowering. Your vehicle could
otherwise be damaged.
i
The selected suspension style is stored in
memory, even after the SmartKey is removed
from the starter switch.

235 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Parktronic system (Parking assist)*
The Parktronic system is an electronic aid
designed to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers. It visually and audibly indi-
cates the relative distance between the
vehicle and an obstacle.
The Parktronic system is automatically
activated when you switch on the ignition,
release the parking brake, and placed the
gear selector lever in positionD,R,orN.
The Parktronic system deactivates at
speeds over approximately 11 mph
(18 km/h). At lower speeds the Parktronic
system turns on again.
The Parktronic system also deactivates
when you place the gear selector lever in
positionP or depress the parking brake
pedal.The Parktronic system monitors the sur-
roundings of your vehicle with six sensors
in the front bumper and four sensors in the
rear bumper.
1Sensors in the front bumper
Range of the sensors
To function properly, the sensors must be
free of dirt, ice, snow and slush. Clean the
sensors regularly, being careful not to
scratch or damage the sensors, see
“Cleaning the Parktronic* system sensors”
(
page 336).
Warning!
G
Parktronic is a supplemental system. It is
not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always rests with the driver.
Special attention must be paid to objects
with smooth surfaces or low silhouettes
(e.g. trailer couplings, painted posts, or road
curbs). Such objects may not be detected by
the system and can damage the vehicle.
The operational function of the Parktronic
system can be affected by dirty sensors,
especially at times of snow and ice, see
“Cleaning the Parktronic* system sensors”
(page 336).
Interference caused by other ultrasonic sig-
nals (e.g. working jackhammers, car wash or
the air brakes of trucks) can cause the sys-
tem to send erratic indications, and should
be taken into consideration.
Warning!
G
Make sure no persons or animals are in the
area in which you are maneuvering. You
could otherwise injure them.

239 Controls in detail
Loading
Loading
Roof rack*
1Trim

Open trim1 at the trim strips in the
roof.

Secure the roof rack according to
manufacturer’s instructions for instal-
lation.
Loading instructions
The total load weight including vehicle
occupants and luggage/cargo should not
exceed the total load limit indicated on the
corresponding placard located on the driv-
er’s door B-pillar.
The handling characteristics of a fully load-
ed vehicle depend greatly on the load dis-
tribution. It is therefore recommended to
load the vehicle according to the illustra-
tions shown, with the heaviest items being
placed towards the front of the vehicle.
Always place items being carried against
front or rear seat backrests, and fasten
them as securely as possible.
The heaviest portion of the cargo should
always be kept as low as possible since it
influences the handling characteristics of
the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Only use roof racks approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model to
avoid damage to the vehicle.
Follow the manufacturer’s installation
instructions. Otherwise, an improperly at-
tached roof rack system or its load could be-
come detached from the vehicle.
Do not exceed the maximum roof load of
220 lb (100 kg).
Take into consideration that when the roof
rack is loaded, the handling characteristics
are different from those when operating the
vehicles without the roof rack loaded.
!
Load the roof rack in such a way that the ve-
hicle cannot be damaged while driving.
Make sure


you can fully raise the tilt/sliding sunroof


you can fully open the trunk

247 Controls in detail
Useful features
Cup holders Cup holder in the center console
Extending the cup holder

Briefly press mark on cup holder.
The cup holder automatically extends
upward.
Retracting the cup holder

Press mark on cup holder and push cup
holder in until it engages.
Warning!
G
In order to help prevent spilling liquids on
vehicle occupants and/or vehicle equip-
ment, only use containers that fit into the
cup holder. Use lids on open containers and
do not fill containers to a height where the
contents, especially hot liquids, could spill
during braking, vehicle maneuvers, or in an
accident. Liquids spilled on vehicle occu-
pants may cause serious personal injury.
Liquids spilled on vehicle equipment may
cause damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
The cup holder must be extended when in
use with bottles.
When not in use, keep the cup holder
closed. An open cup holder may cause injury
to you or others when contacted during
braking, vehicle maneuvers, or in an acci-
dent.
Keep in mind that objects placed in the cup
holder may come loose during braking, vehi-
cle maneuvers, or in an accident and be
thrown around in the vehicle interior.
Objects thrown around in the vehicle interi-
or may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.