Mercedes-Benz 2008 M-Class Operator's Manual page 189

Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
i
Make it a practice to always shift into park
position P before turning off the engine and
remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or
open a front door
or when using KEYLESS-GO*, before turning off
the engine with the start/stop button and open-
ing a front door.
188
Effect
í
Reverse gear
Shift into reverse gear R only
when the vehicle is stopped.
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the transmis-
sion, never shift into neutral
position N while driving.
®
If the ESP is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Shift into neutral position N only
if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
!
If you turn off the engine using the
SmartKey or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button, the transmission will shift to neutral
position N automatically.
If you want the gear position to remain in
neutral position N, e.g. when taking the
vehicle through an automatic conveyor
type car wash, observe the following
instructions.
Warning!
When leaving the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch, do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle.
It is possible for children to switch on the
ignition which could result in unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment.
A child's unsupervised access to a vehicle
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
G