2009 MERCEDES-BENZ SLR windshield wipers

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

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

53 Getting started
Driving
Intermittent wiping
The intermittent wiping interval is depen-
dent on the wetness of the windshield. 
Turn the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow 2 to positionI.
After the initial wipe, pauses between
wipes are controlled by the rain sensor.Single wipe

Press combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow1 to the resistance
point.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.
Wiping with windshield washer fluid

Press combination switch in direction
of arrow1 past the resistance point.
The windshield wipers operate with
washer fluid.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system”
(
page 257).
!
Do not leave windshield wipers on an
intermittent setting when the vehicle is taken to
an automatic car wash or during windshield
cleaning. Wipers will operate in the presence of
water sprayed on the windshield, and wipers
may be damaged as a result.
!
If you have set intermittent wiping, dirt on
the surface of the rain sensor or optical effects
may cause the windshield wipers to wipe in an
undesired fashion. This could then damage the
windshield wiper blades or scratch the windows.
You should therefore switch off the windshield
wipers when weather conditions are dry.
i
Intermittent wiping is interrupted when the
vehicle is at a standstill and a front door is
opened. This protects persons getting into or out
of the vehicle from being sprayed.
Intermittent wiping will be continued when


all doors are closed and the gear selector
lever is in drive positionD or reverse gearR
or


the wiper setting is changed using the com-
bination switch
i
To prevent smears on the windshield or
noisy/chattering wiper blades, wipe with wind-
shield washer fluid every now and then even
when it is raining.

181 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
For information on the windshield wipers,
see “Switching on windshield wipers”
(page 52).
Headlamp cleaning system
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer button
Switch on the ignition (
page 40).

Press button 1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system”
(
page 257).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 43).
Auto-dimming mirror
The reflection brightness of the interior
rear view mirror will respond automatically
to glare when


the ignition is switched on
and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror
The rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gearR is engaged


the interior lighting is turned on
i
The headlamps will automatically be
cleaned when you have


switched on the headlamps
and


operated the windshield wipers with wind-
shield washer fluid fifteen times
When you switch off the ignition, the counter
resets.

192 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlFront defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, for example if it is iced up.
You can also defog the windshield and the
door windows.
Activating
Press button P (
page 186).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning switches to the
following functions automatically:


cooling on to dehumidify


maximum blower speed and
heating power


air flows onto the windshield
and the door windows


the air recirculation mode is
switched offDeactivating

Press button P (
page 186).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
The previous settings are in effect
again.Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on
(page 52).
If the automatic air distribution and air
volume are switched off:

Turn air distribution controls1 and 5
(page 186) to position h ork.
or

Press control buttons 1, 5 and 9
(page 186).
The control buttons are engaged.
TheU symbol on the control
buttons come on. Air distribution and
air volume are adjusted automatically.
i
Keep this setting selected only until the
windshield or the door windows are clear again.
i
The cooling remains switched on.
i
Keep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.

251 Operation
Engine compartment
The release lever is located in the driver’s
footwell.
1Release lever
The hood folding mechanism is disengaged
in two stages.
Pull release lever1 downwards.
This completes the first stage.2Hood latch
The hood latches are located in the upper
air intake next to the headlamp units.

Pull the hood latches2.
This completes the second stage.

Pull the hood towards you to the stop.
!
Make sure the windshield wipers are not
folded away from the windshield. Otherwise the
windshield wipers or the hood could be dam-
aged.
Make sure there is sufficient clearance before
opening the hood. A minimum clearance in front
of the vehicle of 1.3 ft (40 cm) is required.
i
If it was not possible to release the hood,
pull the release lever downwards more firmly.


299 Operation
Vehicle care
Power washer
Cleaning the windows and wiper blades

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.

Fold the wiper arm away from the
windshield (
page 363).
You must feel the wiper arm engage in
position.

Clean the wiper blade inserts with a
clean cloth and detergent solution.

Use a soft, clean cloth and a mild win-
dow cleaning solution on all outside
and inside glass surfaces.
An automotive glass cleaner is
recommended.
!
Make sure that the windshield wiper switch
is set to0 (
page 52). Otherwise, the rain
sensor could activate and cause the wipers to
move unintentionally. This may lead to vehicle
damage.
Due to the width of the vehicle, fold in exterior
rear view mirrors prior to running the vehicle
through an automatic car wash to prevent
damage to the mirrors.
i
After running the vehicle through an auto-
matic car wash, wipe any wax off of the wind-
shield (
page 299). This will prevent smears
and reduce wiping noise which can be caused by
residual wax on the windshield.
!
Do not use power washer to clean your
vehicle or the engine.
!
The hood must be opened (
page 250) be-
fore folding the wiper arm away from the wind-
shield. You could otherwise damage the hood
and/or the wiper arms.
!
Never open or close the hood when the wip-
er arms are folded away from the windshield.
You could otherwise damage the hood and/or
the wiper arm.
Warning!
G
For safety reasons, switch off wipers and
remove SmartKey from starter switch
before cleaning the wiper blades. Otherwise
the wiper motor could suddenly turn on and
cause injury.
!
Do not pull on the wiper blade inserts. They
could tear.
!
To clean the window interior, do not use a
dry cloth, abrasives, solvents or cleaners con-
taining solvents. Do not touch the inside of the
front, rear or door windows with hard objects
such as an ice scraper or ring. Doing so may
damage the windows.