Mercedes-Benz C 230 1998 Owner's Manual page 83

Autom atic Transm ission
The autom atic transm ission selects
individual gears autom atically,
dependent upon
• Selector lever position
• Program m ode selector
• Accelerator position
• Vehicle speed
Important!
When parking the car or before
working on the vehicle with the
engine running, firm ly depress the
parking brake pedal and shift the
selector lever into " P" .
Driving
The selector lever is autom atically
locked w hile in position " P" . To
move the selector lever out of
position "P" , the service brake
pedal m ust be firm ly depressed
before the shift lock will release.
Shift selector lever to the desired
position only when the engine is
idling norm ally and the service
brake is applied. Do not release
the brake until ready to drive. The
vehicle may otherw ise start creep­
ing when the selector lever is in
drive or reverse position.
W arning!
It is dangerous to shift the se­
lector lever out of "P " or "N " if
the engine speed is higher
than idle speed. If your foot is
not firm ly on the brake pedal,
the car could accelerate
quickly forward o r in reverse.
You could lose control of the
car and hit som eone or
som ething. O nly shift into gear
when the engine is idling
norm ally and w hen you r right
foot is firm ly on the brake
pedal.
Important!
A fter selecting any driving position
from " N" or " P" , w ait a m om ent to
allow the gear to fully engage
before accelerating, especially
when the engine is cold.
A ccelerato r Position
Partial throttle = early upshifting =
norm al acceleration
Full throttle = later upshifting =
rapid acceleration
Kickdow n (depressing the accel­
erator beyond full throttle) =
dow nshifting to a low er gear =
m axim um acceleration. Once the
desired speed is attained, ease up
on the a ccelerator - the tran sm is­
sion shifts up again.