2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 ECU

85 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
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 compartment under the
armrest
The alarm will stay on, even if the activat-
ing element (a door, for example) is imme-
diately closed.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


someone opens a door from the inside
if the vehicle was locked from the out-
side with the SmartKey


someone opens the trunk lid with the
emergency release buttonArming the alarm system
The alarm system is armed after locking
the vehicle with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO*. The turn signal lamps flash
three times to indicate that the alarm sys-
tem is activated. The ‹ indicator lamp
in the central locking switch (
page 25)
begins to flash after arming the alarm sys-
tem.
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
20 seconds, an emergency call is initi-
ated automatically by the Tele Aid sys-
tem (
page 225) provided Tele Aid
service was subscribed to and properly
activated, and that necessary cellular
service and GPS coverage are avail-
able.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not flash
three times, a door or the trunk lid may
not be properly closed.
Close the respective element and lock
the vehicle again.

86 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsDisarming the alarm system
The alarm system is disarmed when you
unlock your vehicle with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO*. The turn signal lamps flash
once to indicate that the alarm system is
deactivated.Canceling the 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.
Tow-away alarm
Once the tow-away alarm is armed, a visual
and audible alarm will be triggered when
someone attempts to raise the vehicle.
iThe alarm system will rearm automati-
cally again after approximately 40 sec-
onds if no door was opened.
iThe tow-away protection alarm is trig-
gered, for example, if the vehicle is lift-
ed on one side.
If the alarm stays on for more than
20 seconds, an emergency call is initi-
ated automatically by the Tele Aid sys-
tem (
page 225) provided Tele Aid
service was subscribed to and properly
activated, and that necessary cellular
service and GPS coverage are avail-
able.

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.

100 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
The trunk can also be opened using

the SmartKey, see “Locking and un-
locking” (
page 90)


the remote trunk lid release switch, see
“Opening the trunk from the inside”
(page 100)


the trunk lid emergency release button,
see “Trunk lid emergency release”
(page 102)Opening the trunk from the inside
You can open the trunk from the inside if
the vehicle is stationary and the retract-
able hardtop is fully opened or closed.
A minimum height clearance of
6.2 ft (1.88 m) is required to open the
trunk lid.
The switch is located on the driver’s door.
1Remote trunk lid release switch
2Indicator lamp
!Always make sure that there is suffi-
cient overhead clearance.iIf the trunk lid does not open, the entire
vehicle is still locked globally
(page 90).
To facilitate trunk loading and unload-
ing when the hardtop is retracted, you
can raise the hardtop from its storage
position in the trunk using the load as-
sist feature (
page 221). You may also
unhook the luggage cover.
Remember to resecure the luggage
cover after loading/unloading the
trunk. Otherwise you will not be able to
lower the retractable hardtop.

101 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking

Pull remote trunk lid release switch1.
The trunk lid unlocks. Indicator
lamp2 comes on and remains lit until
the trunk is closed again.

Lift the trunk lid.The trunk can also be opened using


the SmartKey, see “Locking and un-
locking” (
page 90)


the remote trunk lid release switch, see
“Opening the trunk from the inside”
(page 100)


the trunk lid emergency release button,
see “Trunk lid emergency release”
(page 102)
!Always make sure that there is suffi-
cient overhead clearance.
iTo facilitate trunk loading and unload-
ing when the hardtop is retracted, you
can raise the hardtop from its storage
position in the trunk using the loading
aid feature (
page 221). You may also
unhook the luggage cover.
Remember to resecure the luggage
cover after loading/unloading the
trunk. Otherwise you will not be able to
lower the retractable hardtop.
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk lid will lock automati-
cally when closed (
page 102). The
turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.

114 Controls in detailMemory function
Memory function
With the memory switch you can store up
to three different settings per SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*.
The following settings are saved for each
stored position:

Driver’s seat and backrest position


Steering wheel position


Interior rear view mirror position


Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
position


Passenger side exterior rear view mir-
ror position
These key-dependent memory settings
can be deactivated if desired
(
page 149).The memory switch is located on the door.
M Memory button
1, 2, 3 Stored positions

Switch on ignition.
or

Open the respective door.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
come on when the ignition is switched
on.
!Prior to operating the vehicle, the driv-
er should check and adjust the seat
height, seat position fore and aft, and
seat backrest angle if necessary, to en-
sure adequate control, reach and com-
fort. The head restraint should also be
adjusted for proper height. See also the
section on airbags (
page 59) for
proper seat positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, opera-
tion and comfort. Both the inside and
outside rear view mirrors should be ad-
justed for adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small
children should be seated in a properly
secured restraint system that complies
with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 213 and Canadian Motor Ve-
hicle Safety Standard 213.
Warning!
G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.

119 Controls in detail
Lighting
Daytime running lamp mode
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionM orU.
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
(with a three-minute delay).
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to positionB to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.USA 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 positionM.
To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)” (
page 142).
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 143) and "Exterior lamps delayed
switch-off" (
page 143).
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated, the low beam headlamps will
not be switched off automatically.iThe front fog lamps and rear fog lamp
cannot be switched on manually with
exterior lamp switch in position U.
To activate the fog lamps turn exterior
lamp switch to position B.
iSee notes on the exterior lamp switch
(page 117).

143 Controls in detail
Control system
Setting locator lighting
During darkness, the following lamps will
come on when the exterior lamp switch is
in position U, the locator lighting fea-
ture is activated, and the vehicle is un-
locked by SmartKey:

the parking lamps


the tail lamps


the license plate lamps


the front fog lamps
To activate locator lighting:

Make sure the locator lighting feature
is set to
On (see below).

Turn the exterior lamp switch to posi-
tion U.
The locator lighting switches off when the
driver’s door is opened. It switches off au-
tomatically after a period of approximately
40 seconds.

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:
Locator lighting
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press æ or ç to select the de-
sired setting.
The locator lighting will be switched on
or off.Setting night security illumination
(Exterior lamps delayed switch-off)
Use the
Headlamps delayed switch-off

function to set whether and for how long
you would like the exterior lamps to illumi-
nate during darkness after all doors are
closed. When the delayed switch-off fea-
ture is activated and the exterior lamp
switch is in position U before the en-
gine is turned off, the following lamps will
remain lit after you remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch:


the parking lamps


the tail lamps


the license plate lamps


the front fog lamps
To activate night security illumination:

Select delayed switch-off period (see
below).

Turn the exterior lamp switch to posi-
tion U before turning off the engine.