MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 2004 R230 Owner's Manual

280 OperationVehicle careUpholstery
Using aftermarket seat covers or wearing
clothing that have the tendency to give off
coloring (e.g. when wet, etc.) may cause
the upholstery to become permanently dis-
colored. By lining the seats with a proper
intermediate cover, contact-discoloration
will be prevented.
Leather upholstery
Wipe leather upholstery with a damp cloth
and dry thoroughly or clean with
Mercedes-Benz approved Leather Care.
Exercise particular care when cleaning per-
forated leather as its underside should not
become wet.Plastic and rubber parts
Do not use oil or wax on these parts.
Wood trims
Dampen cloth using water and use damp
cloth to clean wood trims in your vehicle.
Do not use solvents like tar remover or
wheel cleaner nor polishes or waxes as
these may be abrasive.

281 Practical hints
What to do if …
Where will I find ...?
Locking/unlocking in an emergency
Replacing bulbs
Replacing wiper blades
Flat tire
Batteries
Jump starting
Towing the vehicle
Fuses

282 Practical hintsWhat to do if …
What to do if …Lamps in instrument clusterGeneral information:
If a bulb in the instrument cluster fails to
come on during the bulb self-check when the ignition is switched on, have it checked
and replaced if necessary.Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
v
The yellow ABS/ESP warning
lamp comes on while driving.
The ESP is deactivated.
Risk of accident!
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road and weather conditions.

Switch the ESP back on (
page 80).
If the ESP cannot be switched back on,
have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as
possible.
v
The yellow ABS/ESP warning
lamp flashes while driving.
The ESP, ABS, or traction control has come
into operation because of detected traction
loss in at least one tire.
Distronic* is deactivated.

When driving off, apply as little throt-
tle as possible.

While driving, ease up on the acceler-
ator.

Adapt your speed and driving to the
prevailing road and weather condi-
tions.

Do not deactivate the ESP.
Exceptions: (
page 79).
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of an accident.

283 Practical hints
What to do if …
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
-
The yellow ABS indicator lamp
comes on while driving.
The ABS has detected a malfunction and has
switched off. The BAS and the ESP are also
switched off (see messages in display).
The SBC brake system is still functioning nor-
mally but without ABS available.
If the ABS control unit is malfunctioning, oth-
er systems such as Parktronic*, Distronic*,
or the automatic transmission may also be
malfunctioning.

Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels may lock during hard braking,
reducing steering capability.

Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon
as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of an accident.

Read and observe messages in the
display (
page 291).
The charging voltage has fallen below
10 volts and the ABS was switched off.
When the voltage is above this value
again, the ABS is operational again.
If necessary, have the generator and
battery checked.

284 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
3
(Canada only)
;
(except Canada)
The red brake warning lamp
comes on while driving and
you hear a warning sound.
The red brake warning lamp
comes on while driving
You are driving with the parking brake set,
or
there is a malfunction in the SBC brake system.
There is insufficient brake fluid in the reservoir.

Release the parking brake
(page 45).

Read and observe messages in the
display (
page 291).

Risk of accident! Carefully stop the
vehicle and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. Do not add
brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the brake warning lamp illumi-
nated can result in an accident. Have your
brake system checked immediately if the
brake warning lamp stays on. Do not add
brake fluid before checking the brake sys-
tem.
Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir can re-
sult 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.

285 Practical hints
What to do if …
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
?
The yellow CHECK ENGINE mal-
function indicator lamp comes
on while driving.
There is a malfunction in:

The fuel injection system


The ignition system


The emission control system


Systems which effect emissions
Such malfunctions may result in excessive
emissions values and may switch the engine
to its limp-home (emergency operation)
mode.

Have the vehicle checked as soon as
possible by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
An on-board diagnostic connector is
used by the service station to link the
vehicle to the shop diagnostics sys-
tem. It allows the accurate identifica-
tion of system malfunctions through
the readout of diagnostic trouble
codes. It is located in the front left
area of the footwell next to the park-
ing brake.
The fuel cap is not closed tightly.

Check the fuel cap.
Your gas tank is empty.

After refuelling, start the engine three
or four times in succession.
The limp-home mode is canceled. You
do not need to have your vehicle
checked.

286 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
D
The red coolant warning lamp
comes on when the engine is
running.
There is insufficient coolant in the reservoir.
If this warning lamp comes on frequently,
there is a leak in the cooling system.
If the coolant level is correct, the electric ra-
diator fan may be broken.

Immediately add coolant to prevent
engine from overheating
(page 258).

Have the cooling system checked.

If the coolant temperature is below
248 °F (120 °C), you can continue
driving to the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

Avoid high engine loads (e.g. driving
uphill) and stop-and-go driving.
D
The red coolant warning lamp
comes on while driving and you
hear a warning sound.
The coolant temperature has exceeded
248 °F (120 °C).

Stop as soon as possible and allow
the engine and coolant to cool down.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly overheat-
ed can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns and can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.

287 Practical hints
What to do if …
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
E
The red DTR indicator lamp
comes on while driving.
You are too close to the vehicle in front of you
to maintain selected speed.

Apply the brakes immediately to in-
crease the following distance.
E
The red DTR indicator lamp
comes on while driving and you
hear a warning sound.


You are gaining too rapidly on the vehicle
ahead of you.


The distance warning system has recog-
nized a stationary obstacle on your prob-
able line of travel.

Apply the brakes immediately.

Carefully observe the traffic situation.
You may need to brake or maneuver
to avoid hitting an obstacle.
E
The white DTR indicator lamp
comes on while driving.
The Distronic* distance sensor has recog-
nized a vehicle in front of you.
A
The yellow fuel tank reserve
warning lamp lights while driv-
ing.
The fuel level has dropped below the reserve
mark.

Refuel at the next gas station
(page 250).
The fuel cap is not closed tight.

Check the fuel cap (
page 250).

288 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
C
The yellow roll bar warning lamp
comes on or flickers when the
engine is running.
The roll bar is not operational.

For safety reasons, always have the
roll bar raised when driving with the
retractable hardtop open. Attempt to
raise the roll bar manually.

Have the roll bar checked by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
If the roll bar warning lamp does not come
on, does not go out after a long time, flickers
or comes on while driving as described
above, then the roll bar system is not oper-
ating properly and may not activate in an ac-
cident. In this case, raise the roll bar
manually (
page 69) before continuing to
drive.

289 Practical hints
What to do if …
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
<
The red seat belt telltale comes
on briefly after starting the en-
gine.
The warning lamp reminds you to fasten seat
belts.

Fasten your seat belt.
1
The red SRS indicator lamp
comes on while driving.
There is a malfunction in the restraint sys-
tems. The airbags or emergency tensioning
device (ETD) could deploy unexpectedly or
fail to activate in an accident.

Drive with added caution to the near-
est authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
In the event that a malfunction of the SRS is
indicated as outlined above, the SRS may
not be operational. For your safety, we
strongly recommend that you visit an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center immedi-
ately to have the system checked; otherwise
the SRS may not be activated when needed
in an accident, which could result in serious
or fatal injury, or it might deploy
unexpectedly and unnecessarily which
could also result in an accident and/or
injury to you or to others.