Mercedes-Benz 450 SL 1980, Owner'S Manual

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The First 1500 km/1000 Miles Special Operating Conditions
The more cautiously you treat your
engine during the break-in period,
the more satisfied you w ill be with
its perform ance later on. Therefore,
drive your vehicle during the first
1500 km/1000 miles at moderate
vehicle and engine speeds.
During this period, avoid heavy
loads (full thro ttle driving) and high
RPMs (no more than % of maximum
permissible speed in each gear) and
do not force the engine to labor at
low engine speed.
Avoid accelerating by kickdown. It
is not recommended to brake
vehicle by means of manually
shifting to a lower gear. We recom ­
mend to select positions “ S ” or
“ L ” only at moderate speeds (for
hill driving).
After 1500 km/1000 miles speeds
may gradually be increased to the
permissible maximum.
Winter Driving
Have your car w interized in a
MERCEDES-BENZ service station
before the onset of winter.
• Engine oil change: If no “ all year
rou nd ” engine oil is used, fill
with recomm ended w inter oil.
For viscosity and capacity refer
to “ Fuels, Coolants, Lubricants,
etc. and last page” .
• Antifreeze in the coolant:
Check antifreeze protection
periodically. For capacity
refer to “ Fuels, Coolants,
Lubricants, e tc .” .
• Additive in the w indshield washer
system: Add w indshield washer
solvent to the w ater in the
w indshield washer system.
• Test battery: Battery capacity
drops with decreasing ambient
temperature. A well charged
battery ensures that the engine
can always be started, even at
low am bient temperatures.
• Tires: For the cold season we
recomm end m ounting M + S
radial-ply tires on all wheels.
Permissible top speed for M + S
radial-ply tires is 160 k m /h /
100
m iles/h.