steering MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 2004 R230 Owner's Guide

120 Controls in detailLightingSwitching on fog lampsSwitching on front fog lamps

Make sure the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

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

Make sure the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp † in the
lamp switch comes on.
Combination switch
The combination switch is located on the
left side of the steering column.
1High beam
2High beam flasher
Warning!
G
In low ambient lighting or foggy conditions,
only switch from position
U
to
B

with the vehicle at a standstill. Switching
from
U
to
B
will briefly switch off
the headlamps. Doing so while driving in low
ambient lighting conditions may result in an
accident.
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps
on. Fog lamps should only be used in
conjunction with low beam headlamps.
Consult your State or Province Motor
Vehicle Regulations regarding permis-
sible lamp operation.

125 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
During severe operating conditions, e.g.
stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tempera-
ture may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious en-
gine damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip
odometer display (
page 127).

If it is not displayed, press the j or
k button on the multifunction
steering wheel repeatedly until the trip
odometer appears.

Press and hold reset button4
(page 22) until the trip odometer is
reset.
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer de-
notes excessive engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
SL 55 AMG
The tachometer of the SL 55 AMG does not
have a red marking denoting excessive en-
gine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated at
an excessive speed.
!Excessive coolant temperature triggers
the coolant temperature warning lamp
(page 304) and a warning in the
multifunction display (
page 286).
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

127 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button is in posi-
tion 1. The control system enables you to

call up information about your vehicle


change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
The multifunction display consists of the
display fields in the speedometer and the
tachometer. In its default state, the left
display field shows the trip and main
odometer, while the present outside tem-
perature appears in the right display field.
This default setting is referred to as the
standard display.
1Main odometer
2Trip odometer
3Current gear selector lever position
4Outside temperature
5Automatic transmission program mode
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his /her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.

128 Controls in detailControl systemMultifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled by the buttons on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.Pressing any of the buttons on the multi-
function steering wheel will alter what is
shown in the multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or CD op-
erations under
AUDIO
, for example). These
functions serve to call up relevant informa-
tion or to customize the settings for your
vehicle.
It is helpful to think of the menus, and the
functions within each menu, as being ar-
ranged in a circular pattern.


If you press button è or ÿ re-
peatedly, you will pass through each
menu one after the other.


If you press button k or j re-
peatedly, you will pass through each
function display, one after the other, in
the current menu.
1
Left multifunction display in the
speedometer
2
Right multifunction display in the
tachometerOperating the control system
3
Selecting the submenu or setting
the volumeçdown / to decreaseæup / to increase
4
Telephone*íto take a callìto end a call
5
Menu systemsèfor next menuÿfor previous menu
6
Moving within a menujfor next displaykfor previous display

148 Controls in detailControl systemConvenience submenu
Access the
Convenience
submenu via the
Settings
menu. Use the
Convenience
sub-
menu to change the settings for a number
of convenience features. The following
functions are available:
Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature. When the
feature is activated, the steering wheel and
driver’s seat will move back to facilitate ex-
iting the vehicle when you


remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch


open the driver’s doorAfter entering the vehicle, the steering
wheel and seat will move into the position
stored in memory when


the driver’s door is closed


you insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch or press the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button and


press and hold the appropriate stored
position button on the memory switch
(page 114)

Move the selection marker with button
æ or ç to the
Convenience
sub-
menu.

Press button j or k repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Easy-entry feature Acti-
vate
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Function
Page
Activate easy-entry/exit fea-
ture
148
Set key-dependency
149
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror
149
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and the driver’s seat when
the easy-entry / exit feature is in operation
and the driver’s door is being opened or the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, press one of the following:

the seat adjustment switch
(page 34)


the steering column switch
(page 37)


the memory switch (
page 114)

149 Controls in detail
Control system

Press æ or ç to change the
easy-entry/exit setting.
The following settings are available for the
easy-entry/exit feature:Setting key-dependency
Use this function to set whether the mem-
ory settings for the seats, the steering
wheel and the exterior rear view mirrors
mirrors should be stored separately for
each SmartKey (
page 114).

Move the selection marker with button
æ or ç to the
Convenience
sub-
menu.

Press button j or k repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Key-dependent
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press æ or ç to set key-depen-
dency to
On or
Off
. Setting parking position for exterior rear
view mirror
Use the
Mirror setting when parking

function to select whether the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror should be
turned downward during parking maneu-
vers when reverse gear R is engaged. For
additional information, see “Activating ex-
terior rear view mirror parking position”
(
page 167).

Move the selection marker with button
æ or ç to the
Convenience
sub-
menu.

Press button j or k repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Mirror setting when park-
ing
.
Off
The easy-entry/ex-
it feature is deacti-
vated
Steer. column
Only the steering
column is moved
Steer.col. +seat
Both, the steering
column and the
seat are moved


152 Controls in detailControl systemCall up range (distance to empty)
Press button ÿ or è repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
Trip computer menu.

Press button j or k repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
Range
.
In the right display you will see the cal-
culated range based on the current fuel
tank level.
TEL menu*
You can use the functions in the
TEL
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.

Switch on the telephone and COMAND.

Press button ÿ or è on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
TEL
menu in the left display.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call. If you choose to use the tele-
phone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road, and traffic con-
ditions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.

160 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionSteering wheel gearshift control (Speedshift) SL 55 AMG
You can change the gears manually on the
steering wheel or by using the gear
selector lever (
page 156).
Allow engine to warm up under low load
use. Do not place full load on the engine
until the operating temperature has been
reached. Shift into reverse gear only when
the vehicle is stopped.The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshiftDownshifting

Press button1 on the left side of the
steering wheel.
The gear range is limited when you are not
driving in the manual program mode
(
page 163).
When driving in the manual program mode
(page 163), the transmission will shift
from the current gear to the next lower
gear (
page 164).
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

161 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Upshifting
Press button2 on the right side of the
steering wheel.
The gear range is extended when you are
not driving in the manual program mode
(
page 163).
When driving in the manual program mode
(page 163), the transmission will shift
from the current gear to the next higher
gear (
page 164).
Program mode selector switch
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
S Sport For standard driving
C Comfort For comfort driving
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.

163 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Manual shift program SL 55 AMG
In the manual shift program mode you can
change the gears manually on the steering
wheel (
page 160) or by using the gear
selector lever (
page 156).
Allow engine to warm up under low load
use. Do not place full load on the engine
until the operating temperature has been
reached. Shift into reverse gear only when
the vehicle is stopped.Program mode selector switch
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
S Sport For standard driving
C Comfort For comfort driving
MANUAL For manual gear shifting
The selected shift program (
C/S/M) is
indicated in the right multifunction display
(
page 127).Activating manual shift program

Press program mode selector
switch1 repeatedly until the
M for
manual shift program appears in the
right multifunction display.
The program mode switches to manual
program modeM. Automatic shifting is
switched off. The gear range is not
limited.
You can change the gears manually when
the gear selector lever is in positionD. You
can upshift or downshift through the gears
in succession.
The current gear selector lever position
and the selected shift program (
C/S/M) is
indicated in the right multifunction display
(
page 127).
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.