open hood MERCEDES-BENZ SL600 2008 R230 User Guide

288 Operation
Engine compartment
Coolant
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion/antifreeze.
When checking the coolant level,

the vehicle must be parked on level
ground

the coolant temperature must be be-
low 158°F (70°C)The coolant expansion tank is located on
the passenger side of the engine compart-
ment.
1Coolant expansion tank
Using a rag, slowly turn the cap approx-
imately one half turn counterclockwise
to release any excess pressure.
Continue turning the cap counterclock-
wise and remove it.
Warning!G
In order to avoid any potentially serious
burns:

Use extreme caution when opening the
hood if there are any signs of steam or
coolant leaking from the cooling system,
or if the coolant temperature gauge indi-
cates that the coolant is overheated.

Do not remove pressure cap on coolant
reservoir if coolant temperature is
above 158°F (70°C). Allow engine to
cool down before removing cap. The
coolant reservoir contains hot fluid and
is under pressure.

Using a rag, slowly open the cap approx-
imately 1/2 turn to relieve excess pres-
sure. If opened immediately, scalding
hot fluid and steam will be blown out un-
der pressure.

Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine
parts. Antifreeze contains ethylene gly-
col which may burn if it comes into con-
tact with hot engine parts.

337 Operation
Vehicle care
Restart the engine after cleaning
sensor cover1.
Cleaning the Parktronic system*
sensors
1Parktronic system* sensors in front
bumper
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as
Mercedes-Benz approved Car
Shampoo, with plenty of water and a
soft, non-scratching cloth to clean
sensors1 in the bumpers.Cleaning the windows and the wiper
blades
Make sure the hood is fully closed.
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Turn combination switch to wiper
settingII (
page 58).
With wiper arms in vertical position,
switch off the ignition (
page 40).
!To prevent scratches or damage, never
apply strong force and only use a soft,
non-scratching cloth when cleaning Distronic
system sensor cover1. Do not attempt to wipe
dirty sensor with a dry cloth or sponge.
!Do not apply strong pressure to the sensor
covers. Applying strong pressure may damage
the sensor covers.
Follow the instructions provided by the power
washer manufacturer on maintaining a distance
between the vehicle and the nozzle of the power
washer.
!To prevent scratches, never apply strong
force and only use a soft, non-scratching cloth
when cleaning the sensors. Do not attempt to
wipe dirty sensors with a dry cloth or sponge.
!The windshield wipers must be in a vertical
position before folding them away from the wind-
shield. They could otherwise damage the hood.
Never open the hood when the wiper arms are
folded forward.


349 Practical hints
What to do if …
During severe operating conditions, e.g.
stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tempera-
ture may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
Warning!G

Driving when your engine is overheated
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 which can occur
just by opening the hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear steam
coming from it.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out of
the vehicle and do not stand near the vehicle
until the engine has cooled down.
!The engine should not be operated with the
coolant temperature above 248°F (120°C).
Doing so may cause serious engine damage
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

384 Practical hints
What to do if …
During severe operating conditions, e.g.
stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tempera-
ture may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
Left displayRight displayPossible cause/consequencePossible solution
Observe the coolant temperature gauge in the
instrument cluster (
page 27).
If the temperature rises again:
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center immediately.
Warning!G
Driving when your engine is overheated 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.
!The engine should not be operated with the
coolant temperature above 248°F (120°C). Do-
ing so may cause serious engine damage which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

390 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left displayRight displayPossible cause/consequencePossible solution
KRetractable Roof
Not Opened/Closed
CompletelyThe retractable hardtop is not
locked properly.Stop the vehicle in a safe location. Observe
the traffic situation around you.
Push or pull on the retractable hardtop switch
until the indicator lamp in the switch goes out
and the retractable hardtop is completely
open or closed (
page 204).
OYou are driving with the hood open.Risk of accident!
Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so.
Close the hood (page 283).
IRemove
KeyYou have forgotten to remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch.Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Replace
KeyThe SmartKey is no longer
functional.Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
FChange
Key BatteriesThe batteries in the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* are discharged.Replace the batteries (page 407).

411 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Notes on bulb replacement

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

Switch the 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
exterior rear view mirrors

the high mounted brake lamp

the brake lamps

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

the rear fog lamps

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

the front fog lamps

the front side marker lamps
Replacing bulbs for front lamps
Before you start to replace a bulb for a
front lamp, do the following first:
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
position M (
page 131).
Open the hood (page 282).
1Bulb socket for turn signal lamp
2High beam headlamp cover
3Low beam headlamp cover (Xenon or
Bi-Xenon* lamp). Do not remove.
!Do not replace the LEDs yourself. You could
otherwise damage the LEDs or parts of the
vehicle. Only have the LEDs replaced by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

415 Practical hints
Replacing wiper blades
Replacing wiper blades
Placing wiper arms in vertical position
Wiper blades in vertical position
Vehicles with SmartKey
Turn SmartKey to starter switch
position1 (
page 40).
Turn combination switch to wiper
settingII (
page 58).
With wiper arms in the vertical position,
turn SmartKey in starter switch to
position0.
Remove SmartKey from starter switch.
Warning!G
For safety reasons, switch off wipers and re-
move SmartKey from starter switch
(vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: Make sure the
vehicle’s on-board electronics have
status0) before replacing a wiper blade.
Otherwise the wiper motor could suddenly
turn on and cause injury.
Warning!G
Wiper blades are components that are sub-
ject to wear and tear. Replace the wiper
blades twice a year, preferably in the spring
and fall. Otherwise the windows will not be
properly wiped. As a result, you may not be
able to observe surrounding traffic condi-
tions and could cause an accident.
!To avoid damage to the hood:

The wiper arms should only be folded
forward when in the vertical position.

Never open the hood when a wiper arm is
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 wind-
shield.
Do not allow the wiper arms to contact the wind-
shield glass without a wiper blade inserted.
For your convenience, we recommend that you
have this work carried out by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

430 Practical hints
Batteries
Open the hood (page 282).
Use the 10 mm open-end wrench from
the vehicle tool kit to disconnect the
negative lead from negative
terminal2 of the starter battery
(
page 427).
Remove the covers from the positive
terminals 1 and 4 (
page 427).
Disconnect the positive lead from pos-
itive terminal 4 of the consumer bat-
tery (
page 427).
Disconnect the positive lead from pos-
itive terminal 1 of the starter battery
(
page 427).
Removing the batteries
Removing the consumer battery
Remove the screws securing the bat-
tery in the trunk.
Remove the battery support and
bracket.
Pull out the battery ventilation hose
from the battery.
Depending on battery arrangement in
your vehicle model, the ventilation tube
is located either on the left or right side
of the battery.
Take out the battery.
Removing the starter battery
Remove the screws securing the start-
er battery in the engine compartment.
Pull battery ventilation 3
(
page 427) out of the battery.
Lift the retaining bracket.
Remove the battery.
Charging and reinstalling batteries
Warning!G
Never charge a battery while still installed in
the vehicle unless the accessory battery
charge unit approved by Mercedes-Benz is
being used. Gases may escape during charg-
ing and cause explosions that may result in
paint damage, corrosion or personal injury.
An accessory battery charge unit specially
adapted for Mercedes-Benz vehicles and
tested and approved by Mercedes-Benz is
available, permitting the charging of the
battery in its installed position. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for infor-
mation and availability. Charge battery in
accordance with the separate instructions
for the accessory battery charger.


433 Practical hints
Jump starting
The starter battery is located on the right
side of the engine compartment.
Make sure the two vehicles do not
touch.
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Apply the parking brake (page 63).
Make sure the gear selector lever is set
to position P (
page 172).
Open the hood (page 282).
Remove the red cover from positive ter-
minal on both vehicles (
page 427).1Positive terminal of charged battery
2Positive terminal of discharged battery
3Negative terminal of discharged
battery
4Negative terminal of charged battery
Connect positive terminals 1 and 2
of the batteries with the red jumper
cable. Clamp cable to charged battery
first.
Start the engine of the vehicle with the
charged battery and run at idle speed.
Connect negative terminals 3 and 4
of the batteries with the black jumper
cable. Clamp cable to charged battery
first.
Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.
You can now turn on the electrical con-
sumers. Do not switch on the headlamps
under any circumstances.
Remove the jumper cables first from
negative terminals 4 and 3 and then
from positive terminals 2 and 1.
You can now switch on the headlamps.
Have the battery checked at the near-
est authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
Keep flames or sparks away from battery.
Do not smoke.
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries
(
page 290).
!Never invert the terminal connections.

438 Practical hints
Fuses
Fuse boxes in engine compartment
Open the hood (page 282).
The fuse boxes are located on the driver’s
and passenger side in front of the bulk-
head (wall separating the engine and
passenger compartment).
Fuse box on driver’s side
1Fuse box cover
2Locking
3Unlocking
Fuse box on passenger side
1Fuse box cover
2Locking
3UnlockingOpening
Move slide to position 3 and lift
cover1.
Closing
Hook cover 1 onto tabs and close it.
Move slide to position 2.
Close the hood after checking or
replacing fuses (
page 283).
!The fuse box cover must be properly
positioned with the slide at the ‹symbol to
prevent moisture or dirt from entering the fuse
box and possibly impairing fuse operation.