MERCEDES-BENZ CLS500 2006 W219 Owner's Manual
Page 191 of 498
190 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionDownshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or
Briefly press button2 on the left side
of the steering wheel (
page 186).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
manual program modeM is not possible.
Deactivating manual shift program
Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 188) repeatedly until
Cor
S appears in the multifunction
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 becomes less re-
sponsive or sluggish or the transmission
no longer shifts, the transmission is most
likely operating in limp-home (emergency
operation) mode. In this mode only second
gear and reverse gear can be selected.
Stop the vehicle.
Move gear selector lever toP.
Turn off the engine.
Wait at least 10 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.
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.
Page 192 of 498
191 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
For information on windshield wipers, see
“Windshield wipers” (
page 54).
Headlamp cleaning system*
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer button
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For more information on filling up the
washer reservoir, see the “Operation” sec-
tion (
page 300).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 44).
Auto-dimming mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when
the ignition is switched on
and
incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view mir-
ror.
The rear view mirrors will not react if
reverse gear is engaged
the interior lighting is turned on
iThe headlamps are cleaned automati-
cally if:
the lights are switched on
and
the windscreen is wiped with wind-
screen washer fluid fifteen times
If the ignition is switched off, the auto-
matic headlamp cleaning mode is reset
and counting is resumed from 0.
Page 193 of 498
192 Controls in detailGood visibility
Activating exterior rear view mirror
parking position
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror will be
turned downward to the stored position.
The buttons are located on the driver’s
door.
1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror button
Warning!
G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at sen-
sors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the rear window sun-
shade* is in raised position.
Glare can endanger you and others.Warning!
G
In case of an accident, liquid electrolyte may
escape from the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not
allow the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.
!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can be
completely removed only while in the
liquid state by applying plenty of water.Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
terior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
Page 194 of 498
193 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Make sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 133).
Make sure the
Mirror adjustment
parking aid function in the
Conve-
nience
submenu of the control system
is switched to
on (page 169).
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
Press button2 for the passenger-side
exterior rear view mirror.
Place the gear selector lever in reverse
gearR.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror will be turned downward to the
stored position.
The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:
10 seconds after you put the gear
selector lever out of positionR
immediately once you exceed a vehicle
speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h)
immediately when you press button1
for driver’s side mirror.
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
Swing sun visors1 down when you
experience glare.1Sun visor
2Mirror cover
3Mirror lamp
4Mounting
5Vanity mirror
To use the vanity mirror5, lift up the
mirror cover2.
Make sure the sun visor is properly
engaged in the mounting4.
Lamp3 switches on.
Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.
Page 195 of 498
194 Controls in detailGood visibilityIf sunlight enters through a side window:
Disengage sun visor1 from
mounting4.
Pivot sun visor to the side.
Rear window sunshade*
The switch is located in the center console.
1Rear window sunshade switch
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
Press switch1 briefly to raise the sun-
shade.
Press switch1 briefly to lower the
sunshade.
Always raise the sunshade fully for its sup-
port against the window frame.
iIf sun visor1 is disengaged from
mounting4 with mirror cover2
open, mirror lamp3 will switch off.
Warning!
G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
be sure that there is no danger of anyone
being harmed by the raising or lowering pro-
cedure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be
immediately halted by briefly pressing
switch1. To reverse direction of move-
ment, press switch1 again.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment can
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Page 196 of 498
195 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated
after approximately 6 to 20 minutes of
operation depending on the outside tem-
perature.
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).Activating
Press buttonF (
page 195) or
button1 (
page 199) on the
respective climate control panel.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating
Press buttonF (
page 195) or
button1 (
page 199) 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
automatically turns itself back on.
Page 197 of 498
196 Controls in detail4-zone automatic climate control
Page 198 of 498
197 Controls in detail
4-zone automatic climate control
1
Left side defroster vent, fixed
2
Left center air vent, adjustable
3
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
4
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
5
Right center air vent, adjustable
6
Right side defroster vent, fixed
7
Right side air vent, adjustable
8
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right side air vent
9
Climate control panel
a
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left side air vent
b
Left side air vent, adjustable
Page 199 of 498
198 Controls in detail4-zone automatic climate controlCanada only1
Air distribution, left
2
Front defroster
3
Temperature rocker switch, left
4
Display
5
Temperature rocker switch, right
6
Rear window defroster
7
Air distribution, right
8
Air distribution and air volume, right
(automatic, manual)
9
AC cooling on/off
a
Rear air-conditioning remote control
b
Increase air volume
c
Climate control on/off
d
Decrease air volume
e
Residual heat/ventilation
f
Air recirculation
g
Air distribution and air volume, left
(automatic, manual)
Page 200 of 498
199 Controls in detail
4-zone automatic climate control
USA only1
Air distribution, left
2
Front defroster
3
Temperature rocker switch, left
4
Display
5
Temperature rocker switch, right
6
Rear window defroster
7
Air distribution, right
8
Air distribution and air volume, right
(automatic, manual)
9
AC cooling on/off
a
Rear air-conditioning remote control
b
Increase air volume
c
Climate control on/off
d
Decrease air volume
e
Air recirculation
f
Air distribution and air volume, left
(automatic, manual)