2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CL-Class steering

386 Controls in detailMemory functionThe following settings are stored when us-
ing the buttons on the passenger door:

Front passenger seat, head restraint
high and backrest position


Lumbar support (CL 550)


Drive-dynamic multicontour seat*:
activation/deactivation
MMemory button
1 2 3Memory position buttons
Storing positions into memory
Adjust the seat (
page 368) to the de-
sired position.

On the driver’s side: adjust the steering
wheel (
page 379) and the exterior
rear view mirrors (
page 381) to the
desired position.

Press memory buttonM.

Release memory buttonM and press
one of the memory position buttons
1,2or3 within 3 seconds.
All the settings are stored at the
selected position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold one of the memory
position buttons1,2or3 until the
seat, steering wheel and exterior rear
view mirrors have completely moved to
the stored positions.
!
Do not operate the power seats using a
memory position button if the seat backrest is in
an excessively reclined position. Doing so could
cause damage to front or rear seats.
First move seat backrest to an upright position.
i
Releasing the memory position button
immediately stops movement to the stored
positions.
The drive-dynamic multicontour front seat*
and/or lumbar support (CL 550) will continue to
be adjusted.

391 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
i
If you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country in
which the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
The active Bi-Xenon headlamps monitor
your steering angle and driving speed, then auto-
matically shift their beams to either side to bet-
ter follow the curvature of the road ahead,
increasing usable illumination over conventional
headlamps.
1‚
Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
2ˆ
Standing lamps, right (turn left
one stop)
3M
Off
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 393)
4*
Automatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 393)
5C
Parking lamps (also tail lamps, li-
cense plate lamps, side marker
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
6B
Low beam headlamps or high
beam headlamps
7‡
Front fog lamps
8†
Rear fog lamp
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the low beam headlamps or the
parking lamps before opening the driver’s door.
In addition the message “Please Switch Off
Lights” appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the low beam headlamps or the park-
ing lamps.
If the message “Turn Lights Off or Remove Key”
appears in the multifunction display remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch or switch off
the automatic headlamp mode.
!
Failure to switch off the exterior lamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.

396 Controls in detailLightingSwitching on corner-illuminating lamps
Switch on the left or right turn signal
(page 391), depending on whether
you are turning left or right.
or

Turn steering wheel in desired direc-
tion.
The corner-illuminating lamp on the
side of your steering direction comes
on.
Switching off the corner-illuminating
lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating lamps if they were acti-
vated by switching on the left or right turn
signal.If the turn signal should stay on after mak-
ing the turn, the turn signal and corner-illu-
minating lamp can be switched off by
returning the combination switch to its
original position.
i
If you have switched on the turn signal for
one side but turn the steering wheel in the other
direction, the corner-illuminating lamp comes on
for the side indicated by the turn signal.
i
The corner-illuminating lamps temporarily
come on, on both sides of the vehicle if you turn
the steering wheel in one direction and then in
the other direction shortly thereafter.
i
The corner-illuminating lamps will come on
automatically depending on the steering angle,
even if you did not switch on either turn signal. If
the corner-illuminating lamps came on automat-
ically, they will also go out automatically depend-
ing on the steering angle.
i
When you shift the automatic transmission
in reverse gearR, the corner-illuminating lamp
opposite to your steering direction comes on.
The turn signal has no influence on the corner-il-
luminating lamp on the outside of the curve.
i
If you are driving faster than 43 mph
(70 km/h) when activating the turn signal indica-
tor, the corner-illuminating lamp function is
switched off.
i
The corner-illuminating lamp may remain lit
for a short time. The corner-illuminating lamp
comes on for no more than 20 seconds with the
vehicle standing still. It is then switched off even
if the turn signal is still switched on or you have
turned the steering wheel to full lock.

410 Controls in detailDriving and parking
For more information, see “Driving instruc-
tions” (
page 539).
Turn signalsCombination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch in the
direction of arrow1 or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lampL orK in the instrument
cluster flashes (
page 30).
The combination switch resets automati-
cally after major steering wheel move-
ments.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector le-
ver out of position P or N 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 in 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.
!
Shift the automatic transmission to
positionP or R only when the vehicle is stopped
in order to avoid damaging the transmission.
!
Do not run cold engine at high engine
speeds. Running a cold engine at high engine
speeds may shorten the service life of the en-
gine. This is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty
CL 63 AMG and CL 65 AMG only:
At engine temperatures below 68°F (20° C), the
maximum speed is restricted in order to protect
the engine. Avoid driving the vehicle at full speed
while the engine is cold in order to prevent pre-
mature engine wear as well as diminished com-
fort.
!
Simultaneously depressing the accelerator
pedal and applying the brakes reduces engine
performance and causes premature brake wear
and drivetrain wear which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.


412 Controls in detailDriving and parkingParking
Electronic parking brakeWarning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and the
steering systems. In this case, it is impor-
tant to keep in mind that a considerably
higher degree of effort is necessary to brake
and steer the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay, or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Engage electronic parking brake.


Shift the automatic transmission to park
position P.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.


Turn the SmartKey to starter switch
position0 and remove, or press
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(page 366).


Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you and lock vehicle
when leaving.
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. Children could release the
electronic parking brake and/or shift the
automatic transmission out of park
positionP, either of which could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.

415 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Turning off the engine 
Shift the automatic transmission to
park positionP (
page 421).
Turning off with SmartKey

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 (
page 365) and remove
it.
The immobilizer is activated.Turning off with KEYLESS-GO*

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 366) to turn off the en-
gine.
With the driver’s door closed, the start-
er switch is now in position1. With the
driver’s door opened, the starter switch
is set to position0, same as SmartKey
removed from starter switch
(
page 365).
i
If the engine cannot be turned off as de-
scribed, see “Emergency engine shut-down”
(
page 717).Warning!
G
Do not turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. With the en-
gine not running, there is no power assis-
tance for the brake and steering systems. In
this case, it is important to keep in mind that
a considerably higher degree of effort is nec-
essary to brake and steer the vehicle.
!
Observe instructions


when taking the vehicle through an
automatic conveyor type car wash
(page 598)


when towing the vehicle (
page 710)
!
If you turn off the engine using the
SmartKey and


remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or


open a door
the transmission will shift to park positionP
automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine with the
SmartKey alone only will automatically shift the
transmission to neutral positionN.
i
In an emergency you can turn off the engine
while driving by pressing and holding the
KEYLESS-GO start/ stop button for
approximately 3 seconds.
!
If you turn off the engine using the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button and open the
driver’s or passenger door, the transmission will
shift to park positionP automatically.
Keep in mind that turning off the engine using
the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button alone only
will automatically shift the transmission to
neutral positionN.


417 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
For more information on driving with an
automatic transmission, see “Driving and
parking” (
page 406).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its shift program.
Gear selector lever
The gear selector lever is located on the
right of the steering column.Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmissionPPark position
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive position
i
During the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the catalytic
converter to heat up more quickly to operating
temperature.
Warning!
G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are
obstructing the pedals’ range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets in
the footwell, make sure that the pedals still
have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between the
pedals. You could then no longer brake or
accelerate. This could lead to accidents and
injury.

420 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionShifting from D or R to N
If you want to select neutral positionN
with the transmission being in drive
positionD or reverse gearR:
With the vehicle at a standstill, depress
the brake pedal and keep it pressed.

Press the handle for electronic parking
brake (
page 412).

Move gear selector lever up to resis-
tance point when in drive position D or
down to resistance point when in
reverse gear R to select neutral
positionN.

Release the brake pedal.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

drive positionD(
page 421) with
gear ranges (
page 426)


the selected program mode:
(C/S) (
page 427)
or
(M/C/S) (CL 63 AMG and CL 65 AMG
only) (
page 430)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 424)


the vehicle speedWith drive positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control
buttons (
page 429) or gearshift control
paddles (page 429) to influence trans-
mission shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
i
When the vehicle needs to be moved with
the engine switched off and the transmission set
to neutral positionN (
page 421), do not press
the handle for electronic parking brake.
!
Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the op-
erating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park 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.