2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 Ac on off switch

172 Controls in detailDriving systemsWarning!
G
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account. Only use Distronic if
the weather and traffic conditions make it
advisable to travel at a steady speed.Warning!
G
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on slip-
pery roads. Rapid changes in tire traction
can result in wheel spin and loss of control.
Distronic does not act upon adverse sight
distance conditions. Do not use Distronic
during conditions of fog and heavy rain,
snow or sleet.
Warning!
G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not Distronic is activated.
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on wind-
ing roads or in heavy traffic because condi-
tions do not allow safe driving at a steady
speed.
Distronic will not react to stationary objects
in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehicle in a
traffic jam or a disabled vehicle). Distronic
will also not respond to oncoming vehicles.
Switch off Distronic:

when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly
in the left lane


when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp


in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, Distronic will continue to
maintain the set speed unless deactivated.
Distronic is designed and intended only to
maintain a set speed and keep a set dis-
tance from moving objects in front of it.Warning!
G
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

178 Controls in detailDriving systemsDeactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow3 (
page 175).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored into memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when


you set the parking brake


you drive slower than 25 mph
(Canada: 40 km/h)


ESP is active (
page 70) or you deac-
tivate ESP


You move the transmission selector le-
ver into positionN.
A signal will sound. The
DTR off
mes-
sage appears in the speedometer dis-
play for approximately five seconds.Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following for Dis-
tronic by varying the time setting between
1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using this time set-
ting and the current speed of your vehicle,
Distronic calculates and sets the required
following distance to the vehicle ahead.
The set distance will be shown in the
speedometer display field.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.
iThe last stored speed is deleted when
you turn off the engine.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of 25 mph ( 40 km / h)
by operation of the system. At that time the
driver must apply the brakes in order to re-
duce vehicle speed further or bring it to a
stop.
Warning!
G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.

179 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Distance warning function on/off
switch
2Thumbwheel for setting distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting tells Dis-
tronic to maintain a greater following dis-
tance to the vehicle ahead.
Turn thumbwheel2 towards
¯
.Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting tells Dis-
tronic to maintain a smaller following dis-
tance to the vehicle ahead.

Turn thumbwheel2 towards
®
.Distance warning function
When Distronic is deactivated, this func-
tion will continue to warn you if you are fol-
lowing too close to the vehicle ahead:


The DTR warning lamp
E
lights up
red.


An intermittent warning will sound if
necessary.
If these warnings are issued, you must
brake manually to maintain a safe distance
and avoid a collision with the vehicle
ahead.

181 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The most likely cause for a malfunctioning
system is a dirty sensor (located behind
the hood grill), especially at times of snow
and ice or heavy rain. In such a case, Dis-
tronic will switch off, and the message DISTRONIC - CLEAR SENSOR!
appears in
the multifunction display.
For cleaning and care of the Distronic sen-
sor, see “Cleaning the Distronic* system
sensor cover” (
page 246).Turns and bends
In turns or bends, Distronic may not detect
a moving vehicle in front, or it may detect
one too soon. This may cause your vehicle
to brake late or unexpectedly.
Warning!
G
Distronic works to maintain the speed se-
lected by the driver unless a moving obsta-
cle proceeding directly ahead of it in the
same travel direction is detected (e.g. fol-
lowing another vehicle ahead of you at a dis-
tance set by Distronic). This means that:

Your vehicle can pass another vehicle
after you change lanes.


While in a sharp turn or if the vehicle in
front is in a sharp turn, Distronic could
lose sight of a vehicle traveling in front
of it. Your vehicle could then accelerate
to the previously selected speed.
Distronic regulates only the distance be-
tween your vehicle and those directly ahead
of it, but does not register stationary objects
in the road, e.g.:


a stopped vehicle in a traffic jam


a disabled vehicle


an oncoming vehicle
The driver must always be on the alert, ob-
serve all traffic and intercede as required by
steering or braking the vehicle.Warning!
G
Distronic should not be used in snowy or icy
road conditions.

183 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Active Body Control (ABC)
The ABC system automatically selects the
optimum suspension tuning and ride
height for your vehicle.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:

Your driving style


Road surface conditions


The vehicle loading


Your choice of suspension style,
“sporty” or “regular”, which you select
using the ABC switch.
The selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the key is re-
moved from the starter switch.The ABC switch with the indicator lamp is
located in the lower section of the center
console.
1ABC switch
2Indicator lamp

Start the engine.Suspension for sporty driving style
The setting for sporty driving is selected
when the indicator lamp2 is illuminated.

Press switch1.
The indicator lamp2 comes on.
Suspension for regular driving style
The setting for regular driving is selected
when the indicator lamp2 is off.

Press switch1.
The indicator lamp2 goes out.

185 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary:
The switch and the indicator lamps are lo-
cated in the lower section of the center
console.
Briefly press switch3 to change from
one level setting to the next.
At level 1, indicator lamp2 is illuminat-
ed and at level 2 both indicator lamps
are illuminated. When the vehicle is at
level 2, pressing the switch will return
the vehicle to normal level.
1Indicator lamp 1
2Indicator lamp 2
3Vehicle level control switch
Vehicle level when
stationary
Use for
Height increase over
normal
Automatic lowering
Indicator lamps
(page 185)
Normal
Normal operation
None
Max. approx. 0.5 in (12 mm)
Both lamps off
Level 1
Driving with snow chains
(page 240)
Max. 0.6 in (15 mm)
1
Max. approx. 0.6 in (15 mm)
One lamp on
Level 2
Very rough road surface
conditions
Max. 1.0 in (25 mm)
1
Max. approx. 1.0 in (25 mm)
Both lamps on
1Dependent on loading
iPressing the switch twice in quick suc-
cession will cause the vehicle to imme-
diately raise or lower to the new vehicle
level as selected.
The selected vehicle level setting re-
mains stored in memory even if the en-
gine is turned off and restarted.

189 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Switching the Parktronic system
on/off
You can switch off the Parktronic system
manually.
The Parktronic switch is located in the low-
er section of the center console.
1Parktronic on/off switch
2Indicator lamp
Switching off the Parktronic system
Press switch1.
The indicator lamp2 comes on.Switching on the Parktronic system

Press switch1 again.
The indicator lamp2 goes out.
Parktronic malfunction
There is a malfunction in the Parktronic
system if the red segments of the Park-
tronic warning indicator light up and a
warning sounds. The Parktronic system
will switch itself off after 30 seconds and
the indicator lamp on the Parktronic switch
lights up.

Have the Parktronic system checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter as soon as possible.If only the red segments of the Parktronic
warning indicator light up and no warning
sounds, then the sensors of the Parktronic
system are dirty or malfunctioning. Mal-
function may also be caused by interfer-
ence from other radio or ultrasonic signals.
The Parktronic system will switch itself off
after 20 seconds.

Clean Parktronic system sensors
(page 246).

Switch on the ignition.
or

Check Parktronic operation at another
location to rule out interference from
outside radio or ultrasonic signals.

197 Controls in detail
Useful features
Cigarette lighter
The lighter socket can be used to accom-
modate electrical accessories up to a
maximum of 180 W.
1Cigarette lighter
Switch on the ignition.

Push in the cigarette lighter1.
The lighter will pop out automatically
when hot.Heated steering wheel* (Canada
only–model SL 500)
The steering wheel heating warms up the
leather area of the steering wheel.
The lever is on the lower left-hand side of
the steering wheel.
1Switching on
2Indicator lamp
3Switching off
Warning!
G
Never touch the heating element or sides of
the lighter; they are extremely hot. Hold the
knob only.
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
key from the starter switch. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
serious personal injury.