2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 light

153 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated af-
ter approximately 6 to 17 minutes of oper-
ation depending on the outside
temperature.
Activating
Press button
F
(page 148).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.Deactivating

Press button
F
(page 148) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.!The rear window defroster cannot be
switched on when the retractable hard-
top is open. The indicator lamp will
start blinking if the hardtop is open.

Close the retractable hardtop.
The rear window defroster can again be
turned on.
!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts blinking, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically turns itself back on.

155 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Reactivating
There are several ways to reactivate the
automatic climate control system:
Press any button on the automatic cli-
mate control panel (
page 148).
The indicator lamp on button
M

switches off.
or

Turn one of the control knobs on the
automatic climate control.
The indicator lamp on button
M

switches off.
Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the automatic
climate control system. The air in the vehi-
cle will then no longer be cooled or dehu-
midified.
Press button AC
OFF
(page 148).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
lights up.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

Press AC
OFF
again (
page 148).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134A. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the AC
OFF
button on the automatic
climate control panel starts to blink,
this indicates that the air conditioning
is losing refrigerant. The compressor
has turned itself off. The air condition-
ing cannot be turned on again.


Have the air conditioner checked at
the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

157 Controls in detail
Power windows
Power windows
Opening and closing the windows
The side windows can be opened and
closed electrically. The switches for all the
side windows are on the driver’s door. The
switch for the passenger side is on the pas-
senger door.
1Left front and rear windows
2Right front and rear windows
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being injured
by the closing procedure.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch, or,
if the switch was pulled past the resistance
point and released, by either pressing or
pulling the respective switch.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you pulled the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the window,
the automatic reversal function will stop the
window and open it slightly.
If the window encounters an obstruction
t h a t b l o c k s i t s p a t h i n a c i r c u m s t a n c e w h e r e
you are closing the window by pulling the
switch to its resistance point and holding it
there, by pressing and holding button
‹
on the SmartKey, or by pressing and holding
the lock button (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*) on the door handle, the auto-
matic reversal function will not operate.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO
* card (if so equipped) with
you, and lock your vehicle. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment can cause an acci-
dent and/or serious personal injury.

158 Controls in detailPower windowsOpening the front side windows
Press switch1 or2.
The window (left or right) will move
downwards until you release the
switch.
If the hardtop is open, the respective
rear window will open automatically as
soon as the front window is completely
open.
Closing the front side windows

Pull on switch1 or2.
The window (left or right) will move up-
wards until you release the switch.
If you pull and hold the switch up when
closing the window, and upward move-
ment of the window is blocked by some
obstruction including but not limited to
arms, hands, fingers, etc., the automat-
ic reversal will not operate.Opening the rear side windows

Open the front window.
If the hardtop is open, the respective
rear window will open automatically as
soon as the front window is completely
open.
If the hardtop is closed:

Press again on switch1 or2.
The rear window will open completely.
Closing the rear side windows

Close the front window.

Pull again on switch1 or2.
The rear window will close completely.
Fully opening the front side windows

Press switch1 or2 past the point of re-
sistance and release.Fully closing the front side windows

Pull on switch1 or2 past the point of
resistance and release.
If the upward movement of the window is
blocked during the closing procedure, the
window will stop and open slightly.
Stopping the front side windows

Press or pull respective switch again.
Synchronizing power windows
The side power windows must be resyn-
chronized each time after the battery has
been disconnected:

Pull the power window switches until
the side windows are closed and hold
the switches for approximately one
second.

162 Controls in detailRetractable hardtopLocking the retractable hardtop after
raising/lowering
If the retractable hardtop is not properly
locked, lock it as described below.Unlocked status noticed when stopped

Switch on the ignition.

To lock the hardtop in its fully closed
position, press hardtop switch forward.
The message
Hardtop Closed
will be
shown in the multifunction display.
or:

To lock the hardtop in its fully opened
position, pull up on the hardtop switch.
The message
Hardtop Open
will be
shown in the multifunction display.
Unlocked status noticed while driving

Stop the vehicle.

Leave the ignition switched on.

To lock the hardtop in its fully closed
position, press hardtop switch forward.
The message
Hardtop Closed
will be
shown in the multifunction display.
or:

To lock the hardtop in its fully opened
position, pull up on the hardtop switch.
The message
Hardtop Open
will be
shown in the multifunction display.
Warning!
G
The hardtop is not fully closed and locked or
not fully opened and locked if:

the indicator light in the hardtop switch
remains lit


the message
Hardtop in operation!

is shown in the multifunction display
and the indicator lamp in the hardtop
switch does not go out


the indicator lamp blinks and a warning
sounds for 10 seconds and the message Lock hardtop
is shown in the multi-
function display when starting to drive
Warning!
G
Stop the vehicle and lock the hardtop before
continuing to drive. You could otherwise en-
danger yourself and others.

165 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
Indicator lamp in the retractable hard-
top switch lights when vehicle is
stopped
If the indicator lamp in the retractable
hardtop switch lights while the vehicle is
standing still and the switch was not acti-
vated, then the retractable hardtop is not
locked.
Properly lock the retractable hardtop
(page 162) before continuing to
drive.
The retractable hardtop will not lock
There is a malfunction in the retractable
hardtop system.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.Wind screen
The wind screen deflects drafts away from
the driver and passenger when the hardtop
is lowered. It is stored in a separate stor-
age bag.
Installing

Leave the wind screen folded and place
it on the roll bar.1Guide tabs

Slide the wind screen into the roll bar
until the guide taps on each side latch
underneath the roll bar. Make sure that
the fastening straps do not get caught.

Raise the roll bar slightly (
page 61).
Warning!
G
The wind screen can restrict the driver’s vi-
sion to the rear of the vehicle. To prevent a
possible accident when visibility is limited
(e.g. in darkness), the upper part of the wind
screen should be folded back.

166 Controls in detailRetractable hardtop2Close the fastening straps
Guide the fastening straps around the
top of the roll bar and close the buck-
les.

Tighten the fastening straps if neces-
sary.

Lower the roll bar.

Fold the upper section of the wind
screen up towards the head restraints
until it stops.Removing

Fold the upper section of the wind
screen back down.

Raise the roll bar slightly (
page 61).
1Release button

Undo the buckles on the upper section
of the roll bar by pressing the release
button1.

Lower the roll bar. Make sure that the
fastening straps do not get caught.

Pull the wind screen out towards the
front of the vehicle. Be careful not to
damage interior trim with the guide
tabs.

Place the wind screen back into the
bag.
Sunshade for panorama roof*
The sunshade protects you from excessive
sunlight coming in through the panorama
roof.Warning!
G
Do not operate the sunshade while driving.
Adjusting the sunshade while driving could
cause the driver to lose control of the vehi-
cle.

173 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic displays in the speedometer
dial
If Distronic detects a vehicle directly
ahead, the DTR indicator lamp
E
in the
speedometer dial lights up white.
If the distance to the vehicle ahead is too
small for the DTR to be able to maintain the
preset distance, the DTR warning lamp
E
in the speedometer lights up red.
If Distronic calculates that there is a dan-
ger of collision


the DTR warning lamp
E
in the
speedometer lights up red


an intermittent warning sounds

Immediately brake the vehicle to avoid
a collision.
Under no circumstances should the
driver await the intermittent warning
sound before braking. See warning
note to the right. The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the red DTR warning lamp
E

goes out when the necessary distance
to the vehicle ahead is again estab-
lished.
1Red DTR warning lamp
E
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the
DTR warning lamp (red) in the speedometer
dial is illuminated if the Distronic system cal-
culates that the distance to the vehicle
ahead and your vehicle’s current speed indi-
cate that Distronic will not be capable of
slowing the vehicle sufficiently to maintain
the preset following distance, which creates
a danger of a collision.
Immediately brake the vehicle to increase
the distance to the vehicle in front of you.
The warning sound is intended as a final cau-
tion that you have not interceded with your
own braking inputs to avoid a potentially
dangerous situation. Do not wait for the op-
eration of the warning signal to intercede
with your own braking, as that will result in
potentially dangerous emergency braking
which will not always result in an impact be-
ing avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.