Night MERCEDES-BENZ S63AMG 2008 W221 User Guide

419 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control (page 419) and
DISTRONIC Plus*(
page 424), with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed.

Airmatic (page 440) (S 550 only) and
ABC* (
page 442) adjust the vehicle
suspension characteristics automati-
cally and control the vehicle level.

Parktronic* (page 444) and Park As-
sist* (
page 448), which serve as a
parking assistant.

Dynamic Rear View Monitor*
(
page 453) is an electronic and visu-
al parking aid.

Night View Assist* (page 461) illumi-
nates the road with infrared light in ad-
dition to the normal headlamps.
For information on the ABS, Adaptive
Brake, BAS, BAS Plus*, EBP, ESP
® and
PRE-SAFE® Brake*, see “Driving safety
systems” (
page 66).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
The use of the cruise control is recom-
mended for driving at a constant speed for
extended periods of time.
You can set or resume the cruise control at
any speed over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
Warning!G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must always re-
main responsible for the vehicle’s speed and
for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road,
traffic, and weather conditions make it ad-
visable to travel at a steady speed.

The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on winding roads or in heavy traf-
fic because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.

The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on slippery roads. Rapid changes
in tire traction can result in wheel spin
and loss of control.

Deactivate the cruise control when driv-
ing in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

461 Controls in detail
Driving systems
With the vehicle at a standstill, turn
steering wheel as far as it will go in the
opposite direction.
The guide lines for straight driving7
and cornering6 appear in the
COMAND display.
Back up using the set wheel angle until
blue guide line7 for straight driving is
parallel to the edge of the parking
space, e.g. the curb.
Now straighten out steering wheel and
back up until you still have just enough
room behind the vehicle.
While doing so, observe
Parktronic* (
page 444) or Park As-
sist* (
page 448) warning indicators.
Night 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.
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 no per-
sons or animals are in the area in which you
are maneuvering. You could otherwise in-
jure them.

462 Controls in detail
Driving systems
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 cameraSwitching on or off
You can only switch on the Night View As-
sist if

the SmartKey in the starter switch is
set to position2

it is dark

the light switch is set to * or B
or if the daytime driving lamps are
switched on

the automatic transmission is not in
positionR
1Night View Assist on or off
Press button1 up or down.
The Night View Assist image appears
on the multifunction display.
Image on multifunction display
When you switch on Night View Assist, the
image for the speed gauge changes on the
multifunction display. The speed gauge is
shown as a bar on the lower edge of the
multifunction display. The line for main
menus is no longer available. If you would
like to change a setting using the steering
wheel buttons, you must first switch off
Night View Assist.
iInfrared light is invisible to the human eye
and can therefore remain permanently switched
on without blinding oncoming traffic.
iThe infrared headlamps only come on above
a speed of approximately 9 mph (15 km/h).
Therefore, when you are at a standstill, you do
not have a complete view and cannot check the
function of the Night View Assist.

463 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Night View Assist image
2Speedometer displayAdjusting instrument cluster
illumination
1Knob
Make sure the Night View Assist is
switched on.
Brightening illumination: Turn
knob1 clockwise.
Dimming illumination: Turn knob1
counterclockwise.Dirty 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.
iIf you change the brightness of the instru-
ment cluster while Night View Assist is switched
on, only the brightness of the multifunction dis-
play is changed.
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.

465 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Night View Assist* malfunction
ProblemPossible causeSuggested 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 684).
The area of the windshield within the cam-
era’s field of view is dirty.Clean windshield (page 591).
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 464).
The area of the windshield within the cam-
era’s field of view is iced over.Defrost windshield (page 472).

524 Controls in detail
Useful features
Infrared reflecting windshield
Your vehicle is equipped with infrared re-
flecting glass, which reduces the amount
of radiated heat entering the vehicle interi-
or through the windows.
The infrared reflecting glass also prevents
the transmission of signals through the
glass by in-vehicle electronic devices
(e.g. electronic toll collection devices).
To allow the use of these devices in the ve-
hicle, transparent areas 1 and 3 are
placed in the windshield.
You can see them from certain angles
when ambient light condition permit.
Vehicles without Night View Assist*
1Transparent area (located left and right
to the cover of the rain light sensor)
2Cover of the rain light sensor
3Transparent area
Vehicles with Night View Assist*
1Transparent area (located left to the
cover of the rain light sensor)
2Cover of the rain light sensor
3Transparent area

591 Operation
Vehicle care
Only use clean water and a soft,
non-scratching cloth to clean the cam-
era lens1.
Be careful not to apply wax to the camera
lens1 when waxing the vehicle. If neces-
sary, remove the wax using the
Mercedes-Benz approved Car Shampoo
with plenty of water.Cleaning the windshield in front of the
Night View Assist camera*
1Recessed handles of camera cover
Use recessed handles1 to swing
camera cover downward.
2Camera
!Do not clean the camera and the area
around the camera:

with a high-pressure cleaner

with a dry cloth and high pressure

with aggressive cleaning agents
You could otherwise damage the camera.
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.
!Do not clean the lens of the Night View
Assist camera. If the camera lens is dirty, please
contact a qualified specialist workshop such as a
Mercedes-Benz Center.


592 Operation
Vehicle care
Clean inside of windshield in front of
camera2 with a soft, non-scratching
cloth.
Use recessed handles1 to swing
camera cover up.
Cleaning the windows and the wiper
blades
Make sure the hood is fully closed.
Placing wiper arms in vertical position
Vehicles with SmartKey:
Turn SmartKey in starter switch
position1.
Turn combination switch to wiper
settingu (
page 381).
With wiper arm in vertical position, turn
the SmartKey in starter switch to
position0.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Make sure the vehicle’s on-board elec-
tronics have status 1 (
page 346).
Turn combination switch to wiper
settingu (
page 381).
Press KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
repeatedly until windshield wipers
start.
Press KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
when the wiper arms are in a vertical
position.Cleaning
Fold the wiper arms forward until they
snap into place.
Clean the wiper blade inserts with a
clean cloth and detergent solution.
Use a soft, clean cloth and a mild win-
dow cleaning solution on all outside
and inside glass surfaces.
An automotive glass cleaner is recom-
mended.
!If you use a windshield cleaning product,
make sure that none of the cleaning product
comes into contact with the lens of the Night
View Assist camera.
!The windshield wipers must be in a vertical
position before folding them away from the wind-
shield. They could otherwise damage the hood.
Never open the hood when the wiper arms are
folded forward.
Warning!G
For safety reasons, switch off wipers and re-
move SmartKey from starter switch (vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*: Make sure the
vehicle’s on-board electronics have
status0) before cleaning the windshield
and/or the wiper blades. Otherwise, the
wiper motor could suddenly turn on and
cause injury.
!Do not pull on the wiper blade inserts. They
could tear.


658 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display Possible cause/consequencePossible solution
Night View Assist
inoperativeNight View Assist* is malfunctioning.Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter as soon as possible.
Night View Assist
currently unavailableThe temperature of the camera* is too high
(
page 461).
Wait until the message “Night View Assist
available again” appears.
In addition you can:
Swing the camera* cover down
(
page 591).
Adjust the air distribution of the automatic
climate control so that air flows upward
(
page 253).
Night View Assist
Lights must be set
to AUTO or ONYou have tried to switch on Night View As-
sist*, but the light switch is not set to *
or B.Turn the exterior lamp switch to * or
B (
page 371).
Night View Assist
Not in Reverse gearYou have tried to switch on Night View As-
sist* while the automatic transmission was
in position R.Shift the automatic transmission to P, N or D
(
page 399).

659 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display Possible cause/consequencePossible solution
Night View Assist
Lights ON or AUTO,
not in R gearYou have tried to switch on Night View As-
sist* but the light switch is not set to *
or B.
In addition, the automatic transmission is in
positionR.Turn the exterior lamp switch to * or
B (
page 371).
Shift the automatic transmission to P, N or D
(
page 399).
Night View Assist
only when
it is darkYou have tried to switch on Night View As-
sist* by daylight.You can only switch on Night View Assist* when
it is dark.
Engine oil level
Stop vehicle!
Switch engine offS 600 and S 65 AMG only:
There is no oil in the engine. There is a dan-
ger of engine damage.Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt as soon
as it is safe to do so in a safe location.
Engage the electronic parking brake
(
page 395).
Turn off the engine.
Add engine oil (page 546) and check the
engine oil level (
page 543).