Mercedes-Benz 380 SL 1984, Owner'S Manual

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Starting and Shifting Gears
The automatic transmission simpli­
fies the handling of the vehicle. The
individual gears are shifted automa­
tically dependent upon selector
lever position, vehicle speed and
accelerator position.
Hints
When parking the vehicle or if
working on the vehicle with the
engine running, depress parking
brake pedal and move selector
lever to position “ P”.
Warning:
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all
times. Objects stored in this area
may cause impairment of pedal
movement.
Driving
Shift selector lever to the desired
driving position only when the
engine is idling and the service
brake is applied. Do not release the
brake until ready to drive. The
vehicle may otherwise start creep­
ing when the selector lever is in a
driving position.
Test service brake after driving off.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do
not place full load on the engine
until the operating temperature has
been reached.
When taking off on a slippery
surface, do not allow one driving
wheel to spin for an extended
period.
Accelerator position
Partial throttle = early upshifting
= normal acceleration
Full throttle = later upshifting
= maximum acceleration
Depressing the accelerator beyond
full throttle to kickdown position
means downshifting to the next
lower gear and thus maximum
acceleration. If you ease up on the
accelerator after having attained
the desired speed, the transmission
will shift up again.
Selector Lever Positions
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operat­
ing conditions by means of the
selector lever.
“ P” Parking lock.
The parking lock is an
additional safeguard when
parking the vehicle. Engage
only with the car stopped.
“R” Reverse gear.
Shift reverse gear only with
the car stopped.