MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 2003 R230 Owner's Manual

141 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Program mode selector switch
1Program mode selector switch
S Standard For regular driving
W Winter For winter driving
Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the letter of the
desired shift program appears in the ta-
chometer display field (
page 109).
Select
Wfor winter driving:


The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.


Traction and driving stability are im-
proved on icy roads.


Upshifts occur earlier even when you
give more gas. The engine then oper-
ates at lower rpms and the wheels are
less likely to spin.

The power transmission ratio for se-
lector lever positionR changes de-
pending on the program mode
selected (
W or
S).
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the KEY-
LESS-GO
* card (if so equipped) with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Children could move
the selector lever from positionP, which
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

142 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionAccelerator position
Your driving style influences the transmis-
sion’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.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Steering wheel gearshift control
(Speedshift) and manual shift program
SL 55 AMG
The SL 55 AMG can be driven in both the
automatic and manual shift program
modes. In the manual shift program mode
you can change the gears yourself on the
steering wheel or by using the selector le-
ver.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshift
To do so, you must first select the manual
shift program
M on the program mode se-
lector switch.3Program mode selector switch
S Regular For regular driving
W Winter For winter driving
MANUALFor manual gear shifting
The selected shift program (
S/W/M
) is indi-
cated in the tachometer display field
(
page 109).

143 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Activating steering wheel gearshift
control
Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the
Mfor manu-
al shift program appears in the tachom-
eter display field.
Automatic gear shifting is deactivated.
Upshifting

Press the button located on the right
side of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D+direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached. Shift
into reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped.Downshifting

Press the button located on the left
side of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D–direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Deactivating steering wheel gearshift
control

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until
S or
W appears
in the tachometer display field.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
iAt each engine start, the transmission
will go into the last shift program mode
selected (
S or
W). Only program mode
M
is not stored and will not be recalled
when engine is restarted.

144 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionEmergency operation (Limp Home Mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
home (emergency operation) mode. In this
mode only 2nd gear and reverse gear can
be activated.
Stop the vehicle.

Move selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least ten seconds before re-
starting.

Restart the engine.

Move selector lever to positionD (for
2nd gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.

145 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
Information on the windshield wipers
(page 44) and for setting the rear view
mirrors (
page 35) is found in the “Get-
ting started” section.
Rear view mirror
Automatic antiglare rear view mirror
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the inside rear view mirror will respond au-
tomatically to glare when

the ignition is switched on, and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the inside rear view mir-
ror.
The rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gear is engaged


the interior lighting is turned on
Warning!
G
The automatic antiglare function does not
react if incoming light is not aimed directly
at sensors in the inside rear view mirror.
The inside rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the wind screen is in-
stalled.
Glare can endanger you and others.Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passenger
side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
side rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
Warning!
G
In the case of an accident liquid electrolyte
may escape from the mirror housing if the
mirror glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can be
completely removed only while in the
liquid state by applying plenty of water.

146 Controls in detailGood visibilityHeadlamp cleaning system
The switch is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer switch
Switch on ignition.

Press switch1.
Rear window defroster
For information on the rear window de-
froster (
page 153).
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
Swing sun visors down when you expe-
rience glare.1Mounting
2Mirror cover
3Mirror lamp
4Holder for gas cards

To use mirror, lift up cover2.
Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.
iIf sunlight enters through a side win-
dow, disengage sun visor from
mounting1 and pivot to the side.
The mirror lamp3 will switch off.

147 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Automatic climate control

148 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control
Automatic climate control panel
Item
1
Center air vent, adjustable
2
Center air vent, fixed
3
Air temperature controls for cen-
ter and side air vents
4
Air volume control for center and
side air vents
5
Center air vent, adjustable
6
Side defroster vent
7
Side air vent, adjustable
8
Automatic climate control panel
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents to the mid-
dle position.
Item
1
Temperature control, left
2
Air distribution, left (automatic or
manual operation)
3
Defrosting
4
Air recirculation
5
Rear window defroster
6
Air distribution, right (automatic or
manual operation)
7
Temperature control, right
8
Automatic climate control on/off
(complete system)
9
Residual heat/ventilation
10
Air volume control (automatic, man-
ual)
11
AC cooling on/off

149 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.
Setting the temperature
Use the temperature controls1 and7 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). Increasing

Turn the outer adjustment ring slightly
to the right.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Decreasing

Turn the outer adjustment ring slightly
to the left.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.
When the retractable hardtop is closed,
do not obstruct air flow by placing ob-
jects on the air flow-through exhaust
slots below the rear window.
iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.

150 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAdjusting the temperature for 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 147).
Turning on warm air

Press the left button (red).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up. 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 lights
up. 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 volume
Use the air volume control10
(page 148) for both automatic and man-
ual air volume adjustment.
Adjusting manually

Press the control knob.
The
U
light on the control knob
goes out. You can now select one of
nine air volume settings.
Adjusting automatically

Press the control knob.
The
U
light on the control knob
comes on. The airflow is adjusted auto-
matically.