stop start MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS 2003 Owner's Manual

153 Controls in detail
Control system

Press
æ
or
ç
to select the de-
sired lamp-on period.
You can select:


0 S
, the delayed shut-off feature is
deactivated


15 S
, 30 S
, 45 S
, or
60 S
, the de-
layed shut-off feature is activatedYou can temporarily deactivate the de-
layed shut-off feature:

Before leaving the vehicle, turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position0.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position2 and back to0.
The delayed shut-off feature is deacti-
vated. It will reactivate as soon as you
reinsert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button on the gear selector lever
(page 33).Interior lighting delayed shut-off
Use this function to set whether and for
how long you would like the interior light-
ing to remain lit during darkness after the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.

Move the selection marker with
the
æ
or
ç
button to the
LIGHT-
ING
submenu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
INT. LIGHTING DELAYED
SHUT-OFF
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.


163 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear selector lever position
Effect
P
Park position
Selector position when the vehicle
is parked. Only place selector lever
in positionP when vehicle is
stopped. The park position is not in-
tended to serve as a brake when
the vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the park-
ing brake in addition to placing the
selector lever in positionP to se-
cure the vehicle.
The SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the se-
lector lever in positionP. With the
SmartKey removed, the selector le-
ver is locked in positionP.
Effect
R
Reverse gear
Place selector lever in positionR only
when vehicle is stopped.
N
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the en-
gine to the drive axle. When the
brakes are released, the vehicle can
be moved freely (pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the transmission,
never engageN while driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or malfunc-
tioning:
Only move selector lever toN if the
vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g.
on icy roads).
D
Drive
The transmission shifts automatical-
ly. All five forward gears are avail-
able.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with selector lever inN
can result in transmission damage that
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the selector
lever not fully engaged in positionP is dan-
gerous. Also, positionP alone is not intend-
ed to or capable of preventing your vehicle
from moving, possibly hitting people or ob-
jects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 44).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.

165 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the transmis-
sion’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Emergency operation (Limp home
mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
h o m e ( e m e r g e n c y o p e r a t i o n ) m o d e . I n t h i s
mode, only 2nd gear and reverse gear can
be activated.
Stop the vehicle.

Move selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least ten seconds before re-
starting.

Restart the engine.

Move selector lever to positionD (for
2nd gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.

167 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached. Shift
into reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped.Downshifting

Press the button located on the left
side of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D-direction.
The transmission shifts to the next low-
er gear.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached. Shift
into reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped.Deactivating steering wheel gearshift
control

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until
S or
C for
automatic shift program appears in the
tachometer display field.
Manual gear shifting is deactivated.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery surface. This may cause seri-
ous damage to the drivetrain which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
iAt each engine start, the transmission
will go into the last shift program mode
selected (S or C). Program modeM is
not stored and will not be recalled
when engine is restarted.

173 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window sunshade*
The switch is located in the center console.
Turn the SmartKey to starter switch po-
sition 1 or 2.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: press the
start/stop button once or twice.

Press the switch briefly at 1 to raise the
sunshade.

Press the switch briefly at 1 to lower
the sunshade.
Always raise the sunshade fully for its sup-
port against the window frame.
Rear door window sunshade*
To raise sunshade pull on the tab and
engage in holder.

To lower sunshade disengage tab and
guide retraction.
Warning!
G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
b e s u r e t h a t t h e r e i s n o d a n g e r o f a n y o n e b e -
ing harmed by the raising or lowering proce-
dure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be im-
mediately reversed by pressing switch1.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from starter switch, and lock your
vehicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment can cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
!Always guide the sunshade. Do not let
it snap back abruptly, as the retractor
could be damaged.

188 Controls in detailPower windows
Power windowsOpening and closing the windows
The side windows can be opened and
closed electrically. The switches for all the
side windows are on the driver’s door.
There are individual switches in the front
and rear doors for the respective windows.
1Right front window
2Right rear window
3Left rear window
4Left front window

Turn SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or2.
Opening the windows

Lightly press the symbol
k
on one
of the switches1 to4, until the corre-
sponding window reaches the desired
position.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
The closing of the windows can be immedi-
ately halted by releasing the switch or, if the
switch was pressed past the resistance
point and released, by pressing the respec-
tive switch.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you pressed the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the window,
the automatic reversal function will stop the
window and open it slightly.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the window by pressing and
holding the switch, by pressing and holding
the
‹
button on the SmartKey, or by
pressing and
holding the lock button (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*) on the door handle, the auto-
matic reversal function will not operate.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card (if so equipped) with
you, and lock your vehicle. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment may cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.

193 Controls in detail
Sliding/pop-up roof
Opening and closing the sliding/pop-up
roof
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or2 or press the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button.

To open, close, raise or lower the slid-
ing/pop-up roof, move the switch to re-
sistance point in the required direction.
Release the switch when the roof has
reached the required position.
Opening the sliding/pop-up roof auto-
matically
To select a sliding/pop-up roof opening
position, press the switch to the resistance
point and release it when the slid-
ing/pop-up roof has reached the required
position.
The sliding/pop up roof now opens to the
position set when the switch is pressed
past the resistance point in the "open" di-
rection.Closing the sliding/pop-up roof auto-
matically

Press the switch past the resistance
point in the “close” direction and re-
lease.
The sliding/pop-up roof closes completely.
Stopping the sliding / pop-up roof

Move the switch in any direction.
If the movement of the sliding/pop-up
roof is blocked during the closing pro-
cedure, the roof will stop and reopen
slightly.
iYou can also open or close the slid-
ing/pop-up roof using the:

SmartKey (
page 190)


O
button in the control panel of
the automatic climate control
(
page 175)


e
button in the control panel of
the automatic climate control
(
page 175)
!To avoid damaging the seals, do not
transport any objects with sharp edges
which can stick out of the slid-
ing/pop-up roof.
The sliding/pop-up roof can be opened
or closed manually should an electrical
malfunction occur (
page 330).

237 Controls in detail
Useful features
Tele Aid The Tele Aid system
(Tele
matic A
larm I
dentification on D
e-
mand)
The Tele Aid system consists of three
types of response:


Automatic and manual emergency


Roadside Assistance, and


Information
The Tele Aid system is operational provid-
ing that the vehicle’s battery is charged,
properly connected, not damaged and cel-
lular and GPS coverage is available.
The speaker volume of a Tele Aid call can
be adjusted using the volume control on
the multifunction steering wheel. To turn
volume up, press button
æ
. Press
button
ç
to turn volume down.

To activate, press the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button
•
or
the Information button
¡
, depend-
ing on the type of response required.Shortly after the completion of your ac-
quaintance call, you will receive a user ID
and password via first call mail. By visiting
www.mbusa.com and selecting “Tele Aid”
(USA only), you will have access to account
information, remote door unlock, and
more.
!The initial activation of the Tele Aid sys-
tem may only be performed by com-
pleting the subscriber agreement and
placing an acquaintance call using the
SOS button. Failure to complete either
of these steps will result in a system
that is not activated. If the system is
not activated, the indicator lamp in the
SOS button stays on after turning
SmartKey in starter switch to
position2 or pressing KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button (if so equipped)
twice to position2 (
page 33). The
message
TELE AID – NOT ACTIVATED

will be shown in the multifunction dis-
play for approximately 10 seconds.
If you have any questions regarding ac-
tivation, please call the Response Cen-
ter at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
iThe SOS button is located above the in-
side rear view mirror.
The Roadside Assistance button
•

and the Information button
¡
are
located below the center armrest cov-
er.

247 Controls in detail
Useful features
Canadian programming
During programming, your hand-held
transmitter may automatically stop trans-
mitting. 
Continue to press and hold the inte-
grated remote control transmitter but-
ton (refer to steps two through four in
the “Programming” portion) while you
press and re-press (“cycle”) your
hand-held transmitter every two sec-
onds until the frequency signal has
been learned.
Upon successful training, the indicator
lamp will flash slowly and then rapidly
after several seconds.Operating the remote control

Turn SmartKey in starter switch to
position1 or2.

Select and press the appropriate but-
ton to activate the remote controlled
device.
The integrated remote control trans-
mitter continues to send the signal as
long as the button is pressed – up to
20 seconds.Erasing the remote control memory

Turn SmartKey in starter switch to
position1 or2.

Simultaneously hold down the left and
right side buttons for approximately
20 seconds, or until the indicator lamp
blinks rapidly.
The codes of all three channels are
erased.iIf you sell your vehicle, erase the codes
of all three channels.

254 OperationDriving instructions
Tires
Tread wear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and be-
come visible at a tread depth of approxi-
mately
1⁄16 in (1.5 mm), at which point the
tire is considered worn and should be re-
placed.The tread wear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
Specified tire pressures must be main-
tained. This applies particularly if the tires
are subjected to high loads (e.g. high
speeds, heavy loads, high ambient temper-
atures).
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Move the selector lever to positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheel towards the road curb.


Turn the SmartKey to starter switch
position0 and remove, or press
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button (vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*).


Take the SmartKey or the KEYLESS-GO
*
card (if so equipped) with you and lock
vehicle when leaving.
Warning!
G
If you feel a sudden significant vibration or
ride disturbance, or you suspect that possi-
ble damage to your vehicle has occurred,
you should turn on the hazard warning flash-
ers, carefully slow down, and drive with cau-
ti o n t o an a re a wh ic h i s a s a fe dis ta n c e f ro m
the road.
Inspect the tires and the vehicle underbody
for possible damage. If the vehicle or tires
appear unsafe, have it towed to the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Center or tire dealer for re-
pairs.
Warning!
G
Do not allow your tires to wear down too far.
As tread depth approaches
1⁄16 in (1.5 mm),
the adhesion properties on a wet road are
sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.