2009 MERCEDES-BENZ SLR service

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.

63 Safety and Security
Occupant safety


Adjust the passenger seat as far as pos-
sible rearward from the dashboard when
the seat is occupied.


Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door where the
head-thorax air bag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or death should
the air bag be deployed. Always sit as
upright as possible, properly use the
seat belts and an appropriately sized in-
fant, or toddler restraint, or booster seat
recommended for the size and weight of
the child.
Failure to follow these instructions can
result in severe injuries to you or other
occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator’s Manual.
Warning!
G
There is a possibility of a head-thorax air bag
related injury if occupants, especially chil-
dren, are not properly seated or restrained
when next to a head-thorax air bag which
needs to deploy rapidly in a side impact in
order to do its job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door where the
head-thorax air bag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or death should
the head-thorax air bag be deployed.
(2) Always sit as upright as possible, prop-
erly use the seat belts, and for children
12 years old or under, use an appropri-
ately sized infant restraint, toddler re-
straint, or booster seat recommended
for the size and weight of the child.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly.
If you believe that, even with the use of
these guidelines, it would be safer for your
passenger seat occupants to have the pas-
senger head-thorax air bag deactivated,
then deactivation can be accomplished
upon your written request to do so at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center at an
additional cost.
Please contact your local authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call the Customer
Assistance Center (in the USA) at
1-800-FOR-MERCedes (1-800-367-6372) or
Customer Service (in Canada) at
1-800-387-0100 for details.

67 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Head-thorax air bags
1Head-thorax air bag
The head-thorax air bags are deployed:

in side impacts exceeding a preset de-
ployment threshold


on the impacted side of the vehicle


independently of the front air bags
The head-thorax air bags are not deployed
in side impacts which do not exceed the
system’s deployment threshold.
Occupant Classification System
The O
ccupant C
lassification S
ystem (OCS)
automatically turns the passenger front air
bag and passenger-side knee air bag on or
off based on the classified occupant
weight category determined by weight
sensor readings from the passenger seat.
Occupants must sit properly belted in a
position that is as upright as possible with
their back against the seat backrest and
feet on the floor to be correctly classified.
If the occupant’s weight is transferred to
another object in the vehicle (e.g. by
leaning on armrests), the OCS may not be
able to properly approximate the
occupant’s weight category. Both driver and the passenger should
always use the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
indicator lamp (
page 70) as an indica-
tion of whether or not the passenger is
properly positioned.
i
The system does not deactivate the
head-thorax air bag and the emergency tension-
ing device.
i
If the seat needs to be serviced in any way,
take the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Only seat accessories approved by
Mercedes-Benz may be used.

93 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Anti-theft systems
Immobilizer
The immobilizer prevents unauthorized
persons from starting your vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle.
The engine can be started by anyone with
a valid SmartKey that is left inside the ve-
hicle.
Activating
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Deactivating

Switch on the ignition (
page 40).
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


the hood


the storage compartment between the
backrests


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.The alarm system will also be triggered
when


someone attempts to raise the vehicle


someone opens a door from the inside
if the vehicle was locked with the
SmartKey


someone opens the trunk with the
emergency release button
i
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).
i
If 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 215) provided Tele Aid service was sub-
scribed to and properly activated, and that nec-
essary cellular service and GPS coverage are
available.

95 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
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.
The tow-away alarm is automatically
armed after about 30 seconds.Disarming tow-away alarm
To prevent triggering the tow-away alarm,
switch off 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 lower part of
the center console.
1Tow-away alarm off button
2Indicator lamp

Switch off the ignition and remove the
SmartKey.

Press button 1.
Indicator lamp2 in button1 comes
on briefly.

Exit and lock your vehicle with the
SmartKey.
The tow-away alarm remains disarmed
until you lock your vehicle again.
Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm:

Press buttonŒ or‹ on the
SmartKey.
or

Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
i
The tow-away protection alarm is triggered,
for example, if the vehicle is lifted on one side.
If the alarm stays on for more than 30 seconds,
a call to the Response Center is initiated auto-
matically by the Tele Aid system (
page 221)
provided Tele Aid service was subscribed to and
properly activated, and that necessary cellular
service and GPS coverage are available.
i
When you unlock your vehicle, the tow-away
protection disarms automatically. The tow-away
alarm remains disarmed until you lock the
vehicle again.
i
You cannot disarm the tow-away alarm while
the ignition is switched on.

117 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1. The control system
enables you to call up information about
your vehicle and to change vehicle
settings.
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster
display, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
The multifunction display consists of the
display fields in the speedometer and the
tachometer. In its default state, the left
display field shows the outside tempera-
ture and main odometer, while the trip
odometer and the clock appears in the
right display field. This default setting is
referred to as the standard display.Standard display1Main odometer
2Outside temperature or speed
3Current gear selector lever
position/gear range
4Trip odometer
5Automatic transmission shift program
mode
6Clock
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his/her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions
permit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.

121 Controls in detail
Control system
Menus, submenus and functions
Menu1
Menu2
Menu3
Menu4
Menu5
Menu6
Menu7
Standard display
722 S
1
1Only Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster 722 S
AUDIO
Vehicle status
message memory
2
2The Vehicle status message memory menu is only displayed if there is a message stored.
Settings
Trip computer
Telephone
(page 122)
(page 123)
(page 127)
(page 128)
(page 129)
(page 139)
(page 141)
Commands/submenusDigital speedome-
ter/Outside tem-
perature
Engine oil tem-
perature
Selecting
radio station
Calling up vehicle
malfunction, warn-
ing and system sta-
tus messages
stored in memory
Resetting to fac-
tory settings
Fuel consumption
statistics since start
Loading
phone book
Calling up mainte-
nance service
display
Vehicle supply
voltage
Operating the
CD player
Instrument clus-
ter submenu
Fuel consumption
statistics since the
last reset
Searching for
name in
phone book
Checking tire
inflation pressure
RACETIMER
Time submenu
Resetting fuel con-
sumption statistics
Overall analysis
Lighting submenu
Distance to empty
Lap analysis
Vehicle submenu
i
The headings used in the menus table are
designed to facilitate navigation within the sys-
tem and are not necessarily identical to those shown in the control system displays.
The first function displayed in each menu will automatically show you which part of the system
you are in.

122 Controls in detailControl systemStandard display menu
The left multifunction display shows the
outside temperature and main odometer,
while the trip odometer and the clock ap-
pears in the right multifunction display.
This is the standard display.Standard display1Main odometer
2Outside temperature or speed
3Current gear selector lever
position/gear range
4Trip odometer
5Automatic transmission shift program
mode
6Clock

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see the standard display in
the multifunction display.
You can modify the standard display menu.
Instead of outside temperature 2, you
can choose the digital speedometer to be
displayed in the left multifunction display
by changing the setting in the
Select Dis-
play
function of the
Instr. Cluster
sub-
menu (
page 132).

Press buttonk orj to select
the functions in the standard display
menu.
The following functions are available:Calling up digital speedometer or out-
side temperature

Press button k or j until you
see the digital speedometer or, de-
pending on the chosen setting, the out-
side temperature in the right
multifunction display.
Function
Page
Calling up digital speedometer or
outside temperature
122
Calling up maintenance service
display
294
Checking tire inflation pressure
270
i
If you have selected the digital speedometer
for the standard display (
page 132), select the
outside temperature display here.