2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG start stop button

52 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Occupant safetyIn this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint systems
of the vehicle.
The restraint systems are

Seat belts


Emergency tensioning device


Airbags


Child seats


Child seat recognition
As independent systems their protective
effects work in conjunction with each oth-
er.The
1
warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up for about 4 seconds when
you turn the key in the starter switch to po-
sition 1 or 2, or press the KEYLESS-GO* (if
so equipped) start/stop button once or
twice. It goes out when you start the en-
gine. This shows that the restraint systems
are operational.
If the lamp does not come on at all or if it
fails to extinguish after approximately 4
seconds or if it comes on thereafter, a mal-
function in the system has been detected.
More information can be found in the
"Practical hints" section (
page 252).
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and re-
straint systems for infants and chil-
dren, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 62).
Warning!
G
In the event that the SRS malfunction indica-
tor lamp lights up during driving or does not
come on at all, the SRS may not be opera-
tional. For your safety, we strongly recom-
mend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately to have
the system checked; otherwise the SRS may
not be activated when needed in an acci-
dent, which could result in serious or fatal
injury, or it might deploy unexpectedly and
unnecessarily which could also result in inju-
ry.
Improper work on the restraint systems can
lead to unintentional deployment or opera-
tional failure.
In addition, through improper work there is
a risk of rendering the SRS inoperative or
causing unintended airbag deployment.
Work on the SRS must therefore only be per-
formed by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

73 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
The SBC brake system is automatically ac-
tivated when you:

unlock the vehicle with the key or the
KEYLESS-GO* card


open the driver’s or passenger door


turn the key in the starter switch to
position1


in vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*, press
start/stop button on selector lever
once


depress the brake pedal


release the parking brake
Warning!
G
The SBC brake system requires electrical
power to operate.
A malfunction in the vehicle’s power supply
or electrical system may impair brake sys-
tem operation and switch it into its emer-
gency operation mode. In such a case, the
red brake warning lamp (
page 253) and
the warning messages (
page 265) light up
while driving. To brake, the driver must then
apply significantly greater brake pedal pres-
sure and depress the pedal much further to
obtain the expected braking effect. If neces-
sary, apply full pressure to the brake pedal.
Brakes are only applied to the front wheels.
Stopping distance is increased!
If there is a malfunction in the SBC brake
system, we recommend that the vehicle be
transported with all wheels off the ground
using flatbed or appropriate wheel lift/dolly
equipment.
A tow bar must be used if circumstances
do not permit the use of the recommended
towing methods and the vehicle requires
towing with all four wheels on the ground.
Towing the vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is only permissible for distances
up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a speed not
to exceed 30 mph (50 km/h). For more in-
formation, refer to “Towing the vehicle”
(page 325).
iIf the SBC brake system is activated as
the brake pedal is first depressed, you
may feel a reduced pedal resistance
and longer pedal travel than normal.
When releasing the pedal, you may also
feel the brake pedal pulsate and you
may hear a sound which is caused by
the activation of the SBC pump. This is
normal and not an indication of a mal-
function. Pedal travel returns to normal
when you release the brake pedal and
the sound soon ceases.

75 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Anti-theft systems
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
Activating

With the key: Removing the key from
the starter switch activates the immo-
bilizer.


With KEYLESS-GO*: Turning off the en-
gine by means of the start/stop button
on the gear selector lever activates the
immobilizer.
Deactivating


With the key: Inserting the key in the
starter switch deactivates the immobi-
lizer.


With KEYLESS-GO*: Starting the en-
gine by means of the start/stop button
on the gear selector lever deactivates
the immobilizer.
Anti-theft alarm system
Once the alarm system has been armed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered when
someone opens

a door


the trunk lid


the hood


a storage compartment in the rear


the glove box


the storage space under the armrest
The alarm system will also be triggered
when


someone attempts to raise the vehicle


unlocking and opening the driver’s
door with the mechanical key
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
20 seconds, an emergency call is initi-
ated automatically by the Tele Aid sys-
tem (
page 202) provided Tele Aid
service was subscribed to and properly
activated.

76 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsArming the alarm system
The alarm system is armed after locking
the vehicle with the remote control. The
turn signal lamps blink three times to indi-
cate that the alarm system is activated.
The
‹
indicator lamp in the central
locking switch (
page 23) will blink after
approximately 10 seconds when the alarm
system is completely armed.Disarming the alarm system
The alarm system is disarmed when you
unlock your vehicle with the remote con-
trol. The turn signal lamps blink once to in-
dicate that the alarm system is
deactivated.
Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm:
With the key

Insert the key in the starter switch.
or

Press the
Œ
or
‹
button.
The alarm is canceled.With KEYLESS-GO*

Grasp the outside door handle.
or

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton.
The alarm is canceled.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not blink
three times, a door or the hood may not
be closed properly.
Close the respective element and lock
the vehicle again.
iThe alarm system will rearm automati-
cally again after aprroximately 40 sec-
onds if no door was opened.

85 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Important notes on using KEYLESS-GO*

Always carry the KEYLESS-GO card
with you.


Never store the KEYLESS-GO card to-
gether with:

electronic items such as a cellular
phone or another KEYLESS-GO card


metallic objects such as coins or
metal foil
Doing so could impair the function of
the KEYLESS-GO system.


Always take a SmartKey with you in
case of a malfunction of the KEY-
LESS-GO system.


To lock or unlock the vehicle, the card
must be located outside the vehicle
within approximately 3 ft. (1 m) of a
door or the trunk lid.


In order to start the engine with the
KEYLESS-GO card

the KEYLESS-GO card must be lo-
cated in the vehicle


all the doors must be closed


If you have started the engine with the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button, you
can only turn it off again with this but-
ton, even if you have put the key in the
starter switch in the meantime.


This does not apply if, after starting, the
selector lever is still in positionP. The
key will then have priority over the card
and the vehicle’s electrical system will
operate according to the position of
the key in the starter switch, even stop-
ping the engine.


If the KEYLESS-GO card is positioned
farther away from the vehicle (e.g. in-
side clothing or briefcase) and can no
longer be recognized by the system,
the vehicle cannot be locked or the en-
gine started via the KEYLESS-GO sys-
tem.


If the KEYLESS-GO card is removed
from the vehicle while the ignition is
switched on (e.g. if passenger exits the
vehicle with the card), the message Chip card not recognized!
will ap-
pear in the multifunction display.
Find the card or change its present lo-
cation immediately (e.g. place it on the
front passenger seat or insert it in shirt
pocket).


Remember that the engine can be
started by anyone with a KEYLESS-GO
card that is left inside the vehicle. If you
leave the card behind when exiting and
locking the vehicle, the message
Chip
card still in vehicle!
will appear in
the multifunction display.

126 Controls in detailControl systemTo select delayed switch-off period:
Move the selection marker with button æ
or
ç
to the
Lighting
sub-
menu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Headlamps delayed
switch-off
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to select the de-
sired lamp-on period.
You can select:


0 s
, the delayed switch-off feature
is deactivated


15 s
, 30 s
, 45 s
or
60 s
, the delayed
switch-off feature is activatedYou can temporarily deactivate the de-
layed switch-off feature:

Before leaving the vehicle turn the key
in the starter switch to position0.

Then turn it to position2 and back
to0.
The delayed switch-off feature is deac-
tivated. It will reactiv a t e a s s o o n a s y o u
reinsert the key in the starter switch.
For vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton on the gear selector (
page 30).
iYou can reactivate this function within
ten minutes by opening a door.
If you do not open a door after remov-
ing the key, the lamps will automatical-
ly switch off after 60 seconds.

143 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Activating steering wheel gearshift
control
Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the
Mfor manu-
al shift program appears in the tachom-
eter display field.
Automatic gear shifting is deactivated.
Upshifting

Press the button located on the right
side of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D+direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached. Shift
into reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped.Downshifting

Press the button located on the left
side of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D–direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Deactivating steering wheel gearshift
control

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until
S or
W appears
in the tachometer display field.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
iAt each engine start, the transmission
will go into the last shift program mode
selected (
S or
W). Only program mode
M
is not stored and will not be recalled
when engine is restarted.

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.