2004 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 Owner's Manual

168 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Steering wheel gearshift control (Speedshift) S 55 AMG
You can change the gears manually on the
steering wheel or by using the gear
selector lever (
page 165).
Allow engine to warm up under low load
use. Do not place full load on the engine
until the operating temperature has been
reached. Shift into reverse gear only when
the vehicle is stopped.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with gear selector lever
inN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever not fully engaged in positionP is
dangerous. Also, positionP alone is not in-
tended to or capable of preventing your ve-
hicle from moving, possibly hitting people or
objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 45).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you and
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Children could move the
gear selector lever from positionP, which
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

169 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshiftDownshifting

Press button1 on the left side of the
steering wheel.
The gear range is limited when you are not
driving in the manual program mode
(
page 166).
When driving in the manual program mode
(page 171), the transmission will shift
from the current gear to the next lower
gear (
page 172).Upshifting

Press button2 on the right side of the
steering wheel.
The gear range is extended when you are
not driving in the manual program mode
(
page 166).
When driving in the manual program mode
(page 171), the transmission will shift
from the current gear to the next higher
gear (
page 172).
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.

170 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionProgram mode selector switch
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
S Sport For standard driving
C Comfort For comfort driving

Press program mode selector switch
1 repeatedly until the letter of the de-
sired shift program appears in the ta-
chometer display (
page 22).
Select C for comfort driving:


The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.


Traction and driving stability are im-
proved on icy roads.


Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.


The power transmission ratio for
gear selector lever positionR
changes depending on the program
mode selected (S or C).
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the transmis-
sion’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.
!Never change the program mode when
the gear selector lever is out of
positionP. This could result in a
change of driving characteristics for
which you may not be prepared.

171 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Manual shift program S 55 AMG
In the manual shift program mode you can
change the gears manually on the steering
wheel (
page 168) or by using the gear
selector lever (
page 165).
Allow engine to warm up under low load
use. Do not place full load on the engine
until the operating temperature has been
reached. Shift into reverse gear only when
the vehicle is stopped.Program mode selector switch
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
S Sport For standard driving
C Comfort For comfort driving
M Manual For manual gear shifting
The selected shift program (
C/S/M) is
indicated in the tachometer display
(
page 22).Activating manual shift program

Press program mode selector
switch1 repeatedly until the
M for
manual shift program appears in the
tachometer display.
The program mode switches to manual
program modeM. Automatic shifting is
switched off. The gear range is not
limited.
You can change the gears manually when
the gear selector lever is in positionD. You
can upshift or downshift through the gears
in succession.
The current gear selector lever position
and the selected shift program (
C/S/M) is
indicated in the tachometer display
(
page 22).
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drive train which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

172 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionDownshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in the D-direction
(page 165).
or

Press button1 on the left side of the
steering wheel (
page 168).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in the D+direction
(page 165).
or

Press button2 on the right side of the
steering wheel (
page 168).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.Kickdown
The kickdown can also be used for
maximum acceleration when driving in the
manual program mode.

Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear.

Shift up once the desired speed has
been reached.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
iWhen driving at full throttle, the trans-
mission shifts to the next higher gear
when maximum engine speed has been
reached.
When you brake or stop, the transmis-
sion shifts down to a gear from which
you can easily accelerate or take off.

173 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Deactivating manual shift program
Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until
S or
C for
automatic shift program appears in the
tachometer display.
or

Restart the engine.
The transmission will go into the auto-
matic shift program mode last selected
(SorC).
Program modeM is not stored.Emergency operation (Limp home
mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
home (emergency operation) mode. In this
mode, only second gear and reverse gear
can be activated.
Stop the vehicle.

Move gear selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least ten seconds before re-
starting.

Restart the engine.

Move gear selector lever to positionD
(for second gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
iThe last selected automatic program
mode (S orC) is switched on when the
engine is restarted in the automatic
program mode.

174 Controls in detailGood visibility
Good visibilityFor information on the windshield wipers,
see “Windshield wipers” (
page 48) and
for setting the exterior rear view mirrors,
see “Exterior rear view mirror”
(
page 38).
Rear view mirror
Automatic antiglare rear view mirror
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when

the ignition is switched on
and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror
The interior rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gear is engaged


the interior lighting is turned on
Warning!
G
The automatic antiglare function does not
react if incoming light is not aimed directly
at sensors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the rear window sun
shade* is in raised position.
Glare can endanger you and others.Warning!
G
In the case of an accident, liquid electrolyte
may escape from the mirror housing if the
mirror glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
side rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can be
completely removed only while in the
liquid state by applying plenty of water.

175 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Activating exterior rear view mirror
parking position
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror will be
turned downward to the stored position.
Make sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 122).

Make sure the
MIRROR SETTING WHEN
PARKING
function in the
CONVENIENCE

submenu of the control system is
switched to
ON (page 162).

Switch on ignition (if not already on).

Press button2 for the passenger-side
exterior rear view mirror.

Place the gear selector lever in reverse
gearR.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror will be turned downward to the
stored position.
1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view mir-
ror buttonThe exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:


ten seconds after you put the gear se-
lector lever out of positionR


immediately once your vehicle exceeds
a speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h)


immediately when you press button1
for driver’s side mirror.