2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL65AMG door lock

85 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Infant and child restraint systems
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
The passenger lap-shoulder belt has a
special seat belt retractor for secure fas-
tening of child restraints.
To fasten a child restraint follow child re-
straint instructions for mounting. Then pull
the shoulder belt out completely and let it
retract. During seat belt retraction, a ratch-
eting sound can be heard to indicate that
the special seat belt retractor is activated.
The seat belt is now locked. Push down on
child restraint to take up any slack.
To deactivate, release seat belt buckle
and let seat belt retract completely. The
seat belt can again be used in the usual
manner.The use of infant or child restraints is re-
quired by law in all 50 states, the District of
Columbia, the U.S. territories, and all
Canadian provinces.
Infants and small children should be
seated in an appropriate 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.
A statement by the child restraint manu-
facturer of compliance with this standard
can be found on the instruction label on
the restraint and in the instruction manual
provided with the restraint.Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system’s
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and the child could be burned on these
parts.
If children open a door, they could

injure other persons

get out of the car and injure themselves
or be injured by following traffic
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment unless they are
firmly secured in place.
For more information, please refer to the
“Useful features” section (
page 238)
through (
page 243).
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child’s risk of injury in the event
of

strong braking maneuvers

sudden changes of direction

an accident
Warning!G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.

95 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
The electro-hydraulic brake system is auto-
matically activated when you

unlock the vehicle with the SmartKey
or with KEYLESS-GO*

open the driver’s or passenger door

turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1

in vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*, press
the start/stop button on the gear se-
lector lever once

depress the brake pedal

release the parking brake
Warning!G
The electro-hydraulic brake system requires
electrical power to operate.
A malfunction in the vehicle’s power supply
or electrical system may impair brake sys-
tem operation and switch it into its emer-
gency operation mode. In such a case, the
red brake warning lamp (
page 345)
comes on and warning messages
(
page 377) appear in the multifunction
display while driving. To brake, the driver
must then apply significantly greater brake
pedal pressure and depress the pedal much
further to obtain the expected braking ef-
fect. If necessary, apply full pressure to the
brake pedal. Brakes are only applied to the
front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased!
If there is a malfunction in the
electro-hydraulic brake system, we recom-
mend that the vehicle be transported with
all wheels off the ground using flatbed or ap-
propriate wheel lift/dolly equipment.
A tow bar must be used if circumstances do
not permit the use of the recommended
towing methods and the vehicle requires
towing with all four wheels on the ground.
Towing the vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is only permissible for distances
up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a speed not to
exceed 30 mph (50 km/h). For more infor-
mation, see “Towing the vehicle”
(
page 434).

96 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
The electro-hydraulic brake system
switches off automatically

approximately 2 minutes after you
turned the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 or removed the
SmartKey

approximately 2 minutes after you
pressed the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button to turn off the engine or power
supply and opened the driver’s door
(with driver’s door open, the starter
switch is set to position 0, same as
SmartKey removed from starter
switch)

approximately 20 seconds after you
locked the vehicle from outside
iIf the electro-hydraulic brake system is acti-
vated as the brake pedal is first depressed, you
may feel a reduced pedal resistance and longer
pedal travel than normal. When releasing the
pedal, you may also feel the brake pedal pulsate
and you may hear a sound which is caused by the
activation of the electro-hydraulic brake system
pump. This is normal and not an indication of a
malfunction. Pedal travel returns to normal when
you release the brake pedal and the sound soon
ceases.
If you experience the above while driving and the
red brake warning lamp (
page 345) illumi-
nates and/or warning messages appear in the
multifunction display (
page 377), the brake
system is malfunctioning. Follow the instructions
of the warning message(s) and have the brake
system checked immediately.
Warning!G
Have brake pad replacement and other work
on the electro-hydraulic brake system
carried out by qualified technicians only.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center for further information.
The electro-hydraulic brake system must be
deactivated prior to working on the system.
High pressure is intermittently built up in the
system as part of its automatic self-test.
In addition, the system is automatically acti-
vated when the vehicle is unlocked by re-
mote control, when the driver or passenger
door is opened, when the SmartKey in the
starter switch is turned to position1 or the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button is pressed
once, when the brake pedal is depressed or
when the parking brake is released. Failure
to deactivate the system prior to mainte-
nance will cause brake pistons to extend
and brake fluid to leak, which may result in
injuries (contusions and acid burns). Extend-
ed brake pistons may also cause injury.

98 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
with you and lock the vehicle. The engine
can be started by anyone with a valid
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
that is left inside the vehicle.
Activating
With the SmartKey
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
With KEYLESS-GO*
Press the start/stop button on the gear
selector lever once.
The engine is turned off.
Open the driver’s door.Deactivating
With the SmartKey
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position2 (
page 40).
With KEYLESS-GO*
Switch on the ignition (page 41).
Anti-theft alarm system
Once the alarm system has been armed, a
visual and audible alarm is triggered when
someone opens

a door

the trunk lid

the hood

a storage compartment in the rear

the glove box

the storage compartment under the
armrest
The alarm will stay on, even if the activat-
ing element (a door, for example) is imme-
diately closed.
iStarting the engine will also deactivate the
immobilizer.
In case the engine cannot be started (yet the
vehicle’s battery is charged), the system is not
operational. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (in the USA), or
1-800-387-0100 (in Canada).

99 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
The alarm system will also be triggered
when

someone attempts to raise the vehicle

unlocking and opening the driver’s
door, the trunk, or the glove box with
the mechanical key

someone opens a door from the inside

someone opens the trunk lid with the
emergency release buttonArming the alarm system
The alarm system indicator lamp is located
in the locking switch in the upper part of
the center console.
1Alarm system indicator lamp
Lock the vehicle with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash three times
and an acoustic warning sounds three
times to indicate that the alarm system
is armed.
Alarm system indicator lamp 1 starts
flashing.Disarming the alarm system
Unlock the vehicle with the SmartKey
or KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash once and an
acoustic warning sounds once to
indicate that the alarm system is
disarmed.
Alarm system indicator lamp 1 goes
out.
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response Center is ini-
tiated automatically by the Tele Aid system
(
page 252) provided Tele Aid service was sub-
scribed to and properly activated, and that nec-
essary cellular service and GPS coverage are
available.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not flash three
times and no acoustic warning sounds three
times, a door or the trunk lid may not be properly
closed.
Close the respective element and lock the
vehicle again.
iThe alarm system will rearm automatically
again after approximately 40 seconds if no door
was opened.

100 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
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 but-
ton (
page 41).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
Tow-away alarm
Once the tow-away alarm is armed, a visual
and audible alarm will be triggered when
someone attempts to raise the vehicle. Arming tow-away alarm
Lock your vehicle with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO*
The tow-away alarm is automatically
armed after about 30 seconds.
Disarming tow-away alarm
To prevent triggering the tow-away alarm,
disable the tow-away alarm feature before
towing the vehicle, or when parking on a
surface subject to movement, such as a
ferry or auto train.
The button is located on the center
console between the driver’s seat and the
passenger seat.
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response Center is
initiated automatically by the Tele Aid system
(
page 252) provided Tele Aid service was
subscribed to and properly activated, and that
necessary cellular service and GPS coverage are
available.
iWhen you unlock your vehicle, the tow-away
protection disarms automatically. The tow-away
alarm remains disarmed until you lock the
vehicle again.

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.

104 Controls in detail
In the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed on your vehi-
cle. If you are already familiar with the
basic functions of your vehicle, this section
will be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the ba-
sic functions of the vehicle, refer to the
“Getting started” section of this manual.
The corresponding page numbers are giv-
en at the beginning of each segment.
For more information on locking and un-
locking, see the “Getting started” section
(
page 38).
Locking and unlocking
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys, each with remote control and
a removable mechanical key.
The SmartKey provides an extended oper-
ating range. To prevent theft, however, it is
advisable to only unlock the vehicle when
you are in close proximity to it.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks:

the doors

the trunk lid

the glove box

the storage compartment under the
armrest

the storage compartment in the rear

the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with remote control
1‹Lock button
2Š Opening button for trunk
(
page 114)
3Mechanical key locking tab
4ΠUnlock button
5Battery check lamp
6Â Panic button (
page 88)