....about Fangio (he had an MB dealership in his native Argentina) taking a journalist around a race track in a new 500SEL. The journalist remarked that the ride was unusually smooth given the high speed they were circulating at, noting that Fangio seemed to use the shifter on the auto box quite a bit. Now, I believe 'jornalistic integrity' to be an oxymoron, but, then again, this appears to be an observation, not an opinion.

I have used the 4->3 shift technique for years to avoid the kickdown/noise alternative and would only suggest that you keep an eye on the little dots on the speedometer which indicate shift points. If you are anywhere near the ~70 mph (3 dots) mark, don't risk shifting down. While the rev limiter may catch things in time, why risk it?

Now, my tranny (300SD 1983, 196k) had an overhaul at 130k or so, but that was the result of several years of low speed driving, with many auto shifts, in the city. On the freeway I have used the 4->3 to get things moving for years, and no problems in the last 60k+ miles.