MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 2004 R230 Owner's Manual

330 Practical hintsLocking/unlocking in an emergency
Remove mechanical key (
page 325).

Insert the mechanical key in side open-
ing and push gray slide.
The battery compartment is unlatched.

Pull the battery compartment out of the
SmartKey housing.

Using mechanical key3, apply pres-
sure to position 2.
Battery 1 tilts up slightly.

Pull battery 1 out in direction of ar-
row.

Using a lint-free cloth, insert new bat-
teries under the contact spring with the
plus (+) side facing up.

Return battery compartment into hous-
ing until it locks into place.


331 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Replacing bulbs
Bulbs
Safe vehicle operation depends on proper
exterior lighting and signaling. It is there-
fore essential that all bulbs and lamp as-
semblies are in good working order at all
times.
Correct headlamp adjustment is extremely
important. Have headlamps checked and
readjusted at regular intervals and when a
bulb has been replaced. See an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for headlamp ad-
justment.
iIf the headlamps are fogged up on the
inside as a result of high humidity, driv-
ing the vehicle a distance should clear
up the fogging.
iBackup bulbs will be brought into use
when the following lamps malfunction:

Turn signal lamps


Brake lamps


Parking lamps


Tail lamps

332 Practical hintsReplacing bulbsFront lamps Rear lamps
Lamp
Type
1
Additional turn
signal
LED
2
Turn signal lamp
1156 NA
3
Low beam
1
1Vehicles with Bi-Xenon* headlamps: Low beam
and high beam use the same D2S-35W lamp. Do
not replace the Xenon and Bi-Xenon* bulbs your-
self. See an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Xenon D2S-35 W
4
Xenon head-
lamps:
High beam, high
beam flasher
H7 (55 W)
Bi-Xenon* head-
lamps:
High beam
flasher
H7 (55 W)
Parking and
standing lamps
W 5 W
5
Fog lamp
HB4/9006 (55 W)
6
Side marker
lamp
W 5 W
Lamp
Type
7
Rear fog lamp,
driver’s side;
replacement
P 21 W
1156/32 cp
8
High mounted
brake lamp
LED
9
Backup lamp;
replacement
P 21 W
1156/32 cp
a
Tail, parking and
standing lamp,
side marker
LED
b
Tail, parking and
standing lamp,
brake lamp
LED
c
License plate
lamps
C 5 W
d
Turn signal
lamp;
replacement
P 21 W
1156/32 cp

333 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Notes on bulb replacement

Only use 12 volt bulbs of the same type
and with the specified watt rating.


Switch lights off before changing a bulb
to prevent short circuits.


Always use a clean lint-free cloth when
handling bulbs.


Your hands should be dry and free of oil
and grease.


If the newly installed bulb does not
come on, visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.Have the LEDs and bulbs for the following
lamps replaced by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center:


the additional turn signals in the exteri-
or rear view mirrors


the high mounted brake lamp


the brake lamps


the parking lamps and the side marker
lamps in the tail lamp assemblies


the rear fog lamps


the low beam (Xenon or Bi-Xenon*)
lamps


the front fog lamps
Warning!
G
Bulbs and bulb sockets can be very hot. Al-
low the lamp to cool down before changing
a bulb.
Keep bulbs out of reach of children.
Halogen lamps contain pressurized gas. A
bulb can explode if you:

touch or move it when hot,


drop the bulb,


scratch the bulb.
Wear eye and hand protection.
Because of high voltage in Xenon lamps, it is
dangerous to replace the bulb or repair the
lamp and its components. We recommend
that you have such work done by a qualified
technician.

334 Practical hintsReplacing bulbsReplacing bulbs for front lamps
1Bulb socket for turn signal lamp
2Low beam lamp cover (Xenon or
Bi-Xenon* lamp). Do not remove.
3High beam lamp coverReplacing front turn signal bulb

Switch off the lights.

Open the hood (
page 253).

Twist bulb socket 1 counterclockwise
and pull out.

Push bulb into socket, turn counter-
clockwise and remove.

Insert new bulb in socket, push and
twist clockwise.

Reinsert bulb socket in lamp and twist
clockwise.Replacing high beam bulbs
1High beam bulbs
2Locking mechanism
3Parking and standing lamps

Switch off the lights.

Open the hood (
page 253).

Press ends of headlamp cover tab to-
gether and remove cover.

Pull electrical connector off.

Turn locking mechanism 2 counter-
clockwise and take out the bulb.

Insert the new bulb so that the base lo-
cates in the recess on the holder.
Warning!
G
Do not remove the cover for the Xenon or
Bi-Xenon* headlamp. Because of high volt-
age in Xenon and Bi-Xenon* lamps, it is dan-
gerous to replace the bulb or repair the lamp
and its components. We recommend that
you have such work done by a qualified
technician.

335 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs

Turn locking mechanism 2 clockwise.

Plug the connector onto the bulb.

Align headlamp cover and click into
place.
Replacing parking and standing lamp
bulbs

Switch off the lights.

Open the hood (
page 253).

Press ends of headlamp cover tab to-
gether and remove cover.

Pull out the bulb socket with the bulb.

Pull the bulb out of the bulb socket.

Insert a new bulb in the socket.

Reinstall the bulb socket.

Align headlamp cover and click into
place.Replacing side marker lamp

Switch off the lights.

Carefully slide lamp towards rear.

Remove front end first.

Twist bulb socket counterclockwise
and pull out.

Pull bulb out of the bulb socket.

Insert new bulb in socket.

Reinstall bulb socket, push in, and twist
clockwise.

To reinstall lamp, set rear end in
bumper and let front end snap into
place.
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps
Tail lamp assemblies
1Backup lamp
2Turn signal lamp
3Driver’s side: Rear fog lamp
Passenger’s side: Substitute lamp
Switch off the lights.

Open the trunk lid (
page 99).

Fold trim to side and remove.

Twist bulb socket counterclockwise
and pull out.
iHave the headlamp adjustment
checked regularly.


336 Practical hintsReplacing bulbs
Gently push bulb into socket, turn
counterclockwise and remove.

Insert new bulb and reinstall bulb sock-
et.
The bulb socket should audibly click
into place.

Reinstall trim.License plate lamp
1Screws

Switch off the lights.

Loosen both screws and remove lamp.

Replace the bulb and reinstall lamp.

Retighten the screws.


337 Practical hints
Replacing wiper blades
Replacing wiper blades
Removing wiper blades
Turn SmartKey in starter switch to
position1.

Turn combination switch to wiper
settingII (
page 47).

With wiper arms in the vertical position,
turn SmartKey in starter switch to
position0.

Fold the wiper arm forward until it
snaps into place.

Turn wiper blade at a right angle to the
wiper arm.

Slide the wiper blade sideways out of
the retainer.
!To avoid damage to the hood, the wiper
arms should only be folded forward
when in the vertical position.
Warning!
G
For safety reasons, remove SmartKey from
starter switch before replacing a wiper
blade. Otherwise the motor could suddenly
turn on and cause injury.

338 Practical hintsReplacing wiper bladesInstalling wiper blades
Slide the wiper blade onto the wiper
arm until it locks in place.

Rotate the wiper blade into a position
parallel to the wiper arm.

Fold the wiper arm backward to rest on
the windshield. Make sure you hold on
to the wiper when folding the wiper arm
back.
!Never open the hood when the wiper
arms are folded forward.
Hold on to the wiper when folding the
wiper arm back. If released, the force
of the impact from the tensioning
spring could crack the windshield.
Do not allow the wiper arms to contact
the windshield glass without a wiper
blade inserted.
Make sure the wiper blades are proper-
ly installed. Improperly installed wiper
blades may cause windshield damage.
For your convenience, we recommend
that you have this work carried out by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

339 Practical hints
Flat tire
Flat tire
Your SL 55 AMG may be equipped with a
TIREFIT kit.
You can identify which TIREFIT kit
(SL 55 AMG only) you have as follows:

The TIREFIT container of kit 1 is a
squeeze container.
For information on sealing a damaged
tire with TIREFIT kit 1, see
(page 340).


The TIREFIT container of kit 2 is a rigid
container.
For information on sealing a damaged
tire with TIREFIT kit 2, see
(page 345).
Preparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle as far as possible from
moving traffic on a hard surface.

Turn on the hazard warning flashers.

Turn the steering wheel so that the
front wheels are in a straight ahead po-
sition.

Set the parking brake.

Move the gear selector lever to P.
Vehicles with SmartKey :

Turn off the engine (
page 53).

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.Vehicles with SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*:

Turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* button on the gear se-
lector lever once (
page 54).

Open the driver’s door (this puts the
starter switch in position 0, same as
with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch). The driver's door then
can be closed again.

Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway. iOpen door only when conditions are
safe to do so.