2009 MERCEDES-BENZ SLR lock

39 Getting started
Unlocking

Press unlock buttonΠon the
SmartKey.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
anti-theft alarm system is disarmed.
5Door handle

Press the front part of the door
handle5.
The door swings outwards and
upwards automatically.
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.

Enter the vehicle and insert the
SmartKey in the starter switch.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 98).
i
The electro-hydraulic brake system is
activated.Warning!
G
Always stand to the rear of the door before
opening it, otherwise the opening action
may cause injury. Outside temperature may
affect door opening speed.!
Ensure sufficient side- and overhead
clearance prior to opening the doors, see “Main
dimensions” (
page 391).
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
entering 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.

40 Getting startedUnlockingStarter switch positions
Starter switch0For removing SmartKey
1Power supply for some consumers
2Ignition (power supply for all consum-
ers) and drive position. All lamps (ex-
cept high-beam headlamp indicator
lamp and turn signal indicator lamps
unless activated) in the instrument
cluster come on. If a lamp in the instru-
ment cluster fails to come on when the
ignition is switched on, have it checked
and replaced if necessary. If a lamp in
the instrument cluster remains on after
starting the engine or comes on while
driving, see “Lamps in instrument clus-
ter” (
page 304).
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.
i
When you switch on the ignition, the
indicator and warning lamps (except high-beam
headlamp indicator lamp and turn signal indica-
tor lamps unless activated) in the instrument
cluster come on. The indicator and warning
lamps (except high-beam headlamp indicator
lamp and turn signal indicator lamps if activated)
should go out when the engine is running. This
indicates that the respective systems are
operational.
!
If the SmartKey is left in the starter switch
position0 for an extended period of time, it can
no longer be turned in the starter switch.


Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch and reinsert.
If the SmartKey can still not be turned in the
starter switch, the starter battery may not be
sufficiently charged.


Have the starter battery checked and
charged if necessary (
page 371). Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
To prevent accelerated battery discharge and a
possible dead battery, always remove the Smart-
Key from the starter switch when the engine is
not in operation.

41 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
SeatsWarning!
G
All seat, steering wheel, and rear view mirror
adjustments, as well as fastening of seat
belts, must be done before the vehicle is put
into motion.Warning!
G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide un-
der the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause se-
rious or fatal injuries. The seat back and seat
belts provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and
seat belts are properly positioned on the
body.Warning!
G
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt (
page 45).
Observe the following points:


Adjust the seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach the
accelerator/brake pedal safely. The po-
s i ti on s ho ul d be as fa r t o t he r ea r a s po s -
sible, consistent with ability to properly
operate controls.


Adjust the seat until a comfortable
steering wheel position is reached with
your arms slightly bent at the elbow.


Never place hands under the seat or
near any moving parts while a seat is
being adjusted.
Failure to do so could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the seats can be operated.
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 personal injury.

42 Getting startedAdjustingThe seat adjustment switch is located on
the door sill.
1Seat fore and aft adjustment
2Seat height
3Seat angleSeat fore and aft adjustment

Slide the switch forwards or backwards
in the direction of arrow 1.
Seat height

Slide the switch up or down in the
direction of arrow 2.
Seat angle

Slide the switch up or down in the
direction of arrow 3.
Steering wheel
!
When moving the seat, make sure that there
are no items in the footwell or behind the seat,
otherwise you could damage the seat.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while
driving. Adjusting the steering wheel while
driving could cause the driver to lose control
of the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the steering wheel can be ad-
justed. 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 acci-
dent and/or serious personal injury.

48 Getting startedDrivingGearshift pattern P Park position with gear selector lever
lock
R Reverse gear
N Neutral position
D Drive position
For more information, see “Automatic
transmission” (
page 169).1Cover
2Start button

Make sure the gear selector lever is set
to park positionP.

Do not depress the accelerator.

Switch on the ignition (
page 40).

Lift up cover1.

Press start button2 once.
The engine starts.

Close cover1.For information on turning off the engine,
see “Turning off the engine” (
page 56).
Warning!
G
Make sure the cover of the start button is
closed after starting the engine. Otherwise
you could be injured on the open cover in an
accident or during driving maneuvers.

49 Getting started
Driving
Starting difficulties
If the engine does not start as described,
carry out the following steps:
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and repeat starting
procedure (
page 48).

Remember that extended starting
attempts can drain the battery.
If the engine does not start after several
starting attempts, there could be a
malfunction in the engine electronics or in
the fuel supply system.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center or call Roadside Assistance.
Parking brake
1Release button
2Parking brake lever

Pull lever2 upwards slightly, press
release button1 and move the lever
down to the stop.
The warning lamp; (USA only)
or3 (Canada only) in the
instrument cluster goes out.
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, which
could result in an accident and/or personal
serious injury.

50 Getting startedDrivingDriving off
Depress the brake pedal.
The gear selector lever lock is released.

Place the gear selector lever in drive
positionD or reverse gearR.

Release the brake pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.After a cold start, the transmission engag-
es at a higher revolution. This allows the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature earlier.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector le-
ver out of park positionP or neutral
positionN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or in reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the en-
gine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.!
In order to avoid damage to the
transmission:


Wait for the gear selection process to com-
plete before setting the vehicle in motion.


Place the gear selector lever in reverse
gearR or park positionP only when the vehi-
cle is stopped.
!
If you hear a warning signal and the mes-
sage Release Parking Brake
appears in the multifunction display when driving
off, you have forgotten to release the parking
brake.
Release the parking brake (
page 49).
!
Do not run cold engine at high engine speed.
Running a cold engine at high engine speed may
shorten the service life of the engine.
!
Simultaneously depressing the accelerator
pedal and applying the brakes reduces engine
performance and causes premature brake and
drivetrain wear.
i
Once the vehicle is in motion, the automatic
central locking system engages.
You can deactivate the automatic locking using
the control system (
page 139).
You can open a locked door from the inside.
Open door only when conditions are safe to do
so.

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