2009 MERCEDES-BENZ SLR instrument panel

Contents
Introduction....................................... 12
Product information ............................. 13
Operator’s Manual ............................... 14
Service and warranty information .. 14
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 15
Maintenance .................................. 16
Roadside Assistance ...................... 16
Change of address or ownership.... 16
Operating your vehicle outside the USA
or Canada ...................................... 17
Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
compliance .................................... 17
Where to find it .................................... 18
Symbols ............................................... 19
Operating safety .................................. 20
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 20
Problems with your vehicle .................. 21
Reporting safety defects...................... 22
Reporting safety defects ................ 22
Vehicle data recording......................... 23
Information regarding electronic
recording devices........................... 23
At a glance.......................................... 24
Cockpit ................................................. 26
Instrument cluster ................................ 28
Multifunction steering wheel ................ 30
Center console ..................................... 31
Upper part ...................................... 31
Lower part ...................................... 32
Overhead control panel ........................ 33
Control panel on the door sill ............... 34Getting started................................... 36
Unlocking ............................................. 38
Starter switch positions .................. 40
Adjusting .............................................. 41
Seats............................................... 41
Steering wheel ................................ 42
Mirrors ............................................ 43
Driving .................................................. 45
Fastening the seat belts.................. 45
Starting the engine ......................... 47
Parking brake.................................. 49
Driving off ....................................... 50
Switching on headlamps ................. 51
Turn signals .................................... 51Windshield wipers ........................... 52
Problems while driving.................... 54
Parking and locking .............................. 55
Parking brake ................................. 55
Switching off headlamps................. 56
Turning off the engine ..................... 56
Releasing seat belts........................ 56
Locking ........................................... 57
Safety and Security........................... 58
Occupant safety ................................... 60
Air bags .......................................... 62
Occupant Classification System ..... 67
Seat belts ....................................... 72
Children in the vehicle .................... 76
Panic alarm .......................................... 81
Activating........................................ 81
Deactivating.................................... 81
Driving safety systems ......................... 82
ABS ................................................. 82
BAS ................................................. 84
ESP® .............................................. 84
Electro-hydraulic brake system....... 87
Performance enhancement system ...... 90
Airbrake .......................................... 90

At a glanceCockpit
Instrument cluster
Multifunction steering wheel
Center console
Overhead control panel
Control panel on the door sill

27 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Cruise control lever
205
2
Steering wheel gearshift
paddle
177
3
Instrument cluster
28,
114
4
Multifunction steering wheel
30,
118
5
Overhead control panel
33
6
Center console
31, 32
7
Starter switch
40
8
Horn
Item
Page
9
Headlamp washer button
181
a
Steering wheel adjustment
stalk
42
b
Hood lock release
250
c
Exterior lamp switch
51,
106
d
Combination switch

Turn signals


Windshield wipers


High beam
51
52
110

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.

65 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When you sell your vehicle, we strongly
urge you to give notice to the subsequent
owner that it is equipped with an SRS by
alerting them to the applicable section in
the Operator’s Manual.Front air bags
1Driver air bag
2Passenger air bag
Driver and passenger air bags are
deployed:


in the event of certain frontal impacts


if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold


independently of the head-thorax air
bags


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.


In addition, improper repair work on the
SRS creates a risk of rendering the SRS
inoperative or causing unintended air
bag deployment. Work on the SRS must
therefore only be performed by qualified
technicians. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


For your protection and the protection
of others, when scrapping the air bag
unit or emergency tensioning device,
our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These instructions are available
from any authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.


Given the considerable deployment
speed, required inflation volume, and
the textile structure of the air bags,
there is the possibility of abrasions or
other, potentially more serious injuries
resulting from air bag deployment.

66 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyThe air bags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s
deployment thresholds. You will then be
protected by the fastened seat belts.The passenger air bag will only be de-
ployed if:


the system, based on the OCS weight
sensor readings, senses that the pas-
senger seat is occupied


the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF indicator
lamp in the lower part of the center
console is not lit (
page 70)


the impact exceeds a preset
deployment thresholdKnee air bags
1Knee air bag, driver’s side
2Knee air bag, passenger side
The knee air bags are located on the lower
instrument panel. They are designed to op-
erate together with the front air bags in
certain frontal impacts exceeding a preset
threshold. The knee air bags operate best
in conjunction with a properly positioned
and fastened seat belts and when the foot-
well is kept clear of objects.
i
The front air bags in this vehicle have been
designed to inflate in two stages. This allows
the air bag to have different rates of inflation that
are based on the rate of relevant vehicle deceler-
ation as assessed by the air bag control unit.
On the passenger side, the front air bag
deployment is additionally influenced by the
passenger’s weight category as identified by the
Occupant Classification System (OCS)
(
page 67).
The lighter the passenger side occupant, the
higher the vehicle deceleration rate required for
the second stage inflation of the air bag.

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.


106 Controls in detailLightingFor information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on headlamps” (
page 51)
and “Turn signals” (
page 51).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 108)
UAutomatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 108)
CParking lamps (also tail lamps,
license plate lamps, side marker
lamps, instrument panel lamps)BLow-beam headlamps or high-beam
headlamps
ˆStanding lamps, right
(turn left one stop)
‚Standing lamps, left
(turn left two stops)
CIndicator lamp for parking lamps
‡Indicator lamp for front fog lamps
†Indicator lamp for rear fog lamp
i
If you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country
where the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the low-beam headlamps or the
parking lamps before opening the driver’s door.
In addition the message$
Lights Are
Still On
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps or the parking lamps.
If the message
Switch off lights or re-
move key.
appears in the multifunction display,
remove the SmartKey from the starter switch or
switch off the automatic headlamp mode.
!
Failure to switch off the headlamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.