Esp switch MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG 2004 R230 Owner's Guide

177 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated af-
ter approximately 6 to 17 minutes of oper-
ation depending on the outside
temperature.
Activating
Press button F (
page 171).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating

Press button F (
page 171) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.!The rear window defroster cannot be
switched on when the retractable hard-
top is open. The indicator lamp will
start flashing if the hardtop is open.

Close the retractable hardtop.
The rear window defroster can again be
turned on.
!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts flashing, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically turns itself back on.

181 Controls in detail
Power windows
Power windows
Opening and closing the windows
The side windows can be opened and
closed electrically. The switches for all the
side windows are on the driver’s door. The
switch for the passenger side is on the pas-
senger door.
1Left front and rear windows
2Right front and rear windows

Switch on ignition.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being injured
by the closing procedure.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if the switch was pulled past the resistance
point and released, by either pressing or
pulling the respective switch.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you pulled the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the window,
the automatic reversal function will stop the
window and open it slightly.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the window by pulling and
holding the switch, by pressing and holding
button
‹
on the SmartKey,
or by pressing and holding the lock button
(vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*) on the door
handle, the automatic reversal function will
not operate.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, and
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment can cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.iYou can also open or close the win-
dows using the , button on the
control panel of the automatic climate
control (
page 175).

182 Controls in detailPower windowsOpening the windows
Press switch1 or2 to the resistance
point.
The corresponding window will move
downwards until you release the
switch.
Opening the rear windows if the hardtop
is closed:

Open the front window.

Press switch1 or 2 to the resistance
point again.
The corresponding rear window will
open completely.Closing the windows

Pull switch1 or2 to the resistance
point.
The corresponding window will move
upwards until you release the switch.
Closing the rear windows if the hardtop
is closed:

Close the front window.

Pull switch1 or 2 to the resistance
point again.
The corresponding rear window will
close completely.Fully opening the windows
(Express-open)

Press switch1 or2 past the resis-
tance point and release.
The corresponding window opens com-
pletely.
Fully closing the windows
(Express-close)

Pull switch1 or2 past the resis-
tance point and release.
The corresponding window closes com-
pletely.
If the upward movement of the window is
blocked during the closing procedure, the
window will stop and open slightly.
iIf the hardtop is open, the respective
rear window will open automatically as
soon as the front window is completely
open.
Warning
G
If you pull and hold the switch up when clos-
ing the window, and upward movement of
the window is blocked by some obstruction
including but not limited to arms, hands, fin-
gers, etc., the automatic reversal will not op-
erate.
iIf the hardtop is open, the respective
rear window will open automatically as
soon as the front window is completely
open.

183 Controls in detail
Power windows
Stopping windows
Press or pull the respective switch
again.
Closing the windows with the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*

Press and hold lock button at door
(page 55) until the side windows are
closed.
Synchronizing power windows
The power window must be resynchro-
nized each time

after the battery has been disconnect-
ed


if the power windows cannot be fully
opened (Express-open) or closed
(Express-close)
Synchronizing the power windows

Switch on ignition.

Pull the power window switches until
the side windows are closed.
Hold the switches for approximately
one second.
The power windows are synchronized.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
The windows will not automatically re-open
if blocked during convenience closing.
If potential danger exists, proceed as fol-
lows:

Release the lock button.


Pull on the door handle and hold firmly.
The side windows open for as long as
the door handle is held but the door not
opened.

197 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Warning!
G
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account. Only use Distronic if
the weather and traffic conditions make it
advisable to travel at a steady speed.Warning!
G
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on slip-
pery roads. Rapid changes in tire traction
can result in wheel spin and loss of control.
Distronic does not act upon adverse sight
distance conditions. Do not use Distronic
during conditions of fog and heavy rain,
snow or sleet.
Warning!
G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not Distronic is activated.
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on wind-
ing roads or in heavy traffic because condi-
tions do not allow safe driving at a steady
speed.
Distronic will not react to stationary objects
in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehicle in a
traffic jam or a disabled vehicle). Distronic
will also not respond to oncoming vehicles.
Switch off Distronic:

when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly
in the left lane


when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp


in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, Distronic will continue to
maintain the set speed unless deactivated.
Distronic is designed and intended only to
maintain a set speed and keep a set dis-
tance from moving objects in front of it.Warning!
G
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

200 Controls in detailDriving systemsDistronic activated
When Distronic is activated the DTR sym-
bol and the set speed are seen in the left
display.
1Symbol for activated Distronic
2Set speedCruise control lever
The Distronic system is operated by means
of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column.
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Deactivate Distronic
4Resume at last set speedActivating Distronic
You can activate Distronic if


you are driving between 25 mph
(40 km/h) and 110 mph (180 km/h)


the ESP is activated (
page 78)
When Distronic is activated the speedome-
ter display will show a message such as
DTR 60 mph
.
If Distronic is deactivated, the speedome-
ter display will show the message
DTR --- mph
.
In the following cases you cannot activate
Distronic:


up to two minutes after starting the en-
gine


when you brake


if you have set the parking brake


if the gear selector lever is in
positionP, R, or N.


if the ESP is switched off

203 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic deactivates automatically when

you set the parking brake


you drive slower than 25 mph
(40 km/h)


the ESP is active (
page 78) or you de-
activate the ESP


You move the gear selector lever into
positionN.
A signal will sound. The
DTR off
mes-
sage appears in the speedometer dis-
play for approximately five seconds.Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following for Dis-
tronic by varying the time setting between
1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using this time set-
ting and the current speed of your vehicle,
Distronic calculates and sets the required
following distance to the vehicle ahead.
The set distance will be shown in the
speedometer display field.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.1Distance warning function on/off
switch
2Thumbwheel for setting distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting tells Dis-
tronic to maintain a greater following dis-
tance to the vehicle ahead.

Turn thumbwheel2 towards ¯.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of 25 mph (40 km / h)
by operation of the system. At that time the
driver must apply the brakes in order to re-
duce vehicle speed further or bring it to a
stop.
Warning!
G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.

204 Controls in detailDriving systemsDecreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting tells Dis-
tronic to maintain a smaller following dis-
tance to the vehicle ahead.
Turn thumbwheel2 towards ®.
Distance warning function
When Distronic is deactivated, this func-
tion will continue to warn you if you are fol-
lowing too close to the vehicle ahead:


The DTR warning lamp E comes on
red.


An intermittent warning will sound if
necessary.
If these warnings are issued, you must
brake manually to maintain a safe distance
and avoid a collision with the vehicle
ahead.Activating

Press switch1.
The indicator lamp on the switch
comes on. A loudspeaker symbol ap-
pears in the speedometer display
(page 199).
Deactivating

Press switch1.
The indicator lamp on the switch goes
out. No loudspeaker symbol appears in
the speedometer display.
Warning!
G
If the DTR warning lamp (red)
E
in the
speedometer dial comes on while driving
and/or an intermittent warning sounds, im-
mediate attention on the part of the driver is
required.
As required by the traffic situation, apply the
brakes and navigate around a possible ob-
stacle. However, do not drive by relying on
the distance warning function, as this will re-
sult in an emergency braking application.
Especially depending on road surface condi-
tions and driver reaction, this will not always
enable you to avoid a collision.
iComplex driving situations are not al-
ways fully recognized by Distronic. This
could result in wrong or missing dis-
tance warnings.

205 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving with Distronic
This section describes a number of driving
situations where special precaution is re-
quired on the part of the driver. Be pre-
pared to brake in such situations. This will
deactivate the Distronic system.The most likely cause for a malfunctioning
system is a dirty sensor (located behind
the hood grille), especially at times of snow
and ice or heavy rain. In such a case, Dis-
tronic will switch off, and the message
Distronic Currently unavailable! See
Oper’s Man.
appears in the multifunction
display.
For cleaning and care of the Distronic sen-
sor, see “Cleaning the Distronic* system
sensor cover” (page 277).
Warning!
G
Distronic works to maintain the speed se-
lected by the driver unless a moving obsta-
cle proceeding directly ahead of it in the
same travel direction is detected (e.g. fol-
lowing another vehicle ahead of you at a dis-
tance set by Distronic). This means that:

Your vehicle can pass another vehicle
after you change lanes.


While in a sharp turn or if the vehicle in
front is in a sharp turn, Distronic could
lose sight of a vehicle traveling in front
of it. Your vehicle could then accelerate
to the previously selected speed.
Distronic regulates only the distance be-
tween your vehicle and those directly ahead
of it, but does not register stationary objects
in the road, e.g.:

a stopped vehicle in a traffic jam


a disabled vehicle


an oncoming vehicle
The driver must always be on the alert, ob-
serve all traffic and intercede as required by
steering or braking the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Distronic should not be used in snowy or icy
road conditions.

210 Controls in detailDriving systemsParktronic* (Parking assist)
The Parktronic system is an electronic aid
designed to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers. It visually and audibly indi-
cates the relative distance between the
vehicle and an obstacle.
The Parktronic system is automatically ac-
tivated when you switch on the ignition
and release the parking brake. The Park-
tronic system deactivates at speeds above
11 mph (18 km/h). At lower speeds the
Parktronic system turns on again.The Parktronic system monitors the sur-
roundings of your vehicle with six sensors
in the front bumper and four sensors in the
rear bumper.
1Sensors in the front bumperWarning!
G
Parktronic is a supplemental system. It is
not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always rests with the driver.
Special attention must be paid to objects
with smooth surfaces or low silhouettes
(e.g. trailer couplings, painted posts, or road
curbs). Such objects may not be detected by
the system and can damage the vehicle.
The operational function of the Parktronic
system can be affected by dirty sensors, es-
pecially at times of snow and ice. See
“Cleaning the Parktronic* system sensors”
(page 277).
Interference caused by other ultrasonic sig-
nals (e.g. working jackhammers or the air
brakes of trucks) can cause the system to
send erratic indications, and should be tak-
en into consideration.
Warning!
G
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the area in which you are maneuvering. Oth-
erwise you run the risk of causing injury.