2006 MERCEDES-BENZ S350 engine

185 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Kickdown
The kickdown can also be used for
maximum acceleration when driving in the
manual program modeM.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear.

Shift up once the desired speed has
been reached.Deactivating manual shift program

Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 183) repeatedly
until
Cor
S appears in the tachometer
display.
or

Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the
automatic program mode (C orS).
The manual 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
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.
iWhen driving at full throttle, the trans-
mission shifts to the next higher gear
when maximum engine speed has been
reached.

193 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Automatic climate control panel
Item
1
Left center air vent, adjustable
2
Left air vent, fixed
3
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
4
Thumbwheel for air temperature
control for center air vents
5
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
6
Right air vent, fixed
7
Right center air vent, adjustable
8
Side defroster vent, fixed
9
Side air vent, adjustable
a
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for side air vents
b
Door air vent
c
Automatic climate control panel
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents 1, 7, 9
to the middle position.
Item
1
Windshield defroster
2
Rear window defroster
3
Display
4
Residual engine heat utilization
(REST)
5
Automatic climate control on/off
6
Air distribution, right (automatic,
manual)
7
AC cooling on/off
8
Right side temperature control
9
Air volume (automatic, manual)
a
Left side temperature control
b
Air recirculation
c
Air distribution, left (automatic, man-
ual)
d
Activated charcoal filter

194 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlThe automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the ± mode is selected
(
page 202).
Warning!
G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents in the
footwell can be very hot or very cold (de-
pending on the set temperature). This may
cause burns or frostbite on unprotected skin
in the immediate area of the air vents. Al-
ways keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the footwell
air vents. If necessary change the air flow
using the air distribution controls to direct
the air away from the footwell air vents
(page 196).
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iThe current climate control settings
(ON/OFF, temperature, air volume, ac-
tivated charcoal filter, etc.) are stored
for each SmartKey before it is removed
from the starter switch or when the ve-
hicle is locked using the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* (
page 108).
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow, leaves, sticks,
and any other debris.
Do not obstruct air volume by placing
objects on the air volume-through ex-
haust slots below the rear window.
iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.

202 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAir conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the automatic
climate control system. The air in the vehi-
cle will then no longer be cooled or dehu-
midified.
Press button± (
page 193).
The indicator lamp on the button±
comes on.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

Press± again (
page 193).
The indicator lamp on button ±
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior.
This feature makes use of the residual heat
produced by the engine.
Activating
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or 0, or remove it from the
starter switch.

Press buttonT (
page 193).
The indicator lamp on buttonT
comes on.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If button± on the automatic cli-
mate control panel starts to flash, this
indicates that the air conditioning is
losing refrigerant. The compressor has
turned itself off. The air conditioning
cannot be turned on again.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

205 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Rear passenger compartment climate control*
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.
The automatic climate control system is
adjustable individually for the rear passen-
ger compartment.
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.The control panel is located in the rear cen-
ter console.
Rear automatic climate control panel
iWhen the rear seats are not occupied
(rear seat belts unbuckled) the rear cli-
mate control system adopts the set-
tings of the front climate control
system.
Item
1
Left center air vent, adjustable
2
Display
3
Right center air vent, adjustable
4
Thumbwheel for air distribution
5
Temperature control, right
6
Air volume (automatic, manual)
7
Temperature control, left
8
Rear climate control system on/off
Residual engine heat utilization
(REST)
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling as given in the instructions
for the front automatic climate control
(page 192). Otherwise the windows could
fog up, impairing visibility for the driver and
endangering you and others.

207 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Adjusting air volume
Adjusting automatically
PressA on air volume switch6
(page 205).
The display shows
AUTO
The air volume
is adjusted automatically.
Reducing air volume

Press switch6 down until the desired
air volume is reached.
The display shows the current level.
Increasing air volume

Press switch6 up until the desired air
volume is reached.
The display shows the current level.Residual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior.
This feature makes use of the residual heat
produced by the engine.
Activating

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or0, or remove it from
the starter switch.

Press buttonT (
page 205).Deactivating

Press buttonT (
page 205).
The residual heat is automatically turned
off:


when the ignition is switched on


after approximately 30 minutes
(15 minutes when residual heat and
ventilation in the front are also
switched on)


if the battery voltage dropsiHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set by the
operator. The blower will run at speed
setting 1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting.

216 Controls in detailDriving systems1Sets current or higher speed
2Sets current or lower speed
3Cancels cruise control
4Resumes at last set speed
Setting current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow1 or depress in the
direction of arrow2.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds, and the corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed to the
vehicle maximum speed are illuminated.
Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel cruise
control:

Step on the brake pedal.
Cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.or

Briefly push the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow3.
Cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
iOn uphill or downhill grades, cruise
control may not be able to maintain the
set speed. Once the grade eases, the
set speed will be resumed.
!Moving the gear selector lever to
positionN while driving also cancels
cruise control. However, the gear se-
lector lever should not be moved to
positionN while driving, except to
coast when the vehicle is in danger of
skidding (e.g. on icy roads).iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.

217 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a higher speed
Lift cruise control lever in the direction
of arrow1 and hold it up until the de-
sired speed is reached.

Release cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed

Depress cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow2 and hold it down
until the desired speed is reached.

Release cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow1.
Slower

Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow2.Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)

Briefly push cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4.
The cruise control resumes the last set
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds, and the corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed to the
vehicle maximum speed are illuminated.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate cruise control. After
brief acceleration (e.g. for passing),
cruise control will resume the last
speed set.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the engine’s
braking power does not brake the vehi-
cle sufficiently.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to the pre-
set speed could cause an accident and/or
serious injury to you and others.