2007 MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG ESP

132 Controls in detailLightingCorner-illuminating front fog lamps
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps im-
prove illumination of the road into which
you are turning.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
operate with the engine running and with

the exterior lamp switch in
positionB (
page 128)
or


the exterior lamp switch in
positionU (
page 128)
or


the daytime running lamp mode
activated (
page 130)Driving 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 56).
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.
i
Corner-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).
i
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
come on automatically depending on the
steering angle, even if you did not switch on ei-
ther turn signal.
If the corner-illuminating front fog lamps came
on automatically, they will also go out automati-
cally depending on the steering angle.

134 Controls in detailLightingSwitching on the hazard warning
flasher
Press hazard warning flasher
switch1.
All turn signals are flashing.
Switching off the hazard warning
flasher

Press hazard warning flasher switch1
again.
Interior lighting
The interior lighting controls are located in
the overhead control panel.
1Left reading lamp on/off
2Right reading lamp on/off
3Interior lighting on/off
4Slide switch for interior lighting controlDeactivating automatic control

Slide switch4 to the right.
The interior lighting and the entry/exit
lamps remain switched off in darkness,
even when you

unlock the vehicle


remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch


open a door


open the trunk
i
With the hazard warning flasher activated
and the combination switch set for either left or
right turn, only the respective turn signals will
operate when the ignition is switched on.
i
If the hazard warning flasher was switched
on automatically because of an air bag that has
deployed, press hazard warning flasher
switch1 once to switch it off.
!
An interior lamp switched on manually does
not go out automatically.
Leaving the interior lighting switch in the ON po-
sition for extended periods of time with the en-
gine turned off could result in discharged
batteries.
i
The interior lighting is factory-set to auto-
matic mode.

135 Controls in detail
Lighting
Activating automatic control
Slide switch4 to the left.
The interior lighting switches on in
darkness when you

unlock the vehicle


remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch


open a door


open the trunk
In addition, the entry/exit lamps in the
door trays come on when you open a
door.
The interior lighting switches off after
approximately 10 seconds if the interi-
or lighting delayed switch-off feature is
set to
On in the control system
(
page 161).Manual control
Switching interior lighting on and off

Press switch3.
The interior lighting switches on.

Press switch3 once more.
The interior lighting switches off.
Switching reading lamps on and off

Press reading lamp switch1 or2 to
switch on the desired reading lamp.

Press reading lamp switch1 or2
again to switch off the respective read-
ing lamp.
Courtesy lighting
For better orientation in the dark, courtesy
lamps will illuminate the interior of your ve-
hicle as follows:
With parking lamps switched on:

the door handles


the driver and passenger footwells
With SmartKey in starter switch position1:


the door handles


the center console
Trunk lamp
The trunk lamp switches on when the trunk
is opened.
If the trunk lid remains open, the trunk
lighting switches off automatically after ap-
proximately 10 minutes.
i
If a door remains open, the interior lighting
switches off automatically after approximately
5minutes.
i
If you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and switch off the head-
lamps, the door handle lamps will remain lit for
approximately 5 minutes.

138 Controls in detailInstrument clusterTachometer
The red marking on the tachometer de-
notes excessive engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is displayed in
the left or right multifunction display
(page 26), depending on the setting
(page 156).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.
!
Avoid driving at excessive engine speeds, as
it may result in serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
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.

152 Controls in detailControl systemVehicle status message memory menu
Use the vehicle status message memory
menu to scan malfunction and warning
messages that may be stored in the sys-
tem. Such messages appear in the multi-
function display and are based on
conditions or system status the vehicle’s
system has recorded.
The vehicle status message memory menu
only appears, if messages have been
stored.

Press button è or ÿ repeatedly
until the vehicle status message mem-
ory menu appears in the multifunction
display.
If the vehicle status message memory
menu does not appear, no messages
have been stored.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 347).
Warning!
G
Malfunction and warning messages are only
indicated for certain systems and are inten-
tionally not very detailed. The malfunction
and warning messages are simply a remind-
er with respect to the operation of certain
systems and do not replace the owner’s
and/or driver’s responsibility to maintain
the vehicle’s operating safety by having all
required maintenance and safety checks
performed on the vehicle and by bringing
the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center to address the malfunction and
warning messages (
page 347).
i
After you have scrolled through all recorded
status messages, the first recorded message ap-
pears again.

154 Controls in detailControl system
Press the reset button in the instru-
ment cluster for approximately
3 seconds.
In the right multifunction display you
will see the request to press the reset
button again to confirm.

Press the reset button again.
The functions of all the submenus will
reset to factory settings.Submenus in the Settings menu

Press button è or ÿ repeatedly
until the
Settings...
menu appears in
the multifunction display.

Press button j.
In the right multifunction display you
see the collection of submenus. There
are more submenus than can be simul-
taneously displayed.

Press button ç.
The selection marker moves to the next
submenu.

Scroll down with the ç button,
scroll up with the æ button.

With the selection marker on the de-
sired submenu, use the j button to
access the individual functions within
that submenu.

Once within the submenu, use the
j button to move to the next func-
tion or the k button to move to the
previous function within that submenu.

Use buttons æ or ç to change
the settings of the respective function.
i
The settings you have changed will not be re-
set unless you confirm the action by pressing the
reset button a second time.


170 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.
!
Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason with gear selector lever inN can result in
transmission damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

180 Controls in detailGood visibilityFor information on windshield wiper opera-
tion, see “Windshield wipers” (
page 57).
Headlamp cleaning system
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer button
Switch on the ignition (
page 39).

Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.
For information on filling up the washer flu-
id reservoir, see “Windshield washer sys-
tem and headlamp cleaning system”
(
page 282).
Rear view mirrors
For information on setting the rear view
mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 47).
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when


the ignition is switched on
and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view mir-
ror.
The interior rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gear is engaged


the interior lighting is switched on
i
The headlamps will automatically be
cleaned when you have


switched on the headlamps
and


operated the windshield wipers with wind-
shield washer fluid fifteen times
When you switch off the ignition, the counter re-
sets.