MERCEDES-BENZ SLK ROADSTER 2008 Manual Online

Windscreen wipers
78
Manual control
Interior lighting
X
To switch on/off: press theðbutton.
Reading lamps
X To switch on/off: press theXbutton.
Depending on the equipment, the reading
lamps are in the overhead control panel or,
for vehicles equipped with the light pack-
age*, at the bottom of the rear-view mirror . Windscreen wipers
Combination switch
1
To switch on the windscreen wipers
2 Single wipe/to wipe the windscreen using
washer fluid
Settings: 0 Windscreen wipers off
I Intermittent wipe
II Continuous wipe, slow
III Continuous wipe, fast
!
Vehicles with a rain sensor*: If the windscreen becomes dirty in dry
weather conditions, the windscreen wiper
s
may be activated inadvertently. This could
then damage the windscreen wiper blades
or scratch the windscreen.
For this reason, you should always switch
off the windscreen wipers in dry weather.
X Make sure that the key is in position 1or
2 in the ignition lock .
The various wiper settings can be selected
as follows: Single wipe
X Briefly press the combination switch to the
pressure point in the direction of arrow
2 . Cont
rols
* optional
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Side windows
79Wiping with washer fluid
X Press the combination switch beyond the
pressure point in the direction of arrow
2 . Intermittent wipe/rain sensor*
X Turn the combination switch in the direc-
tion of arrow 1to position I.
The windscreen wipers will wipe at regular
intervals. On vehicles with a rain sensor*
the appropriate wiping frequency is set
automatically according to the intensity of
the rain. Continuous wipe
X Depending on the intensity of the rain, tur n
the combination switch in the direction of
arrow 1to position IIor III. Switching off the windscreen wipers
X Turn the combination switch to position 0. Side windows
Opening/closing the side windows
G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap -
ped between the side window and the door
frame as a side window is opened. Do not
touch or lean against the side window dur-
ing the opening procedure. You could
become trapped between the side window
and the door frame as the window moves
down. If danger threatens, release the
switch or pull the switch upwards to close
the side window again. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap -
ped as you close a side window. If danger
threatens, release the switch or press the
switch a second time to open the side win-
dow again. G
Risk of injury
Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. Always take the key with you when
leaving the vehicle, even if you only leave it
for a short time . G
Risk of injury
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a chil d
restraint system. The children could:
R be seriously or even fatally injured on
parts of the vehicle
R be seriously or even fatally injured by
prolonged exposure to extremely high or
extremely low temperatures
If children open a door, they could:
R seriously or even fatally injure other peo-
ple
R get out of the vehicle, thereby injuring
themselves or be seriously or even fatally
injured by a passing vehicle
The switches for all side windows are located
on the driver's door. There is also a switch for Controls
* optional
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Side windows
80
the front-passenger side window on the front-
passenger door.
Switches on the driver's door
1
Left
2 Right
X Make sure that the key is in position 2in
the ignition lock .
i When the key is turned to position 0or
removed from the ignition lock, it is still
possible to operate the windows until the
driver's or front-passenger door is opened,
but for no longer than five minutes. Opening/closing the front side win-
dow
s X
To open or close: press the switch down
or pull it up beyond the pressure point an d
hold it until the corresponding window is in
the desired position.
X To open or close fully: press the switch
down or pull it up beyond the pressure point
and release it.
X To stop: briefly press the switch down or
pull it up .
Closing with increased force and withou t
the anti-entrapment feature G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap-
ped and a serious or even fatal injury is not
caused as you close a side window with
increased force or without the anti-entrap-
ment feature.
If a side window locks up during closing and
has reopened again slightly:
X Immediately after the window locks up, pull
the switch upwards until the window is fully
closed.
The side window is closed with more force. If a side window locks up again during closing
and has reopened again slightly
:
X Immediately after the window locks up, pull
the switch upwards until the window is fully
closed.
The side window is closed without the anti-
entrapment feature.
Opening/closing all the side window s Roof switch on the lower centre console
1
To open the side windows
2 To close the side windows Controls
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Driving and pa
rking 81
X
To open side windows :Pull back the roof
switch twice in rapid succession in the
direction of the arrow 1.
All side windows open.
i If you then close a side window using the
power window switch on the door, the tri-
angular rear window remains open. To
close the triangular rear window, you must
close the side window using the roof
switch.
X To close side windows :Push the roof
switch forward twice in rapid succession in
the direction of arrow 2and hold it.
The front side windows close first. Afte r
about a second, the rear triangular win-
dows close.
i If the roof is open, only the two front side
windows close.
i If the window is obstructed during clos-
ing, the closing procedure is interrupted
and it opens again slightly. Resetting the side windows
Each side window must be reset if the battery
was disconnected or discharged.
X Make sure that the key is in position 2in
the ignition lock .
X Pull the switch upwards until the window is
closed, and hold it in this position for
another second. Driving and parking
Starting the engine
G
Risk of accident
Do not keep any objects in the driver's foot-
well. If you use a floormat or carpet in the
driver's footwell, make sure that they are
correctly secured and that there is suffi-
cient clearance for the pedals.
Objects could otherwise get between the
pedals in the event of sudden braking or
acceleration. You may then no longer be
able to brake, change gear or accelerate as
intended. This may result in an accident and
injury . G
Risk of poisoning
Never leave the engine running in enclose d
spaces. The exhaust gases contain carbon
monoxide. Inhaling exhaust fumes consti-
tutes a health hazard and could lead to loss
of consciousness or even death.
! Do not depress the accelerator pedal
when starting the engine.
i If you depress the brake when starting the
engine, pedal travel will be unusually long
and there will be less pedal resistance. Controls
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Driving and pa
rking82
Manual transmissio
nX
Shift to neutral .
X Apply the handbrake (Y page 83).
Further information about the manual trans-
mission (Y page 85). Automatic transmission* P
Park position with selector lever lock
R Reverse gear
N Neutral
D Drive positio n
X Before starting, make sure Pis selected.
i The engine can also be started when the
selector lever is in position N.
Further information about the automatic
transmission (Y page 85).
Starting the engine i
Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
You can also use the "touch-start" function.
To do this, turn the key to position 3and release it immediately. The engine then
starts automatically.
X Turn the key to position 3(Y page 59) in
the ignition lock and release it as soon as
the engine is running. Pulling away
! Warm up the engine quickly. Do not use
the engine's full performance until it has
reached operating temperature.
Only change into reverse gear when the
vehicle is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads. You could otherwise damage the
drive train .
! AMG vehicles: at low engine tempera-
tures (below + 20° C), the maximum engine
speed is limited in order to protect the
engine. Avoid driving at full throttle when
the engine is cold in order to protect the
engine and avoid inconveniences.
i The vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away. The locking knobs in the doors
drop down. Controls
* optional
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Driving and pa
rking 83
You can open the doors from the inside at
any time.
You can also deactivate the automatic lock-
ing feature
(Y page 105).
Manual transmission X
Depress the clutch pedal.
X Shift to either first or reverse gear.
X Slowly release the clutch pedal and
depress the accelerator pedal.
! Change gear in good time and avoid spin-
ning the wheels. You could otherwise dam-
age the vehicle.
Automatic transmission *i
It is only possible to move the selector
lever to the desired position if you depres s
the brake pedal. Only then is the selector
lever lock released.
X Depress the brake pedal and hold it down.
X Release the handbrake .
X Move the selector lever to position Dor R.
i Wait for the shift process to complet e
before pulling away. X
Release the brake pedal .
X Carefully depress the accelerator pedal.
i Upshifts take place at higher engine
speeds after a cold start. This helps the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature more quickly. Parking
G
Risk of fire
Make sure that the exhaust system doe s
not under any circumstances come into
contact with easily ignitable material such
as dry grass or petrol. The material could
otherwise ignite and set the vehicle on fire. Handbrake 1
Release butto n
2 Handbrake
X To release: depress the brake pedal and
keep it depressed.
On vehicles with automatic transmission* ,
the selector lever lock is released.
X Apply handbrake 2slightly.
X Press release button 1on handbrake 2
and move the handbrake down to the stop.
X The 3 indicator lamp in the instrumen t
cluster goes out. Control
s
* optional
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Transmission
84
X
To apply :pull handbrake 2up firmly.
The 3 indicator lamp in the instrumen t
cluster lights up if the engine is running.
i On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the kerb. Stopping the engine
G
Risk of accident
If the engine is not running, there is no
power assistance for the steering and
brakes. Steering and braking then take s
much more effort.
As a result, you might lose control of the
vehicle, cause an accident and injure your-
self and others.
Do not switch off the engine while driving.
Vehicles with manual transmissio nX
Shift to either first or reverse gear.
X Turn the key to position 0(Y page 59) in
the ignition lock and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated. Vehicles with automatic transmission* X
Move the selector lever to P.
X Turn the key to position 0(Y page 59) in
the ignition lock and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated. Transmission
Introduction to the transmission
G
Risk of accident
The movement of the pedals must not be
impaired in any way. Do not keep any
objects in the driver's footwell. Make sure
that floormats or carpets are correctly
secured and that there is sufficient clear-
ance for the pedals. G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. Thi s
could cause the drive wheels to lose thei r
grip and the vehicle could skid. This could
cause you to lose control of your vehicle
and cause an accident .Cont
rols
* optional
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Transmission
85Manual transmission
!
When shifting between 5thand 6thgear ,
you must press the shift lever to the right.
You could otherwise shift unintentionally
into 3rdor4th gear and damage the trans -
mission.
Do not exceed the maximum speed for the
individual gears.
If you shift down at too high a speed (trans -
mission braking), this can cause the engine
to overspeed, leading to engine damage.
Engaging reverse gear !
Only engage reverse gear when the vehi -
cle is stationary, otherwise the transmis-
sion could be damaged. X
Move the gear lever firmly to the left
beyond the point of resistance and then
forwards. Automatic transmission
* 1
Selector lever position/shift range 2
Gearshift program (S/C)or(S/C/M)*
The current shift range and gearshift program
(S/C) or(S/C/M)* appear in the display of
the speedometer.
When the selector lever is in position D, you
can influence the gearshifts made by the
automatic transmission by:
R restricting the shift range
R changing gear yourself
Selector lever position s ì Park position
Prevents the vehicle from rolling
away when stopped. Only move the
selector lever to
Pwhen the vehicle
is stationary.
i The key can only be removed
when the selector lever is in posi-
tion P. If the key is removed fro m
the ignition lock, the selecto r
lever is locked in position P. í Reverse gear
Only move the selector lever to
R
when the vehicle is stationary. Controls
* optional
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Transmission
86 ë Neutral
Releasing the brakes will allow yo
u
to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to
push it or tow it.
Do not move the selector lever to
N while you are driving. The auto-
matic transmission could other-
wise be damaged .
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
only move the selector lever to Nif
the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
e.g. on icy roads. ê Drive
The automatic transmissio
n
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available .One-touch gearshifting
When the selector lever is in position
D, you
can perform gearshifts yourself, even on vehi-
cles with automatic transmission.
X To shift up: briefly press the selector lever
to the right towards D+.
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear, depending on the gearshift pro- gram selected. This also extends the shift
range.
X To shift down: briefly press the selecto r
lever to the left towards D–.
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear, depending on the gear cur-
rently selected. This also restricts the shift
range.
i To prevent the engine from overrevving,
the automatic transmission does not shift
down if you push the selector lever towards
D– while driving at too high a speed.
X To derestrict the shift range: press and
hold the selector lever towards D+until D
is shown once more in the display.
The automatic transmission shifts from the
current shift range directly to D.
X To select the most effective shift
range: press and hold the selector lever to
the left towards D–.
The automatic transmission will shift to a
range which allows ideal acceleration and
deceleration. To do this, the automatic
transmission will shift down one or more
gears. Shift ranges When the selector lever is in position
D, it is
possible to restrict or derestrict the shift
range for the automatic transmission .
X Briefly press the selector lever to the right
towards D+or to the left towards D–.
The shift range selected is shown in the
display. The automatic transmission shifts
only as far as the selected gear.
i If the maximum engine speed for the shift
range is reached and you continue to accel-
erate, the automatic transmission shifts up
in order to prevent the engine from over-
revving even if the shift range is restricted. Driving situation
è The braking effect of the engine can
be used in this position.Controls
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Transmission
87ç To use the braking effect of the
engine on downhill gradients and
for driving:
R
on steep mountain roads
R in mountainous terrain
R in arduous conditions æ To use the braking effect of the
engine on extremely steep downhill
gradients and long downhill
stretches.
Program selector button
1
Program selector button S
Spor t For all normal driving con-
ditions
C
Comfort For comfort mod
e !
Only press program selector button 1
when the selector lever is in position P,N
or D.
X Press program selector button 1repeat-
edly until the letter (C/S)for the desired
gearshift program appears in the speed-
ometer display.
Comfort mode Cis characterised by the fol-
lowing :
R an increase in traction. This improves th e
driving stability of the vehicle on slippery
road surfaces, for example.
R the automatic transmission shifting up
sooner. The vehicle is driven at lowe r
engine speeds and the wheels are less
likely to spin. Driving tips Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
R
little throttle: early upshift s
R more throttle: late upshifts
Kickdown
Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
X Ease off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up . Cont
rols
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