2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 Climate

186 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAdjusting air distribution
Use air distribution controls2 and6
(page 183) to separately adjust the air
distribution on each side of the passenger
compartment. The following symbols are
found on the controls:
Adjusting manually

Press the control knob.
The U light on the control knob
goes out. The air distribution can be ad-
justed manually.Adjusting automatically

Press the control knob.
The U light on the control knob
comes on. The air distribution is adjust-
ed automatically.
Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on.

Turn the air distribution control to h
or j.
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set to U and there is a high need for
cooling, MAXCOOL is activated.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when retractable
hardtop is closed).
Symbol
Function
h
Directs air through the cen-
ter air vents
j
Directs air to the windows
V
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
k
Directs air to the footwells

187 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Defrosting windshield
Activating
Press button P (
page 183).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating

Press button P (
page 183).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.Activating

Press button , (
page 183).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is below
41°F (5°C), only switch to air recirculation
mode for short periods to prevent window
fogging.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows if there is
the possibility of anyone being harmed by
the closing procedure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the side win-
dows can be immediately halted by
releasing the , button or by pressing or
pulling the respective window switch.

188 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control
Deactivating
Press button , (
page 183).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The air recirculation mode is deactivated
automatically


after five minutes if the outside temper-
ature is below approximately 41°F
(5 °C)


after five minutes if the air conditioner
is turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside temper-
ature is above approximately 41°F
(5 °C)
At outside temperatures above 79°F
(26 °C) the system will not automatically
switch back to outside air. A quantity of
outside air is added after approximately
30 minutes.
iIf you keep button , pressed, the
side windows will close.
The air recirculation mode is activated
automatically

at high outside temperatures


if the concentration of carbon mon-
oxide and nitrogen oxide in the out-
side air increases, for example in a
tunnel
If you have turned off the air condition-
er (page 191) or the outside
temperature is below 41°F (5°C), the
air recirculation mode will not switch
on automatically.
iIf you keep button , pressed, the
side windows will return to their previ-
ous position.

189 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated af-
ter approximately 6 to 17 minutes of oper-
ation depending on the outside
temperature.
Activating
Press button F (
page 183).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating

Press button F (
page 183) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.!The rear window defroster cannot be
switched on when the retractable hard-
top is open. The indicator lamp will
start flashing if the hardtop is open.

Close the retractable hardtop.
The rear window defroster can again be
turned on.
!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts flashing, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically turns itself back on.

190 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlResidual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.Activating

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or0 o r r e m o v e i t f r o m t h e
starter switch.

Press button T (
page 183).
The indicator lamp on button T
comes on.Deactivating

Press button T (
page 183).
The indicator lamp on button T
goes out.
The residual heat is automatically turned
off:


when the ignition is switched on


after about 30 minutes


if the battery voltage drops
iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set by the
operator. The blower will run at speed
setting1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting.

191 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Deactivating the automatic climate control system
Deactivating
It is possible to completely deactivate the
automatic climate control system. 
Press button M (
page 183).
The indicator lamp on button M
comes on.Reactivating
There are several ways to reactivate the
automatic climate control system:

Press any button on the automatic cli-
mate control panel (
page 183).
The indicator lamp on button M
switches off.
or

Turn one of the control knobs on the
automatic climate control.
The indicator lamp on button M
switches off.
Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the automatic
climate control system. The air in the vehi-
cle will then no longer be cooled or dehu-
midified.
Press ± button (
page 183).
The indicator lamp on the ±
button comes on.
iThis setting is only recommended when
the retractable hardtop is open.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.

192 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlActivating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
Press ± again (
page 183).
The indicator lamp on the ± button
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134A. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Ventilated storage compartments
The glove box and the armrest storage
compartment have their own air vents that
allow for cooling ventilation when the auto-
matic climate control system is activated.Glove box1Thumbwheel
2Air ventOpening the air vent

Turn thumbwheel1 upwards.
Closing the air vent

Turn thumbwheel1 downwards.
Storage compartment under the armrest1Thumbwheel
2Air vent
Opening the air vent
Turn thumbwheel1 to the right.
Closing the air vent

Turn thumbwheel1 to the left.
!If the ± button on the automatic cli-
mate control panel starts to flash, this
indicates that the air conditioning is
losing refrigerant. The compressor has
turned off. The air conditioning cannot
be turned on again.

Have the air conditioning checked
at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
iYou should keep these air vents closed
when outside temperatures are low.

193 Controls in detail
Power windows
Power windows
Opening and closing the windows
The side windows are opened and closed
electrically. The switches for all the side
windows are on the driver’s door. The
switch for the passenger side is on the pas-
senger door.
1Left front and rear windows
2Right front and rear windows

Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being injured
by the closing procedure.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if the switch was pulled past the resistance
point and released, by either pressing or
pulling the respective switch.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you pulled the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the window,
the automatic reversal function will stop the
window and open it slightly.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the window by pulling and
holding the switch, by pressing and holding
button ‹on the SmartKey,
or by pressing and holding the lock button
(vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*) on the door
handle, the automatic reversal function will
not operate.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment can
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.iYou can also open or close the win-
dows using the , button on the
control panel of the automatic climate
control (
page 187).