2007 MERCEDES-BENZ SL600 steering wheel

60 Getting startedParking and lockingYou have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle.
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.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


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, or press the
start/stop button (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*).


Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* and lock vehicle when
leaving.

68 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyAir bagsWarning!
G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal im-
pacts (front air bags, driver-side knee bag)
or side impacts (head-thorax air bags). How-
ever, no system available today can totally
eliminate injuries and fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases 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 air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!
G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and passenger to always be in a prop-
erly seated position and to wear their 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 49).
Since the air bag 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 air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag 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.


Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper op-
eration of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
10 inches (25 cm) or more. You should
be able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.


Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand / arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.


Adjust the passenger seat as far as pos-
sible rearward from the dashboard when
the seat is occupied.

70 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag
i
Air bags are designed to activate only in cer-
tain frontal impacts (front air bags, driver-side
knee bag) and side impacts (head-thorax air
bags) which exceed preset thresholds. Only dur-
ing these events, will they provide their supple-
mental protection.
The driver and passenger should always wear
their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible for
the air bags to provide their intended supple-
mental protection.
In case of other types of impacts and impacts be-
low air bag deployment thresholds, air bags will
not deploy. The driver and passenger will then be
protected to the extent possible by a properly
fastened seat belt. A properly fastened seat belt
is also needed to provide the best possible pro-
tection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
air bags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of your pas-
senger that you replace deployed air bags and
repair any malfunctioning air bags to make sure
that the vehicle will continue to provide supple-
mental crash protection for occupants.
Warning!
G


Damaged seat belts or belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced and their anchoring points
must also be checked. Only use belts in-
stalled or supplied by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Air bags and pyrotechnic emergency
tensioning devices (ETDs) are designed
to function on a one-time-only basis. An
air bag or ETD that has deployed must
be replaced.


Do not pass belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.


Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the belts.


No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or
removing any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges, etc. over the steering
wheel hub, passenger front air bag cov-
er, door frame trims, or door trim pan-
els, and installation of additional
electrical /electronic equipment on or
near SRS components and wiring. Keep
area between air bags and occupants
free from objects (e.g. packages, purs-
es, umbrellas, etc.).


Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash,
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.


Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.

88 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsThe - indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on when you switch on the
ignition. It goes out when the engine is run-
ning.
Braking
If the ABS activates during braking, the
ABS/ESP
® warning lamp v in the in-
strument cluster dial flashes. Because of
the electro-hydraulic brake system, you
will not feel any pulsation in the brake ped-
al.

Keep firm and steady pressure on the
brake pedal.
Continuous, steady brake pedal pressure
yields the advantages provided by the ABS,
namely braking power and the ability to
steer the vehicle.The ABS/ESP
® warning lamp v flashes
whenever the ABS is activated which can
be an indication of hazardous road condi-
tions and functions as a reminder to take
extra care while driving.
Emergency brake maneuver

Keep continuous, full pressure on the
brake pedal.
For more information, see the
“Practical hints” section (
page 332).
Warning!
G
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the BAS
and the ESP
® are also switched off.
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the wheels
may lock during hard braking, reducing
steering capability and extending the brak-
ing distance.
Warning!
G
The ABS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking or steering efficiency be-
yond that afforded by the condition of the
vehicle brakes and tires or the traction
afforded. The ABS cannot prevent acci-
dents, including those resulting from exces-
sive speed in turns, following another
vehicle too closely, or hydroplaning. Only a
safe, attentive, and skillful driver can pre-
vent accidents. The capabilities of an ABS
equipped vehicle must never be exploited in
a reckless or dangerous manner which
could jeopardize the user’s safety or the
safety of others.

126 Controls in detailMemory functionPrior 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 air bags
(page 68) 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 39).
or

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

127 Controls in detail
Memory function
Storing positions into memory
Adjust the seats, steering wheel and
exterior rear view mirrors to the de-
sired position (
page 42).

Press memory buttonM.

Release memory button and press a
stored position button1, 2, or3 within
3 seconds.
All the settings are stored at the select-
ed position.
Recalling positions from memory
On memory switch, press and hold
stored position button1, 2 or3 until
the seat, steering wheel and exterior
rear view mirrors have fully moved to
the stored positions.
i
Releasing the button immediately stops
movement to the stored positions.

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.

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.