2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL600 headlamp

134 Controls in detail
Lighting
USA only:
When the engine is running and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to position
Cor B, the manual headlamp mode
has priority over the daytime running lamp
mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (
page 131).Locator lighting and night security
illumination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the control system
section, see “Setting locator lighting”
(
page 164) and “Setting night security il-
lumination” (
page 164).Fog lamps
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the exterior lamp switch in
positionM, you cannot switch on the high
beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving you should turn the exterior
lamp switch to position B or U to permit
activation of the high beam headlamps.
Warning!G
In low ambient lighting or foggy conditions,
only switch from position U to B with
the vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from U to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps on. Fog
lamps should only be used in conjunction with
low beam headlamps. Consult your State or
Province Motor Vehicle Regulations regarding
permissible lamp operation.
iThe fog lamps cannot be switched on with
the exterior lamp switch in position U. To
switch on the fog lamps, turn the exterior lamp
switch to position B first.

136 Controls in detail
Lighting
High beam
Canada only: Turn the exterior lamp
switch to position B (
page 131).
or
USA only: Turn the exterior lamp switch
to positionB or U (
page 131).
Push the combination switch in
direction of arrow1 to switch on the
high beam.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lamp A in the instrument cluster
comes on.
Pull the combination switch in direction
of arrow 2 to its original position to
switch off the high beam.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lamp A in the instrument cluster
goes out.
High beam flasher
Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow2.
Corner-illuminating front fog lamps*
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps
improve illumination of the area in the
direction into which you are turning.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
operate with the engine running and with

the exterior lamp switch in
positionB (
page 131)
or

the exterior lamp switch in
positionU (
page 131)
or

the daytime running lamp mode
activated (
page 133)Driving forward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Switch on the left or right turn signal
(
page 57), depending on whether
you are turning left or right.
The respective front fog lamp comes
on and illuminates the area in the
direction into which into which you
are turning.
or
Turn the steering wheel in the desired
direction.
The front fog lamp on the side of your
steering direction comes on.
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
only come on in low ambient lighting conditions.
iIf you are driving faster than
25 mph (40 km/h) or have the front fog lamps
switched on, the corner-illuminating function is
not available.
iIf you have switched on the turn signal for
one side but turn the steering wheel in the
opposite direction, the corner-illuminating lamp
comes on for the side indicated by the turn
signal.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamp remains lit
for a maximum of 3 minutes. Afterwards, it goes
out even if the turn signal is still switched on.

158 Controls in detail
Control system
Resetting all settings
You can reset the functions of most of the
submenus to the factory settings.
For safety, the
Light Circuit Headlamp
Mode
submenu in the Lighting menu can
be reset with the vehicle at standstill only.
Press button è or ÿ repeatedly
until the
Settings menu appears in the
multifunction display.
Press the reset button in the instru-
ment cluster for approximately
3 seconds.
In the right multifunction display you
will see the request to press the reset
button again to confirm.
Press the reset button again.
The functions of most submenus will
reset to factory settings.
Submenus in the Settings menu
Press button è or ÿ repeatedly
until the
Settings menu appears in the
multifunction display.
Press button j.
In the right multifunction display you
see the collection of submenus. There
are more submenus than can be simul-
taneously displayed.
Press button ç.
The selection marker moves to the next
submenu.
Scroll down with the ç button,
scroll up with the æ button.
With the selection marker on the de-
sired submenu, use the j button to
access the individual functions within
that submenu.
Once within the submenu, use
thej button to move to the next
function or the k button to move to
the previous function within that sub-
menu.
Use buttons æ or ç to change
the settings of the respective function.
iThe settings you have changed will not be
reset unless you confirm the action by pressing
the reset button a second time.

163 Controls in detail
Control system
Lighting submenu
Access the
Lighting submenu via the
Settings menu. Use the Lighting sub-
menu to change the lamp and lighting set-
tings on your vehicle. The following
functions are available:Setting daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ or ç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press button j or k repeatedly
until the message
Light Circuit
Headlamp Mode
appears in the multi-
function display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press button æ or ç to select
manual operation (
Manual) or daytime
running lamp mode (
Constant).With daytime running lamp mode activated
and the exterior lamp switch in
positionM or U the low beam head-
lamps are switched on when the engine is
running.
In low ambient light conditions the follow-
ing lamps will switch on additionally:

Parking lamps

Tail lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
For more information on the daytime run-
ning lamp mode, see “Lighting”
(
page 131).
FunctionPage
Setting daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)163
Setting locator lighting164
Setting night security illumina-
tion164
Setting interior lighting delayed
switch-off 165
iThis function is not available in countries
where the daytime running lamp mode is manda-
tory and therefore in a constant mode.
iFor safety reasons, resetting to factory
settings (
page 158) while driving will not
deactivate the daytime running lamp mode.
The following message appears in the multifunc-
tion display:
Cannot be fully reset to
factory settings while driving.

164 Controls in detail
Control system
Setting locator lighting
With the locator lighting feature activated
and the exterior lamp switch in
positionU, the following lamps will
switch on during darkness when the
vehicle is unlocked using button Πon
the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*:

Parking lamps

Tail lamps

License plate lamps

Front fog lamps

Side marker lamps
The locator lighting switches off when the
driver’s door is opened.
If you do not open a door after unlocking
the vehicle with the SmartKey, the lamps
will switch off automatically after approxi-
mately 40 seconds.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ or ç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press button j or k repeatedly
until the message
Locator Lighting
appears in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press button æ or ç to switch
the locator lighting feature
On or Off.
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
position U when exiting the vehicle.
The locator lighting feature is
activated.Setting night security illumination
(Headlamps delayed switch-off feature)
Use this function to set whether you would
like the exterior lamps to remain on for
15 seconds during darkness after exiting
the vehicle and closing the doors.
With the headlamps delayed switch-off
feature activated and the exterior lamp
switch in position U before the engine
is turned off, the following lamps will
switch on when the engine is turned off:

Parking lamps

Tail lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps

Front fog lamps
If after turning off the engine you do not
open a door or do not close an opened
door, the lamps will switch off auto-
matically after 60 seconds.

165 Controls in detail
Control system
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ or ç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press button j or k repeatedly
until the message
Headlamps Delayed
Switch-off
appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press button æ or ç to switch
the headlamps delayed switch-off
feature
On or Off.
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
position U before turning off the
engine.
The headlamps delayed switch-off
feature is activated.You can temporarily deactivate the
headlamps delayed switch-off feature:
Before exiting the vehicle turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position0.
Then turn it to position2 and back to
position0.
The headlamps delayed switch-off
feature is deactivated. It will reactivate
as soon as you reinsert the SmartKey in
the starter switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button on the gear selector lever
(
page 41).
Setting interior lighting delayed
switch-off
Use this function to set whether you would
like the interior lighting to remain on for
10 seconds during darkness after you have
removed the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ or ç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press button j or k repeatedly
until the message
Interior Lighting
Delayed Switch-off
appears in the
multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press button æ or ç to switch
the interior lighting delayed switch-off
feature
On or Off.

185 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
For information on windshield wipers, see
“Windshield wipers” (
page 58).
Headlamp cleaning system
The headlamp cleaning button is located
on the left side of the dashboard.
1Headlamp cleaning button
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system”
(
page 289).
Rear view mirrors
For information on setting the rear view
mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 49).
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when

the ignition is switched on
and

incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view mir-
ror.
The interior rear view mirror will not react if

reverse gear is engaged

the interior lighting is switched on
iThe headlamps will automatically be
cleaned when you have

switched on the headlamps
and

operated the windshield wipers with wind-
shield washer fluid fifteen times
When you switch off the ignition, the counter
resets.

280 Operation
At the gas station
Insert fuel cap 2 into fuel filler neck
and turn fuel cap clockwise until it au-
dibly engages.
Close fuel filler flap 1.
You should hear the latch close shut.
Check regularly and before a long trip
For information on quantities and require-
ments of operating agents, see “Fuels,
coolants, lubricants, etc.” (
page 457).
Open the hood (page 282).
1Windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning system
2Brake fluid
3Coolant level
Warning!G
Overfilling of the fuel tank may create pres-
sure in the system which could cause a gas
discharge. This could cause the gas to spray
back out when removing the fuel pump noz-
zle, which could cause personal injury.
iOnly use premium unleaded gasoline with a
minimum Posted Octane Rating of 91 (average of
96 RON/86 MON).
Information on gasoline quality can normally be
found on the fuel pump. Please contact gas
station personal in case labels on the pump
cannot be found.
For more information on gasoline, see “Premium
unleaded gasoline” (
page 461), refer to the
Factory Approved Service Products pamphlet
(USA only), or contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz-Center.
iLeaving the engine running and the fuel cap
open can cause the engine malfunction indicator
lamp ú (USA only) or the engine malfunction
indicator lamp ± (Canada only) to illuminate.
For more information, see the “Practical hints”
section (
page 346).