2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL65AMG engine

199 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
Press button 2 once more
(
page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134A. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.Activating
With the SmartKey:
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or0, or remove it from
the starter switch.
Press button T (page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
With KEYLESS-GO*:
Turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button and
open the driver’s door (with the driver’s
door open, the starter switch is in posi-
tion 0, same as with the SmartKey re-
moved from the starter switch)
Press button T (page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
!If the 2 button on the automatic climate
control panel starts to flash, this indicates that
the air conditioning is losing refrigerant. The
compressor has turned off. The air conditioning
cannot be turned on again.
Have the air conditioning checked at the nearest
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
iHow long the system will provide heating
depends on the coolant temperature and the
selected temperature. The blower will run at low
speed regardless of the air distribution control
setting.

208 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
Unlocked status noticed when stopped
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
To lock the retractable hardtop in its
fully closed position, press retractable
hardtop switch forward (
page 205).
or:
To lock the retractable hardtop in its
fully opened position, pull up on the re-
tractable hardtop switch (
page 205).Unlocked status noticed while drivingStop the vehicle in a safe location or as
soon as it is safe to do so.
Leave the ignition switched on.
To lock the retractable hardtop in its
fully closed position, press retractable
hardtop switch forward (
page 205).
or:
To lock the retractable hardtop in its
fully opened position, pull up on the re-
tractable hardtop switch (
page 205).Problems when operating the
retractable hardtop
Several conditions may cause the retract-
able hardtop to not open, close, or lock
properly:

The luggage cover in the trunk is not
closed.
Close the luggage cover in the
trunk.

The trunk lid is open.
Close the trunk lid.

The battery voltage is too low.
Start engine and let run while open-
ing/closing the retractable hard-
top.
Warning!G
Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so and lock the hardtop be-
fore continuing to drive. You could other-
wise endanger yourself and others.

216 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Canceling the cruise control
There are several ways to cancel the cruise
control:
Step on the brake pedal.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
set speed is stored for later use.
or
Briefly push the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow3.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
set speed is stored for later use.
iThe last stored speed is canceled when you
turn off the engine.
iThe cruise control switches off auto-
matically when

you step on the brake pedal

you depress the parking brake pedal
The cruise control also switches off auto-
matically when

the vehicle speed is below
20 mph (30 km/h) (
page 214)

the ESP® is in operation or switched off with
the ESP® switch (page 93)

you move the gear selector lever to
positionN while driving
An acoustic warning sounds and the message
CC Off appears in the multifunction display for
approximately 5 seconds.
!Moving the gear selector lever to positionN
while driving cancels the cruise control.
However, the gear selector lever should not be
moved to positionN while driving except to
coast when the vehicle is in danger of skidding
(e.g. on icy roads).
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does not
deactivate the cruise control. After brief acceler-
ation (e.g. for passing), the cruise control will re-
sume the last speed set.

217 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a higher speed
Lift the cruise control lever in direction
of arrow1 (
page 215) and hold it
there until the desired speed is
reached.
Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed
Depress the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow2 (
page 215) and
hold it there until the desired speed is
reached.
Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1 (
page 215).
Slower
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow2 (
page 215).Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)
Briefly pull the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow4 (
page 215).
The cruise control resumes to the last
set speed or, if no speed is stored, it
will set and store the current speed.
Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The selected speed appears in the mul-
tifunction display.iWhen you use the cruise control lever to de-
celerate, the brake system will automatically
brake the vehicle if the engine’s braking power
does not brake the vehicle sufficiently.
Warning!G
The set speed stored in memory should only
be set again if prevailing road conditions
permit. Possible acceleration or decelera-
tion differences arising from returning to the
preset speed could cause an accident
and/or serious injury to you and others.

223 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Cruise control lever
The Distronic system is operated by means
of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column.
1Setting current or higher speed
2Setting current or lower speed
3Deactivate Distronic
4Activating Distronic or resuming at last
set speedActivating Distronic
You can activate Distronic when the vehi-
cle speed is between 20 mph (30 km/h)
and 110 mph (180 km/h).
When Distronic is activated, the left multi-
function display will show a message such
as
DTR 55 MPH.
If Distronic is not activated after the cruise
control lever is pulled, the left multifunc-
tion display will show the message
DTR --- MPH.
In the following cases you cannot activate
Distronic:

up to 2 minutes after starting the
engine

when you brake

when you have set the parking brake

when the gear selector lever is set to
positionP, R, or N.

when the ESP® is switched off1White Distronic indicator lamp E
2Set speed
iThe vehicle speed displayed in the speedom-
eter can briefly vary from the speed setting for
the Distronic.

225 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)
Briefly pull the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow4 (
page 223).
Distronic resumes the last stored
speed or, if no speed is stored, it will
set and store the current speed.
Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.Deactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Step on the brake pedal.
or
Briefly push the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow3 (
page 223).
Distronic will be deactivated. The last set
speed will be stored into memory.
The following message appears in the mul-
tifunction display for approximately
5 seconds:
DTR Off
Warning!G
The set speed stored in memory should only
be set again if prevailing road conditions
permit. Possible acceleration or decelera-
tion differences arising from returning to the
preset speed could caused an accident
and/or serious injury to you and others.
iThe last stored set speed is deleted when
the engine is turned off.
iDistronic deactivates automatically when

you depress the parking brake pedal

the vehicle speed is below
20 mph (30 km/h) (
page 223)

the ESP® is in operation or switched off with
the ESP® switch (page 93)

you move the gear selector lever into
positionN
An acoustic warning sounds and the
message
DTR Off appears in the multifunc-
tion display for approximately 5 seconds.
Warning!G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of 20 mph (30 km/h)
by operation of the system. At that time the
driver must apply the brakes in order to
reduce vehicle speed further or bring it to a
stop.

231 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:

With increasing speed, ride height is
reduced by up to approximately
0.5 inch (12 mm).

With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the selected vehicle
level.The following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary:
Select the level 1 and level 2 settings only
when required by current driving condi-
tions. Otherwise:

Fuel consumption may increase.

Handling may be impaired.The ABC vehicle level control button with
the indicator lamps is located in the lower
section of the center console.
1Indicator lamp
2Indicator lamp
3ABC vehicle level control button
iThese height adjustments are so small that
you may not notice any change.
Vehicle
levelUse forIndicator
lamps
NormalFor driving on nor-
mal roads.Both
lamps off
Level 1For driving on
rough roads or with
snow chains
(
page 329).
One
lamp on
Level 2For driving on very
rough road surface
conditions.Both
lamps on
iThe selected vehicle level setting remains
stored in memory, even if the engine is turned off
and restarted.

232 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Start the engine (page 53).
Briefly press button3 to change from
one level setting to the next.

The normal level is selected if both
indicator lamps are off.

At level 1, indicator lamp1 is on.

At level 2, both indicator lamps are
on.
When the vehicle is at level 2, pressing
the button will return the vehicle to nor-
mal level.Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:

Your driving style

Road surface conditions

The vehicle loading

Your choice of suspension style
You can set the following suspension
styles:

Regular (Comfort)

SportyThe ABC suspension tuning button with the
indicator lamp is located in the lower sec-
tion of the center console.
1ABC suspension tuning button
2Indicator lamp
Start the engine (page 53).
iPressing the button twice in quick succes-
sion will cause the vehicle to immediately raise
or lower to the new vehicle level as selected.iThe selected setting is stored, even if the en-
gine is turned off.