trunk MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS 2003 Owner's Manual

101 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking

Press switch2 in the trunk lid.
The trunk lid closes automatically and
the vehicle is locked. The turn signals
flash three times to confirm locking.Limiting opening height of trunk
You can limit the opening angle of the
trunk lid. The trunk lid then opens only to
approximately the height of the roof edge.
This can be useful when there is not
enough overhead clearance space, for ex-
ample. The trunk lid opening height can be
limited when transporting goods on a roof
rack (e.g. presence of an MB sport luggage
container). When activated, the trunk lid
opens to approximately the height of the
roof edge.

With the trunk lid closed, press the re-
mote control switch (
page 99) and
hold for at least five seconds.
Depending on its previous status, the
opening height restriction is then
switched either on or off.
iTo prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the trunk lid will open automatical-
ly if a KEYLESS-GO card is recognized
in the area of the rear shelf or inside
the trunk.Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
ensure that no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the trunk opening when closing the trunk.
Be especially careful when small children
are around. To stop the closing procedure,
press the trunk lid closing switch1 in the
trunk lid, the
Š
button on the SmartKey,
or the remote trunk lid switch (on driver’s
door control panel).
iIf the trunk lid comes into contact with
an object while closing (e.g. luggage
that has been piled too high), the clos-
ing procedure is stopped and the trunk
re-opens slightly.
The closing procedure can be stopped
at anytime by once again pressing the
closing switch in the trunk lid, the re-
mote control switch in the driver’s
door, or the
Š
button on the Smart-
Key.

102 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingPower closing assist for doors and trunk lid
Power closing assist for doors
Press the doors gently past the initial
engage position into the lock.
The doors close automatically.
Power closing assist for trunk lid

Press the trunk lid gently into its lock.
The trunk closes automatically.
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
when the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the control system (
page 155).
iIt is not necessary to slam the door or
trunk lid closed. A pneumatic pow-
er-assisted mechanism draws doors
and trunk lid closed quietly and auto-
matically once door and trunk lid has
been latched. When the pneumatic
power-assisted mechanism has
stopped, doors and/or trunk can be
re-opened.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
or trunk opening when closing a door or the
trunk lid. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
The pneumatic power closing assist mecha-
nism cannot be interrupted once it has been
engaged.
To prevent personal injury, never actuate
the closing assist mechanism by tampering
with the door or trunk lid latch.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle automatically locks when
the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or
more. You could therefore lock yourself
out when the vehicle

is pushed


is on a test stand

103 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
trunk from inside using the central locking
switch. This can be useful, for example, if
you want to lock the vehicle before starting
to drive.
The fuel filler flap cannot be locked or un-
locked with the central locking switch.The switches are located in the center con-
sole.
Central locking/unlocking switches1Locking
2Unlocking
Locking
Press central locking switch1.
If both doors are closed, the vehicle
locks.Unlocking

Press central unlocking switch2.
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card (if so equipped) with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of
vehicle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked with the SmartKey or the
KEYLESS-GO* card (if so equipped) it
will not unlock using the central locking
switch.
If the vehicle was previously locked
with the central locking switch:

While in the global remote control
mode, the vehicle is unlocked com-
pletely when a door is opened from
the inside.


While in the selective remote con-
trol mode, only the door opened
from inside is unlocked.

138 Controls in detailControl systemOperational readiness of CD changer
If a CD changer has been installed in the
system, it can be operated from the CO-
MAND system key pad located in the cen-
ter dashboard. A loaded magazine must be
installed for CD playing.Loading/unloading the CD magazine
The CD changer is located behind the cov-
er on the left hand side in the trunk.

Remove the CD changer cover.

Slide the CD changer door to the right
and press the eject button
3
.

The magazine is ejected.
1CD
2CD changer
3CD tray
4CD magazine

Remove the magazine and completely
pull out the CD tray.

Place the CD in the recess of the tray,
label side up.

Push the tray into the magazine in the
direction shown by the arrow.

Push the magazine into the CD changer
in the direction shown by the arrow and
close the CD changer door.iCDs which have been inserted improp-
erly or are unreadable will not be
played.

222 Controls in detailLoading
LoadingRoof rack* Preparing roof rack installation

Open trim at the trim strips in the roof.

Secure the roof rack according to man-
ufacturer’s instructions for installation.
Loading instructions
The total load weight including vehicle oc-
cupants and luggage/cargo should not ex-
ceed the vehicle capacity weight indicated
on the certification tag which can be found
on the left door pillar.
Warning!
G
Use only roof racks approved by Mer-
cedes-Benz for your vehicle model to avoid
damage to the vehicle. Follow manufactur-
er’s installation instructions.
!Load the roof rack in such a way that
the vehicle cannot be damaged while
driving.
Make sure that:

you can fully raise the
sliding/pop-up roof


you can fully open the trunk

223 Controls in detail
Loading
Cargo tie-down hooks
Six hooks are located in the trunk.
Carefully secure cargo by applying
even load on all hooks with rope of suf-
ficient strength to hold down the cargo.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle and can cause in-
jury to vehicle occupants unless the items
are securely fastened in the vehicle.
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when transporting cargo. Put luggage or car-
go in the trunk if possible. Do not pile lug-
gage or cargo higher than the seat backs.
Do not place anything on the rear-window
shelf.
Never drive vehicle with trunk open. Deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) gases may enter ve-
hicle interior resulting in unconsciousness
and death.

232 Controls in detailUseful featuresParcel net in front passenger footwell
A small convenience parcel net is located
in the front passenger footwell. It is for
small and light items, such as road maps,
mail, etc.Parcel net in trunk
You can hang a parcel net in the trunk. The
hooks and the parcel net in the trunk can
hold a load of up to 29.8 lbs (13.5 kg).

Hang the parcel net on hooks1 on the
left and right sides of the trunk.
Ashtrays
Center console ashtray
Opening ashtray
Briefly touch cover plate1.
The ashtray opens automatically.
Warning!
G
Do not place heavy or fragile objects, or ob-
jects having sharp edges, in the parcel net.
In an accident, during hard braking, or sud-
den maneuvers they could be thrown
around inside the vehicle and cause injury to
vehicle occupants.
!The parcel net cannot protect or suffi-
ciently secure goods in the event of an
accident.

244 Controls in detailUseful featuresRemote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. SmartKey inside vehicle),
and the spare key is not handy:
Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.

Then return to your vehicle and pull the
trunk recessed handle for a minimum
of 20 seconds until the SOS button is
flashing.
The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED appears in the multi-
function display.
As an alternative, you may unlock the vehi-
cle via Internet using the ID and password
sent to you shortly after the completion of
your acquaintance call.The Response Center will then unlock your
vehicle with the remote door unlocking
feature.Stolen vehicle tracking services
In the event your vehicle was stolen:

Report the incident to the police.
The police will issue a numbered inci-
dent report.

Pass this number on to the
Mercedes-Benz Response Center along
with your password issued to you when
you subscribed to the service.
The Response Center will then attempt
to covertly contact the vehicle’s
Tele Aid system. Once the vehicle is lo-
cated, the Response Center will con-
tact the local law enforcement and you.
The vehicle’s location will only be pro-
vided to law enforcement.
iThe remote door unlock feature is avail-
able if the relevant cellular phone net-
work is available.
The SOS button will flash and the mes-
sage
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED
will appear in the mul-
tifunction display to indicate receipt of
the door unlock command.
Once the vehicle is unlocked, a Re-
sponse Center specialist will attempt
to establish voice contact with the ve-
hicle occupants.
If the trunk recessed handle was pulled
for more than 20 seconds before door
unlock authorization was received by
the Response Center, you must wait
15 minutes before pulling the trunk re-
cessed handle again.

258 OperationDriving instructionsPassenger compartmentDriving abroad
Abroad, there is a widely-spread
Mercedes-Benz service network at your
disposal. If you plan to drive into areas
which are not listed in the index of your
Mercedes-Benz Center directory, you
should request pertinent information from
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.Control and operation of radio trans-
mitters
COMAND*, radio, and telephone*Telephones and two-way radios
Radio transmitters, such as a portable tele-
phone or a citizens band unit should only
be used inside the vehicle if they are con-
nected to an antenna that is installed on
the outside of the vehicle.
Refer to the radio transmitter operation in-
structions regarding use of an external an-
tenna.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.
The trunk is the preferred place to carry ob-
jects.
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle safely.
Only operate the COMAND (Cockpit Man-
agement and Data System), radio, or tele-
phone
1 if road, weather and traffic
conditions permit.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of approximately
44 feet (approximately 13.5 m) every sec-
ond.
1Observe all legal requirements.
Warning!
G
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.

270 OperationEngine compartmentBattery
Your vehicle’s battery is located on the
right side of the trunk floor (
page 344).
The battery should always be sufficiently
charged in order to achieve its rated ser-
vice life. Refer to Service Booklet for bat-
tery maintenance intervals.
If you use your vehicle mostly for short dis-
tance trips, you will need to have the bat-
tery charge checked more frequently.
When replacing the battery, always use
batteries approved by Mercedes-Benz.
If you do not intend to operate your vehicle
for an extended period of time, consult an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center about
steps you need to observe.Batteries contain materials that can harm
the environment if disposed of improperly.
Recycling of batteries is the preferred
method of disposal. Many states require
sellers of batteries to accept old batteries
for recycling.
G
Observe all safety instructions
and precautions when handling
automotive batteries.
A
Risk of explosion
D
Keep flames or sparks away
from battery. Do not smoke.
B
Battery acid is caustic. Do not
allow it to come into contact
with skin, eyes or clothing.
In case it does, immediately
flush affected area with clear
water and seek medical help if
necessary.
E
Wear eye protection.
C
Keep children away.
F
Follow the instructions in this
Operator's Manual.