LIM MERCEDES-BENZ S500 4MATIC 2003 W220 Owner's Manual

ContentsControls in detail............................... 85
Locking and unlocking ......................... 86
SmartKey ....................................... 86
KEYLESS-GO card*......................... 89
Opening the doors from the
inside ............................................. 94
Opening the trunk lid...................... 95
Opening the trunk from the
inside ............................................. 96
Trunk lid emergency release .......... 96
Closing the trunk lid ....................... 97
Separately locking the trunk .......... 98
Separately unlocking the trunk ...... 98
Trunk lid opening/closing
ystem* ........................................... 99
Power closing assist for doors
and trunk lid ................................. 102
Automatic central locking ............ 102
Locking and unlocking from
the inside ..................................... 103
Seats.................................................. 104
Lumbar support ............................ 104
Easy-entry/exit feature ................ 104
Head restraints............................. 105
Multicontour seat* ....................... 107Drive-dynamic seat* .................... 109
Seat ventilation* .......................... 110
Seat heating* ............................... 111
Rear seats .................................... 113
Memory function ............................... 117
Storing positions into memory ..... 118
Recalling positions from
memory ........................................ 118
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 118
Lighting.............................................. 120
Exterior lamp switch..................... 120
Combination switch ..................... 123
Hazard warning flasher ................ 124
Interior lighting............................. 124
Courtesy lighting .......................... 126
Instrument cluster ............................. 127
Instrument cluster illumination .... 127
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 128
Trip odometer .............................. 128
Tachometer .................................. 129
Outside temperature indicator ..... 129
Control system .................................. 130
Multifunction display .................... 130
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 131
Menus .......................................... 133Standard display menu ................ 135
AUDIO menu ................................ 135
CD changer* operating mode ...... 137
TEL menu* ................................... 139
NAVI menu ................................... 142
Distronic* menu .......................... 142
Trip computer menu..................... 143
Malfunction memory menu .......... 145
Settings menu .............................. 146
Automatic transmission ..................... 160
One-touch gearshifting ................ 161
Gear ranges ................................. 162
Gear selector lever position ......... 163
Program mode selector switch .... 164
Accelerator position ..................... 165
Emergency operation (Limp home
mode) .......................................... 165
Steering wheel gearshift control
(Speedshift) and manual shift
program S 55 AMG ...................... 166
Good visibility .................................... 168
Rear view mirror .......................... 168
Electrically folding exterior rear
view mirrors ................................. 170
Windshield wipers ........................ 171
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 171

Contents
Sun visors .................................... 172
Rear window sunshade* .............. 173
Rear door window sunshade* ...... 173
Automatic climate control ................. 174
Setting the temperature ............... 177
Adjusting air distribution .............. 178
Adjusting air volume .................... 179
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ....... 179
Defrosting .................................... 180
Air recirculation mode.................. 180
Charcoal filter .............................. 182
Rear window defroster ................. 183
Deactivating the climate control
system ......................................... 183
Air conditioning ............................ 184
Storage compartment ventilation. 184
Residual heat and ventilation ....... 185
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents ...................... 186
Rear passenger compartment
climate control* ........................... 187
Power windows.................................. 188
Opening and closing the windows 188
Synchronizing power windows ..... 191Sliding/pop-up roof ............................ 192
Opening and closing the slid-
ing/pop-up roof ............................ 192
Synchronizing the sliding / pop-up
roof .............................................. 195
Driving systems .................................. 196
Cruise control ............................... 196
Distronic* ..................................... 199
AIRMATIC...................................... 211
Active Body Control (ABC)* .......... 213
Parktronic system* (Parking
assist) ........................................... 218
Loading............................................... 222
Roof rack* .................................... 222
Loading instructions ..................... 222
Cargo tie-down hooks ................... 223
Useful features ................................... 224
Interior storage spaces ................. 224
Ashtrays........................................ 232
Cigarette lighters .......................... 233
Heated steering wheel* ................ 235
Telephone* ................................... 236
Tele Aid ......................................... 237
Garage door opener ...................... 245
Infrared reflecting windshield ....... 248
Operation.......................................... 249
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) .......... 250
Driving instructions ............................ 251
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 251
Drinking and driving...................... 251
Pedals ........................................... 251
Power assistance .......................... 251
Brakes .......................................... 252
Driving off ..................................... 253
Parking ......................................... 253
Tires.............................................. 254
Hydroplaning ................................ 255
Tire traction .................................. 255
Tire speed rating ........................... 255
Winter driving instructions ............ 256
Standing water ............................. 257
Passenger compartment............... 258
Driving abroad .............................. 258
Control and operation of radio
transmitters .................................. 258
Catalytic converter ....................... 259
Emission control ........................... 259
Coolant temperature .................... 260

10 IntroductionOperator’s Manual
Operator’s ManualThis Operator’s Manual contains a great
deal of useful information. We urge you to
read it carefully and familiarize yourself
with the vehicle before driving.
For your own safety and longer service life
of the vehicle, we urge you to follow the in-
structions and warnings contained in this
manual. Ignoring them could result in dam-
age to the vehicle or personal injury to you
or others. Vehicle damage caused by fail-
ure to follow instructions is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Your vehicle may have some or all of the
equipment described in this manual.
Therefore, you may find explanations for
optional equipment not installed in your
vehicle. If you have any questions about
the operation of any equipment, your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center will be
glad to demonstrate the proper proce-
dures.We continuously strive to improve our
product, and ask for your understanding
that we reserve the right to make changes
in design and equipment. Therefore, infor-
mation, illustrations and descriptions in
this Operator’s Manual might differ from
your vehicle.
Optional equipment is also described in
this manual, including operating instruc-
tions wherever necessary. Since they are
special-order items, the descriptions and
illustrations herein may vary slightly from
the actual equipment of your vehicle.
If there are any equipment details that are
not shown or described in this Operator’s
Manual, your authorized Mercedes-Benz
C e n t e r w i l l b e g l a d t o i n f o r m y o u o f c o r r e c t
care and operating procedures.
The Operator’s Manual and Service Book-
let are important documents and should be
kept with the vehicle.
Service and warranty information
The Service and Warranty Information
Booklet contains detailed information
about the warranties covering your
Mercedes-Benz, including:

New Car Limited Warranty


Emission System Warranty


Emission Performance Warranty


California, Maine, Massachusetts, and
Vermont Emission Control System
Warranty
(California, Maine, Massachusetts, and
Vermont only)


State Warranty Enforcement Laws
(Lemon Laws)

25 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part
Item
Page
1
Switch for rear window
sunshade
173
2
Parking assist (Parktronic*
system) deactivation
switch
221
3
Airmatic or ABC* switch
213
4
Level control switch
216
5
Central locking switch
Anti-theft alarm system in-
dicator lamp
103
83
6
Hazard warning flasher
on/off switch
124
Item
Page
7
Central unlocking switch
103
8
ESP (Electronic Stability
Program) control switch
80
9
Rear seat head restraints,
switch for folding down
106
10
Tow-away alarm switch
84
11
COMAND system (see sep-
arate operating instruc-
tions)
12
Automatic climate control
187
13
Ashtray
Lighter
232
233

57 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Airbags
Warning!
G
In the event that the 1 indicator lamp lights
up during driving or does not come on at all,
the SRS may not be operational. For your
safety, we strongly recommend that you vis-
it an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center im-
mediately to have the system checked;
otherwise the SRS may not be activated
when needed in an accident, which could re-
sult in serious or fatal injury, or it might de-
ploy unexpectedly and unnecessarily which
could also result in injury.
Improper work on the restraint systems, in-
cluding incorrect installation and removal,
can lead to possible injury through an unin-
tended activation of the SRS.
In addition, through improper work there is
a risk of rendering the SRS inoperative or
causing unintended airbag deployment.
W o r k o n t h e S R S m u s t t h e r e f o r e o n l y b e p e r -
formed by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Warning!
G
Airbags are designed to reduce the potential
of injury and fatality in certain frontal im-
pacts (front airbags), side impacts (side im-
pact airbags and head protection window
curtain airbags) or rollovers (head protec-
tion window curtain airbags). However, no
system available today can totally eliminate
injuries and fatalities.
The activation of the SRS temporarily releas-
es a small amount of dust from the airbags.
This dust, however, is neither injurious to
your health, nor does it indicate a fire in the
vehicle. The dust might cause some tempo-
rary breathing difficulty for people with asth-
ma or other breathing trouble. To avoid this,
you may wish to get out of the vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the airbag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!
G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
airbags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear your
seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the seat backrest.
Fasten your seat belt and ensure that it is
properly positioned on your body.
Since the airbag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the airbag. Oc-
cupants who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in-
jured by an airbag as it inflates with great
force in the blink of an eye:

Sit properly belted in an upright position
with your back against the seat back-
rest.

65 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Emergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts for the front and rear outer
seats are equipped with emergency ten-
sioning devices and belt force limiters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the fol-
lowing cases when the seat belts are fas-
tened:

in front-end or rear-end collisions
where the force of impact exceeds a
predetermined level


in certain vehicle rollovers


if the restraint systems are operational
and are functioning correctly, see
1
indicator lamp (
page 56)
In an impact, emergency tensioning devic-
es remove slack from the belts in such a
way that the seat belts fit more snugly
against the body. Belt force limiters reduce
the force exerted by the seat belts on oc-
cupants during a crash.Automatic comfort-fit feature*
seat belt
An automatic comfort-fit feature* for front
seats and for the rear outer seats (only for
vehicles with electrically adjustable rear
bench seat* or with individual seats* in the
rear) reduces the retracting force of the
seat belts when they are in normal use.
Warning!
G
An emergency tensioning device (ETD) that
was activated must be replaced.
When scrapping the emergency tensioning
device, our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These are available at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.!Do not place objects heavier than 20
lbs (9 kg) on the front passenger seat.
This could cause the front or side im-
pact airbag on the front passenger side
to deploy in a crash which exceeds the
system's deployment threshold.

66 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyPreventive occupant safety (PRE-SAFE)
Your vehicle automatically takes preven-
tive measures to better protect the occu-
pants in the following hazardous
situations:

You execute an emergency braking ma-
neuver and the Brake Assist System
(page 78) is activated.


The PRE-SAFE system detects a critical
driving dynamics situation.In such cases, the following systems are
automatically activated:


The front seat belts are pre-tensioned.


If the front passenger seat or rear seats
are in an unfavorable position, they are
adjusted to a better position. Rear seat
a d j u s t m e n t o c c u r s o n l y i n v e h i c l e s w i t h
individual seats* in the rear.


The sliding/pop-up roof closes if the
vehicle is in a severe skid or is spin-
ning.
If the seat belts do not release:

Adjust the backrest or seat slightly to
the rear until the seat belt tension is di-
minished.
The locking mechanism releases.
Warning
G
The PRE-SAFE system is intended to reduce
the effects of an accident on properly seat
belted vehicle occupants. Despite having
the PRE-SAFE systems in your car, the pos-
sibility of injuries occurring as a result of an
accident cannot be totally eliminated.
Therefore you should always drive carefully
and adjust your driving to the prevailing
road, weather, and traffic conditions.
iThe PRE-SAFE systems are activated at
speeds exceeding 22 mph (35 km/h).
When the driving dynamic situation has
passed without an accident occurring,
the pre-tensioning on the seat belts is
deactivated.
You can then adjust the seats and the
sliding sunroof to their previous posi-
tion.

78 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsBAS
The Brake Assist System (BAS) operates in
emergency situations. If you apply the
brakes very quickly, the BAS automatically
provides full brake boost, thereby poten-
tially reducing the braking distance. Apply
continuous full braking pressure until the
emergency braking situation is over. The
ABS will prevent the wheels from locking.
When you release the brake pedal, the
brakes function again as normal. The BAS
is then deactivated.
For more information see “Practical hints”
(page 289).
ESP
The Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
monitors the vehicle's traction (force of
adhesive friction between the tires and the
road surface) and handling.
The ESP recognizes when a wheel is spin-
ning or if the vehicle starts to skid. By ap-
plying brakes to the appropriate wheel and
by limiting engine output, the ESP works to
stabilize the vehicle. The ESP is especially
useful while driving off and on wet or slip-
pery road surfaces.
The ESP warning lamp
v
in the instru-
ment cluster flashes when the ESP is en-
gaged.
The ESP warning lamp
v
in the instru-
ment cluster lights up when you turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position2 or press the KEYLESS-GO* (if so
equipped) start/stop button twice. It goes
out when the engine is running.
Warning!
G
The BAS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking efficiency beyond that af-
forded by the condition of the vehicle brakes
and tires or the traction. The BAS cannot
prevent accidents, including those resulting
from excessive speed in turns, following an-
other vehicle too closely, or hydroplaning.
Only a safe, attentive, and skillful driver can
prevent accidents. The capabilities of a BAS
equipped vehicle must never be exploited in
a reckless or dangerous manner which
could jeopardize the user’s safety or the
safety of others.

80 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsSwitching off the ESP
To improve the vehicle's traction, turn off
the ESP in driving situations where it would
be advantageous to have the drive wheels
spin and thus cut into surfaces for better
grip such as:

starting out on slippery surfaces and in
deep snow in conjunction with snow
chains


sand or gravelThe switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1ESP off / on

Press ESP switch1 until the ESP warn-
ing lamp
v
in the speedometer
lights up.
ESP is deactivated.
If one or more wheels are spinning, the
ESP warning lampv
in the speedome-
ter flashes, regardless of the speed.
Traction control brakes a spinning wheel
even when ESP is deactivated.
ESP always operates when you are brak-
ing, even when it has been deactivated.Switching on ESP

Press switch1.
The ESP warning lamp
v
in the in-
strument cluster goes out. You are now
again in normal driving mode.
Warning!
G
The ESP should not be switched off during
normal driving other than in the circum-
stances described below. Disabling of the
system will reduce vehicle stability in stan-
dard driving maneuvers.iDistronic* cannot be activated when
ESP has been deactivated.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period with the ESP switched
off. This may cause serious damage to
the drivetrain which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
When the ESP warning lamp
v
is
illuminated continuously, the ESP is
switched off.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP.

81 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Four wheel electronic traction system (4MATIC) with the ESP
Models with all-wheel drive only:
The 4MATIC improves the vehicle’s ability
to use available traction, e.g. during winter
operation in mountains under snowy con-
ditions, by applying power to all four
wheels.
Warning!
G
If you see the ESP warning lamp
v
flash-
ing in the speedometer dial, proceed as fol-
lows:


While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible


While driving, ease up on the accelera-
tor


Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP cannot prevent accidents resulting
from excessive speed.!Do not tow with one axle raised.
Otherwise the transfer case can be
damaged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
!Performance testing must only be con-
ducted on a 2-axle dynamometer.
Otherwise the transfer case can be
damaged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.!Because of the ESP’s automatic opera-
tion, the engine must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0
or1) when the parking brake is being
tested on a brake test dynamometer.
Active braking action through the ESP
may otherwise seriously damage the
front or rear axle brake system.
Operational tests with the engine run-
ning can only be conducted on a 2-axle
dynamometer.