MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER 2012 Owners Manual

i
If the key battery is checked within the
signal reception range of the vehicle, press- ing the &or% button:
R locks or
R unlocks the vehicle
i You can obtain a battery from any quali-
fied specialist workshop.
Replacing the battery You require a CR 2025 3 V cell battery.
X Remove the emergency key element from
the key (Y page 86). X
Press emergency key element ;into the
opening in the key in the direction of the
arrow until battery compartment cover :
opens. When doing so, do not hold battery
compartment cover :shut.
X Remove battery compartment cover :. X
Repeatedly tap the key against your palm
until battery =falls out.
X Insert the new battery with the positive ter-
minal facing upwards. Use a lint-free cloth
to do so.
X Make sure that the surface of the battery is
free of lint, grease and other contamina-
tion.
X Insert the front tabs of battery compart-
ment cover :into the housing and then
press to close it.
X Insert emergency key element ;into the
key (Y page 86).
X Check the function of all key buttons on the
vehicle. 88
KeyOpening and closing

Problems with the key
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions You can no longer lock
or unlock the vehicle
using the key. The key battery is discharged or nearly discharged.
X Check the key battery (Y page 87) and replace it if necessary
(Y page 88).
If this does not work: X Lock (Y page 93) or unlock (Y page 93) the vehicle using the
emergency key element. The key is faulty.
X Lock (Y page 93) or unlock (Y page 93) the vehicle using the
emergency key element.
X Have the key checked at a qualified specialist workshop. You can no longer lock
or unlock the vehicle
using KEYLESS-GO. There is interference from a powerful source of radio waves.
X Lock/unlock the vehicle using the remote control function of
the key. To do this, hold the key as close as possible to the
vehicle and press the %or& button.
If the vehicle can also not be locked/unlocked using the remote
control function:
X Lock (Y page 93) or unlock (Y page 93) the vehicle using the
emergency key element. There is a fault with KEYLESS-GO.
X Lock/unlock the vehicle using the remote control function of
the key.
X Have KEYLESS-GO checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
If the vehicle can also not be locked/unlocked using the remote
control function: X Lock (Y page 93) or unlock (Y page 93) the vehicle using the
emergency key element.
X Have KEYLESS-GO checked at a qualified specialist workshop. You have lost a key. X
Have the key deactivated at a qualified specialist workshop.
X Report the loss immediately to the vehicle insurers.
X If necessary, have the locks changed as well. You have lost the emer-
gency key element. X
Report the loss immediately to the vehicle insurers.
X If necessary, have the locks changed as well. Key
89Opening and closing Z

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The engine can no lon-
ger be started using the key. The on-board voltage is too low.
X Switch off non-essential consumers, e.g. seat heating or interior
lighting, and try to start the engine again.
If this does not work:
X Check the starter battery and charge it if necessary
(Y page 584).
or
X Jump-start the vehicle (Y page 586).
or
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The engine can no lon-
ger be started using
KEYLESS-GO. The key
is in the vehicle. The vehicle is locked.
X Unlock the vehicle and try to start the vehicle again. There is interference from a powerful source of radio waves.
X Start your vehicle with the key in the ignition lock. Doors
Important safety notes
United Kingdom only: G
WARNING
When the double locks are activated, the
doors can no longer be opened from the
inside. People in the vehicle can no longer get out, e.g. in hazardous situations. There is a
risk of injury.
Therefore, do not leave any people unsuper-
vised in the vehicle, particularly children, eld-
erly people or people in need of special assis-
tance. Do not activate the double lock when
people are in the vehicle.
If the vehicle has been locked from the out-
side, the double-lock function is activated as
standard. It is then not possible to open the
doors from inside the vehicle. You can deac-
tivate the double-lock function by deactivat-
ing the interior motion sensor (Y page 80).
The doors can then be opened from the inside after the vehicle has been locked from the
outside. The anti-theft alarm system is trig- gered if the door is opened from the inside.
Switch off the alarm (Y
page 79).
All countries: G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they could:
R open doors, thereby endangering other per-
sons or road users
R get out and be struck by oncoming traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, for example
In addition, the children could also set the
vehicle in motion, for example, if they:
R release the parking brake
R shift the automatic transmission out of park
position P or shift manual transmission into
neutral
R start the engine
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children and animals unattended in the vehi-
cle. Keep the keys out of the reach of children. 90
DoorsOpening and closing

G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they can:
R open doors and endanger other persons or
road users
R climb out and be injured by the traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and, for exam-
ple, trap themselves.
Children could also set the vehicle in motion, for example by:
R releasing the parking brake
R shifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
R starting the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children unattended in the vehicle. Always
keep the key out of reach of children. G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they can:
R open doors and endanger other persons or
road users
R climb out and be injured by the traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and, for exam-
ple, trap themselves.
Children could also set the vehicle in motion, for example by:
R releasing the parking brake
R shifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
R starting the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key
with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children unattended in the vehicle. Always
keep the key out of reach of children. G
WARNING
If persons (particularly children) are exposed
to heat or cold for a prolonged period, there is a risk of serious or even fatal injuries. Never
leave persons (particularly children) unatten-
ded in the vehicle.
Unlocking and opening the doors
from the inside
! The side windows will not open/close if
the battery is discharged or if the side win- dows have iced up. It will then not be pos-
sible to close the door. Do not attempt to
force the door to close. You could other-
wise damage the door or the side window.
For all countries except the United King-
dom: you can open a door from inside the
vehicle even if it has been locked.
If the vehicle has previously been locked with the key or with KEYLESS-GO, opening a door
from the inside will trigger the anti-theft alarmsystem. Switch off the alarm (Y page 79).
United Kingdom only: if the vehicle has
been locked with the key from the outside,
the double-lock function is activated as
standard. It is then not possible to open the
doors from inside the vehicle. You can deac-
tivate the double lock function by deactivat-
ing the interior motion sensor (Y page 80).
The doors can then be opened from the inside after the vehicle has been locked from the
outside. The anti-theft alarm system is trig-
gered if the door is opened from the inside.
Switch off the alarm (Y page 79). Doors
91Opening and closing Z

X
Pull door handle ;.
If the door is locked, locking knob :pops
up. The door is unlocked and can be
opened.
i When a door is opened, the side window
on that side opens slightly. When the door
is closed, the side window is raised again. Centrally locking and unlocking the
vehicle from the inside
You can centrally lock or unlock the vehicle
from the inside. For example, you can unlock the front-passenger door from the inside or
lock the vehicle before you pull away. X
To unlock: press button :.
X To lock: press button ;.
If the front-passenger door is closed, the
vehicle locks.
The central locking/unlocking button does
not lock or unlock the fuel filler flap or the
stowage compartments, such as the glove
compartment.
You cannot unlock the vehicle centrally from
the inside if the vehicle has been locked with the key or KEYLESS-GO.
For all countries except the United King-
dom: you can open a door from inside the
vehicle even if it has been locked.
United Kingdom only: if the vehicle has
been locked from the outside, the double-
lock function is activated as standard. It is
then not possible to open the doors from
inside the vehicle. You can deactivate the double lock function by deactivating the inte-
rior motion sensor (Y page 80). The doors can
then be opened from the inside after the vehi- cle has been locked from the outside. The
anti-theft alarm system is triggered if the door
is opened from the inside. Switch off the
alarm (Y page 79).
If a locked door is opened from the inside, the previous unlock status of the vehicle will be
taken into consideration if:
R the vehicle was locked using the locking
button for the central locking, or
R if the vehicle was locked automatically
The vehicle will be fully unlocked if it had pre- viously been fully unlocked. If only the driver's
door had been previously unlocked, only the
door which has been opened from the inside
is unlocked. Automatic locking feature
:
To deactivate
; To activate
X To deactivate: press and hold button :
for about five seconds until a tone sounds.
X To activate: press and hold button ;for
about five seconds until a tone sounds.
i If you press one of the two buttons and do
not hear a tone, the relevant setting has
already been selected.
The vehicle is locked automatically when the
ignition is switched on and the wheels are
turning. 92
DoorsOpening and closing

You could therefore be locked out if:
R the vehicle is being pushed.
R the vehicle is being towed.
R the vehicle is being tested on a dynamom-
eter.
You can also switch the automatic locking
function on and off using the on-board com-
puter (Y page 242). Power closing
Power closing pulls the doors and boot lid into their locks automatically even if they are only
partly closed.
X Power closing feature (doors): push the
door past the first detent position into the
lock.
Power closing will pull the door fully closed.
X To power close the boot lid: lightly push
the boot lid closed.
The power closing function pulls the boot
lid closed. Unlocking the driver's door (emer-
gency key element)
If the vehicle can no longer be unlocked with
the key, use the emergency key element.
If you use the emergency key element to
unlock and open the driver's door, the anti-
theft alarm system will be triggered
(Y page 79).
X Take the emergency key element out of the
key (Y page 86).
X Insert the emergency key element into the
lock of the driver's door as far as it will go. X
Turn the emergency key element anti-
clockwise as far as it will go to position 1.
The door is unlocked.
i On right-hand-drive vehicles, turn the
emergency key element clockwise.
X Turn the emergency key element back and
remove it.
X Insert emergency key element into the key
(Y page 86). Locking the vehicle (emergency key
element)
If the vehicle can no longer be locked with the key, use the emergency key element.
X Open the driver's door.
X Close the front-passenger door and the
boot lid.
X Press the locking button (Y page 92).
X Check whether the locking knob on the
front-passenger door is still visible. Press
down the locking knob by hand, if neces-
sary.
X Close the driver's door.
X Remove the emergency key element from
the key (Y page 86).
X Insert the emergency key element into the
lock of the driver's door as far as it will go. Doors
93Opening and closing Z

1
To lock
X Turn the emergency key element clockwise
as far as it will go to position 1.
i On right-hand-drive vehicles, turn the
emergency key element anti-clockwise.
X Turn the emergency key element back and
remove it.
X Make sure that the doors and the boot lid
are locked.
X Insert emergency key element into the key
(Y page 86).
i If you lock the vehicle as described above,
the fuel filler flap is not locked. The anti-
theft alarm system is not primed. Boot
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If objects, luggage or loads are not secured or not secured sufficiently, they could slip, tip
over or be flung around and thereby hit vehicle
occupants. There is a risk of injury, especially when braking or abruptly changing directions.
Always store objects so that they cannot be
flung around. Secure objects, luggage or
loads against slipping or tipping before the
journey. G
WARNING
If persons (particularly children) are exposed
to heat or cold for a prolonged period, there is a risk of serious or even fatal injuries. Never leave persons (particularly children) unatten-
ded in the vehicle.
! The boot lid swings upwards when
opened. Therefore, make sure that there is sufficient clearance above the boot lid.
! Only close the boot once the roof is low-
ered completely. Otherwise, you could
damage the roof.
i Opening dimensions of the boot lid
(Y page 629).
i When the soft top is open, you can use
loading aid (Y page 546) to raise the folded
soft top when loading it into the boot. For
this purpose, you can also open the boot
separator.
The boot separator must be closed again
after loading. Otherwise, the soft top can
no longer be closed.
You can unlock the boot lid when the vehicle
is stationary and the roof is fully opened or
closed.
Do not leave the key in the boot. You could
otherwise lock yourself out.
The boot lid can be:
R opened and closed from outside
R opened and closed automatically from out-
side (vehicles with boot lid remote closing
feature)
R opened and closed automatically from
inside (vehicles with boot lid remote closing
feature)
R opened, closed or stopped during opera-
tion without the use of your hands (vehicles
with KEYLESS-GO and HANDS-FREE
ACCESS)
R locked separately
R unlocked with the emergency key element Boot lid reversing feature
The boot lid is equipped with an automatic
reversing feature. It reacts if a solid object
obstructs or restricts the boot lid during the 94
BootOpening and closing

closing procedure. The boot lid opens again
automatically. The automatic reversing func-
tion is only an aid and is not a substitute for
your attentiveness to the boot lid while it is
closing. G
WARNING
The reversing function does not react:
R to soft, light and thin objects, e.g. small fin-
gers
R over the last 8 mm of the closing path
This means that the reversing feature cannot
prevent someone being trapped in these sit-
uations. There is a risk of injury.
When closing make sure that no parts of the
body are in the closing area.
If someone is trapped:
R press the Fbutton on the key, or
R press the remote operating switch on the
driver's door, or
R press the closing or locking button on the
boot lid, or
R pull the boot lid handle Opening/closing from the outside
Opening X
Press the %button on the key.
X Pull handle :.
X Raise the boot lid.
i When the soft top is open, you can use
loading aid (Y page 546)to raise the folded
soft top when loading it into the boot. For this purpose, you can also open the boot
separator.
The boot separator must be closed again
after loading. Otherwise, the roof can no
longer be closed.
Closing X
Pull the boot lid down using recess :.
X Lock the vehicle if necessary with the &
button on the key or with KEYLESS-GO.
i If a KEYLESS-GO key is detected in the
boot, the boot lid cannot be locked. It then
opens again. Opening/closing automatically from
the outside
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Parts of the body could become trapped dur-
ing automatic closing of the tailgate. More-
over, people, e.g. children, may be standing in the closing area or may enter the closing area
during the closing process. There is a risk of
injury.
Make sure that nobody is in the vicinity of the closing area during the closing process.
Use one of the following options to stop the
closing process:
R press the Fbutton on the key.
R press the remote operating switch on the
driver's door. Boot
95Opening and closing
Z

R
press the closing or locking button on the
tailgate.
R pull the handle on the tailgate.
! The boot lid swings upwards when
opened. Therefore, make sure that there is
sufficient clearance above the boot lid.
i Opening dimensions of the boot lid
(Y page 629).
Opening You can automatically open the boot lid using
the handle in the boot lid.
X If the boot is unlocked, pull the boot lid
handle and release it again immediately.
Vehicles with the boot lid remote closing fea-
ture: the boot lid can also be opened auto-
matically with the key.
X Press and hold the Fbutton on the key
until the boot lid opens.
Closing :
Closing button
; Locking button
X To close: press closing button :in the
boot lid. Vehicles with boot lid remote closing feature
and KEYLESS-GO: you can simultaneously
close the boot lid and lock the vehicle.
X Press locking button ;in the boot lid.
If a KEYLESS-GO key is detected outside
the vehicle, the boot lid closes and the vehi-
cle locks.
i If a key with KEYLESS-GO is detected in
the boot, the boot lid opens again after it is
closed. It does not lock. HANDS-FREE ACCESS
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The vehicle exhaust system can become very
hot. If you use HANDS-FREE ACCESS, you
could burn yourself by touching the exhaust
system. There is a risk of injury. Always
ensure that you only make a leg movement
within the detection range of sensors.
! If the key is within the rear detection
range of KEYLESS-GO, the following situa-
tions, for example, could lead to the unin-
tentional opening of the boot:
R using a car wash
R using a high-pressure cleaner
Make sure that the key is at least 2 maway
from the vehicle.
General notes With KEYLESS-GO and HANDS-FREE
ACCESS, you can open or close the boot lid or
stop the procedure without using your hands.
This is useful if you have your hands full. To do
this, make a kicking movement under the
bumper with your foot.
Observe the following points:
R Carry your KEYLESS-GO key about your
person. The KEYLESS-GO key must be in
the rear detection range of the vehicle.
R When making the kicking movement, make
sure that you are standing firmly on the 96
BootOpening and closing

ground and that there is sufficient clear-
ance to the rear of the vehicle. You could
otherwise lose your balance, e.g. on ice. R
Always ensure that you only make a kicking
movement within the detection range of
sensors :.
R Stand at least 30 cm away from the rear
area while doing so.
R Do not come into contact with the bumper
while making the kicking movement. Oth-
erwise, the sensors may not function cor-
rectly.
R HANDS-FREE ACCESS does not function
when the engine is started.
R If a KEYLESS-GO key is within the rear
detection range of KEYLESS-GO, HANDS-
FREE ACCESS could be triggered. The boot
lid could thus be opened or closed unin-
tentionally, for example, if you:
- set something down or lift something
behind the vehicle
- polish the rear of the vehicle
Do not carry the KEYLESS-GO key about
your person in such situations. This will
prevent the unintentional opening/closing
of the boot.
R Dirt caused by road salt around sensors :
may restrict functionality.
R Using HANDS-FREE ACCESS with a pros-
thetic leg may restrict functionality. Operation
X
To open/close: kick into sensor detection
range :under the bumper with your leg.
You will hear a warning tone while the boot lid is opening or closing.
X If the boot lid does not open after sev-
eral attempts: wait at least ten seconds
then move your leg under the bumper once
again.
i If you hold your foot under the bumper for
too long, the boot lid does not open or
close. Repeat the leg movement more
quickly if this occurs.
To stop the opening or closing procedure:
R move your foot in sensor detection
range :under the bumper, or
R pull the handle on the outside of the boot lid
or
R press the closing button in the boot lid or
R press the Fbutton on the key
If the boot lid closing procedure has been
stopped:
R move your foot under the bumper again and
the boot lid will open.
If the boot lid opening procedure has been
stopped:
R move your foot under the bumper again and
the boot lid will close. Boot
97Opening and closing Z