2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 retractable hard top

114 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
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.!A side window will not work if it is blocked
with ice or if the battery needs charging. If you
cannot shut a door, do not force it or you could
damage the door or the side window.
Fix whatever is affecting the window before
trying to shut the door.
iIf you hear a warning signal, you have forgot-
ten to switch off the low beam headlamps or the
parking lamps before opening the driver’s door.
In addition, the message
Lights Are Still
On
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the low beam headlamps or the park-
ing lamps.
If the message
Switch off lights or
remove key.
appears in the multifunction
display, remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch or switch off the automatic headlamp
mode.
!Failure to switch off the exterior lamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.
iIf 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 41).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* must be
inside the vehicle.
Warning!G
Make sure the trunk is closed when the
engine is running and while driving.
Among other dangers, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle
interior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
iIf the trunk lid does not open, the trunk lid is
still locked separately (
page 120).

115 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the trunk from the outside
1Trunk lid handle
Vehicles without trunk opening/closing
system*
Press button Š on the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*.
or
Pull on handle1.
In vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*: The
vehicle must be unlocked.
Lift the trunk lid.Vehicles with trunk opening/closing
system*
Press and hold button Š on the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* until trunk unlocks and
begins to open.
or
Pull on handle1.
Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*: The
vehicle must be unlocked.
iTo facilitate trunk loading and unloading
when the hardtop is retracted, you can raise the
hardtop from its storage position in the trunk
using the load assist feature (
page 245). 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.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards automat-
ically. Always make sure that there is sufficient
overhead clearance.
!To stop the opening procedure, press
buttonŠ on the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* or pull the trunk lid handle.

187 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Glare through a door window
Swing respective sun visor down.
Disengage the sun visor from
mounting1.
Pivot the sun visor to the side.
Vanity mirror
Swing respective sun visor down.
Flip up vanity mirror cover2 to access
the vanity mirror.
Vanity mirror lamp 3 comes on.
After using the vanity mirror, flip down
vanity mirror cover 2.
Swing the sun visor up.
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated af-
ter approximately 6 to 17 minutes of oper-
ation depending on the outside
temperature.
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Activating
Press button F on the automatic cli-
mate control panel (
page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating
Press button F (page 190) once
more.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
iWhen the sun visor is disengaged from
mounting1, vanity mirror lamp3 switches
off.
!To avoid damage to vanity mirror cover 2,
make sure it is closed before pivoting the sun
visor to the side.
Warning!G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.
!The rear window defroster cannot be
switched on when the retractable hardtop is
open. The indicator lamp will start flashing if the
hardtop is open.

Close the retractable hardtop.
The rear window defroster can then be switched
on.
!If the rear window defroster switches off too
soon and the indicator lamp starts flashing, too
many electrical consumers are operating simul-
taneously and there is insufficient voltage in the
battery. The system responds automatically by
switching the rear window defroster off.
As soon as the battery has sufficient voltage, the
rear window defroster automatically switches
back on automatically.

191 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the A/Cmode is deactivated
(
page 198).Deactivating the automatic climate
control system
Deactivating
Press button ´ (page 190).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Warning!G
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before
its scheduled replacement interval.
A clogged filter will reduce the air volume to
the interior and the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others. Have a clogged filter replaced as
soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate the in-
terior before driving off. The automatic climate
control will then adjust the interior temperature
to the set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the wind-
shield free of snow and debris.
When the retractable hardtop is closed, do not
obstruct air flow by placing objects on the air
flow-through exhaust slots below the rear win-
dow.Warning!G
When the automatic climate control system
is switched off, the outside air supply and
circulation are also switched off. Only
choose this setting for a short time when the
retractable hardtop is closed. Otherwise the
windows could fog up, impairing visibility
and endangering you and others.

195 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Adjusting air volume
Use air volume control9 (
page 190) for
both automatic (
page 192) and manual
air volume adjustment. Nine blower
speeds are available.
Press control button9 (page 190).
The control button sticks up slightly.
The U symbol on the control button
goes out. Automatic air volume control
is switched off. The air volume is ad-
justed corresponding to the set blower
speed.
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set to U and there is a high need for
cooling, MAXCOOL is activated.
“MAX COOL” appears on the temperature
controls 6 and b (
page 190).
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when retractable
hardtop is closed).
Automatic climate control panel with
MAXCOOL activated
Front defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, for example if it is iced up.
You can also defog the windshield and the
side windows.
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield or the side windows are clear again.

204 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
Opening and closing the retractable
hardtop
For safety reasons, the retractable hardtop
can only be opened and closed when the
vehicle is standing still.
Warning!G
To prevent possible accidents, only drive the
vehicle with the retractable hardtop either
completely closed and locked, or fully low-
ered into its storage compartment.
If the retractable hardtop does not com-
pletely open or close, the roof hydraulics will
lose pressure and the retractable hardtop is
lowered

after approximately 7 minutes when the
ignition is switched on

after approximately 15 seconds when
the ignition is switched off
Shortly before the retractable hardtop is
lowered, a warning will sound and in the left
multifunction display you will see K, in
the right multifunction display you will see
the message
Retractable Roof
Lowering
.
Lock the retractable hardtop again before
driving any further (
page 207). Otherwise,
the unlocked hardtop could open while the
vehicle is in motion and cause you to lose
control of the vehicle. You or others could
be injured as a result.
Warning!G
Before operating the retractable hardtop,
make sure there is no danger of anyone
being injured by the moving parts (retract-
able roof, roof frame, and trunk lid) due to in-
attention.
Hands must never be placed near the roof
frame, upper windshield area, hardtop, shelf
behind roll bars, or trunk lid while the re-
tractable hardtop is being raised or lowered.
Serious personal injury may occur.
If potential danger exists, release the re-
tractable hardtop switch. This immediately
interrupts the raising or lowering procedure.
You then can operate the retractable
hardtop switch or press
buttonŒor‹on the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* to raise or
lower the retractable hardtop away from the
danger zone.

205 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
Opening/closing with retractable
hardtop switch
Warning!G
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
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised
access to a vehicle could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
!Never sit or place heavy objects on the
rear shelf. Doing so could cause damage to the
retractable hardtop and the rear shelf.
!Please keep in mind that weather conditions
can sometimes change rapidly. Make sure to
close the retractable hardtop when leaving the
vehicle. If water enters the vehicle interior,
vehicle electronics could be damaged which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
!When opening and closing the retractable
roof, make sure

there is sufficient clearance for the retract-
able hardtop to move up and for the trunk lid
to move back

the luggage cover is installed, extended and
closed

the trunk is loaded only to the height of the
luggage cover

luggage/cargo does not push up the closed
luggage cover

the trunk lid is closed

the outside temperature is above +5°F
(–15°C)

the roof is dry and clean when opening
Otherwise the retractable hardtop and trunk
as well as other parts of the vehicle could be
damaged.
Warning!G
Before operating the retractable hardtop,
make sure there is no danger of anyone
being injured by the moving parts (retract-
able roof, roof frame, and trunk lid) due to in-
attention.
Hands must never be placed near the roof
frame, upper windshield area, hardtop, shelf
behind roll bars, or trunk lid while the re-
tractable hardtop is being raised or lowered.
Serious personal injury may occur.
If potential danger exists, release retract-
able hardtop switch immediately. This im-
mediately interrupts the raising or lowering
procedure.

206 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
The retractable hardtop switch is located
on the lower part of the center console.
Retractable hardtop switch
1Opening
2Closing
Engage the parking brake (page 55).
Close the luggage cover, see “Luggage
cover” (
page 210).
Close the trunk lid.
Switch on the ignition (page 40).Opening
Pull up on the retractable hardtop
switch as indicated by arrow 1 until
the retractable hardtop is completely
lowered into its trunk storage compart-
ment.
The multifunction display will briefly
show the message K
Retractable
Roof In Operation
.
Closing
Press down on the retractable hardtop
switch as indicated by arrow 2 until
the retractable hardtop is completely
closed and locked.
The multifunction display will briefly
show the message K
Retractable
Roof In Operation
.Opening/closing with the SmartKey
iMake sure the retractable hardtop is dry be-
fore you open it. Otherwise water may enter the
trunk interior.
Warning!G
Before operating the retractable hardtop,
make sure there is no danger of anyone
being injured by the moving parts (retract-
able roof, roof frame, and trunk lid) due to in-
attention.
Hands must never be placed near the roof
frame, upper windshield area, hardtop, shelf
behind roll bars, or trunk lid while the re-
tractable hardtop is being raised or lowered.
Serious personal injury may occur.
If potential danger exists, release the
respective button on the SmartKey. This
immediately interrupts the raising or lower-
ing procedure. You then can press
buttonŒ or ‹to raise or lower the
hardtop away from the danger zone.