2009 Mercedes SLR McLaren Owner's Manual - Page 50

Getting started Driving Driving off Warning! Depress the brake pedal. The gear selector lever lock is released. Place the gear selector lever in drive position D or reverse gear R. Warning! On slippery road surfaces, never downshift in order to obtain braking action. This could result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehicle control. Your vehicle's ABS will not prevent this type of loss of control. G After a cold start, the transmission engages at a higher revolution. This allows the catalytic converter to reach its operating temperature earlier. ! Do not run cold engine at high engine speed. Running a cold engine at high engine speed may shorten the service life of the engine. ! Simultaneously depressing the accelerator pedal and applying the brakes reduces engine performance and causes premature brake and drivetrain wear. i Once the vehicle is in motion, the automatic central locking system engages. You can deactivate the automatic locking using the control system ( page 139). You can open a locked door from the inside. Open door only when conditions are safe to do so. G It is dangerous to shift the gear selector lever out of park position P or neutral position N if the engine speed is higher than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in reverse. You could lose control of the vehicle and hit someone or something. Only shift into gear when the engine is idling normally and when your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal. ! In order to avoid damage to the transmission: Wait for the gear selection process to complete before setting the vehicle in motion. Place the gear selector lever in reverse gear R or park position P only when the vehicle is stopped. Release the brake pedal. Carefully depress the accelerator pedal. ! If you hear a warning signal and the message Release Parking Brake appears in the multifunction display when driving off, you have forgotten to release the parking brake. Release the parking brake ( page 49). 50