2007 MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 headlamp

55 Getting started
Driving

Release the brake pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
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.
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 transmis-
sion:


Wait for the gear selection process to com-
plete before setting the vehicle in motion.


Place the gear selector lever in positionD
orR only when the vehicle is stopped.
!
If you hear a warning signal and the mes-
sage Release parking brake
appears in the
multifunction display when driving 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 accelerator
pedal and applying the brake reduces engine
performance and causes premature brake and
drivetrain wear.
i
You can open a locked door from the inside.
Open door only when conditions are safe to do
so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking using
the control system (
page 162).

56 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 29).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 128).
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 27).The combination switch resets automati-
cally after major steering wheel move-
ments.
i
To signal minor directional changes such as
changing lanes, press combination switch only
to point of resistance and release. The corre-
sponding turn signals will flash three times.

58 Getting startedDrivingSingle wipe
Press the combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow2 to the resistance
point.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.Wiping with windshield washer fluid

Push the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow2 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 282).
i
Intermittent wiping is interrupted when the
vehicle is at a standstill and a front door is
opened. This protects persons getting into or out
of the vehicle from being sprayed.
Intermittent wiping will be continued when


all doors are closed and the gear selector
lever is in positionD or R
or


the wiper setting is changed using the com-
bination switch
i
To prevent smears on the windshield, wipe
with windshield washer fluid every now and then
even when it is raining.
!
If anything blocks the windshield wipers
(leaves, snow, etc.), switch them off immediate-
ly.


For safety reasons, stop the vehicle in a safe
location and

remove 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 posi-
tion 0, same as with the SmartKey re-
moved from the starter switch)
before attempting to remove any blockage.


Remove blockage.


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


set the combination switch to the next high-
er wiper speed


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


61 Getting started
Parking and locking
Parking brake
1Release handle
2Parking brake pedal
Step firmly on parking brake pedal2.
When the engine is running, the indica-
tor lamp;(USA only) or3
(Canada only) in the instrument cluster
will be illuminated.
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch to posi-
tion M (
page 55).
For more information, see “Exterior lamp
switch” (
page 128).
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 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 170).
When parked on an incline, also turn front
wheels towards the road curb.

63 Getting started
Parking and locking
Locking

Exit the vehicle and close the doors and
the trunk.Locking with the SmartKey

Press the lock button‹on the
SmartKey (
page 38).
With the trunk and all doors closed, all
turn signal lamps flash three times. The
locking knobs on the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 102).
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 that there
is no possibility of someone getting caught
in a door during closing.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. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to turn off the headlamps.
In addition the message
Turn off lights
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps.
i
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: A warning sig-
nal and the message
Don’t forget your key

remind you not to leave the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* in the vehicle.
i
Opening a door causes the windows on that
side of the car to open slightly. They will return to
the closed position when the door is closed.

128 Controls in detail LightingFor information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on headlamps” (
page 55)
and “Turn signals” (
page 56).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 130)
UAutomatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 130)
CParking lamps (also tail lamps, li-
cense plate lamps, side marker
lamps, instrument panel lamps)Canada only: When the engine is
running, the low beam headlamps
are also switched on.
BLow beam headlamps (or high
beam headlamps when the combi-
nation switch is pushed forward)
and parking lamps
ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left one
stop)
‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
CIndicator lamp for parking lamps
‡Indicator lamp for front fog lamps
†Indicator lamp for rear fog lamp
i
If you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country in
which the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
With 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 headlamps are switched on.
The message $
Turn off lamps
appears in
the multifunction display.

129 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on or off with the
exterior lamp switch (
page 55).
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

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 and side marker
lamps will switch on and off automati-
cally.
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.
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.

130 Controls in detailLightingDaytime 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 lampsCanada 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 128).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 159).
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 128).
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 160) and “Setting night security il-
lumination” (
page 160).