engine MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class 2008 W221 Comand Manual

655 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Parking Guidance
Currently Unavailable
See Oper. Manual
Advanced Parking Guidance* is deactivat-
ed because the area around the sensors*
in the front or the rear bumper
(page 620) is dirty.

Clean the front and rear bumper (
page 620).
Advanced Parking Guidance* is deactivat-
ed because the battery voltage is insuffi-
cient.

Have the battery checked by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Advanced Parking Guidance* is switched
off because the radar sensor system* is
temporarily inoperative due to electromag-
netic interference near television and radio
transmitter stations, toll stations, speed
measuring systems, etc.

Wait to see if the interference is temporary or do not use Ad-
vanced Parking Guidance*. Try in a location where the inter-
fering transmission might not be present.
Parking Guidance
Canceled
Advanced Parking Guidance* has been
canceled because:

the vehicle is sliding


the bumper became dirty in the area of
the sensors (
page 620)


there has been a malfunction

Use Advanced Parking Guidance* again later.
If the parking space symbol is not shown in the multi-function dis-
play at a speed below 10 mph (16 km/h):

Clean the bumpers (
page 620).
or

Restart the engine.
or

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

657 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Shift to P or N
to Start Engine
You have attempted to start the engine
while the automatic transmission was set to
reverse gearR or drive positionD.

Shift the automatic transmission to park positionP or neutral
positionN (
page 426).
Tire Pressure Monitor
Inoperative
The Advanced TPMS or a wheel sensor is
malfunctioning.

Have the Advanced TPMS checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Do not drive with a flat tire. A flat tire affects
the ability to steer or brake the vehicle. You
may lose control of the vehicle. Continued
driving with a flat tire will cause excessive
heat build-up and possibly a fire.
Follow recommended tire inflation pres-
sures.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated tires
wear excessively and/or unevenly, adverse-
ly affect handling and fuel economy, and are
more likely to fail from being overheated. Do
not overinflate tires. Overinflated tires can
adversely affect handling and ride comfort,
wear unevenly, increase stopping distance,
and result in sudden deflation (blowout) be-
cause they are more likely to become punc-
tured or damaged by road debris, potholes
etc.

664 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Check
Brake Fluid Level
There is insufficient brake fluid in the reser-
voir.
Risk of accident!
Carefully stop the vehicle in a safe location or
as soon as it is safe to do so.

Engage the electronic parking brake
(page 422).

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.

Do not add brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
(USA only)(Canada only)Warning!
G
Driving with the message “Check Brake Fluid
Level ” displayed can result in an accident.
Have your brake system checked immedi-
ately. Do not add brake fluid before check-
ing the brake system. Overfilling the brake
fluid reservoir can result in spilling brake flu-
id on hot engine parts and the brake fluid
catching fire. You can be seriously burned.
!
If you find that the brake fluid in the brake
fluid reservoir has fallen to the minimum mark or
below, have the brake system checked for brake
pad thickness and leaks.

670 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Parking Brake
See Oper. Manual
When you engage or release the electronic
parking brake, the red indicator lamp for
the electronic parking brake flashes for
approx.10 seconds. Afterward, it goes out
or lights up continuously. The yellow warn-
ing lamp for the electronic parking brake
lights up.
The electronic parking brake is malfunction-
ing or overheated for example due to over-
or undervoltage.

Carefully drive off (
page 422).

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter as soon as possible.
In the event of overvoltage or undervoltage:

Remove the cause of the overvoltage or und-
ervoltage, e.g. charge the battery or restart
the engine.

Switch ignition off and back on again, and en-
gage or release electronic parking brake
(page 422).
If the electronic parking brake still cannot be re-
leased:

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter as soon as possible.
(Continued on next page)
(USA only)(Canada only)

674 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Inoperative
See Oper. Manual
S 600 and S 65 AMG only:
ESP
® a s w e l l a s P R E - S A F E
® are switched off
due to a malfunction. In addition, the v
and ; (USA only) or 3(Canada only)
warning lamps come on in the instrument
cluster.
Brake force assistance is impaired and is
sustained through an electric substitute
function as long as the engine is running.
The brake system continues to function
normally. You will feel a pulsating effect at
the brake pedal while braking.
BAS Plus* and PRE-SAFE® Brake* are also
not available.

Continue driving with added caution.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions increases the
risk of an accident.

679 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Check
Coolant Level
See Oper. Manual
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 579).

If you have to add coolant frequently, have
the cooling system checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine parts.
Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which
may burn if it comes into contact with hot
engine parts. You could be seriously burned.
!
Do not ignore the low engine coolant level
warning. Extended driving with the message and
symbol displayed may cause serious engine
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Lim-
ited Warranty.
Do not drive without a sufficient amount of cool-
ant in the cooling system. The engine will over-
heat, causing major engine damage.

680 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?
During severe operating conditions,
e.g. stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Coolant Low
Stop Vehicle
Turn Engine Off
The coolant is too hot.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so and immediately turn off
the engine.

Engage the electronic parking brake
(page 422).

Only start the engine again after the message
disappears. You could otherwise damage the
engine.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge in
the instrument cluster (
page 28).
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 which can occur
just by opening the engine hood. Stay
away from the engine if you see or hear
steam coming 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.
!
The engine should not be operated with the
coolant temperature above 248°F (120°C). Do-
ing so may cause serious engine damage which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

681 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Coolant Low
Stop Vehicle
Turn Engine Off
The poly-V-belt could be broken.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so and immediately turn off
the engine.

Engage the electronic parking brake
(page 422).

Check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:

Do not continue to drive. Otherwise the en-
gine will overheat due to an inoperative water
pump which may result in damage to the en-
gine.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If it is intact:

Do not continue to drive the vehicle with this
message displayed. Doing so could result in
serious engine damage that is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge in
the instrument cluster (
page 28).
(Continued on next page)

682 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Coolant Low
Stop Vehicle
Turn Engine Off

Restart the engine.
If this message disappears from the multi-
function display:
Drive immediately to the nearest autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If this message does not disappear from the
multifunction display:

Call Roadside Assistance.
The cooling fan for the coolant is malfunc-
tioning.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge in
the instrument cluster (
page 28).

Have the fan replaced as soon as possible.
You are driving with one or more doors
open.
The display symbol shows you which doors
are open.

Close the doors.

684 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Key Not
Detected
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is not
recognized while the engine is running be-
cause the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is
not in the vehicle.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do.

Engage the electronic parking brake
(page 422).

Search for the SmartKey.
Otherwise the vehicle cannot be centrally
locked nor can the engine be started again
after the engine is stopped.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is not
recognized while the engine is running be-
cause there is strong radio-frequency inter-
ference.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do.

Engage the electronic parking brake
(page 422).

Remove KEYLESS-GO* button from the
starter switch (
page 371).

Operate the vehicle with the SmartKey in the
starter switch.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is mo-
mentarily not recognized.

Change the position of the SmartKey in the
vehicle.

If necessary, operate vehicle using SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* in starter switch under
KEYLESS-GO* button (
page 371).