MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER 2008 Owners Manual

Lights
88
X
To switch on: turnthe light switch to
M orU.
The dipped-beam headlamps, side lamps
and licenc eplatelamp are switched on
when th eengineisr unning.
i When you tur nthe light switch to any
position other than MorU,t hecor-
respondin glight goes on.
Automatic headlamp mode The side lamps
,dipped-beam headlamps and
licenc eplatelamp are switched on or off
automatically, dependin gonthebrightness of
th ea mbient light. G
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If th elight switch is set to the Uposi-
tion, th elight will no tcom eona utomati-
cally in foggy conditions. This coul dendan-
ger you and others. Therefore, tur nthe light
switch to Bin thedark or in fog.
The automatic headlam pfeature is only an
aid. The driver is responsible for th evehi-
cle's lighting at all times. G
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When it is dark or foggy, tur nthe light
switch from UtoB in good time.
Otherwise, th eheadlamps could switch off
temporarily and you could caus eanacci-
dent.
X To switch on: turnthe light switch to
U.
The side lamps are switched on and off
automaticall ywhen th ekeyis in position
1 in th eignition lock.
The dipped-beam headlamps, side lamps
and licenc eplatelamp are switched on
automaticall ywhen th eengineisr unning.
When th eparking lamp or dipped-beam
headlamps are switched on ,the indicator
lamp next to th elight switch light sup.
Fron tfoglamps/Rear foglamp G
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If you suspect that driving conditions will be
foggy, tur nthe light switch to Bbefore
you start your journey. Otherwise, your
vehicle may no tbevisible and you could
endanger yourself and others. G
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When it is dark or foggy, tur nthe light
switch from UtoB in good time.
Otherwise, th eheadlamps coul dswitch off
temporarily and you coul dcaus eana cci-
dent.
When th elight switch is set to Uyou can-
no tswitch on th efront or rear foglamp.
X Mak esure that th ekeyis in position 2in
th ei gnition lock.
X To switch on th efront foglamps: turnthe
light switch to the BorC position.
X Pull th elight switch out to th efirst stop.
The ¥ green indicator lamp next to the
light switch light sup.
X To switch on th erearfoglamp: turnthe
light switch to BorC.
X Pull th elight switch out to th esecond
detent.
The † yellow indicator lamp next to the
light switch light sup.
X To switch off th efront foglamps/rear
foglamp: push in thelight switch to the
stop.
The corresponding indicator lamp goes out. Controls
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Lights
89Combination switch (turn signals,
main-beam headlamp
sand headlamp
flasher)
Turn signals Combination switch
1
Right-hand tur nsignal
2 Left-han dturns ignal
X To switch on: pressthe combination
switch in th edirection of arrow 1or2.
The corresponding tur nsignal indicator
lamp K orL in theinstrumen tclus-
te rf lashes.
i If you only wish to indicat eaminor change
of direction ,pres sthe combinatio nswitch briefly in th
eappropriat edirection .The cor-
respondin gturns ignal flashes three times.
Main-beam headlamps/headlamp flas-
her Combination switch
1
Main-beam headlamps
2 Headlamp flasher Main-beam headlamps
X
Mak esure that th ekeyis in position 2of
th ei gnition loc korthatthe engin eisrun-
ning.
X Turn th elight switch to BorU 12
.
X To switch on: pressthe combination
switch in th edirection of arrow 1.
The main-beam indicator lamp Ain the
instrumen tcluste rlight sup.
X To switch off: movethe combination
switch back to its normal position.
The main-beam indicator lamp Ain the
instrumen tcluste rgoes out.
Headlamp flasher
X To switch on: briefly pull thecombination
switch in th edirection of arrow 2.
12 In the Uposition, th emain-beam headlamps are only switched on when it is dark. Controls
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Lights
90 Hazard warning lamps
Centre console
1
Hazard warnin glamp button
The hazar dwarnin glamps still operat eifthe
ignition is switched off .They switc honauto-
matically if an airbag is deployed or if you
brak esharply and brin gthe vehicle to ahalt
fro mas peed of more than 70 km/h.
X To switch on: press button1.
All tur nsignals flash. If you switc honthe
tur ns ignals using the combination switch
(Y page 89), the tur nsignals flash on the
correspondin gside of the vehicle.
X To deactivate: press button1. Headlam
pcleaning system 1
Button for headlamp cleaning system
X Make sure that the key is in position 2of
the ignition lock or that the engin eisrun-
ning.
X To switch on: briefly press button 1.
The headlamps are cleaned with ahigh-
pressure water jet.
The headlamps are cleaned automatically if
the "Wipe with windscreen washer fluid" func-
tion is operated 15 times while the light sare
on and the engin eisrunning. When you
switc hoff the ignition, the automatic head-
lamp cleaning system is reset and countin gis
resume dfrom0. Intelligent Light System*
The Intelligent Light System adapts the light-
ing of the front headlamps to the prevailing
driving conditions so that the road is better
illuminated.
The Intelligent Light System is only active
when it is dark.
The Intelligent Light System comprises:
R active light function
R cornering light
R motorway mode
R extended rang efoglamps
Active light function For the active light function
,the dipped-beam
headlamps swivel horizontally. The swivel
angle changes accordin gtothe respective
driving situation .The active light function is
not active when the vehicle is stationary.
Cornering light Specially designed headlamps light up the
area int
owhich you are driving when turning
corners.
If you are driving at speeds below 40 km/h,
the cornering light function is activated either Controls
*optional
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Lights
91
by th
eturns ignal or when th esteering wheel
is turned. At speeds between 40 km/h and
70 km/h, only asteering wheel movement
activates th ecornerin glight function .Ifyou
are driving at speeds abov e70km/ hthe cor-
nerin glight function is deactivated.
Activating
X Mak esure that th eengineisr unning.
X Switch on th edipped-beam headlamps.
X Switch off th efoglamp.
X Switch on th eturns ignal.
The cornerin glight on th esame side as the
indicator lamp comes on ,even if you turn
th es teering wheel in th eopposit edirection
after indicating.
or
X Turn th esteering wheel in th edesired
direction.
When in aforwards gear :the cornering
lamp on th einside of th ebendc omes on.
When in revers egear :the cornerin glight on
th eo utside of th ebendc omes on. Deactivating
X
Turn th esteering wheel back to th estraight
ahead position.
The indicator lamp goes out .The cornering
lamp may remain lit for ashort time.
or
X Switch off th eindicator lamp.
The cornerin glamp may remain lit for a
short time.
The cornerin glight will go out after amaxi-
mum of three minutes.
Motorwa ymode Motorway mod
eoptimises th eilluminatio nof
th er oad by:
R controlling th ebrightness
R adapting th eheadlam prange
Motorway mod eisactivated if you are driving
faster than 11 0km/ hand do no tmakea ny
large steering movements for 1,000 m.
Extended range foglamps The extende
drange foglamps reduc ethe
glare experienced by th edriver and improve
th ei lluminatio noftheedge of th ecarriage-
way. X
To switch on: switch on therear foglamp.
The fron tfoglamps and rear foglamp are
switched on .The extende drange foglamps
are activated if you are driving slowe rthan
70 km/h.
X To switch off: switch off therear foglamp.
i The extende drange foglamps switch off
automaticall ywhen you driv efaster than
10 0k m/ h. Interior lighting
Overhead control panel
1
X To switch th eleft-hand reading lamp
on/off
2 X To switch th eright-han dreading
lamp on/off Controls
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Windscreen wipers
92
3
ð To switch the interio rlighting on/off
4 ¤ To switch the automatic interior
lighting control on/off
Automatic interior lighting control
X To switch on or off: slide the¤switch
to the left or right.
The interio rlighting switches on whe nyou:
R unlock the vehicle
R open adoor
R remove the key from the ignition lock
The interio rlighting switches off after adelay.
You can set the delayed switch-off using the
on-board computer (Y page119).
i If the door is left open, the interio rlighting
goes out after approximately five minutes.
Manual control
Interior lighting
X To switch on/off: press theðbutton.
i The setting applie ssimultaneousl ytothe
boot lighting. If you leave the boot lid open,
the boot lighting goes out automatically
after approximately ten minutes. Reading lamps
X To switch on/off: press theXbutton. Windscreen wipers
Combinatio
nswitch
1 To switch on the windscreen wipers
2 Singl ewipe/to wipe the windscreen using
washe rfluid
Settings: 0 Windscreen wiper
soff I Intermittent wipe
II Continuous wipe, slow
III Continuous wipe, fast
!
If the windscreen becomes dirty in dry
weathe rconditions, the windscreen wipers Controls
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Side windows
93
may be activated inadvertently. This could
then damage the windscreen wiper blades
or scratcht
he windscreen.
For this reason, you should always switch
off the windscreen wipers in dry weather.
X Make sure that the key is in position 1or
2 in the ignition lock.
The various wiper settings can be selected
as follows: Single wipe
X Briefly press the combination switch to the
pressure point in the direction of arrow
2. Wiping with washer fluid
X Press the combination switch beyond the
pressure point in the direction of arrow
2. Intermittent wipe/rain sensor
X Turn the combination switch in the direc-
tion of arrow 1to position I.
The rain sensor is activated. The appropri-
ate wiping frequency is automatically
adjusted according to the intensity of the
rain. Continuous wipe
X Depending on the intensity of the rain, turn
the combination switch in the direction of
arrow 1to position IIor III. Switching off the windscreen wipers
X Turn the combination switch to position 0. Side windows
Opening/closing the side windows
G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap-
ped between the side window and the door
frame as aside window is opened. Do not
touch or lean against the side window dur-
ing the opening procedure. You could
become trapped between the side window
and the door frame as the window moves
down. If there is arisk of becoming trapped,
release the switch immediately or pull the
switch up to close the side window again. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap-
ped as you close aside window. If there is
ar isk of becoming trapped, release the
switch immediately or push the switch
again to reopen the side window. G
Risk of injury
Children may injure themselves if they open
or close the side windows.
Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. Always take the KEYLESS GO
key* with you when leaving the vehicle, Controls
*o ptional
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Side windows
94 even if you are only leaving it for
ashort
time. G
Risk of injury
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in achild
restraint system. The children could:
R be seriously or even fatally injured on
parts of the vehicle
R be seriously or even fatally injured by
prolonged exposure to extremely high or
extremely low temperatures
If children open adoor, they could:
R seriously or even fatally injure other peo-
ple
R get out of the vehicle, thereby injuring
themselves or be seriously or even fatally
injured by apassing vehicle
The switches for all side windows are located
on the driver's door. There is also aswitch for the front-passenger side window on the front-
passenger door. 1
Front and rear, left
2 Front and rear, right
X Make sure that the key is in position 2in
the ignition lock.
i When the key is turned to position 0or
removed from the ignition lock, it is still
possible to operate the windowsu ntil the
driver's or front-passenger door is opened,
but for no longer than five minutes.
Opening/closing the front side win-
dows i
The front and rear side windowso pen
simultaneously if the roof is open. X
To open/close: press the switch down or
pullitupb eyond the pressure point and
hold it until the corresponding window is in
the desired position.
X To open/close fully: press the switch
down or pullitupb eyond the pressure point
and release it.
X To stop: briefly press the corresponding
switch down or pullitu p.
i You can use the soft-top switch in the
centre console to close all the side win-
dows at the same time.
Closing with increased force and without
the anti-entrapment feature G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap-
ped and possibly be seriously or fatally
injured as you close aside window with
increased force or withoutt he anti-entrap-
ment feature. Controls
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Driving an
dpark ing 95
If
as idew indo wl ocks up during closing and
ha sr eopened againsligh tly:
X Immediatel yafter the windo wlocks up ,pull
the switc hupwards until the windo wis
closed.
Th es idew indo wisc losedwithm oref orce.
If as idew indo wl ocks up agai ndurin gclosing
an dh asreopene dagain slightly:
X Immediatel yafter the windo wlocks up ,pull
the switc hupwards until the windo wis
closed.
Th es idew indo wisc losedwithout the anti-
entrapment feature.
Opening the rea rsidew indows Yo
uc an onlyopena nd close the rear side
windows fully.
X Whe nthe roo fiso pen: open the front
window.
Th ef ront an drears idew indows open
simultaneously.
X Whe nthe roo fisc losed: pressthe corre-
sponding switc hfor the front side windows
again.
X To sto pasidew indow: brieflypress the
corresponding switc hdownorp ullitu p. Closin
gthe rea rsidew indows X
Clos ethe front windows.
X Pull the switc hupwards again.
X To sto pasidew indow: brieflypress the
corresponding switc hdownorp ullitu p.
i If the windo wisobstructed during clos-
ing ,the closing procedure is interrupted
an dito pens agai nsligh tly. Resettin
gthe windows
Eac hsidew indo wm ustber esetif the battery
wa sd isconnected or discharged.
X Make sure tha tthe key is in position 2in
the ignition lock.
X Pull the switc hupwards until the windo wis
closed, an dholditint hisp osit ionf or
another second. Drivin
gand parking Starting th
eengine G
Risk of accident
Do no tkee pa ny objects in th edriver's foot-
well. If you use afloormat or carpet in the
driver's footwell, mak esuret hatthe ya re
correctl ysecure dand that there is suffi-
cien tclearanc efor thep edals.
Objects could otherwise get between the
pedals in th eevent of sudden braking or
acceleration .You may then no longer be
able to brake ,cha ng eg ear or accelerat eas
intended. Thi smay result in an acciden tand
injury. G
Risk of poisoning
Never leav ethe engin erunning in enclosed
spaces. The exhaus tgase scontai ncarbon
monoxide. Inhalin gexhaus tfumes consti-
tute sah ealth hazard and could lead to loss
of consciousness or eve ndeath.
! Do no tdepress th eaccelerator pedal
when startin gthe engine.
i If you depress th ebrake when startin gthe
engine, peda ltra ve lw ill be unusuall ylong
and there will be les speda lresistance. Cont
rols
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Driving an
dpark ing 96
Automatic transmission
P
Park positio nwiths elect or leve rlock
R Reverse gear
N Neutral
D Drive position
X Before starting, make sure Pis selected.
i Thee ngine ca nalsobes tartedwhent he
selector leve risinposition N.
Furthe rinformation abou tthe automatic
transmission (Y page 99).
Startin gthe engine with the key i
Youc an also us ethe "touch-start" func-
tion. To do this, tur nthe key to position 3
an dr elease it immediately .The engine then
starts automatically. X
Turn the key to position 3(Y page 73) in
the ignition lock an drelease it as soon as
the engine is running.
Startin gthe engine with KE YLESS GO* G
Risk of injury
Your vehicle can be started usin gavalid
KEYLESS GO key*. Fo rthisr eason ,children
should never be lef tunsupervised in the
vehicle. Always take th eKEYLESS GO
key* wit hyou when leavin gthe vehicle,
eve nify ou are only leavin gitforas hort
time.
The KEYLESS GO butto ncan be used to start
th ev ehicle without inserting th ekeyin the
ignition lock. The KEYLESS GO butto
nisontheselector
lever. 1
KEYLESS GO button
X Depress th ebrake pedal.
The selecto rlever loc kisreleased.
X Press KEYLESS GO button 1once.
The engin estartsa utomatically. Cont
rols
*optional
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Driving an
dpark ing 97Pulling away
! Warm up the engine quickly .Donot use
the engine's full performance until it has
reache dopera ting temperature.
Onl yshift into reverse gear when the vehi-
cle is stationary.
Wher epossible, avoidspinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads .You could otherwise damage the
driv etrain.
! SL 63 AMG :atlowengine temperatures
(unde r+20†),the maximum engine speed
is limited in order to protect the engine.
Avoid driving at full throttle when the
engine is col dinorder to protect the engine
an dm aintain smooth engine operation.
i Thev ehicl eloc ks centrall yonce yo uhave
pulled away .The locking knob sinthe doors
drop down.
Yo uc an open the doors fro mthe insid eat
an yt ime.
Yo uc an also deactivate the automati cloc k-
ing feature (Y page 120).
i It is onl ypossibl etom ovet he selector
leve rtot he desire dposit ioni fyou depress the brake pedal. Onl
ythenist he selector
leve rloc kr eleased.
X Depress the brake peda land hold it down.
X Pull the parking brake releas ehandleto
releas ethe parking brake.
X Move the selector leve rtopositionDor R.
i Wait until the shif tprocess is completed
befor epulling away.
X Releas ethe brake pedal.
X Carefull ydepress the accelerato rpedal.
i Upshifts tak eplace at higher engine
speeds after acolds tart. This help sthe
catalytic converter to reac hits operating
temperatur emoreq uickly. Parking
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Onl yrem ovet he key fro mthe ignition lock
when the vehicle is stationary since you
cannot steer the vehicle with the key
removed.
Neve rleave childre nunsuper visedint he
vehicle .The yc ould releas ethe parking
brake .Thisc ould lead to aserious or fatal
accident. G
Ris
koff ire
Make sure tha tthe exhaust syste mdoes
not unde rany circumstances com einto
contact with easily ignitabl emateria lsuch
as dr ygrass or petrol. Th emateria lcould
otherwise ignite an dsetthe vehicle on fire. Controls
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