2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 start stop button

87 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Arming tow-away alarm
When you lock your vehicle, the tow-away
alarm is automatically armed after about
30 seconds.
When you unlock your vehicle, the
tow-away protection disarms automatical-
ly.
Disarming tow-away alarm
To prevent triggering the tow-away alarm,
switch off the tow-away alarm feature be-
fore towing the vehicle, or when parking on
a surface subject to movement, such as a
ferry or auto train.
The switch is located on the center console
between the driver’s seat and the passen-
ger seat.1Tow-away alarm off switch
2Indicator lamp

Switch off ignition and remove the
SmartKey.

Press switch1.
The indicator lamp2 in the switch
comes on briefly.

Exit and lock your vehicle with the
SmartKey or (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*) the lock button at each
door handle.
The tow-away alarm remains disarmed un-
til you lock your vehicle again.
Canceling tow-away alarm
To cancel the alarm:
With the SmartKey

Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
or

Press the Œ or ‹ button on the
SmartKey.
With KEYLESS-GO*

Grasp the outside door handle.
or

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton.
iYou cannot disarm the tow-away alarm
if the ignition is switched on.

95 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking


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


In order to start the engine with the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO:

The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be located in the vehicle.


All doors must be closed.


The brake pedal must be firmly de-
pressed. Do not depress the accel-
erator.


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 SmartKey
in the starter switch in the meantime.


This does not apply if, after starting, the
selector lever is still in positionP and
the SmartKey is then inserted in the
starter switch. The SmartKey will then
have priority over the KEYLESS-GO
function and the vehicle’s electrical
system will operate according to the
position of the SmartKey in the starter
switch, even stopping the engine.


If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is
positioned farther away from the vehi-
cle, the system may no longer recog-
nize the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO.
The vehicle then cannot be locked or
the engine started via the KEYLESS-GO
system.


If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is re-
moved from the vehicle while the en-
gine is running (e.g. if passenger exits
the vehicle with the SmartKey), the
message
Key not recognized!
will ap-
pear in the multifunction display while
driving off.
Find the SmartKey or change its
present location 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 SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO that is left inside the
vehicle. If you leave the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO behind when exiting and
locking the vehicle, the message
Key
recognized in vehicle!
will appear in
the multifunction display.

99 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the doors from the inside
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
1Locking knob
2Inside door handle
Pull on door handle2.
If door was locked, locking knob1 will
move up.
Opening the trunk
Opening the trunk from the outside
A minimum height clearance of
6.2 ft (1.88 m) is required to open the
trunk lid.
The handle is located above the rear li-
cense plate recess.
1Handle 
Pull on handle 1 and lift the trunk lid.
iIf you open a door, the side windows on
that side of the vehicle will lower slight-
ly. The windows close again when you
close the door.iIf the vehicle has previously been
locked from the outside with the
SmartKey, opening a door from the in-
side will trigger the anti-theft alarm sys-
tem.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the fol-
lowing:

Press button Œ or ‹on the
SmartKey.


Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.


Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 44).


Grasp the outside door handle (ve-
hicles with KEYLESS-GO* only)

103 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Illumination of the emergency release but-
ton:

The button will flash for 30 minutes af-
ter opening the trunk.


The button will flash for 60 minutes af-
ter closing the trunk.
Separately locking the trunk
iThe emergency release button does
not open the trunk lid if the vehicle bat-
tery is discharged or disconnected.
iIf the emergency release button is
pressed and the vehicle was centrally
locked, the exterior lamps will flash and
the alarm will sound as the trunk lid
opens.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the fol-
lowing:
With the SmartKey

Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.


Press buttonŒ or‹ on the
SmartKey.
With KEYLESS-GO*


Grasp the outside door handle.


Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button.
iYour vehicle may be equipped with a
function permitting the separate lock-
ing and unlocking of the trunk using the
mechanical key. If present, this feature
can permit you to deny any unautho-
rized person access to the trunk by
locking the trunk separately and leav-
ing the SmartKey less the mechanical
key with the vehicle.
To verify the presence of this feature,
use the mechanical key to lock the
trunk an then attempt to open the
trunk by pulling on the trunk lid handle
after the vehicle has been centrally un-
locked with the SmartKey.

107 Controls in detailSeats
Seats
For information on seat adjustment, see
“Seat adjustment” (
page 35).
Easy-entry / exit feature
With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel tilts upwards and the
driver’s seat moves to the rear.
This allows easier entry into and exit from
the vehicle when the driver’s door is
opened. However, the engine must be
turned off.
When the SmartKey is inserted in the start-
er switch or you have pressed the
KEYLESS-GO* start / stop button once and
the driver’s door is closed, the steering
wheel and the driver’s seat return to their
last set positions.You can activate the following functions:


Steering column:
Only the steering column is adjusted.


Steering column and seat:
The steering column and the seat are
adjusted.
The easy-entry / exit feature can be
switched on or off in the convenience sub-
menu of the control system (
page 148).
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and driver’s seat when the
easy-entry/exit feature is activated, the
driver’s door is being opened and the engine
is turned off or the SmartKey is removed
from the starter switch. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Children could
open the driver’s door an unintentionally ac-
tivate the easy-entry/exit feature*, which
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

Press the seat adjustment switch
(page 35)


Move the steering column stalk
(page 37)


Press the memory button
(page 114)

127 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button is in posi-
tion 1. The control system enables you to

call up information about your vehicle


change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
The multifunction display consists of the
display fields in the speedometer and the
tachometer. In its default state, the left
display field shows the trip and main
odometer, while the present outside tem-
perature appears in the right display field.
This default setting is referred to as the
standard display.
1Main odometer
2Trip odometer
3Current gear selector lever position
4Outside temperature
5Automatic transmission program mode
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his /her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.

144 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
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position0.

Then turn it to position2 and back
to0.
The delayed switch-off feature is deac-
tivated. It will reactivate as soon as you
reinsert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
For vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton on the gear selector (
page 33).
iYou can reactivate this function within
ten minutes by opening a door.
If you do not open a door after remov-
ing the SmartKey from the starter
switch, the lamps will automatically
switch off after 60 seconds.

148 Controls in detailControl systemConvenience submenu
Access the
Convenience
submenu via the
Settings
menu. Use the
Convenience
sub-
menu to change the settings for a number
of convenience features. The following
functions are available:
Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature. When the
feature is activated, the steering wheel and
driver’s seat will move back to facilitate ex-
iting the vehicle when you


remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch


open the driver’s doorAfter entering the vehicle, the steering
wheel and seat will move into the position
stored in memory when


the driver’s door is closed


you insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch or press the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button and


press and hold the appropriate stored
position button on the memory switch
(page 114)

Move the selection marker with button
æ or ç to the
Convenience
sub-
menu.

Press button j or k repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Easy-entry feature Acti-
vate
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Function
Page
Activate easy-entry/exit fea-
ture
148
Set key-dependency
149
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror
149
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and the driver’s seat when
the easy-entry / exit feature is in operation
and the driver’s door is being opened or the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, press one of the following:

the seat adjustment switch
(page 34)


the steering column switch
(page 37)


the memory switch (
page 114)