2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL600 engine

179 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting
With the gear selector lever in drive posi-
tion D and driving in program modeC orS,
you can limit or extend the gear range.
If your vehicle is equipped with the
MANUAL shift program, you can use the
gear selector lever to manually shift the
gears.The following instructions describe opera-
tion of the gear selector lever when driving
in the automatic program modeC orS.
Limiting gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
limits the gear range of the transmis-
sion (
page 176).Extending gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmis-
sion.
iFor information on using the gear selector
lever in program mode MANUAL, see “Manual
shift program (SL 55 AMG and SL 65 AMG
only)” (
page 182).
!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 park 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.
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.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be
exceeded.
iIf you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.

180 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Canceling gear range limit
Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD+direction until
D reappears in
the right multifunction display
(
page 174).
The transmission will shift from the
current gear range directly to gear
rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range
Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD-direction.
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
one-touch gearshifting*
Steering wheel gearshift control is avail-
able on vehicles with Sport Package*, on
SL 55 AMG, and on SL 65 AMG only.
With the gear selector lever in drive
positionD and driving in program modeC
orS, you can limit or extend the gear
range.
If your vehicle is equipped with the
MANUAL shift program, you can use the
steering wheel gearshift control to
manually shift the gears.
iFor information on using the steering
wheel gearshift control in program mode
MANUAL, see “Manual shift program
(SL55AMGandSL65AMG only)”
(
page 182).
!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 park 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.

181 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gearshift paddles (example illustration)
1Left shift paddle: limiting gear range or
downshift (in MANUAL program mode)
2Right shift paddle: extending gear
range or upshift (in MANUAL program
mode)
The following instructions describe opera-
tion of the steering wheel gearshift control
when driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.Limiting gear rangeBriefly pull left shift paddle1.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
limits the gear range of the transmis-
sion (
page 176).Extending gear range
Briefly pull right shift paddle2.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmis-
sion.
iYou cannot shift with the steering wheel
gearshift paddles when the gear selector lever is
in positionP,N orR.
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.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be
exceeded.
iIf you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.

182 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Canceling gear range limit
Pull and hold right shift paddle2
until
D reappears in the right multifunc-
tion display (
page 174).
The transmission will shift from the
current gear range directly to gear
rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range
Pull and hold left shift paddle1.
The transmission will automatically
select the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.Manual shift program
(SL55AMGandSL65AMG only)
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the MANUAL shift program.
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
paddles (
page 181) or the gear selector
lever.The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
Program mode selector switch
MANUAL For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
The selected program mode appears in the
right multifunction display (
page 178).
!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 park 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.
iFor information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift program”
(
page 177), “Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting” (
page 179), and “Steering wheel
gearshift control one-touch gearshifting*”
(
page 180).

183 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Activating manual shift program
Press program mode selector switch
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 drive
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 181).
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 178),
shift to the next higher gear. The fuel
supply will otherwise be interrupted to
prevent the engine from overrevving.If you have selected the AMG menu in the
control system and you are driving in the
MANUAL program mode, upshift
indicator2 in the right multifunction
display advises you to upshift before the
engine reaches the overspeed range. Thus
you can drive at the maximum engine
speed for each gear without overrevving
the engine.
1Gear indicator
2Upshift indicator
Shift to the next higher gear.
The fuel supply will otherwise be inter-
rupted to prevent the engine from over-
revving.
iThe 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
engine could be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

184 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 181).
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 182) repeatedly
until
CorS 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 the gear selector lever to park
positionP.
Turn off the engine.
Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.
Restart the engine.
Move the gear selector lever to drive
positionD (for second gear) or
positionR.
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.
iWhen you brake or stop, the transmission
shifts down to a gear from which you can easily
accelerate or take off.

190 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Automatic climate control panel
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the automatic climate control
system in either the automatic or manual
mode. The system cools or heats the
interior depending on the selected interior
temperature and the current outside
temperature.Item
1Air distribution, left
2Front defroster
3Air recirculation
4Rear window defroster
5Air distribution, right
6Temperature control, right
7Automatic climate control on/off
(entire system)
8Residual heat/ventilation
9Air volume control
aAC cooling on/off
bTemperature control, left
Warning!G
When operating the automatic climate
control, the air that enters the passenger
compartment through the air vents can be
very hot or very cold (depending on the set
temperature). This may cause burns or frost-
bite on unprotected skin in the immediate
area of the air vents. Always keep sufficient
distance between unprotected parts of the
body and the air vents. If necessary, use the
air distribution control (
page 190) to di-
rect the air to air vents in the vehicle interior
that are not in the immediate area of unpro-
tected skin.

198 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Deactivating
Press and hold button,.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The air recirculation mode is deac-
tivated. The windows will return to their
previous position.
Air conditioning
The air conditioning (cooling) function is
operational when the engine is running and
cools the vehicle interior down to the
selected temperature. In addition, the
cooling function dehumidifies the air in
the vehicle interior, thus preventing the
windows from fogging up.Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the cooling
function of the automatic climate control
system. The air in the vehicle will then no
longer be cooled or dehumidified.
Press button 2 (page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The cooling function switches off
after a short delay.
iA window will only return to its previous
position if it has not moved to another position
using the respective window switch after it was
closed with button,.
iCondensation may drip out from underneath
the vehicle. This is normal and not an indication
of a malfunction.
Warning!G
If you turn off the cooling function, the
vehicle will not be cooled when weather
conditions are warm. The windows can fog
up more quickly. Window fogging may
impair visibility and endanger you and
others.