2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER transmission

Automatic transmission
104
Manua
lgearshif tprogram on th eSL63
AMG In manual gearshift program
M,you can
chang egear usin gthe steerin gwhee lgear-
shift paddles or th eselector lever. Manual
gearshift program Mcan be selected using
th ep rogram selector.
SL 63 AM Gprogram selector 1
Program selector C Fo
rc omfort mode S Fo
ra ll normal drivin gcon-
dition s(Sp ortp rogram) S+ SportPlus mode (with
shorter shift times) M Fo
rm anual gearshifting RS RACE START
i
RScanno tbeselecte dduring normal driv-
ing. Fo rfurther information on RACE
START ,see (Y page 138).
X To activate: turnp rogram selector 1
clockwise until Mappears in th espeedom-
eter display.
Indicator M1 on th eprogram selector
lights up in red.
If th eselecto rlever is in position D,you can
shift up or down through th egears. The gear
currentl yselecte dand engage disshown in
th ed isplay.
X To deactivate: turnp rogram selector 1
until Sor Cappears in th edisplay.
Upshifting
X Briefly press th eselecto rlever to th eright
towards D+
or X
Pull th eright-hand steerin gwhee lgearshift
paddle (Y page 102).
The automatic transmissio nshift suptot he
next gear.
! In manual gearshift program M,theauto-
matic transmissio ndoesn otshift up auto-
matically eve nwhen th elimitin gspeed for
th ec urren tgear is reached. Whe nthe lim-
itin gspeed is reached, th efue lsupply is cut
to preven tthe engin efromo verrevving.
You mus tmakes uret hatthe engin espeed
doe snotreach th ered are aoftherev coun-
ter. There is otherwise ariskofe ngine
damage.
X Shift up agear if th ecolour in th edisplay
changes to red and UPappears in th erev
counter.
Downshifting G
Risk of accident
Do no tchang ed own fo radditional engine
braking on aslipper yroads urface. This
could caus ethe drive wheels to los etheir
grip and th evehicl ecould skid.
X Briefly press th eselecto rlever to th eleft
towards D-
or Cont
rols
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Driving sys
tems 127
i
Deceleratio nofthe vehicl ebymeans of
the cruis econtrol lever is assiste dbyauto-
matic applicatio nofthe brakes.
On long downhil lgradients ,the automatic
transmission shifts down as afurthe rmeas-
ure.
Making fine adjustments in 1km/h
increments X
Briefl ypress the cruis econtrol lever up
1 for ahighe rspeed or down 4for a
lowe rspeed.
Th elasts peed stored is increase dor
reduced.
Deactivating cruis econtrol There ar
eseveral ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X Briefl ypress the cruis econtrol lever for-
wards 6.
or
X Brake.
or X
Briefl ypress the cruis econtrol lever in the
directio nofarrow 5.
Variable Speedtroni ciss elect ed.LIM indi-
cator lamp 2in the cruis econtrol lever
lights up.
Cruise control is automaticall ydeact ivate dif,
for example:
R yo ud epress the parking brake
R yo ua redriving at less tha n30km/h
R ESP ®
is intervening or yo udeact ivate
ESP ®
R yo um ovet he selector lever to Nwhil edriv-
ing
If cruis econtrol is deactivated, yo uwillh ear
aw arning tone .You will se ethe Cruise con-
tro loffmessage in the multi-functio ndis-
play of the speedomete rfor approximately
five seconds.
i Thelas ts peed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. Distronic*
Distroni cregulate sthe spee dand automati-
call ym aintains the distance to the vehicl ein
front. It brakes automaticall yinorder to avoid
exceeding the se tspeed .Onl onga nd steep
downhil lgradients ,especially if the vehicl eis
laden, yo umusts elect shift range 1,2or 3.
By doing so yo uwillm akeu seof the braking
effect of the engine ,which relieves the load
on the brake syste mand prevents the brakes
fro mo verheating and wearing too quickly. G
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Do not change down for additional engine
braking on aslipper yroads urface. This
could caus ethe drive wheels to lose their
gri pa nd the vehicl ecould skid. G
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Distroni ciso nlyana iddesigne dtoassist
driving. Th edriver remains full yresponsible
for the vehicle' sdistance fro mother vehi-
cles, the vehicle' sspeed and braking in
good time. Controls
*o ptional
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Driving sys
tems 1291
To store the current spee dorahigher
speed
2 LIM indicator lamp
3 To select the current or last store dspeed
4 To store the current spee doralower
speed
5 To switc hbetween Distronicand variable
Speedtronic
6 Deactivatin gDistronic
Sele ctingD istronic X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp 2is off.
If it is off, Distroni cisa lready selected.
If it is not, pres sthe cruis econtro llever in
the direction of arrow 5.
LIM indicator lamp 2in the cruis econtrol
leve rgoeso ut.D istroni ciss elec ted. Switching on
Distronic,storingand
maintainin gthe current speed If Distroni
cisn ot activated after the cruise
contro llever is pressed, youw ills ee the mes-
sage DTR- --km/h in the multi-function
displa y.
Yo uc anno tactivat eDistroni cinthe following
circumstances:
R ifyo ua redrivin gslowe rtha n3 0km/ hor
faster than 180 km/h
R when braking
R when yo uhavea pplied the parking brake
R if ESP ®
is deactivated
R when the selector lever is in position P,R
or N
R for two minutes afte rthe engine is started
X Accelerate the vehicle to the desired
speed.
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up
1 or down 4.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Distronic is activated .The vehicle main-
tains the store dspeed until the distance to
the vehicle in front becomes too small. i
If yo udon ot fully release the accelerator
pedal ,the DTR passive messageappears
in the multi-function display. The distance
to as lower-moving vehicle in front will then
not be preset. You will be driving at the
speed yo udetermine with the accelerator
pedal.
Setting aspeed X
Pres sthe cruise control lever up 1for a
higher speed or down 4for alower speed.
X Kee pthe cruise control lever presse duntil
the desire dspeed is reached.
X Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is stored.
i Deceleration of the vehicle by means of
the cruise control lever is assiste dbyauto-
mati capplicatio nofthe brakes.
On long downhil lgradients, the automatic
transmission also shifts down. Controls
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Driving
tips 192 G
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Ne wb rake pads/lining sonlyr each their
optimum braking effect after several hun-
dre dkilometres of driving. Before thi sopti-
mu mb raking effect is reached, yo ushould
compensate for the reduced braking effect
by applying greate rpressure when braking.
This also applie safter the brake discs or the
brake pads/lining shaveb eenr eplaced.
High-performanc ebrak esystemf or
AM Gvehicles Th
eh igh- performance brake syste mis
designe dfor heav yloads .Braking ca nthere-
for ec ause noises. This will depend on:
R speed
R braking force
R environmental conditions ,suc hast emper-
ature and humidity
Th ew earofi ndividua lcomponents of the
brake system, such as the brake pads/linings
or brake discs ,depen ds on the individua ldriv-
ing style and operating conditions.
Becaus eofthis, it is impossibl etostate a
mileag ethatw illbev alidunder al lcircum-
stances .Anaggressive driving style will lead
to high wear. Tyre grip
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Whereas the vehicl ecan be full ycontrolled
at ac ertai nspeed on dry roads ,you must
reduc eyours peed on we toricy roads to
achieve the same roa dsafety .Otherwise
yo uc ould caus eanaccident.
Pa yp articula rattentio ntothe roa dcondi-
tions at temperatures around freezing
point.
If ice ha sformed on the roa dsurface (e.g.
fro mf og), alight film of water rapidl yforms
on the ice when yo ubrake, considerably
reducing tyr egrip. Drive with particular
care in such weather conditions. Driving on we
troads
If water ha saccumulate dtoacertaindepth
on the roa dsurface, there is adangerofa qua-
planing occurring, eve nif:
R yo ud rive at lo wspeeds
R the tyres have adequate trea ddepth
For thi sreason, do not drive in tyr eruts, and
brake carefully. Driving on flooded roads
If yo uhavetod rive on stretche sofroadon
which water ha scollected ,pleas ebearin
mind that:
R the maximum permitted still water depth is
12 cm
R yo us houl ddrive no faste rtha natw alking
pace
! Bea rinm indt hatv ehicles travelling in
front or in the opposite directio ncreate
waves .Thism aycaus ethe maximum per-
missibl ewater depth to be exceeded.
Yo um usto bser ve these notes, otherwise
damage ma yoccu rtot he engine ,electrics
and transmission. Operation
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Troubleshooting
246 Automatic transmission
Problem Possible cause/consequence Suggeste
dsolutions Th
et ransmission ha sproblems
shifting gear Th
et ransmission is losing oil. X
Have the transmission checked at aqualified specialis tworkshop
immediately. Th
ea cceleratio nability is deteri-
orating.
Th et ransmission no longer
change sgear. Th
et ransmission is in emergency
mode.
It is onl ypossibl etos hift into
2nd gear and revers egear. X
Stop the vehicle.
X Move the selector lever to P.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignition lock.
X Wait at leas t10second sbefor er estarting the engine.
X Move the selector lever to position Dor R.
If D is selected ,the transmission shifts into 2ndgear;ifRis selec-
ted ,the transmission shifts into revers egear.
X Have the transmission checked at aqualified specialis tworkshop
immediately. Practical advice
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Battery
277step ou
tofthe vehicl efirst and touch the
bodywork.
R Do not wipe the battery using acloth. The
battery ma yexplode as aresul tofe lec-
trostati ccharge or du etoflying sparks.
! Switch the engine off and remove the key
befor eunscrewing or disconnecting the
termina lclamps fro mthe battery .You may
otherwis edestro ye lectronic components
such as the alternator.
i Mercedes-Benz recommends tha tyou
have al lworki nvolving the battery ,e.g.
removing, charging and replacing ,carried
ou tata qualified specialis tworkshop ,e.g.
aM ercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Installation locatio nofthe battery Your vehicl
eisequippe dwitht wo batteries:
R Starter battery in the engine compartment
R Consumer battery in the boot Starter battery in the engine compartment
1 Positive terminal
2 Negative terminal Disconnecting the battery
G
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If the battery is disconnected:
R the brake boosting effect will not be avail-
able .Greate rbraking force will then be
required and the brake peda ltravel will
be longer. If necessary ,depress the
brake peda lwithm aximum force.
R yo uc an no longe rturnt he key in the igni-
tio na nd,onv ehicles with KEYLESS GO*, pressing the KEYLESS GO button*
will have no effect
R the selector lever is locked in position P
! Alway sdisconnect the battery in
the order describe dbelow .Never swap the
termina lclamps .You mayotherwis edam-
ag et he vehicl eelectronics.
Disconnecting the starte rbattery X
Firmly depress the parking brake and shift
the selector lever to position Pon vehicles
with automatic transmission*.
X Switch off al lelectrical consumers.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignition
lock and remove it.
X Open the bonnet.
X Remov ethe negative termina lclamp from
the battery.
X Remov ethe cove rfromt he positive termi-
nal clamp.
X Remov ethe positive termina lclamp from
the battery.
X Disconnect the breather hose. Practical advice
*o ptional
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Towin
gand tow-starting 281
!
Youm aytow the vehicl efor am aximum
of 50 km. Atowing spee dof50k m/h must
not be exceeded.
With towing distances ove r50km, the
entire vehicl eneeds to be lifted up and
transported.
! Onlysecur ethe tow cable or towing bar
to the towing eyes .You mayotherwise
damage the vehicle.
R Vehicle swithana utomatic transmission
must not be tow-started.
R If the engine does not start, try jum pstart-
ing (Y page 279).
R If it is not possibl etojump-star tthe vehicle,
have it towed to the neares tqualified spe-
cialist workshop ,e.g.aM ercedes-Benz
Service Centre.
R If the vehicl ehassuffered transmission
damage ,onlyt ow it with the propeller shaft
disconnected.
R Th es elect or lever must be in position Non
vehicles with automatic transmission.
R If yo uaretowing the vehicl eoverac onsid-
erabl edistance, thi smayonl ybed onew ith
the rea raxler aised. R
Th eign ition must be switched off if yo uare
towing the vehicl ewitht he front/rear axle
raised .Interventio nbyESP®
could other-
wise damage the brake system.
R Before towing the vehicle, make sure that
the battery is connected and charged. Oth-
erwise:
-Yo uc ann ot switch on the ignition
- Yo uc ann ot mov ethe selector lever to N
- Yo uh avenos upport when braking
i Switch off the automatic locking feature
befor ethe vehicl eistowed (Y page 120).
Yo uc ould otherwis ebelocked ou twhen
pushing or towing the vehicle. Fittin
gthe towin geye
Opening the front cover Th
em ounting sfor the removabl etowing eyes
ar el ocat ed in the bumpers. They ar eloc ated
at the front and rea runder the covers on the
right-hand side of the vehicl ewhenv iewed in
the directio noftravel. 1
Cover
X Press the uppe rsectio nofc over1back
in the directio nofthe arrow whil eatthe
same tim epulling the bottom forwards.
X Take cover 1off the opening. Practical advice
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Vehicle electronics
287Vehicle electronics
Tampering with the engine electron-
ics
G
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Onl yhavew orkont he engine electronics
and relate dcomponents carrie doutat a
qualified specialis tworkshop which ha sthe
necessary specialis tknowledg eand tools
to carry ou tthe work required .Mercedes-
Benz recommends tha tyou usea
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for thi spur-
pose. In particular ,workr elevant to safety
or on safety-relate dsystem smustbec ar-
rie do utataq uali fied specialis tworkshop.
The vehicle's roadworthiness could other-
wise be affected.
! Onlyhavew orkd oneont he engine elec-
tronics and its associated parts, such as
contro lunits, sensor sand connector leads,
carrie doutataq uali fied specialis twork-
shop, e.g .aMercedes-Benz Service
Centre. Otherwise, vehicl ecomponents
ma yw earm oreq uickl yand your vehicle's
warranty and operating permi tmaybe inva-
lidated. Retrofitting electrical and electronic
equipment
Electrical and electronic equipment can jeop-
ardise the operating safety of your vehicle. If
equipment of thi skind is retrofitted ,itmust
be type-approved and bear the emark. The
e mark ma ybeobtained fro mthe equipment
manufacturer or an authorised testing centre.
! Damag eorconsequentia ldamag earisi ng
fro mf itting equipment not approved
by Mercedes-Benz is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz warranty.
If yo uwishtoi nstalltwo-wa yradios in the
vehicle, yo umusto btainf orma lapp roval.
Mercedes-Benz approves the installatio nof
two-wa yradios if such equipment is installed
professionall yand alow -reflection exterior
aeria lisused.
The transmission outpu tofthe two-wa yradio
must not exceed the maximum transmission
outputs listed. G
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Two-way radios ma yinterfere with the vehi-
cle electronics and thereb yjeopardise the
operational safety of the vehicl eand your
ow ns afety if: R
they do not have an exterio raerial
R the exterio raerialisn otalow -reflection
aerial
R the exterio raerialh as been fitte dincor-
rectly G
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Excessive electromagnetic radiation may
also cause damage to your health and the
health of others. Using an exterio raerial
take sinto account current scientific dis-
cussions relating to the possibl ehealth haz-
ards tha tmayresul tfrome lectromagnetic
fields.
For thi sreason, onl yhavet he exterio raerial
fitte dataq ualified specialis tworkshop
which ha sthe necessary specialis tknowl-
edge and tool stocarry ou tthe work
required .Mercedes-Benz recommends
tha tyou useaM ercedes-Benz Service
Centre for thi spurpose. In particular ,work
relevant to safety or on safety-relate dsys-
tems must be carrie doutataq uali fied
specialis tworkshop.
i Mercedes-Benz recommends the us eof
an approved exterio raerial. Thi sensures
optima lreception quality for mobil etele- Technica
ldata
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