Our company and staff congratulate you on the purchase of your new Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster.
Your selection of our product is a demonstration of your trust in our company name. Furthermore, it exemplifies your desire to own
an automobile that will be as easy as possible to operate and provide years of service.
Should you have any questions, please contact your dealer contact for your Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster or call us at
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA) or 1-800-387-0100 (in Canada). Your dealer contact will co-ordinate appointments for servicing of
your vehicle and clarify any issues arising from the use of your Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster.
Your Mercedes-Benz represents the efforts of many skilled engineers and craftsmen. To help assure your driving pleasure, and also
the safety of you and your passengers, we ask you to make a small investment of time:
P le as e r e a d t h i s m a n u a l c ar e f u ll y , t h e n r e tu r n i t to y o ur v e h i c le w h e r e i t w i l l b e h an d y f o r y o u r r e f e r e n c e .
Please follow the recommendations contained in this manual. They are designed to acquaint you with the operation of your
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster.
Please pay attention to the warnings and cautions contained in this manual. They are designed to help improve the safety of the
vehicle operator and occupants.
We extend our best wishes for many miles of safe, pleasurable driving.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
A Daimler Company
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
14 IntroductionOperator’s ManualThis Operator’s Manual contains a great
deal of useful information. We urge you to
read it carefully and familiarize yourself
with the vehicle before driving.
For your own safety and longer service life
of the vehicle, we urge you to follow the
instructions and warnings contained in this
manual. Ignoring them could result in
damage to the vehicle or personal injury to
you or others. Vehicle damage caused by
failure to follow instructions is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Your vehicle may have some or all of the
equipment described in this manual.
Therefore, you may find explanations for
optional equipment not installed in your
vehicle. If you have any questions about
the operation of any equipment, any autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center will be glad to
demonstrate the proper procedures.We continuously strive to improve our
product, and ask for your understanding
that we reserve the right to make changes
in design and equipment. Therefore,
information, illustrations, and descriptions
in this Operator’s Manual might differ from
your vehicle.
Optional equipment is also described in
this manual, including operating instruc-
tions wherever necessary. Since they are
special-order items, the descriptions and
illustrations herein may vary slightly from
the actual equipment of your vehicle.
If there are any equipment details that are
not shown or described in this Operator’s
Manual, an authorized Mercedes-Benz
C e n t e r w i l l b e g l a d t o i n f o r m y o u o f c o r r e c t
care and operating procedures.
The Operator’s Manual and Maintenance
Booklet are important documents and
should be kept with the vehicle.
Service and warranty information
The Service and Warranty Information
Booklet contains detailed information
about the warranties covering your
Mercedes-Benz, including:
New Car Limited Warranty,
Emission System Warranty,
Emission Performance Warranty,
California, Maine, Massachusetts and
Vermont
1 Emission Control System
Warranty (California, Maine, Massa-
chusetts and Vermont
1 only),
State Warranty Enforcement Laws
(Lemon Laws).
1At time of printing, the decision regarding compli-
ance with Vermont certification regulations was
still pending. The vehicle may not be permitted to
be registered in Vermont. Check with an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center for details.
19 Introduction
Symbols
Symbols
Trademarks:
Bluetooth
® is a registered trademark of
Bluetooth SIG Inc.
ESP
® is a registered trademark of
Daimler.
HomeLink
® is a registered trademark
of Prince, a Johnson Controls
Company.The following symbols are found in this
Operator’s Manual:
* Optional equipment is identified
with an asterisk.
This symbol points to instructions for
you to follow.
A number of these symbols appearing
in succession indicates a multiple-step
procedure. page This symbol tells you where to
look for further information on a
topic.
This continuation symbol marks
a warning which is continued on
the next page.
This continuation symbol marks
a procedure which is continued
on the next page.
-> This symbol is used to indicate
cross-references to term
definitions.
Display
Words appearing in the multi-
function display and audio dis-
play are printed in the type
shown here.
Warning!
G
Warning notices draw your attention to haz-
ards that may endanger your health or life,
or the health or life of others.!
Highlights hazards that may result in dam-
age to your vehicle.
i
Helpful hints or further information you may
find useful.
20 IntroductionOperating safety
Proper use of the vehicle
Proper use of the vehicle requires that you
are familiar with the following information
and rules:
the safety precautions in this manual
the “Technical data” section in this
manual
traffic rules and regulations
motor vehicle laws and safety
standards
Warning!
G
Work improperly carried out on electronic
components and associated software could
cause them to cease functioning. Because
the vehicle’s electronic components are in-
terconnected, any modifications made may
produce an undesired effect on other sys-
tems. Electronic malfunctions could seri-
ously impair the operating safety of your
vehicle.
See an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for repairs or modifications to electronic
components.
Other improper work or modifications on the
vehicle could also have a negative impact on
the operating safety of the vehicle.
Some safety systems only function while the
engine is running. You should therefore nev-
er turn off the engine while driving.
Warning!
G
Heavy blows against the vehicle underbody
or tires/wheels, for example when running
over an obstacle, road debris or a pothole,
may cause serious damage and impair the
operating safety of your vehicle. If you feel a
sudden significant vibration or ride distur-
bance, or you suspect that damage to your
vehicle has occurred, you should turn on
your hazard warning flashers, carefully slow
down, and drive with caution to an area
which is a safe distance from the road.
Inspect the vehicle underbody and
tires/wheels for possible damage. If the ve-
hicle appears unsafe, have it towed to the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
or other qualified maintenance or repair fa-
cility for further inspection or repairs.
Warning!
G
Various warning labels are attached to your
vehicle. These warning labels are intended
to make you and others aware of various
risks. You should not remove any of these
warning labels unless explicitly instructed to
do so by information on the label itself. Re-
moval of any of these labels may cause you
and others to be unaware of certain risks
which may result in an accident and/or
personal injury.
29 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
Coolant temperature gauge
with
115
DCoolant temperature
warning lamp
310
2
Speedometer with;Brake warning lamp,
USA only
307
3Brake warning lamp,
Canada only
307
vABS/ESP
® warning
lamp
304
>Gearshift indicator
lamp
311
LLeft turn signal
indicator lampKRight turn signal
indicator lamp
Item
Page
3
Left multifunction display
with
Outside temperature
116
Main odometer
117
4
Reset button
114
5
Tachometer with
116
AHigh-beam headlamp
indicator
110
?Engine malfunction in-
dicator lamp, USA only
308
±Engine malfunction in-
dicator lamp, Canada
only
308
-Antilock Brake System
(ABS) indicator lamp
306
XCombination low tire
pressure/TPMS mal-
function telltale,
USA only
Low tire pressure tell-
tale, Canada only
315
Item
Page
1Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS)
indicator lamp
314
6
Right multifunction display
with
Current gear selector lever
position/gear range
117,
171,
174
Trip odometer
117
Automatic transmission
shift program mode
117,
175
Clock
133
=Engine oil temperature
indicator
311
7
Fuel gauge withAFuel reserve warning
lamp
311
31 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part
Item
Page
1
Central locking switch
105
2
Hazard warning flasher
on/off switch
111
3
Central unlocking switch
105
4
Air temperature controls for
center and side air vents
190
5
Air volume controls for center
and side air vents
191
6
Selects the shift program
mode
175
Item
Page
7
Selects the Airbrake mode
90
8
Selects the manual shift
program mode
179
9
Audio system
120,
145
a
Automatic climate control
184
b
Engine start button
48
38 Getting startedThe “Getting started” section provides an
overview of the vehicle’s most basic func-
tions. First-time Mercedes-Benz owners
should pay special attention to the infor-
mation given here.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions described here, the “Controls in
detail” section will provide you with further
information. The corresponding page
references are located at the end of each
segment.Unlocking
SmartKey with remote control1‹Lock button
2ŠUnlock button for trunk
3ŒUnlock button
4ÂPanic button (
page 81)
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could
result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.