2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SLR CLASS Owners Manual

56 Getting startedParking and lockingYou have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake
1Parking brake lever
Pull parking brake lever1 up as many
notches as possible.
When the engine is running, the
warning lamp; (USA only)
or3(Canada only) in the
instrument cluster will be illuminated.
Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
system. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the
vehicle.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Pull the parking brake lever up as many
notches as possible.


Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.


Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.


Take the SmartKey and lock the vehicle
when leaving.

57 Getting started
Parking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch
toM(
page 51).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 105).
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. Children
could release the parking brake and/or
move the gear selector lever from
positionP, either of which could result in an
accident and/or serious injury.
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever not fully engaged in positionP is
dangerous. Also, when parked on an incline,
positionP alone may not prevent your vehi-
cle from moving, possibly hitting people or
objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 48).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.

58 Getting startedParking and lockingTurning off the engine 
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.
The immobilizer is activated.

Press the seat belt release button
(page 46).
Allow the retractor to completely
rewind the seat belt by guiding the
latch plate.

After exiting the vehicle, press the lock
button‹ on the SmartKey
(page 38).
With the hood, trunk and all doors
closed, all turn signal lamps flash three
times. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 96).
iAlways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting to positionP.
On slopes, turn the front wheels to-
wards the road curb. iThe SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.
iWith the SmartKey removed and the
driver’s door open, a warning sounds if
the vehicle’s exterior lamps are not
switched off.Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
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.

59

Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Panic alarm
Driving safety systems
Performance enhancement system
Anti-theft systems

62 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyIn this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint systems
of the vehicle.
The restraint systems are

Seat belts


Emergency tensioning device


Airbags


Child seats


Child seat recognition
As independent systems, their protective
effects work in conjunction with each
other.The 1 indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on


for about four seconds when you turn
the SmartKey in the starter switch to
position 1. It then goes out briefly,
comes on again and remains lit until
you start the engine or turn the
SmartKey to position 2.


for about four seconds when you turn
the SmartKey in the starter switch to
position 2.


for about four seconds when you start
the engine using the start button
(page 48).
The 1 indicator lamp goes out shortly
after you start the engine. This shows that
the restraint systems are operational.A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the 1 indicator lamp


fails to go out after approximately four
seconds


does not come on at all


comes on after the engine was started
or while driving
For more information, see the “Practical
hints” section (
page 302).
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and re-
straint systems for infants and chil-
dren, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 72).

63 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Airbags
Warning!
G
In the event that the
1
indicator lamp
comes on during driving or does not come
on at all, the SRS self-check has detected a
malfunction. For your safety, we strongly
recommend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately to have
the system checked, otherwise the SRS may
not be activated when needed in an acci-
dent, which could result in serious or fatal
injury, or it might deploy unexpectedly and
unnecessarily which could also result in
injury.
In addition, improper repair work creates a
risk of rendering the SRS inoperative or
causing unintended airbag deployment.
Work on the SRS must therefore only be per-
formed by qualified technicians. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Airbags are designed to reduce the potential
of injury and fatality in certain frontal im-
pacts (front airbags, knee airbags) or side
impacts (head-thorax airbags). However, no
system available today can totally eliminate
injuries and fatalities.
The activation of the airbags temporarily re-
leases a small amount of dust from the air-
bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious
to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in
the vehicle. The dust might cause some tem-
porary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid
this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the airbag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!
G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
airbags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear your
seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and make sure that it is prop-
erly positioned on your body (
page 45).
Since the airbag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the airbag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously in-
jured by an airbag as it inflates with great
force in the blink of an eye:


Sit properly belted in a nearly upright
position with your back against the seat
backrest.