52 Getting startedDrivingWindshield wipers
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Single wipe
Wiping with windshield washer fluid
2Switching on windshield wipers
Switch on the ignition (
page 40).Switching on windshield wipers
Turn the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow 2 to the desired position,
depending on the intensity of the rain.
0Windshield wipers off
IIntermittent wiping
IINormal wiper speed
IIIFast wiper speed
i
To signal minor directional changes, such as
changing lanes, press combination switch to
point of resistance only and release. The corre-
sponding turn signals will flash three times.
!
Do not operate the windshield wipers when
the windshield is dry. Dust that accumulates on
a windshield might scratch the glass and/or
damage the wiper blades when wiping occurs on
a dry windshield. If it is necessary to operate the
wipers in dry weather conditions, always operate
the windshield wipers with windshield washer
fluid (page 53).
!
If anything blocks the windshield wipers
(leaves, snow, etc.), switch them off
immediately.
For safety reasons, stop the vehicle in a safe
location, remove the SmartKey from starter
switch before attempting to remove any
blockage.
The hood must be opened (
page 250) be-
fore folding the wiper arms away from the
windshield. You could otherwise damage the
hood and/or the wiper arm.
Remove the blockage.
Turn the windshield wipers on again.If windshield wipers fail to function at all in
switch positionI,
set the combination switch to the next
highest wiper speed
have the windshield wipers checked at the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
55 Getting started
Parking and locking
Parking and locking
You have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake
1Parking brake lever
Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
system. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the
vehicle.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury or dam-
age to the vehicle drivetrain as a result of ve-
hicle movement, before turning off the
engine and leaving the vehicle always:
Keep right foot on brake pedal.
Pull the parking brake lever up as many
notches as possible.
Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.
Slowly release brake pedal.
When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove.
Take the SmartKey with you and lock
vehicle when leaving.
Warning!
G
Engaging the parking brake while the vehicle
is in motion can cause the rear wheels to
lock up. You could lose control of the vehicle
and cause an accident. In addition, the
vehicle’s brake lights do not light up when
the parking brake is engaged.
56 Getting startedParking and locking
Pull parking brake lever1 up a s m a ny
notches as possible.
When the engine is running, the
warning lamp; (USA only)
or3(Canada only) in the
instrument cluster comes on.
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch
toM(
page 106).
Turning off the engine
Place the gear selector lever in park
positionP.
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.
The immobilizer is activated.
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button4
(page 46).
Allow the retractor to completely
rewind the seat belt by guiding the
latch plate.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey 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. Children
could release the parking brake and/or
move the gear selector lever from park
positionP, either of which could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever not fully engaged in park
positionP is dangerous. Also, when parked
on an incline, park positionP alone may not
prevent your vehicle from moving, possibly
hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to park positionP (
page 48).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
i
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting automatic transmission to park
positionP.
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
i
The SmartKey can only be removed from the
starter switch with the gear selector lever in park
positionP.
!
M a k e s u r e t h e s e a t b e l t r e t r a c t s f u l l y s o t h a t
the seat belt and/or latch plate cannot get
caught or pinched in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This can damage the seat belt and
impair the effectiveness of the seat belt, and/or
cause damage to the door and/or door trim
panel. Such damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
57 Getting started
Parking and locking
Locking
Exit the vehicle and close all doors.
Opening a door causes the door win-
dows on that side of the vehicle to
open slightly. They will return to the up
position when the door is closed.
Press the lock button‹ on the
SmartKey (
page 38).
With the hood, trunk and all doors
closed, all turn signal lamps flash three
times. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 98).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey 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.
Warning!
G
Only Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster
722 S:
Because of the carbon fiber the footwell
could be slippery when wet. Be careful when
exiting the vehicle with wet shoe soles, you
could slip on it.!
The door windows will not open or close if
the battery is discharged or the door windows
are impeded by ice. In this case open or close
the door with increased caution. Do not attempt
to force the door opened or closed. Doing so
may damage the door seals or the side window.
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the headlamps before opening
the driver’s door.
In addition the message$
Lights Are
Still On
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps.
70 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp is located in lower part of the center
console.
1Passenger front air bag off indicator
lamp
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp1 will be illuminated, except with
the SmartKey removed or in starter switch
position0.
remains out, do not transport a child on
the passenger seat until the system has
been repaired. A child in a rear-facing
child restraint on the passenger seat will
be seriously injured or even killed if the
passenger front air bag and/or the
passenger knee air bag inflate.
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 and the passenger knee air bag
may or may not be activated
(page 68).
i
Deployment of the driver front air bag does
not mean that the passenger front air bag also
should have deployed.
The Occupant Classification System (
page 67)
may have determined:
that the seat was empty or occupied by the
weight up to or less than that of a typical
12-month-old child seated in a standard
child restraint – both instances where the
system suppresses deployment of the
passenger front air bag even though the
impact met the criteria and was of sufficient
severity to deploy the driver front air bag
that the seat was occupied by a small individ-
ual (such as a young teenager or a small
adult) or a child weighing more than the
weight of a typical 12-month-old child in a
standard child restraint – instances where
the system may suppress deployment of the
passenger front air bag even though the
impact met the criteria and was of sufficient
severity to deploy the driver front air bag
71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Self-test Occupant Classification
System
After turning the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position1 or2, the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp located in the
center console illuminates. If an adult oc-
cupant is properly sitting on the passenger
seat and the system senses the occupant
as being an adult, the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF indicator lamp will illuminate and
go out after approximately 6 seconds.
If the seat is not occupied and the system
senses the passenger seat as being empty,
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp will illuminate and not go out.
Warning!
G
If the 1indicator lamp and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator lamp
are lit at the same time, there is a malfunc-
tion in the Occupant Classification System.
The passenger front air bag and the passen-
ger knee air bag will be deactivated in this
case.
Have the system checked as soon as possi-
ble by qualified technicians. Contact an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Only have the seat repaired or replaced by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
In order to ensure proper operation of the
air bag system and OCS:
Do not lift yourself from the seat as this
may cause the OCS to be unable to cor-
rectly approximate the occupant weight
category.
Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.
While seated, an occupant should not
position him/herself in such a way as to
cause the occupant’s weight to be lifted
from the seat bottom as this may result
in the OCS being unable to correctly ap-
proximate the occupant’s weight cate-
gory.
Read and observe all warnings in this
chapter.
74 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Enhanced seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started, the seat belt
telltale< will always illuminate
for 6 seconds to remind you and your
passenger to fasten your seat belts.
If the driver’s seat belt is not fastened
when the engine is started, an additional
warning chime will also sound for a maxi-
mum of 6 seconds or until the driver’s seat
belt is fastened.
If after these 6 seconds, the driver’s or the
passenger’s seat belt (with the passenger
seat occupied) are not fastened with all
doors closed,
the seat belt telltale< remains illu-
minated for as long as either the
driver’s or passenger’s seat belt is not
fastened.
Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a frontal crash, your body would
move too far forward. That would in-
crease the chance of head and neck in-
juries. The belt would also apply too
much force to the ribs or abdomen,
which could severely injure internal
organs such as your liver or spleen.
Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
might cause injuries.
Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the belt is positioned across your
abdomen, it could cause serious person-
al injuries in a crash.
Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another per-
son or other objects.
Seat belts should not be worn twisted.
In a crash, you wouldn’t have the full
width of the seat belt to manage impact
forces. The twisted seat belt against
your body could cause injuries.
Pregnant women should also always use
a lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible
pressure on the abdomen.
Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.
When using a seat belt to secure infant
or toddler restraints or children in
booster seats, always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.
81 Safety and Security
Panic alarm
Panic alarm
1Âbutton
Activating
Press and hold button1 for at least
1 second.
An audible alarm and flashing exterior
lamps will operate briefly.
Deactivating
Press button1 again.
or
Insert the SmartKey in starter switch.
i
USA only:
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interfer-
ence, and
(2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
i
Canada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.