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Problems with the engine
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The engine does not
start. The HOLD function or DISTRONIC PLUS is activated.
X Deactivate the HOLD function (Y page 200) or DISTRONIC
PLUS (Y page 198).
X Try to start the engine again. The engine does not
start. The starter motor
can be heard. R
There is a malfunction in the engine electronics.
R There is a malfunction in the fuel supply.
X Before attempting to start the engine again, turn the key in the
ignition back to position 0or press the Start/Stop button
repeatedly until all indicator lamps in the instrument cluster go
out.
X Try to start the engine again (Y page 161). Avoid excessively
long and frequent attempts to start the engine, as this will drain
the battery.
If the engine does not start after several attempts: X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The engine does not
start. The starter motor
can be heard. The
reserve fuel warning
lamp is lit and the fuel
gauge display shows 0. The fuel tank is empty.
X Refuel the vehicle. The engine does not
start. You cannot hear
the starter motor. The on-board voltage is too low because the battery is too weak or
discharged.
X Jump-start the vehicle (Y page 355).
If the engine does not start despite attempts to jump-start it:
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The starter motor was exposed to a thermal load that was too high.
X Allow the starter motor to cool down for approximately two
minutes.
X Try to start the engine again.
If the engine still does not start:
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. 166
DrivingDriving and parking
Page 170 of 417

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Vehicles with a petrol
engine:
The engine is not run-
ning smoothly and is
misfiring. There is a malfunction in the engine electronics or in a mechanical
component of the engine management system.
X Only depress the accelerator pedal slightly.
Otherwise, non-combusted fuel may get into the catalytic con-
verter and damage it.
X Have the cause rectified immediately at a qualified specialist
workshop. The coolant tempera-
ture display is showing
more than 120 †. The
coolant warning lamp
may also be on and a
warning tone may
sound. The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine
is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
X Stop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
X Check the coolant level (Y page 331). Observe the warning
notes as you do so and top up the coolant if necessary. If the coolant level is correct, the engine radiator fan may be faulty.
The coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled
sufficiently.
X If the coolant temperature is below 120 †, you can continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
X Avoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in
mountainous terrain and stop-start traffic. Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate. G
WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi- cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake. Automatic transmission
167Driving and parking Z
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Selector lever (AMG vehicles)
Overview of transmission positions Selector lever in AMG vehicles with P button
j Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display !
If the transmission position display in the
multifunction display is not working, you
should pull away carefully to check whether the desired transmission position is
engaged. For this purpose, we recommend
selecting transmission position Dand auto-
matic drive program E(drive program Cin
AMG vehicles) or S.:
Transmission position display
; Drive program display
The current transmission position and drive
program appear in the multifunction display. Engaging park position P
X
When the vehicle is stationary, press but-
ton :. DIRECT SELECT lever
Overview of transmission positions j
Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear
i Neutral
h Drive
The DIRECT SELECT lever is on the right of the
steering column.
i The DIRECT SELECT lever always returns
to its original position. The current trans-
mission position P,R, Nor Dappears in the
transmission position display (Y page 169)
in the multifunction display. 168
Automatic transmissionDriving and parking
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Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display !
If the transmission position display in the
multifunction display is not working, you
should pull away carefully to check whether the desired transmission position is
engaged. Ideally, you should select trans-
mission position Dand drive program Eor
S. :
Transmission position display
; Drive program display
The current transmission position and drive
program appear in the multifunction display.
i The arrows in the transmission position
display show how and into which transmis-
sion positions you can change using the
DIRECT SELECT lever.
Engaging park position P !
If the engine speed is too high, do not shift
the automatic transmission directly from D
to R, from Rto Dor directly to P. Otherwise,
the automatic transmission could be dam-
aged. j
Park position with parking lock
k Reverse gear i
Neutral
h Drive
X Push the DIRECT SELECT lever in the direc-
tion of arrow P.
i The automatic transmission shifts into
park position Pautomatically:
R if you open the driver's door while the
vehicle is stationary in transmission posi-
tion Dor R
R if you open the door while travelling at
very low speeds in transmission position
D or R
i Depressing the brake and pushing the
DIRECT SELECT lever up or down disen-
gages the parking lock. The transmission is in Nneutral.
In order to shift from park position P
directly into Ror D:
R depress the brake pedal and
R push the DIRECT SELECT lever up or
down past the first point of resistance
Engaging reverse gear R !
Only shift the automatic transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary.
X Push the DIRECT SELECT lever up past the
first point of resistance.
i The ECO start/stop function is not avail-
able when reverse gear is engaged.
For further information on the ECO start/
stop function, see (Y page 163). Automatic transmission
169Driving and parking Z
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Shifting to neutral N
G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they can:
R open doors and endanger other persons or
road users
R climb out and be injured by the traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and, for exam-
ple, trap themselves.
Children could also set the vehicle in motion, for example by:
R releasing the parking brake
R shifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
R starting the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children unattended in the vehicle. Always
keep the key out of reach of children.
X Push the DIRECT SELECT lever up or down
to the first point of resistance.
Engaging drive position D X
Push the DIRECT SELECT lever down past
the first point of resistance. Transmission positions
B Park position
This prevents the vehicle from roll-
ing away when stopped. Do not
shift the transmission into position
P (Y page 180) unless the vehicle
is stationary.
The automatic transmission shifts
to Pautomatically if you:
R remove the key
R switch off the engine when in R
or Dand open one of the front
doors C Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary. A Neutral
Do not shift the transmission to
N
while driving. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be dam-
aged.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
only shift the transmission to posi- tion Nif the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
If you switch off the engine using
the key or the Start/Stop button,
the automatic transmission shifts
to neutral Nautomatically.
! Rolling in neutral
Ncan lead to
damage to the transmission. 7 Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.170
Automatic transmissionDriving and parking
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Driving tips
Changing gear The automatic transmission shifts to the indi-
vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D. Gearshifting is deter-
mined by:
R the selected drive program (Y page 171)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
(Y page 171)
R the road speed
Accelerator pedal position Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
R little throttle: early upshifts
R more throttle: late upshifts
AMG vehicles When shifting down, the double-clutch func-
tion is active regardless of the currently selec- ted drive program. The double-clutch functionreduces load change reactions and is condu-cive to a sporty driving style. The sound gen-
erated by the double-clutch function depends
on the drive program selected.
Kickdown Use kickdown for maximum acceleration:
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
X Ease off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Towing a trailer X
Drive in the middle of the engine speed
range on uphill gradients.
X Manual drive program: depending on the
uphill or downhill gradient, shift into a gear
(Y page 174) in which the engine will run in the middle of the engine speed range. This
also applies if cruise control, DISTRONIC
PLUS or SPEEDTRONIC are activated. Program selector button
General notes All vehicles (except CLS 350, AMG vehicles and
vehicles with the AMG Sports package)
X Press program selector button :repeat-
edly until the letter for the desired gearshift
program appears in the multifunction dis-
play. Vehicles with the AMG Sports package
X Press program selector button :repeat-
edly until the letter for the desired drive
program appears in the multifunction dis-
play. Automatic transmission
171Driving and parking Z
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CLS 350
X Press program selector button :repeat-
edly until the letter for the desired drive
program appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
The program selector button allows you to
choose between different driving character-
istics.
i Further information about permanent
drive program M(Y page 175).
In addition to permanent drive program M,
you can also activate temporary drive pro-
gram M(Y page 174). E
Economy Comfortable, economical
driving
E+
Economy
Plus Comfortable, particularly
economical driving
S
Sport Sporty driving style
M
Manual Manual gearshifting
i
For further information on the automatic
drive program, see (Y page 173).
i The automatic transmission switches to
automatic drive program Eeach time the
engine is started. AMG vehicles Drive program selector with manual drive program
X Turn drive program selector :until the
desired drive program appears in the mul-
tifunction display in the speedometer.
The drive program indicator on drive pro-
gram selector :lights up in red.
i Further information about permanent
drive program M(Y page 175).
In addition to permanent drive program M,
you can also activate temporary drive pro-
gram M(Y page 174). C
Controlled
Efficiency Comfortable, economical
driving
S
Sport Sporty driving style
S+
SportPlus Extremely sporty driving
style
M
Manual Manual gearshifting
RS
RACE
START Optimal vehicle accelera-
tion from a standstill
i
For further information on the automatic
drive program, see (Y page 173).
i The automatic transmission switches to
automatic drive program Ceach time the
engine is started.
i RS
cannot be selected during normal driv-
ing. For further information on RACE
START, see (Y page 201).172
Automatic transmissionDriving and parking
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Steering wheel gearshift paddles
In the manual drive program, you can change
gears manually using steering wheel gearshift
paddles :and ;.
Further information about permanent drive
program M(Y page 175).
Further information about temporary drive
program M(Y page 174).
i You can only change gear with the steer-
ing wheel gearshift paddles when the trans- mission is in position D.Automatic drive program
Automatic drive program E Drive program
E(drive program Con AMG
vehicles) is characterised by the following:
R comfort-oriented engine and automatic
transmission settings.
R optimal fuel consumption resulting from
the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner.
R the vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears unless the accel- erator pedal is depressed fully.
R increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for
example.
R the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. This results in the vehicle being
driven at lower engine speeds and the
wheels being less likely to spin. Automatic drive program E+ (CLS 350) Drive program
E+is characterised by the fol-
lowing:
R comfort-oriented engine and automatic
transmission settings.
R optimal fuel consumption resulting from
the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner.
R the vehicle pulling away more gently in
forward and reverse gears unless the accel-
erator pedal is depressed fully.
R increased sensitivity. This improves driving
stability on slippery road surfaces, for
example.
R the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. This results in the vehicle being
driven at lower engine speeds and the
wheels being less likely to spin.
R overrun mode is active in the 60 km/h to
160 km/h speed range if:
- the combustion engine is disconnected
from the drive train
- the engine speed is equal to the engine
idling speed
- the multifunction display shows drive
program E+and the transmission posi-
tion display goes out (Y page 169)
Drive program E+can be activated under the
following conditions:
R the speed range lies between 60 km/h and
160 km/h
R the type of road is suitable, e.g. no steep
gradients
R you are no longer depressing the accelera-
tor pedal
Drive program E+is deactivated under the
following conditions:
R you depress the accelerator pedal
R you depress the brake pedal
R you use the DIRECT SELECT lever to switch
the transmission position (Y page 168)
R you switch to drive program Eor S
(Y page 171) Automatic transmission
173Driving and parking Z