2006 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 m mode

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.

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.

198 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAir recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.
Activating
Press button, (
page 193).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is below
41°F (5°C), only switch to air recirculation
mode for short periods to prevent window
fogging.
iPress and hold button, for approx-
imately two seconds. The side windows
and tilt/sliding sunroof will close. You
can release button, once the clos-
ing procedure has begun. The windows
and tilt/sliding sunroof continue clos-
ing until they are fully closed.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof if there is the possibility
of anyone being harmed by the closing pro-
cedure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the side win-
dows can be immediately halted by pressing
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 the
tilt/sliding sunroof can be reversed by again
pressing and holding button,.

199 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Deactivating
Press button, (
page 193).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.The air recirculation mode is deactivated
automatically:


after five minutes if the outside temper-
ature is below approximately 41°F
(5°C)


after five minutes if the air conditioning
is turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside temper-
ature is above approximately 41°F
(5°C)
At outside temperatures above 79°F
(26°C) the system will not automatically
switch back to outside air. A quantity of
outside air is added after approximately
30 minutes.
iThe air recirculation mode is activated
automatically:

at high outside temperatures


if the concentration of carbon mon-
oxide and nitrogen oxide in the out-
side air increases beyond a
predetermined level, for example in
a tunnel
Please note that the charcoal filter
must be activated (
page 200) for the
air recirculation mode to be activated
automatically.
If you have turned off the air condition-
ing (
page 202) or the outside tem-
perature is below 41°F (5°C), the air
recirculation mode will not switch on
automatically.
iPress and hold button, for approx-
imately two 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.

201 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
The system automatically switches to the
air recirculation mode if the carbon
monoxide (CO) or nitrogen oxide (NO
X)
concentration of the outside air increases
beyond a predetermined level, for example
in a tunnel.
The automatic air recirculation mode does
not function if ± is selected or if the
outside temperature has fallen below
41°F (5°C).
The activated charcoal filter should be
switched off when windows fog up on the
inside, or if the passenger compartment
needs to be quickly heated or cooled
down.
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep battery drain to
a minimum, switch off the defroster as
soon as the rear window is clear. The de-
froster is automatically deactivated after approximately 6 to 17 minutes of opera-
tion depending on the outside tempera-
ture.
Activating

Press buttonF (
page 193).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating

Press buttonF (
page 193) 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 driv-
ing. 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 operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient 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 au-
tomatically turns itself back on.

203 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Deactivating
Press buttonT (
page 193).
The indicator lamp on buttonT
goes out.
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 rear* are also
switched on)


if the battery voltage drops
Ventilated storage compartment
Depending on vehicle model and configu-
ration, your vehicle is equipped with a stor-
age compartment under the front armrest
(page 244) which can be ventilated
when the automatic air conditioning is
switched on. If so equipped, the switch is
located inside the storage compartment in
the front. The air temperature is about the
same as that of the center air vents.
The air volume is dependent on the setting
of:


air distribution control


air volume control


air vents in the dashboard
The air temperature is about the same as
that of the dashboard air vents. It cannot
be regulated separately.Switching ventilation on

Open the storage compartment in front
of the armrest, see “Storage compart-
ment in front of armrest” (
page 244).

Push upper portion of switch.
Switching ventilation off

Open the storage compartment in front
of the armrest, see “Storage compart-
ment in front of armrest” (
page 244).

Push lower portion of switch.
iHow 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.
!Do not obstruct the air vent in the stor-
age compartment.iThe compartment can get very warm
due to its confined space. When storing
heat sensitive objects in the compart-
ment, close the air vent while heating
the passenger compartment.

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.

230 Controls in detailDriving systems1Indicator lamps
2Damping button
Start the engine.

Press the damping button2 until the
desired suspension style is set.

If both indicator lamps are out, you
have chosen the automatic mode
for soft damping. The message:AIRMATIC
CONVENIENCEfor Comfort suspension tuning ap-
pears in the multifunction display.


If one indicator lamp is on, the con-
trol system supports a primarily dy-
namic style of driving. The
message:AIRMATIC
SPORTS 1for Sporty 1 suspension tuning ap-
pears in the multifunction display.


If both indicator lamps are on, the
system is set for a dynamic style of
driving. The message:AIRMATIC
SPORTS 2for Sporty 2 suspension tuning ap-
pears in the multifunction display.Vehicle level control with Airmatic
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to:


reduce fuel consumption


increase vehicle safety
The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:


With increasing speed, ride height is re-
duced by up to approximately 0.8 in
(20 mm).


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the selected vehicle
level.
iThe selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch.
iThese height adjustments are so small
that you may not notice any change.