flat tire MERCEDES-BENZ SL550 2007 R230 Owner's Manual

ContentsOperation......................................... 257
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) ......... 258
Driving instructions ............................ 259
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 259
Drinking and driving ..................... 259
Pedals .......................................... 259
Power assistance ......................... 260
Brakes .......................................... 260
Driving off..................................... 262
Parking ......................................... 263
Tires ............................................. 263
Hydroplaning ................................ 264
Tire traction .................................. 265
Tire speed rating .......................... 265
Winter driving instructions ........... 266
Standing water ............................. 267
Passenger compartment .............. 268
Driving abroad .............................. 268
Control and operation of radio
transmitters.................................. 268
Catalytic converter ....................... 269
Emission control........................... 269
Coolant temperature .................... 270At the gas station .............................. 271
Refueling ...................................... 271
Check regularly and before a
long trip........................................ 272
Engine compartment ......................... 274
Hood ............................................ 274
Engine oil ..................................... 275
Transmission fluid level ................ 279
Oil level in the ABC system .......... 279
Coolant ........................................ 280
Battery ......................................... 281
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system ........... 282
Tires and wheels ................................ 283
Important guidelines .................... 283
Tire care and maintenance ........... 284
Direction of rotation ..................... 286
Loading the vehicle ...................... 286
Recommended tire inflation
pressure ....................................... 291
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 292
MOExtended system* .................. 301
Tire labeling.................................. 302
Load identification ....................... 306
DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) ............................................. 307Maximum tire load ....................... 308
Maximum tire inflation pressure .. 309
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) ............. 309
Tire ply material ........................... 311
Tire and loading terminology........ 312
Rotating tires ............................... 315
Winter driving .................................... 316
Winter tires .................................. 316
Block heater (Canada only) .......... 317
Snow chains................................. 318
Maintenance...................................... 319
Maintenance service indicator
message ...................................... 319
Calling up the maintenance
service indicator display .............. 320
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator .......................... 321
Vehicle care....................................... 322
Cleaning and care of the vehicle .. 322

Contents
Practical hints................................. 331
What to do if … .................................. 332
Lamps in the instrument cluster .. 332
Air bag off indicator lamp ............. 345
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display .................... 347
Where will I find ...? ........................... 388
First aid kit ................................... 388
Vehicle tool kit, jack, and spare
wheel ........................................... 388
Locking/unlocking in an
emergency ......................................... 391
Unlocking the vehicle ................... 391
Locking the vehicle ...................... 393
Lowering the load assist manually 394
Replacing SmartKey batteries ........... 395
Replacing bulbs ................................. 397
Bulbs ............................................ 397
Replacing bulbs for front lamps ... 399
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps..... 402
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 403
Placing wiper arms in vertical
position ........................................ 403
Removing wiper blades ................ 404
Installing wiper blades................. 404Flat tire ............................................... 405
Preparing the vehicle .................... 405
Mounting the spare wheel ............ 405
MOExtended system* ................... 413
Batteries ............................................. 414
Disconnecting the batteries .......... 416
Removing the batteries ................. 417
Charging and reinstalling
batteries ....................................... 417
Reconnecting the batteries ........... 418
Jump starting ...................................... 419
Towing the vehicle .............................. 421
Installing towing eye bolt .............. 423
Fuses .................................................. 424
Fuse boxes in engine
compartment ................................ 425
Fuse box in passenger
compartment ................................ 426
Fuse in trunk ................................. 426
Emergency engine shut-down ....... 426
Technical data.................................. 427
Parts service ...................................... 428
Warranty coverage ............................. 429
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet ...................... 429
Identification labels ............................ 430
Layout of poly-V-belt drive.................. 432
SL 550 .......................................... 432
SL 55 AMG ................................... 432
SL 600, SL 65 AMG ...................... 432
Engine ................................................ 433
Rims and tires .................................... 435
Same size tires ............................. 436
Mixed size tires ............................. 437
MOExtended tires* ....................... 439
Spare wheel .................................. 440
Electrical system ................................ 441
Main dimensions ................................ 442
Weights .............................................. 443

23 At a glance
Exterior view
Item
Page
1
TrunkOpening the trunk
111
Closing the trunk
113
Spare wheel
388
Vehicle tool kit
388
2
Rear lamps
398
3
Rear window defroster
183
4
Fuel filler flap
271
Refueling
271
Gasoline
447
5
DoorsLocking and unlocking
102
Opening and closing
111
Locking/unlocking in an
emergency
391
6
Exterior rear view mirrorsAdjusting
48
Auto-dimming rear view
mirrors
180
Item
Page
7
Towing
421
Installing towing eye bolt
423
8
Tires and wheels
283
Checking tire inflation
pressure
292
Run Flat Indicator*
293
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
295
Advanced Tire Pressure
Monitoring System
(Advanced TPMS)*
298
General information
283
Flat tire
405
Vehicle tool kit
388
9
HoodOpening
274
Engine oil
275
Coolant
280,
449
Item
Page
a
Headlamp cleaning
system
180,
282
b
Front lamps
398
c
Windshield wipers
57
Wiper blades, replacing
403
Wiper blades, cleaning
326
d
WindshieldCleaning with wiper fluid
58
Cleaning
326
e
Retractable hardtopOpening/closing
199
Wind screen
204
Luggage cover
205
Sunshade for panorama
roof*
208

143 Controls in detail
Control system
Menus, submenus and functions
Table continued on next page.
Menu 1
Menu 2
Menu 3
Menu 4
Menu 5
Standard display
AMG
1
AUDIO
NAV
Distronic*
(page 145)
(page 146)
(page 149)
(page 151)
(page 151)
Commands/submenus
Digital speedome-
ter/Outside tempera-
ture
Engine oil temperature
Selecting radio station
Show route guidance
instructions, current
direction traveled
Calling up settings
Calling up maintenance
service indicator
Vehicle supply voltage
Selecting satellite radio
station
(USA only)
Checking tire inflation
pressure*
RACETIMER
Operating CD player
Checking engine oil lev-
el
Overall analysisLap analysis
1AMG vehicles only.

145 Controls in detail
Control system
Standard display menu
1Main odometer
2Outside temperature
3Current gear selector lever position
4Trip odometer
5Automatic transmission program mode 
Press button è or ÿ repeatedly
until you see the standard display
menu in the multifunction display.You can modify the standard display menu.
Instead of outside temperature 2, you
can choose the digital speedometer to be
displayed in the left multifunction display
by changing the setting in the
Select dis-
play
function of the
Inst. cluster
sub-
menu (
page 157).

Press button k or jto select
the functions in the standard display
menu.
The following functions are available:Display digital speedometer or outside
temperature

Press button k or juntil the
digital speedometer or, depending on
the chosen setting, the outside temper-
ature appears in the right multifunction
display.
Function
Page
Calling up digital speedometer
145
Calling up maintenance service
indicator
320
Checking tire inflation pressure
292
Checking engine oil level
276
i
If you have selected the digital speedometer
for the standard display (
page 157), select the
outside temperature display here.

247 Controls in detail
Useful features
Roadside Assistance button •
The Roadside Assistance button• is
located below the center armrest cover.
1Roadside Assistance button•
Press and hold button 1 (for longer
than 2 seconds)
A call to a Mercedes-Benz Roadside
Assistance dispatcher will be initiated.
The button will flash while the call is in
progress. The message Connecting call
will appear in the
multifunction display and the audio
system is muted.When the connection is established, the
message
Call connected
appears in the
multifunction display. The Tele Aid system
will transmit data generating the vehicle
identification number, model, color and lo-
cation (subject to availability of cellular
and GPS signals).
A voice connection between the Roadside
Assistance dispatcher and the occupants
of the vehicle will be established.

Describe the nature of the need for as-
sistance.
The Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance
dispatcher will either dispatch a qualified
Mercedes-Benz technician or arrange to
tow your vehicle to the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. For services such
as labor and / or towing, charges may ap-
ply. Refer to the Roadside Assistance
Manual for more information.The following is only available in the USA:


Sign and Drive services: Services such
as jump start, a few gallons of fuel or
the replacement of a flat tire with the
vehicle spare tire are obtainable.
i
The indicator lamp in the Roadside
Assistance button• remains illuminated in
red for approximately 10 seconds during the
system self-check after switching on the ignition
(together with the SOS button and the Informa-
tion button¡).
See system self-check (
page 244) if the indi-
cator lamp does not come on in red or stays on
longer than approximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Roadside Assistance
button• is flashing continuously and there
was no voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could not
initiate a Roadside Assistance call (e.g. the rele-
vant cellular phone network is not available). The
message
Call failed
appears in the multi-
function display.
Roadside Assistance calls can be terminated us-
ing the tbutton on the multifunction steer-
ing wheel or the respective button for ending a
telephone call on the COMAND headunit.

264 OperationDriving instructionsThe treadwear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.Specified tire inflation pressures must be
maintained. This applies particularly if the
tires are subjected to extreme operating
conditions (e.g. high speeds, heavy loads,
high ambient temperatures).
Hydroplaning
Depending on the depth of the water layer
on the road, hydroplaning may occur, even
at low speeds and with new tires. Reduce
vehicle speed, avoid track grooves in the
road and apply brakes cautiously in the
rain.
Warning!
G
Although the applicable federal motor vehi-
cle safety laws consider a tire to be worn
when the treadwear indicators (TWI) be-
come visible at approximately
1/16in
(1.6 mm), we recommend that you do not al-
low your tires to wear down to that level. As
tread depth approaches
1/8in (3 mm), the
adhesion properties on a wet road are
sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.
Warning!
G
Do not drive with a flat tire. A flat tire affects
the ability to steer or brake the vehicle. You
may lose control of the vehicle. Continued
driving with a flat tire or driving at high
speed with a flat tire will cause excessive
heat build-up and possibly a fire.

273 Operation
At the gas station
Coolant level
For information on checking the coolant
level, see “Coolant” (
page 280).
Engine oil level
For more information on checking the en-
gine oil level, see “Engine oil”
(
page 275).
Vehicle lighting
Check function and cleanliness. For more
information, see “Replacing bulbs”
(page 397).
Exterior lamp switch, see “Switching on
headlamps” (
page 55).
Tire inflation pressure
For information on checking the tire infla-
tion pressure, see “Checking tire inflation
pressure” (
page 292).

283 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tires and wheels
See an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for information on tested and
recommended rims and tires for summer
and winter operation. They can also offer
advice concerning tire service and
purchase.
Important guidelines

Only use sets of tires and rims of the
same type and make.


Tires must be of the correct size for the
rim.


Break in new tires for approximately
60 miles (100 km) at moderate
speeds.


Regularly check the tires and rims for
damage. Dented or bent rims can
cause tire inflation pressure loss and
damage to the tire beads.


If vehicle is heavily loaded, check tire
inflation pressure and correct as
required.


Do not allow your tires to wear down
too far. Adhesion properties on wet
roads are sharply reduced at tread
depths under
1/8in (3 mm).


When replacing individual tires, you
should mount new tires on the front
wheels first (on vehicles with
same-sized wheels all around).
Warning!
G
Replace rims or tires with the same designa-
tion, manufacturer and type as shown on the
original part. See an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for further informa-
tion. If incorrectly sized rims and tires are
mounted:

The wheel brakes or suspension
components can be damaged.


The operating clearance of the wheels
and the tires may no longer be correct.
Warning!
G
Worn, old tires can cause accidents. If the
tire tread is badly worn, or if the tires have
sustained damage, replace them.
When replacing rims, only use genuine
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts specified for the
particular rim type. Failure to do so can
result in the bolts loosening and possibly an
accident.
Retreaded tires are not tested or recom-
mended by Mercedes-Benz, since previous
damage cannot always be recognized on re-
treads. The operating safety of the vehicle
cannot be assured when such tires are used.

284 OperationTires and wheelsTire care and maintenance
Regularly check your tire inflation pressure
at least once a month. For more informa-
tion on checking tire inflation pressure,
see “Recommended tire inflation pres-
sure” (
page 291).Tire inspection
Every time you check your tire inflation
pressure, you should also inspect your
tires for the following:


excessive treadwear (
page 285)


cord or fabric showing through the
tire’s rubber


bumps, bulges, cuts, cracks or splits in
the tread or side of the tire
Replace the tire if you find any of the above
conditions.
Make sure you also inspect the spare tire
periodically for condition and inflation.
Spare tires will age and become worn over
time even if never used, and thus should be
inspected and replaced when necessary.Life of tire
The service life of a tire is dependent upon
varying factors including but not limited to:


Driving style


Tire inflation pressure


Distance driven
Warning!
G
Regularly check the tires for damage. Dam-
aged tires can cause tire inflation pressure
loss. As a result, you could lose control of
your vehicle.
Worn, old tires can cause accidents. If the
tire tread is badly worn, or if the tires have
sustained damage, replace them.
Warning!
G
Tires and spare tire should be replaced after
6 years, regardless of the remaining tread.