MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 2004 R230 Owner's Manual

300 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
Except Canada:;Canada only:3
Reduced
brake effect
Visit workshop!
The SBC brake system is in emer-
gency operation mode. Consider-
able brake pedal force is required
and the stopping distance is in-
creased.

Continue driving with added caution.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center im-
mediately. Adjust driving to be consistent
with reduced braking responsiveness.
Increased
braking distance
Visit
workshop!
Warning!
G
Driving while these messages are displayed
can result in an accident. Have your brake
system checked immediately.
If there is a malfunction in the SBC brake
system, we recommend that the vehicle be
transported with all wheels off the ground
using flatbed or appropriate wheel lift/dolly
equipment.
A tow bar must be used if circumstances do
not permit the use of the recommended
towing methods and the vehicle requires
towing with all four wheels on the ground.
Towing the vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is only permissible for distances
up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a speed not to
exceed 30 mph (50 km/h). For more infor-
mation, see “Towing the vehicle”
(page 365).
If the SBC brake system enters its emergen-
cy operation mode, the driver must apply
significantly greater brake pedal pressure
and depress the pedal much further than
normal to obtain braking effect.
If necessary, apply full pressure to the brake
pedal. Brakes are only applied to the front
wheels. Stopping distance is increased!

301 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
Except Canada:;Canada only:3
Brake fluid
below min. level!
Visit
workshop!
There is insufficient brake fluid in
the reservoir.

Risk of accident! Stop the vehicle as soon as
it is safe to do so and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not add brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
!If you find that the brake fluid in the
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the
minimum mark or below, have the
brake system checked for brake pad
thickness and leaks.
Warning
G
Low brake fluid in the reservoir may cause
the braking system to fail!
If necessary, apply full pressure to the brake
pedal. Brakes are only applied to the front
wheels. Stopping distance is increased!
Low brake fluid in the reservoir may cause
the braking system to fail!
Do not add brake fluid before checking the
brake system. Overfilling the brake fluid res-
ervoir can result in spilling brake fluid on hot
engine parts and the brake fluid catching
fire. You can be seriously burned.

302 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
Except Canada:;Canada only:3
Service brake
Visit
workshop!
There are malfunctions, but the SBC
brake system is operating normally.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
Except Canada:;Canada only:3
Brakes overheated!
Drive carefully!
The brake system is overheated due
to an excessive load on the brakes.

Relieve the load on the brake system.

Drive more smoothly and think ahead to avoid
unnecessary braking.

When driving down steep grades, shift into a
lower gear to use the engine’s braking power
(page 157).

Cautiously continue driving so that the air
stream will cool down the brakes.
Except Canada:;Canada only:!
Release
parking brake!
You are driving with the parking
brake set.

Release the parking brake (
page 52).

303 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
?
Visit workshop!
There may be a malfunction in the

fuel injection system


ignition system


exhaust system


fuel system

Have the engine checked as soon as possible
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
(page 285).
B
Coolant
Check level!
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 258).

If you have to add coolant frequently, have the
cooling system checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine parts.
Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which
may burn if it comes into contact with hot
engine parts. You can be seriously burned.
!Do not ignore the low engine coolant
level warning. Extended driving with
this message and symbol displayed
may cause serious engine damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty. Do not drive without suffi-
cient amount of coolant in the cooling
system. The engine will overheat, caus-
ing major engine damage.

304 Practical hintsWhat to do if …
During severe operating conditions, e.g.
stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tempera-
ture may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
•
Coolant
Stop, engine off!
The coolant is too hot.

Stop the vehicle and turn off the engine.

Only start the engine again after the message
disappears. You could otherwise damage the
engine.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly overheat-
ed can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns and can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.
!The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious
engine damage which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

305 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
•
Coolant
Stop, engine off!
The poly-V-belt could be broken.

Stop immediately and check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:

Do not continue to drive. Otherwise, the en-
gine will overheat due to an inoperative water
pump which may result in damage to the en-
gine. Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If it is intact:

Do not continue to drive with this message
displayed. Doing so could result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
•
Coolant
Visit
workshop!
The cooling fan for the coolant is
malfunctioning.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge.

Have the fan replaced as soon as possible.

306 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
G
Display malfunction
Visit
workshop!
The displays for several systems
have malfunctioned. Some systems
themselves may also have malfunc-
tioned.

Continue driving with added caution.
When the display is malfunctioning, warnings
and malfunction messages might not be dis-
played.

Have the electronic systems checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
±
Display defective
Visit workshop!
Certain electronic systems are un-
able to relay information to the con-
trol system. The following systems
may have failed:

Coolant temperature gauge


Tachometer


Cruise control display

Have the electronic systems checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
(page 285).
J
Door open!
You are attempting to drive with
one or more doors open.

Close the doors.
_
Entry position
Do not drive!
Seat, mirrors and steering wheel
have not yet moved into their preset
driving positions.

Wait until the seat, mirrors and steering wheel
have moved to their driving positions.
The message disappears.

307 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
:
USA only:Add 1 qt engine oil
at next refuelingCanada only:Add 1 l engine oil
at next refueling
The engine oil level is too low.

Add engine oil (
page 257) and check the
engine oil level (page 255).
Engine oil level
Stop, engine off!
There is no oil in the engine. There
is a danger of engine damage.

Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt as soon as
possible.

Turn off the engine.

Add engine oil (
page 257) and check the
engine oil level (page 255).
Engine oil level
Reduce oil level!
You have added too much engine
oil. There is a risk of damaging the
engine or the catalytic converter.

Have excess oil siphoned or drained off. Ob-
serve all legal requirements with respect to its
disposal.

308 Practical hintsWhat to do if …When the message
Add 1 qt engine oil
at next refueling (Canada:
1l
) appears
while the engine is running and at
operating temperature, the engine oil level
has dropped to approximately the
minimum level.When this occurs, the warning will first
come on intermittently and then stay on if
the oil level drops further.
If no oil leaks are noted, continue to drive
to the nearest service station where the
engine oil should be topped to the required
level with an approved oil.
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Suggested solution
:
Engine oil
Visit workshop!
It may be that there is water in the
engine oil.

Have the engine oil checked.
Engine oil level
Visit workshop!
The engine oil has dropped to a crit-
ical level.

Check the engine oil level (
page 255) and
add oil as required (
page 257).

If you must add engine oil frequently, have the
engine checked for possible leaks.
The measuring system is malfunc-
tioning.

Have the measuring system checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!The engine oil level warnings should
not be ignored. Extended driving with
the symbol displayed could result in
serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

309 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
A
Reserve fuel
The fuel level has dropped below
the reserve mark.

Refuel at the next gas station (
page 250).
Check
gas cap!
See Oper’s Man.
The fuel cap is not closed tightly.

Check the fuel cap (
page 250).
K
Visit
workshop!
The retractable hardtop is malfunc-
tioning.

Have the retractable hardtop checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
K
Lock
Vario-Roof
The retractable hardtop is not
locked properly.

Push or pull on the retractable hardtop switch
until the indicator lamp in the switch goes out
and the retractable hardtop is completely
open or closed (
page 184).
O
Close hood!
You are driving with the hood open.

Close the hood (
page 254).
I
Remove
key!
You have forgotten to remove the
SmartKey.

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Replace
key!
The batteries in the SmartKey are
discharged.

Change the batteries (
page 328).