2006 MERCEDES-BENZ C55AMG Owner's Manual

168 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode)
If vehicle acceleration becomes less re-
sponsive or sluggish or the transmission
no longer shifts, the transmission is most
likely operating in limp-home (emergency
operation) mode. In this mode only second
gear and reverse gear can be selected.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location.
Move gear selector lever toP.
Turn off the engine.
Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.
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.

169 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
For information on the windshield wipers,
see “Windshield wipers” (
page 50).
Headlamp cleaning system*
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer button
Switch on the ignition (page 33).
Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system*”
(
page 304).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 40).
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors
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 rear view mirror will not react if

reverse gearR is engaged

the interior lighting is turned on
i
The headlamps will automatically be
cleaned when you have

switched on the headlamps
and

operated the windshield wipers
with windshield washer fluid
15 times
When you switch off the ignition, the
counter resets.

170 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Activating exterior rear view mirror
parking position
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the passenger-
side exterior rear view mirror will be turned
downward to the stored position.
The buttons are located above the exterior
lamp switch.
1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror button
Make sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 113).
Warning!G
The auto-dimming 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
sunshade* is in raised position.
Glare can endanger you and others.
Warning!G
In case of an accident, liquid electrolyte may
escape from the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not
allow 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.
!
Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can be
completely removed only while in the
liquid state and by applying plenty of
water.
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
interior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.

171 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Make sure the Mirror set. parking
aid
function in the Convenience
submenu of the control system is
switched to
On (page 149).
Switch on the ignition (page 33).
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.
The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:

10 seconds after you shifted out of re-
verse gearR

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

immediately when you press button1
for the driver’s side mirror
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.1Mounting
2Mirror cover
3Mirror lamp
4Sun visor
Swing sun visor4 down when you
experience glare.
To use illuminated mirror, lift up mirror
cover2.
Warning!G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.
i
If sun visor4 is disengaged from
mounting1 with mirror cover2
open, mirror lamp3 will switch off.
i
If sunlight enters through a side
window, close mirror cover2
(if open), disengage sun visor4 from
mounting1 and pivot to the side.

172 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window sunshade*
The switch is located in the center console.
1Rear window sunshade switch
Switch on the ignition (page 33).
Always raise the sunshade fully for its
support against the window frame.
Raising or lowering the sunshade
Press switch1 briefly.
The sunshade is raised or lowered com-
pletely.
Stopping the raising or lowering
procedure
Press switch1 again.
The sunshade stops.
Warning!G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
make sure there is no danger of anyone be-
ing harmed by the raising or lowering proce-
dure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be
immediately halted by briefly pressing the
switch.
Briefly press switch again to raise or lower
the rear window sunshade completely.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment can cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
!
Make sure the movement of the rear
window sunshade is not restricted by
objects on the rear window shelf. Oth-
erwise, the sunshade or the objects
could be damaged.

173 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the
defroster as soon as the rear window is
clear.
The defroster is automatically deactivated
after approximately 6 to 17 minutes of op-
eration depending on the outside tempera-
ture.
Switch on the ignition (page 33).Activating
Press buttonF or 1 in the
climate control panel (
page 175) or
automatic climate control panel*
(
page 185).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating
Press buttonF or 1 again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before
driving. Visibility could otherwise be
impaired, endangering you and others.
!
If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts flashing, this means that too
many electrical consumers are
operating simultaneously and there is
insufficient voltage in the battery. The
system responds automatically by
deactivating the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster
automatically turns itself back on.

174 Controls in detail
Climate control

175 Controls in detail
Climate control
Climate control panel (USA only)
Climate control panel (Canada only)
Item
1Left side defroster vent, fixed
2Left side air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left side air vent
4Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
5Left center air vent, adjustable
6Right center air vent, adjustable
7Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
8Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right side air vent
9Right side air vent, adjustable
aRight side defroster vent, fixed
bClimate control panel
i
For draft-free ventilation, move the
sliders for the air vents2,5,6
and9 to the middle position.
Item
1Air volume control
2Left side temperature control
3Right side temperature control
4Air distribution control
5Rear window defroster
6AC cooling on/off
7Air distribution and air volume
(automatic mode)
8Air recirculation
9Front defroster