2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG Owner's Manual

47 Getting started
Driving

With a smooth motion, pull the belt
from seat belt housing1.

Place the shoulder portion of the belt
across the top of your shoulder and the
lap portion across your hips.

Push latch plate2 into buckle3 until
it clicks.

If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
Proper use of seat belts


Do not twist the belt when fastening.


Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the belt under your
arm.


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.


Place the seat backrest in a nearly up-
right position.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.


Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time.


Check your seat belt during travel to
ensure that it is properly positioned.


Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.
Warning!
G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the belts.
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.
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

48 Getting startedDrivingStarting the engine Automatic transmission
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmissionP Park position with gear selector lever
lock
R Reverse gear
N Neutral
D Drive position
For more information, see “Automatic
transmission” (
page 164).Starting with the SmartKey

Make sure the gear selector lever is set
to P.

Do not depress the accelerator.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position3 and hold until the engine
starts (
page 36).

Depress the brake pedal.
The gear selector lever lock is released.
For information on turning off the engine
with the SmartKey, see “Turning off with
the SmartKey” (
page 58).
Warning!
G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide, and inhaling it can cause uncon-
sciousness and lead to death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated. If you think that exhaust gas
fumes are entering the vehicle while driving,
have the cause determined and corrected
immediately. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive with at least one window
fully open.
iYou can also use the “touch-start”
function. Turn the SmartKey to
position3 and release it again immedi-
ately. The engine then starts automati-
cally.

49 Getting started
Driving
Starting with KEYLESS-GO*
You can start your vehicle without the
SmartKey in the starter switch using the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button on the
gear selector lever.KEYLESS-GO start/stop button1USA only
2Canada only
M a k e s u r e t h e g e a r s e l e c t o r l e v e r i s s e t
to P.

Depress the brake pedal during the
starting procedure. Do not depress ac-
celerator.
The selector lever lock is released.

Press KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button1 once.
The engine starts automatically if the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is in the
vehicle.
For information on turning off the engine
with KEYLESS-GO, see “Turning off with
KEYLESS-GO*” (
page 59).
Starting difficulties
If the engine does not start as described,
carry out the following steps:

If you are starting the engine with the
SmartKey: Turn SmartKey in starter
switch to position0 and repeat starting
procedure.

If you are starting the engine with
KEYLESS-GO*: Close any doors that
may be open to allow for better detec-
tion of the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO.
Or:
Start the engine with the SmartKey as
radio signals from another source may
be interfering with the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.

Repeat the starting procedure
(page 48). Remember that extended
starting attempts can drain the battery.

Get a jump start (
page 406).
If the engine does not start after several
starting attempts, there could be a mal-
function in the engine electronics or in the
fuel supply system.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

50 Getting startedDrivingParking brake
1Parking brake
2Parking brake release handle

Release the parking brake by pulling on
handle2.
The indicator lamp;(USA only) or
3 (Canada only) in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Driving

Depress the brake pedal.

Place the gear selector lever in
positionD orR.

Release the brake pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* 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. Children
could release the parking brake, which
could result in an accident and/or serious
injury.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector le-
ver out ofP orN if the engine speed is high-
er than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly
on the brake pedal, the vehicle could accel-
erate quickly forward or in reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.!In order to avoid damage to the trans-
mission:

Wait for the gear selection process
to complete before setting the vehi-
cle in motion.


Place the gear selector lever in
positionD orR only when the vehi-
cle is stopped.

51 Getting started
Driving
Once the vehicle is in motion, the automat-
ic central locking system engages and the
locking knobs drop down.
After a cold start, the transmission engag-
es at a higher revolution. This allows the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature earlier.
Switching on headlamps
Low beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.Exterior lamp switch1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
position B.
The low beam headlamps come on.
!If you hear a warning signal when driv-
ing off, you have forgotten to release
the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.!Do not run cold engine at high engine
speed. Running a cold engine at high
engine speed may shorten the service
life of the engine.
!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic lock-
ing using the control system
(page 156).

52 Getting startedDrivingHigh beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1High beam
2High beam flasher
Push the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow 1.
The high beam headlamps come on.
The high beam headlamp indicator
A in the instrument cluster comes
on (
page 27).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 123).
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow1 or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lampKorLin the instrument
cluster flashes (
page 25).The combination switch resets automati-
cally after major steering wheel move-
ments.
iTo signal minor directional changes
such as changing lanes, press combi-
nation switch only to point of resis-
tance and release. The corresponding
turn signals will flash three times.

53 Getting started
Driving
Windshield wipers
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Single wipe
2Switching on windshield wipers
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).Switching on windshield wipers

Turn the combination switch to the de-
sired position depending on the inten-
sity of the rain.
0Windshield wipers off
IIntermittent wiping
IINormal wiper speed
IIIFast wiper speed
Intermittent wiping

Set the combination switch to
positionI.
iThe intermittent wiping interval is de-
pendent on the wetness of the wind-
shield. After the initial wipe, pauses
between wipes are controlled by the
rain sensor.
Wiping will not occur with a door open.
!Do not leave windshield wipers in inter-
mittent setting when vehicle is taken to
an automatic car wash or during wind-
shield cleaning. Wipers will operate in
the presence of water sprayed on the
windshield, and wipers may be dam-
aged as a result.
The combination switch should not be
left in intermittent setting as the wipers
will wipe the windshield once every
time the engine is started. Dust that ac-
cumulates on the windshield might
scratch the glass and/or damage the
wiper blades when wiping occurs on a
dry windshield.iIntermittent wiping is suspended when
the vehicle is at a standstill and a door
is opened.

54 Getting startedDrivingSingle wipe
Press the combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow1.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.
Wiping with windshield washer fluid

Push the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow1 past the resistance
point.
The windshield wipers operate with
washer fluid.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system”
(
page 278).
!If anything blocks the windshield
wipers (leaves, snow, etc.), switch
them off immediately.

For safety reasons,

turn off the engine by turning
the SmartKey to position 0 and
withdraw the SmartKey from
the starter switch
or


turn off the engine by pressing
the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button and open the driver’s
door (with the driver’s door
open, the starter switch is in po-
sition 0, same as with the
SmartKey removed from the
starter switch)
before attempting to remove any
blockage.


Remove blockage.


Turn the windshield wipers on
again.
If windshield wipers fail to function at
all in switch positionI,


set the combination switch to the
next higher wiper speed


have the windshield wipers
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center