154 Controls in detailAudio systemWeather band
Press the
WB key.
The weather band station last selected
is tuned in.
Select the desired weather band
station with buttons4 to7.
If a station cannot be tuned in, a scan
is automatically started.
Pressf or ebutton. The next
receivable weather band station is
tuned in.
Cassette operation
Playing cassettes
Press3 button.
The display panel folds down and the
cassette compartment becomes
accessible.
Insert cassette into the cassette com-
partment until it engages and tap it
gently.
The cassette will be pulled in automati-
cally. The system switches to cassette
mode. Side 1 will be played and
SIDE 1
appears in the display. Side 1 is the
side of the cassette which is facing up-
ward. The cassette deck will automati-
cally detect the type of tape.
Fold display panel back up and press
gently on the display panel frame to
lock it in place.
or
If a cassette is already in the
mechanism, pressj button.
!
Do not press directly on the display face.
Otherwise the display will be damaged.
155 Controls in detail
Audio system
Track selection
Press the
TRK
key.
The current track will be displayed as
SIDE 1
or
SIDE 2
.
You can switch sides at any time.
The side will be changed automatically
at the end of the tape.Cassette eject
Press eject button3.
The display folds down and the cas-
sette is ejected. The system will switch
back to radio mode automatically.
Fold display panel back up and press
gently on the display panel frame to
lock it.Track search
Track search forward
Pressf button.SEEK FWD
will appear in the display.
Track search will run the tape forward
to the start of the next track and switch
to Play.
i
A warning signal will sound after 20 seconds
if the display panel is left in the down position.
Fold display panel back up. If the display panel is
not closed, a warning signal will sound and the
radio will be muted.
!
Do not press directly on the display face.
Otherwise the display will be damaged.
i
The cassette will not be ejected when the
system is switched off or switched to another
operating mode.
i
The beginning of a track can only be found if
there is pause of at least 4 seconds between
tracks.
175 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shift program mode selector switch
1Program mode selector switch
C Comfort For comfort driving
MAN Manual For manual gear shifting
(
page 178)
S Sport For standard driving
The selected shift program appears in the
right multifunction display (
page 117).
Turn the program mode selector switch
to the desired setting.
The letter of the desired shift program
appears in the right multifunction
display.
Select C for comfort driving:
The vehicle starts out in second
gear for gentler starts. This does
not apply if full throttle is applied or
gear range1 is selected.
Traction and driving stability are
improved on icy roads.
Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting
With the gear selector lever in drive posi-
tion D and driving in shift programC orS,
you can limit or extend the gear range.
With the MAN shift program activated, 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 shift programC orS.
!
Never change the program when the gear
selector lever is out of park positionP. This could
result in a change of driving characteristics for
which you may not be prepared.
i
For information on using the gear selector
lever in shift program MAN, see “Manual shift
program” (
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.
180 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionUpshifting
Pull the right shift paddle2
(page 177).
or
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.If the red gearshift indicator lamp>
comes on in the speedometer display
(
page 29), shift to the next higher gear.
The fuel supply will otherwise be interrupt-
ed to prevent the engine from overrevving.
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
722S:
If you have selected the 722S menu
(page 123) and
up appears in the right
multifunction display in addition to the red
gearshift indicator lamp>, shift to the
next higher gear. The fuel supply will other-
wise be interrupted to prevent the engine
from overrevving.
Deactivating manual gearshift program
Turn program mode selector switch1
(page 175) to the shift programC
orS.
The selected gearshift program ap-
pears in the right multifunction display.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 to park
positionP.
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.
i
When you brake or stop, the transmission
shifts down to a gear from which you can easily
accelerate or take off.
!
In the manual program modeM, 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 28). Otherwise the en-
gine could be damaged which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
187 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the ±mode is activated
(
page 194).
Warning!
G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents can be very
hot or very cold (depending on the set tem-
perature). This may cause burns or frostbite
to unprotected skin in the immediate area of
the air vents. Always keep sufficient dis-
tance between unprotected parts of the
body and the air vents. If necessary, use the
air distribution controls (
page 190) to di-
rect the air to air vents in the vehicle interior
that are not in the immediate area of
unprotected skin.
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following
pages. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you
and/or others.
i
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before its
scheduled interval. A clogged filter will reduce
the air volume to the interior.
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate the interior
before driving off. The automatic climate control
will then adjust the interior temperature to the
set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the wind-
shield free of snow and debris.
218 Controls in detailUseful featuresRoadside Assistance button •
The Roadside Assistance button• is
located in the center armrest cover.
1Roadside Assistance button•
Open the storage compartment be-
tween the backrests (
page 210).
Press and hold the button1 for longer
than 2 seconds.
A call to a Mercedes-Benz Roadside
Assistance dispatcher will be initiated.
The button• will flash while the call
is in progress. The message Connecting Call
will appear in the
multifunction display.When the connection is established, the
message
Call Connected
appears in the
multifunction display. The Tele Aid system
will transmit data generating the vehicle
identification number, model, color and lo-
cation (subject to availability of cellular
and GPS signals).
A voice connection between the Roadside
Assistance dispatcher and the occupants
of the vehicle will be established.
Describe the nature of the need for
assistance.
The Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance
dispatcher will either dispatch a qualified
Mercedes-Benz technician or arrange to
tow your vehicle to the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. For services such
as labor and/or towing, charges may
apply. Refer to the Roadside Assistance
Manual for more information.These programs are only available in the
USA:
Sign and Drive services: Services such
as jump start, a few gallons of fuel or
the replacement of a flat tire are
obtainable.
i
If the indicator lamp in the Roadside Assis-
tance button• is flashing continuously and
there was no voice connection to the Response
Center established, then the Tele Aid system
could not initiate a Roadside Assistance call (e.g.
the relevant cellular phone network is not avail-
able). The message
Call Failed!
appears in
the multifunction display.
Roadside Assistance calls can be terminated us-
ing the tbutton on the multifunction
steering wheel.
219 Controls in detail
Useful features
Information button ¡
The Information button¡ is located in
the center armrest cover.
1Information button¡
Open the center storage compartment
(page 210).
Press and hold the button1 for longer
than 2 seconds.
A call to the Customer Assistance
Center will be initiated. The button will
flash while the call is in progress. The
message
Connecting Call
will appear
in the multifunction display.When the connection is established, the
message
Call Connected
appears in the
multifunction display. The Tele Aid system
will transmit data generating the vehicle
identification number, model, color and
location (subject to availability of cellular
and GPS signals).
A voice connection between the Customer
Assistance Center representative and the
occupants of the vehicle will be estab-
lished. Information regarding the operation
of your vehicle, the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Center or Mercedes-Benz
USA products and services is available to
you.
For more details concerning the Tele Aid
system, please visit www.mbusa.com and
use your ID and password (sent to you
separately) to learn more (USA only).
i
If the indicator lamp in the Information
button¡ is flashing continuously and no
voice connection to the Response Center was
established, then the Tele Aid system could not
initiate an Information call (e.g. the relevant
cellular phone network is not available). The
message
Call Failed
appears in the
multifunction display.
Information calls can be terminated using the
tbutton on the multifunction steering
wheel.
220 Controls in detailUseful featuresCall priority
If other service calls such as a Roadside
Assistance call or Information call are
active, an Emergency call is still possible.
In this case, the Emergency call will take
priority and override all other active calls.
The indicator lamp in the respective button
flashes until the call is concluded. Emer-
gency calls can only be terminated by a Re-
sponse Center or Customer Assistance
Center representative, whereas Roadside
Assistance and Information calls can also
be terminated by pressing button
t
on
the multifunction steering wheel.Remote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. SmartKey inside vehicle),
and the reserve SmartKey is not handy:
Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.
Then return to your vehicle and pull the
trunk recessed handle for a minimum
of 20 seconds until the SOS button is
flashing.
The message
Connecting Call
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
As an alternative, you may unlock the vehi-
cle via Internet in the “My Tele Aid” section
of “Owner’s Online”, using the ID and pass-
word (USA only).
The Response Center will then unlock your
vehicle with the remote door unlocking
feature.
i
When a Tele Aid call has been initiated, the
audio system is muted and the selected mode
(radio or CD) pauses. The mobile phone (if con-
nected) switches off. If you must use this phone,
we recommend that you use it only with the ve-
hicle at a standstill in a safe location. The multi-
function display in the instrument cluster is
available for use. After the Tele Aid call has end-
ed, the optional mobile phone switches on again.
A PIN entry might be necessary.
i
The remote door unlock feature is available
if the relevant cellular phone network is
available.
The SOS button will flash and the message
Connecting Call
will appear in the multifunc-
tion display to indicate receipt of the door unlock
command.
Once the vehicle is unlocked, a Response Center
specialist may attempt to establish voice contact
with the vehicle occupants.
If the trunk recessed handle was pulled for more
than 20 seconds before door unlock authoriza-
tion was received by the Response Center, you
must wait 15 minutes before pulling the trunk
recessed handle again.