2007 MERCEDES-BENZ SL65AMG transmission

176 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionThe 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 program mode MANUAL, see
“Manual shift program
(SL55AMGandSL65AMG only)”
(page 177).Downshifting

Briefly pull left shift paddle1
(page 175).
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 172).Upshifting

Briefly pull right shift paddle2
(page 175).
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
(
page 172).
Canceling gear range limit

Pull and hold right shift paddle2
(page 175) until
D reappears in the
right multifunction display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Pull and hold left shift paddle1
(page 175).
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more gears.
i
You cannot shift with the steering wheel
gearshift paddle when the gear selector lever is
in positionP,N orR.
The last selected program mode (CorS) is
switched on when the engine is restarted.
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.

177 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Manual shift program (SL 55 AMG and SL 65 AMG only)
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift program MANUAL.
In the MANUAL program mode,
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 pad-
dles (
page 175) or the gear selector
lever.The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
Example illustration SL 65 AMG1Program mode selector switch
MANUAL For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard drivingThe current gear selector lever position
and the selected program mode (
M/C/S)
are indicated in the right multifunction
display (
page 169).
!
Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the op-
erating 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.
i
For information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift program”
(
page 173), “Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting” (
page 174), and “Steering wheel
gearshift control one-touch gearshifting”
(
page 175).

178 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionActivating manual shift program
Press program mode selector
switch1 repeatedly until the
M for
MANUAL program mode appears in
the right multifunction display.
The transmission switches to the
MANUAL program mode. 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

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

Briefly pull right shift paddle2
(page 175).
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 169),
shift to the next higher gear. The fuel
supply will otherwise be interrupted to
prevent the engine from overrevving.
i
The MANUAL program mode will not be
stored. When the engine is turned off with the
MANUAL program mode selected, the transmis-
sion will go to the automatic program mode
(CorS) when the engine is restarted.
!
In the MANUAL program mode, the trans-
mission will not upshift, even if the engine has
reached its overrevving range. Shift up to the
next gear before the engine has reached its over-
revving range. Make absolutely certain that the
engine speed does not reach the red marking on
the tachometer (
page 26). Otherwise the en-
gine could be damaged which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
i
If you have selected the AMG menu in the
control system and the engine reaches the over-
speed range in the manual shift program, the col-
or of the display will switch to red and
UP
appears after the gear indicator, advising you to
upshift.

179 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or

Briefly pull left shift paddle1
(page 175).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.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 177) 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 becomes less re-
sponsive or sluggish or the transmission
no longer shifts, the transmission 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 in a safe location.

Move gear selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Move gear selector lever to drive
positionD (for second gear) or reverse
gearR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as 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.i
When you brake or stop, the transmission
shifts down to a gear from which you can easily
accelerate or take off.

210 Controls in detailDriving systems1Setting current or higher speed
2Setting current or lower speed
3Canceling the cruise control
4Activating the cruise control or resum-
ing to last set speedActivating cruise control
You can activate the cruise control when
the vehicle speed is above
20 mph (30 km/h).
In the following cases you cannot activate
the cruise control:


when you brake


when you have set the parking brake


when the gear selector lever is set to
position P, R, or N


when the ESP
® is switched offSetting current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1 or depress in
direction of arrow2.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The cruise control is activated.
The currently set speed appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
Warning!
G
The cruise control brakes automatically so
that the set speed is not exceeded.
Keep in mind that the cruise control is a con-
venience system designed to assist the driv-
er during vehicle operation. The driver is and
must always remain responsible for the ve-
hicle’s speed and for safe brake operation.
i
The vehicle speed displayed in the speedom-
eter can briefly vary from the speed setting for
the cruise control system.
i
On uphill grades, the cruise 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 by braking with the vehicle’s brake
system. In addition, on longer downhill grades
the automatic transmission will downshift auto-
matically.

219 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting the current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1 or depress in
direction of arrow2 (
page 218).
Distronic is activated and the current
speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.Setting a higher speed

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1 (
page 218) to
increase the vehicle speed in incre-
ments of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
The new speed is set.Setting a lower speed

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in di-
rection of arrow2 (
page 218) to de-
crease the vehicle speed in increments
of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
The new speed is set.
Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly pull the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow4 (
page 218).
i
If you do not take your foot off of the accel-
erator but continue to accelerate past the set
speed, the following message will appear in the
multifunction display:
DTR override
.
The distance to slower moving vehicles in front
of you will not be set. Your vehicle speed will
then be determined only by the accelerator
pedal position.
i
Depressing the accelerator pedal does not
deactivate Distronic. After brief acceleration
(e.g. for passing), the cruise control will resume
the last speed set.
i
When you use the cruise control lever to de-
celerate, the brakes will be applied to support
deceleration.
In addition, the transmission will automatically
downshift on long downhill grades.

254 Controls in detailUseful featuresStep 12:
Confirm the garage door operation by
pressing the programmed signal trans-
mitter button (2, 3 or4).
Step 13:

To program the remaining two signal
transmitter buttons, repeat the steps
above starting with step 3.Gate operator/Canadian programming
Canadian radio-frequency laws require
transmitter signals to “time-out” (or quit)
after several seconds of transmission
which may not be long enough for the
integrated signal transmitter to pick up the
signal during programming. Similar to this
Canadian law, some U.S. gate operators
are designed to “time-out” in the same
manner.
If you live in Canada or if you are having
difficulties programming a gate operator
(regardless of where you live) by using the
programming procedures, replace step 4
with the following:
Step 4:

Press and hold the signal transmitter
button (2, 3 or4). Do not release
this button until it has been successful-
ly trained.

While still holding down the signal
transmitter button (2, 3 or4),
“cycle” your hand-held remote control
button6 as follows: Press and hold
button6 for 2 seconds, then release
it for 2 seconds, and again press and
hold it for 2 seconds. Repeat this se-
quence on the hand-held remote con-
trol until the frequency signal has been
learned. Upon successful training, indi-
cator lamp1 will flash slowly and then
rapidly after several seconds.

Proceed with programming step 5 and
step 6 to complete.
i
Upon completion of programming the inte-
grated remote control, make sure you retain the
hand-held remote control that came with the ga-
rage door opener, gate operator or other device.
You may need it for use in other vehicles, for fu-
ture programming of an integrated remote con-
trol, or simply for continued use as a hand-held
remote control to operate the respective device
in other situations.


267 Operation
Driving instructions
Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal brake effect.
Depressing the brake pedal periodically
when traveling at length on salt-strewn
roads can bring road-salt-impaired braking
efficiency back to normal.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt-treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed.
For more information, see “Winter driving”
(
page 316).
Standing water
Warning!
G
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when carrying out these braking ma-
neuvers.
Warning!
G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make
sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around the vehicle with the
engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle in-
terior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the wind.Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an Ice-Warning Device
and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice.
!
Do not drive through flooded areas or water
of unknown depth. Before driving through water,
determine its depth. Never accelerate before
driving into water. The bow wave could force wa-
ter into the engine and auxiliary equipment, thus
damaging them.
If you must drive through standing water, drive
slowly to prevent water from entering the pas-
senger compartment or the engine compart-
ment. Water in these areas could cause damage
to electrical components or wiring of the engine
or transmission, or could result in water being in-
gested by the engine through the air intake,
causing severe internal engine damage. Any
such damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.