2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 warning light

ContentsSafety and Security........................... 61
Occupant safety................................... 62
Airbags ........................................... 63
Seat belts ....................................... 69
Roll bar ........................................... 73
Children in the vehicle .................... 74
Panic alarm .......................................... 78
Activating ....................................... 78
Deactivating ................................... 78
Driving safety systems ......................... 79
ABS ................................................ 80
BAS ................................................ 81
ESP ................................................. 82
SBC brake system .......................... 85
Anti-theft systems................................ 88
Immobilizer..................................... 88
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 88
Tow-away alarm ............................. 90
Controls in detail............................... 93
Locking and unlocking ......................... 94
SmartKey ....................................... 94
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ........ 98
Opening the doors from the inside 106
Opening the trunk ........................ 107
Closing the trunk.......................... 109
Trunk lid emergency release ........ 109
Automatic central locking ............ 110
Locking and unlocking from the
inside ........................................... 111
Seats ................................................. 113
Easy-entry / exit feature ............... 113
Moving the seats forward and
backward ..................................... 115
Lumbar support............................ 115
Multicontour backrest*
(standard on SL 600, SL 55 AMG,
and SL 65 AMG) ........................... 116
Seat heating ................................. 117
Seat ventilation*
(standard on SL 600 and
SL 65 AMG) .................................. 119Memory function ............................... 120
Storing positions into memory ..... 121
Recalling positions from memory . 121
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 121
Lighting ............................................ 123
Exterior lamp switch .................... 123
Combination switch ..................... 128
Hazard warning flasher ................ 128
Interior lighting ............................ 129
Courtesy lighting .......................... 130
Instrument cluster ............................. 131
Instrument cluster illumination .... 131
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 131
Trip odometer .............................. 132
Tachometer .................................. 132
Outside temperature indicator ..... 133
Control system .................................. 134
Multifunction display.................... 134
Multifunction steering wheel........ 135
Menus .......................................... 137
Standard display menu ................ 139
AUDIO menu ................................ 139
NAV menu .................................... 142
Distronic* menu .......................... 142

10 IntroductionOperator’s ManualThis Operator’s Manual contains a great
deal of useful information. We urge you to
read it carefully and familiarize yourself
with the vehicle before driving.
For your own safety and longer service life
of the vehicle, we urge you to follow the in-
structions and warnings contained in this
manual. Ignoring them could result in dam-
age to the vehicle or personal injury to you
or others. Vehicle damage caused by fail-
ure to follow instructions is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Your vehicle may have some or all of the
equipment described in this manual.
Therefore, you may find explanations for
optional equipment not installed in your
vehicle. If you have any questions about
the operation of any equipment, your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center will be
glad to demonstrate the proper proce-
dures.We continuously strive to improve our
product, and ask for your understanding
that we reserve the right to make changes
in design and equipment. Therefore, infor-
mation, illustrations, and descriptions in
this Operator’s Manual might differ from
your vehicle.
Optional equipment is also described in
this manual, including operating instruc-
tions wherever necessary. Since they are
special-order items, the descriptions and
illustrations herein may vary slightly from
the actual equipment of your vehicle.
If there are any equipment details that are
not shown or described in this Operator’s
Manual, your authorized Mercedes-Benz
C e n t e r w i l l b e g l a d t o i n f o r m y o u o f c o r r e c t
care and operating procedures.
The Operator’s Manual and Maintenance
Booklet are important documents and
should be kept with the vehicle.
Service and warranty information
The Service and Warranty Information
Booklet contains detailed information
about the warranties covering your
Mercedes-Benz, including:

New Car Limited Warranty,


Emission System Warranty,


Emission Performance Warranty,


California, Maine, Massachusetts, and
Vermont Emission Control System
Warranty
(California, Maine, Massachusetts, and
Vermont only),


State Warranty Enforcement Laws
(Lemon Laws).

15 Introduction
Symbols
Symbols
The following symbols are found in this
Operator’s Manual:
* Optional equipment is identified
with an asterisk. Since standard
equipment varies between models,
the descriptions and illustrations in
this manual may differ slightly from
the actual equipment of your vehi-
cle.

This symbol points to instructions for
you to follow.

A number of these symbols appearing
in succession indicates a multiple-step
procedure.
 Page This symbol tells you where to
look for further information on a
topic.
This continuation symbol marks
an interrupted procedure which
will be continued on the next
page.
-> In the glossary of technical
terms, this symbol is used to in-
dicate cross-references to term
definitions.
Display
Words appearing in the multi-
function display are printed in
the type shown here.
Warning!
G
Warning notices draw your attention to haz-
ards that may endanger your health or life,
or the health or life of others.!Highlights hazards that may result in
damage to your vehicle.iHelpful hints or further information you
may find useful.

27 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
5
Tachometer with:
132
AHigh beam head-
lamp indicator
128
úEngine malfunction
indicator lamp, USA
only
±Engine malfunction
indicator lamp,
Canada only
327
CRoll bar warning
lamp
331
-Antilock Brake Sys-
tem (ABS) indicator
lamp
325
Item
Page
1Supplemental re-
straint system indi-
cator lamp
332
332
XTire pressure con-
trol warning light
333
6
Right multifunction
display with

Gear selector lever
position
168


Outside temperature
display
133


Program mode
165
7
Fuel gauge with:AFuel reserve warn-
ing lamp
330

29 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part
Item
Page
1
Central locking switch
111
2
Hazard warning flasher
on/off switch
128
3
Central unlocking switch
111
4
Center and side air vent ad-
justment
182
5
COMAND system, see sep-
arate operating instruc-
tions
137
6
Automatic climate control
185
7
Right cup holder
228
8
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button
37
9
Ashtray
Cigarette lighter
233
233
a
Left cup holder
228

34 Getting startedThe “Getting started” section provides an
overview of the vehicle’s most basic func-
tions. First-time Mercedes-Benz owners
should pay special attention to the infor-
mation given here.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions described here, the “Controls in
detail” section will provide you with further
information. The corresponding page refer-
ences are located at the end of each seg-
ment.Unlocking
Unlocking with the SmartKeySmartKey with remote control1‹Lock button
2ŠUnlock button for trunk lid
3ŒUnlock button
4ÂPanic button
Press unlock button Πon the
SmartKey.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system is dis-
armed.
The SBC brake system is activated.

Enter the vehicle and insert the
SmartKey in the starter switch.
For more information, see “SmartKey”
(
page 94).Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.iOpening a door causes the windows on
that side of the car to open slightly.
They will return to the up-position when
the door is closed.

35 Getting started
Unlocking
Unlocking with KEYLESS-GO*
If your vehicle is equipped with the
KEYLESS-GO function, your vehicle checks
whether the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is
valid when you grasp the door handle. If
your SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is valid,
the doors will unlock and you can open
them.
The function of the SmartKey overrules the
KEYLESS-GO function.

Grasp the door handle.
The turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs on the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system is dis-
armed.
The SBC brake system is activated.If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is inside
the vehicle, pressing the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button on the gear selector le-
ver corresponds to turning the SmartKey
to the various starter switch positions
(
page 37).
For more information, see “SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*” (
page 98).
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iTo unlock the vehicle, the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO must be outside the
vehicle, no further than approx. 3 feet
(1 meter) away from the door. iIf the vehicle has been parked for more
than 72 hours, you must pull the out-
side door handle in order to activate
the KEYLESS-GO function.
iOpening a door causes the windows on
that side of the car to open slightly.
They will return to the up-position when
the door is closed.

41 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat height
Press the switch up or down in direc-
tion of arrow2.
Seat cushion tilt

Press the switch up or down in
direction of arrow3 until your upper
legs are lightly supported.
Seat cushion depth

Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow4 until your legs
are supported comfortably.
Seat backrest tilt

Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow6 until your arms
are slightly angled when holding the
steering wheel.Head restraint height

Press the switch up or down in direc-
tion of arrow1.Head restraint tilt
Manually adjust the angle of the head re-
straint.

Push or pull on the lower edge of the
head restraint cushion.
For more information on seats, see “Seats”
(
page 113).
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of
the head restraint supports the back of the
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.