MERCEDES-BENZ SLR 2009 R199 Owner's Manual

331 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Transmission
Service
Required
The provided operating safety of the
automatic transmission is reduced.

Drive with added caution and have
the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.
Transmission
Shift To N
The transmission is in neutral although the
gear selector lever is not.

Move the gear selector lever to
neutral positionN.

332 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Symbol messagesLeft display
Right display
Possible cause/
consequence
Possible solution
<
Airbrake
Malfunction
The Airbrake locking mecha-
nism is malfunctioning.

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
immediately.
#
Battery/Alternator
Stop Car
The battery is malfunctioning.
The electro-hydraulic brake
system requires electrical
energy and therefore has only
limited operation. Considerably
greater brake pedal force is
required and the pedal travel is
longer. The stopping distance is
increased. If necessary, apply
full pressure to the brake pedal.

Stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so. Adjust
driving to be consistent with reduced braking
responsiveness.

Do not drive any further.

Call Roadside Assistance.

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
immediately.

333 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/
consequence
Possible solution
#
The battery is no longer
charging. Possible causes:

alternator malfunctioning


broken poly-V-belt
Do not forget that the brake
system requires electrical
energy and may be operating
with restricted capability.
Considerably greater brake
pedal force is required and the
pedal travel is longer. The stop-
ping distance is increased. If
necessary, apply full pressure
to the brake pedal.

Stop the vehicle immediately in a safe location and
check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:
Do not continue to drive. Otherwise, the engine will
overheat due to an inoperative water pump which
may result in damage to the engine. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If it is in order:

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center imme-
diately. Adjust driving to be consistent with reduced
braking responsiveness.

Read and observe additional messages in the
multifunction display.
The starter battery has been
charged with a battery charger
or jump started.

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
There is a malfunction in the
electronic system.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.

334 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Left display
Right display
Possible cause/
consequence
Possible solution
T
Reduced
Brake Effect
Depress brake
pedal fully.
The electro-hydraulic brake
system is in emergency opera-
tion mode. Considerably great-
er brake pedal force is required
and the pedal travel is longer.
The stopping distance is in-
creased. If necessary, apply full
pressure to the brake pedal.
The maximum speed is limited
to 55 mph (90 km/h).

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon as it is safe
to do so.

Apply the parking brake (
page 55).

Do not drive any further.

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away by blocking the
wheels with wheel chocks or other sizeable objects.

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
or

Call for Roadside Assistance.
Warning!
G
Driving while this message is displayed can
result in an accident. Have your brake
system checked immediately.
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!
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 373).

335 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/
consequence
Possible solution
;
(USA only)
3
(Canada only)
Check
Brake Fluid Level
Risk of accident!
There is insufficient brake fluid
in the reservoir.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon as
it is safe to do so.

Do not drive any further.

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Do not add brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the message
Check Brake
Fluid Level
displayed 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 engine 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.

336 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Left display
Right display
Possible cause/
consequence
Possible solution
;
(USA only)
3
(Canada only)
Reduced
Brake Effect
Service
Required
The electro-hydraulic
brake system is in emer-
gency operation mode.
Considerably greater
brake pedal force is
required and the pedal
travel is longer. The stop-
ping distance is in-
creased. If necessary,
apply full pressure to the
brake pedal.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon as it is
safe to do so.

Apply the parking brake (
page 55).

Do not drive any further.

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away by blocking the
wheels with wheel chocks or other sizeable objects.

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
or

Call for Roadside Assistance.
Increased
Stopping Distance
Service
Required
Warning!
G
Driving while these messages are displayed
can result in an accident. Have your brake
system checked immediately.
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!
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 373).

337 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/
consequence
Possible solution
;
(USA only)
3
(Canada only)
Reduced
Brake Effect
Start Engine
The battery has insufficient
voltage and cannot supply
sufficient power to the
electro-hydraulic brake system.
Considerably greater brake
pedal force is required and the
pedal travel is longer. The
stopping distance is increased.

Start the engine.
As soon as the engine is running, the message
disappears.
Increased
Stopping Distance
Start Engine
Warning!
G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide (CO), and inhaling it can cause
unconsciousness and possible death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated.

338 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Left display
Right display
Possible cause/
consequence
Possible solution
;
(USA only)
3
(Canada only)
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.

Use the engine’s braking power more frequent-
ly. Shift into a lower gear (
page 174).

Cautiously continue driving so that the air
stream will cool down the brakes.

The message disappears after driving carefully
for a few minutes.
Warning!
G
Overheating of the brake system will short-
en the service life of the brake disks. The
brake disks could fail. Have the brake disks
checked at an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

339 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/
consequence
Possible solution
;
(USA only)
3
(Canada only)
Brake
Service
Required
There are malfunctions, but the
electro-hydraulic brake system
is operating normally.

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
immediately.
Release
Parking Brake
You are driving with the parking
brake set.

Release the parking brake (
page 49).
2
Brake Wear
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.
Excessive load on the brake system causes in-
creased wear of brake pads and brake disks. If
the brake pads have to be replaced multiple
times within one maintenance service interval,
the brake disks must be checked. Observe the
information given in the Maintenance Booklet
and contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Warning!
G
Have brake pad replacement and other work
on the electro-hydraulic brake system car-
ried out by qualified technicians only. Con-
tact your Mercedes-Benz Center for further
information. The electro-hydraulic brake
system must be deactivated prior to working
on the system. High pressure is intermit-
tently built up in the system as part of its
automatic self-test. In addition, the system
is automatically activated when the vehicle
is unlocked by remote control, when the
driver or passenger door is opened, when
the SmartKey in the starter switch is turned
to position1, when the brake pedal is
depressed or when the parking brake is
released.
Failure to deactivate the system prior to
maintenance will cause brake pistons to
extend and brake fluid to leak, which may
result in injuries (contusions and acid
burns), see “Electro-hydraulic brake sys-
tem” (
page 87).

340 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Left display
Right display
Possible cause/
consequence
Possible solution
B
Top Up
Coolant
See Oper. Manual
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 255).
Comply with all warnings while doing so.

If you have to add coolant frequently, have the cooling
system checked by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
immediately.
•
The cooling fan for the coolant
is malfunctioning.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge in the instru-
ment cluster (
page 29).
If the coolant temperature is below 248°F (120°C), you
may continue driving to the nearest specialist workshop.

Avoid placing heavy loads on the engine (e.g. by driving
uphill) as well as stop-and-go traffic.

Have the fan replaced as soon as possible.
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 could be seriously burned.
!
Do not ignore the low engine coolant level
warning. Extended driving with the message and
symbol displayed may cause serious engine
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Do not drive without sufficient amount of coolant
in the cooling system. The engine will overheat
causing major engine damage.