parking brake MERCEDES-BENZ S500 2004 W220 Owner's Guide

262 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 (1.6 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 subject to extreme operating condi-
tions (e.g. high speeds, heavy loads, high
ambient temperatures).


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


Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO
* with you and lock vehicle
when leaving.
!Set the parking brake whenever park-
ing or leaving the vehicle. In addition,
move gear selector lever to positionP.
When parking on hills, always turn front
wheels towards the road curb.
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-
tion to an area which is a safe distance from
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
Although the applicable federal motor vehi-
cle safety laws consider a tire to be worn
when the tread wear indicators (TWI) be-
come visible at approximately
1⁄16 in
(1.6 mm), we recommend that you do not al-
low your tires to wear down to that level. As
tread depth approaches
1⁄8 in (3 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.


305 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
;(USA only)3(Canada only)
The red brake warning
lamp comes on while
driving and you hear a
warning sound.
You are driving with the parking brake set.

Release the parking brake (
page 45).
The red brake warning
lamp comes on while
driving.
There is insufficient brake fluid in the reser-
voir.

Risk of accident! Carefully stop the vehi-
cle and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. Do not add
brake fluid! This will not solve the prob-
lem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the brake warning lamp illumi-
nated can result in an accident. Have your
brake system checked immediately if the
brake warning lamp stays on. Do not add
brake fluid before checking the brake
system. Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir
can result in spilling brake fluid on hot en-
gine 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.

306 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
?(USA only)±(Canada only)
The yellow malfunction
indicator lamp comes on
while driving.
There is a malfunction in:

The fuel management system


The ignition system


The emission control system


Systems which affect emissions
Such malfunctions may result in excessive
emissions values and may switch the en-
gine to its limp-home (emergency opera-
tion) mode.

Have the vehicle checked as soon as
possible by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
An on-board diagnostic connector is
used by the service station to link the
vehicle to the shop diagnostics system.
It allows the accurate identification of
system malfunctions through the read-
out of diagnostic trouble codes. It is lo-
cated in the front left area of the
footwell next to the parking brake pedal.
The fuel cap is not closed tightly.

Close the fuel cap.
Your gas tank is empty.

After refuelling, start the engine three or
four times in succession.
The limp-home mode is canceled. You do
not need to have your vehicle checked.

321 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display symbol
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
2
BRAKE PAD WEAR
VISIT WORKSHOP!
The brake pads have reached their wear
limit.

Have the brake pads replaced as soon as
possible.
;(USA only)3(Canada only)
BRAKE FLUID
VISIT WORKSHOP!
There is insufficient brake fluid in the res-
ervoir.

Risk of accident! Stop the vehicle and no-
tify an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not add brake fluid! This will not solve
the problem.
;(USA only)!(Canada only)
PARK. BRAKE
RELEASE BRAKE!
You are driving with the parking brake en-
gaged.

Release the parking brake (
page 45).
Warning!
G
Driving with this message displayed can re-
sult in an accident. Have your brake system
checked immediately. Don’t add brake fluid
before checking the brake system. Overfill-
ing the brake fluid reservoir can result in
spilling brake fluid on hot engine parts and
the brake fluid catching fire. You can be se-
riously 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.
!Brake pad thickness must be visually
checked by a qualified technician at the
intervals specified in the Service Book-
let.

346 Practical hintsWhere will I find ...?
Spare wheel
Removing the spare wheel
Take out the vehicle tool kit tray2.

Loosen the luggage bowl3. To do so,
turn the luggage bowl counterclock-
wise

Remove the spare wheel4.
Storing the spare wheel

Place spare wheel4in wheel well.

Secure the spare wheel. To do so, turn
the luggage bowl3 clockwise to its
stop.

Place vehicle tool kit tray2 in luggage
bowl.Spare wheel S 430, S 500 and S 600
(except Sport Package*)
The spare wheel rim is mounted with a full
sized tire of the same type as on the vehi-
cle, and it is fully functional.
However, that spare wheel rim is weight
optimized and has a limited service life of
12 000 miles (20 000 km) use before a
standard wheel rim must replace it.
In case of flat tire, you may temporarily use
the spare wheel.
Do not operate vehicle with more than one
spare wheel mounted.
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
firmly set parking brake and block wheels
before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially 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. Al-
ways lower the vehicle onto sufficient ca-
pacity jackstands before working under the
vehicle.


353 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Replacing bulbs
Safe 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. See an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for headlamp ad-
justment.
Bulbs Front lamps
iBackup bulbs will be brought into use
when the following lamps malfunction:

Turn signal lamps


Brake lamps


Parking lamps


Tail lamps
Lamp
Type
1
Additional turn sig-
nal lamps
LED
2
Low beam
1
1Vehicles with Bi-Xenon headlamps*: Low beam
and high beam use the same D2S-35W lamp. Do
not replace the Bi-Xenon bulbs yourself. See an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
H7-55 W
Bi -Xenon*
D2S-35 W
3
Turn signal lamp
2357 A
4
Fog lamp
H7-55 W
5
Parking and stand-
ing lamp
W5W
6
Side marker lamp
W5W
7
High beam
H7-55 W

361 Practical hints
Flat tire
Flat tire
Preparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle as far as possible from
moving traffic on a hard surface.

Turn on the hazard warning flashers.

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

Set the parking brake.

Move the gear selector lever toP.
Vehicles with SmartKey:

Turn off the engine (
page 53).

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.Vehicles with SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*:

Turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* button on the gear se-
lector lever once (
page 54).

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.

Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.
Mounting the spare wheel
iOpen door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
Warning!
G
Never operate the vehicle with more than
one spare wheel mounted.
The spare wheel rim is for temporary use
only. Use for over a total of 12 000 miles
(20 000 km) (aggregate of all uses) may
cause wheel rim failure leading to an acci-
dent and possible injuries.
The spare wheel should only be used tempo-
rarily and replaced with a regular road wheel
as quickly as possible.
S 55 AMG and Sport Package* only:
The spare wheel is for temporary use only.
When driving with spare wheel mounted, en-
sure proper tire pressure and do not exceed
vehicle speed of 50 mph (80 km/h).
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 mounted spare
wheel. Adapt your driving style accordingly.

362 Practical hintsFlat tirePreparing the vehicle
Take vehicle tool kit tray and vehicle
jack out of trunk .

Take the spare wheel out of wheel well
(page 344).
Lifting the vehicle

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking wheels with wheel chocks
(not included) or other sizable objects.
When changing wheel on a level surface:

Place one chock in front of and one be-
hind the wheel that is diagonally oppo-
site to the wheel being changed.
When changing wheel on a hill:

Place chocks behind the downhill sides
of both wheels of the axle not being
worked on.

Take the two-piece wheel wrench out
of the vehicle tool kit tray. Assemble
wheel wrench.

On wheel to be changed, loosen but do
not yet remove the wheel bolts (ap-
proximately one full turn with wrench).
The tube openings are located directly be-
hind the front wheel housings and in front
of the rear wheel housings.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack tubes built 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 un-
der the lifted vehicle. Always firmly set park-
ing brake and block wheels before raising
vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Make sure the jack arm is
fully inserted in the jack tube. Always lower
the vehicle onto sufficient capacity jack-
stands before working under the vehicle.

370 Practical hintsJump startingThe battery is located on the right side of
the trunk under the battery cover
(page 366).

Make sure the two vehicles do not
touch.

Turn off all electrical consumers.

Apply parking brake.

Shift gear selector lever to positionP.

Open the trunk lid.

Remove battery cover (
page 366).

Remove red cover from positive
terminal 1. 1Positive terminal of discharged battery
2Negative terminal of discharged
battery
3Positive terminal of charged battery
4Negative terminal of charged battery

Connect positive terminals 1 and3
of the batteries with the jumper cable.
Clamp cable to charged battery3
first.

Start engine of the vehicle with the
charged battery and run at idle speed.

Connect negative terminals2 and4
of the batteries with the jumper cable.
Clamp cable to charged battery4
first.

Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.
Now you can again turn on the electrical
consumers. Do not turn on the lights under
any circumstances.

Remove the jumper cables first from
negative terminals2 and4 and then
from positive terminals1 and3.
You can now turn on the lights.

Have the battery checked at the near-
est authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Keep flames or sparks away from battery.
Do not smoke.
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries
(page 366).
!Never invert the terminal connections.

410 Index
Fog lamps 353
Front lamps 353
High beam 353
High mounted brake lamp 354
License plate lamps 354, 358
Low beam 353
Parking and standing lamps 353
Parking lamps 354, 357
Rear fog lamp 354
Rear fog lamps 358
Side marker lamps 353, 357
Standing lamps 353, 354, 357
Tail lamp assemblies 354, 358
Turn signal lamps 353, 354
C
CAC (Customer Assistance Center) 402
Calling up
Distronic* settings 147
Range (distance to empty) 150
Service indicator 295
CAN system 402
Cargo tie-down hooks 230Cassette player
Operating 141
Catalytic converter 267
CD changer* 142
CD mode 142
CD player
Operating 141
Center console 25
AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp 311
Centigrade
Setting temperature units 154
Central locking
Automatic 106
From inside 107
Switch 107
Switching on/off (control
system) 159
Unlocking from inside 107
Changing
Batteries (SmartKey) 350
Battery (SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*) 351
CDs 142SmartKey setting 160
Vehicle level 219, 222
Charcoal filter 188
Activating 188
Deactivating 189
Charging
Vehicle battery 367
CHECK ENGINE malfunction indicator
lamp 306
Checking
Brake fluid 270
Coolant level 278
Oil level 271, 273
Oil level via control system 274
Tire inflate pressure 271
Vehicle lighting 271
Child safety 69
Airbags 60
Infant and child restraint systems 64,
69
LATCH child seat anchors 73
Cigarette lighter 239