check engine MERCEDES-BENZ SL-Class 2016 R231 Owner's Guide

iIf you are driving with the fuel filler cap
open, the 8reserve fuel warning lamp
flashes. The ;Check Engine warning
lamp may also light up. A message appears
in the multifunction display (
Ypage 258).
For further information on warning and indi- cator lamps in the instrument cluster, see
(
Ypage 278).
170Refueling
Driving and parking

!Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately, but
drive on for a short while. This allows the air-
flow to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads
If you have driven for a long time in heavy rain
without braking, there may be a delayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after the vehicle has been washed or driven through deep water.
You then have to depress the brake pedal
more firmly. Maintain a greater distance from
the vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehi- cle washed, brake firmly while paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm up
the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protecting them against corro-
sion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads
If you drive on salted roads, a layer of salt
residue may form on the brake discs and
brake pads. This can result in a significantly
longer braking distance.
RBrake occasionally to remove any possible
salt residue. Make sure that you do not
endanger other road users when doing so.
RCarefully depress the brake pedal and the
beginning and end of a journey.
RMaintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead.
Servicing the brakes
!If the brake warning lamp lights up in the
instrument cluster and you hear a warning
tone even though the parking brake has
been released, the brake fluid level may be too low. Observe additional warning mes-
sages in the multifunction display.
The brake fluid level may be too low due to
brake pad wear or leaking brake lines.
Have the brake system checked immedi-
ately. This work should be carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
!As the ESP®system operates automati-
cally, the engine and the ignition system
must be switched off (SmartKey in position
0 or 1in the ignition lock or Start/Stop
button in position 0or 1) when:
Rtesting the parking brake on a brake
dynamometer.
Ryou intend to have the vehicle towed with
the front axle raised.
Braking maneuvers triggered automatically by ESP
®may seriously damage the brake
system.
All checks and maintenance work on the
brake system must be carried out at a quali-
fied specialist workshop.
Have brake pads installed and brake fluid
replaced at a qualified specialist workshop.
If the brake system has only been subject to
moderate loads, you should test the function-
ality of your brakes at regular intervals.
Information on BAS (Brake Assist)
(
Ypage 72).
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only
have brake pads/linings installed on your
vehicle which have been approved for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles or which correspond
to an equivalent quality standard. Brake
pads/linings which have not been approved
for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or which are not
of an equivalent quality could affect your vehi-
cle's operating safety.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only
use brake fluid that has been specially
approved for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz,
or which corresponds to an equivalent quality
standard. Brake fluid which has not been
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
Driving tips177
Driving and parking
Z

which is not of an equivalent quality could
affect your vehicle's operating safety.
High-performance and ceramic brake
system (Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
The AMG brake systems are designed for
heavy loads. This may lead to noise when
braking. This will depend on:
RSpeed
RBraking force
RAmbient conditions, e.g. temperature and
humidity
The wear of individual components of the
brake system, such as the brake pads/linings
or brake discs, depends on the individual driv-
ing style and operating conditions.
For this reason, it is impossible to state a
mileage that will be valid under all circum-
stances. An aggressive driving style will lead
to high wear. You can obtain more informa-
tion on this from a qualified specialist work-
shop.
New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after sev-
eral hundred kilometers of driving. Compen-
sate for this by applying greater force to the
brake pedal. Keep this in mind, and adapt
your driving and braking accordingly during
this break-in period.
Excessive heavy braking results in corre-
spondingly high brake wear. Observe the
brake system warning lamp in the instrument cluster and note any brake status messages
in the multifunction display. Especially for
high performance driving, it is important to
maintain and have the brake system checked
regularly.
Checking brake lining thickness
You can measure the break pad/lining thick-ness using a test gauge. Color-coding (green
or red) on the test gauge allows you to deter-
mine whether the brake pad/lining thickness
is still sufficient. The test gauge is in the vehi- cle document wallet in the glove box.
Front wheel
Rear wheel
XBring the vehicle and wheels into a suitable
position so that you can attach test gauge
A.
XSecure the vehicle against rolling away
(
Ypage 171).
XMove the selector lever to position P.
XSwitch off the engine.
XPlace test gauge Abetween the wheel's
spokes on brake pad/lining =.
178Driving tips
Driving and parking

XHold test gaugeAvertically on brake
disc :and slide measuring pin ;onto
brake disc :.
XCheck which color field ?the arrow on
measuring pin ;is pointing to.
Green: the brake pad/lining thickness is
sufficient.
Red : the brake pad/lining thickness is not
sufficient. Have the brake pads/lining
checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
iTo avoid an inaccurate measurement:
Rmake sure you position the wheels suit-
ably
Rdo not put the measuring pin on a recess
in the brake disc
Driving on wet roads
Hydroplaning
If water has accumulated to a certain depth
on the road surface, there is a danger of
hydroplaning occurring, even if:
Ryou drive at low speeds.
Rthe tires have adequate tread depth.
For this reason, in the event of heavy rain or in
conditions in which hydroplaning may occur,
you must drive in the following manner:
Rlower your speed.
Ravoid ruts.
Ravoid sudden steering movements.
Rbrake carefully.
Driving on flooded roads
!Do not drive through flooded areas.
Check the depth of any water before driving through it. Drive slowly through standing
water. Otherwise, water may enter the
vehicle interior or the engine compartment.
This can damage the electronic compo-
nents in the engine or the automatic trans-
mission. Water can also be drawn in by the
engine's air suction nozzles and this can
cause engine damage.
Winter driving
GWARNING
If you shift down on a slippery road surface in an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface.
GDANGER
If the exhaust pipe is blocked or adequate
ventilation is not possible, poisonous gases
such as carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the vehicle. This is the case, e.g. if the vehicle
becomes trapped in snow. There is a risk of
fatal injury.
If you leave the engine or the auxiliary heating
running, make sure the exhaust pipe and area
around the vehicle are clear of snow. To
ensure an adequate supply of fresh air, open a
window on the side of the vehicle that is not
facing into the wind.
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a quali-
fied specialist workshop at the onset of win-
ter.
Drive particularly carefully on slippery road
surfaces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steeringand braking maneuvers. Do not use cruise
control.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
XShift the transmission to position N.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device
and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges. The
vehicle could skid if you fail to adapt your
driving style. Always adapt your driving style
Driving tips179
Driving and parking
Z

body contours and posture of a person stand-
ing upright.
Pedestrian recognition is then switched on
automatically if:
RNight View Assist Plus is activated.
Ryou are driving faster than approximately
6 mph (10 km/h).
Rit is dark.
If pedestrian recognition is active, symbol ;
appears. Persons who are detected are high-
lighted by framing =. If the pedestrian rec-
ognition system has brought a pedestrian to
your attention, look through the windshield to evaluate the situation.
Animal recognition
Animals can be recognized in the following
situations:
Rdarkness
Routside built-up areas
Rbelow an outside temperature of 90 ‡
(32 †)
Nigh tView Assist Pl us can recognize larger
animals such as deer, co wsor horses using
typical characteristics.
The system does not detect:
Rsmaller animals, e.g. dogs and cats
Ranimals whose silhouette is not clearly rec-
ogniza ble
When detecte d,animals are marked with
small color frame corners. Incontrast to
pede strian recognit ion, thereisno separate
stand bysymbol inthe multifunction display.
Activating/deactivating Night View
Assist Plus
Activation conditions
You can only activate Night View Assist Plus if
all of the following cond itions are met:
Rthe ignit ionisswitched on (Ypage 151) or
the engine has been started.
Rthe light switch is intheà orL posi-
tion.
Rreverse gear has not been engaged.
Activating Night View Assist Plus
XPress button :.
The Night View Assist Plus display appears
in the COMAND display.
iThe infrared headlamps only switch onin
the dark from speeds of approximately
6 mph (10 km/h). This means that you do
not have the full visual range whilethe veh i-
cle isstationary and cannot check whether
Night View Assist Plus isworking. The infra-
red headlamps are deactivated at speeds
below 3 mph (5 km/h). The Night View
image continues to be displayed.
Automatic activation
You can use COMAND to select the Night
View Assist Automatic Activation
option. The pedestrian and animal search
function remains active even when the Night
View image is not displayed. In the dark, in
unlit surroundings and at speeds of more than
60 km/h, the Night View image is automati-
212Driving systems
Driving and parking

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Adaptive Highbeam
Assist Inoperative
Adaptive Highbeam Assistis faulty.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
Adaptive Highbeam
Assist Currently
Unavailable See
Operator'sManual
Adaptive Highbeam Assis tis deactivated and temporarily inoper -
ative. Possibl ecauses are:
Rth ewindshield in th ecamera' sfield of vision is dirty.
Rvisibility is impaire ddue to heav yrain ,snow or fog.
XClean th ewindshield.
If th esystem detects that th ecamera is full yoperational again ,th e
Adaptive
HighbeamAssistNowAvailablemessage appears .
Adaptive Highbeam Assis tis operational again .
Engine
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and MSolutions
+
Check Coolant
Level See Opera‐
tor's Manual
The coolantlevel is to olow.
!Avoid makin glon gjourneys wit hto olittl ecoolan tin th eengin e
coolin gsystem. The engin ewill otherwise be damaged.
XAd dcoolant, observin gth ewarnin gnote sbefore doin gso
(
Ypage 539).
XIf you need to add coolan tmor eofte nthan usual, hav eth e
engin ecoolan tsystem checke dat aqualified specialist work-
shop.
?The fan motor is faulty.
XAt coolan ttemperatures belo w24 8 ‡ (120†), drive to th e
neares tqualified specialist workshop .
XAvoid subjecting theengin eto heav yloads ,e.g. drivin gin moun-
tainous terrain ,and stop-and-g otraffic.
Display messages25 5
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
#
StopVehicl eSee
Operator' sManual
The battery is no longer bein gcharged and th ebattery charg elevel
is to olow.
A warnin gtone also sounds.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely and switch of fth eengine,
payin gattention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 171).
XObserv eth einstruction sin th edisplay message #See
Operator' sManual.
XConsult aqualified specialist workshop .
4
Check Engine Oil
At NextRefueling
The engin eoil level has dropped to th eminimum level.
A warnin gtone also sounds.
!Avoid lon gjourneys wit hto olittl eengin eoil. The engin ewill
otherwise be damaged.
XChec kth eoil level when next refueling, at th elatest
(
Ypage 537).
XIf necessary, add engin eoil (Ypage 538).
XHav eth eengin echecke dat aqualified specialist workshop if
you need to add engin eoil mor eofte nthan usual.
Information on approve dengin eoils can be obtained from any
qualified specialist workshop or on th eInternet at http:/ /
bevo.mercedes-benz.com.
4
Check Engine Oil
Level(Ad d1quart)
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: th eengin eoil level is to olow.
!Avoid lon gjourneys wit hto olittl eengin eoil. The engin ewill
otherwise be damaged.
XChec kth eoil level when next refueling, at th elatest
(
Ypage 537).
XIf necessary, add engin eoil (Ypage 538).
XHav eth eengin echecke dat aqualified specialist workshop if
you need to add engin eoil mor eofte nthan usual.
Information on approve dengin eoils can be obtained from any
qualified specialist workshop or on th eInternet at http:/ /
bevo.mercedes-benz.com.
Display messages25 7
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
4
Engine Oil Level
StopVehicl eTur n
Engine Off
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: th eengin eoil level is to olow.
There is aris kof engin edamage.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely and switch of fth eengine,
payin gattention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 171).
XCheckth eengin eoil level (Ypage 537).
XIf necessary, add engin eoil (Ypage 538).
8
Fue lLevel Low
The fuel level has dropped into th ereserv erange.
XRefuel at th eneares tgas station .
CThere is only aver ysmall amount of fue lin th efuel tank.
XRefuel at th eneares tgas station without fail .
8
Gas Cap Loose
The fuel system pressur eis to olow. The fuel filler cap is no tclosed
correctl yor th efue lsystem is leaking.
XChec kthat th efuel filler cap is correctl yclosed .
If th efuel filler cap is not correctl yclosed :
XCloseth efuel filler cap .
If th efuel filler cap is correctl yclosed :
XVisitaqualified specialist workshop .
Driving systems
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and MSolutions
ABC MalfunctionThe Active Body Control (ABC) function is restricted.
GWARNING
The vehicle's suspensio nsetting smay be affected.
There is aris kof an accident.
XDo no tdrive at speeds abov e50 mph (80 km/h).
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
ABC Malfunction
StopVehicl e
The Active Body Control (ABC) vehicl elevel is to olow.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
Afte r afew seconds, th evehicl elevel is adjusted and th edisplay
message disappears.
258Display messages
On-board computer and displays

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
Phone No ServiceYour vehicleis outside th enetwork provider' stransmitter/
receiver range.
XWait until th emobile phone operational readiness symbol
appears in th emultifunction display.
K
Decrease Speed
You wante dto open th eroo fwhile th evehicl ewas in motion .
XPull overand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XOpe nth eroo f (Ypage 101).
K
Vario-Roo fLower‐
ing
The roo fis no tfull yopened or closed .The hydraulic sare depres-
surized.
XFull yopen or close th eroo f (Ypage 101).
K
Open/Clos eVario-
Roo fCompletel y
The roofis no tlocked.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XPush or pull and hold th eroo fswitch until th eroo fis full yopen
or closed (
Ypage 101).
K
Start Engine See
Operator' sManual
The on-boar dvoltag eis to olow.
XStart th eengine.
XAfte rapproximately te nseconds, repeat th eopenin gor closin g
procedure (
Ypage 101).
The roofhas been opened and closed several times in arow .The
roo fdrive has been switched of fautomatically fo rsafet yreasons.
You can open and close th eroo fagain after approximately te n
minutes.
XSwitc hof fth eignition and tur nit bac kon .
XRepea tth eopenin gor closin gprocedure (Ypage 101).
Close Rea rSid e
Window s
You leav eth evehicl eand at leas ton erear side window is open .
XCloseth eside windows (Ypage 98).
¥
Check Washer Fluid
The washer flui dlevel in th ewasher flui dreservoir has dropped
belo wtheminimum .
XAddwasher flui d (Ypage 539).
268Display messages
On-board computer and displays

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
÷
The yellow ESP
®warn-
ing lamp flashes while
the vehicle is in motion.
ESP®or traction control has intervened because there is a risk of
skidding or at least one wheel has started to spin.
Cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
XWhen pulling away, only depress the accelerator pedal as far as
necessary.
XEase off the accelerator pedal while the vehicle is in motion.
XAdapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
XDo not deactivate ESP®.
In rare cases (
Ypage 75) , it may be best to deactivate ESP®.
Observe the important safety notes on ESP
®(Ypage 74).
å
The yellow ESP
®OFF
warning lamp is lit while
the engine is running.
ESP®is deactivated.
GWARNING
If ESP®is switched off, ESP®is unable to stabilize the vehicle.
Further driving systems or driving safety systems are thus restric-
ted, e.g. Active Blind Spot Assist. The system does not perform
course-correcting brake applications.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XReactivate ESP®.
In rare cases (
Ypage 75) , it may be best to deactivate ESP®.
Observe the important safety notes on ESP
®(Ypage 74).
XAdapt your driving style to suit the road and weather conditions.
If ESP
®cannot be activated:
XDrive on carefully.
XHave ESP®checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
M
Mercedes-AMG vehi-
cles only:
The yellow SPORT han-
dling mode warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running.SPORT handling mode is activated.
GWARNING
When SPORT handling mode is switched on, ESP®is unable to
stabilize the vehicle.
There is an increased risk of skidding and an accident.
XOnly switch on SPORT handling mode in certain situations
(
Ypage 76).
Warning and indicator lamps275
On-board computer and displays
Z