MERCEDES-BENZ SL65AMG 2008 R230 Owner's Manual

190 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Automatic climate control panel
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the automatic climate control
system in either the automatic or manual
mode. The system cools or heats the
interior depending on the selected interior
temperature and the current outside
temperature.Item
1Air distribution, left
2Front defroster
3Air recirculation
4Rear window defroster
5Air distribution, right
6Temperature control, right
7Automatic climate control on/off
(entire system)
8Residual heat/ventilation
9Air volume control
aAC cooling on/off
bTemperature control, left
Warning!G
When operating the automatic climate
control, the air that enters the passenger
compartment through the air vents can be
very hot or very cold (depending on the set
temperature). This may cause burns or frost-
bite on unprotected skin in the immediate
area of the air vents. Always keep sufficient
distance between unprotected parts of the
body and the air vents. If necessary, use the
air distribution control (
page 190) to di-
rect the air to air vents in the vehicle interior
that are not in the immediate area of unpro-
tected skin.

191 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
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 A/Cmode is deactivated
(
page 198).Deactivating the automatic climate
control system
Deactivating
Press button ´ (page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Warning!G
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before
its scheduled replacement interval.
A clogged filter will reduce the air volume to
the interior and the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others. Have a clogged filter replaced as
soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
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 in-
terior 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.
When the retractable hardtop is closed, do not
obstruct air flow by placing objects on the air
flow-through exhaust slots below the rear win-
dow.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 when the
retractable hardtop is closed. Otherwise the
windows could fog up, impairing visibility
and endangering you and others.

192 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Reactivating
Press button ´ (page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The previous settings are in effect
again.
or
Turn one of the temperature controls
on the automatic climate control panel
(
page 190).
The indicator lamp on button ´
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.Air distribution in automatic mode
You can separately adjust the air distribu-
tion for each side of the passenger com-
partment.
Activating
Press control button1 or 5
(
page 190).
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 190) 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 194).
iWhen 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 dehumidify is
switched on. This function can be switched off if
necessary (
page 190).

193 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Air volume in automatic mode
The air volume settings are the same for
the entire passenger compartment.
Activating
Press control button 9 (page 190).
The control button is engaged.
TheU symbol on the control button
comes on.
Deactivating
Press control button 9 (page 190)
once more.
The control button sticks up slightly.
The U symbol on the control button
goes out. Adjust the air volume manu-
ally (
page 195).
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls6 andb
(
page 190) to separately adjust the air
temperature on each side of the passenger
compartment. You should raise or lower
the temperature setting in small incre-
ments, 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 190) slightly
clockwise.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.Decreasing
Turn temperature control6
and/orb (
page 190) slightly
counterclockwise.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.

194 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Adjusting air distribution
Use air distribution controls1 and5
(
page 190) 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 190) until the control button
sticks up slightly and the U symbol
on the control button is out.
Automatic air distribution for the
respective side of the passenger
compartment is switched off.
Turn control button to the desired
symbol.
The air distribution is adjusted
according to the chosen setting.
Opening the center air vents
Turn thumbwheel 7 (page 188)
upward to the first stop.
Center air vents 2 and 4
(
page 188) are open.
Opening the cockpit air vent and center
air vents
Turn thumbwheel 7 (page 188) up-
ward all the way.
Cockpit air vent 3 and center
air vents2 and 4 (
page 188)
are open.Closing the cockpit air vent and center
air vents
Turn thumbwheel 7 (page 188)
downward.
Cockpit air vent 3 and center
air vents2 and 4 (
page 188)
are closed.
Opening the side air vents
Turn thumbwheel 6 and 8
(
page 188) upward.
The corresponding side air vent is
open.
Closing the side air vents
Turn thumbwheel 6 and 8
(
page 188) upward.
The corresponding side air vent is
closed.
SymbolFunction
hDirects air through the cen-
ter and side air vents
jDirects air to the windows
VDirects air into the entire
vehicle interior
kDirects air to the footwells
iYou can also turn the air distribution control
to a position between two symbols.
iThe air vents are continuously variable.

195 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Adjusting air volume
Use air volume control9 (
page 190) for
both automatic (
page 192) and manual
air volume adjustment. Nine blower
speeds are available.
Press control button9 (page 190).
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 MAXCOOL
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, MAXCOOL is activated.
“MAX COOL” appears on the temperature
controls 6 and b (
page 190).
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when retractable
hardtop is closed).
Automatic climate control panel with
MAXCOOL activated
Front 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
side windows.
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield or the side windows are clear again.

196 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Activating
Press button P (page 190).
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 front side windows

the air recirculation mode is
switched off
Deactivating
Press button P (page 190).
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 58).
If the automatic air distribution and air vol-
ume are switched off:
Turn air distribution controls1 and 5
(
page 190) to position h ork.
or
Press control buttons 1, 5 and 9
(
page 190).
The control buttons are engaged.
TheU symbol on the control
buttons come on. Air distribution and
air volume are adjusted automatically.
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.
iThe cooling remains switched on.
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.
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 198) is activated, or
press buttonP.

197 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Activating
Briefly press button,
(
page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating
Briefly press button,
(
page 190).
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.Air recirculation mode with conve-
nience closing or opening feature
Activating
Press and hold button,.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air recirculation mode is
activated. The windows will close.
iThe air recirculation mode is activated auto-
matically

at high outside temperatures

if the concentration of carbon monoxide
(CO) and/or nitrogen oxide (NO
x) in the out-
side air increases, for example in a tunnel
The indicator lamp on button, is not lit when
the air recirculation mode is automatically
switched on.
A quantity of outside air is added after approxi-
mately 30 minutes.
iThe 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)
Warning!G
Never operate the windows if there is the
possibility of anyone being harmed by the
closing procedure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the windows
can be immediately halted by releasing
the, button or by pressing and pulling
the respective window switch.

198 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Deactivating
Press and hold button,.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The air recirculation mode is deac-
tivated. The windows will return to their
previous position.
Air conditioning
The air conditioning (cooling) function is
operational when the engine is running and
cools the vehicle interior down to the
selected temperature. In addition, the
cooling 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 2 (page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The cooling function switches off
after a short delay.
iA window will only return to its previous
position if it has not moved to another position
using the respective window switch after it was
closed with button,.
iCondensation may drip out from underneath
the vehicle. This is normal and not an indication
of a malfunction.
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
others.

199 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
Press button 2 once more
(
page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134A. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.Activating
With the SmartKey:
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or0, or remove it from
the starter switch.
Press button T (page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
With KEYLESS-GO*:
Turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button and
open the driver’s door (with the driver’s
door open, the starter switch is in posi-
tion 0, same as with the SmartKey re-
moved from the starter switch)
Press button T (page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
!If the 2 button on the automatic climate
control panel 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.
iHow long the system will provide heating
depends on the coolant temperature and the
selected temperature. The blower will run at low
speed regardless of the air distribution control
setting.