MERCEDES-BENZ SL65AMG 2006 R230 Owner's Manual

360 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
#
Visit
workshop!
There is a malfunction in the elec-
tronic system.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
Convenience functions
Temporarily
Unavailable
The consumer battery has insuffi-
cient voltage and can no longer sup-
ply the convenience functions such
as seat ventilation*.
The electrical consumers will come back online
as soon as on-board voltage is sufficient.
2
Brake
wear
Visit
workshop
The brake pads have reached their
wear limit.

Have the brake pads replaced as soon as pos-
sible.
!Brake pad thickness must be visually
checked by a qualified technician at the
intervals specified in the Maintenance
Booklet.

361 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
T
Reduced
braking power!
Depress brake
pedal fully!
The electro-hydraulic brake system
is in emergency operation mode.
Considerably greater brake pedal
force is required and the stopping
distance is increased.
The maximum speed is limited to
55 mph (90 km/h).

Do not drive any further.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away by
blocking the wheels with wheel chocks or oth-
er sizable objects.

Call for Roadside Assistance.
USA only:;Canada only:3
Reduced
brake effect
Start engine
The battery has insufficient voltage
and cannot supply sufficient power
to the electro-hydraulic brake sys-
tem.

Start the engine.
The message disappears when sufficient
voltage is available.
Warning!
G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide, and inhaling it can cause uncon-
sciousness and lead to death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated.

362 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
USA only:;Canada only:3
Reduced
brake effect
Visit
workshop
The electro-hydraulic brake system
is in emergency operation mode.
Considerable brake pedal force is
required and the stopping distance
is increased.

Continue driving with added caution.

Adjust driving to be consistent with reduced
braking responsiveness.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center im-
mediately. Adjust driving to be consistent
with reduced braking responsiveness.
Warning!
G
Driving while this message is displayed can
result in an accident. Have your brake sys-
tem checked immediately.
If there is a malfunction in the
electro-hydraulic brake system, we recom-
mend that the vehicle be transported with
all wheels off the ground using flatbed or ap-
propriate 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 421).
If the electro-hydraulic brake system enters
its emergency operation mode, the driver
must apply significantly greater brake pedal
pressure and depress the pedal much fur-
ther 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!

363 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
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 in a safe lo-
cation or as soon as it is safe to do so and no-
tify an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. Do
not add brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the message
Brake fluid
below min level Visit workshop
dis-
played can result in an accident. Have your
brake system checked immediately. Do not
add brake fluid before checking the brake
system. Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir
can result in spilling brake fluid on hot en-
gine parts and the brake fluid catching fire.
You can be seriously burned.
!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.

364 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
USA only:;Canada only:3
Service brake
Visit
workshop
There are malfunctions, but the
electro-hydraulic brake system is
operating normally.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
Brakes overheated
Drive on, but with
even greater care
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 169).

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 59).

365 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
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 335).
B
Coolant
Check level
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 278).

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.

366 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/consequence
Possible solution
•
Coolant
Stop, put engine off!
The coolant is too hot.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location 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.

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

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so and immediately turn off
the engine.

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.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge in the
instrument cluster (
page 25).

Drive immediately to the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

368 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
•
Coolant
Visit
workshop
The cooling fan for the coolant is
malfunctioning.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge.

Have the fan replaced as soon as possible.
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 335).

369 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
J
Door open
You are attempting to drive with
one or more doors open.

Close the doors.
_
Entry position
Do not drive
The steering wheel has not yet
moved into its preset driving posi-
tion.

Wait until the steering wheel has moved to its
driving positions.
The message disappears.
N
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 276) and check the
engine oil level (page 274).
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 276) and check the
engine oil level (page 274).
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.