2009 MERCEDES-BENZ SLR manual transmission

ContentsAnti-theft systems................................ 93
Immobilizer..................................... 93
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 93
Tow-away alarm ............................. 95Controls in detail............................... 96
Locking and unlocking ......................... 98
SmartKey ....................................... 98
Opening the doors........................ 101
Opening the trunk ........................ 102
Closing the trunk lid ..................... 103
Trunk emergency release ............. 104
Automatic locking ........................ 104
Locking and unlocking from the inside
105
Lighting .............................................. 106
Exterior lamp switch ..................... 106
Combination switch...................... 110
Hazard warning flasher................. 111
Interior lighting ............................. 112
Courtesy lighting .......................... 113
Trunk lamp ................................... 113
Instrument cluster ............................. 114
Adjusting instrument cluster
illumination................................... 114Coolant temperature gauge ......... 115
Resetting trip odometer ............... 115
Tachometer .................................. 116
Outside temperature indicator ..... 116
Control system .................................. 117
Multifunction display .................... 117
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 118
Menus .......................................... 120
Standard display menu ................ 122
722 S menu ................................. 123
AUDIO menu ................................ 127
Vehicle status message memory menu
128
Settings menu .............................. 129
Trip computer menu ..................... 139
TEL menu ..................................... 141
Audio system ..................................... 145
Audio and telephone, operation ... 145
Operating safety........................... 145
Location of the audio system ....... 145
Operating and display elements ... 146
Button and soft key operation ...... 148
Operation ..................................... 148
Radio operation ............................ 151
Cassette operation....................... 154
CD changer operation .................. 158Telephone operation .................... 162
Automatic transmission ..................... 169
Gear selector lever....................... 169
Shifting procedure ....................... 170
Gear selector lever positions ....... 171
Driving tips................................... 173
Gear ranges ................................. 174
Shift program mode selector switch ....
175
Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting .................................. 175
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting ................. 177
Manual shift program ................... 178
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 180
Good visibility .................................... 181
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 181
Rear view mirrors ......................... 181
Sun visors .................................... 182
Rear window defroster ................. 183
Automatic climate control ................. 184
Deactivating the automatic climate
control system ............................. 188
Operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic mode 188

170 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

the gear selector lever drive position D
(page 171) with gear ranges
(page 174)


the selected shift program
(C/MAN/S)(
page 175)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 173)


the vehicle speed
The current gear selector lever position
(
P/R/N/D), the gear range (
1/2/3/4) and
the shift program (
C/M/S) are shown in the
standard display (
page 117).When the gear selector lever is in drive
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out of park positionP or neutral
positionN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the
engine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
!
Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached
(
page 311).
Shift into park position P or reverse gearR 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.

173 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
Depending on the engine speed the
transmission shifts into a lower gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Stopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:

Leave the transmission in gear.

Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop longer with the engine
idling and/or on a hill:

Set the parking brake.

Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:

Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.

Accelerate gently.

Never abruptly step on the accelerator.
Working on the vehicle
i
Kickdown in manual shift program MAN is
not possible.
In kickdown operation, it is not possible to
change gear with the steering wheel gear shift
paddles.
Warning!
G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move gear selector lever
to positionP. Otherwise the vehicle could
roll away.

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.

177 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Steering wheel gearshift control 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 steering wheel gearshift con-
trol to manually shift the gears.The steering wheel gearshift paddles are
located on the left and right side of the
steering wheel.
Steering wheel gearshift paddles1Left paddle: limiting gear range or
downshift (in shift programMAN)
2Right paddle: extending gear range or
upshift (in shift programMAN)The following instructions describe opera-
tion of the gear selector lever when driving
in the shift programC orS.
Limiting gear range

Briefly 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 174).
i
For information on using the steering wheel
gearshift control 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.
i
You cannot shift with the steering wheel
gearshift paddles when the gear selector lever is
in park positionP, neutral positionN or reverse
gearR.
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.


178 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionExtending 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
transmission.
Canceling gear range limit

Pull and hold right shift paddle2
until
D reappears in the right multi-
function display.
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 se-
lect the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This
may involve shifting down one or more
gears.
Manual shift program
In addition to the shift programC orS,
your vehicle is equipped with the
MANshift program.
In the manual shift programMAN,
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 pad-
dles (
page 177) or the gear selector
lever (page 175).
i
To 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.
i
If you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.
!
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.
i
Using the kickdown when driving in shift
program MAN is not possible.


179 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Activating manual shift program
Turn program mode selector switch1
(page 175) to the MAN setting.
The transmission switches to the
manual program modeM. The letter
M
appears in the right multifunction dis-
play and the lamp in program mode se-
lector switch3 (
page 179) comes
on. 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.Selecting manual shift program mode
3Program mode selector switch for the
manual shift program
I Sport For sporty driving
II Super Sport For very sporty driving
III Race For racing-like driving
1
The individual shifting programs differ with
regard to spontaneity, response time, and
shifting smoothness.

Turn program selector switch3 to the
desired setting (I, II or III).
Downshifting

Pull the left shift paddle1
(page 177).
or

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.
1Please always drive carefully and obey applicable
speed limits.
i
The currently selected manual shift program
(I, II or III) does not appear in the right multifunc-
tion display. The current setting is indicated only
on the program mode selector switch 3.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.


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.