2006 MERCEDES-BENZ S430 manual transmission

Contents
CD changer* operating mode ...... 151
TEL menu* ................................... 153
NAVI menu ................................... 155
Distronic* menu........................... 156
Trip computer menu..................... 157
Vehicle status message
memory menu .............................. 159
Settings menu .............................. 160
Automatic transmission ..................... 173
Gear selector lever position ......... 175
Driving tips ................................... 177
Gear ranges ................................. 178
Automatic shift program .............. 179
Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting .................................. 180
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting S 55 AMG
and S 65 AMG .............................. 181
Manual shift program S 55 AMG
and S 65 AMG .............................. 183
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 185Good visibility ..................................... 186
Headlamp cleaning system*
(Standard on S 500, S 600,
S 55 AMG and S 65 AMG)............. 186
Rear view mirrors.......................... 186
Power folding exterior rear
view mirrors .................................. 188
Sun visors ..................................... 190
Rear window sunshade ................. 191
Rear side window sunshade*........ 191
Automatic climate control .................. 192
Deactivating the climate
control system .............................. 195
Setting the temperature................ 195
Adjusting air distribution............... 196
Adjusting air volume ..................... 197
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 197
Defrosting ..................................... 197
Air recirculation mode .................. 198
Charcoal filter ............................... 200
Rear window defroster .................. 201
Air conditioning............................. 202
Residual heat and ventilation ........ 202Ventilated storage compartment .. 203
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents ...................... 204
Rear passenger compartment
climate control*............................ 205
Power windows .................................. 208
Opening and closing the power
windows........................................ 208
Synchronizing the power
windows........................................ 210
Summer opening feature .............. 210
Convenience closing feature......... 211
Power tilt/sliding sunroof .................. 212
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 212
Synchronizing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 214
Driving systems .................................. 215
Cruise control ............................... 215
Distronic* ..................................... 218
Airmatic ........................................ 229
Active Body Control (ABC)* .......... 232
Parktronic system*
(Parking assist) ............................. 235

174 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission1Current gear range/gear selector lever
position
2Current program mode
The current gear range/gear selector lever
position and program mode (
C/S)
or (
M/C/S) appear in the tachometer
display.When the gear selector lever is in
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out ofP orN if the engine speed is
higher than idle speed. If your foot is not
firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate quickly forward or reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
!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 gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
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.

180 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear selector lever one-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission, you
can change the gears manually and limit or
extend the gear range for automatic shift-
ing with the gear selector lever in
positionD and driving in the automatic
program modeC orS.Downshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
g e a r t o t h e n e x t l o w e r g e a r a s p e r m i t t e d b y
the shift program. This action simulta-
neously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 178).Upshifting

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

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD+direction until
D reappears in
the tachometer display.
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 theD-direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more gears.
!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 gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
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.
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
theD-direction, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.

181 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting S 55 AMG and S65AMG
The steering wheel gearshift control pro-
vides an alternative method for changing
the gears manually and limiting or extend-
ing the gear range for automatic shifting
with the gear selector lever in positionD
and driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshift
iFor information on using the steering
wheel gearshift control in manual
program modeM (S 55 AMG and
S 65 AMG only), see “Manual shift pro-
gram S 55 AMG and S 65 AMG”
(page 183).
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
downshifting with steering wheel
gearshift buttons, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.!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 gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
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.

182 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionThe following instructions describe opera-
tion of the steering wheel gearshift control
when driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.
For instructions on operating the steering
wheel gearshift control and gear selector
lever in the manual program modeM, see
“Manual shift program S 55 AMG and
S65AMG” (
page 183).Downshifting

Briefly press button1 on the left side
of the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously limits
the gear range of the transmission
(
page 178) when you are driving in the
automatic program mode (CorS).
Upshifting

Briefly press button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel.The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmission
when you are driving in the automatic
program mode (CorS).
Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel until
D
reappears in the tachometer display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold button1 on the left
side of the steering wheel.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more gears.
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
The last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted in the automatic
program mode.
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.

183 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Manual shift program S 55 AMG and S65AMG
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift programM.
In the manual program modeM,
system-controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched off and you need to change the
gears by manually upshifting or downshift-
ing using the steering wheel gearshift but-
tons to the left and right of the steering
wheel (
page 181) or the gear selector
lever.The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
M Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
The current gear selector lever position
and the selected program mode (
M/C/S)
are indicated in the tachometer display
(
page 174).
!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 gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
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.

184 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionActivating manual shift program
Press program mode selector
switch1 repeatedly until the
M for the
manual program modeM appears in
the tachometer display.
The transmission switches to the
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.Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
or

Briefly press button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel
(page 181).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.Downshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or

Briefly press button1 on the left side
of the steering wheel (
page 181).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.
iFor information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift
program” (
page 179), “Gear selector
lever one-touch gearshifting”
(
page 180), and “Steering wheel
gearshift control one-touch gearshift-
ing S 55 AMG and S 65 AMG”
(page 181).
iThe manual program modeM will not
be stored. When the engine is turned
off with the manual program modeM
selected, the transmission will go to
the automatic program mode (CorS)
when the engine is restarted.
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 you brake or stop, the transmis-
sion shifts down to a gear from which
you can easily accelerate or take off.

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.