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
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
29 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
Coolant temperature gauge
with
115
DCoolant temperature
warning lamp
310
2
Speedometer with;Brake warning lamp,
USA only
307
3Brake warning lamp,
Canada only
307
vABS/ESP
® warning
lamp
304
>Gearshift indicator
lamp
311
LLeft turn signal
indicator lampKRight turn signal
indicator lamp
Item
Page
3
Left multifunction display
with
Outside temperature
116
Main odometer
117
4
Reset button
114
5
Tachometer with
116
AHigh-beam headlamp
indicator
110
?Engine malfunction in-
dicator lamp, USA only
308
±Engine malfunction in-
dicator lamp, Canada
only
308
-Antilock Brake System
(ABS) indicator lamp
306
XCombination low tire
pressure/TPMS mal-
function telltale,
USA only
Low tire pressure tell-
tale, Canada only
315
Item
Page
1Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS)
indicator lamp
314
6
Right multifunction display
with
Current gear selector lever
position/gear range
117,
171,
174
Trip odometer
117
Automatic transmission
shift program mode
117,
175
Clock
133
=Engine oil temperature
indicator
311
7
Fuel gauge withAFuel reserve warning
lamp
311
39 Getting started
Unlocking
Press unlock buttonŒ on 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.
51 Getting started
Driving
Switching on headlamps
Low-beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.Exterior lamp switch1Off
2Low-beam headlamps on
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
The low-beam headlamps come on.High beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch1High beam
2High-beam flasher
Push combination switch in direction of
arrow1.
The high-beam headlamps and
high-beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
come on (
page 29).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 106).
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch up 1 or
down 2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lampL orK in the instrument
cluster flashes (
page 29).
The combination switch resets automati-
cally after major directional changes.
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
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.