2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 seat adjustment

36 At a glance
Door control panel
ItemPage
1Inside door handle113
2Switches for
opening/closing door and
rear side windows201
3Storing seat, mirror and
steering wheel settings
(Memory function)129
4Seat heating switch126
Seat ventilation* switch128
5Seat adjustment switch43
6Remote trunk opening
switch116
Remote trunk
opening/closing* switch116

40 Getting started
Unlocking
Enter the vehicle.
Opening a door causes its window to open
slightly. It will fully close when the door is
shut.
For more information, see “SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*” (
page 108).
Starter switch positions
SmartKey
Starter switch
0For removing SmartKey
1Power supply for some electrical
consumers, such as seat adjustment
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position
All lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instru-
ment cluster come on. If a lamp in the
instrument cluster fails to come on
when the ignition is switched on, have
it checked and replaced if necessary.
If a lamp in the instrument cluster
remains on after starting the engine or
comes on while driving, refer to “Lamps
in the instrument cluster”
(
page 342).
3Starting position
!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.
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 unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iWhen you switch on the ignition, the indica-
tor and warning lamps (except high beam head-
lamp indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instrument cluster
come on. The indicator and warning lamps
(except high beam headlamp indicator lamp and
turn signal indicator lamps if activated) should go
out when the engine is running. This indicates
that the respective systems are operational.


41 Getting started
Unlocking
For more information, see “SmartKey”
(
page 104).
For information on starting the engine
using the SmartKey, see “Starting with the
SmartKey” (
page 53).SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
I f t h e S m a r t K e y w i t h K E Y L E S S - G O i s i n s i d e
the vehicle, pressing the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button on the gear selector
lever corresponds to turning the SmartKey
to the various starter switch positions.
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
1USA only
2Canada only
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
located in the vehicle.
Make sure the gear selector lever is set
toP.
Do not depress the brake pedal.Position 0
Before you press the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button, the vehicle’s on-board
electronics have the status0 (as with
SmartKey removed).
Position 1
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button once.
This supplies power for some electrical
consumers, such as seat adjustment.
iThe SmartKey can only be removed from the
starter switch with the gear selector lever in
position P.
!If the SmartKey cannot be turned in the
starter switch, the starter battery may not be
sufficiently charged.

Check the starter battery and charge it if
necessary (
page 427).

Get a jump start (page 432).
To prevent accelerated battery discharge or a
completely discharged battery, always remove
the SmartKey from the starter switch when the
engine is not in operation.
iIf you now press the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button

once again, the ignition (position2) is
switched on

twice, the power supply is again switched off

43 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
Seats
Warning!G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.Warning!G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause
serious or fatal injuries. The seat backrest
and seat belts provide the best restraint
when the wearer is in a position that is as
upright as possible and seat belts are prop-
erly positioned on the body.
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt (
page 50).
Observe the following points:

Adjust the seat backrest until your arms
are slightly angled when holding the
steering wheel.

Adjust the seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach the
accelerator/brake pedal safely.
The position should be as far back as
possible with the driver still able to oper-
ate the controls properly.

Adjust head restraint so that it is as
close to the head as possible and the
center of the head restraint supports
the back of the head at eye level.

Never place hands under the seat or
near any moving parts while a seat is
being adjusted.
Failure to do so could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

44 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switch is located in
the door.
1Head restraint height
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat cushion depth
5Seat fore and aft adjustment
6Seat backrest tilt
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.
Even with the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the start-
er switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the power seats can be operated when the
respective door is open. Therefore, 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 person-
al injury.
Warning!G
Children 12 years old and under must be
seated and properly secured in an appropri-
ately sized infant restraint, toddler restraint,
or booster seat recommended for the size
and weight of the child For additional infor-
mation, see “Children in the vehicle”
(
page 84).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.

45 Getting started
Adjusting
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
or
Open the respective door.
Seat fore and aft adjustment
Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow 5.
Seat height
Press the switch up or down in
direction of arrow2.Seat cushion tilt
Press the switch up or down in
direction of arrow3 until your upper
legs are lightly supported.
Seat cushion depth
Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow4 until your legs
are supported comfortably.
Seat backrest tilt
Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow6.Head restraint height
Press the switch up or down in
direction of arrow1.
iThe memory function (page 129) lets you
store the settings for the driver’s seat position
together with the settings for the steering wheel
and the exterior rear view mirrors.
!When moving the seats, make sure there
are no items in the footwell or behind the seats;
otherwise you could damage the seats.
Warning!G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that it is as close to
the head as possible and the center of the
head restraint supports the back of the head
at eye level. This will reduce the potential for
injury to the head and neck in the event of
an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.
iWhen moving the seat fore or aft after
adjusting the head restraints, the head restraints
may readjust automatically.

46 Getting started
Adjusting
Head restraint tilt
Manually adjust the angle of the head re-
straint.
Push or pull on the lower edge of the
head restraint cushion.
For more information on seats, see “Seats”
(
page 124).
Steering wheel
Make sure that

you can reach the steering wheel with
your arms slightly bent at the elbows

you can move your legs freely

all displays (including malfunction and
indicator lamps) on the instrument
cluster are clearly visible
Warning!G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
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.
Even with the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the
starter switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the steering wheel adjustment feature can
be operated when the driver’s door is open.
Therefore, 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.
iThe memory function (page 129) lets you
store the settings for the steering wheel together
with the settings for the driver’s seat position
and the exterior rear view mirrors.

49 Getting started
Adjusting
Mirrors
Adjust the interior and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.
Interior rear view mirror
Manually adjust the interior rear view
mirror.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
rors” (
page 185).
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 mir-
ror button
3Adjustment button
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Press button1 or button2 to select
the desired exterior rear view mirror.
Push adjustment button3 up, down,
left, or right according to the desired
setting.For more information, see “Good visibility”
(
page 185).
Warning!G
Exercise care when using the
passenger-side exterior rear view mirror.
The mirror surface is convex (outwardly
curved surface for a wider field of view). Ob-
jects in mirror are closer than they appear.
Check your interior rear view mirror or
glance over your shoulder before changing
lanes.
!If an exterior rear view mirror was forcibly
pushed forward (hit from the rear) or forcibly
pushed rearward (hit from the front), reposition
it by applying firm pressure until it snaps into
place. The mirror housing is then properly posi-
tioned and you can adjust the mirror in the usual
manner.
iAt low ambient temperatures, the exterior
rear view mirrors will be heated automatically.
iThe memory function (page 129) lets you
store the setting for the exterior rear view
mirrors together with the settings for the
steering wheel and the driver’s seat position.