ABS MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER 2008 Owners Manual

3A
ABC see Active Body Control
ABC (Active Bod yControl)
Display message ....................... 204, 205
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) .....53
Display message .............. 205
Warning lamp ............. 233, 234
Acceleration
Technical data ................ 291
Accident
Notes ....................... 241
Active Body Control (ABC) ........139
Active light system see Ligh tsystem (active)
Active Light System
Display message .............. 220
Active service system
see Service interva ldisplay
Adaptive brake lamps .............54
Airbag Activation ..................... 41
Control unit ................... 41
Driver's ....................... 44
Front ........................ 44
Front passenger ................ 44
Head/thorax airbags ............45PASSENGER AIRB
AGOFF warning
lamp ....................... 231
System ....................... 43
Ai rc onditioning
Activating/deactivating .........147
Activating/deactivating air-recir-
culation mode ................ 152
Air-recirculation mode with con-
venience opening/closing feature .152
Automatic airc onditioning.......145
Controlling automatically ........148
Cooling with aird ehumidification..147
Demisting the windscreen .......151
Misted-up windows ............151
Rea rwindow heating ........... 152
Setting the aird istribution.......150
Setting the airflow .............151
Setting the airv ents............ 149
Setting the temperature .........148
Switching the residua lheatfunc-
tion on/off ................... 153
see Climate control
AIRSCARF neck-level heating .......76
Antifreez econcentration .........306
Anti-loc kbraking system
see ABS
Anti-theft alarm system
see ATA
Anti-theft systems ................ 59
Ashtray ........................ 165ASSYST
see Service interva ldisplay
ASSYST service interval display ...193
ATA (anti-theft alarm system) ......59
Switching off the alarm ..........60
Audibl ewarning signal ........... 240
AUTO lights Display message .............. 220
Automatic air conditioning
Malfunction indicator lamp ......231
Automatic car wash .............195
Automatic transmission Changing gea ryoursel f.......... 99
Display in the speedomete r.......99
Driving tip s.................. .101
Emergency running mode .......246
Malfunction .................. 246
One-touch gearshifting ...........99
Program selector button ........100
Selector leve rpositions .......... 99
Shift ranges .................. 100
Axl eload, maximum permissible ...299 B
BAS (Brake Assist) ................ 54
Basic display (on-board computer) .110
Battery Changing (key )................ 259
Changing (KEYLESS GO key) .....259 Index
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5
Children
In th evehicle .................. 47
Restrai ntsystems .............. 47
Chil dseat
Automatic recognition ...........49
Automatic recognition (malfunc-
tion) ........................ 232
Recommendations ..............51
Suitable positions .............. 50
Ciga rettel ighter ................ 166
Cockpit Overview ..................... 22
Collapsible emergency spare wheel
Stowage ..................... 274
Collapsibl ewheel
Pumping up .................. 273
Technical data ................ 297
COMAND ....................... 109
On-board computer ............109
see separate Operating Instructions
Constant headlamp mode
Setting (on-board computer) .....118
Consumptio nstatistic s(on -board
computer) ...................... 122
Coolant ........................ 180
Checking the leve l.............180
Display message ......214, 219, 220
Mixture ratio ................. 304
Temperature gauge ............106
Warning lamp ................. 236Cornerin
glight
Display message .............. 220
Cruis econtrol .................. 125
Display message ..........212, 213
Cup holder ..................... 159 D
Dashboard see Cockpit
see Instrument cluster
Daytime drivin glights
see Constant headlamp mode
Delaye dswitch-off
Exterior lighting (on-board com-
puter) ....................... 119
Interior lighting (on-board com-
puter) ....................... 120
Digital speedometer .............111
Setting the unit (on-board com-
puter) ....................... 118
Dipped beam
Display message .............. 220
Dipped-beam headlamps
Symmetrical .................. 193
Display message ................ 202
Service indicator .............. 193
Symbo lmessages ............. 213
Text messages ................ 203
Up (AMG menu) ............... 111Distanc
erecorder
see Total distance recorder
see Trip meter
Distanc ewarning function ........131
Distanc ewarning lamp .......131, 233
Distronic ....................... 127
Cleaning the sensors ...........198
Cove r....................... 198
Display message ......206, 207, 213
Distance warning function .......131
Driving tips ................... 133
Warning lamp ................. 233
Door
Automatic locking .............. 68
Display message .............. 214
Emergency locking .............256
Emergency unlocking ...........255
Opening (from the inside) ........67
Door control panel
Overview ..................... 34
Draught stop ................... 158
Drinks holder see Cuph older
Driver's airbag ................... 44
Driver's door Unlocking (K EYLESS GO) ......... 67
Driver's seat position .............86
Drivin gabroad .................. 193
Driving safety system .............53
ABS ......................... 53 Index
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13
Vehicle weights
............... 299
Wheels .................. 293, 295
Telephone
see Mobile phone
Temperature
Coolant ..................... 106
Engine oil (on-board computer) ...111
Outside temperature ...........106
Third brake lamp
Display message .............. 222
Tightening torque ............... 274
Time Lap time (on-board computer) ....112
Timer (on-board computer) .......112
TIREFIT kit Using ....................... 266
Total distanc erecorder ....... 26, 108
Resetting the trip meter .........106
Tow-away protection ..............60
Towing ........................ 282
Towing eye Fitting ....................... 281
Removing .................... 282
Traction control .................. 55
Transmission output (maximum) Telephone/two-wa yradio ....... 287
Transport (vehicle) ..............282
Trip computer Menu (on-board computer) ......122Trip meter
...................... 110
Resetting .................... 106
Turn signal lamps
Display message .............. 221
TV
Operation (on-board computer) ...114
Two-way radio
Installatio n................... 287
Tyre grip ....................... 192
Tyre pressure ................... 184
Calling up (on-board computer) ..186
Display message ..209, 210, 211, 225
Table (see Fuel filler flap) ........175
see Tyr epressure
Tyre pressure los swarning system 185
Tyre pressure monitor Warning lamp ................. 238
Tyres
Direction of rotatio n............ 183
General notes ................. 182
Technical data ............ 293, 295
Tyre tread ...................... 184 U
Unladen weight ................. 299
Unlocking Emergency unlocking ...........255
From the insid e(central unlocking
button) ....................... 68Up (display message)
............111 V
Variable Speedtronic .............134
Vario-roof see Roof
Vehicle
Emergency unlocking .......255, 256
Individua lsettings (on-board com-
puter) ....................... 116
Leaving parked up .............254
Towing ...................... 282
Transporting .................. 282
Vehicle battery ................. 276
Vehicle dimensions ..............298
Vehicle electronics ..............287
Vehicle identification number
(VIN) ...................... 288, 289
Vehicle identification plates ......288
Vehicle level .................... 139
Adjusting .................... 140
Vehicle tool kit .................. 200
Vehicle weights ................. 299 W
Warning and indicator lamp ABS/ESP ®
................... 234
ABS (yellow) .................. 233
ESP ®
OFF .................... 234 Index
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Instrument cluster
27Function Page
1 Coolant temperature
gauge with:
D
Coolant warnin glamp 236
2 Speedometer with:
3
Brake system warn-
in gl amp 235
v
ABS/ESP ®
warning
lamp 234
E
DTR* warnin glamp
(white/red) 1 131
LK
Turnsignal indi-
cator lamps 89
3 Multi-function display in
th
es peedometer with: 108
Digital speedometer or out-
side temperature display
2 111
Total distanc
erecorder 110 Function Page
Store
dspeed display for: •C
ruisecontro lorD is-
tronic* 125,
127 •S
peedtronic 134
4 Reset button
5 Rev counte
rwith: 106
A
Main-beam indicator
lamp 89
±
Enginediagnostics
warnin glamp 237
C
Roll-ove rbar warning
lamp 237
-
ABSw arnin glamp 233
1
SRS warnin glamp 235
<
Seat belt warning
lamp 238 Function Page
X
Tyre pressur ewarn-
in gl amp 238
6 Multi-function display in
th
er ev counte rwith: Tri
pm eter 110
Displa
yfor: •S
electo rlever position 99
•D
rive program 100,
101 7 Fuel gauge with:
4
Reserv etankw arning
lamp 239
Arrow showin
gfuelfiller
cap location :cap is to the
rear on th eright. 1
On vehicles without Distronic* ,the symbol lights up briefl ybut has no function.
2 Vehicles fo rthe United Kingdom: th eoutsid etem perature is always displayed. At
ag lance
*o ptional
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Instrument cluster
29Function Page
1 Coolant temperature
gauge with:
D
Coolant warnin glamp 236
2 Speedometer with:
3
Brake system warn-
in gl amp 235
v
ABS/ESP ®
warning
lamp 234
E
DTR* warnin glamp
(white/red) 3 131
LK
Turnsignal indi-
cator lamps 89
3 Multi-function display in
th
es peedometer with: 108
Digital speedometer or out-
side temperature display
4 111
Total distanc
erecorder 110 Function Page
Store
dspeed display for: •c
ruise control or Dis-
tronic* 125,
127 •S
peedtronic 134
4 Reset button
5 Rev counte
rwith: 106
A
Main-beam indicator
lamp 89
±
Enginediagnostics
warnin glamp 237
C
Roll-ove rbar warning
lamp 237
-
ABSw arnin glamp 233
1
SRS warnin glamp 235
<
Seat belt warning
lamp 238 Function Page
X
Tyre pressur ewarn-
in gl amp 238
6 Multi-function display in
th
er ev counte rwith: Tri
pm eter 110
Displa
yfor: •S
electo rlever position 99
•D
rive program 100,
101 7 Fuel gauge with:
4
Reserv etankw arning
lamp 239
Arrow showin
gfuelfiller
cap location :cap is to the
rear on th eright. 3
On vehicles without DISTRONIC* ,the symbol lights up briefl ybut has no function.
4 Vehicles fo rthe United Kingdom: th eoutsid etem perature is always displayed. At
ag lance
*o ptional
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Driving safet
ysystems 53Driving safety systems
Overvie
wofdrivingsafety systems
In thi ssection, yo uwillf in di nformation about
the following driving safety systems:
R ABS ( Anti-lock Braking System)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System)
R Adaptive brake lamps
R ESP ®
( Electronic Stability Program)
R SBC TM
brake syste m( Sensotronic Brake
Control)
i In wintry roa dconditions ,alway susewin-
ter tyres (M+ Styres )and ,w here necessary,
sno wchains .Onlyint hisw aywill the driv-
ing safety systems describe dinthiss ection
work as effectivel yaspossible. G
Ris
kofa ccident
Th er iskofana ccident is significantly
increase dbydriving too fast. This is partic-
ularly the case when cornering on we tand
slippery roads and when driving too close
to the vehicl einfront.
Th ed riving safety systems describe dinthis
sectio ncannot reduc ethisr iskn or override
the laws of physics. For thi
sreason, always adap tyou rd riving
style to suit prevailing roa dand weather
conditions .Maintain sufficient distance
fro mo ther roa dusers and objects on the
road. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
ABS regulate sbrake pressure in such away
tha tthe wheels do not lock when yo ubrake.
This allows yo utocontinue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
ABS works fro maspeed of abou t8km/h
upwards ,regardles sofroads urface condi-
tions. ABS works on slippery surfaces ,even
when yo uonlyb rake gently. G
Ris
kofa ccident
Do not depress the brake peda lsev eral
times in quick succession (pumping).
Depres sthe brake firml yand evenly .Pum p-
ing the brake peda lreduces the braking
effect.
Braking If ABS intervenes whil
eyou areb raking ,the
v warning lamp flashe sinthe instrument cluster. Yo
uwilln ot fee lthe brake peda lpul-
sating as thi shappe ns.
X If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake peda lwithf orce unti lthe braking sit-
uatio niso ver.
X To make afullb rak eapplication:
depress the brake peda lwithf ullf orce. G
Ris
kofa ccident
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking .Thisl imit sthe steerability of the
vehicl ewhenb raking and the braking dis-
tanc emayincrease.
If ABS is deactivate dduetoam alfunction,
the nB AS and ESP ar ealsod eact ivated.
There is an increase driskofy ourv ehicle
skidding in certai nsituations.
Yo us houl dalway sadapt your driving style
to suit the prevailing roa dand weather con-
ditions. Safety
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Driving safet
ysystems 54 BAS (Brake Assist)
BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If yo udepress the brake peda lquickly,
BAS automaticall yboost sthe braking force,
thu sshortening the stopping distance.
X Kee pthe brake peda lfirml yd epresse duntil
the emergency braking situatio niso ver.
ABS prevents the wheels fro mlocking.
Th eb rakes will functio nasusual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. G
Ris
kofa ccident
If BAS ha smalfu nctioned ,the braking sys-
tem remains availabl ewithf ullb rake boost-
ing effect. However, braking force is not
automaticall yincrease dinemergency
braking situations and the stopping dis-
tanc emayincrease. Adaptive brak
elamps
i Adaptive brake lamps ar eonlya vailable in
certai ncountries.
If yo ubrake sharpl yfromas peed of more
tha n50k m/h or if braking is assiste dbyBAS,
the brake lamps flas hrapidly .Inthisw ay,
traffi ctravelling behind yo uiswarne dinan
eve nm oren oticeabl emanner.
After bringing the vehicl etoahalta fter per-
forming such abraking manoeuvre, when the
brake peda lispresse dagain the brake lamps
will once agai nlight up continuously. ESP
®
(Electroni cStability Program)
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e .p ower transmission between tyres and
the roa dsurface.
If ESP ®
detects tha tthe vehicl eisdeviating
fro mt he directio ndesir ed by the driver ,one
or mor ewheel sarebraked to stabilise the
vehicle. Th eengine outpu tisa lsom odified, if
necessary ,tokeept he vehicl eonthe desired
course withi nphysical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on we torslip-
pery roads .ESP ®
ca na lsos tabilise the vehi-
cle during braking. When ESP
®
intervenes ,the v warning
lamp flashe sinthe instrumen tcluster. G
Ris
kofa ccident
If the v warning lamp in the instrument
cluste rflashes ,procee dasfollows:
R Do not deactivate ESP ®
under any cir-
cumstances.
R Onl ydepress the accelerator peda lasfar
as necessary when pulling away.
R Adapt your driving style to suit the pre-
vailing roa dand weather conditions.
Th ev ehicl ecould otherwis egointoaskid.
ESP ®
cannot reduc ethe risk of an accident
if yo udrive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override
the laws of physics.
! If:
R the vehicl eisbeing towed with the front
or rea raxler aised
R the parking brake is being tested using a
dynamometer
the ignition must be switched off (ke yin
position 0or 1in the ignition lock). Appli-
catio noft he brakes by ESP ®
could other-
wise destro ythe brake syste monthe front
or rea raxle. Safety
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Driving sys
tems 124
Diallin
ganumber fro mthe phone book If your mobil
ephone is operational ,you can
select and dial anumbe rfro mt he phone book
at any time. It is onl ypossibl etoe nternew
numbers into the phone book using the
mobil ephone.P leas erefer to the separate
operating instructions for information on how
to do this.
X Press the èor· button to select the
Telephone menu.
X Press the jork button to call up
the phone book.
X Press the jork button to select the
desired name. To scroll throug hthe tele-
phone book faster, press and hold the
j ork button for longe rtha n1s ec-
ond.
X Press the sbutton to start dialling.
The Connectin gcall... message
appear sinthe multi-functio ndisplay.
Th en umbe rdialled is stored in the redial
memory.
When the connectio nism ade, the nam eof
the perso nyou arec allin g(ifit is stored in
the phone book) or the telephone number yo
uh aved ialled will appear in the multi-
functio ndisplay.
or
X If yo udon ot wish to make acall, press the
t button.
Redialling Th
eo n-board computer stores the last phone
numbers which were dialled.
X Press the èor· button to select the
Telephone menu.
X Press the sbutton to call up the most
recentl ydialled numbe rinthe redia lmem-
ory.
X Press the jork button to select the
desired nam eornumber.
X Press the sbutton to start dialling. Driving systems
Overvie
wofdrivingsystems
Th ev ehicle' sdriving systems ar edescribed
on the following pages:
R Cruise control ,Distronic* and Speedtronic,
which ar eusedtoc ontrol the spee dofthe
vehicle
R SBC Hold, which makes pulling away eas-
ier, particularl yonsteep uphill gradients
R RAC ESTAR Tont he SL 63 AMG ,which
makes pulling away on race tracks easier
R *Active Bod yControl *(ABC), which is used
to adjus tthe vehicle' ssuspe nsionsystem
R Parktronic* ,which assists yo uinparking
and manoeuvring
Th ef ollowing driving safety systems: ABS,
BAS, adaptiv ebrake lights, ESP ®
and SBC TM
and SBC ®
ar ed escribe dint he "Safety "sec-
tio n(Ypage 53). Controls
*optional
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Tyre
sand wheels 182 Tyre
sand wheels Points to remember
! For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz rec-
ommend sthaty ou onlyusetyres and
wheels which have been approved by
Mercedes-Benz specifically for your vehi-
cle .These tyres have been specially adap-
ted for us ewitht he control systems, such
as ABS or ESP ®
,a nd ar emarked as follows:
R MO =Mercedes-Benz Original
R MOE =Mercedes-Benz Original Extended
(with run-flat characteristics)*
*Mercedes-Benz Original Extended tyres
shoul donlybeu sedonw heelsthath ave
been specifically approved by Mercedes-
Benz.
If yo uuseother tyres and wheels,
Mercedes-Benz cannot accep tany respon-
sibility for damage tha tmayresul tfrom
this. Furthe rinformation abou ttyres,
wheels and approved combinations can be
obtained fro many Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre.
If yo uusetyres other tha nthose tested and
recommended for Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles, characteristics such as handling ,vehi-
cle noise emissions and fuel consumption ma
ybea dversely affected .Inaddition, the
wheels ma ycom einto contact with the
body or axl ecomponents when heavil yloa-
de dorw hend riving with sno wchains .This
could resul tindamag etothe tyres or the
vehicle.
! Retreade dtyres ar eneithe rtested nor
recommended by Mercedes-Benz, since
previou sdamag ecann ot always be detec-
ted on retreade dtyres .Asa result,
Mercedes-Benz cannot guarante evehicle
safety if retreade dtyres ar efitted .Don ot
fi tu sedt yres if yo uhavenoi nformation
abou ttheir previou susage. G
Ris
kofa ccident
If wheels or tyres other tha nthose which
have been tested ar efitted:
R the brakes or chassi scomponents could
be damaged
R whee land tyr eclearances ca nnolonger
be guaranteed
This could caus eanaccident.
Modificatio nworkont he brake syste mand
wheels is not permitted ,nor is the us eof
spacer plate sorbrake dust shields .Thisi nva-
lidates the Genera lOperating Permi tfor the
vehicle. Note
sons electing,fittin ga nd replacing
tyres R
Onl yfittyres and wheels of the same type
and make.
R Onl yfittyres of the correc tsizeo nto the
wheels.
R After fitting new tyres ,run the minatm od-
erate speeds for the first 100 km as they
onl yreach their full performance after this
distance.
R Fit new tyres on the front wheels first if
tyres of the same size ar erequired on the
front and rea rwheels.
R Replac ethe tyres after si xyears at the lat-
est, regardles sofwear.This also applie sto
the spar ewheel *.
R Do not drive with tyres which have too little
trea ddepth as thi ssignificantly reduces
the tractio nonwetroads (aquaplaning).
! Store tyres tha tare not being used in a
cool, dry and preferably dark place .Protect
the tyres against oil, grease, petrol and die-
sel. Operation
*optional
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Winte
rdriving 189Winte
rdriving Points to remember
Have you rvehicle winterproofed at aqualified
specialist workshop, e.g. at aMercedes-Benz
Service Centre, at the onset of winter.
! Take care not to damage the sealing strip
and the moulding on the sid eofthe rear
window whe nscraping ice off the rear win-
dow. Winte
rtyres
Use winter tyres at temperatures below
+7 °C and on snow or ice-covere droads. Only
then can the effect of the ABS and ESP ®
driv-
ing systems be ensure dinwinter too.
Use winter tyres of the same make and tread
on allw heels to maintain safe handling char-
acteristics. G
Risk of accident
Winter tyres with atread depth of less than
4mmm ust be replaced immediately .They
are no longe rsuitabl efor winter use ,can
no longe rprovide sufficient grip .This could
cause you to lose control of you rvehicle
and cause an accident. Always observe the maximu
mpermitted
spee dspecified for the winter tyres you have
fitted. If you fit winter tyres which have a
lower maximu mpermitted spee dthan that of
the vehicle, affi xanappropriate warning sign
in the driver's fiel dofvision. This can be
obtained at aqualified specialist workshop,
e.g. from aMercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Under these circumstances, you should also
restrict the maximu mspee doft he vehicle
using permanent Speedtronic 20
to the maxi-
mum permissible spee dfor the winter tyres
(Y pag e136).
Once you have fitted the winter tyres:
X Check the tyre pressures (Y page184).
X Restart the tyre pressure moni-
tor* (Y page186). G
Risk of accident
If you fit the spare wheel* whe ndriving with
winter tyres, bea rinmind that driving sta-
bility wil lbeimpaired owing to unstable
cornering characteristics caused by the dif-
ferent tyres. You should therefore adapt
you rdriving styl eand drive carefully.
Have the spare wheel* replaced at the
nearest qualified specialist workshop which has the necessary specialist knowl-
edge and tools to carry out the work
required
.Mercedes-Benz recommends
that you use aMercedes-Benz Service
Centre for this purpose. In particular, work
relevant to safety or on safety-related sys-
tems must be carrie dout at aqualified
specialist workshop. Sno
wchains
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use snow chains which
have bee nspecially approved for you rvehicle
by Mercedes-Benz, or are of acorresponding
standard of quality.
! Information about the use of snow chain-
compatibl eAMG winter tyres is applicable
for AMG tyres. Use of snow chains is only
permissible with these tyres.
If you intend to fit snow chains, please bear
the following points in mind:
20 Only available for certai ncountries. Operation
*o ptional
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