2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 door lock

325 Practical hints
Locking/unlocking in an emergency
Locking/unlocking in an emergency
Unlocking the vehicle
If you are unable to unlock the driver’s
door using the SmartKey, open the door
using the mechanical key.
1Mechanical key locking tab
2Mechanical key

Move locking tab 1 direction of arrow
and slide the mechanical key 2 out of
the housing.Unlocking the driver’s door
1Unlocking
2Locking

Unlock the door with the mechanical
key. To do so, push the mechanical key
in the lock until it stops and turn it to
the left.
iUnlocking your vehicle with the me-
chanical key will trigger the anti-theft
alarm system. To cancel the alarm, do
one of the following:

Press button Œ or ‹on the
SmartKey.


Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.


Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 33).


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

326 Practical hintsLocking/unlocking in an emergencyUnlocking the trunk
A minimum height clearance of
6.2 ft (1.89 m) is required to open the
trunk lid.
If you are unable to unlock the trunk with
the SmartKey, open the trunk with the me-
chanical key.
The handle is located above the rear li-
cense plate recess.Trunk lid lock1Unlocking
2Handle

Insert the mechanical key into the
trunk lid lock.

Turn the mechanical key counterclock-
wise to position 1 and hold it in this
position.

Pull the trunk lid handle 2 and lift lid.Unlocking interior storage compart-
ments
Locking storage areas in the passenger
compartment include:


the glove box


the storage compartment under the
armrest


the rear storage compartments
If these cannot be unlocked by means of
the SmartKey, the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*, or the central locking but-
ton, use the mechanical key to open the
glove box.
iUnlocking your vehicle with the me-
chanical key will trigger the anti-theft
alarm system. To cancel the alarm, do
one of the following:

Press button Œ or ‹on the
SmartKey.


Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.


Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 33).


Grasp the outside door handle (ve-
hicles with KEYLESS-GO* only).
iThe storage compartment under the
armrest and the rear storage compart-
ments can only be unlocked at the
glove box lock using the mechanical
key.

327 Practical hints
Locking/unlocking in an emergency
1Separately unlock storage compart-
ments
2Centrally lock/unlock storage com-
partments
3Separately lock storage compartments
Slide mechanical key out of SmartKey
housing (
page 325).

Insert the mechanical key into the
glove box lock and turn it to
position2.
All storage compartments are now un-
locked.
Locking the vehicle
If you are unable to lock the vehicle with
the SmartKey, lock it with the mechanical
key as follows:
Close the passenger door and the trunk
lid.

Press the central locking switch in the
center console (
page 105).

Check to see whether the locking knob
on the passenger door is still visible. If
necessary push it down manually.

Slide the mechanical key out of the
SmartKey.

Lock the driver’s door with the me-
chanical key.
Lowering the load assist manually
If the load assist feature does not fully low-
er the retractable hardtop into the trunk
compartment and you are unable to close
the trunk lid, follow the instructions below.
1Hex-socket wrench
2Locking screw
Remove the trunk floor from the trunk.

Lift up the lid located at the lower left
side of the trunk.

Have a second person lift and hold the
retracted hardtop.


367 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Warning!
G
The 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. To brake, the driver
must then apply significantly greater brake
pedal pressure and depress the pedal much
further to obtain the expected braking ef-
fect. If necessary, apply full pressure to the
brake pedal. Brakes are only applied to the
front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased! Adapt your driving style according-
ly. SBC brake system (
page 81).
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle. Adapt your driving accordingly.
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, please note the follow-
ing:
With the automatic central locking acti-
vated and the SmartKey in starter
switch position2, or KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button in position2, the ve-
hicle doors lock if the left front wheel
as well as the right rear wheel are turn-
ing at vehicle speeds of approx. 9 mph
(15 km / h) or more.
To prevent the vehicle door locks from
locking, deactivate the automatic cen-
tral locking (
page 105).
Towing of the vehicle should only be
done using the properly installed tow-
ing eye bolt. Never attach tow cable,
tow rope or tow rod to the vehicle chas-
sis, frame or suspension parts.
iThe gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP and the SmartKey
will not turn in the starter switch if the
battery is disconnected or discharged.
See notes on the battery (
page 358)
or on jump starting (
page 363).

374 Technical dataIdentification labels
Identification labels1Certification label
(above driver’s door lock latch)2Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
(below right rear storage compart-
ment)3Engine number (engraved on engine)
4VIN, visible (lower edge of windshield)
5Emission control label
6Information label, California version
Vacuum line routing for emission con-
trol system
When ordering spare parts, please specify
vehicle identification and engine numbers.

398 Technical termsCAN system
(C
ontroller A
rea N
etwork)
Data bus network serving to control ve-
hicle functions such as door locking or
windshield wiping depending on vehi-
cle settings and/or ambient condi-
tions.
Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and
indicator/warning lamps in the passen-
ger compartment needed for vehicle
operation and monitoring.
Collapsible tire
An especially compact spare tire that
must be inflated with a provided air
pump before using. It should only be
used to bring the vehicle to the nearest
service station.
COMAND
(Co
ckpit Man
agement and
D
ata System)
Information and operating center for
vehicle sound and communications
systems, including the radio, CD changer and navigation system, as well
as other optional equipment (e.g. tele-
phone).
Control system
The control system is used to call up
vehicle information and to change
component settings. Information and
messages appear in the multifunction
display. The driver uses the buttons on
the multifunction steering wheel to
navigate through the system and to ad-
just settings.
Cruise control
Driving convenience system for auto-
matically maintaining the vehicle speed
set by the driver.
Distronic*
A driving convenience cruise control
system which helps the driver maintain
a pre-selected speed:


If there is no vehicle directly ahead,
the system operates in the same
way as conventional cruise control.


If a slower moving vehicle is ahead,
Distronic* will reduce your vehicle
speed to the extent permitted by re-
duced throttle and up to 20% brak-
ing power to maintain the preset
minimum following distance.
DTR
(->Distr
onic*)
Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine pro-
duced.
ESP
(E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.
ETD
(E
mergency Tensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem's threshold to tighten the seat
belts.
->SRS

399 Technical terms
FSS
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem)
Service indicator in the multifunction
display that informs the driver when
the next vehicle maintenance service is
due.
Gear range
Number of gears which are available to
the automatic transmission for shifting.
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the gear selector le-
ver.
GPS
(G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem)
Satellite-based system for relaying
geographic location information to and
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers. Employs CD digital maps for
navigation.Head-thorax airbag
Installed in the doors, these airbags
protect occupants during side impact
collisions exceeding a preset thresh-
old. Unlike normal side airbags,
head-thorax airbags are also designed
to provide protection for the head area.
Instrument cluster
The displays and indicator/warning
lamps in the driver’s field of vision, in-
cluding the tachometer, speedometer,
engine temperature and fuel gauge.
KEYLESS-GO*
System for entering and operating the
vehicle without the use of a key.
Kickdown
Depressing the accelerator past the
point of resistance shifts the transmis-
sion down to the lowest possible gear.
This very quickly accelerates the vehi-
cle and should not be used for normal
acceleration needs.Lock button
Button on the door which indicates
whether the door is locked or un-
locked. Pushing the lock button down
on an individual door from inside will
lock that door.
Memory function
Used to store three individual seat,
steering wheel and mirror positions for
each SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.
MON
The Motor Octane Number for gasoline
as determined by a standardized
method. It is an indication of a gaso-
line's ability to resist undesired detona-
tion (knocking). The average of both
the MON (Motor Octane Number) and
RON (Research Octane Number) is
posted at the pump, also known as
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.

408 Index
Engine with the SmartKey 53
ESP 79
Exterior lamps 117
Hazard warning flasher 121
Headlamps 52, 117
Immobilizer 84
Interior light delayed switch-off 145
Parktronic* 212
Rear window defroster 177
Residual heat 178
Seat heating 110, 111
Seat ventilation* 113
Tow-away alarm 87
Deep water see Standing water
Defrosting 175
Delayed switch-off
Exterior lamps 143
Interior lighting 145
Digital clock 21
Direction of rotation (tires) 263Displays
Distronic* 198
Messages 256, 306
Parktronic* 211
Service indicator 271
Distance to empty (range)
Calling up 152
Distance warning function* 204
Activating 204
Deactivating 204
Intermittent warning sound 204
Symbol 135, 199
Distance warning function* switch 26
Distronic indicator lamp* 23
Distronic* 196, 398
"Resume" function 202
Activating 200
Calling up settings 135, 199
Cleaning system sensors 277
Cruise control lever 200Deactivating 202
Deceleration 199
Decreasing time interval 204
Displays 198
Distance warning function 204
Distance warning function switch 26
Driving hints 205
DTR warning lamp 198
Increasing time interval 203
Intermittent signal tone 198
Setting a higher speed 201
Setting a slower speed 202
Setting distance 26
Setting last stored speed 202
Setting speed 201
System sensor cover 277
Warning and indicator lamps 198
Distronic* warning lamp 23
Door control panel 21, 28
Door handle 28