2006 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK55AMG wheel

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.

169 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Manual shift program SLK 55 AMG
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift programM.
In the manual program modeM,
system-controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched off and you need to change the
gears by manually upshifting or downshift-
ing using the steering wheel gearshift but-
tons to the left and right of the steering
wheel (
page 167) or the gear selector
lever.The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
M Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP 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.

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.

179 Controls in detail
Climate control
Item
1
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for adjustable left side air vent
2
Left side air vent, adjustable
3
Fixed air vent for defrosting left side
window
4
Left center air vent, fixed
5
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for fixed/adjustable left center air
vents
6
Left center air vent, adjustable
7
Right center air vent, adjustable
8
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for fixed/adjustable right center air
vents
9
Right center air vent, fixed
a
Fixed air vent for defrosting right
side window
b
Right side air vent, adjustable
c
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for adjustable right side air vent
d
Climate control paneliWhen you turn the thumbwheels5
and8 upwards to the first stop, the
fixed center air vents4 and9 and
the adjustable center air vents6
and7 are open.
When you turn the thumbwheels com-
pletely upwards, only the adjustable
center air vents6 and7 are open.
For draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents6 and7
to the middle position.Item
Item
1
Temperature control, left side
2
Air volume control, climate control
on/off
3
Air distribution control
4
Temperature control, right side
5
FRear window defroster
(page 177)
6
PFront defroster
7
9AC cooling on/off,
Residual heat/ventilation
8
,Air recirculation

182 Controls in detailClimate controlAdjusting air distribution
Use air distribution control3
(page 179) to adjust the air distribution.
The following symbols are found on the
control:

Turn the air distribution control to the
desired symbol (
page 179).
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air distri-
bution.Opening the center air vents

Turn thumbwheels5and8
(page 178) upward to the first stop.
Center air vents4,6,7and9 are
open.

Turn thumbwheels5and8
(page 178) upward all the way.
Only center air vents6and7 are
open.
Symbol
Function
a
Directs air through the
center and side air vents
Z
Directs air to the windows
and through the center and
side air vents
b
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
Y
Directs air to the footwells
and through the center and
side air vents
iYou can also turn the control to a
position between two symbols.

183 Controls in detail
Climate control
Closing the center air vents
Turn thumbwheels5and8
(page 178) downward all the way.
Center air vents4,6,7and9 are
closed.
Opening and closing side air vents

Turn thumbwheels1andc
(page 178) in the required direction.
Side air vents2andb are open or
closed.
Adjusting air volume
Ten blower speeds are available.
Use air volume control2
(page 179) to adjust the air volume.
Basic settings
Heating (winter)
Turn temperature controls1and4
(page 179) to the desired position.

Turn air volume control2
(page 179) to level2 or higher.
Otherwise the windows may fog over.

Turn air distribution control3
(page 179) to a position
betweenbandY.

Open the side air vents if necessary.

Close the center air vents.