2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL600 ECU

101 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
1Tow-away alarm off button
2Indicator lamp
Switch off the ignition and remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch.
Press button1.
The indicator lamp2 in the switch
comes on briefly.
Exit and lock your vehicle with the
SmartKey or (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*) with the lock button on
a door handle.
The tow-away alarm remains disarmed un-
til you lock the vehicle again.
Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm:
With the SmartKey
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
or
Press theŒor‹button on the
SmartKey.With KEYLESS-GO*
Grasp an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.
or
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 41).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
iYou cannot disarm the tow-away alarm
when the ignition is switched on.

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.

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.

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.

159 Controls in detail
Control system
The table below shows what settings can
be changed within the various menus.
Detailed instructions on making individual
settings can be found on the following
pages.
Instrument clusterTimeLightingVehicleConvenience
(page 160)(page 161)(page 163)(page 166)(page 166)
Selecting speedometer
display modeSynchronizing time with
head unitSetting daytime running
lamp mode (USA only)Setting automatic lockingActivating
easy-entry/exit feature
Selecting standard
displaySetting the time (hour)Setting locator lighting
Selecting languageSetting the time
(minutes)Setting night security
illumination
Setting interior lighting
delayed switch-off

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.

174 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear selector lever positions
The current gear selector lever position
appears in the right multifunction display.
1Current gear selector lever positionEffect
ìPark position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in park
positionP only when vehicle is
stopped. The park position is not
intended to serve as a brake
when the vehicle is parked.
Rather, the driver should always
set the parking brake in addition
to placing the gear selector lever
in park positionP to secure the
vehicle.
The SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
park positionP. With the
SmartKey removed, the gear
selector lever is locked in park
positionP.
Effect
íReverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
ëNeutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engage neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever to neu-
tral positionN only if the vehicle
is in danger of skidding, e.g. on
icy roads.