2007 MERCEDES-BENZ E63AMG mode

98 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsBraking
At the instant one of the wheels is about to
lock up, a slight pulsation can be felt in the
brake pedal, indicating that the ABS is in
the regulating mode.
Keep firm and steady pressure on the
brake pedal while experiencing the
pulsation.
Continuous, steady brake pedal pressure
yields the advantages provided by the ABS,
namely braking power and the ability to
steer the vehicle.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions and
functions as a reminder to take extra care
while driving.Emergency brake maneuver

Keep continuous full pressure on the
brake pedal.
For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 380).
Warning!
G
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the BAS
and the ESP
® are also switched off.
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the wheels
may lock during hard braking, reducing
steering capability and extending the brak-
ing distance.
Warning!
G
The ABS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking or steering efficiency be-
yond that afforded by the condition of the
vehicle brakes and tires or the traction af-
forded. The ABS cannot prevent accidents,
including those resulting from excessive
speed in turns, following another vehicle too
closely, or hydroplaning. Only a safe, atten-
tive, and skillful driver can prevent acci-
dents. The capabilities of an ABS equipped
vehicle must never be exploited in a reck-
less or dangerous manner which could jeop-
ardize the user’s safety or the safety of
others.

104 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsThe switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1ESP
® switch

With the engine running, press ESP
®
switch1 until the ESP
® warning
lampv in the instrument cluster
comes on.
The ESP
® is switched off.Switching on the ESP
®

Press ESP
® switch1 until the ESP
®
warning lamp v in the instrument
cluster goes out.
You are now again in normal driving
mode with the ESP
® switched on.
Warning!
G
When the ESP
® warning lamp v is
illuminated continuously, the ESP
® is
switched off or is not operational due to a
malfunction. Vehicle stability in standard
driving maneuvers is reduced.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP
®.
!
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an ex-
tended period with the ESP
® switched off. This
may cause serious damage to the drivetrain
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

105 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Four wheel electronic traction system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®
Models with all-wheel-drive only.
The 4MATIC improves the vehicle’s ability
to use available traction, e.g. during winter
operation in mountains under slippery road
conditions, by applying power to all four
wheels.Warning!
G
If you see the ESP
® warning lampv
flashing in the instrument cluster, proceed
as follows:


While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible.


While driving, ease up on the accelera-
tor.


Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents result-
ing from excessive speed.
!
Do not tow with one axle raised.
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
!
Performance testing must only be conduct-
ed on a two-axle dynamometer.
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
!
Because the ESP
® operates automatically,
the engine and the ignition must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0 or 1 or
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* in position0
or1) when the parking brake is being tested on a
brake test dynamometer.
Active braking action through the ESP
® may oth-
erwise seriously damage the brake system.
Operational tests with the engine running can
only be conducted on a two-axle dynamometer.

127 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking

Turn the mechanical key clockwise to
position2 to lock the trunk.
The trunk remains locked even when the
vehicle is centrally unlocked.

Insert the mechanical key in the trunk
lid lock.

Turn the mechanical key counterclock-
wise to neutral position1 to unlock the
trunk.
You can now open the trunk
(page 120).
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
when the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km / h) or more.
The locking knobs in the doors move down.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
mode using the control system
(page 176).
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
trunk from inside using the central locking
switch. This can be useful, for example, if
you want to lock the vehicle before starting
to drive.
The fuel filler flap cannot be locked or un-
locked with the central locking switch.
i
You can only cancel the separate trunk lock-
ing mode by means of the mechanical key.
i
The doors are designed to unlock automati-
cally after an accident if the force of the impact
exceeds a preset threshold. The vehicle locks au-
tomatically when the ignition is switched on and
the wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more. You could
therefore lock yourself out when the vehicle


is pushed or towed


is on a test stand
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

137 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
For information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on headlamps” (
page 56)
and see “Turn signals” (
page 57).
Exterior lamp switchExterior lamp switch
i
If you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country
where the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
Vehicles equipped with active Bi-Xenon*
headlamps:
The active Bi-Xenon headlamps monitor your
steering angle and driving speed, then automati-
cally shift their beams to either side to better fol-
low the curvature of the road ahead, increasing
usable illumination over conventional head-
lamps.
1‚
Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
2ˆ
Standing lamps, right (turn left
one stop)
3M
Off
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 139)
4U
Automatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 139)
5C
Parking lamps (also side marker
lamps, tail lamps, license plate
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
6B
Low beam headlamps or high
beam headlamps when the com-
bination switch is pushed for-
ward. The tail lamps, license
plate lamps, side marker lamps,
parking lamps and instrument
panel lamps also come on.
7‡
Front fog lamps
8†
Rear fog lamp

138 Controls in detailLightingManual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and the parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch.
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off au-
tomatically depending on the brightness of
the ambient light:


Low beam headlamps


Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps

Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionU.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once, only
the parking lamps and the side marker
lamps will switch on and off automati-
cally.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the license plate lamps, and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off automatically.
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the headlamps before opening
the driver’s door.
In addition the message
Switch off lights

appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps.
Warning!
G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU,

the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright am-
bient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.


the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others, acti-
vate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch to B when driving or when traffic
and/or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from position U to B with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from U to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle’s lights at all
times.i
USA only:
With the automatic headlamp mode activated
you can switch on the high beam headlamps in
low ambient lighting conditions.

139 Controls in detail
Lighting
Daytime running lamp mode
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM orU.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are automatically
switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the fol-
lowing lamps will switch on additional-
ly:

Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lampsCanada only:
The daytime running lamp mode is manda-
tory and therefore in a constant mode.
When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
the low beam headlamps will switch off
with a 3 minute delay.When the engine is running, and you


turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the parking lamps and
the side marker lamps switch on addi-
tionally.


turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime run-
ning lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 137).
i
With the daytime running lamp mode activat-
ed and the engine running, you cannot switch off
the low beam headlamps manually.
i
With the exterior lamp switch in
positionM orU, you cannot switch on the
high beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving turn the exterior lamp
switch in positionB to permit activation of
the high beam headlamps.

140 Controls in detailLightingUSA only:
By default, the daytime running lamp mode
is deactivated. Activate the daytime run-
ning lamp mode using the control system,
see “Setting daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)” (
page 173).
When the engine is running, and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to
positionCorB, the manual head-
lamp mode has priority over the daytime
running lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (
page 137).Locator lighting and night security illu-
mination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the “Control sys-
tem” section, see (
page 174) and
(
page 175).
Fog lamps
i
With the daytime running lamp mode activat-
ed and the exterior lamp switch in positionM,
you cannot switch on the high beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving turn the exterior lamp
switch in positionB orU to permit activa-
tion of the high beam headlamps.
Warning!
G
In low ambient lighting or foggy conditions,
only switch from position U to B with
the vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from U to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
i
Fog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps on. Fog
lamps should only be used in conjunction with
low beam headlamps. Consult your State or
Province Motor Vehicle Regulations regarding
permissible lamp operation.
i
Fog lamps cannot be switched on with the
exterior lamp switch in positionU. To switch
on the fog lamps, turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB first.