2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 instrument cluster

320 OperationVehicle careLight alloy wheels
Mercedes-Benz approved Wheel Care
should be used for regular cleaning of the
light alloy wheels.
If possible, clean wheels once a week with
Mercedes-Benz approved Wheel Care, us-
ing a soft bristle brush and a strong spray
of water.
Follow the instructions on container.
Instrument cluster
Use a gentle dishwashing detergent or
mild detergent for delicate fabrics as a
washing solution. Wipe with a cloth moist-
ened in lukewarm solution. Do not use
scouring agents.Steering wheel and gear selector lever
Wipe with a damp cloth and dry thoroughly
or clean with Mercedes-Benz approved
Leather Care.
Cup holder
Use a gentle dishwashing detergent or
mild detergent for delicate fabrics as a
washing solution. Wipe with a cloth moist-
ened in lukewarm solution. Do not use
scouring agents.
Hard plastic trim items
Pour Mercedes-Benz approved Interior
Care onto soft lint-free cloth and apply
with light pressure.
Headliner
Clean with soft bristle brush, or use a
dry-shampoo cleaner in case of excessive
dirt.Seat belts
The webbing must not be treated with
chemical cleaning agents. Use only clear,
lukewarm water and soap. Do not dry the
webbing at temperatures above 176°F
(80°C) or in direct sunlight.
iOnly use acid-free cleaning materials.
Acid may cause corrosion or damage to
the clear coat.
Warning!
G
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.

324 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Lamps in the instrument clusterGeneral information:
If any of the following lamps in the instru-
ment cluster fails to come on during thebulb self-check when switching on the igni-
tion, have the respective bulb checked and
replaced if necessary.Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
v
The yellow ABS/ESP warning
lamp comes on while driving.
The ESP is deactivated.
Risk of accident!
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.

Switch the ESP back on (
page 84).
If the ESP cannot be switched back on,
have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as
possible.
v
The yellow ABS/ESP warning
lamp flashes while driving.
The ESP, ABS, or traction control has come
into operation because of detected traction
loss in at least one tire.
Distronic* is deactivated.

When driving off, apply as little throt-
tle as possible.

While driving, ease up on the acceler-
ator.

Adapt your speed and driving to the
prevailing road and weather condi-
tions.

Do not deactivate the ESP.
Exceptions: (
page 83).
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of an accident.

335 Practical hints
What to do if …
Vehicle status messages in the multi-function display
Warning and malfunction messages ap-
pear in the in the multifunction display lo-
cated in the instrument cluster.
Certain warning and malfunction messag-
es are accompanied by an audible signal.
Address these messages accordingly and
follow the additional instructions given in
this Operator’s Manual.
Selecting the vehicle status message
memory menu in the control system
(page 143) displays both cleared and
uncleared messages.
High-priority messages appear in the mul-
tifunction display in red color.Certain messages of high priority cannot
be cleared from the multifunction display
using the reset button (
page 24) or but-
ton j, k, ÿ, or è on the
multifunction steering wheel.
Other messages of high priority and mes-
sages of less immediate priority can be
cleared from the multifunction display us-
ing the reset button or button j, k,
ÿ, or è on the multifunction steer-
ing wheel. They are then stored in the vehi-
cle status message memory (
page 143).
Remember that clearing a message will not
correct the condition that caused the mes-
sage to appear.
Warning!
G
All categories of messages contain impor-
tant information which should be taken note
of and, where a malfunction is indicated, ad-
dressed as soon as possible at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Failure to repair condition noted may cause
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty, or result in property dam-
age or personal injury.Warning!
G
No messages will be displayed if either the
instrument cluster or the multifunction dis-
play is inoperative. Contact your nearest au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

389 Practical hints
Flat tire

Foreign objects (e.g. screws or nails)
should not be removed from the tire.

Take TIREFIT, the sticker, and the elec-
tric air pump out of the trunk.

Attach the sticker where it will be easily
seen by the driver on the instrument
cluster.1TIREFIT container
2Flap
3Notch
4Electrical plug
5Air hose
6Flange

Open flap2 on the electric air pump.

Pull plug4 and air hose5 out of the
pump housing.
Warning!
G
TIREFIT is a limited repair device. TIREFIT
cannot be used for cuts or punctures larger
than approx. 0.16 in (4 mm) and tire dam-
age caused by driving with extremely low
tire inflation pressure, or on a flat tire, or a
damaged wheel.
Do not drive the vehicle under such circum-
stances.
Contact your nearest Mercedes-Benz
Center for assistance or call Roadside
Assistance.
Warning!
G
Take care not to allow the contents of
T I R E F I T t o c o m e i n c o n t a c t w i t h h a i r , e y e s o r
clothing. TIREFIT is harmful if inhaled, swal-
lowed or absorbed through the skin - causes
skin, eye and respiratory irritation.
Any contact with eyes or skin should be
flushed immediately with plenty of water.
If clothing comes in contact with TIREFIT,
change clothing as soon as possible.
In case of allergic reaction or rash, consult a
physician immediately.Warning!
G
Keep TIREFIT out of reach of children.
If swallowed, rinse mouth immediately with
plenty of water and drink plenty of water.
Do not induce vomiting!
Consult a physician immediately.
Keep away from open flame or heat source.
iIf sealant has leaked out, let it dry. You
can then peel it off.


441 Technical terms
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
FSS (Canada vehicles)
(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.
Maintenance System (U.S. vehicles)
Maintenance service indicator in the
multifunction display that informs the
driver when the next vehicle mainte-
nance service is due. The Maintenance
system tracks distance driven and teh
time elapsed since the last mainte-
nance service, calculates other mainte-
nance service work required, and calls
for the next service accordingly.

442 Technical termsMemory 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.
Multifunction display
Two display fields in the instrument
cluster used to present information
provided by the control system.Multifunction steering wheel
Steering wheel with buttons for operat-
ing the control system.
Overspeed range
Engine speeds within the red marking
on the tachometer dial, see “Tachome-
ter” (
page 132). Avoid this engine
speed range, as it may result in serious
engine damage that is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Parktronic (Parking assist)*
System which uses visual and acoustic
signals to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers.
Poly-V-belt drive
Drives engine-components (alternator,
AC compressor, etc.) from the engine.Power train
Collective term designating all compo-
nents used to generate and transmit
motive power to the drive axles, includ-
ing


engine


clutch/torque converter


transmission


transfer case


drive shaft


differential


axle shafts/axles
Program mode selector switch
Used to switch the automatic transmis-
sion between standard operation (S)
and comfort operation (C).
SL 55 AMG with steering wheel gear-
shift control and manual shift program:
in addition to S and C (for regular S or
comfort C operation, see above), you
can use MANUAL for manual shift pro-
gram

449 Index
Cockpit 440
Cold tire inflation pressure 305
Collapsible tire 440
COMAND 29, 440
COMAND, radio and telephone 264
Combination switch 23, 52, 128
Comfort driving
Transmission program mode 170
Control system 134, 137, 440
AUDIO menu 139
Convenience submenu 157
Distronic* menu 142
Functions 136
Instrument cluster submenu 148,
149
Lighting submenu 152
Menus 136
Multifunction display 134
Multifunction steering wheel 135
NAVI menu 142
Standard display menu 134, 139Submenus 138
TEL* menu 161
Time submenu 149
Trip computer menu 159
Vehicle status message memory
menu 143
Vehicle submenu 156
Convenience feature 201
Coolant 435
Adding 276
Anticorrosion/antifreeze
quantity 437
Checking level 276
Messages in display 351, 352, 353
Temperature 266
Temperature gauge 131
Temperature warning lamp 25
Warning lamp 328
Coolant temperature gauge 25
Cooling see Air conditioner
Courtesy lighting 130Cruise control 205, 440
“Resume” function 208
Canceling 206
Driving downhill 206
Driving uphill 206
Fine adjustment 208
Setting a higher speed 207
Setting current speed 206
Setting to last stored speed 208
Cruise control lever 23, 205
For cruise control 205
For Distronic* 213
Cup holder 29, 228
Cleaning 320
Curb weight 305
Customer Assistance Center 439
D
Daytime running lamp mode 125
Setting 152
Deactivating
Air conditioning (cooling) 191

454 IndexHeight adjustment
Head restraints 41
Height adjustments
Vehicle level 221
High beam flasher 128
High beam headlamp indicator 27
High beam headlamps 52, 123, 381
Replacing bulbs 383
Switching on 128
High-performance brake system
(SL 65 AMG only) 258
Hood 270
Messages in display 357
Horn 23
Hydroplaning 260
I
Identification labels 418
Ignition 36, 38
Switching on 36
Immobilizer 88
Activating 58, 88
Deactivating 88Indicator lamps see Lamps, indicator and
warning
Infant and child restraint systems 74
Instrument cluster 24, 131, 441
Select language 149
Instrument lighting 131
Interior lighting 129
Automatic control 129
Delayed switch-off 155
Interior lighting control 31
Manual operation 130
Intermittent wiping 53
J
Jack 373
K
Key, Mechanical 374
Key-dependent memory 158KEYLESS-GO* 441
Closing power window with 195
Closing windows with 195
Important notes 101
Key positions 35
Starting the engine 49
Turning off the engine 59
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button 29, 37,
49
Keys
Loss of 98
Kickdown 171, 441
Kilometers/miles in speedometer 148
Kilopascal 306
Kneebag 68
L
Labels, identification 418
Lamp bulbs, exterior 380
Lamps, exterior
Delayed switch-off 154
Exterior lamp switch 23, 51
Front 381
Headlamps 317