center console MERCEDES-BENZ S600 2008 W221 Owner's Manual

Contents
Introduction....................................... 13
Product information ............................. 13
Operator’s Manual ............................... 14
Service and warranty information .. 14
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 15
Maintenance .................................. 15
Roadside Assistance ...................... 16
Change of address or ownership.... 16
Operating your vehicle outside the
USA or Canada............................... 16
Where to find it .................................... 17
Symbols ............................................... 18
Operating safety .................................. 19
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 19
Problems with your vehicle .................. 20
Reporting safety defects...................... 21
Reporting safety defects ................ 21
Vehicle data recording ......................... 22
Information regarding electronic
recording devices ........................... 22At a glance.......................................... 23
Exterior view ......................................... 24
Cockpit ................................................. 26
Instrument cluster ................................ 28
Control systems ................................... 30
Center console ..................................... 32
Upper part ...................................... 32
Overhead control panel ........................ 33
Driver’s door control panel ................... 34
Rear door control panel ........................ 35
Storage compartments ......................... 36
Rear passenger compartment .............. 38
Safety and Security............................ 39
Occupant safety ................................... 40
Air bags........................................... 42
Occupant Classification System ..... 47
Seat belts........................................ 52
Active head restraints ..................... 55
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®).................................... 56
Children in the vehicle .................... 57Override switch for rear passenger
compartment .................................. 63
Panic alarm .......................................... 65
Activating........................................ 65
Deactivating.................................... 65
Driving safety systems ......................... 66
ABS ................................................. 66
Adaptive Brake ............................... 67
Adaptive Brake Lights
(S 600/S 65 AMG and USA only) ... 68
BAS ................................................. 68
BAS Plus* ....................................... 69
EBP ................................................. 71
ESP
®............................................... 71
Four wheel electronic traction
system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®..... 75
PRE-SAFE® Brake* (vehicles with
DISTRONIC Plus* only) ................... 76
Anti-theft systems ................................ 81
Immobilizer ..................................... 81
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 81
Canceling the alarm ........................ 82

23 At a glance
Exterior view
Cockpit
Instrument cluster
Control systems
Center console
Overhead control panel
Driver’s door control panel
Rear door control panel
Storage compartments
Rear passenger compartment

27 At a glance
Cockpit
ItemPage
1Combination switch

High beam

Corner-illuminating lamps

Windshield wipers

Turn signals
375
376
381
393
2Lever for

Cruise control

DISTRONIC Plus*
420
424
3Horn
4Multifunction steering wheel265
5Instrument cluster28
6Steering wheel gearshift con-
trol411
7Gear selector lever for
automatic transmission389
ItemPage
8Control panel with

Front passenger front
air bag indicator lamp

Vehicle level control
switch

Electronic Stability Pro-
gram (ESP®) switch

Parktronic*/Park Assist*
deactivation switch

Swivel COMAND display

COMAND/instrument
cluster display
illumination
50
441,
443
73
447,
452
87
417
9COMAND display85
aOverhead control panel33
bAutomatic climate control
Center console, upper part 469
32
ItemPage
cGlove box lock494
dCover of compartment with

CD/DVD changer

PCMCIA card slot
115
117
eCenter console, lower part30
fStarter switch
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button344
345
gSteering wheel adjustment
Heated steering wheel* 359
360
hHeadlamp cleaning button375
jElectronic parking brake395
kHood lock release541
lDoor control panel34
mNight View Assist*461
nExterior lamp switch371

32 At a glance
Center console
Upper partItemPage
1Thumbwheel for air volume
control for left center air vent468
2Thumbwheel for air volume
control for right center air
vent 468
3AUTO mode for air distribu-
tion and volume, left471
4Temperature control, left472
5Manual fan speed adjust-
ment, left472
6Front defroster472
7Air recirculation474
8Climate control on/off471
9Residual engine heat and
ventilation (REST)476
aRear window defroster 473
ItemPage
bManual fan speed adjust-
ment, right472
cTemperature control, right472
dAUTO mode for air distribu-
tion and volume, right471
eAlarm system indicator lamp81
fCup holder498
gCover of compartment with:

Ashtray

Lighter
503
504
hCover of compartment with

CD/DVD changer

PCMCIA card slot
115
117

37 At a glance
Storage compartments
ItemPage
1Glove box494
2Document holder in sun visor502
3Door pocket
4Ruffled storage pocket498
5Door pocket
Ashtray
503
6Side storage pocket in trunk
Retainer for Operator’s Manu-
al pouch
501
7Storage spaces under trunk
floor500
8Side storage pocket in trunk
9Door pocket
Ashtray
503
ItemPage
aRuffled storage pocket498
bDoor pocket
cDocument holder in sun visor502
dAshtray
Cigarette lighter503
504
eEyeglasses compartment in
overhead control panel495
fParcel net in front passenger
footwell496
gFront passenger seat storage
compartment with first aid kit668
hFront center armrest with

Storage tray/telephone*
compartment

Storage compartment
495
ItemPage
jCup holder in the rear center
armrest
Cup holder under the rear
center storage compartment*498
498
kRear center armrest with stor-
age compartment
Storage compartment be-
tween rear seats496
497
lRear storage box497
mCup holder in the front center
console498
nDriver’s seat storage com-
partment495

46 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The passenger front air bag will only be
deployed if:

the system, based on OCS weight sen-
sor readings, senses that the front
passenger seat is occupied

the 59indicator lamp in
the center console is not lit
(
page 50)

the impact exceeds a preset deploy-
ment threshold
Side impact air bags
1Front side impact air bag
2Rear side impact air bagThe side impact air bags are deployed:

in impacts exceeding a preset deploy-
ment threshold

on the impacted side of the vehicle

independently of the front air bags
The front passenger side impact air bag1
will not deploy if the OCS senses that the
front passenger seat is empty and the front
passenger seat belt is not fastened (latch
plate is not inserted into the buckle). With
an empty front passenger seat and the
seat belt fastened (latch plate properly in-
serted into buckle) the front passenger
side impact air bag will deploy regardless
of the empty seat.
The side impact air bags are not deployed
in impacts which do not exceed the sys-
tem’s deployment threshold.Window curtain air bags
1Window curtain air bag
The side window curtain air bags are de-
ployed:

in impacts exceeding a preset deploy-
ment threshold

on the impacted side of the vehicle

independently of the front air bags

in certain vehicle rollovers
The side window curtain air bags are not
deployed in impacts which do not exceed
the system’s deployment threshold.

47 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The window curtain air bags fill up the area
indicated by the arrows.
Occupant Classification System
The Occupant Classification System (OCS)
automatically turns the front passenger
front air bag on or off based on the classi-
fied occupant weight category determined
by weight sensor readings from the front
passenger seat.
Occupants must sit properly belted in a po-
sition that is as upright as possible with
their back against the seat backrest and
feet on the floor to be correctly classified.
If the occupant’s weight is transferred to
another object in the vehicle (e.g. by lean-
ing on armrests), the OCS may not be able
to properly approximate the occupant’s
weight category.Furthermore, the occupant weight may ap-
pear to increase or decrease due to
objects hanging on the seat, other passen-
gers pushing on the seat, objects lodged
underneath the seat or stuffed between
seat and middle console or between seat
and door or due to objects applying pres-
sure on the back of the seat. Always make
sure that the seat has clearance in all
directions at all times.
Both driver and the front passenger should
always use the 59indicator
lamp as an indication of whether or not the
front passenger is properly positioned.
iThe system does not deactivate the front
passenger side impact air bag, the window cur-
tain air bag and the emergency tensioning de-
vice.
iIf your seat, including your trim cover and
cushion needs to be serviced in any way, take
the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Only seat accessories approved by
Mercedes-Benz may be used.
Warning!G
If the 59indicator lamp illumi-
nates when an adult or someone larger than
a small individual is in the front passenger
seat, have the front passenger re-position
himself or herself in the seat until the
59indicator lamp goes out, or
check whether objects are caught under or
around the seat.
More information about air bag display mes-
sages (
page 618).
In the event of a collision, the air bag control
unit will not allow front passenger front air
bag deployment when the OCS classified
the front passenger seat occupant as being
up to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child re-
straint or if the front passenger seat is
sensed as being empty.


51 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Self-test Occupant Classification
System
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2 or pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once or
twice (
page 346), the 59
indicator lamp1 located in the center
console illuminates. If an adult occupant is
properly sitting on the front passenger
seat and the system senses the occupant
as being an adult, the 59 indi-
cator lamp will illuminate and go out after
approximately 6 seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the system
senses the front passenger seat as being
empty, the 59indicator lamp
will illuminate and not go out.For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 610).
Do not stuff objects such as books be-
tween the middle console and the front
passenger seat.

Do not move the front passenger seat
backwards against stiff objects.

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

Do not lean on the armrests or lift your-
self from the seat by using the handle
over the door as this may cause the OCS
to be unable to correctly approximate
the occupant weight category.

Only have the seat repaired or replaced
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.

Read and observe all warnings in this
chapter.
Warning!G
If the 59 indicator lamp should
not illuminate, the system is not functioning.
You must contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center before seating any
child on the front passenger seat.
Warning!G
Never place anything between seat cushion
(e.g. pillow), since it reduces the effective-
ness of the Occupant Classification System.
The bottom of the child seat must make full
contact with the passenger seat cushion. An
incorrectly mounted child seat could cause
injuries to the child in case of an accident,
instead of increasing protection for the
child.
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for
installation of child seats.

63 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
If you have not installed a child seat, the
LATCH anchors are hidden by an uphol-
stery cover.
1Indicates the position of the anchors
2Anchors
3Upholstery cover
4Installation device
Bring the rear power seat backrest* to
its fully upright position (
page 349).
Fold upholstery cover3 upward.
Turn installation device4 to a vertical
position so that upholstery cover3
does not fold down.
Install child seat according to the man-
ufacturer’s instructions.
A rigid connection is established be-
tween the child seat and the body of
the vehicle.Override switch for rear passenger
compartment
You can disable select functions in the rear
passenger compartment for added safety
(for instance when you have children riding
in the rear passenger compartment).
You can disable the following functions in
the rear passenger compartment:

rear door window operation
(
page 383)

adjustment of front passenger seat
from the rear* (
page 349)

rear center console lighter
(
page 505)
Damaged or impact damaged child seats or
child seat mounting fittings must be re-
placed.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.
Warning!G
Vehicles with rear power seats*: Never ad-
just the rear seat position after installing the
child restraint. Adjusting the rear seat posi-
tion after installing the child restraint could
damage the child restraint and/or introduce
undesirable slack or tension into the seat
belt and loosen or misposition the child re-
straint, lessening the effectiveness of the
child restraint and thus increasing the
chance or severity of injury in an accident.
iThe child seat must be firmly attached to the
right and left side anchor fittings.
Make sure the seat belt for the center seat can
operate freely with a child seat installed.
Non-LATCH type child seats may also be used
and can be installed using the vehicle’s seat belt
system. Install child seat according to the manu-
facturer’s instructions.

85 Control systems
COMAND introduction
COMAND introduction
COMAND (Cockpit Management and Data
System) is an information and operating
center for vehicle sound and communica-
tions systems, including the radio and nav-
igation system, as well as other optional
equipment (satellite radio*, telephone*,
etc.).
Availability of functions while the vehi-
cle is in motion
For safety reasons, certain COMAND func-
tions are not available while the vehicle is
in motion or they are only available to a
limited extent. You will notice this, for ex-
ample, by the fact that certain menu items
cannot be selected or that the COMAND
display shows a corresponding message.
Switching COMAND on or off
Press the o shortcut button in the
center console (
page 86).
COMAND calls up the menu last select-
ed.
COMAND components
In your vehicle, COMAND can be used to
operate:

audio functions

the navigation system

the telephone* and communication
functions (SMS*)

Video DVD (USA only)

various vehicle settings
COMAND consists of the following:

COMAND shortcut buttons

COMAND display

telephone* keypad

COMAND controller
iWhen you switch off COMAND, you also
switch off the currently playing audio source.
During a telephone call, you cannot switch off
COMAND.