2006 MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG stop start

112 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingIllumination of the emergency release but-
ton:

The button flashes for 30 minutes after
opening the trunk.


The button flashes for 60 minutes after
closing the trunk.
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk lid lock automati-
cally when the vehicle is set into motion.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the control system (
page 155).
iThe emergency release button unlocks
the trunk while the vehicle is standing
still or in motion.iThe emergency release button does
not open the trunk lid if the vehicle bat-
tery is discharged or disconnected.
iIf the vehicle has previously been
locked with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO*, opening the trunk from
the inside using the emergency release
button will trigger the alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the fol-
lowing:

Press buttonŒ or‹ on the
SmartKey.


Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*


Grasp an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be within 3 ft. (1 m) of the
vehicle.


Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 37).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be inside the vehicle.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle locks automatically when
the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or
more. You could therefore lock yourself
out when the vehicle

is pushed


is on a test stand


125 Controls in detail
Lighting

Turn the exterior lamp switch to posi-
tion U.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1 or the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button pressed once, only
the parking lamps will switch on and off
automatically.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the license plate lamps, and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off automatically.Daytime running lamp mode

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM orU.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are switched on auto-
matically.
In low ambient light conditions, the fol-
lowing lamps will switch on additional-
ly:

Tail lamps


Side marker lamps


Parking lamps


License plate lampsFor nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to positionB to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the exterior lamp switch
in positionM, the highbeam head-
lamps cannot be switched on.
The highbeam flasher is available at all
times.

135 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button is in posi-
tion 1. The control system enables you to

call up information about your vehicle


change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
The multifunction display consists of the
display fields in the speedometer and the
tachometer. In its default state, the left
multifunction display shows the main
odometer and the digital speedometer,
while the trip odometer appears in the
right multifunction display. This default
setting is referred to as the standard dis-
play.
1Main odometer
2Outside temperature
3Current gear selector lever position
4Trip odometer
5Automatic transmission program mode
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his /her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.

145 Controls in detail
Control system
Vehicle status messages have been
recorded
If conditions have occurred causing status
messages to be recorded, the number of
messages appears in the right multifunc-
tion display:
1Number of recorded status messages
Press button k or j.
The stored messages will now be dis-
played in the order in which they have
occurred. For malfunction and warning
messages, see “Vehicle status messag-
es in the multifunction display”
(page 345).Should the vehicle’s system record any
conditions while driving, the number of
messages will reappear in the multifunc-
tion display


when the SmartKey in the starter
switch is turned to position0 or re-
moved from the starter switch
or


when you turn off the engine by press-
ing the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop but-
ton on the gear selector lever once and
open the driver’s door (this puts the
starter switch in position 0, same as
with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch)iAfter you have scrolled through all re-
corded status messages, the first re-
corded message appears again.
iThe vehicle status message memory
will be cleared when you then turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to posi-
tion 1 or 2, or when you press the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once
or twice without depressing the brake
pedal. You will then only see high prior-
ity messages in the multifunction dis-
play (
page 345).

164 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP. With the SmartKey
removed, the gear selector lever
is locked in positionP.
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.

176 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionDownshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or

Briefly press button1 on the left side
of the steering wheel (
page 172).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
MANUAL program mode is not possible.
Deactivating manual shift program

Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 174) repeatedly
until
Cor
S appears in the right
multifunction display.
or

Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the
automatic program mode (C orS).
The MANUAL program mode is not
stored.Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
home (emergency operation) mode. In this
mode only second gear and reverse gear
can be activated.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location.

Move gear selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Move gear selector lever to positionD
(for second gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.iWhen you brake or stop, the transmis-
sion shifts down to a gear from which
you can easily accelerate or take off.

190 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlActivating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
Press button 2 once more
(page 181).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134A. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.Activating
With the SmartKey:

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or0 , or remove it from
the starter switch.

Press button T (
page 181).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
With KEYLESS-GO*:

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 posi-
tion 0, same as with the SmartKey re-
moved from the starter switch)

Press button T (
page 181).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
!If the 2 button on the automatic cli-
mate control panel starts to flash, this
indicates that the air conditioning is
losing refrigerant. The compressor has
turned off. The air conditioning cannot
be turned on again.

Have the air conditioning checked
at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the selected temperature. The
blower will run at low speed regardless
of the air distribution control setting.

192 Controls in detailPower windowsOpening and closing the windows
The windows are opened and closed elec-
trically. The switches for all the windows
are on the driver’s door. The switch for the
passenger side windows is on the passen-
ger door.
1Left door and rear side windows
2Right door and rear side windows

Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being injured
by the closing procedure.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if the switch was pulled past the resistance
point and released, by either pressing or
pulling the respective switch.
The closing of the rear side windows can be
immediately halted by releasing the switch.
If a door window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you pulled the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the door win-
dow, the automatic reversal function will
stop the door window and open it slightly.
If the door window encounters an obstruc-
tion that blocks its path in a circumstance
where you are closing the door window by
pulling and holding the switch, by pressing
and holding button ‹on the SmartKey,
by pressing and holding the lock button (ve-
hicles with KEYLESS-GO*) on an outside
door handle, by pressing and holding the re-
tractable hardtop switch, or by pressing and
holding button
,
on the climate control
panel, the automatic reversal function will
not operate.
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. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment can
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
iDepending on the current position, the
windows may also open or close when
the air recirculation button , on the
control panel of the automatic climate
control (
page 187) is pressed and
held.