2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SLR CLASS stop start

50 Getting startedDriving
Pull lever2 upwards slightly, press re-
lease knob1 and move the lever
down to the stop.
The warning lamp; (USA only)
or3 (Canada only) in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Driving

Depress the brake pedal.

Place the gear selector lever in
positionD orR.

Release the brake pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
Once the vehicle is in motion, the automat-
ic central locking system engages.
After a cold start, the transmission engag-
es at a higher revolution. This allows the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature earlier.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector le-
ver out ofP orN if the engine speed is high-
er than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly
on the brake pedal, the vehicle could accel-
erate quickly forward or in reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.!In order to avoid damage to the trans-
mission:

Wait for the gear selection process
to complete before setting the vehi-
cle in motion.


Place the gear selector lever in
positionR or P only when the vehi-
cle is stopped.
!If you hear a warning signal when driv-
ing off, you have forgotten to release
the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.!Do not run cold engine at high engine
speed. Running a cold engine at high
engine speed may shorten the service
life of the engine.

55 Getting started
Driving
The coolant temperature is
above 248°F (120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.
Stop the vehicle as soon as possible
and turn off the engine. Allow engine
and coolant to cool.

Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 249).In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking gasoline:

Do not start the engine under any cir-
cumstances.

Notify local fire and/or police authori-
ties.
If the extent of the damage cannot be de-
termined:

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If no damage can be determined on the


major assemblies


fuel system


engine mount:

Start the engine in the usual manner.

56 Getting startedParking and lockingYou have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake
1Parking brake lever
Pull parking brake lever1 up as many
notches as possible.
When the engine is running, the
warning lamp; (USA only)
or3(Canada only) in the
instrument cluster will be illuminated.
Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
system. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the
vehicle.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Pull the parking brake lever up as many
notches as possible.


Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.


Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.


Take the SmartKey and lock the vehicle
when leaving.

105 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
For information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on the headlamps” (
page 51)
and (
page 52).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
MOff
UAutomatic headlamp mode
CParking lamps (also tail lamps,
license plate lamps, side marker
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
BLow beam headlamps (or high
beam headlamps when the
combination switch is pushed
forward) and parking lampsˆStanding lamps, right (turn left one
stop)
‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country where the vehicle is regis-
tered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
iIf you remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch and open the driver’s
door while the parking lamps or low
beam headlamps are switched on, then

a warning sounds


$ appears in the left multifunc-
tion display


the message
Turn off lamps
appears in right multifunction dis-
play

154 Controls in detailAudio systemTrack search backward
Presse button.SEEK RWD
will appear on the display.
Track search will run the tape back-
ward to the start of the track currently
playing and switch to Play.
Stopping track search

Pressd, c, f or
ebutton.
The cassette will switch over to Play.Scanning


Starting scan
Press2 button.SC will appear on the display.
Each track on the cassette will be
played briefly in ascending order.


Stopping scan
Press2, d, c, f or
ebutton.
The system will switch to Play.Fast forward/reverse


Starting cassette fast forward mode
Pressd button.FORWARD
will appear on the display.


Starting cassette fast reverse mode
Pressc button.REWIND
will appear on the display.
The cassette will automatically switch over
to the play mode at the end or beginning of
the tape.


Stopping the cassette fast forward/re-
verse mode
Pressd, c, f or
ebutton.
The cassette will switch over to the
play mode.

167 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
For information on driving with an auto-
matic transmission, see the “Getting
started” section (
page 48).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its gear shift program.
Gearshift patternThe automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

the gear selector lever position D with
gear ranges 4, 3, 2 and 1 (
page 170)


the selected shift program mode
(C/MAN/S)(
page 173)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 173)


the vehicle speed
The current gear selector lever position
(
P/R/N/D
), the gear range (
1/2/3/4
) and
the shift program (
C/M/S) are shown in the
right multifunction display (
page 117).
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the
catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperature.
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached (
page 301).
Shift into park position P or reverse
gearR only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

171 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear selector lever positions
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP. With the SmartKey
removed, the gear selector lever
is locked in positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP.
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All five forward
gears are available.

177 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Upshifting

Press the button2 (
page 174) on
the right side of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
The current gear selector position ap-
pears in the right multifunction display
(page 117).
If the red gearshift indicator lamp>
comes on in the speedometer display
(
page 29), shift to the next higher gear.
The fuel supply will otherwise be interrupt-
ed to prevent the engine from overrevving.
Deactivating manual gearshift program

Turn program mode selector switch1
(page 173) to the C or S setting.
The selected gearshift program ap-
pears in the right multifunction display.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.
!In the manual program modeM, the
transmission will not upshift, even if
the engine has reached its overrevving
range. Shift up to the next gear before
the engine has reached its overrevving
range. Make absolutely certain that the
engine speed does not reach the red
marking on the tachometer
(page 28). Otherwise the engine
could be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.