2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG high beam

Contents
Introduction.......................................... 7
Product information ................................ 7
Operator’s Manual .................................. 8
Service and warranty information ..... 8
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles ............. 9
Maintenance .................................. 10
Roadside Assistance ...................... 10
Change of address or ownership.... 10
Operating your vehicle outside the USA
or Canada ...................................... 11
Where to find it .................................... 12
Symbols ............................................... 13
Operating safety .................................. 14
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 14
Problems with your vehicle .................. 15
Reporting safety defects...................... 16
Reporting safety defects ................ 16At a glance......................................... 17
Cockpit ................................................ 18
Instrument cluster ............................... 20
Multifunction steering wheel ............... 22Center console ..................................... 23
Upper part ...................................... 23
Lower part ...................................... 24
Overhead control panel ........................ 25
Door control panel................................ 26
Getting started................................... 27
Unlocking ............................................. 28
Unlocking with the SmartKey.......... 28
Unlocking with KEYLESS-GO* ......... 30
Adjusting .............................................. 32
Seats............................................... 32
Steering wheel ................................ 34
Mirrors ............................................ 35
Driving .................................................. 37
Fastening the seat belts.................. 37
Starting the engine ......................... 39
Switching on headlamps ................. 43
Turn signals and high beam ............ 43
Windshield wipers ........................... 44
Problems while driving .................... 45
Parking and locking .............................. 47
Parking brake.................................. 47
Switching off headlamps................. 48
Turning off engine with the key ....... 48Turning off engine with
KEYLESS-GO* ................................ 49
Emergency engine shut-down ......... 50
Safety and Security........................... 51
Occupant safety ................................... 52
Airbags ........................................... 53
Seat belts ....................................... 58
Roll bar ........................................... 61
Children in the vehicle .................... 62
Panic alarm .......................................... 67
Activating........................................ 67
Deactivating.................................... 67
Driving safety systems ......................... 68
ABS ................................................. 68
BAS ................................................. 69
ESP ................................................. 70
SBC brake system .......................... 72
Anti-theft systems ................................ 75
Immobilizer ..................................... 75
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 75
Tow-away alarm .............................. 77

19 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Parking brake pedal
41
2
Hood lock release
227
3
Parking brake release
47
4
Door control panel
26
5
Exterior lamp switch
43,
102
6
Headlamp washer switch
146
7
Combination switch

Turn signals


Windshield wipers


High beam
43
44
104
8
Cruise control switch

Cruise control


Distronic*
168
171
9
Instrument cluster
20,
108
10
Multifunction steering
wheel
22,
111
11
Lever for voice control
system, see separate
operating instructions
12
Front Parktronic* warn-
ing indicator
186
13
Digital clock
122
14
Overhead control panel
25
15
Interior storage compart-
ments (locking/unlock-
ing)
194
16
7
indicator lamp
64
17
Glove box
190
18
Center console
23, 24
19
Starter switch
31
20
Horn
21
Steering wheel adjust-
ment stalk
Heated steering wheel*
34
197
Item
Page

21 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
Coolant temperature
gauge with:D
Coolant temperature
warning lamp
254
2
Speedometer with:;
Brake warning lamp,
except Canada
253
3
Brake warning lamp,
Canada only
v
Antilock Brake Sys-
tem (ABS)/Electronic
Stability Program
(ESP) warning lamp
250
E
Distronic (DTR)* indi-
cator lamp (white) or
warning lamp (red)
1
1Vehicles without Distronic*: Indicator lamp with-
out function. It illuminates with the key in starter
switch position2. It should go out when the engine
is running.
251
L
K
Turn signal indicator
lamps
Item
Page
3
Left multifunction display
with:
Trip odometer
109
Main odometerStored speed for
Distronic*
117
4
Reset knob
5
Tachometer with:
109
A
High beam headlamp
indicator
104
?
Engine malfunction in-
dicator lamp
256
C
Roll bar warning lamp
255
-
Antilock Brake Sys-
tem (ABS) malfunc-
tion indicator lamp
251
Item
Page
1
Supplemental
restraint system
(SRS) indicator lamp
252
<
Seat belt nonusage
warning lamp
256
6
Right multifunction
display with:
Selector lever
position
39
Outside temperature
display
109
Program mode
141
7
Fuel gauge with:A
Fuel reserve warning
lamp
255

43 Getting started
Driving
Switching on headlampsExterior lamp switch1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn the switch to
B
.
More information can be found in the
“Controls in detail” section (page 102).
Turn signals and high beam
The combination switch is on the left of the
steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch up1 or
down2.High beam

Push the combination switch forward.
The high beam symbol
A
in the
tachometer lights up.
iTo signal minor directional changes,
move combination switch to point of
resistance only and release. The turn
signal blinks three times.

102 Controls in detailLighting
LightingFor notes on how to switch on the head-
lamps and use the turn signals, see the
“Getting started” section (
page 43).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.M
Off
U
Automatic headlamp mode
C
Parking lamps, license plate lamps
and instrument panel lamps
B
Low beam or high beam headlamps
ˆ
Standing lamps, right
‚
Standing lamps, left
iIf you remove the key and open the
driver’s door while the parking lamps or
low beam headlamps are switched on,
then

a warning sounds


$
appears in the speedometer
display field


the message
Turn lamps off
ap-
pears in the tachometer display
field
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the engine running, the
low beam headlamps cannot be
switched off manually.
To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see “Setting daytime running
lamp mode (USA only)” (
page 124).

103 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on or off with the
exterior lamp switch.
Automatic headlamp mode
The parking lamps, low beam headlamps
and license plate lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light.

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
U
.Daytime running lamp mode

Turn exterior lamp switch to
position
M
or
U
.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are automatically
switched on. In low ambient light con-
ditions the parking lamps will also
switch on.
Canada only:
When you shift from a driving position to
positionN orP, the low beam switches off
(3 minutes delay).
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to position
B
to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
Warning!
G
In automatic headlamp mode, the head-
lamps will not be automatically switched on
under foggy conditions. To minimize risk to
you and to others, activate headlamps by
turning exterior lamp switch to
B
.
The driver is responsible for the operation of
the vehicle’s lights at all times. The automat-
ic headlamp feature is only an aid to the driv-
er. Switch on the vehicle lights manually
when driving or when traffic conditions re-
quire you to do so.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated, the low beam headlamps will
not be switched off automatically.iFront fog lamps and rear fog lamp can
not be switched on manually with exte-
rior lamp switch in position
U
. To
activate the fog lamps turn exterior
lamp switch to position
B
.
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country where the vehicle is regis-
tered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.

104 Controls in detailLightingUSA only:
The high beam headlamps can also be ac-
tivated when driving with the daytime run-
ning lamp mode activated and the exterior
lamp switch in position
M
.
To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)” (
page 124).
Locator lighting and night security
illumination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the control system
section, see “Setting locator lighting”
(
page 125) and "Exterior lamps delayed
switch-off" (
page 125).Switching on front fog lamps

Make sure that the low beam head-
lamps are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The green indicator lamp
‡
in the
lamp switch lights up.
Switching on rear fog lamp

Make sure that the low beam head-
lamps are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp
†
in the
lamp switch lights up.
Combination switch
The combination switch is located on the
left side of the steering column.
1High beam
2High beam flasher
Switching on high beams
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
B

or to
U
(page 102).

Push the combination switch in
direction1.
The high beam symbol in the tachome-
ter will light up.
iSee notes on the exterior lamp switch
(page 102).

105 Controls in detail
Lighting
High beam flasher 
Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction2.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be activat-
ed with the ignition switched on or off. It is
activated automatically when an airbag is
deployed.
The switch is located above and between
the center air vents.
1Hazard warning flasher switchSwitching on the hazard warning
flasher

Press the hazard warning flasher
switch.
All the turn signals will blink.
Switching off the hazard warning
flasher

Press hazard warning flasher switch
again.iWith the hazard warning flasher acti-
vated and the combination switch set
for either left or right turn, only the re-
spective left or right turn signals will
operate.