2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG height

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.

87 Safety and Security
Occupant safety

If you place a child in a forward-facing
child restraint on the passenger seat,
move the seat as far back as possible,
use the proper child restraint recom-
mended for the age, size and weight of
the child, and secure child restraint with
the vehicle’s seat belt according to the
child seat manufacturer’s instructions.
For children larger than the typical
12-month-old child, the passenger front
air bag may or may not be activated
(
page 74).
Warning!G
Infants and small children should never
share a seat belt with another occupant.
During an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.
Warning!G
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts. Posi-
tion the shoulder belt across chest and
shoulder, not face or neck. A booster seat
may be necessary to achieve proper seat
belt positioning for children over 41 lbs until
they reach a height where a lap/shoulder
belt fits properly without a booster.
When the child restraint is not in use,
remove it from the vehicle or secure it with
the seat belt to prevent the child restraint
from becoming a projectile in the event of
an accident.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could
result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

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).

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.

129 Controls in detail
Memory function
Memory function
Prior to operating the vehicle, the driver
should check and adjust the seat height,
seat position fore and aft, and seat back-
rest angle if necessary, to ensure adequate
control, reach and comfort. The head
restraint should also be adjusted for
proper height. See also the section on
air bags (
page 70) for proper seat
positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, operation
and comfort. Both the interior and exterior
rear view mirrors should be adjusted for
adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small
children should be seated in an appropri-
ate infant or child restraint system which is
properly secured by a lap-shoulder belt
and that complies with U.S. Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 225 and
Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
213 and 210.2.With the memory function you can store up
to three different configurations.
Each stored position on the driver’s side
includes the following settings:

Seat position and lumbar support

Multicontour seat*: previously saved
setting

Steering wheel position

Exterior rear view mirrors’ positionEach stored position on the passenger side
includes the following settings:

Seat position and lumbar support

Multicontour seat*: previously saved
setting
The memory switch is located on the door
control panel.
M Memory button
1, 2, 3 Stored positions
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
or
Open the respective door.
Warning!G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.

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.

209 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop

The hardtop drive system was shut
down for safety reasons after multiple,
consecutive attempts to raise or lower
the hardtop. After about 10 minutes
you can open or close the retractable
hardtop.
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Repeat the opening or closing
procedure.
If the retractable hardtop still does
not open, close, or lock properly,
have the retractable hardtop sys-
tem checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

There is a malfunction in the retract-
able hardtop system.
Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.Wind screen
The wind screen deflects drafts away from
the driver and passenger when the retract-
able hardtop is lowered. It is stored in the
trunk.
Installing
Leave the wind screen folded and place
it on the roll bar.1Guide tabs
Slide the wind screen into the roll bar
until guide taps 1 on each side latch
underneath the roll bar.
Make sure the fastening straps do not
get caught.
Adjust the roll bar to a height
(
page 83) that allows you to reach
easily underneath it.
Warning!G
The wind screen can restrict the driver’s vi-
sion to the rear of the vehicle. To prevent a
possible accident when visibility is limited
(e.g. in darkness), the upper part of the wind
screen should be folded back.