fog MERCEDES-BENZ S550 2007 W221 User Guide

420 Controls in detailDriving systemsNight View Assist*
Night View Assist illuminates the road with
infrared light in addition to the normal
headlamps.
A camera at the top of the windshield mea-
sures the infrared light and shows a
black-and-white image on the multifunc-
tion display. The image on the multifunction display cor-
responds to a road lit up by high-beam
headlamps.The Night View Assist image on the multi-
function display is not impaired


by the headlamps of approaching vehi-
cles


if you cannot switch on the high beams
due to oncoming traffic
As a result, you can better follow the
course of the road and detect obstacles
earlier on.
The camera is at the top of the windshield.
1Night View Assist camera
Warning!
G
Night View Assist is only an aid to support
you while driving and cannot substitute your
careful attention. Do not rely on the display
of the Night View Assist; instead, continue
to look through the windshield. You are al-
ways responsible for safety and must drive
in accordance with traffic conditions. Other-
wise, you could endanger yourself and oth-
ers.
If it is foggy, raining or snowing, the clarity of
the Night View Assist image on the multi-
function display may be diminished.
Warning!
G
Night View Assist cannot record objects im-
mediately in front of or next to the vehicle.
When maneuvering, continue to look
through the windshield. Make sure that no
persons or animals are in or near the area in
which you are maneuvering.
i
Infrared light is invisible to the human eye
and can therefore remain permanently switched
on without blinding oncoming traffic.

422 Controls in detailDriving systemsDirty or fogged-up windshield
If the windshield in front of the camera is
fogged up on the inside or outside or if it is
dirty, the Night View Assist image is dimin-
ished.Removing condensation
1Recessed handles on camera cover

Fold camera cover downward using re-
cessed handles1.

Check settings of automatic climate
control and change them, if necessary
(page 424).
Once the image is no longer impaired:

Fold camera cover back up using re-
cessed handles1.Cleaning inside of windshield

Clean inside of windshield in front of
camera (
page 539).
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle. A driver’s
attention to the road must always be
his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, stop be-
fore trying to remove window fogging or
cleaning the window in front of the Night
View Assist camera.
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 14 m) every second.

423 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Night View Assist* malfunctionProblem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
The quality of the Night View Assist image
has diminished.
The windshield wipers are leaving streaks
on the windshield.

Replace windshield wiper blades
(page 627).
The area of the windshield within the cam-
era’s field of view is dirty.

Clean windshield (
page 539).
The area of the windshield within the cam-
era’s field of view has been damaged.

Replace windshield.
The area of the windshield within the cam-
era’s field of view is fogged over.

Remove condensation (
page 539).
The area of the windshield within the cam-
era’s field of view is iced over.

Defrost windshield (
page 429).

427 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.
It can only function optimally when you are
driving with the windows and the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof/panorama sunroof* closed.
It is possible to completely deactivate the
climate control system (
page 428). Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.The following automatic climate control
functions can be operated via COMAND:
i
If you have the air distribution and air vol-
ume automatically controlled, you can adjust the
temperature, footwell temperature and air flow.
The following basic settings are recommended:


Automatic air distribution control
(page 428)


Temperature: 72°F (22°C) (
page 429)


Footwell temperature: 0 (
page 232)


Air flow: focused (
page 233)
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pages
and in the “COMAND automatic climate
control” section (
page 229). Otherwise
the windows could fog up, impairing visibili-
ty and endangering you and others.
i
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before its
scheduled interval. A clogged filter will reduce
the air volume to the interior.
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate the interior
before driving off, see “Summer opening fea-
ture” (page 355). The automatic climate con-
trol will then adjust the interior temperature to
the set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the wind-
shield free of snow, leaves, sticks, and any other
debris.
Do not obstruct air volume by placing objects on
the air volume-through exhaust slots below the
rear window.Function
Page
Temperature
230
Air distribution
230
Air volume
230
Switching off cooling (“AC
OFF”)
231
Central climate control (“Mono”)
232
Footwell temperature
232
Air flow from air vents
233
Rear climate control*
234

428 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDeactivating climate control system
Deactivating: Press button´
(page 426) up or down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.

Reactivating: Press button´
(page 426) up or down.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Operating climate control system in au-
tomatic mode
Activating
Press buttonU (
page 426) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating

Press buttonU (
page 426) up or
down.
or

Adjust air distribution (
page 230).
or

Adjust air volume (
page 429).
The indicator lamp on buttonU
goes out. The automatic function is
switched off.
You can adjust the air distribution
(
page 230) or air volume
(page 429) manually.
Warning!
G
When the automatic climate control is
switched off, the outside air supply and cir-
culation are also switched off. Only choose
this setting for a short time. Otherwise the
windows could fog up, impairing visibility
and endangering you and others.
i
When operating the climate control system
in automatic mode, you will only rarely need to
adjust the temperature, air volume and air distri-
bution.

429 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Setting temperature
Use temperature controls %$
2anda (
page 426) in the center con-
sole or COMAND (
page 230) to sepa-
rately adjust the air temperature on each
side of the passenger compartment. You
should raise or lower the temperature set-
ting in small increments, preferably start-
ing at 72°F (22°C). The automatic climate
control will adjust to the set temperature
as fast as possible.

Press temperature control %$
2and/ora (
page 426) upward or
downward.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Adjusting air volume
Use buttonsQ (
page 426) in the cen-
ter console or COMAND to separately ad-
just the air volume on each side of the
passenger compartment.

Press buttonQ up to increase or
down to decrease air volume.
The indicator lamps on buttonsU
(page 426) goes out.
Front defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, for example if it is iced up. You
can also defog the windshield and the side
windows.Activating

Press button; (
page 426) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning switches to the follow-
ing functions automatically:


increased blowing and heating power


air flows onto the windshield and the
front side windows


the air conditioning compressor
switches on at outside temperatures
above approximately 41°F (5°C) for
dehumidifying the air


the air recirculation mode is switched
off
i
When you change the air volume, the auto-
matic function of the climate control system is
switched off.
i
Keep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.

430 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDeactivating
Press button; (
page 426) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The previous settings are once again in
effect, except air recirculation mode
stays off.
Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on
(page 351).

Press buttonU (
page 426) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Rear window defroster
Activating
Switch on the ignition (
page 315).

Press button< (
page 426) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating

Press button< (
page 426) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL (USA only)
If U is selected on both the left and
right side and there is a high demand for
cooling, the display “MAXCOOL” appears
in the COMAND display.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof or tilt/sliding panel*
are closed).
!
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep battery drain to a min-
imum, switch off the defroster as soon as the
rear window is clear.
i
The defroster is automatically deactivated
after some time of operation depending on the
outside temperature.Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.
i
If the rear window defroster switches off too
soon and the indicator lamp goes out, this indi-
cates that too many electrical consumers are op-
erating simultaneously and the load on the
battery is reducing available voltage. The system
responds automatically by deactivating the rear
window defroster.
i
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL is only avail-
able when the engine is running.

431 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside (e.g. before driving in a
tunnel). This setting cuts off the intake of
outside air and recirculates the air in the
passenger compartment.
Activating: Press button,
(page 426) up or down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.

Deactivating: Press button,
(page 426) up or down.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Air recirculation mode with conve-
nience closing or opening feature
Warning!
G
Fogged windows impair visibility, endanger-
ing you and others. If the windows begin to
fog on the inside, switching off the air
recirculation mode immediately should clear
interior window fogging. If interior window
fogging persists, make sure the air
conditioning (
page 231) is activated, or
press button;.
i
The air recirculation mode is activated auto-
matically at high outside temperatures.
The indicator lamp on button, is not lit when
the air recirculation mode is automatically acti-
vated.
A quantity of outside air is added when the cool-
ing demand is not at maximum.
If the air conditioning has been turned off
(
page 231) or the outside temperature is be-
low 41°F (5°C), the air recirculation mode will
not switch on automatically.
i
The manually selected air recirculation
mode is deactivated automatically:


after 5 minutes if the outside temperature is
below approximately 41°F (5°C)


after 5 minutes if the air conditioning is
turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside temperature
is above approximately 41°F (5°C)
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof or tilt/sliding panel* if
there is the possibility of anyone being
harmed by the closing procedure.
Vehicles with tilt/sliding sunroof:
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the side win-
dows can be immediately halted by pressing
the respective window switch. The closing of
the tilt/sliding sunroof can be immediately
halted by moving the tilt/sliding sunroof
switch in the overhead control panel in any
direction.
Vehicles with panorama roof*:
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the side win-
dows or the tilt/sliding panel can be
immediately halted by releasing
button,.


434 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlRear passenger compartment adjust-able air vents
Rear center console air vents
1Left center air vent, adjustable
2Right center air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for right center air vents
4Thumbwheel for left center air vents
Opening/closing air vents:
Turn thumbwheel3 or 4.Rear passenger compartment climate
control*
Automatic climate control panel, rear
i
Vehicles without rear passenger compart-
ment climate control*:
The temperature at the air vents for rear passen-
ger compartment1 and2 will be approxi-
mately the same as at the dashboard center air
vents.
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling as given in the instructions
for the front climate control (
page 424).
Otherwise the windows could fog up, impair-
ing visibility for the driver and endangering
you and others.
i
At low outside temperatures or if you have
switched off the cooling function, you cannot
cool the rear passenger compartment.
Item
1
Temperature control, left
2
Air distribution, left
(automatic, manual)
3
Air volume (automatic, manual)
4
Mode selector
5
Air distribution, right
(automatic, manual)
6
Temperature control, right

560 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
DISTRONIC PLUS
currently unavailable
See Oper. Manual
You attempt to activate DISTRONIC Plus*
even though you have switched off the ra-
dar sensors* on the vehicle.

Check if the radar sensors* may be switched on (
page 256).

Switch on the radar sensors* using the instrument cluster
control system.
DISTRONIC Plus* is switched off and is
temporarily unavailable.
DISTRONIC Plus* is deactivated if:

the DISTRONIC Plus* cover in the radia-
tor grille is dirty


the radar sensors* does not sense any
other vehicles or objects, i.e. road sign
or similar to this, for a long time


the system is overheated


its function is impaired as a result of
heavy precipitation or fog


the battery voltage is insufficient

Clean the DISTRONIC Plus* cover in the radiator grille
(page 537).

Restart the vehicle.

Try activating DISTRONIC Plus* again later.

Wait until the system cools down or the battery recovers.
DISTRONIC Plus* will be operational again without you needing to
restart the engine if:


the dirt (e.g. slush) loosens while you are driving


the system detects that the sensors* are fully available again


the message in the multifunction display disappears
DISTRONIC Plus* is switched off because
the radar sensor system* is temporarily in-
operative due to electromagnetic interfer-
ence near television and radio transmitter
stations, toll stations, speed measuring sys-
tems, etc.

Wait until the message in the multifunction display disappears.