2006 MERCEDES-BENZ SL600 ESP

93 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm:
With the SmartKey
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
or

Press theŒor‹button on the
SmartKey.
With KEYLESS-GO*

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

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton (
page 37).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
Tow-away alarm
Once the tow-away alarm is armed, a visual
and audible alarm will be triggered when
someone attempts to raise the vehicle. Arming tow-away alarm
When you lock your vehicle, the tow-away
alarm is automatically armed after about
30 seconds.
When you unlock your vehicle, the
tow-away protection disarms automatical-
ly.
Disabling tow-away alarm
To prevent triggering the tow-away alarm,
disable the tow-away alarm feature before
towing the vehicle, or when parking on a
surface subject to movement, such as a
ferry or auto train.
The button is located on the center con-
sole between the driver’s seat and the pas-
senger seat.
iThe tow-away protection alarm is trig-
gered, for example, if the vehicle is lift-
ed on one side.
If the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response
Center is initiated automatically by the
Tele Aid system (
page 240) provided
Tele Aid service was subscribed to and
properly activated, and that necessary
cellular service and GPS coverage are
available.

96 Controls in detailIn the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed on your vehi-
cle. If you are already familiar with the
basic functions of your vehicle, this section
will be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the ba-
sic functions of the vehicle, refer to the
“Getting started” section of this manual.
The corresponding page numbers are giv-
en at the beginning of each segment.
For more information on locking and un-
locking, see the “Getting started” section
(page 34).
Locking and unlocking
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys, each with remote control and
a removable mechanical key.
The locking tabs for the mechanical key
portion of the two SmartKeys are a differ-
ent color to help distinguish each
SmartKey unit.
The SmartKey provides an extended oper-
ating range. To prevent theft, however, it is
advisable to only unlock the vehicle when
you are in close proximity to it.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks:

the doors


the trunk lid


the glove box


the storage compartment under the
armrest


the storage compartment in the rear


the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with remote control1‹Lock button
2Š Unlock button for the trunk lid
3Mechanical key locking tab
4ΠUnlock button
5Battery check lamp
6Â Panic button (
page 81)

109 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
1Remote trunk lid release switch
2Indicator lamp
Pull remote trunk lid release switch1.
The trunk lid unlocks. Indicator
lamp2 comes on and remains lit until
the trunk is closed again.

Lift the trunk lid.The trunk can also be opened using


the SmartKey, see “Locking and un-
locking” (
page 96)


the remote trunk lid release switch, see
“Opening the trunk from the inside”
(page 108)


the trunk lid emergency release button,
see “Trunk lid emergency release”
(page 111)
Closing the trunk
1Handle
Lower trunk lid by firmly pulling on
handle1.
iTo facilitate trunk loading and unload-
ing when the hardtop is retracted, you
can raise the hardtop from its storage
position in the trunk using the loading
aid feature (
page 236). You may also
unhook the luggage cover.
Remember to resecure the luggage
cover after loading/unloading the
trunk. Otherwise you will not be able to
lower the retractable hardtop.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the trunk
opening when closing the trunk lid. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.


121 Controls in detail
Memory function
Memory function
Prior to operating the vehicle, the driver
should check and adjust the seat height,
seat position fore and aft, and seat back-
rest angle if necessary, to ensure adequate
control, reach and comfort. The head re-
straint should also be adjusted for proper
height. See also the section on airbags
(page 65) for proper seat positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, operation
and comfort. Both the interior and exterior
rear view mirrors should be adjusted for
adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small chil-
dren should be seated in a properly se-
cured restraint system that complies with
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan-
dard 213 and Canadian Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 213.With the memory switch you can store up
to three different settings.
The following settings are stored when us-
ing the buttons on the driver’s door:


Driver’s seat and backrest position


Steering wheel position


Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
position


Passenger side exterior rear view mir-
ror position
The following settings are stored when us-
ing the buttons on the passenger door:


Passenger seat and backrest positionThe memory switch is located on the door
control panel.
M Memory button
1, 2, 3 Stored positions

Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
or

Open the respective door.
Warning!
G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.

124 Controls in detailLightingManual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on or off with the
exterior lamp switch.Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off au-
tomatically depending on the brightness of
the ambient light:


Low beam headlamps


Tail lamps


Parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps
iWith the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch or the engine turned off
with KEYLESS-GO* and the driver’s
door open, a warning sounds if the
parking lamps or the low beam head-
lamps are switched on.
The message $
Turn off lamps

appears in the multifunction display.
Warning!
G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU,

the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright am-
bient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.


the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others, acti-
vate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch to B when driving or when traffic
and / or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from position U to B with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from U to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle’s lights at all
times.

126 Controls in detailLightingCanada only:
The daytime running lamp mode is manda-
tory and therefore in a constant mode.
When the engine is running and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
the low beam headlamps will switch off
with a three-minute delay.
When the engine is running and you

turn the exterior lamp switch to posi-
tion C, the parking lamps switch on
additionally


turn the exterior lamp switch to posi-
tion B, the manual headlamp mode
has priority over the daytime running
lamp mode
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 123).USA only:
By default, the daytime running lamp mode
is deactivated. Activate the daytime run-
ning lamp mode using the control system,
see “Setting daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)” (
page 152).
When the engine is running and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to positionC
or B, the manual headlamp mode has
priority over the daytime running lamp
mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (
page 123).
Locator lighting and night security
illumination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the control system
section, see “Setting locator lighting”
(
page 153) and “Setting night security il-
lumination” (
page 154).Fog lamps
Warning!
G
In low ambient lighting or foggy conditions,
only switch from position U to B with
the vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from U to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps
on. Fog lamps should only be used in
conjunction with low beam headlamps.
Consult your State or Province Motor
Vehicle Regulations regarding permis-
sible lamp operation.

128 Controls in detailLightingDriving forward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Depending on whether you are turning
left or right, switch on the left or right
turn signal (
page 53).
The respective front fog lamp comes on
and illuminates the road onto which
you are turning.Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps if they
were activated by switching on the left or
right turn signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after mak-
ing the turn, the turn signal and corner-illu-
minating front fog lamp can be switched
off by returning the combination switch to
its original position.Driving rearward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps

Place the gear selector lever in
positionR.
The inverse front fog lamp comes on
automatically depending on the steer-
ing direction and steering angle.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps

Place the gear selector lever out of
positionR.
The respective front fog lamp goes out.
iCorner-illuminating front fog lamps will
only come on in low ambient lighting
conditions.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps
function is not available at a vehicle
speed above 25 mph (40 km/h).
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps
will come on automatically depending
on the steering angle, even if you did
not switch on either turn signal.
If the corner-illuminating front fog
lamps came on automatically, they will
also go out automatically depending on
the steering angle.

134 Controls in detailInstrument clusterOutside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is displayed in
the left or right multifunction display
(page 24), depending on the setting
(page 149).The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. There-
fore, the accuracy of the displayed temper-
ature can only be verified by comparison to
a thermometer placed next the sensor, not
by comparison to external displays, e.g.
bank signs, etc.
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.