check engine MERCEDES-BENZ SLK-CLASS ROADSTER 2016 Owner's Manual

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The coolant tempera-
ture gauge shows a
value above 248 ‡
(120 †). The coolant
warning lamp may also
be on and a warning
tone may sound.The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine
is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
XStop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
XCheck the coolant level (Ypage 279). Observe the warning
notes as you do so and add coolant if necessary.
If the coolant level is correct, the engine radiator fan may be faulty.
The coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled
sufficiently.
XAt coolant temperatures below 248 ‡ (120 †), drive to the
nearest qualified specialist workshop.
XAvoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in
mountainous terrain and stop-and-go traffic.
Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is
a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate.
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
Selector lever
Gearshift overview (7G-TRONIC)
jPark position with selector lever lock
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
Gearshift overview (9G-TRONIC)
!If the engine speed is too high or if the
vehicle is rolling, do not shift the transmis-
sion directly from Dto R, from Rto Dor
directly to P.
Do not open the driver's door while the
vehicle is in motion. At low speeds in trans-
148Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

Transmission positions
BPark position
Only shift the transmission into
positionPwhen the vehicle is sta-
tionary (
Ypage 148). The parking
lock should not be used as a brake
when parking. Always apply the
electronic parking brake in addi-
tion to the parking lock in order to
secure the vehicle.
7G-TRONIC: the key can only be
removed if the transmission is in
position P. If the SmartKey is
removed from the ignition lock, the
selector lever is locked.
7G-TRONIC: in the event of a mal-
function of the vehicle's electron-
ics, the selector lever may lock in
position P. Information on man-
ually releasing the parking lock
(
Ypage 157).
9G-TRONIC: if the key is removed
from the ignition lock, the trans-
mission is locked.
9G-TRONIC: the automatic trans-
mission shifts into Pautomatically,
Rwhen the SmartKey is removed
from the ignition lock
Rwhen the engine is switched off
with the transmission in position
R or Dand one of the doors is
opened
9G-TRONIC: in the event of a mal-
function of the vehicle's electron-
ics, the transmission may lock in
position P. Have the vehicle elec-
tronics checked immediately at a
qualified specialist workshop.
CReverse gear
Only shift the transmission into
position Rwhen the vehicle is sta-
tionary.
ANeutral
Do not shift the transmission to N
while driving. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be dam-
aged.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brake pedal will allow
you to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to push it or tow it.
If ESP
®is deactivated or faulty:
shift the transmission only to posi-
tion Nif the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
!Rolling in neutral Ncan damage
the drive train.
7Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Driving tips
Changing gear
The automatic transmission shifts to the indi-
vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D. This automatic gear shift-
ing behavior is determined by:
Rthe selected drive program (Ypage 152)
Rthe position of the accelerator pedal
(
Ypage 151)
Rthe road speed
Accelerator pedal position
Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
Rlittle throttle: early upshifts
Rmore throttle: late upshifts
Automatic transmission151
Driving an d parking
Z

Problems with the transmission
ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The transmission has
problems shifting gear.The transmission is losing oil.
XHave the transmission checked at a qualified specialist work-
shop immediately.
The acceleration ability
is deteriorating.
The transmission no
longer changes gear.The transmission is in emergency mode.
7G-TRONIC:it is only possible to shift into secondgear and
reverse gear.
9G-TRONIC: it is only partly possible to engage the gears or the
transmission is in position N.
XStop the vehicle.
XShift the transmission to position P.
XSwitch off the engine.
XWait at least ten seconds before restarting the engine.
XShift the transmission to positionDor R.
7G-TRONIC: IfD is selected, the transmission shifts into sec-
ond gear, if Ris selected, the transmission shifts into reverse
gear.
XHave the transmission checked at a qualified specialist work-
shop immediately.
Deactivating the parking lock man-
ually (7G-TRONIC)
!
Do not use any sharp-edged objects to
remove the selector lever gaiter from the
center console. This could damage the
selector lever gaiter.
XApply the electric parking brake.
XPress the frame of selector level gaiter :
together somewhat on the side edge at the
back and hold with one hand ;.
XWith the other hand, pry off the frame of
selector level gaiter:with a flat, blunt
object (e.g. a screwdriver wrapped in cloth) at rear edge =, pulling it up and out at the
same time.
XPress release button ?down and simul-
taneously move the selector lever out of
position P.
The selector lever can now be moved freely
until it is returned to position P.
In the event of an electrical malfunction, it is
possible to release the selector lever lock
manually to move it out of position P. This is
the case, for example, if you wish to tow the
vehicle away.
Automatic transmission157
Driving and parking
Z

Opening the fuel filler flap
:Fuel filler flap
;To insert the fuel filler cap
=Tire pressure table
?Instruction label for fuel type to be refu-
eled
XSwitch the engine off.
XRemove the SmartKey from the ignition
lock.
XPress the fuel filler flap in the direction of
arrow:.
The fuel filler flap swings up.
XTurn the fuel filler cap counterclockwise
and remove it.
XInsert the fuel filler cap into the holder
bracket on the inside of fuel filler flap ;.
XCompletely insert the filler neck of the fuel
pump nozzle into the tank, hook in place
and refuel.
XOnly fill the tank until the pump nozzle
switches off.
iDo not add any more fuel after the pump
stops filling for the first time. Otherwise,
fuel may leak out.
Closing the fuel filler flap
XReplace the cap on the filler neck and turn
clockwise until it engages audibly.
XClose fuel filler flap :.
iClose the fuel filler flap before locking the
vehicle.
iIf you are driving with the fuel filler cap
open, the 8reserve fuel warning lamp
flashes. The ;Check Engine warning
lamp may also light up. A message appears
in the multifunction display (
Ypage 230).
For further information on warning and indi- cator lamps in the instrument cluster, see
(
Ypage 249).
Refueling159
Driving and parking
Z

Heavy and light loads
GWARNING
If you rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving, the braking system can overheat. This increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail. There is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Never
depress the brake pedal and the accelerator
pedal at the same time.
!Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately, but
drive on for a short while. This allows the air-
flow to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads
If you have driven for a long time in heavy rain
without braking, there may be a delayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after the vehicle has been washed or driven through deep water.
You then have to depress the brake pedal
more firmly. Maintain a greater distance from
the vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehi- cle washed, brake firmly while paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm up
the brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protecting them against corro-
sion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads
If you drive on salted roads, a layer of salt
residue may form on the brake discs and
brake pads. This can result in a significantly
longer braking distance.
RBrake occasionally to remove any possible
salt residue. Make sure that you do not
endanger other road users when doing so.
RCarefully depress the brake pedal and the
beginning and end of a journey.
RMaintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead.
Servicing the brakes
!The brake fluid level may be too low, if:
Rif the red brake warning lamp lights up in
the instrument cluster and
Ryou hear a warning tone while the engine
is running
Observe additional warning messages in
the multifunction display.
The brake fluid level may be too low due to
brake pad wear or leaking brake lines.
Have the brake system checked immedi-
ately. Consult a qualified specialist work-
shop to arrange this.
!As the ESP®system operates automati-
cally, the engine and the ignition must be
switched off (SmartKey in position 0or 1in
the ignition lock) if the electric parking
brake is being tested on a brake dynamom-
eter (maximum 10 seconds).
Braking triggered automatically by ESP
®
may seriously damage the brake system.
All checks and maintenance work on the
brake system must be carried out at a quali-
fied specialist workshop.
Have brake pads installed and brake fluid
replaced at a qualified specialist workshop.
If the brake system has only been subject to
moderate loads, you should test the function-
ality of your brakes at regular intervals.
Information on BAS (Brake Assist)
(
Ypage 62).
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only
have brake pads/linings installed on your
vehicle which have been approved for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles or which correspond
to an equivalent quality standard. Brake
166Driving tips
Driving and parking

pads/linings which have not been approved
for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or which are not
of an equivalent quality could affect your vehi-
cle's operating safety.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only
use brake fluid that has been specially
approved for your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz,
or which corresponds to an equivalent quality
standard. Brake fluid which has not been
approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles or
which is not of an equivalent quality could
affect your vehicle's operating safety.
High-performance and ceramic brake
system (Mercedes-AMG vehicles)
The high-performance brake system is only
available on Mercedes-AMG vehicles.
The AMG brake systems are designed for
heavy loads. This may lead to noise when
braking. This will depend on:
RSpeed
RBraking force
RAmbient conditions, e.g. temperature and
humidity
The wear of individual components of the
brake system, such as the brake pads/linings or brake discs, depends on the individual driv-
ing style and operating conditions.
For this reason, it is impossible to state a
mileage that will be valid under all circum-
stances. An aggressive driving style will lead
to high wear. You can obtain more informa-
tion on this from a qualified specialist work-
shop.
New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after sev-
eral hundred kilometers of driving. Compen-
sate for this by applying greater force to the
brake pedal. Keep this in mind, and adapt
your driving and braking accordingly during
this break-in period.
Excessive heavy braking results in corre-
spondingly high brake wear. Observe the
brake system warning lamp in the instrument
cluster and note any brake status messages in the multifunction display. Especially for
high performance driving, it is important to
maintain and have the brake system checked
regularly.
Driving on wet roads
Hydroplaning
If water has accumulated to a certain depth
on the road surface, there is a danger of
hydroplaning occurring, even if:
Ryou drive at low speeds.
Rthe tires have adequate tread depth.
For this reason, in the event of heavy rain or in
conditions in which hydroplaning may occur,
you must drive in the following manner:
Rlower your speed.
Ravoid ruts.
Ravoid sudden steering movements.
Rbrake carefully.
Driving on flooded roads
!Do not drive through flooded areas.
Check the depth of any water before driving
through it. Drive slowly through standing
water. Otherwise, water may enter the
vehicle interior or the engine compartment.
This can damage the electronic compo-
nents in the engine or the automatic trans-
mission. Water can also be drawn in by the
engine's air suction nozzles and this can
cause engine damage.
Winter driving
GWARNING
If you shift down on a slippery road surface in an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface.
Driving tips167
Driving and parking
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
b
AutoLampFunction
Inoperative
The ligh tsensor is defective.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
b
Switch Off Lights
You leaveth evehicl eand th eligh tis still switched on . Awarnin g
tone also sounds.
XTur nth eligh tswitch to position Ã.
Adaptive Highbeam
Assist Inoperative
Adaptive Highbeam Assis tis faulty.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
Adaptive Highbeam
Assist Currently
Unavailable See
Operator'sManual
Adaptive Highbeam Assis tis deactivated and temporarily inoper -
ative. Possibl ecauses are:
Rth ewindshield in th ecamera' sfield of vision is dirty.
Rvisibility is impaire ddue to heav yrain ,snow or fog.
XClean th ewindshield.
If th esystem detects that th ecamera is full yoperational again ,th e
Adaptive
HighbeamAssistNowAvailablemessage appears .
Adaptive Highbeam Assis tis operational again .
Engine
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and MSolutions
+
Check Coolant
Level See Opera‐
tor's Manual
The coolantlevel is to olow.
!Avoid makin glon gjourneys wit hto olittl ecoolan tin th eengin e
coolin gsystem. The engin ewill otherwise be damaged.
XAd dcoolant, observin gth ewarnin gnote sbefore doin gso
(
Ypage 279).
XIf you need to add coolan tmor eofte nthan usual, hav eth e
engin ecoolan tsystem checke dat aqualified specialist work-
shop.
?The fan motor is faulty.
XAt coolan ttemperatures belo w24 8 ‡ (120†), drive to th e
neares tqualified specialist workshop .
XAvoid subjecting theengin eto heav yloads ,e.g. drivin gin moun-
tainous terrain ,and stop-and-g otraffic.
Display messages22 7
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
#
StopVehicl eSee
Operator' sManual
The battery is no longer bein gcharged and th ebattery charg elevel
is to olow.
A warnin gtone also sounds.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely and switch of fth eengine,
payin gattention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 160).
XObserv eth einstruction sin th edisplay message #See
Operator' sManual.
XConsult aqualified specialist workshop .
4
Check Engine Oil
At NextRefueling
The engin eoil level has dropped to th eminimum level.
A warnin gtone also sounds.
!Avoid lon gjourneys wit hto olittl eengin eoil. The engin ewill
otherwise be damaged.
XChec kth eoil level when next refueling, at th elatest
(
Ypage 277).
XIf necessary, add engin eoil (Ypage 278).
XHav eth eengin echecke dat aqualified specialist workshop if
you need to add engin eoil mor eofte nthan usual.
Information on approve dengin eoils can be obtained from any
qualified specialist workshop or on th eInternet at http:/ /
bevo.mercedes-benz.com.
4
Check Engine Oil
Level(Ad d1quart)
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: th eengin eoil level is to olow.
!Avoid lon gjourneys wit hto olittl eengin eoil. The engin ewill
otherwise be damaged.
XChec kth eoil level when next refueling, at th elatest
(
Ypage 277).
XIf necessary, add engin eoil (Ypage 278).
XHav eth eengin echecke dat aqualified specialist workshop if
you need to add engin eoil mor eofte nthan usual.
Information on approve dengin eoils can be obtained from any
qualified specialist workshop or on th eInternet at http:/ /
bevo.mercedes-benz.com.
Display messages22 9
On-board computer and displays
Z

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
4
Engine Oil Level
StopVehicl eTur n
Engine Off
Mercedes-AMG vehicles: th eengin eoil level is to olow.
There is aris kof engin edamage.
XPull ove rand stop th evehicl esafely and switch of fth eengine,
payin gattention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 160).
XCheckth eengin eoil level (Ypage 277).
XIf necessary, add engin eoil (Ypage 278).
8
Fue lLevel Low
The fuel level has dropped into th ereserv erange.
XRefuel at th eneares tgas station .
CThere is only aver ysmall amount of fue lin th efuel tank.
XRefuel at th eneares tgas station without fail .
8
Gas Cap Loose
The fuel system pressur eis to olow. The fuel filler cap is no tclosed
correctl yor th efue lsystem is leaking.
XChec kthat th efuel filler cap is correctl yclosed .
If th efuel filler cap is not correctl yclosed :
XCloseth efuel filler cap .
If th efuel filler cap is correctl yclosed :
XVisitaqualified specialist workshop .
Driving systems
Display messagesPossible causes/consequences and MSolutions
À
Attention Assist:
Take a Break!
Based on certain criteria, ATTENTION ASSIST has detecte dfatigue
or alac kof concentration on th epart of th edriver . Awarnin gtone
also sounds.
XIf necessary, tak e abreak.
Durin glon gjourneys, tak eregular breaks in goo dtime so you get
enough rest.
À
Attention Assist
Inoperative
ATTENTION ASSIST is inoperative.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
ë
Off
The HOLD function is deactivated. The vehicl eis skidding.
A warnin gtone also sounds.
XReactivat eth eHOLD function later (Ypage 179).
230Display messages
On-board computer and displays

Display messagesPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
DISTRONICPLUSCur‐
rentlyUnavailable
SeeOperator' sMan‐
ual
DISTRONIC PLU Sis temporarily inoperative. Possibl ecauses are:
Rth erada rsensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to
electromagnetic radiation emitted by nearby TV or radi osta-
tion sor other source sof electromagnetic radiation .
Rthesystem is outside th eoperating temperature range.
RThe on-boar dvoltag eis to olow.
A warnin gtone also sounds.
Whe nth ecauses state dabov eno longer apply, th edisplay mes -
sage disappears.
DISTRONIC PLU Sis operational again .
If th edisplay message does no tdisappear :
XPull overand stop th evehicl esafely as soo nas possible, payin g
attention to roa dand traffic conditions.
XSecur eth evehicl eagainst rollin gaway (Ypage 160).
XRestart th eengine.
DISTRONIC PLU S
Inoperative
DISTRONIC PLUSis defective.
A warnin gtone also sounds.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
DISTRONICPLUSSus‐
pended
You hav edepressed th eaccelerato rpedal .DISTRONIC PLU Sis no
longer controllin gth espeed of th evehicle.
XRemove your foot from th eaccelerato rpedal .
DISTRONICPLUS--
-mph
An activation condition fo rDISTRONIC PLU Sis no tfulfilled .
XCheckth eactivation condition sfo rDISTRONIC PLU S
(
Ypage 170).
Cruise Contro l
Inoperative
Cruisecontrol is malfunctioning.
A warnin gtone also sounds.
XVisit aqualified specialist workshop .
CruiseControl--
-mph
Acondition fo ractivatin gcruise control has no tbeen fulfilled .
You hav etried to store aspeed belo w20 mph (30 km/ h), for
example.
XIf conditions permit, drive faster than 20 mph (30 km/ h)and
store the speed.
XCheck the activation conditions for cruise control (Ypage 168).
Display messages233
On-board computer and displays
Z