MERCEDES-BENZ E63AMG 2007 W211 Owner's Manual

190 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionAutomatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.Program mode selector switchC Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
Program mode selector switch
(E 63 AMG only)M Manual For manual gear shifting
(
page 194)
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty drivingThe selected program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
1Current program mode
!
Never change the program mode when the
gear selector lever is out of park positionP. This
could result in a change of driving characteristics
for which you may not be prepared.
i
The last selected program mode (CorS) is
switched on when the engine is restarted.

191 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission

Press program mode selector switch
repeatedly until the letter of the
desired program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
SelectCfor comfort driving
(E 63 AMG: for standard driving):

The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.


Traction and driving stability are
improved on icy roads.


Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.
SelectSfor standard driving
(E 63 AMG: for sporty driving):


The vehicle starts out in first gear.


Upshifts occur later.Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting
With the gear selector lever in drive posi-
tion D and driving in program modeC orS,
you can limit or extend the gear range.
If your vehicle is equipped with manual
shift programM, you can use the gear
selector lever to manually shift the gears.
The following instructions describe opera-
tion of the gear selector lever when driving
in the automatic program modeC orS.Limiting gear range

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
limits the gear range of the transmis-
sion (
page 189).
i
For information on using the gear selector
lever in program modeM, see “Manual shift pro-
gram E 63 AMG” (
page 194).
!
Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating 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.
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.i
To avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be
exceeded.

192 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionExtending gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmis-
sion.Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD+direction until
D reappears in
the multifunction display (page 186).
The transmission will shift from the
current gear range directly to gear
rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD-direction.
The transmission will automatically
select the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting*
Steering wheel gearshift control is avail-
able on vehicles with AMG-Sport Package*
and E 63 AMG only.
With the gear selector lever in drive
positionD and driving in program modeC
orS, you can limit or extend the gear
range.
If your vehicle is equipped with manual
shift programM, you can use the steering
wheel gearshift control to manually shift
the gears.
i
If you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.
i
For information on using the steering wheel
gearshift control in program modeM, see “Man-
ual shift program E 63 AMG” (
page 194).

193 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gearshift paddles
(example illustration E 63 AMG)1Left shift paddle: limiting gear range or
downshift (in program modeM)
2Right shift paddle: extending gear
range or upshift (in program modeM)
The following instructions describe opera-
tion of the steering wheel gearshift control
when driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.Limiting gear range

Briefly pull left shift paddle1.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
limits the gear range of the transmis-
sion (
page 189).
!
Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating 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.
i
You cannot shift with the steering wheel
gearshift paddles when the gear selector lever is
in positionP,N orR.
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.i
To avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be
exceeded.

194 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionExtending gear range
Briefly pull right shift paddle2.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmis-
sion.Canceling gear range limit

Pull and hold right shift paddle2
until
D reappears in the multifunction
display (page 186).
The transmission will shift from the
current gear range directly to gear
rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Pull and hold left shift paddle1.
The transmission will automatically
select the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.
Manual shift program E 63 AMG
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift programM.
In the manual program modeM,
system-controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched off and you need to change the
gears by manually upshifting or downshift-
ing using the steering wheel gearshift
paddles (
page 193) or the gear selector
lever.
i
If you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.
!
Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating 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.

195 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.Program mode selector switchM Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty driving
The selected program mode appears in the
multifunction display (
page 190).Activating manual shift program

Press program mode selector switch
repeatedly until the
M for manual pro-
gram modeM appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
The transmission switches to the
manual program modeM. Automatic
shifting is switched off. The gear range
is not limited.
You can change the gears manually when
the gear selector lever is in drive
positionD. You can upshift or downshift
through the gears in succession.Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
or

Briefly pull right shift paddle2
(page 193).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
If, instead of the manual program mode
symbolM, thep symbol appears in the
multifunction display (
page 190), shift to
the next higher gear. The fuel supply will
otherwise be interrupted to prevent the
engine from overrevving.
i
For information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift program”
(
page 190), “Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting” (
page 191), and “Steering wheel
gearshift control one-touch gearshifting*”
(
page 192).
i
The manual program modeM will not be
stored. When the engine is turned off with the
manual program modeM selected, the transmis-
sion will go to the automatic program mode
(CorS) when the engine is restarted.
!
In the manual program modeM, the trans-
mission will not upshift, even if the engine has
reached its overrevving range. Shift up to the
next gear before the engine has reached its over-
revving range. Make absolutely certain that the
engine speed does not reach the red marking on
the tachometer (
page 26). Otherwise the
engine could be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

196 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionIf you have selected the AMG menu in the
control system and you are driving in the
manual program modeM, upshift
indicator2 in the multifunction display
advises you to upshift before the engine
reaches the overspeed range. Thus you
can drive at the maximum engine speed for
each gear without overrevving the engine.
1Gear indicator
2Upshift indicator
Shift to the next higher gear.
The fuel supply will otherwise be inter-
rupted to prevent the engine from over-
revving.Downshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or

Briefly pull left shift paddle1
(page 193).
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 195) 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.
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.i
When you brake or stop, the transmission
shifts down to a gear from which you can easily
accelerate or take off.

197 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
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 in a safe location.

Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionD (for second gear) or
positionR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.

198 Controls in detailGood visibilityFor information on windshield wipers, see
“Windshield wipers” (
page 58).
Headlamp cleaning system*
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp cleaning button
Switch on the ignition (
page 37).

Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system*”
(
page 332).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 47).
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 R is engaged


the interior lighting is turned on
i
The headlamps will automatically be
cleaned when you have


switched on the headlamps
and


operated the windshield wipers with wind-
shield washer fluid fifteen times
When you switch off the ignition, the counter re-
sets.

199 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Warning!
G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at the
sensors 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.
Light hitting the mirror(s) at certain angles
(incident light) could blind you. As a result,
you may not be able to observe traffic con-
ditions and could cause an accident.
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 al-
low 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 re-
moved only while in the liquid state by applying
plenty of water.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the
passenger-side exterior rear view mirror.
The mirror surface is convex (outwardly
curved surface for a wider field of view). Ob-
jects in mirror are closer than they appear.
Check your interior rear view mirror or
glance over your shoulder before changing
lanes.