The First 1500 Km /1000 Miles; Special Operating Conditions; Gauge For Economical Driving (Economy); Winter Driving - Mercedes-Benz 380 SL Owner's Manual

The First 1500 km/1000 Miles
The more cautiously you treat your
engine during the break-in period,
the more satisfied you will be with
its performance later on. Therefore,
drive your vehicle during the first
/1000
1500 km miles at moderate
vehicle and engine speeds.
During this period, avoid heavy
loads (full throttle 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 shift­
ing to a lower gear. We recommend
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.
Driving Economically
Gauge for Economical Driving
(ECONOMY)
The gauge for economical driving
indicates the fuel consum ption ten­
dency during the various driving
modes.
If, while driving, the pointer travels
to the right into the red field, this
indicates an increase in the
momentary fuel consumption.
In order to drive econom ically you
should try to keep the pointer of
the gauge away from the red field
in all gears, by avoiding hard
acceleration as much as possible.
Use selector lever position " D"
while driving under all normal
operating conditions. Using selector
lever positions "S" or "L" can
involve an increased consumption
of between 25 - 80 %.

Special Operating Conditions

Winter Driving

Have your car winterized in a
MERCEDES-BENZ service station
before the onset of winter.
• Engine oil change: If no "all year
round" engine oil is used, fill with
recommended winter 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, etc.".
• Additive in the windshield washer
system: Add windshield washer
solvent to the water in the w ind­
shield washer system.