hello guys, this is my first time being on this forum as i just recently bought a used 2003 s500 4matic and I got a question about it... btw it drives really well and looks amazing..

but back to the question the "4matic" part i know it means 4 wheel drive but how do i use it.... where the drivers stick is it has 4 knobs "park" "reverse" "neutral" and "drive" and also there is a button for "c" and "s" beside the park and i don't know what those features do so i just left them how they were but if you could help out that will be very helpful.

 

I hope you have your owners manuals - the car is complex, and you won't get full enjoyment unless you read the manuals. If you don't have them, see post #2 at http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w220...ml#post2282773 and post #3 at http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w220...ighlight=MBUSA.

The 4-Matic is an all-wheel drive system and it is always engaged.

The standard Park, Reverse, Neutral, etc. work just like any automatic transmission. However, if you look closely at the "D" position on the shift quadrant, you will see a "+" and a "-" on either side of the "D". Move the stick right or left to manually upshift or downshift. It is best to return to fully automatic mode before turning off the ignition.

Your gearshift indicator is on the lower right of your instrument cluster. Next to it, a "C" or an "S" is displayed. They are controlled by the similarly labeled switch on the shift quadrant. It is not rocker switch; press it in the center, straight down, to toggle it.

"C" is the "Comfort" position, and starts the car off in second gear. Supposedly it is a more economical setting than "S," (Sport) setting, which starts the car off in first gear. The "C" setting can be useful when driving on ice or in snow, but with AWD I have found it to be less useful than it was with RWD. It was called "W" in my '00 RWD - I always thought of it as "Wet." When you change the setting using the switch on the quadrant, the letter next to your shifter position will also change on the instrument cluster.

Your automatic transmission has an adaptive electronic controller that over time will adapt to the way you drive. While it can be forced to reset (which I won't go into here), it will adapt soon enough on its own from the previous driver, to you.

Before you delve into the forum and get carried away with buying new wheels, especially staggered, be aware that the rolling diameters (revolutions per mile) must always be the same in an AWD (4Matic) system. The best way to accomplish this is to use the same diameter wheels and the same height (not necessarily width) tires. If you use a larger diameter wheel in back, for example, you will have to reduce the height of the tires on the larger wheels - an odd look.

I have gone beyond what you might get from reading the manuals, but much of this is covered in them. When you get them, please take the time to read them. Then we can spend time discussing things beyond the most basic information.

 

The "W" is for Winter.
And "S" for Summer.
According to the car's manual.

 

A manual (and a car) I no longer have. But whether cold or hot out, "W" worked well when the roads were "Wet" (or icy). But as I said, I always thought of it as "Wet" - regardless of the way the manual named it.

And, not surprisingly, "Summer" worked well on dry roads, even when cold out; and acceleration was quicker. Probably why they changed it to "Sport" in my current car (according to its manual).

As for "C" being "Comfort," also according to my manual, it makes no sense to me. It is an incomplete description (just as "Summer" and "Winter" are). It offers no more "comfort" than starting in first. In a 4Matic, it offers no better traction either (though it does in a RWD).

 

The 4matic works all the time. You dont need to do anything to activate it. The 4 knobs are there if you want to go forwards or backwards. The C and S buttons are Comfort and Sport.. It just basically changes how the car shifts its gears.

 

W=WET (2nd gear start to prevent wheel spin)
S=STANDARD