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

Contents
COMAND automatic climate control.. 251
Setting temperature ..................... 252
Adjusting air distribution .............. 253
Adjusting air volume .................... 253
Central climate control menu via
COMAND ..................................... 254
Operating rear climate control*
from the front............................... 257
COMAND seats.................................. 259
Operating seats via COMAND ...... 259
Lumbar support............................ 260
Multicontour seats*, front............ 260
Drive-dynamic
multicontour seats*, front............ 262
Instrument cluster control system ..... 264
Multifunction display .................... 264
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 265
Menus .......................................... 266
Trip menu ..................................... 268
Navi menu .................................... 269
Audio menu .................................. 271
AMG menu ................................... 273
Telephone* menu......................... 276
Assistance* menu ........................ 279
Service menu ............................... 280
Settings menu .............................. 281Voice Control*.................................... 284
Operating safety ........................... 284
Voice Control* introduction ............... 285
Spelling ......................................... 286
Command types ............................ 286
Active System ............................... 286
Controls ........................................ 287
Symbols ........................................ 288
Voice Control* telephone ................... 289
Telephone operation ..................... 289
Telephone commands ................... 290
Voice Control* navigation .................. 296
Important notes ............................ 296
Navigation operation..................... 297
Navigation commands .................. 297
Dialog for entering a
complete address ......................... 298
Commands for entering parts of
an address .................................... 303
Voice Control* address book ............. 306
COMAND address book
overview ....................................... 306
Operation with address book not
open (global) ................................. 306Operation with address book
open (local) ................................... 306
Operating and using address book 306
Available commands with the
address book not open ................. 307
Available commands with the
address book open ....................... 308
Voice Control* radio .......................... 309
Radio operation ............................ 309
Radio commands .......................... 309
Voice Control* CD/
DVD changer/MP3............................. 313
Operation...................................... 313
Commands ................................... 313
Voice Control* command list ............. 315
Command list ............................... 315
Voice Control* troubleshooting.......... 327
Help function ................................ 327
Help commands............................ 327
Help window ................................. 327
Entering digits and spelling........... 327
What to do if ... ............................. 328
Voice Control* individualization ......... 330

Contents
Controls in detail............................. 331
Locking and unlocking ....................... 332
SmartKey ..................................... 332
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*....... 335
Checking batteries in the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*............................... 340
Loss of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*....... 340
Opening doors from the inside ..... 341
Power closing assist for doors
and trunk lid ................................. 342
Automatic central locking ............ 342
Locking and unlocking from
the inside ..................................... 343
Starter switch positions ..................... 344
SmartKey ..................................... 344
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*....... 345
Seats.................................................. 347
Seat adjustment ........................... 347
Seat heating* ............................... 351
Seat ventilation* .......................... 352
Head restraints............................. 353
Multicontour seats*, rear ............. 356
Easy-entry/exit feature ................ 357Steering wheel ................................... 359
Steering wheel adjustment .......... 359
Heated steering wheel* ............... 360
Mirrors ............................................... 361
Interior rear view mirror ............... 361
Exterior rear view mirrors............. 361
Power folding exterior
rear view mirrors .......................... 362
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors ... 363
Activating exterior rear view
mirror parking position................. 364
Memory function ............................... 365
Storing positions into memory ..... 366
Recalling positions from memory . 366
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 367
Fastening the seat belts .................... 368
Proper use of seat belts ............... 370
Seat belt height adjustment ......... 370
Lighting.............................................. 371
Exterior lamp switch..................... 371
Switching on high beams ............. 375
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 375
Corner-illuminating lamps ............ 376
Hazard warning flasher ................ 377
Interior lighting............................. 378Door entry lamps ......................... 379
Courtesy lighting .......................... 380
Trunk lamp ................................... 380
Windshield wipers ............................. 381
Switching on/off
windshield wipers ........................ 381
Intermittent wiping ...................... 382
Single wipe .................................. 382
Wiping with windshield washer
fluid.............................................. 382
Power windows ................................. 383
Opening and closing
power windows ............................ 383
Rear side window sunshades* ..... 385
Summer opening feature ............. 385
Convenience closing feature ........ 386
Driving and parking ........................... 389
Starting the engine ...................... 389
Driving off .................................... 392
Turn signals.................................. 393
Problems while driving ................. 393
Parking......................................... 394
Turning off the engine .................. 397
Releasing seat belts ..................... 398
Automatic transmission..................... 399
Gear selector lever....................... 399

17 Introduction
Where to find it
Where to find it
This Operator’s Manual is designed to pro-
vide comprehensive support information
for you, the vehicle operator. Each section
has its own reference color.
At a glance
Here you will find an overview of all the
controls that can be operated in the vehi-
cle’s interior.
Safety and Security
Here you will find descriptions of the safety
and security features of your vehicle.
Control systems
Here you will find detailed information
about the operation of the COMAND sys-
tem, instrument cluster control system
and Voice Control*.
Controls in detail
Here you will find detailed information
about the equipment installed in your vehi-
cle. This section also describes technical
innovations.
Operation
Here you will find all the information you
need for the proper operation of your vehi-
cle.
Practical hints
This section provides fast assistance for
dealing with problems you may encounter.
Technical data
All important technical data for your vehi-
cle can be found in this section.
Indexes
The table of contents and the index are de-
signed to help you find information quickly
and easily.
The following publications are part of your
vehicle documentation:

this Operator’s Manual

the Maintenance Booklet
Separate operating instructions will be
provided as required depending on the
equipment options installed in your vehi-
cle.

18 Introduction
Symbols
Trademarks:

Bluetooth® is a registered trademark of
of Bluetooth SIG Inc.

ESP® and PRE-SAFE® are registered
trademark of DaimlerChrysler.

HomeLink® is a registered trademark
of Prince, a Johnson Controls
Company.

LOGIC7® is a registered trademark of
Harman International Industries, Incor-
porated.

SIRIUS and related marks are trade-
marks of SIRIUS Satellite Radio Inc.The following symbols are found in this
Operator’s Manual:
* Optional equipment is identified
with an asterisk. Since standard
equipment varies between models,
the descriptions and illustrations in
this manual may differ slightly from
the actual equipment of your vehi-
cle.
This symbol points to instructions for
you to follow.
A number of these symbols appearing
in succession indicates a multiple-step
procedure.
 page This symbol tells you where to
look for further information on a
topic.
This continuation symbol marks
a warning which is continued on
the next page.
This continuation symbol marks
a procedure which is continued
on the next page.
-> This symbol is used to indicate
cross-references to term defini-
tions.
DisplayWords appearing in the multi-
function display and COMAND
display are printed in the type
shown here.
Warning!G
Warning notices draw your attention to haz-
ards that may endanger your health or life,
or the health or life of others.
!Highlights hazards that may result in dam-
age to your vehicle.
iHelpful hints or further information you may
find useful.

42 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Air bags
Warning!G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal im-
pacts (front air bags), side impacts (side
impact air bags and window curtain air bags)
or rollovers (window curtain air bags). How-
ever, no system available today can com-
pletely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious
to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in
the vehicle. The dust might cause some tem-
porary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma 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 air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear their
respective seat belt.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and make sure that it is prop-
erly positioned on your body (
page 368).
Since the air bag 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 air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:

Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.

Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper op-
eration of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
10 inches (25 cm) or more. You should
be able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.

Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.

Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.

251 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control
COMAND automatic climate control
You can operate the automatic climate
control via COMAND or via the buttons on
the front and rear* automatic climate con-
trol panel (
page 469).
Some of the special climate control func-
tions can only be set via COMAND.The following automatic climate control
functions can be operated via COMAND:
iThe components and operating principles of
COMAND can be found on (
page 85).
Warning!G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents can be very
hot or very cold (depending on the set tem-
perature). This may cause burns or frostbite
to unprotected skin in the immediate area of
the air vents.
Always keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the air
vents. If necessary, use the air distribution
adjustment (
page 253) to direct the air to
air vents in the vehicle interior that are not
in the immediate area of unprotected skin.
Warning!G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pages
and pages in the “Controls in detail” part
(
page 469) Otherwise the windows could
fog up, impairing visibility and endangering
you and others.
FunctionPage
Temperature252
Air distribution253
Air volume253
Switching off cooling (“ACOFF”)254
Central climate control (“Mono”)255
Footwell temperature255
Air flow from air vents256
Rear climate control*257

252 Control systems
COMAND automatic climate control
The automatic climate control menu is
called up via the climate control settings.
Climate control settings with functions
(submenus)
1Temperature, left
2Air distribution, left
3Air volume, left
4Central menu, climate control
5Air volume, right
6Air distribution, right
7Temperature, right
Setting temperature
Use the temperature controls %$
(
page 469) in the center console or
COMAND climate control settings to sepa-
rately adjust the air temperature on each
side of the passenger compartment.
Select climate control settings
Tem-
perature, left or right and then
pressn.
Changing temperature: Slide qmr or
rotate ymz.
Exiting menu: Press n, back
buttonL in the center console
(
page 86) or slideomp.
The setting is saved.

262 Control systems
COMAND seats
Slide qmr or omp until desired setting
is reached.
Saving setting: Press n.
Adjusting backrest curvature in
shoulder area
This function is used to adjust the air
chambers in the shoulder area of the back-
rest.
Select seat (page 259).
Selecting “Shoulders”: Slide omp or
rotate ymz.
Confirming selection: Press n.
A scale appears.
Slide qmr or rotate ymz until desired
setting is reached.
Saving setting: Press n.Drive-dynamic multicontour seats*,
front
For information on manual multicontour
seat settings, see “Multicontour seats*,
front” (
page 260).
The Drive-dynamic multicontour seat auto-
matically adjusts the lateral support pro-
vided by the backrest to your driving style.
The Drive-dynamic multicontour seat elec-
tronically controls the air pressure in the
air chambers of the backrest side bolsters.
This function improves driving comfort and
pleasure.
Select seat (page 259).
Selecting “Driv. dyn. seat”:
Slideomp or rotate ymz.
Confirming selection: Press n.
iIf PRE-SAFE® has been activated, the air
pressure in the air chambers (sides of seat cush-
ion and backrest) of the drive-dynamic multicon-
tour seats is increased.


285 Control systems
Voice Control* introduction
Voice Control* introduction
The Voice Control System gives you the ca-
pability to control the following systems on
your vehicle using spoken commands:

Telephone* (page 289)

Navigation (page 296)

Address book (page 306)

Audio (page 309) (AM/FM radio,
CD/DVD changer, MP3 player)You control these systems using spoken
commands. Moreover, controls such as
the buttons on the multifunction steering
wheel (
page 287) allow you to keep your
hands on the steering wheel.
The command vocabulary consists of
approximately 300 ready to use phrases.
The Voice Control System recognizes com-
mands and number sequences, irrespec-
tive of the speaker. To optimize speech
recognition for your voice follow the indi-
vidualization process (
page 330).
You can use the Voice Control System to
call up all of COMAND’s main menu items,
with the exception of the main menus for
“Vehicle” and “Navi”.The commands and digit sequences can be
spoken without pausing between the indi-
vidual words. If an unavailable or incorrect
command is used, the Voice Control Sys-
tem will prompt you for a new command by
asking “Please repeat” or “Please repeat
your entry”.
In order to provide for a safe and comfort-
able dialog, the Voice Control System ac-
knowledges important commands.

287 Control systems
Voice Control* introduction
Controls
Operation via the multifunction
steering wheelActivating Voice Control
Switch on COMAND (page 85).
Press !.
An audible tone (beep) confirms the ac-
tivation of the system.
Speak a command.
Canceling Voice Control
Press L.
or
Speak the command “Cancel”
(except for speaking voice entries, en-
tering a town or city or carrying out in-
dividualization).
or
Press any COMAND button.
Item
1!to activate Voice Control
to accept a call
2Lto cancel Voice Control
3æto increase volume
çto decrease volume
sto take a call
to dial
to redial
tto end a call
to reject an incoming call
iVoice Control can be cancelled at any time,
even during a dialog. Please note that if the Voice
Control System is cancelled during a dialog, then
the complete procedure is stopped and Voice
Control is cancelled.