2007 MERCEDES-BENZ SL65AMG light

87 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems
In this section you will find information on
the following driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


ESP
® (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)


Electro-hydraulic brake system
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of
approximately 5 mph (8 km/h) indepen-
dent of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will re-
spond even to light brake pressure.
Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of ac-
cidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The ABS, BAS, ESP
®, and the electro-hy-
draulic brake system cannot reduce this
risk.
Always adjust your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
i
In winter operation, the maximum effective-
ness of the ABS, the BAS, the ESP
®, and the
electro-hydraulic brake system is only achieved
with winter tires (
page 316) or snow chains as
required.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

101 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Automatic transmission
Good visibility
Automatic climate control
Power windows
Retractable hardtop
Driving systems
Useful features

111 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the doors from the inside
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
1Locking knob
2Inside door handle
Pull on inside door handle2 in direc-
tion of arrow.
If the door was locked, locking knob1
will move up.
Opening the trunk
You can open the trunk if the vehicle is sta-
tionary and the retractable hardtop is fully
opened or closed.
A minimum height clearance of
6.2 ft (1.88 m) is required to open the
trunk lid.
i
If you open a door, the side windows on that
side of the vehicle will lower slightly. The win-
dows close again when you close the door.
i
If the vehicle has previously been locked
with the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*, opening a
door from the inside will trigger the anti-theft
alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the following:


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 40).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be in-
side the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.i
If the trunk lid does not open, the trunk lid is
still locked separately (
page 117).
i
To facilitate trunk loading and unloading
when the hardtop is retracted, you can raise the
hardtop from its storage position in the trunk us-
ing the load assist feature (
page 241). You
may also unhook the luggage cover.
Remember to re-secure the luggage cover after
loading/unloading the trunk. Otherwise you will
not be able to lower the retractable hardtop.

114 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Closing trunk from inside
automatically*
In vehicles with trunk opening/closing
system* you can close the trunk from
the inside using the remote trunk
opening/ closing* switch.
1Remote trunk opening/closing* switch
(vehicles with trunk opening/closing
system*)
2Indicator lamp
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the trunk
lid opening when closing the trunk. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
Warning!
G
Maintain sight of trunk area while operating
door mounted switch. Monitor the closing
procedure carefully to make sure no one is
in danger of being injured.
To interrupt the closing procedure, release
the door mounted remote trunk open-
ing/closing* switch again.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the remote trunk
opening/closing* switch can be operated.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
i
If the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has been
piled too high) in the upper motion sequence, the
closing procedure is stopped and the trunk re-
opens slightly.

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).

131 Controls in detail
Lighting
Fog lampsFront fog lamps

Switch on the low beam headlamps
(page 55).

Pull out the exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The front fog lamps are switched on.
The green indicator lamp ‡ in the
exterior lamp switch comes on
(page 128).

Push in the exterior lamp switch.
The front fog lamps are switched off.
The green indicator lamp ‡ in the
exterior lamp switch goes out.Rear fog lamp (driver’s side only)

Switch on the front fog lamps
(page 131).

Pull out the exterior lamp switch to sec-
ond stop.
The rear fog lamp is switched on.
The yellow indicator lamp † in the
lamp switch comes on (
page 128).

Push in the exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The rear fog lamp is switched off.
The yellow indicator lamp † in the
exterior lamp switch goes out.
The front fog lamps remain lit.
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.i
Fog 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
permissible lamp operation.
i
The fog lamps cannot be switched on with
the exterior lamp switch in position U. To
switch on the fog lamps, turn the exterior lamp
switch to position B first.