Page 8 of 425

Contents
Introduction....................................... 12
Product information ............................. 13
Operator’s Manual ............................... 14
Service and warranty information .. 14
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 15
Maintenance .................................. 16
Roadside Assistance ...................... 16
Change of address or ownership.... 16
Operating your vehicle outside the
USA or Canada............................... 17
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
compliance .................................... 17
Where to find it .................................... 18
Symbols ............................................... 19
Operating safety .................................. 20
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 20
Problems with your vehicle .................. 21
Reporting safety defects...................... 22
Reporting safety defects ................ 22
Vehicle data recording......................... 23
Information regarding electronic
recording devices........................... 23At a glance.......................................... 24
Cockpit ................................................. 26
Instrument cluster ................................ 28
Multifunction steering wheel ................ 30
Center console ..................................... 31
Upper part ...................................... 31
Lower part ...................................... 32
Overhead control panel ........................ 33
Control panel on the door sill ............... 34Getting started................................... 36
Unlocking ............................................. 38
Starter switch positions .................. 40
Adjusting .............................................. 41
Seats .............................................. 41
Steering wheel ................................ 42
Mirrors ............................................ 43
Driving .................................................. 45
Fastening the seat belts ................. 45
Starting the engine ......................... 47
Parking brake ................................. 49
Driving off ....................................... 50
Switching on headlamps ................. 51
Turn signals .................................... 51
Windshield wipers ........................... 52
Problems while driving.................... 54
Parking and locking .............................. 55
Parking brake ................................. 55
Switching off headlamps................. 56
Turning off the engine ..................... 56
Releasing seat belts........................ 56
Locking ........................................... 57
Page 11 of 425

Contents
At the gas station............................... 247
Refueling ...................................... 247
Check regularly and before
a long trip .................................... 248
Engine compartment.......................... 250
Hood ............................................ 250
Engine oil...................................... 253
Transmission fluid level ................ 254
Coolant......................................... 255
Trunk ................................................. 256
Batteries....................................... 256
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system ........... 257
Tires and wheels ................................ 258
Important guidelines .................... 258
Tire care and maintenance ........... 259
Direction of rotation ..................... 261
Loading the vehicle ...................... 261
Recommended tire inflation
pressure ....................................... 267
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 268
Tire labeling .................................. 274
Load identification........................ 278
DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) ............................................. 279
Maximum tire load ....................... 280Maximum tire inflation pressure .. 281
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) ............. 281
Tire ply material ........................... 283
Tire and loading terminology ........ 284
Rotating tires ............................... 287
Anti-theft wheel nuts .................... 288
Winter driving .................................... 290
Winter tires* ................................ 290
Snow chains ................................. 291
Maintenance ...................................... 292
Clearing the maintenance
service indicator message............ 292
Maintenance service term
exceeded ..................................... 293
Calling up the maintenance
service due date........................... 293
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator........................... 294
Vehicle care ....................................... 295
Cleaning and care of the vehicle .. 295
Vehicle washing ........................... 296
Practical hints................................. 298
What to do if ... .................................. 300
Lamps in instrument cluster ........ 300
Lamp in center console................ 312
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display.................... 314
Symbol messages ........................ 327
Where will I find ...? ........................... 353
First aid kit ................................... 353
TIREFIT kit, electric air pump,
towing eye bolt and vehicle
literature portfolio ........................ 353
Compact guide (Canada only) ...... 354
Unlocking in an emergency ............... 355
Unlocking the vehicle................... 355
Replacing SmartKey batteries ........... 357
Replacing bulbs ................................. 359
Front lamps.................................. 360
Rear lamps ................................... 360
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 361
Removing wiper blades ................ 361
Installing wiper blades ................. 361
Page 25 of 425
At a glance
Cockpit
Instrument cluster
Multifunction steering wheel
Center console
Overhead control panel
Control panel on the door sill
Page 28 of 425
27 At a glance
Cockpit
ItemPage
1Cruise control lever203
2Steering wheel gearshift
button 177
Steering wheel gearshift
paddles (only Mercedes-Benz
SLR McLaren 722 Edition)177
3Instrument cluster28,
114
4Multifunction steering wheel30,
118
5Overhead control panel33
6Center console31, 32
7Starter switch40
8Horn
ItemPage
9Headlamp washer button182
aSteering wheel adjustment
stalk42
bHood lock release250
cExterior lamp switch51,
106
dCombination switch
Turn signals
Windshield wipers
High beam
51
52
110
Page 32 of 425
31 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper partItemPage
1Central locking switch105
2Hazard warning flasher
on/off switch111
3Central unlocking switch105
4Air temperature controls for
center and side air vents192
5Air volume controls for center
and side air vents193
6Selects the shift program
mode175
ItemPage
7Selects the Airbrake mode89
8Selects the manual shift
program mode179
9Audio system120,
145
aAutomatic climate control186
bEngine start button48
Page 33 of 425
32 At a glance
Center console
Lower partItemPage
1Exterior rear view mirror
adjustment44
2Remote trunk opening switch102
3Tow-away alarm off button94
4ESP® switch85
5Passenger front air bag off
indicator lamp70
6Gear selector lever for
automatic transmission171
7Parking brake49,
55
Page 45 of 425

44 Getting started
Adjusting
Interior rear view mirror
Manually adjust the rear-view mirror.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
rors” (
page 182).
Exterior rear view mirrorsThe buttons are located on the lower part
of the center console.
1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror button
3Adjustment button
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Press button1 for the driver’s side
exterior rear view mirror or button2
for passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror.
Push adjustment button3 up, down,
left, or right according to the desired
setting.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
rors” (
page 182).
!Electrolyte drops coming into contact with
the vehicle paint finish can be completely re-
moved only while in the liquid state and by
applying plenty of water.
Warning!G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
terior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
iAt low ambient temperatures, the exterior
rear view mirrors will be heated automatically.
Page 67 of 425

66 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
The passenger air bag will only be de-
ployed if:
the system, based on the OCS weight
sensor readings, senses that the pas-
senger seat is occupied
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp in the lower part of the center
console is not lit (
page 70)
the impact exceeds a preset
deployment thresholdKnee air bags
1Knee air bag, driver’s side
2Knee air bag, passenger side
The knee air bags are located on the lower
instrument panel. They are designed to op-
erate together with the front air bags in
certain frontal impacts exceeding a preset
threshold. The knee air bags operate best
in conjunction with a properly positioned
and fastened seat belts and when the foot-
well is kept clear of objects.Head-thorax air bags
1Head-thorax air bag
The head-thorax air bags are deployed:
in impacts exceeding a preset deploy-
ment threshold
on the impacted side of the vehicle
independently of the front air bags
The head-thorax air bags are not deployed
in impacts which do not exceed the
system’s deployment threshold.