Vehicle MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class 2008 W221 Comand Manual

710 Practical hintsResetting activated head restraintsIf the active head restraints (front seats)
have been triggered in an accident, the ac-
tive head restraints must be reset. Other-
wise, the active head restraints cannot
offer any additional protection in the event
of another rear-end collision.
You can tell that the head restraints have
been triggered when they have been
moved forward and cannot be adjusted.
For information on active head restraints,
see “Active head restraints” (
page 56).
For information on head restraint adjust-
ment, see “Head restraints” (page 379).
Head restraints (standard)
1Fold back
2Push down
3Push back
Push the head restraint cushion by the
bottom, back as far as it will go1.

Push the head restraint cushion down
into the guide as far as it will go2.

Fold the head restraint cushion by the
top, back firmly until it engages3.

Repeat this procedure on the active
head restraints for second head re-
straint.
i
For your convenience, we recommend that
you have this work carried out by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
You will find the reset tool for manually operating
the head restraints in the Mercedes-Benz vehicle
literature pouch.Warning!
G
For safety reasons, have the active head
restraints checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center after a rear-end
collision.
Warning!
G
When pushing back the head restraint cush-
ion, take care that your fingers do not be-
come caught between the head restraint
cushion and the cover. Failing to do so may
lead to injury.

711 Practical hints
Resetting activated head restraints
Luxury head restraints*
Take reset tool1 out of the
Mercedes-Benz vehicle literature
pouch.

Guide reset tool1 into center of head
restraint between head restraint cush-
ion and rear head restraint cover.

Press reset tool1 forward in direction
of arrow.

Press reset tool downward until you
hear the head restraint release
mechanism audibly engage.

Pull out reset tool1.

Firmly press head restraint cushion
backward towards the rear of the vehi-
cle until it engages.

Repeat this procedure on the active
head restraints for second head re-
straint.
!
Be careful not to damage upholstery.

714 Practical hintsReplacing bulbsSafe vehicle operation depends on proper
exterior lighting and signaling. It is there-
fore essential that all bulbs and lamp as-
semblies are in good working order at all
times.
Correct headlamp adjustment is extremely
important. Have headlamps checked and
readjusted at regular intervals and when a
bulb has been replaced. Contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center for headlamp
adjustment.
i
If the headlamps or front fog lamps are
fogged up on the inside as a result of high humid-
ity, driving the vehicle a distance with the lights
on should clear up the fogging.
i
Substitute bulbs will be brought into use
when the following lamps malfunction:


Brake lamps


Rear fog lamps


Front parking lamps


Tail lamps


Turn signal lamps
Read and observe messages in the multifunction
display (
page 642).

717 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Replacing bulbs for front lamps
Before you start to replace a bulb for a
front lamp, do the following first:
Turn the exterior lamp switch to M
(page 399).

Open the hood (
page 573).
1Cover 1
2Cover 2
3Cover 3Removing and installing washer fluid
reservoir on left-hand side
Vehicles with Airmatic*
You must remove the washer fluid reser-
voir in order to change the bulbs of the
front headlamp on the left-hand side. The
washer fluid reservoir is on the front
left-hand side of the engine compartment.
Washer fluid reservoir (example illustration
from S 550)1Retaining screwRemoving

Turn retaining screw1 counterclock-
wise.

Take washer fluid reservoir out of
mounting.

Place washer fluid reservoir to the side
and do not disconnect any wires or ca-
bles.
Installing

Guide washer fluid reservoir into
mounting so that the bottom retaining
lug slides into the rubber sleeve on the
longitudinal member.

Turn retaining screw1 clockwise.

718 Practical hintsReplacing bulbsBi-Xenon headlamps High beam flasher lamp
In vehicles with Bi-Xenon headlamps, you
can only change the halogen bulb for the
high-beam flasher lamp.
1Bulb holder
2Wire position
3Grip

Turn cover2 (
page 717) counter-
clockwise and remove it.

Turn bulb holder1 counterclockwise
until it disengages.

Take out bulb holder1.

Take bulb out of holder.

Insert new bulb into holder and press it
all the way down.
The tab of the bulb holder must be po-
sitioned on the upper left-hand side
and wire2 must point upward and to
the right for the left headlamp, down-
ward and to the left for the right head-
lamp.

Turn bulb holder clockwise until it en-
gages and grip3 is in a horizontal po-
sition.
Warning!
G
Do not remove the cover for the Bi-Xenon
headlamp. Because of high voltage in Xenon
lamps, it is dangerous to replace the bulb or
repair the lamp and its components. We rec-
ommend that you have such work done by a
qualified technician.

721 Practical hints
Replacing wiper blades
Replacing wiper blades
Placing wiper arms in vertical positionWiper blades in vertical position
Make sure the hood is fully closed.
Vehicles with SmartKey

Turn SmartKey in starter switch
position1.

Turn combination switch to wiper
settingu (
page 408).

With wiper arm in vertical position, turn
the SmartKey in starter switch to
position0.
Warning!
G
For safety reasons, switch off wipers and re-
move SmartKey from starter switch (vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*: Make sure the
vehicle’s on-board electronics have
status0) before replacing a wiper blade.
Otherwise, the wiper motor could suddenly
turn on and cause injury. Warning!
G
Wiper blades are components that are sub-
ject to wear and tear. Replace the wiper
blades twice a year, preferably in the spring
and fall. Otherwise the front window will not
be properly wiped. As a result, you may not
be able to observe surrounding traffic condi-
tions and could cause an accident.
!
To avoid damage to the hood:


The wiper arms should only be folded for-
ward when in the vertical position.


Never open the hood when the wiper arm is
folded forward.
!
Hold on to the wiper when folding the wiper
arm back. If released, the force of the impact
from the tensioning spring could crack the wind-
shield.
Do not allow the wiper arms to contact the wind-
shield glass without a wiper blade inserted.
For your convenience, we recommend that you
have this work carried out by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

722 Practical hintsReplacing wiper bladesVehicles with KEYLESS-GO*
Make sure the vehicle’s on-board elec-
tronics have status 1 (
page 372).

Turn combination switch to wiper
settingu (
page 408).

Press KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
repeatedly until windshield wipers
start.

Press KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
when the wiper arms are in a vertical
position.
Removing wiper blades
Fold the wiper arm forward until it
snaps into place.

Turn the wiper blade at a right angle to
wiper arm (arrow 1).

Slide the wiper blade sideways out of
the retainer in the direction of
arrow2.
Installing wiper blades
Slide the wiper blade onto wiper arm
until it locks in place.

Rotate the wiper blade into position
parallel to wiper arm.

Fold the wiper arm backward to rest on
the windshield. Make sure you hold
onto the wiper when folding the wiper
arm back.
!
Do not pull on the wiper blade inserts. They
could tear.
!
Make certain that the wiper blades are prop-
erly installed. Improperly installed wiper blades
may cause windshield damage.

723 Practical hints
Flat tire
Flat tire
Preparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle in a safe distance from
moving traffic on a hard, flat surface
when possible.

Turn on the hazard warning flasher
(page 405).

Turn the steering wheel so that the
front wheels are in a straight ahead
position.

Shift the automatic transmission to
park positionP.

Engage the electronic parking brake.

Turn off the engine.

Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.

Vehicles with SmartKey: Remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: Open the
driver’s door (this puts the starter
switch in position0, same as with the
SmartKey removed from the starter
switch). The driver’s door then can be
closed again.
Remove the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button from the starter
switch.
Mounting the spare wheel
i
Open the door only when conditions are safe
to do so.
Warning!
G
The dimensions of the spare wheel are dif-
ferent from those of the road wheels. As a
result, the vehicle handling characteristics
change when driving with a spare wheel
mounted. Adapt your driving style accord-
ingly.
The spare wheel is for temporary use only.
When driving with spare wheel mounted,
ensure proper tire inflation pressure and
do not exceed a vehicle speed
of 50 mph (80 km/h).
Contact the nearest Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible to have the spare wheel
replaced with a regular road wheel.
Never operate the vehicle with more than
one spare wheel mounted.
Do not switch off the ESP
® when a spare
wheel is mounted.

724 Practical hintsFlat tirePreparing the vehicle
Prepare the vehicle as described
(page 723).

Take vehicle tool kit tray and vehicle
jack out of trunk (
page 705).

Take the spare wheel from the wheel
well under the trunk floor
(page 707).
Lifting the vehicle

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking wheels with wheel chocks
or other sizeable objects.
One wheel chock is included with the
vehicle tool kit (
page 707).
When changing wheel on a level surface:

Place the wheel chock in front of and
another sizeable object behind the
wheel that is diagonally opposite to the
wheel being changed.Always try lifting the vehicle using the jack
on a level surface. However, should cir-
cumstances require you to do so on a hill,
place the wheel chock and another size-
able object as follows:

Place the wheel chock and another
sizeable object on the downhill side
blocking both wheels on the side of the
vehicle not being worked on.

Wheel wrench

On wheel to be changed, loosen but
do not yet remove the wheel bolts
(approximately one full turn with
wrench 1).
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into both sides of the vehicle. To help
avoid personal injury, use the jack only to lift
the vehicle during a wheel change. Never
get beneath the vehicle while it is supported
by the jack. Keep hands and feet away from
the area under the lifted vehicle. Always en-
gage the electronic parking brake and block
wheels before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage electronic parking brake
while the vehicle is raised. Be certain that
the jack is always vertical (plumb line) when
in use, especially on hills. Always try to use
the jack on level surface.
Make sure the jack arm is fully seated in the
jack take-up bracket. Always lower the vehi-
cle onto sufficient capacity jackstands be-
fore working under the vehicle.

725 Practical hints
Flat tire
The jack take-up brackets are located di-
rectly behind the front wheel housings and
in front of the rear wheel housings.
2Jack take-up bracket
3Jack
4Crank
Place jack2 on firm ground.

Position jack3 under take-up
bracket2 so that it is always vertical
(plumb-line) as seen from the side,
even if the vehicle is parked on an
incline.

Turn crank4 clockwise until jack3
is fully seated in take-up bracket2
and the jack base evenly meets the
ground.

Jack up the vehicle until the wheel is a
maximum of 1.2 in (3 cm) from the
ground. Never start engine while
vehicle is raised.
Warning!
G
Position the jack only on the jack take-up
brackets designed for this purpose.
If the jack is not properly positioned, the ve-
hicle may fall off the jack and cause serious
personal injury or damage to the vehicle.Warning!
G
The jack is intended only for lifting the
vehicle briefly for wheel changes. It is not
suited for performing maintenance work
under the vehicle.

Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised.


Never lie down under the raised vehicle.