warning MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS 2003 Repair Manual

124 Controls in detailLightingHazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be activat-
ed with the starter switched on or off. It is
activated automatically when an airbag is
deployed.
The switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1Hazard warning flasher switchSwitching on the hazard warning
flasher

Press the hazard warning flasher
switch.
All turn signals will blink.
Switching off the hazard warning
flasher

Press hazard warning flasher switch
again.
Interior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Left front reading lamp
2Rear interior lights
3Right front reading lamp
4Rocker switch for automatic control
system
iWith the hazard warning flasher acti-
vated and the combination switch set
for either left or right turn, only the re-
spective left or right turn signals will
operate when the SmartKey in the
starter switch is in position1 or2.iIf the hazard warning flasher was acti-
vated automatically, press switch1
twice.

128 Controls in detailInstrument clusterCoolant temperature gaugeDuring severe operating conditions and
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248° F (120°C),
i.e. close to the red zone of the tempera-
ture gauge.
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248° F
(120°C), i.e. in the red zone of the temper-
ature gauge. Doing so may cause serious
engine damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip odome-
ter display.
Press the
è
or
ÿ
button on the
multifunction steering wheel repeated-
ly until the trip odometer appears if it is
not displayed (
page 130).

Press and hold reset button
J
on the
instrument cluster (
page 22) until
the trip odometer is reset.
Warning!
G


Driving when your engine is badly over-
heated can cause some fluids which
may have leaked into the engine com-
partment to catch fire. You could be se-
riously burned.


Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the engine hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear steam
coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until it
cools down.
iExcessive coolant temperatures trigger
a warning in the multifunction display.

129 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer de-
notes excessive engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
S 55 AMG
The tachometer of the S 55 AMG does not
have a red marking denoting excessive en-
gine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated at
an excessive engine speed.
Outside temperature indicator
The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. There-
fore, the accuracy of the displayed temper-
a t u r e c a n o n l y b e v e r i f i e d b y c o m p a r i s o n t o
a thermometer placed next to the sensor,
not by comparison to external displays
(e.g. bank signs etc.).When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
s i g n e d t o s e r v e a s a n i c e - w a r n i n g d e v i c e a n d
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.

130 Controls in detailControl system
Control systemThe control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1. The control system
enables you to:

call up information about your vehicle


change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Trip odometer
2Main odometer
iThe displays for the audio systems (ra-
dio, CD player) will appear in English,
regardless of the language selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his /her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
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 13.5 m) every second.

137 Controls in detail
Control system
CD changer* operating mode
General notes
Should excessively high temperatures oc-
cur while in CD mode,
CD TEMP HIGH
will
appear on the display and muting will take
place. The unit will then switch back to the
last operating mode used until the temper-
ature has decreased to a safe operating
level.
Should excessively low temperatures oc-
cur while in CD mode,
CD TEMP LOW
will ap-
pear on the display, but the CD will
continue to play.
Handle CDs carefully to prevent interfer-
ence during playback. Avoid fingerprints
and dust on CDs. Do not write on CDs or
apply any label or other material to them.Use only original CDs. Using copied CDs
may create problems during playback.
Clean CDs from time to time with a com-
mercially available cleaning cloth. No sol-
vents, anti-static sprays, etc. should be
used for cleaning. Replace the CD in its
case after use. Protect CDs from heat and
direct sunlight.
Only use CDs, which bear the label shown
and that conform to the compact disc dig-
ital audio standard (IEC 60908).Use of CDs which do not meet this stan-
dard may cause damage to the CD chang-
er. Do not play single-CDs (80 mm) with an
adapter.
For information operating the CD changer
refer to the separate COMAND operating
instructions.
Warning!
G
The CD changer is a Class 1 laser product.
There is a danger of invisible laser radiation
if the cover is opened or damaged.
Do not remove the cover. The CD changer
does not contain any parts which can be ser-
viced by the user. For safety reasons, have
any service work which may be necessary
performed only by qualified personnel.

139 Controls in detail
Control system
TEL menu*You can use the functions in the
TEL
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.

Switch on the telephone and Audio or
COMAND.

Press button
ÿ
or
è
on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
TEL
menu in the display.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
o m m e n d t h a t y o u p u l l o v e r t o a s a f e l o c a t i o n
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call. If you choose to use the tele-
phone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road and traffic condi-
tions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle.
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.
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.

142 Controls in detailControl systemNAVI menu
The
NAVI
menu contains the functions
needed to operate your navigation system.

Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until you see the message NAVI
in the
display.


If the navigation system is switched off,
the message
NAVI OFF
is shown in the
display.


If the navigation system is on, the mes-
sage
NAVI ACTIVE
is shown in the dis-
play.
Please refer to the COMAND manual for in-
structions on how to activate the route
guidance system.
Distronic* menu
Use the Distronic menu to display the cur-
rent settings for your Distronic system.
What information is shown in the display
depends on whether the Distronic system
is active or inactive.
Please refer to the “Driving systems” sec-
tion of this manual (
page 199) for in-
structions on how to activate Distronic.

Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until you see one of the following two
pictures in the display.Distronic deactivated
When Distronic is deactivated you will see
the standard display in the display.
1Vehicle ahead, if detected
2Actual distance to vehicle ahead
3Should-be distance to vehicle ahead
4Symbol for activated distance warning
function
5Your vehicle

145 Controls in detail
Control system
Call up range (distance to empty)
Press button
ÿ
or
è
repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
Trip computer menu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
RANGE
.
In the display you will see the calculat-
ed range based on the current fuel tank
level.
Malfunction memory menu
Use the malfunction memory menu to scan
malfunction and warning messages that
may be stored in the system. What infor-
mation is shown in the display depends on
whether malfunctions have actually oc-
curred.

Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until you see the malfunction message
memory in the display.
No malfunction messages
If no malfunctions have occurred, the mes-
sage in the display is:
NO MALFUNCTIONMalfunctions have occurred
If malfunctions have occurred, you will see
the number of malfunctions in the display:
1Number of malfunctions
Warning!
G
Malfunction and warning messages are only
indicated for certain systems and are inten-
tionally not very detailed. The malfunction
and warning messages are simply a remind-
er with respect to the operation of certain
systems and do not replace the owner’s
and/or driver’s responsibility to maintain
the vehicle’s operating safety by having all
required maintenance and safety checks
performed on the vehicle and by bringing
the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center to address the malfunction and
warning messages (
page 296).

146 Controls in detailControl system
Press button
k
or
j
.
The stored messages will now be dis-
played in the order in which the mal-
functions have occurred. See the
“Practical hints” section for malfunc-
tion and warning messages
(
page 296).
Should any malfunctions occur while driv-
ing, the number of malfunctions will reap-
pear in the display when the SmartKey in
the starter switch is turned to position0 or
removed from the starter switch.
Settings menu
In the
SETTINGS
menu there are two func-
tions:


The function
TO RESET: R BUTTON FOR
3 SEC.
, with which you can reset all
settings to the original factory settings.


A collection of submenus with which
you can make individual settings for
your vehicle.

Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until the
SETTINGS
m e n u a p p e a r s i n t h e
display.Resetting all settings
You can reset all the functions of all sub-
menus to the factory settings.

Press the reset button
J
in the instru-
ment cluster for approximately three
seconds.
In the display you will see the request
to press the reset button J
again to
confirm.

Press the reset button
J
again.
The functions of all the submenus will
reset to factory settings.
iThe message memory will be cleared
when you turn the SmartKey in the
starter switch to position1 or2. You
will then only see high priority messag-
es in the malfunction display
(page 296).
iThe settings you have changed will not
be reset unless you confirm the action
by pressing the reset button
J
a sec-
ond time.
Due to safety reasons, resetting all of
the settings while driving will not reset
all of the values in the
LIGHTING
or the
VEHICLE
menu.

156 Controls in detailControl systemSetting key dependency
Use this function to set whether the mem-
ory settings for the seats, the steering
wheel, the mirrors, and the automatic cli-
mate control should be stored separately
for each SmartKey (
page 117).

Move the selection marker with
the
æ
or
ç
button to
the
CONVENIENCE
submenu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
SETTINGS KEY-DEPENDENT
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to set key depen-
dency to
ON or
OFF
. Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature. When the
feature is activated, the steering wheel and
driver’s seat will move back to facilitate ex-
iting when you:


remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch


open the driver’s door
However, the engine must be turned off.
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and the driver’s seat when
the easy-entry/exit feature is in operation
and the driver’s door is being opened or the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.