2004 MERCEDES-BENZ S55AMG wheel

144 Controls in detailControl systemTEL menu*
You can use the functions in the
TEL
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.

Switch on the telephone and COMAND.

Press buttonÿ orè on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
TEL
menu in the display.Which messages will appear in the display
field depends on whether your telephone is
switched on or off:


If the telephone is off, the message in
the multifunction display is:
TEL OFF
.


If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the display
reads
NO SERVICE
.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network,
READY
is indicated in the dis-
play.
The standby message indicates that your
telephone is ready for use and you can op-
erate it using the control system.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call. If you choose to use the tele-
phone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road and traffic condi-
tions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle.
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.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.

160 Controls in detailControl systemConvenience submenu
Access the
CONVENIENCE
submenu via the
SETTINGS
menu. Use the
CONVENIENCE
sub-
menu to change the settings for a number
of convenience features. The following
functions are available:Setting key-dependency
Use this function to set whether the mem-
ory settings for the seats, the steering
wheel, the mirrors, and the automatic cli-
mate control should be stored separately
for each SmartKey (
page 121).

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to
the
CONVENIENCE
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
SETTINGS KEY-DEPENDENT
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to set key-depen-
dency to
ON or
OFF
. Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature. When the
feature is activated, the steering wheel and
driver’s seat will move back to facilitate ex-
iting when you:


remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch or the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button*


open the driver’s door
However, the engine must be turned off.
Function
Page
Setting key-dependency
160
Activating easy-entry/exit fea-
ture
160
Setting parking position for exte-
rior rear view mirror
162
Setting fold-in function for exteri-
or rear view mirrors
162
Adjusting the drive-dynamic seat
(driver’s side)
163
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and the driver’s seat when
the easy-entry / exit feature is in operation
and the driver’s door is being opened or the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.

161 Controls in detail
Control system
After entering the vehicle, the steering
wheel and seat will move into the position
stored in memory when:

the driver’s door is closed


you put the SmartKey in the starter
switch


press and hold the appropriate stored
position button on the memory switch
(page 121)

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to
the
CONVENIENCE
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
EASY-ENTRY FEATURE ACTIVATE
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to change the
easy-entry/exit setting.
The following settings are available for the
easy-entry/exit feature:
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry / exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and / or serious personal injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(page 35)


Move the steering column stalk
(page 37)


Press the memory button
(page 121)
STEER. COL.
Only the steering
column is moved.
ST. COL + SEAT
Both the steering
column and the
seat are moved.
OFF
The easy-entry/ex-
it feature is deacti-
vated.

165 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
One-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission you
can change the gears manually when the
gear selector lever is in positionD.
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in the D-direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear. This action
simultaneously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 166).Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in the D+direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next higher gear as permitted
by the shift program. This action simulta-
neously extends the gear range of the
transmission.Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D+ direction until
D reappears in
the tachometer display field.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D-direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal accelera-
tion and deceleration. This will involve
shifting down one or more gears.
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.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the gear selector lever is moved to the
D-direction, the transmission will not
shift to a lower gear if the engine's
max. speed would be exceeded.

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.