2009 MERCEDES-BENZ SLR climate control

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.

188 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDeactivating the automatic climate control system
Deactivating
It is possible to completely deactivate the
automatic climate control system. 
Press button M (
page 186).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Reactivating

Press button M (
page 186).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
or

Turn one of the temperature controls
on the automatic climate control
(page 186).
The indicator lamp on button M
goes out.Operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic mode
Air distribution and air volume can be
adjusted automatically by the automatic
climate control system. You can also ad-
just the settings for air distribution and air
volume manually.
Warning!
G
When the automatic climate control system
is switched off, the outside air supply and
circulation are also switched off. Only
choose this setting for a short time. Other-
wise the windows could fog up, impairing
visibility and endangering you and/or
others.
i
Under certain circumstances, e.g. when the
fuel system is too hot and needs to be cooled,
the cooling switches on again automatically. The
red lamp on the ± button the automatic
climate control panel flashes.
After cooling the fuel system sufficiently, the air
conditioning switches off again and the red lamp
stops flashing.
i
When operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic mode, you will only
rarely need to adjust the temperature, air volume
and air distribution.
In automatic mode, cooling with dehumidifica-
tion is switched on. This function can be
switched off if necessary (
page 194).

189 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Air distribution in automatic mode
You can separately adjust the air distribu-
tion for each side of the passenger
compartment.
Activating
Press control button1 or 5
(page 186).
The control button is engaged.
TheU symbol on the control button
comes on. Air distribution for the re-
spective side of the passenger com-
partment is adjusted automatically.
Deactivating

Press control button 1 or 5
(page 186) once more.
The control button sticks up slightly.
The U symbol on the control button
goes out. Automatic air distribution for
the respective side of the passenger
compartment is switched off. Adjust
the air distribution manually
(page 190).Air volume in automatic mode
The air volume settings are the same for
the entire passenger compartment.
Activating

Press control button 9 (
page 186).
The control button is engaged.
TheU symbol on the control button
comes on.
Deactivating

Press control button 9 (
page 186)
once more.
The control button sticks up slightly.
The U symbol on the control button
goes out. Adjust the air volume
manually (
page 191).
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls6 andb to
separately adjust the air temperature on
each side of the passenger compartment.
You should raise or lower the temperature
setting in small increments, preferably
starting at 72°F (22°C). The automatic
climate control will adjust to the set
temperature as fast as possible.
Increasing
Turn temperature control6
and/orb (
page 186) slightly
clockwise.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.

190 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDecreasing
Turn temperature control6
and/orb (
page 186) slightly
counterclockwise.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Adjusting the temperature for the
center and side air vents
When outside temperatures are low, you
can manually raise the air temperature for
the center and side air vents. The
controls3 are located between the
center air vents (page 185).
Turning on warm air

Press the left button (red).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. Warm air will enter from the
center and side air vents.Turning off warm air

Press the left button (red).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The air from the outlets will return
to the temperature set in the system.
Turning on cooler air

Press the right button (blue).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. Cooler air will enter from the
center and side air vents.
Turning off cooler air

Press the right button (blue).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The air from the outlets will return
to the temperature set in the system.
Adjusting air distribution
Use air distribution controls1 and5
(page 186) to separately adjust the air
distribution on each side of the passenger
compartment. The following symbols are
found on the controls:

Press control button 1 or 5
(page 186) until the control button
sticks up slightly and the U symbol
on the control button is out.
Automatic air distribution for the re-
spective side of the passenger
compartment is switched off.
Symbol
Function
h
Directs air through the cen-
ter and side air vents
j
Directs air to the windows
V
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
k
Directs air to the footwells

191 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control

Turn control button to the desired
symbol.
The air distribution is adjusted accord-
ing to the chosen setting.
Opening the center air vents

Turn thumbwheel 7 (
page 185)
upward.
Center air vents 2 and 4
(
page 185) are open.
Closing the center air vents

Turn thumbwheel 7 (
page 185)
downward.
Center air vents 2 and 4
(
page 185) are closed.Opening the side air vents

Turn thumbwheel 6 and 8
(page 185) upward.
The corresponding side air vent is
open.
Closing the side air vents

Turn thumbwheel 6 and 8
(page 185) upward.
The corresponding side air vent is
closed.
Adjusting air volume
Use air volume control9 (
page 186) for
both automatic (
page 188) and manual
air volume adjustment. Nine blower
speeds are available.

Press control button9 (
page 186).
The control button sticks up slightly.
The U symbol on the control button
goes out. Automatic air volume control
is switched off. The air volume is ad-
justed corresponding to the set blower
speed.
Maximum cooling MAX COOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set to U and there is a high need for
cooling, MAX COOL is activated.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior, when the soft top is
closed.
i
You can also turn the air distribution control
to a position between two symbols.
i
The air vents are continuously variable.

192 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlFront defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, for example if it is iced up.
You can also defog the windshield and the
door windows.
Activating
Press button P (
page 186).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning switches to the
following functions automatically:


cooling on to dehumidify


maximum blower speed and
heating power


air flows onto the windshield
and the door windows


the air recirculation mode is
switched offDeactivating

Press button P (
page 186).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
The previous settings are in effect
again.Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on
(page 52).
If the automatic air distribution and air
volume are switched off:

Turn air distribution controls1 and 5
(page 186) to position h ork.
or

Press control buttons 1, 5 and 9
(page 186).
The control buttons are engaged.
TheU symbol on the control
buttons come on. Air distribution and
air volume are adjusted automatically.
i
Keep this setting selected only until the
windshield or the door windows are clear again.
i
The cooling remains switched on.
i
Keep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.

193 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.Activating

Press button , (
page 186).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating

Press button , (
page 186).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
At outside temperatures above 79°F
(26°C) the system will not automatically
switch back to outside air.
Warning!
G
Fogged windows impair visibility, endanger-
ing you and others. If the windows begin to
fog on the inside, switching off the air
recirculation mode immediately should clear
interior window fogging. If interior window
fogging persists, make sure the air
conditioning (
page 194) is activated, or
press buttonP.
i
The air recirculation mode is activated auto-
matically


at high outside temperatures


if the concentration of carbon monoxide
(CO) and nitrogen oxide (NO
X) in the outside
air increases, for example in a tunnel
A quantity of outside air is added after approxi-
mately 30 minutes.
If you have turned off the air conditioning
(
page 194) or the outside temperature is be-
low 41°F (5°C), the air recirculation mode will
not switch on automatically.
i
The manually selected air recirculation
mode is deactivated automatically


after 5 minutes if the outside temperature is
below approximately 41°F (5°C)


after 5 minutes if the air conditioning is
turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside temperature
is above approximately 41°F (5°C)

194 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAir conditioning
The air conditioning (cooling) function is
operational when the engine is running and
cools the vehicle interior down to the se-
lected temperature. In addition, the cool-
ing 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 (
page 186).
The indicator lamp on the ±
button comes on. The cooling function
switches off after a short delay.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air
conditioning.

Press ± button again (
page 186).
The indicator lamp on the ± button
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
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/or
others.i
Condensation may drip out from underneath
the vehicle. This is normal and not an indication
of a malfunction.
i
Under certain circumstances, e.g. when the
fuel system is too hot and needs to be cooled,
the cooling switches on again automatically. The
red lamp on the ± button the automatic
climate control panel flashes.
After cooling the fuel system sufficiently, the air
conditioning switches off again and the red lamp
stops flashing.
!
If you press the ± button on the auto-
matic climate control panel and it 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.