2006 MERCEDES-BENZ C55AMG ESP

157 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear selector lever position
Effect
ìPark position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
Effect
The SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP. With the SmartKey
removed, the gear selector lever
is locked in positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP
(
page 388).
íReverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ëNeutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
êDrive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All five forward
gears are available.

160 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear ranges
With the gear selector lever in positionD
and driving in the automatic shift
programC orS (
page 161), you can
select a gear range for the automatic
transmission to operate within:
Gear selector lever (
page 162):
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the gear selector lever to the left (D-), and
reverse the gear range limit by pressing
the gear selector lever to the right (D+).
Steering wheel gearshift control
(
page 163):
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the respective downshift button on the
steering wheel gearshift control, and
reverse the gear range limit by pressing
the respective upshift button on the
steering wheel gearshift control.The selected gear range appears in the
multifunction display (
page 156). If you
press on the accelerator when the engine
has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit
selected.
Effect
éThe transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
èThe transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
Effect
çThe transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving:

on steep downgrades

in mountainous regions

under extreme operating
conditions
æThe transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.

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.

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.

181 Controls in detail
Climate control
Deactivating
Press button, (page 175).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
In the event that the closing procedure
causes potential danger, the closing of the
side windows can be immediately halted by
pressing or pulling the respective window
switch. The closing of the tilt/sliding
sunroof can be immediately halted by
moving the tilt/sliding sunroof switch in the
overhead control panel in any direction.
The closing of the side windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof can be reversed by again
pressing and holding the, button.
i
Press and hold button, for approx.
2 seconds. The side windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof will close. You can
release button, once the closing
procedure has begun. The windows
and tilt/sliding sunroof continue clos-
ing until they are fully closed.
i
The air recirculation mode is deactivat-
ed automatically:

after 5 minutes if the outside
temperature is below
approximately 41°F (5°C)

after 5 minutes if the air condition-
ing is turned off

after 30 minutes if the outside
temperature is above
approximately 41°F (5°C)
i
Press and hold button, for approx.
2 seconds. The side windows and or
tilt/sliding sunroof will return to their
previous position. You can release
button, once the opening proce-
dure has begun. The windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof continue opening
until they have reached their previous
position.
A window or tilt/sliding sunroof will
only return to its previous position if it
has not been moved to another posi-
tion using the respective window
switch or tilt/sliding sunroof switch af-
ter it was closed with button,. A
window or tilt/sliding sunroof that was
moved will remain in its current posi-
tion if button, is used to re-open
the remaining windows or tilt/sliding
sunroof.

188 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control* (Canada only)
Deactivating
Press buttonU (page 185) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The automatic operation of air vol-
ume and air distribution switches off.
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls3 andd for
the left side or6 andb for the right side
(
page 185) to separately adjust the air
temperature on each side of the passenger
compartment. You should raise or lower
the temperature setting in small incre-
ments, preferably starting at 22°C (72°F).
The automatic climate control will adjust
to the set temperature as fast as possible.Increasing
Press temperature button3
and/or6 (
page 185) until the de-
sired temperature appears in the con-
trol panel display4 (
page 185).
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.Decreasing
Press temperature buttonb
and/ord (
page 185) until the de-
sired temperature appears in the con-
trol panel display4 (
page 185).
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
i
If you increase the temperature for one
side of the vehicle to the highest ad-
justable value then you will see the
message
HI in the display. This also in-
creases the temperature for the other
side of the vehicle at the same time.
i
If you decrease the temperature for
one side of the vehicle to the lowest ad-
justable value then you will see the
message
LO in the display. This also de-
creases the temperature for the other
side of the vehicle at the same time.

192 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control* (Canada only)
Deactivating
Press button, (page 185) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Warning!G
Never operate the side windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof if there is the possibility
of anyone being harmed by the closing
procedure.
In the event that the closing procedure
causes potential danger, the closing of the
side windows can be immediately halted by
pressing or pulling the respective window
switch. The closing of the tilt/sliding
sunroof can be immediately halted by
moving the tilt/sliding sunroof switch in the
overhead control panel in any direction.
The closing of the side windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof can be reversed by again
pressing and holding the button,.
i
Press and hold button, for approx.
2 seconds. The side windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof will close. You can
release button, once the closing
procedure has begun. The windows
and tilt/sliding sunroof continue clos-
ing until they are fully closed.
i
The air recirculation mode is deactivat-
ed automatically:

after 5 minutes if the outside tem-
perature is below
approximately 5°C (41°F)

after 5 minutes if the air condition-
ing is turned off

after 30 minutes if the outside tem-
perature is above approximately
5°C (41°F)