time MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 2007 R230 Owner's Manual

Our company and staff congratulate you
on the purchase of your new
Mercedes-Benz.
Your selection of our product is a demon-
stration of your trust in our company
name. Furthermore, it exemplifies your de-
sire to own an automobile that will be as
easy as possible to operate and provide
years of service.
Your Mercedes-Benz represents the ef-
forts of many skilled engineers and crafts-
men. To help assure your driving pleasure,
and also the safety of you and your passen-
gers, we ask you to make a small invest-
ment of time:


Please read this manual carefully, then
return it to your vehicle where it will be
handy for your reference.


Please follow the recommendations
contained in this manual. They are de-
signed to acquaint you with the opera-
tion of your Mercedes-Benz.


Please pay attention to the warnings
and cautions contained in this manual.
They are designed to help improve the
safety of the vehicle operator and oc-
cupants.
We extend our best wishes for many miles
of safe, pleasurable driving.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
A DaimlerChrysler Company

11 Introduction
Operator’s Manual
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of Mercedes-Benz automobiles
Under California law you may be entitled to
a replacement of your vehicle or a refund
of the purchase price or lease price, if
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC and / or its au-
thorized repair or service facilities fail to fix
one or more substantial defects or mal-
functions in the vehicle that are covered by
its express warranty after a reasonable
number of repair attempts. During the pe-
riod of 18 months from original delivery of
the vehicle or the accumulation of
18 000 miles (approx. 29 000 km) on the
odometer of the vehicle, whichever occurs
first, a reasonable number of repair at-
tempts is presumed for a retail buyer or
lessee if one or more of the following oc-
curs: (1) the same substantial defect or mal-
function results in a condition that is
likely to cause death or serious bodily
injury if the vehicle is driven, that de-
fect or malfunction has been subject to
repair two or more times, and you have
directly notified Mercedes-Benz USA,
LLC in writing of the need for its repair,
(2) the same substantial defect or mal-
function of a less serious nature than
category (1) has been subject to repair
four or more times and you have direct-
ly notified us in writing of the need for
its repair, or(3) the vehicle is out of service by reason
of repair of the same or different sub-
stantial defects or malfunctions for a
cumulative total of more than
30 calendar days.
Written notification should be sent to us,
not a dealer, at Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC,
Customer Assistance Center, One
Mercedes Drive, Montvale, NJ
07645-0350.

38 Getting startedThe “Getting started” section provides an
overview of the vehicle’s most basic func-
tions. First-time Mercedes-Benz owners
should pay special attention to the infor-
mation given here.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions described here, the “Controls in
detail” section will provide you with further
information. The corresponding page refer-
ences are located at the end of each seg-
ment.Unlocking
Unlocking with the SmartKeySmartKey with remote control1‹Lock button
2ŠUnlock button for trunk lid
3ŒUnlock button
4ÂPanic button
Press unlock button Πon the
SmartKey.
All turn signal lamps flash once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The anti-theft alarm system is dis-
armed.
The electro-hydraulic brake system is
activated.

Enter the vehicle and insert the
SmartKey in the starter switch.
For more information, see “SmartKey”
(
page 102).Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.i
Opening a door causes the windows on that
side of the car to open slightly. They will return to
the up-position when the door is closed.

50 Getting startedDriving
1Seat belt housing
2Latch plate
3Buckle
4Release button

With a smooth motion, pull the belt
from seat belt housing1.

Place the shoulder portion of the belt
across the top of your shoulder and the
lap portion across your hips.

Push latch plate2 into buckle3 until
it clicks.

If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.

To release the seat belt, press release
button4 and guide latch plate back to
seat belt housing1.
Warning!
G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly re-
strained with a separate seat belt. Never use
a seat belt for more than one person at a
time.Warning!
G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belt provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and the
belt is properly positioned on the body.
Warning!
G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices in the “Safety and Security” section
(page 77).

51 Getting started
Driving
Proper use of seat belts

Do not twist the belt when fastening.


Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the belt under your
arm.


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.


Place the seat backrest in a nearly up-
right position.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.


Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant or toddler restraints or children
in booster seats, always follow the
child seat manufacturer’s instructions


Check your seat belt during travel to
make sure that it is properly
positioned.


Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.
Warning!
G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash, they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

56 Getting startedDrivingHigh beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1High beam
2High beam flasher
Push the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow 1.
The high beam headlamps come on.
The high beam headlamp indicator
A in the instrument cluster comes
on (
page 29).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 128).
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow1 or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lampKorLin the instrument
cluster flashes (
page 27).The combination switch resets automati-
cally after major steering wheel move-
ments.
i
To signal minor directional changes such as
changing lanes, press combination switch only
to point of resistance and release. The corre-
sponding turn signals will flash three times.

58 Getting startedDrivingSingle wipe
Press the combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow2 to the resistance
point.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.Wiping with windshield washer fluid

Push the combination switch in direc-
tion of arrow2 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 282).
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 positionD or R
or


the wiper setting is changed using the com-
bination switch
i
To prevent smears on the windshield, wipe
with windshield washer fluid every now and then
even when it is raining.
!
If anything blocks the windshield wipers
(leaves, snow, etc.), switch them off immediate-
ly.


For safety reasons, stop the vehicle in a safe
location and

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch
or


turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button and
open the driver’s door (with the driver’s
door open, the starter switch is in posi-
tion 0, same as with the SmartKey re-
moved from the starter switch)
before attempting to remove any blockage.


Remove blockage.


Turn the windshield wipers on again.
If the windshield wipers fail to function at all in
switch positionI,


set the combination switch to the next high-
er wiper speed


have the windshield wipers checked at the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz Center


63 Getting started
Parking and locking
Locking

Exit the vehicle and close the doors and
the trunk.Locking with the SmartKey

Press the lock button‹on the
SmartKey (
page 38).
With the trunk and all doors closed, all
turn signal lamps flash three times. The
locking knobs on the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 102).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure that there
is no possibility of someone getting caught
in a door during closing.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to turn off the headlamps.
In addition the message
Turn off lights
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps.
i
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: A warning sig-
nal and the message
Don’t forget your key

remind you not to leave the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* in the vehicle.
i
Opening a door causes the windows on that
side of the car to open slightly. They will return to
the closed position when the door is closed.

64 Getting startedParking and lockingLocking with KEYLESS-GO*
1Lock button
Press lock button1 on a door handle
or the lock button on the trunk lid
(page 110).
With the trunk and all doors closed, the
turn signal lamps flash three times. The
locking knobs on the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 102).

70 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and
air bag
i
Air bags are designed to activate only in cer-
tain frontal impacts (front air bags, driver-side
knee bag) and side impacts (head-thorax air
bags) which exceed preset thresholds. Only dur-
ing these events, will they provide their supple-
mental protection.
The driver and passenger should always wear
their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible for
the air bags to provide their intended supple-
mental protection.
In case of other types of impacts and impacts be-
low air bag deployment thresholds, air bags will
not deploy. The driver and passenger will then be
protected to the extent possible by a properly
fastened seat belt. A properly fastened seat belt
is also needed to provide the best possible pro-
tection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
air bags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of your pas-
senger that you replace deployed air bags and
repair any malfunctioning air bags to make sure
that the vehicle will continue to provide supple-
mental crash protection for occupants.
Warning!
G


Damaged seat belts or belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced and their anchoring points
must also be checked. Only use belts in-
stalled or supplied by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Air bags and pyrotechnic emergency
tensioning devices (ETDs) are designed
to function on a one-time-only basis. An
air bag or ETD that has deployed must
be replaced.


Do not pass belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.


Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the belts.


No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or
removing any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges, etc. over the steering
wheel hub, passenger front air bag cov-
er, door frame trims, or door trim pan-
els, and installation of additional
electrical /electronic equipment on or
near SRS components and wiring. Keep
area between air bags and occupants
free from objects (e.g. packages, purs-
es, umbrellas, etc.).


Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash,
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.


Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.