2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 seat adjustment

52 Getting started
Driving
Proper use of seat belts

Do not twist the seat belt when fasten-
ing.

Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the seat belt under
your arm.

Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.

Place the seat backrest in a position
that is as upright as possible.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.

Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant restraints, toddler restraints or
children in booster seats, always follow
the child seat manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.

Check your seat belt during travel to
make sure that it is properly
positioned.

Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.
Warning!G
Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not allow the seat belt to get caught in
the door or in the seat adjustment
mechanism. This could damage the
seat belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the seat belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash, they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Damaged seat belts or seat belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

70 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Air bags
Warning!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).
However, no system available today can
completely 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 50).
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 position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.

Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper
operation of vehicle controls. The dis-
tance from the center of the driver’s
breastbone 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
combination of adjustments to the seat
and steering wheel. If you have any
problems, please contact 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 the steer-
ing wheel rim. Placing hands and arms
inside 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.

124 Controls in detail
Seats
For more information on seat adjustment,
see “Seat adjustment” (
page 44).
Moving the seats forward and
backward
You can move the seats forward and back
to facilitate loading and unloading.The switch is located on the top side of the
seat.
1Seat forward
2Seat backward
Moving the seat forward
Press switch at1 and release.
The seat moves forward automatically.
Moving the seat backward
Press switch at2 and release.
The seat moves backwards to its previ-
ous position automatically.
Lumbar support
You can adjust the contour of the seat’s
lumbar support to help enhance support to
your spine.
1Thumbwheel
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Set the lumbar support
between 0 and 5.
Warning!G
When moving the seats, be sure that no one
can be caught by them. Never place hands
under seat or near any moving parts during
a seat adjustment procedure. To stop the
seat from moving when potential danger
exists:

Press the switch once more.

Move the seat adjustment switch on the
door (
page 43).
!When moving the seats, make sure that
there are no items in the footwell or behind the
seats. Otherwise you could damage the seats.

125 Controls in detail
Seats
Multicontour backrest*
The multicontour backrest has inflatable
air cushions built into the seat backrest
to provide additional lumbar and side
support.
The seat backrest cushion height and
curvature can be continuously varied with
switches on the lower left side (driver’s
seat) or the lower right side (passenger
side) of the seat when the ignition is
switched on.
1Lumbar region support
2Shoulder region support
3Side bolsters adjustment
4Massage function (PULSE)Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Shoulder region support
Press æ or ç on switch2.
The air cushion inflates or deflates.
Lumbar region support
Press k or j on rocker
switch1.
This selects the air cushion you wish to
adjust.
Press æ or ç on rocker
switch1.
The air cushion inflates or deflates.
Side bolsters adjustment
Press switch3 to the right or left.
The lateral support increases or de-
creases.Massage function (PULSE)
You can reduce muscle tension during long
trips by periodically using the massage
function.
Press button4.
The indicator lamp on button4 comes
on. The air cushions in the lumbar
region inflate and deflate rhythmically.
iThe massage function switches off automat-
ically after approximately 8 minutes. The indica-
tor lamp goes out.

481 Index
Selective (SmartKey) 107
Speedometer display mode 160
Time 161
Units in speedometer 160
Shift program mode, Automatic
transmission 177
Shifting, Automatic transmission 172
Shoulder support
Seat adjustment 125
Side marker lamps 410
Cleaning lenses 336
Side windows
Automatic closing 203
Automatic opening 202
Closing 201, 202
Closing fully 203
Closing with KEYLESS-GO* 203
Express-close 203
Express-open 202
Opening 201, 202
Opening fully 202
Stopping 203
Synchronizing power windows 203Sidewall 324
SmartKey see Key, SmartKey
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* see
Key, SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Snow chains 329
Spare tire see Spare wheel 417
Spare wheel 400, 401, 417, 453
Collapsible tire 422, 453
Inflating collapsible tire 422
Tire inflation pressure 422
Speed settings
Cruise control 217
Distronic* 224
Speedometer 27
Setting units 160
Sporty driving style 233
SRS
Indicator lamp 354
Messages in the multifunction
display 373
Standing lamps 131, 410
Standing water
Driving instructions 275Starter battery 290, 427
Starter switch 25, 40
Starter switch positions 40
Starting difficulties 54
Starting position 40
Starting the engine
With the SmartKey 53
With the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* 54
Steering column
Up/down adjustment 47
Steering wheel
Adjusting 46
Buttons 30
Cleaning 339
Height adjustment 47
Steering wheel adjustment stalk 25
Steering wheel gearshift control one-touch
gearshifting*
Automatic transmission 180
Stopping
Windows 203