2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SL600 cd operation

177 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction
(page 166).
or

Press button2 on the right side of the
steering wheel (
page 174).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
If, instead of the manual program mode
symbol
M, the symbolp appears in the
right multifunction display (
page 165),
shift to the next higher gear. The fuel
supply will otherwise be interrupted to
prevent the engine from overrevving.
Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
MANUAL program mode is not possible.Deactivating manual shift program

Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 175) repeatedly
until
Cor
S appears in the right
multifunction display.
or

Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the
automatic program mode (C orS).
The MANUAL program mode is not
stored.Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
home (emergency operation) mode. In this
mode only second gear and reverse gear
can be activated.
Stop the vehicle.

Move gear selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least ten seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Move gear selector lever to positionD
(for second gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.

183 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Automatic climate control panel
Item
1
Center air vent, adjustable
2
Center air vent, fixed
3
Side defroster vent
4
Side air vent, adjustable
5
Center air vent, adjustable
6
Air volume control for center and
side air vents
7
Automatic climate control paneliFor draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents to the mid-
dle position.
Item
1
Temperature control, left
2
Air distribution, left (automatic or
manual operation)
3
Defrosting
4
Air recirculation
5
Rear window defroster
6
Air distribution, right (automatic or
manual operation)
7
Temperature control, right
8
Automatic climate control on/off
(complete system)
9
Residual heat/ventilation
a
Air volume control (automatic, man-
ual)
b
AC cooling on/off

184 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlThe automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
Warning!
G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents in the
footwell can be very hot or very cold (de-
pending on the set temperature). This may
cause burns or frostbite on unprotected skin
in the immediate area of the air vents. Al-
ways keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the footwell
air vents. If necessary change the air flow
using the air distribution controls to direct
the air away from the footwell air vents
(page 186).
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.
When the retractable hardtop is closed,
do not obstruct air flow by placing ob-
jects on the air flow-through exhaust
slots below the rear window.

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.

199 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
Locking the retractable hardtop after
raising/lowering
If the retractable hardtop is not properly
locked, lock it as described below.Unlocked status noticed when stopped

Switch on ignition.

To lock the hardtop in its fully closed
position, press hardtop switch forward.
The message
+
Retractable roof Closed
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
or:

To lock the hardtop in its fully opened
position, pull up on the hardtop switch.
The message K
Retractable roof
Open
appears in the multifunction dis-
play.Unlocked status noticed while driving

Stop the vehicle.

Leave the ignition switched on.

To lock the hardtop in its fully closed
position, press hardtop switch forward.
The message
+
Retractable roof Closed
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
or:

To lock the hardtop in its fully opened
position, pull up on the hardtop switch.
The message K
Retractable roof
Open
appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
Warning!
G
The hardtop is not fully closed and locked or
not fully opened and locked if:

the indicator light in the hardtop switch
remains lit


the message K
in operation
is
shown in the multifunction display and
the indicator lamp in the hardtop switch
does not go out


the indicator lamp flashes and a warning
sounds for 10 seconds and the message
K
Lock retractable roof
is
shown in the multifunction display when
starting to drive
Warning!
G
Stop the vehicle and lock the hardtop before
continuing to drive. You could otherwise en-
danger yourself and others.

205 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed


ABC with vehicle level control systems,
with which you can change vehicle sus-
pension characteristics


Parktronic*, which assists the driver
during parking maneuvers
For information on the BAS, ABS, and ESP,
see “Driving safety systems” (
page 79).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed above
25 mph (40 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 22).
Warning!
G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must remain at
all times responsible for the vehicle speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road,
traffic, and weather conditions make it ad-
visable to travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate the cruise control when driv-
ing in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

206 Controls in detailDriving systems1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume at last set speedSetting current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The cruise control is activated.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display.Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel the cruise
control:

Step on the brake pedal.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow3.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
Warning
G
Cruise control brakes automatically so that
the set speed is not exceeded.
Keep in mind that cruise control is a conve-
nience system designed to assist the driver
during vehicle operation. The driver is and
must remain at all times responsible for the
vehicle speed and for safe brake operation.
iOn u phil l or d ownhi ll gra de s, the c ru is e
control may not be able to maintain the
set speed. Once the grade eases, the
set speed will be resumed.
On downhill grades, the cruise control
maintains the set speed with active
braking action. In addition, on longer
downhill grades, the automatic trans-
mission will automatically downshift.

207 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a higher speed
Lift the cruise control in direction of
arrow1 (
page 206) and hold it
there until the desired speed is
reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed

Depress the cruise control in direction
of arrow2 (
page 206) and hold it
there until the desired speed is
reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
iThe cruise control switches off auto-
matically if

you step on the brake pedal


you depress the parking brake
pedal
The cruise control also switches off au-
tomatically when


the vehicle speed is below
25 mph (40 km/h)


the ESP is in operation or switched
off with the ESP switch (
page 83)


you move the gear selector lever to
positionN while driving
An accoustic warning sounds and the
message
TMP Off
appears in the mutli-
function display for approximately five
seconds.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate the cruise control. After
brief acceleration (e.g. for passing), the
cruise control will resume the last
speed set.iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.!Moving the gear selector lever to
positionN while driving also cancels
cruise control. However, the gear se-
lector lever should not be moved to
positionN while driving except to coast
when the vehicle is in danger of skid-
ding (e.g. on icy roads).
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the brake system will au-
tomatically brake the vehicle if the en-
gine’s braking power does not brake
the vehicle sufficiently.