check oil MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 2007 R230 Owner's Manual

ContentsOperation......................................... 257
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) ......... 258
Driving instructions ............................ 259
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 259
Drinking and driving ..................... 259
Pedals .......................................... 259
Power assistance ......................... 260
Brakes .......................................... 260
Driving off..................................... 262
Parking ......................................... 263
Tires ............................................. 263
Hydroplaning ................................ 264
Tire traction .................................. 265
Tire speed rating .......................... 265
Winter driving instructions ........... 266
Standing water ............................. 267
Passenger compartment .............. 268
Driving abroad .............................. 268
Control and operation of radio
transmitters.................................. 268
Catalytic converter ....................... 269
Emission control........................... 269
Coolant temperature .................... 270At the gas station .............................. 271
Refueling ...................................... 271
Check regularly and before a
long trip........................................ 272
Engine compartment ......................... 274
Hood ............................................ 274
Engine oil ..................................... 275
Transmission fluid level ................ 279
Oil level in the ABC system .......... 279
Coolant ........................................ 280
Battery ......................................... 281
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system ........... 282
Tires and wheels ................................ 283
Important guidelines .................... 283
Tire care and maintenance ........... 284
Direction of rotation ..................... 286
Loading the vehicle ...................... 286
Recommended tire inflation
pressure ....................................... 291
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 292
MOExtended system* .................. 301
Tire labeling.................................. 302
Load identification ....................... 306
DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) ............................................. 307Maximum tire load ....................... 308
Maximum tire inflation pressure .. 309
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) ............. 309
Tire ply material ........................... 311
Tire and loading terminology........ 312
Rotating tires ............................... 315
Winter driving .................................... 316
Winter tires .................................. 316
Block heater (Canada only) .......... 317
Snow chains................................. 318
Maintenance...................................... 319
Maintenance service indicator
message ...................................... 319
Calling up the maintenance
service indicator display .............. 320
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator .......................... 321
Vehicle care....................................... 322
Cleaning and care of the vehicle .. 322

23 At a glance
Exterior view
Item
Page
1
TrunkOpening the trunk
111
Closing the trunk
113
Spare wheel
388
Vehicle tool kit
388
2
Rear lamps
398
3
Rear window defroster
183
4
Fuel filler flap
271
Refueling
271
Gasoline
447
5
DoorsLocking and unlocking
102
Opening and closing
111
Locking/unlocking in an
emergency
391
6
Exterior rear view mirrorsAdjusting
48
Auto-dimming rear view
mirrors
180
Item
Page
7
Towing
421
Installing towing eye bolt
423
8
Tires and wheels
283
Checking tire inflation
pressure
292
Run Flat Indicator*
293
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
295
Advanced Tire Pressure
Monitoring System
(Advanced TPMS)*
298
General information
283
Flat tire
405
Vehicle tool kit
388
9
HoodOpening
274
Engine oil
275
Coolant
280,
449
Item
Page
a
Headlamp cleaning
system
180,
282
b
Front lamps
398
c
Windshield wipers
57
Wiper blades, replacing
403
Wiper blades, cleaning
326
d
WindshieldCleaning with wiper fluid
58
Cleaning
326
e
Retractable hardtopOpening/closing
199
Wind screen
204
Luggage cover
205
Sunshade for panorama
roof*
208

143 Controls in detail
Control system
Menus, submenus and functions
Table continued on next page.
Menu 1
Menu 2
Menu 3
Menu 4
Menu 5
Standard display
AMG
1
AUDIO
NAV
Distronic*
(page 145)
(page 146)
(page 149)
(page 151)
(page 151)
Commands/submenus
Digital speedome-
ter/Outside tempera-
ture
Engine oil temperature
Selecting radio station
Show route guidance
instructions, current
direction traveled
Calling up settings
Calling up maintenance
service indicator
Vehicle supply voltage
Selecting satellite radio
station
(USA only)
Checking tire inflation
pressure*
RACETIMER
Operating CD player
Checking engine oil lev-
el
Overall analysisLap analysis
1AMG vehicles only.

145 Controls in detail
Control system
Standard display menu
1Main odometer
2Outside temperature
3Current gear selector lever position
4Trip odometer
5Automatic transmission program mode 
Press button è or ÿ repeatedly
until you see the standard display
menu in the multifunction display.You can modify the standard display menu.
Instead of outside temperature 2, you
can choose the digital speedometer to be
displayed in the left multifunction display
by changing the setting in the
Select dis-
play
function of the
Inst. cluster
sub-
menu (
page 157).

Press button k or jto select
the functions in the standard display
menu.
The following functions are available:Display digital speedometer or outside
temperature

Press button k or juntil the
digital speedometer or, depending on
the chosen setting, the outside temper-
ature appears in the right multifunction
display.
Function
Page
Calling up digital speedometer
145
Calling up maintenance service
indicator
320
Checking tire inflation pressure
292
Checking engine oil level
276
i
If you have selected the digital speedometer
for the standard display (
page 157), select the
outside temperature display here.

249 Controls in detail
Useful features
Call priority
If other service calls such as a Roadside
Assistance call or Information call are ac-
tive, an Emergency call is still possible. In
this case, the Emergency call will take pri-
ority and override all other active calls.
!
If the indicator lamps do not start flashing
after pressing one of the buttons or remain illu-
minated (in red) at any time, the Tele Aid system
has detected a malfunction or the service is cur-
rently not active, and may not initiate a call. Visit
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center and have
the system checked or contact the Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada) as soon as possi-
ble.
i
The indicator lamp in the respective button
flashes until the call is concluded. Calls can only
be terminated by a Response Center or Custom-
er Assistance Center representative except
Roadside Assistance and Information calls,
which can also be terminated by pressing button
t on the multifunction steering wheel or the
respective button for ending a telephone call on
the COMAND headunit.
!
If the indicator lamp continues to flash or
the system does not reset, contact the Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or Mercedes-Benz
Customer Assistance at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Customer Ser-
vice at 1-800-387-0100 in Canada.
i
When a Tele Aid call has been initiated, the
COMAND system audio is muted and the select-
ed mode (radio or CD) pauses. The optional cel-
lular phone (if installed) switches off. If you must
use this phone, the vehicle must be parked. Dis-
connect the coiled cord and place the call. The
COMAND navigation system (if engaged) will
continue to run. The display in the instrument
cluster is available for use and spoken com-
mands are only available by pressing the RPT
button on the COMAND unit. A pop-up window
will appear in the COMAND display to indicate
that a Tele Aid call is in progress.

273 Operation
At the gas station
Coolant level
For information on checking the coolant
level, see “Coolant” (
page 280).
Engine oil level
For more information on checking the en-
gine oil level, see “Engine oil”
(
page 275).
Vehicle lighting
Check function and cleanliness. For more
information, see “Replacing bulbs”
(page 397).
Exterior lamp switch, see “Switching on
headlamps” (
page 55).
Tire inflation pressure
For information on checking the tire infla-
tion pressure, see “Checking tire inflation
pressure” (
page 292).

275 Operation
Engine compartment

Pull hood release1.
The hood is unlocked.
2Lever for opening the hood

Push lever2 on the hood upwards.

Pull up on the hood and then release it.
The hood will be automatically held
open at shoulder height by gas-filled
struts. Closing

Let the hood drop from a height of ap-
proximately 1
1/2ft (50 cm).
The hood will lock audibly.

Check to make sure the hood is fully
closed.
If you can raise the hood at a point
above the headlamps, then it is not
properly closed. Open it again and let it
drop with somewhat greater force.
Engine oil
The amount of oil your engine needs will
depend on a number of factors, including
driving style. Higher oil consumption can
occur when

the vehicle is new


the vehicle is driven frequently at
higher engine speeds
Engine oil consumption checks should only
be made after the vehicle break-in period.
!
To avoid damage to the windshield wipers or
hood, never open the hood if the wiper arms are
folded forward away from the windshield.
Warning!
G
When closing the hood, use extreme caution
not to catch hand or fingers. Be careful that
you do not close the hood on anyone.
Make sure the hood is securely engaged be-
fore driving. Do not continue driving if the
hood can no longer engage after an accident
for example. The hood could otherwise
come loose while the vehicle is in motion
and injure you and/or others.
i
Do not use any special lubricant additives,
as these may damage the drive assemblies. Us-
ing special additives not approved by
Mercedes-Benz may cause damage not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty. More
information on this subject is available at any
Mercedes-Benz Center.

276 OperationEngine compartmentChecking engine oil level with the
control system
When checking the oil level

the vehicle must be parked on level
ground


with the engine at operating tempera-
ture, the vehicle must have been sta-
tionary for at least 5 minutes with the
engine turned off


with the engine not at operating tem-
perature, the vehicle must have been
stationary for at least 30 minutes with
the engine turned off

Switch on the ignition (
page 39).
The standard display (
page 139)
should appear in the multifunction dis-
play.

Press buttonk orj on the
steering wheel until the following
message appears in the multifunction
displays:One of the following messages will
subsequently appear in the right multi-
function display:


Engine oil level
OK


Add 1.0 qt.
to reach max.
oil level(Canada:
1.0 l
)


Add 1.5 qts.
to reach max.
oil level(Canada:
1.5 l
)


Add 2.0 qts.
to reach max.
oil level(Canada:
2.0 l
)
i
If you want to interrupt the checking proce-
dure, press thek orj button on the
multifunction steering wheel.

277 Operation
Engine compartment

If necessary, add engine oil.
For information on adding engine oil, see
(
page 278).
For more information on engine oil, see the
“Technical data” section (
page 444) and
(
page 446).
Other display messages
If the SmartKey or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button is not in position2, the
following message will appear:
Turn ignition on to
measure engine
oil level
Switch on the ignition (
page 39).If you see the message:
Observe
waiting time
If the engine is at operating tempera-
ture, wait 5 minutes before repeating
the check procedure.

If the engine is not at operating temper-
ature yet, wait 30 minutes before re-
peating the check procedure.
If you see the message:
Engine oil level
Not when
engine on
Turn off the engine.

If the engine is at operating tempera-
ture, wait 5 minutes before checking
oil.

If the engine is at operating tempera-
ture yet, you must wait 30 minutes be-
fore checking oil.If there is excess engine oil with the engine
at normal operating temperature, the
following message will appear:
Engine oil level
Reduce
oil level
Have excess oil siphoned or drained
off. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
For more information on messages in the
display concerning engine oil, see the
“Practical hints” section (
page 375).
!
Excess oil must be siphoned or drained off.
It could cause damage to the engine and catalyt-
ic converter not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

278 OperationEngine compartmentChecking engine oil level with the oil
dipstick (SL 550 only)
When checking the oil level

the vehicle must be parked on level
ground


the vehicle must have been stationary
for at least 5 minutes with the engine
turned off
1Oil dipstick
2Upper mark
3Lower mark

Open the hood (
page 274).

Pull out oil dipstick 1.

Wipe oil dipstick 1 clean.

Fully insert oil dipstick 1 into the dip-
stick guide tube.

Pull out oil dipstick 1 again after ap-
proximately 3 seconds to obtain accu-
rate reading.
The oil level is correct when it is be-
tween lower mark 3 (min.) and upper
mark 2 (max.) of the oil dipstick.

If necessary, add engine
oil (
page 278).
For more information on engine oil, see
“Technical data” section (
page 444) and
(
page 446).
For information on messages in the multi-
function display concerning engine oil, see
the “Practical hints” section (
page 375).Adding engine oil
i
In vehicles without an oil dipstick, the engine
oil level is measured via the control
system (
page 276).
i
The filling quantity between the upper and
lower marks on the oil dipstick is approximately
2.1 US qt. (2.0 l).
!
Only use approved engine oils and oil filters
required for vehicles with Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada vehicles). For a
listing of approved engine oils and oil filters, re-
fer to the Factory Approved Service Products
pamphlet in your vehicle literature portfolio, or
contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Using engine oils and oil filters of specification
other than those expressly required for the Main-
tenance System (U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada
vehicles), or changing of oil and oil filter at
change intervals longer than those called for by
the Maintenance System (U.S. vehicles) or FSS
(Canada vehicles) will result in engine or emis-
sion control system damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.