MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG 2005 R230 Owner's Manual

349 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
USA only:;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
Driving with this message displayed can re-
sult in an accident. Have your brake system
checked immediately. Do not add brake flu-
id before checking the brake system. Over-
filling the brake fluid reservoir can result in
spilling brake fluid on hot engine parts and
the brake fluid catching fire. You can be se-
riously burned.

350 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
USA only:;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.
USA only:;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 166).

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

Release the parking brake (
page 57).

351 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
?
Engine
Service
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 327).
B
Coolant
Check level
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 276).

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.

352 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, put 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.

353 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
•
Coolant
Stop, put 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.

354 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 malfunction
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 327).
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.

355 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 liter
engine oil
at next refueling
The engine oil level is too low.

Add engine oil (
page 274) and check the
engine oil level (page 272).
Engine oil level
Stop, put 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 274) and check the
engine oil level (page 272).
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.

356 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 specified in the
Factory Approved Service Products pam-
phlet.
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 272) and
add oil as required (
page 274).

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.

357 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 267).
Check
fuel cap
See Oper. Manual
A loss of pressure has been detect-
ed in the fuel system. The fuel cap
may not be closed properly or the
fuel system may be leaky.

Check the fuel cap (
page 267).
If it is not closed properly:

Close the fuel cap.
If it is closed properly:

Have the fuel system checked by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
K
Visit
workshop
The retractable hardtop is malfunc-
tioning.

Have the retractable hardtop checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
K
Lock
retractable 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 196).
O
Close hood
You are driving with the hood open.

Close the hood (
page 271).
I
Remove
key
You have forgotten to remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch.

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

Change the batteries (
page 377).

358 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
F
Key
Check battery
The batteries in the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* are discharged.

Change the batteries (
page 377).
Don’t forget
key
This message appears (for a maxi-
mum of 60 seconds) if the driver’s
door is opened with the engine shut
off and no SmartKey in the starter
switch.
Message is only a reminder.

Insert SmartKey in the starter switch.

Take the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with
you when leaving the vehicle.
KEYLESS GO
Check system
The KEYLESS-GO* system is mal-
functioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
KEYLESS-GO
Drive to
workshop
The KEYLESS-GO* system is mal-
functioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.