Night MERCEDES-BENZ S63AMG 2008 W221 Owner's Manual

Contents
Partially digitized areas ................ 210
Off-road and off-map .................... 211
Navigation announcements .......... 213
COMAND navigation system
(during route guidance)...................... 214
Cancel route guidance ................. 214
Continuing cancelled
route guidance ............................. 214
Route browser .............................. 214
Displaying route information ........ 215
Detour function ............................ 216
COMAND navigation system
(destination memory) ......................... 217
Saving a destination in the
destination memory ..................... 217
Deleting a destination from the
destination memory ..................... 218
Own address ................................ 219
COMAND navigation system
(last destinations) .............................. 223
Saving a destination permanently
in the destination memory ........... 223
Saving the vehicle position in the
list of last destinations ................. 223
Saving the crosshair position in
the list of last destinations ........... 223Deleting one of the
last destinations........................... 223
COMAND address book ..................... 224
General notes............................... 224
Address book menu overview ...... 224
Calling up the address book......... 224
Selecting an entry in the main
address book display ................... 225
Creating a new
address book entry ...................... 225
Deleting an entry.......................... 226
Searching for an
address book entry ...................... 226
Displaying a complete
address book entry ...................... 228
Displaying of a complete phone
book entry in the mobile phone ... 229
Changing an entry ........................ 229
Calling a number saved in
an entry ........................................ 231
Starting route guidance to
an entry ........................................ 231
Voice entries ................................ 232
Saving a phone book entry from
mobile phone in the COMAND
address book ............................... 233Importing data from external
Bluetooth® devices ...................... 234
COMAND system settings ................. 235
System settings menu overview... 235
Display settings ........................... 235
Time settings ............................... 235
Voice Control* settings................ 237
Setting the system language........ 238
Assigning the favorite button ....... 238
Bluetooth
® settings ...................... 239
Reset ........................................... 241
COMAND vehicle menu ..................... 242
Setting night security illumination 242
Locator lighting on/off................. 243
Exterior mirror convenience
settings ........................................ 244
Automatic locking on/off............. 245
Activating easy-entry/exit feature 246
Setting interior ambient lighting .. 247
Setting interior lighting delayed
switch-off ..................................... 248
Extending or retracting
rear window sunshade ................. 249
Trunk opening-height restriction*
on/off .......................................... 249

Contents
Shifting procedure ....................... 402
Transmission positions................. 403
Driving tips ................................... 406
Gear ranges ................................. 408
Automatic shift program .............. 409
Steering wheel gearshift control .. 411
Manual shift program
(S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG only) ... 413
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 416
Instrument cluster ............................. 417
Adjusting instrument cluster
display illumination ...................... 417
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 417
Tachometer .................................. 418
Outside temperature indicator ..... 418
Fuel gauge ................................... 418
Driving systems ................................. 419
Cruise control .............................. 419
DISTRONIC Plus* ......................... 424
Airmatic (S 550 only) ................... 440
Active Body Control (ABC)*.......... 442
Parktronic system* ...................... 444
Park Assist* ................................. 448
Dynamic Rear View Monitor* ....... 453
Night View Assist* ....................... 461Air vents ............................................. 466
Opening and closing air vents ....... 468
Ventilated storage compartment .. 468
Automatic climate control .................. 469
Deactivating climate control
system .......................................... 471
Operating climate control system
in automatic mode ........................ 471
Setting temperature...................... 472
Adjusting air volume ..................... 472
Front defroster.............................. 472
Rear window defroster .................. 473
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
(USA only) ..................................... 474
Air recirculation mode .................. 474
Residual engine heat and
ventilation ..................................... 476
Rear passenger compartment
climate control* ............................ 477
Trunk .................................................. 479
Opening trunk ............................... 479
Closing trunk ................................ 480
Trunk emergency release.............. 484
Valet locking ................................. 484
Power tilt/sliding sunroof................... 486Opening and closing
power tilt/sliding sunroof ............. 486
Synchronizing ............................... 488
Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel*............................... 489
Roller sunblinds ............................ 489
Opening and closing panorama
roof with power tilt/sliding panel . 490
Synchronizing ............................... 492
Loading and storing............................ 493
Roof rack* .................................... 493
Loading instructions ..................... 493
Storage compartments ................. 494
Cup holders .................................. 498
Trunk ............................................ 500
Useful features ................................... 502
Sun visors ..................................... 502
Vanity mirror in rear...................... 502
Rear window sunshade ................. 503
Ashtrays........................................ 503
Cigarette lighters .......................... 504
Power outlet ................................. 506
Floormats* ................................... 506
Telephone* ................................... 507
Tele Aid......................................... 510
Garage door opener ...................... 518

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

235 Control systems
COMAND system settings
COMAND system settings
System settings menu overview
Display settings
Switching the display on or off
Switching off: Select “Vehicle”

“Display OFF”.
Switching back on: Rotate ymz or
slideqmr.
Setting the display design
Select “Vehicle”
“System Settings”

“Display”.
Select “Day Mode”, “Night Mode” or
“Automatic”.
Time settings
Setting the time
Select “Vehicle”
“System Settings”

“Time”
“Time”.
Selecting hour or minute(s):
Slideomp.
Setting value: Rotate ymz or
slideqmr.
Saving setting: Press n.
iThe components and operating principles of
COMAND can be found on (
page 85).
Display
(
page 235)
Time
(
page 235)
Voice Control*
(
page 237)
Language
(
page 238)
Favorite
(
page 238)
Services
(
page 239)
Reset
(
page 235)
Display settingsTime settingsVoice Control*
settingsLanguage
settingsAssign favorite
buttonBluetooth®
settingsReset COMAND to
factory settings
iIn the “Automatic” setting, COMAND ana-
lyzes the automatic vehicle light sensor and
switches between the display design automati-
cally.
iThe correct time must be set for the follow-
ing navigation system functions to operate cor-
rectly:

Route guidance on routes with time-depen-
dent traffic guidance

Calculation of estimated arrival time
iThe increment value for setting the minutes
depends on the situation. If GPS reception is
available, it is 30 minutes. If GPS reception is not
available, it is one minute.

242 Control systems
COMAND vehicle menu
In this menu, you can program the follow-
ing vehicle functions:Setting night security illumination
(Exterior Lighting Delayed Switch-off)
Use this function to set whether and how
long you would like the exterior lighting to
illuminate during darkness after exiting the
vehicle and all doors closed.
The exterior lighting automatically goes
out after the delayed switch-off time has
expired.
You can select:

“0 sec.”, the delayed switch-off feature
is deactivated

“15 sec.”, “30 sec.”, “45 sec.”, or
“60 sec.”, the delayed switch-off fea-
ture is activated
Select “Vehicle”.
The main area is active.
Selecting “Exterior Lighting Delayed
Switch-off” menu: Slide omp or
rotateymz.
Confirming selection: Press n.
Selecting length of time: Slide qmr
or rotate ymz.
Confirming selection: Press n.
or
Select “Vehicle”
“Vehicle”
“Exte-
rior Lighting Delayed Switch-off”.
A selection list appears.
The current setting is indicated by a
dotR.
FunctionPage
Exterior Lighting Delayed
Switch-off242
Locator Lighting243
Exterior Mirror Convenience Set-
tings244
Automatic Locking245
Easy Entry/Exit Feature246
Interior Ambient Light247
Interior Lighting Delayed
Switch-off248
Rear-window Sunshade249
Trunk Opening-height Restriction*249
iThe components and operating principles of
COMAND can be found on (
page 85).
iYou can reactivate this function within
10 minutes by opening a door.

243 Control systems
COMAND vehicle menu
Selecting length of time: Slide qmr
or rotate ymz.
Confirming selection: Press n.
To activate night security illumination:
Select delayed switch-off period (see
above).
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
position* before turning off the en-
gine.
Locator lighting on/off
With the locator lighting feature activated
and the exterior lamp switch in position
*(
page 371), the following lamps will
switch on during darkness when the vehi-
cle is unlocked from the outside:

Parking lamps

Tail lamps

License plate lamps

Front fog lamps

Door entry lamps in the mirror

Side marker lamps
The locator lighting switches off when the
driver’s door is opened.If you do not open a door after unlocking
the vehicle with the SmartKey, the lamps
will switch off automatically after approxi-
mately 40 seconds.
Select “Vehicle”.
The main area is active.
Selecting “Locator Lighting” func-
tion: Slide omp or rotate ymz.
Confirming selection: Press n.
Switching locator lighting on or off:
Press n.
or
iThe components and operating principles of
COMAND can be found on (
page 85).


274 Control systems
Instrument cluster control system
1Gear indicator
2RACETIMER
3Seconds display
4Lap
Starting RACETIMER: Press æ.
Displaying intermediate time:
Pressç.
The intermediate time is shown for
5 seconds.
Stopping RACETIMER: Press æ.
To select a different display, press
$, ( or &.Saving lap time and starting a new lap
Press buttonç while the timer is
running.
The intermediate time will be shown for
5 seconds.
Press buttonç within 5 seconds.
The intermediate time shown will be
saved as a lap time.
The RACETIMER begins timing the new
lap. The new lap begins to be timed as
soon as the intermediate time is called
up.
1Gear indicator
2RACETIMER
3Best lap time
iYou can start the RACETIMER when the en-
gine is running or the starter switch is in
position2 (
page 344).
iWhile the RACETIMER is being displayed,
you cannot adjust the audio volume using but-
tons æ or ç.
iWhen you stop the vehicle and turn the
Smartkey to position 1 (
page 344) or, in vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*, turn off the engine and
do not open the driver’s door, the RACETIMER
stops timing. Timing is resumed when you switch
the ignition back on or restart the engine and
then press æ button.
iWhen you switch on the Night View Assist*
(
page 461) while the RACETIMER is operating,
the RACETIMER will continue to run in the back-
ground but cannot be operated with the multi-
function steering wheel buttons.
To stop the RACETIMER, switch off the Night
View Assist* first.
iYou can save up to 16 laps.


282 Control systems
Instrument cluster control system
With “Daytime driving lamps” mode select-
ed and the exterior lamp switch at position
M or *, the low beam headlamps
are switched on when the engine is run-
ning.
In low ambient light conditions the follow-
ing lamps will switch on additionally:

Parking lamps

Tail lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
For more information on the daytime run-
ning lamp mode (
page 373).Showing or hiding additional
speedometer
You can have an additional digital speed-
ometer shown on the multifunction dis-
play. The speed is shown in the unit of
kilometers/hour (USA) or miles/hour
(Canada).
Press ( or & to select the “Set-
tings” menu.
Press % or $ to select the “Add.
speedometer” function.
Press #.
Press # again if you would like to
change the current status.
Depending on the previous status, the
additional speedometer will be
switched on or off.Switching radar sensors* on/off
If your vehicle is equipped with DISTRONIC
Plus*, BAS Plus*, or Park Assist* it is
equipped with a radar sensor system
which you can switch on and off.
When travelling in Canada in a vehicle not
registered in Canada, you must switch off
the radar sensor system. Canadian law
does not permit the use of the radar sensor
system for vehicles from outside of Cana-
da. When you switch off the radar sensor
system, the following functions are deacti-
vated:
BAS Plus* (page 69)

DISTRONIC Plus* (page 424)

Park Assist* (page 448)

PRE-SAFE® Brake* (page 76)
iIf you turn the exterior lamp switch to anoth-
er position, the corresponding lamp(s) will
switch on.
iMake sure that the light switch is set
toB or * when you switch off the day-
time running lamps while driving at night.

373 Controls in detail
Lighting
Turn the exterior lamp switch to *.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once, only
the parking lamps and the side marker
lamps will switch on and off automati-
cally.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the license plate lamps, and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off automatically.Daytime running lamp mode
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionM or*.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the fol-
lowing lamps will switch on additional-
ly:

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
Canada only
The daytime running lamp mode is manda-
tory and therefore in a constant mode.When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
the low beam headlamps will switch off
with a 3-minute delay.
When the engine is running, and you
turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the parking lamps and
the side marker lamps switch on addi-
tionally.

turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime run-
ning lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 371).
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle’s lights at all
times.
iUSA only:
With the automatic headlamp mode activated
you can switch on the high beam headlamps in
low ambient lighting conditions.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode activat-
ed and the engine running, the low beam head-
lamps cannot be switched off manually.
iWith the exterior lamp switch in position
M or *, you cannot switch on the high
beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving you should turn the exterior
lamp switch to positionB to permit activa-
tion of the high beam headlamps.

374 Controls in detail
Lighting
USA only
By default, the daytime running lamp mode
is deactivated. Activate the daytime run-
ning lamp mode using the control system,
see “Setting daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)” (
page 281).
When the engine is running, and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to position C
orB, the manual headlamp mode has
priority over the daytime running lamp
mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (
page 371).Locator lighting and night security illu-
mination
The locator lighting and night security illu-
mination are described in the COMAND ve-
hicle section under “Setting locator
lighting” (
page 243) and “Setting night
security illumination” (
page 242).
Fog lampsFront fog lampsSwitch on the low beam
headlampsB (
page 372).
Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The front fog lamps are switched on.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
exterior lamp switch comes on
(
page 371).
Push in the exterior lamp switch.
The front fog lamps are switched off.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
exterior lamp switch goes out.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the exterior lamp switch in
position M, you cannot switch on the high
beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving you should turn the exterior
lamp switch to positionB or * to permit
activation of the high beam headlamps.
Warning!G
In low ambient lighting or foggy conditions,
only switch from position * to B with
the vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from * to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps on. Fog
lamps should only be used in conjunction with
low beam headlamps. Consult your State or
Province Motor Vehicle Regulations regarding
permissible lamp operation.
iFog lamps cannot be switched on manually
with exterior lamp switch in position*. To
activate the fog lamps, turn exterior lamp switch
to positionB first.