MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER 2008 Repair Manual
Manufacturer: MERCEDES-BENZ, Model Year: 2008, Model line: SL ROADSTER, Model: MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER 2008Pages: 317, PDF Size: 5.35 MB
Page 61 of 317

Driving safet
ysystems 58 G
Ris
kofa ccident
If there is afault in the powe rsuppl yort he
vehicle' selectrica lsystem, the SBC TM
brake syste menters emergency mode
becaus eitrequires electrica lpower to
operate. Greater braking force will the nbe
required and the brake peda ltravel and
braking distance will be longer. If neces-
sary ,depress the brake peda lwithm axi-
mu mf orce.
Th eS BCTM
brake syste misautomaticall yacti-
vated if you:
R unlock the vehicl eusing the key or the KEY-
LESS GO *system
R open the driver's or front-passenge rdoor
R switch on the ignition
R press the KEYLESS GO button* on the
selector lever once on vehicles with KEY-
LESS GO
R depress the brake pedal
R release the parking brake
i If yo uactivate the SBC TM
brake system
with the brake pedal, peda lresistanc eis
less tha nnormal the first tim eyou depress
the brake. There is also mor epedal travel tha
nnormal .Pedal travel returns to normal
when yo urelease the brake pedal. Yo umay
fee lthe brake peda lpulsa te when you
release it, and hear asound .Thiss ound,
which is produced by the SBC TM
pump,
cease safter as hort time. G
Ris
kofi njury
If the SBC TM
brake syste misnot deactiva-
ted befor emaintenanc ework—e specially
brake pad/lining replacement —thisc ould
resul tininjury .Ifthe syste misactive, it
carries ou tself- tests, automaticall ybuild-
ing up high pressures in the brake system
for tes tpurposes. Th ebrake calliper pis-
tons ar eforced out, which ca nresul tin
crush injuries .Brake flui dmayescape,
which ca nresul tina cidb urns.
Th eS BCTM
brake syste mmustbed eacti-
vated befor emaintenanc eworkisc arried
out. Yo ucan obtai ninformation on ho wto
deactivate the SBC TM
brake syste matany
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. G
Ris
kofi njury
Onl yhavet he brake pads/lining sreplaced
and other work on the SBC TM
brake system
carried ou tataqualifie dspecialis twork-
shop. Consult aqualified specialis twork- sho
pwhich ha sthe necessary specialist
knowledg eand tools to carry ou tthe work
required.
Mercedes-Benz recommend sthaty ou use
aM ercedes-Benz Service Centre for this
purpose .Inparticular, work relevant to
safety or on safety-related systems must be
carried ou tataqualifie dspecialis twork-
shop.
Th eS BCTM
brake syste mbrake boos tisa uto-
maticall ydeact ivated:
R after approximately 20 second sifyoulock
the vehicl efromt he outside
R after approximately two minute sifyouturn
the key to position 0in the ignition lock or
remove it fro mthe ignition lock
Tips fo rdrivin gwithS BCTM R
Yo us houl ddownshift ( 1st,2nd or 3rd gear)
when driving on long and steep downhill
gradients .Thisp revents the brakes from
overheating or wearing too quickly.
R Continu edriving for ashort tim eafter sub-
jecting the brakes to aheavy load.This
allows the airflow to coo lthe brakes more
quickly. Safety
*optional
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Page 62 of 317

Anti-thef
tsyste ms 59G
Ris
kofa ccident
Make sure tha tyou do not endanger
other roa dusers when applying the
brakes.
R Yo us hould applythe brakes firml yfrom
tim etot imeatah ighv ehicle speedifthe
vehicle' sbrake syste mhasnot been sub-
jected to high load sfor alon gp erio dof
time. This improve sthe gri pofthe brake
pads/linings.
R Yo us hould brakefirml ya fter driving on a
we tors now-covere droads urface before
stopping the engine .The brak ediscs dr yas
the yarewarme dup,thu spreve nting cor-
rosion.
R For safety reasons ,Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends tha tyou onlyusecomponents ,e.g.
brak epads/li nings,which have been spe-
cially approve dbyMercedes-Benz for your
vehicle. Brake pads/linings whic hhaven ot
been approve dfor Mercedes-Benz could
affect your vehicle' sopera ting safety. Anti-theft systems
Immobiliser
Th eimm obiliser prevents your vehicl efrom
being starte dwithout the correct key.
Activating the immobiliser X
With the key: removethe key fro mthe
ignition lock.
X With KEYLES SGO*: pres sthe KEYLESS
GO button on the selector lever.
Th ee ngine switche soff.
Deactivating th eimmob iliser X
Wit hthe key: turn th ekeyto position 2in
th ei gnition lock.
X Wit hKEYLESS GO*: press theKEYLESS
GO butto nontheselecto rlever twic ewith-
out depressin gthe brake.
i The immobilise risalways deactivated
when you start th eengine. ATA (anti-thef
talarm system)
Av isual and audible alar mistriggere difthe
alar msystem is primed and you open:
R ad oor
R ad ooru sin gthe emergency ke yelement
R theb ootlid
R theb onnet
R theg love compartment
R thes towag espac eunder th earmrest
R as towag ecom partmen tintherear
The alar misnotswitched of fevenify ou close
an ope ndoora gain. 1
Indicator lamp
X To prime: lockthe vehicle usin gthe key.
On vehicles wit hKEYLESS GO* ,the locking Safety
*o ptional
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Page 63 of 317

Anti-thef
tsyste ms 60button on the door handle/boo
tlid ca na lso
be used.
Indicato rlamp 1flashes. Th ealarm sys-
tem is primed after approximatel y15sec-
onds.
X To deactivate: unlock the vehicl eusing the
key .Onv ehicle swithK EYLESS GO *, you
can also unlock the vehicle by opening the
door/boot lid.
Switchin goff the alarm X
With the key: insert the key into the igni-
tion lock.
The alarm is switched off.
or
X Press the Œor‹ button on the key.
The alarm is switched off.
X With KEYLES SGO*: grasp the outside
doo rhandle. The key mus tbeo utsid ethe
vehicle.
The alarm is switched off.
or
X Press the KEYLESS GO button on the selec-
tor lever. The key mus tbeinside the vehi-
cle.
The alarm is switched off. Tow-awa
yprotection
An audibl eand visua lalarm is triggered if your
vehicle's angle of inclination is altered while
tow-awa yprotectio nisp rimed .Thish appens
if the vehicle is jacked up on one side, for
example.
Priming tow-awa yprotection X
Lock the vehicle using the key .Onvehicles
with KEYLESS GO*, the locking button on
the doo rhandle/boot li dcan also be used.
Tow-away protectio nisp rimed after
approximately 30 seconds.
To deactivate tow-awa yprotection Whe
nyou unlock your vehicle using the key
or KEYLESS GO *,tow-away protection is
automaticall ydeactivated.
Deactivate tow-away protection manuall yto
prevent afalse alarmify ourv ehicle:
R is being transported
R is being loaded ,e.g.o nto aferry or car
transporter
R is being parked on amovable surface, e.g.
split-level garages 1
To deactivate tow-away protection
2 Indicator lamp
X Remov ethe key fro mthe ignition lock.
X Press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2lights up briefly.
X Loc kthe vehicl eusing the key .Onvehicles
with KEYLESS GO*, the locking button on
the door handle/boo tlid can also be used.
Tow-awa yprotection remains deactivated
unti lthe vehicl eisunlocke dand locked
again. Safety
*optional
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Page 64 of 317

Anti-thef
tsyste ms 61Interio
rmotio nsenso r*
If the interior motio nsensorisp rimed, avis-
ua land audibl ealarm is triggered if move-
ment is detected in the vehicl einterior while
the vehicl eislocked .Thiso ccurs, for exam-
ple, if someone breaks the side windows of
your vehicl eorreaches into the vehicle' sinte-
rior.
Primin gthe interio rmotio nsensor X
Make sure that:
R
the side windows ar eclosed
R the roo fisclosed
R the stowage compartments unde rthe
armrest ar eclosed
R there ar enoobjects, e.g .mascots, hang-
ing on the rear-view mirro roronthe
grasp handles on the roo ftrim.
This will prevent fals ealarm s.
X Make sure tha tthe boot li disclosed.
Onl ythe nc an the interior motio nsensorbe
primed.
X Lock the vehicl eusing the key .Onvehicles
with KEYLESS GO*, the locking button on the door handle/boo
tlid cana lsobeu sed
to lock the vehicle.
Th einterior motio nsensorisp rimed after
approximatel y30seconds.
Th ef actor ysettin gist hatthe interior motion
senso risnot primed if the roo fisopen. You
ca nu sethe on-board computer to change the
settings so tha tthe interior motio nsensoris
primed even when the roo fisopen
( Y page 121).
i Yous hould always clos ethe roo fwhen
yo up arky ourv ehicle to prevent afalse
alar mb eing triggered ,for example by fall-
ing leaves or insects .Incertaincountries,
the interior motio nsensorisp rimed even
when the roo fisopen.
i Do not plac eanyobject sonthe armrest
in the centre console. This could otherwise
interfere with the interior motio nsensor.
Metalli cobject scoming into contac twith
other metalli cobject sm aytrigger afalse
alarm. Therefore ,donot leav eobject ssuch
as ab unch of key sinornext to the armrest.
Us ead ifferent lockabl estowage compart-
ment for such items. To deactivate the interio
rmotio nsen-
sor To prevent
afalse alarm, deactivate the inte-
rior motio nsensorify oulock your vehicl eand
R people remain in the vehicle
R animal sremain in the vehicle
R the windows remain open. 1
Indicato rlamp
2 To deactivate the interior motio nsensor Safety
*o ptional
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Page 65 of 317

Anti-thef
tsyste ms 62
X
Remove the key fro mthe ignition lock.
X Pres sbutton 2.
Indicato rlamp 1flashe sbriefly.
X Lock the vehicl eusing the key .Onvehicles
with KEYLESS GO*, the locking button on
the door handle/boo tlid cana lsobeu sed.
Th einterior motio nsensorremain sdeact i-
vated until the vehicl eisunlock ed and
locked again. Safety
*optional
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Page 66 of 317

63
Opening and closing
...........................64
Key positions ....................................... 73
Seats .................................................... 74
Steering wheel .................................... 78
Mirrors ................................................. 80
Memor yfunctions ............................... 82
Seat belts ............................................. 83
Lights ................................................... 87
Windscreen wipers .............................92
Side windows ...................................... 93Driving and parking
............................95
Automatic transmission .....................98
Instrument cluster ............................105
On-boar dcomputer .......................... 106
Driving systems ................................ 124
Air conditioning ................................. 144
Opening/closing the roof .................154
Loading and stowing ........................159
Features ............................................. 165 Controls
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Opening and closing
64 Opening and closing
Key
The vehicle's equipment includes two keys
with remot econtrol. Each key contains an
emergency key element.
The key is configured at the factory to cen-
trally lock and unlock the following:
R the doors
R the boot lid
R the fuel filler flap
R the glove compartment
R the stowage compartment under the arm-
rest
R the stowage compartment sinthe rear G
Risk of accident
If children are left unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could:
R open adoor from the inside at any time,
even if it has been locked
R start the vehicle using akey which has
been left in the vehicle
R release the parkin gbrake
They could endanger themselves and oth-
ers. Never leave children unsupervised in the vehicle. Always take the key with you
when leaving the vehicle, even if you are
only leaving it for ashort time. 1
j To lock the vehicle
2 i To unlock the boot lid
3 k To unlock the vehicle
4 Battery chec klamp
i You can also open and close the roof with
the key (Y page 155).
i When you unlock the vehicle, the SBC ®
brake system is activated. Factory settings X
To unlock centrally: press thekbut-
ton.
The turn signals flash once. The locking
knobs in the doors pop up. The anti-theft
alarm system* is deactivated.
i If you do not open either adoor or the
boot lid after you have unlocked the vehi-
cle, it will automatically relock after approx-
imately 40 seconds.
X To lock centrally: press thejbutton.
The turn signals flash three times if the
doors and boot lid are closed. The locking
knobs in the doors drop down. The anti-
thef talarm system* and the immobiliser
are primed.
Individual settings You can change the settings of the locking
system so that pressin
gthe k button
unlock sonly the driver's door, the lockable
stowage compartment sinthe interior and the
fuel filler flap. This could be useful if you fre-
quently travel on your own.
X To change the setting: press thek
and j buttons simultaneously for Controls
*optional
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Opening and closing
65
approximately six seconds until the battery
chec
klamp flashes twice.
The key now function sasfollows:
X To unlock the driver's door: press the
k buttononce.
X To unlock centrally: press thekbut-
ton twice.
X To lock centrally: press thejbutton.
Restoring the factor ysettings X
Press the kandj buttons simulta-
neously for approximately six seconds until
the batter ychec klamp flashes twice. KEYLESS GO key*
The optional equipment supplied with your
vehicle includes two KEYLESSGOk eys. You
can start ,lock or unlock the vehicle using the
KEYLESSGOk ey. To do this, you need only
carry the KEYLESSGOk ey on your person.
When you touch the surface of the sensor son
the vehicle's door handles, KEYLESSGO
establishes aradio connection between the
vehicle and the key. The distanc ebetween
the KEYLESSGOk ey and the vehicle's door handle from which you wish to lock or unlock
the vehicle, must not be greater than
1m.
When you pull the door handle, the following
unlock centrally if the factory settings have
not been changed:
R the doors
R the boot lid
R the fuel filler flap
R the glove compartment
R the stowage compartment under the arm-
rest
R the stowage compartment sinthe rear
If you pull on the handle of the boot lid, only
the boot of your vehicle is unlocked.
When starting the engin eand whilst driving
KEYLESSGOa lso checks by establishing brief
periods of radio contact whether avalid KEY-
LES SGOk ey is in the vehicle. G
Risk of accident
If children are left unsupervised in the vehi-
cle, they could open adoor from the inside,
even if it has been locked. Or they could
start the vehicle if avalid KEYLESSGOk ey
is in the vehicle and they press the KEY-
LES SGOb uttonont he gear selector lever.
They could endanger themselves and oth- ers. Never leave children unsupervised in
the vehicle. Switc
hoff the engin eand take
the KEYLESSGOk ey with you, even if you
are only leaving the vehicle for ashort time. 1
j To lock the vehicle
2 i To unlock the boot lid
3 k To unlock the vehicle
4 Battery chec klamp
i You can also use the KEYLESSGOk ey to
open and close the roof (Y page 155).
i When you unlock the vehicle, the SBC ®
brake system is activated.
i If the vehicle has been parked for along
time, you must pull the door handle to acti-
vate the KEYLESSGOf unctions. Controls
*o ptional
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Opening and closing
66
Important notes R
If the KEYLESSGOk ey is removedfrom the
vehicle (e.g. in luggage or an article of
clothing), it will no longer be possible to
lock or start the vehicle.
R If the KEYLESSGOk ey is removedfrom the
vehicle while the engin eisrunning, e.g. if
the fron tpassenger leaves the vehicle with
the KEYLESSGOk ey, the following mes-
sage will appear in the multi-function dis-
play as you pull away: Key not detec-
ted.
R If the KEYLESSGOk ey is in the vehicle, the
vehicle can be started at any time. If you
have left the KEYLESSGOk ey in the vehi-
cle, you will see the following message in
the multi-function display when you lock
the vehicle: Key still in vehicle .
Factory settings X
To unlock centrally: pull the door handle.
The turn signals flash once. The locking
knobs in the doors pop up. The anti-theft
alarm system* is deactivated.
i If you do not open either adoor or the
boot lid after you have unlocked the vehi- cle, it will automatically relock after approx-
imately 40 seconds.
i When adoor is opened, the side window
on that side opens slightly. When the door
is closed, the side window closes again.
! The side windows will not open or close
if the battery is discharged or if the side
windows have iced up. It will not then be
possible to close the door. Do not attempt
to forc ethe door to close. You could oth-
erwise damage the door or the window.
i There is adanger of the vehicle being
unlocked unintentionally. This could occur
if the KEYLESSGOk ey is within one metre
of the vehicle and the door handle is
splashed with water. This could also occur
when cleanin gthe door handle. 1
Locking butto nonthe door handle
X To lock centrally: press locking button
1 on the door handle.
The turn signals flash three times. The lock-
ing knobs in the doors drop down. The anti-
thef talarm system* and the immobiliser
are primed.
Individual settings You can change the setting of the locking
system. If you now touch the inside surface
of the door handle on the driver's door, you
will only unlock the driver's door, the fuel filler
flap and the lockable stowage compartments
in the interior. This could be useful if you fre-
quently travel on your own. Controls
*optional
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Opening and closing
67
X
To change the setting: press thek
and j buttons simultaneously for
approximately six seconds until the battery
chec klamp flashes twice.
The KEYLESSGOk ey will now function as fol-
lows:
X To unlock the driver's door: pull the door
handle on the driver's door.
X To unlock centrally: pull the front-
passenger door handle.
X To lock centrally: press locking button
1 on the door handle.
Restoring the factor ysettings X
Press the kandj buttons simulta-
neously for approximately six seconds until
the batter ychec klamp flashes twice.
Locking from the boot* On vehicles with KEYLESSGOa
nd remote
boot lid closing*, you can close the boot lid
automatically and thereby centrally lock your
vehicle (Y page 71). Power closing feature
The power closin gmechanism pulls the boot
lid int oits lock automatically even if it is only
partly closed. G
Risk of injury
Make sure that nobody can become trap-
ped when closin gthe boot lid.
If ther eisad anger of being trapped, press
the boot lock.
Do not activate the power closin gfunction
by tamperin gwith the lock mechanism. You
could otherwise injure yourself. G
Risk of accident
Make sure the boot lid is alway sfully
closed. Otherwise, the boot lid could open
during the journey and endanger yourself
or others.
X Lightly push closed the boot lid.
The power closin gmechanism will pull the
boot lid closed completely. Opening the doors from the inside
You can open adoor from the inside at any
time, even if it has been locked. 1
Locking knob
2 Door handle
X Pull door handle 2.
If the door is locked, locking knob 1pops
up. The door is unlocked and can be
opened.
i When adoor is opened, the side window
on that side opens slightly. When the door
is closed, the side window closes again.
! The side windows will not open or close
if the battery is discharged or if the side
windows have iced up. It will not then be Controls
*o ptional
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