MERCEDES-BENZ S550 4MATIC 2008 W221 Owner's Manual

350 Controls in detail
Seats
Adjusting front passenger seat from
driver’s seat*
You can adjust the front passenger seat
using the seat switches on the driver’s
side.
1Adjusting front passenger seat
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
Press button1.When the indicator lamp on button1 is
on, you can operate the following features
of the front passenger seat:

seat adjustment

seat heating/ventilation*

memory functionSetting front passenger seat position
from rear*
The switch is located on the right rear pas-
senger door.
1To select front or rear passenger seat
2Seat height
3Head restraint height (
page 353)
4Backrest tilt
5Seat fore and aft
!Do not move the front passenger seat com-
pletely forward if objects are stored in the parcel
net in the front passenger-side footwell. Items in
the net may be damaged.

351 Controls in detail
Seats
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
or
Open the right rear passenger door.
Press button1 to adjust the front
passenger seat.
The indicator lamp in button1 comes
on.
Adjust front passenger seat using seat
switches2,3,4 and5.
To adjust right rear passenger seat
(
page 349), press button1 again.
The indicator lamp in button1 goes
out.
Seat heating*
The buttons for seat heating are located on
the respective door. The red indicator
lamps on the button come on to show the
heating level selected.
Example illustration driver’s door
1Seat heating button
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
Switching on: Press button1 repeat-
edly until the desired heating level is
set.
One or more red indicator lamps on the
button show the selected heating level.
Switching off: Press button1 repeat-
edly until all indicator lamps go out.
iAdjusting the passenger seat position from
the rear is not possible if you deactivate the over-
ride switch (
page 63).
Level
3Three indicator lamps on
(highest level)
The seat heating automatically
switches to level2 after approxi-
mately 5 minutes.
2Two indicator lamps on
The seat heating automatically
switches to level1 after approxi-
mately 10 minutes.
1One indicator lamp on
(lowest level)
The seat heating automatically
switches off after approximately
20 minutes.
offNo indicator lamp on


352 Controls in detail
Seats
Seat ventilation*
The buttons for seat ventilation are located
on the respective door. The blue indicator
lamps on the button come on to show the
ventilation level selected.
Example illustration driver’s door
1Seat ventilation button
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
Switching on: Press button1 repeat-
edly until the desired ventilation level is
set.
One or more blue indicator lamps on
the button show the selected ventila-
tion level.
Switching off: Press button1 repeat-
edly until all indicator lamps go out.iIf one or more of the lamps on the seat heat-
ing button are flashing, there is insufficient volt-
age available since too many electrical
consumers are turned on. The seat heating
switches off automatically.
The seat heating will switch back on again auto-
matically as soon as sufficient voltage is avail-
able.
Level
3Three indicator lamps on
(highest level)
2Two indicator lamps on
1One indicator lamp on
(lowest level)
offNo indicator lamp on
iThe seat ventilation for the driver’s seat can
be activated using summer opening feature
(
page 385).iIf one or more of the lamps on the seat ven-
tilation button are flashing, there is insufficient
voltage available since too many electrical con-
sumers are turned on. The seat ventilation
switches off automatically.
The seat ventilation will switch back on again au-
tomatically as soon as sufficient voltage is avail-
able.


353 Controls in detail
Seats
Head restraints
Front seat active head restraints
You cannot remove the active head re-
straint on the driver’s and front passen-
ger’s seats.For removal contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
For information on active head restraints,
see “Active head restraints” (
page 55).
Head restraint height
1Head restraint height
Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow1.Head restraint adjusting
Manually adjust the head restraint. Push or pull on the upper edge of the
head restraint cushion to the desired
position.
Warning!G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to the head as possible and the center
of the head restraint supports the back of
the head at eye level. This will reduce the po-
tential for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.
iAdjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible.
i Depending on the seat’s set fore and aft po-
sition, the head restraint height is automatically
pre-set.
i The head restraint on the front passenger’s
side is automatically lowered all the way down
while the vehicle is in motion if no one is sitting
on the seat. This helps you to acquire a better
all-round view.

354 Controls in detail
Seats
Luxury head restraint* adjusting
1Head restraint side cushions
2Adjusting head restraint forward and
backward
You can individually adjust side
cushions1 of the luxury head restraints.Adjusting side cushions: Pull or push
side cushions1 into desired position.
Adjusting forward or backward: Pull
or push head restraint in direction of
arrow2.
Rear head restraintsFolding head restraints back
The rear seat head restraints and the rear
seat power head restraints* can be folded
backward for increased visibility.
1Switch in the front center console
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
Press switch1 in the front center con-
sole briefly.
The rear head restraints will fold back-
ward.
Warning!G
When folding back the side cushions, never
reach between the side cushion and the
mounting post. You could otherwise be
trapped.
Warning!G
For safety reasons, always drive with the
rear head restraints in the upright position
when the rear seats are occupied.
Otherwise, the back of the head will not be
supported in the event of a collision. As a re-
sult, rear seat occupants could be injured.
Warning!G
Keep the area around head restraints clear
of articles (e.g. clothing) to not obstruct the
folding operation of the head restraints.

355 Controls in detail
Seats
Placing head restraints upright
Pull the rear head restraint upright until
it locks into position.Placing power head restraints* upright
(rear outer seats)
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
Press and hold switch1 in the front
center console (
page 354).
The rear outer seats head restraints
will place upright.
Pull the rear center seat head restraint
upright manually until it locks into posi-
tion.Rear power head restraints*
(rear outer seats)
1Placing upright head restraint
2Head restraint tilt
3Folding down head restraint
4Head restraint tilt
Switch on the ignition (page 344) or
open the respective door.
Press switch up in the direction of
arrow1.
The rear outer seats power head re-
straint will place upright.
!Make sure the head restraints engage when
placing them upright manually. Otherwise their
protective function cannot be ensured.
iWhen you fasten your seat belt in the rear,
the respective rear outer seat head restraint
places upright automatically.


356 Controls in detail
Seats
Press switch down in the direction of
arrow3.
The rear power head restraint will fold
down.
Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow2 or4.
The power head restraint will be tilted.
Luxury head restraints*
(rear outer seats)Adjustment
1Head restraint side cushions
2Head restraint height
You can individually adjust side
cushions1 of the luxury head restraints:
Adjusting side cushions: Pull or push
side cushions1 into desired position.
Adjusting head restraint angle: Push
or pull on the lower edge of the head re-
straint cushion in the direction of
arrow2.
Multicontour seats*, rear
You can adjust the rear outer multicontour
seats using the buttons on the center con-
sole.
1To select right rear passenger seat
2Massage setting, gentle
3Massage setting, vigorous
4To adjust position of backrest curva-
ture (lordosis)
5Lumbar region support
6Side bolster adjustment
7To select left rear passenger seat
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
Warning!G
When folding back the side cushions, never
reach between the side cushion and the
mounting post. You could otherwise be
trapped.


357 Controls in detail
Seats
Selecting a seat: Press rocker
switch1 or7 forward or backward.
The indicator lamp on the selected but-
ton lights up for a short while.
Gentle massage
Switching on: Press rocker switch2
forward.
Switching off: Pull rocker switch2
backward.
Vigorous massage
Switching on: Press rocker switch3
forward.
Switching off: Pull rocker switch3
backward.
Position of backrest curvature
Moving upward: Press rocker
switch4 forward.
Moving downward: Pull rocker
switch4 backward.Lumbar region support
Selecting greater curvature: Press
rocker switch5 forward.
Selecting less curvature: Pull rocker
switch5 backward.
Side bolster adjustment
Reducing width: Press rocker
switch6 forward.
Increasing width: Pull rocker
switch6 backward.
Easy-entry/exit feature
This feature allows for easier entry into and
exit from the vehicle. When entering and
exiting the vehicle, the driver’s seat is in its
maximum rearward position and the steer-
ing wheel is in its uppermost position.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be activat-
ed or deactivated in the “Vehicle” menu of
the COMAND system (
page 246).
Warning!G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and driver’s seat when the easy-en-
try/exit feature is activated.
To stop seat/steering wheel movement, do
one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(
page 348).

Move steering wheel adjustment stalk
(
page 359).

Press one of the memory position but-
tons or the memory buttonM
(
page 366).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

358 Controls in detail
Seats
With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel and driver’s seat will re-
turn to their last set memory position or a
factory-set maximum forward position
when you:

close the driver’s door with the ignition
switched on

insert the SmartKey into the starter
switch or press the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button (
page 346) once
with the driver’s door closedWith the easy-entry/exit feature activated
the steering wheel tilts upwards and the
driver’s seat moves a few inches to the
rear when you:

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch,
or

open the driver’s door with the
SmartKey in starter switch position0
or1 or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 346) in position1
!Do not activate the easy-entry/exit feature
if the seat backrest is in an excessively reclined
position. Doing so could cause damage to front
or rear seats.
First move the seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion.
iFor safety reasons, the driver’s seat will not
return to its last set position with the easy-en-
try/exit feature activated if the system recogniz-
es the last set position as an extreme forward
position. Instead, the driver’s seat will remain at
or move to a factory-set maximum forward posi-
tion. To again fully return the driver’s seat toyour last set position or to memory position, ad-
just the seat to the desired position or press and
hold the respective memory position button
(
page 366).
iThe last set driver’s seat and steering wheel
positions are stored when

the ignition is switched off (page 344)

the position is stored in memory
(
page 365)
iIf the current position for the steering wheel
is in the uppermost tilt position, the steering
wheel will no longer be able to move upward
when the easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
If the current seat position falls into a factory-set
position range and the system recognizes the
current seat position to be rearward enough for
easy entry and exit, the driver’s seat will not
move to the rear when the easy-entry/ exit fea-
ture is activated.
The adjustment procedure is briefly interrupted
when the engine is started.
Warning!G
Let the system complete the adjustment
procedure before setting the vehicle in mo-
tion. All driver’s seat and steering wheel ad-
justments must be completed before setting
the vehicle in motion. Driving off with the
driver’s seat/steering wheel still adjusting
could cause the driver to lose control of the
vehicle.

359 Controls in detail
Steering wheel
Steering wheel
Make sure that

you can reach the steering wheel with
your arms slightly bent at the elbows

you can move your legs freely

all displays (including malfunction and
indicator lamps) on the instrument
cluster are clearly visible
Steering wheel adjustment
1Adjusting steering wheel, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down
Switch on the ignition (page 344).
or
Open the driver’s door.
Adjusting steering wheel in or out:
Move stalk forward or back in the direc-
tion of arrow1 until a comfortable
steering wheel position is reached with
your arms slightly bent at the elbow.
Warning!G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the steering
wheel adjustment feature can be operated
when the driver’s door is open. Therefore,
do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
A child’s unsupervised access to a vehicle
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
iThe memory function (page 365) lets you
store settings for the steering wheel together
with the settings for the seat position and the ex-
terior rear view mirrors.