Mercedes-Benz 500 SEC Operator's Manual page 74

Selector Lever Positions
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the selector lever.
P Parking lock.
The parking lock is an additional
safeguard to the parking brake when
parking the vehicle. Engage only
with the car stopped.
Note:
The key can be removed from the
steering lock only with the selector
lever in position "P".
With the key removed, the selector
lever is locked in position "P".
R Reverse gear.
Shift to reverse gear only with the
car stopped.
N Neutral.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the rear axle. When the
brakes conditions are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely (pushed
or towed). Do not engage "N" while
driving except to coast when the
vehicle is in danger of skidding
(e.g. on icy roads, see Winter
Driving Instructions in Index).
Important!
Coasting the vehicle, or driving for
any other reason with selector lever
in "N" can result in transmission
damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
D The transmission automatically
upshifts to 4th gear. Position "D"
provides optimum driving
characteristics under all normal
operating conditions.
3 Upshift to 3rd gear only. Suitable
for moderately steep hills.
2 Upshift to 2nd gear only. For
driving in mountainous regions.
Since the transmission does not
shift higher than 2nd gear, this
gear selection will allow use of the
engine's braking power downhill.
B In this position, the engine's
braking effect is utilized by shifting
into 1st gear. Use this position
while descending very steep or
lengthy downgrades and only at
speeds below 40 mph (60 km/h).
Important!
With selector lever in position "D", "4"
or "3", upshifting from 2nd to 3rd gear
is delayed depending on vehicle speed
and engine temperature. This allows
the catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperatures.
During the brief warm-up period this
delayed upshift and increased engine
noise might be perceived as a
malfunction. However, neither the
engine nor transmission are
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