2012 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER Owners Manual

Centre console, lower section (AMG vehicles)
Function Page
:
Stowage compartment 545
Cup holders 548
Ashtray 549
;
COMAND controller 296
=
Seat adjustment 318
?
Favourites button 313
A
Roof switch 104
B
Opens/closes the side win-
dows 100
C
Extends/retracts the
draught stop
108
D
Stowage compartment with
Media Interface 545
Cigarette lighter 550
Power socket 551 Function Page
E
Selects park position 163
F
Drive program selector 168
G
ß
button (drive program
or calling up/storing sus-
pension tuning) 168
H
à
Adjusts the suspen-
sion setting 203
I
å
ESP® 74
J
Transmission positions 166
K
Selector lever 16346
Centre consoleAt a glance

Overhead control panel
Function Page
:
p
Switches the left-
hand reading lamp on/off 134
;
c
Switches the interior
lighting on/off 134
=
µ
Operates MAGIC SKY
CONTROL 109
?
|
Switches the auto-
matic interior lighting con-
trol on/off 134
A
p
Switches the right-
hand reading lamp on/off 134 Function Page
B
ë
Deactivates tow-
away protection 80
C
Rear-view mirror 120
D
Buttons for the garage door
opener 555
E
ê
Deactivates the inte-
rior motion sensor 80
F
Spectacles compartment 545Overhead control panel
47At a glance

Door control panel
Function Page
:
Opens the door 91
;
%&Unlocks/locks
the vehicle 92
=
Adjusts the seats 113
?
r
45 =
Stores settings for the seat, exterior mirrors and steer-
ing wheel (memory func-
tion) 123
w
Adjusts the front-
passenger seat from the
driver’s seat 114 Function Page
A
o
Opens the boot lid 98
p
Opens/closes the
boot lid 98
B
7Zö\
Adjusts and folds the exte-
rior mirrors in/out electri-
cally
120
C
W
Opens/closes the
side windows 9948
Door control panelAt a glance

Useful information
..............................50
Panic alarm .......................................... 50
Occupant safety .................................. 50
Child restraint systems ......................61
Driving safety systems .......................70
Anti-theft systems .............................. 79 49Safety

Useful information
i This Owner's Manual describes all mod-
els, series and optional equipment for your
vehicle that were available at the time of
going to press. National variations are pos- sible. Note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all of the functions descri-
bed. This is also the case for systems and
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page 34). Panic alarm
X
To activate: press!button :for
approximately one second.
An alarm sounds and the exterior lighting
flashes.
X To deactivate: press!button :
again.
or
X Insert the key into the ignition lock.
or X Press the KEYLESS-GO Start/Stop button.
The KEYLESS-GO key must be in the vehi-
cle.
i The panic alarm function is only available
in certain countries. Occupant safety
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Modifications to the restraint systems could
result in them not functioning properly any
more. The restraint systems could then no
longer protect vehicle occupants as they are
designed to do and could fail in the event of an accident or activate unexpectedly, for exam-
ple. There is an increased risk of injury.
Never modify parts of the restraint systems.
Do not attempt to modify the wiring as well as
electronic components or their software.
The airbag system can be adapted for a per-
son with disabilities. For further information,
consult a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
The seat belts, together with SRS (Supple-
mental Restraint System), are complemen-
tary, co-ordinated restraint systems
(Y page 51). They reduce the risk of injury in
specific, pre-defined types of accident situa-
tions and thereby increase occupant safety.
However, seat belts and airbags generally do
not protect against objects penetrating the
vehicle from the outside.
To ensure that the restraint systems can
deliver their full potential protection, make
sure that:
R the seat and head restraint are adjusted
properly (Y page 112)
R the seat belt has been fastened properly
(Y page 59)
R the airbags can inflate without restriction if
deployed (Y page 52)
R the steering wheel is adjusted properly
(Y page 118)
R the restraint systems have not been modi-
fied
An airbag increases the protection of vehicle
occupants wearing a seat belt. However, air-
bags are only an additional restraint system
that complements, but does not replace, the
seat belt. All vehicle occupants must wear 50
Occupant safetySafety

their seat belts correctly at all times, even if
the vehicle is equipped with airbags. The air-
bags are not deployed in all types of acci-
dents. For example, if the protective capacity of correctly fastened seat belts is not
increased by deploying the airbags, the air-
bags will not deploy.
Airbag deployment only provides increased
protection if the seat belt is worn correctly.
The seat belt helps, firstly, to keep the vehicle occupant in the best position in relation to the
airbag. Secondly, in a head-on collision, for
example, the seat belt restricts movement of
the vehicle occupant towards the point of
impact. SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
Introduction SRS consists of:
R the 6 SRS warning lamp
R airbags
R the airbag control unit with crash sensors
R belt tensioners
R belt force limiters
SRS reduces the risk of vehicle occupants
coming into contact with parts of the vehi-
cle's interior in the event of an accident. It can
also reduce the forces to which vehicle occu- pants are subjected during an accident.
SRS warning lamp G
WARNING
If SRS is malfunctioning, restraint system
components may be triggered unintentionally
or might not be triggered at all in the event of
an accident with a high rate of vehicle decel-
eration. There is an increased risk of injury,
possibly even fatal.
Have SRS checked and repaired immediately
at a qualified specialist workshop.
SRS functions are checked regularly when
you switch on the ignition and when the engine is running. Therefore, malfunctions
can be detected in good time.
The
6 SRS warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when the ignition is switched on. It goes out no later than a few seconds
after the engine is started.
The SRS components are in operational read-
iness when the 6SRS warning lamp goes
out while the engine is running.
A malfunction has occurred if:
R the 6 SRS warning lamp does not light
up when the ignition is switched on
R the engine is running and the 6SRS
warning lamp does not go out after a few
seconds
R the engine is running and the 6SRS
warning lamp lights up again
Triggering of belt tensioners and air-
bags During the first stage of a collision, the airbag
control unit evaluates important physical
data relating to vehicle deceleration or accel-
eration, such as:
R duration
R direction
R magnitude
Based on the evaluation of this data, the air-
bag control unit triggers the belt tensioners in the first stage.
If there is an even higher rate of vehicle decel-
eration or acceleration in a longitudinal direc- tion, the front airbags are also deployed.
Your vehicle has adaptive, two-stage front air- bags. The airbag control unit evaluates vehi-
cle deceleration or acceleration in the event
of a collision. In the first deployment stage,
the front airbag is filled with enough propel-
lant gas to reduce the risk of injuries. The
front airbag is fully deployed if a second
deployment threshold is reached within a few
milliseconds.
The belt tensioner and airbag triggering
thresholds are variable and are adapted to the Occupant safety
51Safety Z

rate of deceleration or acceleration of the
vehicle. This process is pre-emptive in nature. The triggering process must take place in
good time at the start of the collision.
The rate of vehicle deceleration or accelera-
tion and the direction of the force are essen- tially determined by:
R the distribution of forces during the colli-
sion
R the collision angle
R the deformation characteristics of the vehi-
cle
R the characteristics of the object with which
the vehicle has collided.
Factors which can only be seen and measured after a collision has occurred do not play a
decisive role in the deployment of an airbag,
nor do they provide an indication of airbag
deployment.
The vehicle may be deformed significantly,
e.g. the bonnet or the wing, without an airbag being deployed. This is the case if only parts
which are relatively easily deformed are affec-ted and the rate of deceleration is not high.
Conversely, airbags may be deployed even
though the vehicle suffers only minor defor-
mation. This is the case if, for example, very
rigid vehicle parts such as longitudinal body
members are hit, and sufficient deceleration
occurs as a result.
i The belt tensioners can only be triggered
if the seat belt tongues are correctly
engaged in the seat belt buckles.
i Not all airbags are deployed in an acci-
dent. The different airbag systems work
independently of each other.
How the airbag system works is deter-
mined by the severity of the collision detec- ted, especially the vehicle deceleration or
acceleration, and the apparent type of acci- dent:
R frontal collision
R side impact R
rear impact
R overturn Airbags
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Airbags provide additional protection; they
are not, however, a substitute for seat belts.
Observe the following notes to reduce the risk of serious or even fatal injury caused by airbag
deployment:
R all vehicle occupants – in particular, preg-
nant women – must wear their seat belt
correctly at all times and lean back against
the backrest, which should be positioned
as close to the vertical as possible. The
head restraint must support the back of the
head at about eye level.
R always secure children less than 1.50 m tall
or under 12 years of age in suitable child
restraint systems.
R all vehicle occupants must select a seat
position that is as far away from the airbag
as possible. The driver's seat position must allow the vehicle to be driven safely. The
driver's chest should be as far away from
the centre of the driver's airbag cover as
possible.
R move the front-passenger seat as far back
as possible. This is especially important if
you have secured a child in a child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat.
R vehicle occupants – in particular, children –
must not lean their heads into the area of
the window in which the sidebag/headbag
is deployed.
R rearward-facing child restraint systems
must not be fitted to the front-passenger
seat unless the front-passenger front air-
bag has been disabled. The front-passenger
front airbag is disabled if a child restraint
system with transponders for automatic
child seat recognition is fitted to the front- 52
Occupant safetySafety

passenger seat. The
4PASSENGER
AIRBAG OFF indicator lamp must be con-
tinuously lit.
If you secure a forward-facing child
restraint system to the front-passenger
seat, you must move the front-passenger
seat as far back as possible.
R make sure there are no heavy or sharp-
edged objects in the pockets of clothing.
R do not lean forwards, e.g. over the cover of
the driver's/front-passenger front airbag,
particularly when the vehicle is in motion.
R do not put your feet on the dashboard.
R only hold the steering wheel on the outside.
This allows the airbag to be fully deployed.
You could be injured if the airbag is
deployed and you are holding the inside of
the steering wheel.
R do not lean on the doors from inside the
vehicle.
R make sure that there are no people, ani-
mals or objects between the vehicle occu-
pants and the area where the airbags are
deployed.
R do not place any objects between the seat
backrest and the door.
R do not hang any hard objects, for example,
coat hangers, on the grab handles or coat
hooks.
R do not attach accessories, e.g. cup holders,
to the doors.
It is not possible to rule out a risk of injury
being caused by an airbag, due to the high
speed at which the airbag must be deployed. G
WARNING
If you modify the airbag covers or affix
objects, e.g. stickers to them, the airbags may
no longer function as intended. There is an
increased risk of injury.
Never modify the airbag covers and do not
affix any objects to them.
The airbag installation locations are identified
by the AIRBAG symbol. G
WARNING
Unsuitable seat covers may obstruct or even
prevent deployment of the airbags integrated into the seats. The airbags may then fail to
protect the vehicle occupants as intended.
Operation of the automatic child seat recog-
nition may also be impaired. There is an
increased risk of injury, possibly even fatal.
Use only seat covers which have been specif-
ically approved for the respective seat by
Mercedes-Benz.
You should only use seat covers that have
been approved for your vehicle by Mercedes-
Benz. The seat covers must have a special
tear seam for sidebags. Otherwise, the side-
bags cannot deploy correctly and therefore
cannot provide the intended protection in the event of an accident. G
WARNING
After the driver's airbag has been deployed,
the airbag parts are hot. There is a risk of
injury.
Do not touch the airbag parts. Have deployed airbags replaced immediately at a qualified
specialist workshop.
Airbag deployment slows down and restricts
the movement of the vehicle occupants.
If the airbags are deployed, you will hear a
bang, and a small amount of powder may also be released. Only in rare cases will the bang
affect your hearing. The powder that is
released generally does not constitute a
health hazard and does not indicate that thereis a fire in the vehicle. The powder may cause
short-term breathing difficulties to persons
suffering from asthma or other pulmonary
conditions. In order to prevent potential
breathing difficulties, you should leave the
vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. You can also open the window to allow fresh air to
enter the vehicle interior. The 6SRS warn-
ing lamp lights up.
i After an airbag has been deployed, have
the vehicle towed to the nearest qualified Occupant safety
53Safety Z