2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 vehicle level

Contents
Retractable hardtop........................... 159
Opening and closing the retractable
hardtop ........................................ 159
Driving systems ................................. 168
Cruise control .............................. 168
Distronic* .................................... 171
Active Body Control (ABC) ........... 183
Parktronic system* ...................... 186
Useful features .................................. 190
Interior storage spaces ................ 190
Ashtray......................................... 196
Cigarette lighter ........................... 197
Heated steering wheel* (Canada
only–model SL 500) ..................... 197
Easy-Pack load assist in the trunk 198
Electrical outlet ............................ 199
Telephone* .................................. 199
Tele Aid ........................................ 200
Garage door opener ..................... 208Operation......................................... 213
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) ......... 214
Driving instructions............................ 215
Drive sensibly – save fuel............. 215
Drinking and driving ..................... 215Pedals ........................................... 215
Power assistance .......................... 216
Brakes........................................... 216
Driving off ..................................... 218
Parking.......................................... 218
Tires .............................................. 219
Hydroplaning................................. 219
Tire traction .................................. 220
Tire speed rating ........................... 220
Winter driving instructions ............ 221
Standing water.............................. 222
Passenger compartment ............... 222
Driving abroad .............................. 222
Control and operation of radio trans-
mitters .......................................... 222
Catalytic converter........................ 223
Emission control ........................... 224
Coolant temperature..................... 224
At the gas station ............................... 225
Check regularly and before a
long trip ........................................ 226Engine compartment .......................... 227
Hood ............................................. 227
Engine oil ...................................... 228
Transmission fluid level ................ 230
Oil level in the ABC system ........... 230
Coolant ......................................... 230
Battery .......................................... 232
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system ........... 233
Tires and wheels ................................ 234
Important guidelines ..................... 234
Life of tires ................................... 235
Direction of rotation ..................... 235
Checking tire inflation pressure .... 235
Rotating wheels ............................ 238
Winter driving ..................................... 239
Winter tires ................................... 239
Block heater (Canada only) ........... 240
Snow chains ................................. 240
Maintenance ...................................... 241
Clearing the service indicator ....... 241
Service term exceeded ................. 241
Calling up the service indicator .... 242
Resetting the service indicator ..... 242
Vehicle care ....................................... 243
Cleaning and care of the vehicle ... 243

24 At a glanceCenter consoleLower part
Item
Page
1
Parking assist (Parktronic
system)* deactivation
switch
186
2
Active Body Control (ABC)
switch
183
3
Tow-away alarm switch
77
4
Hardtop open/close con-
trol with buttons for roll bar
159
61
5
Exterior rear view mirror
adjustment
35
Item
Page
6
Vehicle level control switch
184
7
ESP control switch
71
8
Thumbwheel for setting
distance for Distronic*
179
9
Distance warning func-
tion* on/off switch
179
10
Program mode selector for
automatic transmission
141
11
Selector lever for
automatic transmission
137

33 Getting started
Adjusting
The seat adjustment switch is located in
the door.
1Seat fore and aft adjustment
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Backrest tilt
5Seat cushion depth
6Head restraint height
Switch on the ignition by turning the
key in the starter switch to position2
or pressing the KEYLESS GO*
start/stop button twice.Seat fore and aft adjustment

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow1.
Seat height

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow2.
Seat cushion tilt

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow3 until your upper legs
are lightly supported.
Backrest tilt

Press the switch forward or back in the
direction of arrow4.Seat cushion depth

Press the switch forward or back in the
direction of arrow5.
Head restraint height

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow6.
!When moving the seat, be sure that
nothing is in the auxiliary cup holder
and that there are no items in the foot-
well or behind the seats. Otherwise the
seats could be damaged.
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint to support the back of
the head approximately at ear level.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.

45 Getting started
Driving
Wiping with windshield washer fluid
Push switch in the direction of arrow1
past the resistance point.
The windshield wiper operates with
washer fluid.
Information on filling up the washer reser-
voir can be found in the "Operation" sec-
tion (page 233).
Problems while driving
The engine runs erratically and misfires

An ignition cable may be damaged.


The engine electronics may not be op-
erating properly.


Unburned gasoline may have entered
the catalytic converter and damaged it.

Give very little gas.

Have the problem repaired by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
The coolant temperature gauge is over
248°F (120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.

Stop the vehicle as soon as possible
and turn off the engine. Allow engine
and coolant to cool.

Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 230).
!If leaves, snow, etc. block the wind-
shield wipers, the wiper motor turns
off.

For safety reasons, withdraw key
from starter switch. Remove block-
age.


Turn the windshield wipers on
again.
If windshield wipers fail to function at
all in switch positionI,


set the combination switch to the
next highest wiper speed.


have the windshield wipers
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

81 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Factory setting
Global unlocking
Press button
Œ
.
All turn signals blink once. The locking
knobs in the doors move up.
The vehicle will lock again automatically
within approximately 40 seconds of un-
locking if neither door nor trunk is opened.
Global locking

Press button
‹
.
All turn signals blink three times. The lock-
ing knobs in the doors move down.Individual setting
If you frequently travel alone, you may wish
to reprogram the key so that
pressing
Œ
only unlocks the driver’s
door, interior lockable storage compart-
ments and the fuel filler flap.

Press and hold buttons
Œ
and
‹

simultaneously for about six seconds
until the battery check lamp5 blinks
twice.
The key will then function as follows:
Unlocking driver’s door

Press button
Œ
once.
Global unlocking

Press button
Œ
twice.
Global locking

Press button
‹
.Restoring to factory setting

Press and hold buttons
Œ
and
‹

simultaneously for about six seconds
until the battery check lamp5 blinks
twice.
!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid
exposing the key to high levels of elec-
tromagnetic radiation.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the KEY-
LESS-GO
* card (if so equipped) with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. It is possible for chil-
dren to open a locked door from the inside,
which could result in an accident or serious
injury.

84 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingSeparately unlocking the trunk
Turn the key completely to the left to
position1.
You can now open the trunk.
Loss of SmartKey or mechanical key
If you lose a SmartKey or mechanical key,
you should do the following:

Have the SmartKey deactivated by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

Report the loss of the SmartKey or the
mechanical key immediately to your
car insurance company.

If necessary have the mechanical lock
replaced.
Your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
will be glad to supply you with a replace-
ment.
KEYLESS-GO card*
Specially equipped vehicles come with two
KEYLESS-GO cards. On these vehicles, the
validity of the KEYLESS-GO card is
checked every time you grasp a door
handle.
If the card is valid, your vehicle unlocks

the doors


the trunk lid


the glove box


the storage space under the armrest


the storage compartment in the rear


the fuel filler flap
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the KEY-
LESS-GO
* card (if so equipped) with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of
vehicle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid
exposing the KEYLESS-GO* card to
high levels of electromagnetic radia-
tion.

98 Controls in detailSeatsVehicles with seat ventilation*
The switch is located on the door. The red
indicator lamps on the switch show the
heater level selected:
1Seat heater switch
Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
light up.Switching on the seat heater

Press upper switch position1 twice.
A red indicator lamp on the switch
lights up.
Switching off the seat heater

Press upper switch position1 again.
Rapid seat heating

Press upper switch position1 once.
Both indicator lamps on the switch light
up. Switching off rapid seat heating mode

Press upper switch position1 twice.
Seat heater off
No indicator lamp on
Level 1
One indicator lamp on
Level 2
Two indicator lamps on
iThe seat heater will be automatically
switched off after approximately
30 minutes. iThe system switches over to normal
heating mode after approximately five
minutes. Only the right-hand indicator
lamp remains lit.
!If one or both of the lamps on the seat
heater switch are blinking, there is in-
sufficient voltage available since too
many electrical consumers are turned
on. The seat heater switches off auto-
matically.
The seat heater will switch back on
again automatically as soon as suffi-
cient voltage is available.

114 Controls in detailControl systemMenus, submenus and functions
Menu 1
Menu 2
Menu 3
Menu 4
Menu 5
Menu 6
Menu 7
Menu 8
Standard dis-
play
AUDIO
NAVI
Distronic*
Malfunction
memory
Settings
Trip computer
Telephone
Commands/submenusDigital speed-
ometer
Select radio
station
Activate
route guid-
ance
Call up set-
tings
Call up malfunc-
tion messages
Reset to factory
settings
Fuel consump-
tion statistics af-
ter start
Load phone
book
Call up FSS
Operate CD
player
Instrument clus-
ter submenu
Fuel consump-
tion statistics
since the last re-
set
Search for
name in
phone book
Check tire
pressure*
Lighting sub-
menu
Call up range
Check engine
oil level
Vehicle sub-
menuConvenience
submenu