parking brake MERCEDES-BENZ S550 2007 W221 Owner's Guide

481 Operation
Driving instructions
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
park, so that the air stream can cool down
the brakes faster.
Driving off
Apply the brakes to test them briefly after
driving off. Perform this procedure only
when the road is clear of other traffic.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached.
When starting off on a slippery surface, do
not allow a drive wheel to spin for an ex-
tended period with the ESP
® switched off.
Doing so may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Parking
Warning!
G
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake
fluid is used, the braking properties of the
vehicle can be degraded to an extent that
safe braking is substantially impaired. This
could result in an accident.!
When driving down long and steep grades,
relieve the load on the brakes by shifting into a
lower gear to use the engine’s braking power.
This helps prevent overheating of the brakes and
reduces brake pad wear.
When using the engine’s braking power, a drive
wheel may not spin for an extended period of
time, e.g. on slippery road surfaces. This may
cause serious damage to the drivetrain which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited War-
ranty.
!
Simultaneously depressing the accelerator
pedal and applying the brake reduces engine
performance and causes premature brake and
drivetrain wear.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of inadvertent vehicle movement, be-
fore turning off the engine and leaving the
vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Shift the automatic transmission toP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.


482 OperationDriving instructions
Tires
Treadwear 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
replaced.The treadwear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
Specified tire inflation pressures must be
maintained. This applies particularly if the
tires are subject to extreme operating con-
ditions (e.g. high speeds, heavy loads, high
ambient temperatures).


Turn the SmartKey to starter switch po-
sition 0 and remove the SmartKey from
the starter switch, or press the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(page 317).


Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO
* with you and lock the
vehicle when leaving.
!
Set the parking brake whenever parking or
leaving the vehicle. In addition, shift the auto-
matic transmission to P.
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-
tio n to an a rea whic h is a s afe d ista nc e fro m
the road.
Inspect the tires and the vehicle underbody
for possible damage. If the vehicle or tires
appear unsafe, have the vehicle towed to
the nearest Mercedes-Benz Center or tire
dealer for repairs.
Warning!
G
Although the applicable federal motor vehi-
cle safety laws consider a tire to be worn
when the treadwear 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.


546 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
0(USA only)!(Canada only)
The red indicator lamp
for the electric parking
brake flashes and/or the
yellow warning lamp for
the electric parking brake
is on.
The electric parking brake is malfunctioning
or defective.

Read and observe messages in the mul-
tifunction display (
page 557).

Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as
possible.
;(USA only)3(Canada only)
The red brake warning
lamp comes on while
driving and you hear a
warning sound.
There is insufficient brake fluid in the reser-
voir.

Risk of accident! Do not drive any fur-
ther. Consult a Mercedes-Benz Center.
Under no circumstances should you top
up the brake fluid. This will not solve the
problem.
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.

559 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Text messagesDisplay
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Apply brake
to shift
from ’P’
You have tried to Shift the automatic trans-
mission to D, R or N without stepping on
the brake.

Step on brake.
USA only:
Cruise control
- - - mph
Canada only:
Cruise control
- - - km/h
You have tried to switch on cruise control
below a speed of 20 mph (30 km/h).

Drive faster than 20 mph (30 km/h) and save the speed.
ESP
® is deactivated.

Activate ESP
® (page 72).
The automatic transmission is in position P,
R or N.

Shift the automatic transmission toD (
page 367).
The system is overheated.

Wait until the system cools down.
The vehicle is secured in place by the elec-
tric parking brake.

Release electric parking brake (
page 364).
Cruise control
inoperative
Cruise control is malfunctioning.

Have cruise control checked by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

561 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
DISTRONIC PLUS
inoperative
DISTRONIC Plus* is malfunctioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
DISTRONIC PLUS
passive
You have depressed the accelerator pedal,
DISTRONIC Plus* is no longer controlling
the speed of the vehicle.

Release the accelerator pedal.
USA only:
DISTRONIC PLUS
- - - mph
Canada only:
DISTRONIC PLUS
- - - km/h
You have attempted to activate DISTRONIC
Plus* at a speed below 20 mph (30 km / h)
without the vehicle in front being displayed
in the multifunction display (
page 385).

Drive faster than 20 mph (30 km / h) and activate DISTRONIC
Plus* again.
ESP
® is deactivated.

Activate ESP
® (page 72).
The automatic transmission is in position P,
R or N.

Shift the automatic transmission toD (
page 367).
The system is overheated.

Wait until the system cools down.
The vehicle is secured in place by the elec-
tric parking brake.

Release electric parking brake (
page 364).
The driver’s door is open and the drivers
seat belt is unbuckled.

Close the driver’s door and fasten your seat belt.
The hood is open.

Close the hood (
page 493).

562 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Door Open
Vehicle not in Park
You have opened the driver’s
door and the automatic trans-
mission is still in position D, R
orN.

Before you leave the vehicle, make sure that the automatic transmission
is shift to position P and that the parking brake is engaged.
Front passenger
airbag disabled
See Oper. Manual
Front passenger front air bag is
deactivated while driving even
though an adult or someone
larger than a small individual is
occupying the front passenger
seat. Forces acting on the seat
may make the system sense a
decrease in weight.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as soon as possible and check the front
passenger seat for the following:
Switch off the ignition (
page 315).

Have the front passenger vacate the seat and exit the vehicle.

Adjust the seat in a height position (
page 318).

Make sure that no objects which apply forces to the seat are present (e.g.
objects such as books, briefcases etc. lodged underneath, behind or
around the seat). Such forces may cause the system to sense that an oc-
cupant of a lesser weight than actually present is on the front passenger
seat.

Keep the seat unoccupied, close the front passenger door and switch on
the ignition (
page 315).
Monitor the 59indicator lamp right of the instrument cluster
(
page 53) and the multifunction display in the instrument cluster
(page 241) for the following:
(Continued on next page)

576 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Parking brake
See Oper. Manual
The red indicator lamp for the electric park-
ing brake is either on or off and the yellow
warning lamp for the electric parking brake
comes on.
The electric parking brake is malfunction-
ing.
To release:
Pull handle of electric parking brake
(page 364).
or

Drive off carefully (
page 364).

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
or

Release electric parking brake mechanically
(page 616).

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
To engage:

Switch off ignition and press handle for elec-
tric parking brake until the warning message
on the multifunction display disappears.
(USA only)(Canada only)

577 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Parking brake
See Oper. Manual
The red indicator lamp for the electric park-
ing brake flashes.
The power supply for the electric parking
brake was malfunctioning or the electric
parking brake was previously mechanically
released.

Pull handle for electric parking brake
(page 364).
or

Carefully drive off (
page 364).
or

Press handle for electric parking brake until
the warning message disappears from the
multifunction display.
(USA only)(Canada only)

578 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Parking brake
See Oper. Manual
The red indicator lamp for the electric park-
ing brake flashes and the yellow warning
lamp for the electric parking brake lights
up.
The electric parking brake is malfunction-
ing.

Switch ignition off and back on again, and en-
gage or release electric parking brake
(page 364).
or

Carefully drive off (
page 364).

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
or

Release electric parking brake mechanically
(page 616).

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
(USA only)(Canada only)

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

Carefully drive off (
page 364).

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center 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 electric parking brake
(page 364).
If the electric parking brake still cannot be re-
leased:

Release electric parking brake mechanically
(page 616).

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
(Continued on next page)
(USA only)(Canada only)