Steven,
have a look on Greg's
Porsche 928 Maintenance Tips and Procedures. Porsche used Mercedes transmissions in that cars so the same procedures apply.
>At a red light, I usually drop the gear selector into neutral to reduce the load on the engine.
That is not necessary. Just let it sit in "D".
>Don't really want to engage the kickdown switch because it increases gas consumption.
Starting in 1st gear doesn't look like a good strategy to save fuel, does it? The milage usualy depends on the weight of your right foot
bis denn,
Christian
1989 300TE