2006 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK280 display

167 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Canceling gear range limit
Press and hold the outside2 of one of
the buttons on the steering wheel
until
D reappears in the multifunction
display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the inside1 of one of
the buttons on the steering wheel.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more gears.Steering wheel gearshift control
SLK 55 AMG
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshiftThe following instructions describe opera-
tion of the steering wheel gearshift control
when driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.
For instructions on operating the steering
wheel gearshift control and gear selector
lever in the manual program modeM, see
“Manual shift program SLK 55 AMG”
(
page 169).iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
The last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted in the automatic
program mode.

168 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*Downshifting
Briefly press button1 on the left side
of the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously limits
the gear range of the transmission
(
page 160) when you are driving in the
automatic program mode (CorS).Upshifting

Briefly press button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmission
when you are driving in the automatic
program mode (CorS).Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel until
D
reappears in the multifunction display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold button1 on the left
side of the steering wheel.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more gears.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.

170 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*The current gear selector lever position
and the selected program mode (
M/C/S)
are indicated in the multifunction display
(
page 158).Activating manual shift program

Press program mode selector
switch1 repeatedly until the
M for
manual program modeM appears in
the multifunction display.
The transmission switches to the
manual program modeM. Automatic
shifting is switched off. The gear range
is not limited.
You can change the gears manually when
the gear selector lever is in positionD. You
can upshift or downshift through the gears
in succession.Upshifting
iFor information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift
program” (
page 163), “Gear selector
lever one-touch gearshifting”
(
page 164), and “Steering wheel
gearshift control one-touch gearshift-
ing” (page 165).
iThe manual program modeM will not
be stored. When the engine is turned
off with the manual program modeM
selected, the transmission will go to
the automatic program mode (CorS)
when the engine is restarted.
!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 24). Otherwise the engine
could be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

171 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
or

Briefly press button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel
(page 167).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
If, instead of the manual program mode
symbolM, thep symbol appears in the
multifunction display (
page 158), shift to
the next higher gear. The fuel supply will
otherwise be interrupted to prevent the
engine from overrevving.Downshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or

Briefly press button1 on the left side
of the steering wheel (
page 167).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
manual program modeM is not possible.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.iWhen you brake or stop, the transmis-
sion shifts down to a gear from which
you can easily accelerate or take off.

172 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*Deactivating manual shift program
Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 169) repeatedly
until
Cor
S appears in the multifunction
display.
or

Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the
automatic program mode (C orS).
The manual program modeM 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 10 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.

192 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*
Item
1
Air volume control, manual
2
UAutomatic mode
3
PFront defroster
4
‚To increase temperature on
the left side
5
´Automatic climate control
on/off
6
‚To increase temperature on
the right side
7
FRear window defroster
(page 177)
8
Air distribution control, manual
9
TResidual heat/ventilation
a
œAC cooling on/off
b
ƒTo lower temperature on the
right side
c
ƒTo lower temperature on the
left side
d
,Air recirculation
e
Display

195 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Activating
Press buttonU (
page 192) while
the engine is running.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air volume and air distri-
bution are adjusted automatically.

Use temperature controls4and6
orbandc (
page 192) to sepa-
rately adjust the air temperature on
each side of the passenger compart-
ment.
The temperature of the vehicle interior
is adjusted automatically.
Deactivating

Press buttonU (
page 192) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The air volume changes to level2
and the air distribution changes
tob. Automatic control of air vol-
ume and air distribution is switched off.
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls4andc for
the left side or6andb for the right side
(page 192) to separately adjust the air
temperature on each side of the passenger
compartment. You should raise or lower
the temperature setting in small incre-
ments, preferably starting at 72°F (22°C).
The climate control will adjust to the set
temperature as fast as possible.Increasing

Press temperature button(s)
4and/or6 (
page 192) until the
desired temperature appears in the
control panel displaye (
page 192).
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Decreasing

Press temperature button(s)
band/orc (
page 192) until the
desired temperature appears in the
control panel displaye (
page 192).
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.

199 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Maximum cooling MAX COOL
When operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic modeU
and there is a high need for cooling,
MAX COOL is activated. This provides the
fastest possible cooling of the vehicle’s in-
terior (when retractable hardtop is closed).MAX COOL
will appear in displaye
(
page 192).
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside (e.g. before driving
through a tunnel). This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the interior.Activating

Press button, (
page 192).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Warning!
G
Fogged windows impair visibility, endanger-
ing you and others. If the windows begin to
fog on the inside, switching off the air
recirculation mode immediately should clear
interior window fogging. If interior window
fogging persists, make sure the air
conditioning (
page 187) is activated, or
press buttonP.
iThe air recirculation mode activates au-
tomatically at high outside tempera-
tures.
The indicator lamp on button, is
not lit when the air recirculation mode
is automatically switched on.
A quantity of outside air is added after
approximately 30 minutes.