AC off MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 2003 R230 Owner's Guide

94 Controls in detailSeatsLumbar region support
Press
k
or
j
on rocker
switch1.
This selects the air cushion you wish to
adjust.

Press
æ
or
ç
on rocker
switch1.
The air cushion inflates or deflates.Shoulder region support

Press
æ
or
ç
on switch2.
The air cushion inflates or deflates.
Backrest side cushions

Press switch3 to the right or left.
The lateral support increases or de-
creases.Massage function (PULSE)
You can reduce muscle tension during long
trips by periodically using the massage
function.

Press button4.
The indicator lamp on button4 lights
up. The air cushions in the lumbar re-
gion inflate and deflate rhythmically.iThe massage function switches off au-
tomatically after approximately eight
minutes. The indicator lamp extinguish-
es.

96 Controls in detailSeatsSeat ventilation*
The switch is located on the door. The blue
indicator lamps on the switch show the
ventilation level selected:
1Seat ventilation switch
Make sure the ignition is switched on.All the lamps in the instrument cluster
light up.
Switching on the seat ventilation

Press switch1.
Three blue indicator lamps on the
switch light up.
Switching off the seat ventilation

Press switch1 repeatedly until all indi-
cator lamps go out.
Level 3
Three indicator lamps on
Level 2
Two indicator lamps on
Level 1
One indicator lamp on
Ventilation off
No indicator lamp on
iIn normal operation the seat ventilation
will switch off automatically after about
30 minutes.
!If one or all of the lamps blink on the
seat ventilation* switch, there is insuf-
ficient voltage since too many electri-
cal consumers are switched on. The
seat ventilation* switches off automat-
ically.
The seat ventilation* will switch back
on again automatically as soon as suffi-
cient voltage is available.

97 Controls in detail
Seats
Seat heater
Vehicles without seat ventilation*
The switch is located on the door.
1Normal heating
2Rapid heating
Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
light up.Switching on the seat heater

Press lower switch position1.
A red indicator lamp on the switch
lights up.
Switching off the seat heater

Press lower switch position1 again.
Rapid seat heating mode

Press upper switch position2.
Both red indicator lamps on the switch
light up. Switching off rapid seat heating mode

Press upper switch position2 again.
iThe seat heater will be automatically
switched off after approximately
30 minutes. iThe system switches over to normal
heating mode after approximately five
minutes. Only the right-hand indicator
lamp remains lit.
!If one or both of the lamps on the seat
heater switch are blinking, there is in-
sufficient voltage available since too
many electrical consumers are turned
on. The seat heater switches off auto-
matically.
The seat heater will switch back on
again automatically as soon as suffi-
cient voltage is available.

98 Controls in detailSeatsVehicles with seat ventilation*
The switch is located on the door. The red
indicator lamps on the switch show the
heater level selected:
1Seat heater switch
Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
light up.Switching on the seat heater

Press upper switch position1 twice.
A red indicator lamp on the switch
lights up.
Switching off the seat heater

Press upper switch position1 again.
Rapid seat heating

Press upper switch position1 once.
Both indicator lamps on the switch light
up. Switching off rapid seat heating mode

Press upper switch position1 twice.
Seat heater off
No indicator lamp on
Level 1
One indicator lamp on
Level 2
Two indicator lamps on
iThe seat heater will be automatically
switched off after approximately
30 minutes. iThe system switches over to normal
heating mode after approximately five
minutes. Only the right-hand indicator
lamp remains lit.
!If one or both of the lamps on the seat
heater switch are blinking, there is in-
sufficient voltage available since too
many electrical consumers are turned
on. The seat heater switches off auto-
matically.
The seat heater will switch back on
again automatically as soon as suffi-
cient voltage is available.

102 Controls in detailLighting
LightingFor notes on how to switch on the head-
lamps and use the turn signals, see the
“Getting started” section (
page 43).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.M
Off
U
Automatic headlamp mode
C
Parking lamps, license plate lamps
and instrument panel lamps
B
Low beam or high beam headlamps
ˆ
Standing lamps, right
‚
Standing lamps, left
iIf you remove the key and open the
driver’s door while the parking lamps or
low beam headlamps are switched on,
then

a warning sounds


$
appears in the speedometer
display field


the message
Turn lamps off
ap-
pears in the tachometer display
field
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the engine running, the
low beam headlamps cannot be
switched off manually.
To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see “Setting daytime running
lamp mode (USA only)” (
page 124).

103 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on or off with the
exterior lamp switch.
Automatic headlamp mode
The parking lamps, low beam headlamps
and license plate lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light.

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
U
.Daytime running lamp mode

Turn exterior lamp switch to
position
M
or
U
.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are automatically
switched on. In low ambient light con-
ditions the parking lamps will also
switch on.
Canada only:
When you shift from a driving position to
positionN orP, the low beam switches off
(3 minutes delay).
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to position
B
to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
Warning!
G
In automatic headlamp mode, the head-
lamps will not be automatically switched on
under foggy conditions. To minimize risk to
you and to others, activate headlamps by
turning exterior lamp switch to
B
.
The driver is responsible for the operation of
the vehicle’s lights at all times. The automat-
ic headlamp feature is only an aid to the driv-
er. Switch on the vehicle lights manually
when driving or when traffic conditions re-
quire you to do so.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated, the low beam headlamps will
not be switched off automatically.iFront fog lamps and rear fog lamp can
not be switched on manually with exte-
rior lamp switch in position
U
. To
activate the fog lamps turn exterior
lamp switch to position
B
.
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country where the vehicle is regis-
tered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.

104 Controls in detailLightingUSA only:
The high beam headlamps can also be ac-
tivated when driving with the daytime run-
ning lamp mode activated and the exterior
lamp switch in position
M
.
To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)” (
page 124).
Locator lighting and night security
illumination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the control system
section, see “Setting locator lighting”
(
page 125) and "Exterior lamps delayed
switch-off" (
page 125).Switching on front fog lamps

Make sure that the low beam head-
lamps are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The green indicator lamp
‡
in the
lamp switch lights up.
Switching on rear fog lamp

Make sure that the low beam head-
lamps are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp
†
in the
lamp switch lights up.
Combination switch
The combination switch is located on the
left side of the steering column.
1High beam
2High beam flasher
Switching on high beams
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
B

or to
U
(page 102).

Push the combination switch in
direction1.
The high beam symbol in the tachome-
ter will light up.
iSee notes on the exterior lamp switch
(page 102).

105 Controls in detail
Lighting
High beam flasher 
Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction2.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be activat-
ed with the ignition switched on or off. It is
activated automatically when an airbag is
deployed.
The switch is located above and between
the center air vents.
1Hazard warning flasher switchSwitching on the hazard warning
flasher

Press the hazard warning flasher
switch.
All the turn signals will blink.
Switching off the hazard warning
flasher

Press hazard warning flasher switch
again.iWith the hazard warning flasher acti-
vated and the combination switch set
for either left or right turn, only the re-
spective left or right turn signals will
operate.

106 Controls in detailLightingInterior lighting
1Left reading lamp
2Right reading lamp
3Interior lighting on/off
4Slide switch for interior lighting controlAutomatic control
Activating

Slide switch4 to the left.
Interior lamps are switched on in dark-
ness when you

unlock the vehicle


open a door


remove the key from the starter
switch


open the trunk
In addition, the entry/exit lamps in the
door trays will come on when you open
a door.
The interior lamps are switched off fol-
lowing an adjustable time delay
(
page 127).Deactivating

Slide switch4 to the right.
The interior lighting and the entry/exit
lamps remain switched off in darkness,
even when you

unlock the vehicle


open a door


remove the key from the starter
switch


open the trunk
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lamps switch off automatically after ap-
proximately five minutes.

107 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual control
Switching lamps on
Press switch3.
The interior lighting switches on.
Switching lamps off

Press switch3 again.
The interior lighting switches off.
Courtesy lighting
For better orientation in the dark, courtesy
lamps will illuminate the interior of your ve-
hicle as follows:
With parking lamps switched on:

the door handles


the driver and passenger footwells
With key in starter switch position1:


the door handles


the center console
iThe setting selected for the interior
lighting is used for the trunk lighting as
well.
If you leave the trunk lid open for an ex-
tended period of time, the trunk light-
ing will switch off automatically after
approximately ten minutes.
iIf you turn the key in the starter switch
to position0 and switch off the exterior
headlamps, the door handle lamps will
remain lit for approximately five min-
utes.