engine MERCEDES-BENZ SLK ROADSTER 2012 Owners Manual

Jump-starting
G
WARNING
There is a risk of acid burns when jump-starting a vehicle due to the gases which escape from
the battery. Do not lean over the battery while the engine is being jump-started. G
WARNING
Gases escaping from the battery during jump-starting may cause minor explosions. Avoid cre-
ating sparks. Keep naked flames away from the battery, and do not smoke.
Comply with safety precautions when handling batteries. You will find these under "Battery (vehi-
cle)" in the index. G
WARNING
Non-combusted fuel can collect in the exhaust system and ignite. There is a risk of fire. Avoid
repeated and lengthy starting attempts.
! Avoid repeated and lengthy starting attempts. Otherwise, the catalytic converter could be
damaged by the non-combusted fuel.
Do not use a rapid charging device to start the vehicle. If your vehicle's battery is discharged,
the engine can be jump-started from another vehicle or from a second battery using jump
leads. Observe the following points:
R the battery is not accessible in all vehicles. if the other vehicle's battery is not accessible,
jump-start the vehicle using a second battery or ajump-starting device.
R you may only jump-start the vehicle when the engine and catalyti cconverter are cold.
R do not start the engine if the battery is frozen. let the battery thaw first.
R jump-starting may only be performed from batteries with a nominal voltage of 12 V.
R only use jump leads that have a sufficient cross-section and insulated terminal clamps.
R If the battery is fully discharged, leave the battery that is being used to jump-start connected
for a few minutes before attempting to start.T his charges the empty battery a little.
R Make sure that the two vehicles do not touch.
Make sure that:
R the jump leads are not damaged.
R bare parts of the terminal clamp do not come into contact with other metal parts while the
jump leads are connected to the battery.
R the jump leads cannot come into contact with parts such as the V-belt pulley or the fan.
These parts move when the engine is started and while it is running.
X Secure the vehicle by applying the electric parking brake.
X Manual transmission: engage neutral.
X Automatic transmission: move the selector lever toP.
X Switch off all electrical consumers (e.g. radio, blower, etc.).
X Open the bonnet (Y page 248). Jump-starting
277Breakdown assistance Z

Position number
Bidentifies the charged battery of the other vehicle or an equivalent jump-
starting device.
X Slide cover :of positive terminal ;in the direction of the arrow.
X Connec tpositive terminal ;on your vehicle to positive terminal =of donor battery B
using the jump lead, beginning with your own battery.
X Start the engine of the donor vehicle and run it at idling speed.
X Connect negative terminal ?of donor battery Bto earth point Aof your vehicle using
the jump lead, connectingt he jump lead to donor battery Bfirst.
X Start the engine.
X Before disconnecting the jump leads, let the engine run for several minutes.
X First remove the jump leads from earth point Aand negative terminal ?, then from positive
terminal ;and positive terminal =, each time beginning at the contacts on your own
vehicle first.
X Close cover :of positive terminal ;after removing the jump leads.
X Have the battery checked at a qualified specialist workshop.
i Jump-starting is not considered to be a normal operating condition.
i Jump-starting cables and further information regarding jump starting can be obtained at
any qualified specialist workshop. Towing and tow-starting
Important safety notes
Observe the legal requirements for the rele-
vant countries when towing and tow-starting. G
WARNING
If you tow the vehicle, you must use a rigid
towing bar if:
R the engine is not running.
R there is a brake system malfunction.
R there is a malfunction in the power supply
or the vehicle's electrical system. 278
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance

The power assistance for the steering and the
brake force booster do not work when the
engine is not running. You will need more
force to steer and brake, you may have to
depress the brake pedal with maximum force.
Before towing away, make sure that the steer-
ing can be moved and is not locked.
If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximum per-
missible gross vehicle weight of your vehicle. G
WARNING
The vehicle is braked when the HOLD function
or DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Therefore,
deactivate HOLD and DISTRONIC PLUS if the
vehicle is to be towed.
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed.
! You may tow the vehicle for a maximum
of 50km. A towing speed of 50 km/h must
not be exceeded.
For towing distances over 50 km, the entire
vehicle must be lifted up and transported.
! Make sure that the electric parking brake
is released. If the electric parking brake is
faulty, visit a qualified specialist workshop.
! Only secure the tow rope or towing bar to
the towing eyes. The vehicle may otherwise
be damaged.
! Do not use the towing eye for recovery,
as this could damage the vehicle. If in
doubt, recover the vehicle with a crane.
! Pull away smoothly when towing away or
tow-starting a vehicle. If the tractive power
is too high, the vehicles could be damaged.
! On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the
key instead of the Start/Stop button. Turn
the key to position 2in the ignitio nlock and
shift the automatic transmission to N.
Then, turn the key back to 0and leave it in
the ignition lock. When towing a vehicle with an automatic
transmission, the transmission must be in
position N.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
R cannot turn the key in the ignition lock to
position 2
R cannot shift the transmission to position
N on vehicles with automatic transmission
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
release the selector lever lock manually to
move it out of position P(Y page 142).
i Before the vehicle is towed, switch off the
automatic locking feature (Y page 72). You
could otherwise be locked out when push-
ing or towing the vehicle.
Deactivate tow-away protection
(Y page 62) before the vehicle is towed. Fitting/removing the towing eye
Fitting the towing eye X
Remove the towing eye from the vehicle
tool kit (Y page 261). G
WARNING
The exhaust tail pipe may be hot. You could
burn yourself if you touch the tail pipe. Be
particularly careful when removing the rear
cover.
The mountings for the removable towing eyes
are located in the bumpers. They are at the
front and at the rear, under the covers. Towing and tow-starting
279Breakdown assistance Z

X
Press the mark on cover :inwards in the
direction of the arrow.
X Take cover :off the opening.
X Screw the towing eye in clockwise to the
stop and tighten it.
Removing the towing eye X
Loosen the towing eye and unscrew it.
X Attach cover :to the bumper and press
until it engages.
X Place the towing eye in the vehicle tool kit. Towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised
When towing your vehicle with the rear axle
raised, it is importan tthat you observe the
safety instructions (Y page 278).
! The ignition must be switched off if you
are towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised. Intervention by ESP ®
could other-
wise damage the brake system. X
Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 103).
X Turn the key in the ignition lock to position
0and remove the key from the ignition
lock.
X When leaving the vehicle, take the key or
the KEYLESS-GO key with you. Towing the vehicle with both axles on
the ground
It is important that you observe the safety
instructions when towing away your vehicle
(Y page 278). G
WARNING
The power assistance for the steering and the
brake force booster do not work when the
engine is not running. You will then need
much more effort to brake and steer the vehi-
cle. Adapt your style of driving accordingly.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 103).
i When towing with the hazard warning
lamps switched on, use the combination
switch as usual to signal achange of direc-
tion. In this case, only the turn signals for
the desired direction flash. When the com-
bination switch is reset, the hazard warning
lamps start flashing again.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
depress the clutch pedal.
X Engage neutral.
or
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the parking brake. 280
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance

Transporting the vehicle
The towing eye can be used to pull the vehicle
onto a trailer or transporter for transporting
purposes.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
shift to neutral.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
tur nthe key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Move the selector lever to N.
As soon as the vehicle is loaded:
X Prevent the vehicle from rolling away by
applying the parking brake.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
shift to first gear or reverse gear.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
move the selector lever to P.
X Turn the key in the ignition lock to position
0 and remove the key from the ignition
lock.
X Secure the vehicle.
! Only lash the vehicle down by the wheels
or wheel rims, not by parts of the vehicle
such as axle or steering components. Oth-
erwise, the vehicle could be damaged. Tow-starting (emergency engine
starting)
When tow-starting, it is important that you
observe the safety instructions (Y page 278)
and the legal requirements in each respective
country.
! Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be tow-started. The transmission
may otherwise be damaged.
You can find information on "Jump-starting"
at (Y page 277). Before tow-starting the following conditions
must be fulfilled:
R
the battery is connected.
R the engine has cooled down.
R the catalytic converters have cooled down.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 103).
X Fit the towing eye (Y page 279).
X Secure the rigid towing bar or the towing
rope.
X Depress and hold the brake pedal.
X Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X Depress the clutch pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Engage neutral.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Tow-start the vehicle.
X Engage second gear.
X Release the clutch pedal slowly;d o not
depress the accelerator pedal while doing
so.
The engine is started.
X Depress the clutch pedal and shift to neu-
tral.
X Stop at a suitable place.
X Depress the parking brake.
X Remove the rigid towing bar or towing rope.
X Remove the towing eye (Y page 280).
X Switch off the hazard warning lamps. Electrical fuses
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Only use fuses that have been approved for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles and which have the
correct fuse rating for the systems con-
cerned. Do not attempt to repair or bridge
faulty fuses. Using fuses which have not been
approved or attempting to repair or bridge
faulty fuses could cause the fuse to be over- Electrical fuses
281Breakdown assistance
Z

loaded and result in a fire. Have the cause
traced and rectified at a qualified specialist
workshop.
The fuses in your vehicle serve to close down
faulty circuits. If afuse blows, all the compo-
nents on the circuit and their functions stop
operating.
Blown fuses must be replace dwith fuses of
the same rating, which you can recognise by
the colour and fuse rating. The fuse ratings
are listed in the fuse allocation chart.
If the newly inserted fuse also blows, have the
cause traced and rectified at a qualified spe-
cialist workshop, e.g. a Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre.
! Only use fuses that have been approved
for Mercedes-Ben zvehicles and which
have the correct fuse rating for the system
concerned. Otherwise, components or sys-
tems could be damaged. Before replacing a fuse
X Park the vehicle and apply the electric park-
ing brake.
X Switch off all electrical consumers.
X Remove the key from the ignition lock.
The fuses are located in various fuse boxes:
R fuse box in the engine compartment on the
left-hand side of the vehicle, when viewed
in the direction of travel
R fuse box in the boot behind the partition
trim
The fuse allocation chart is located in the
vehicle tool kit (Y page 261) in the stowage
compartment under the boot floor. Fuse box in the engine compartment
X Make sure that the windscreen wipers are
turned off. G
WARNING
Make sure that the windscreen wipers are
turned off and the key is pulled out of the igni-
tion lock before you open the cover of the fuse
box. Otherwise, the windscreen wipers and
the wiper rods above the cover could be set
in motion .This could lead to you or others
being injured by the wiper rods.
X Open the bonnet (Y page 248). X
Remove any existing moisture from the
fuse box using a dry cloth.
X To open: open clamps :.
X Remove fuse box cover ;forwards.
! Make sure that no moisture can enter the
fuse box when the cover is open.
X To close: check whether the rubber seal is
lying correctly in cover ;.
X Insert cover ;at the rear of the fuse box
into the retainer.
X Fold down cover ;and close clamps :.
! The cover must be fitted properly, other-
wise moisture or dirt could impair the func-
tion of the fuses.
X Close the bonnet (Y page 249). Fuse box in the boot
The fuse box is located in the boot behind the
partition covering.
X Open the boot lid (Y page 73).282
Electrical fusesBreakdown assistance

Collapsible emergency spare wheel
19Tyres Steel wheel V1 V2 V3 V4
145/70-17 92P
Tyre pressure: 350 kPa (3.5 bar/51 psi) 4.5 B x 17 H2 ET 12 # # #
—
175/55 - 18 95P
Tyre pressure: 350 kPa (3.5 bar/51 psi) 6.0 B x 18 H2 ET 25 — — — #
Depending on the country, the engine and the wheels fitted, your vehicle may be equipped
with TIREFIT or a collapsible emergency spare wheel.
i The specified tyre pressure is printed in yellow on th eemergency spare wheel.
19 Use of snow chains is not permitted. Observe the notes in the "Snow chains" section. 298
Wheel and tyre combinationsWheels and tyres

H
Environmental note
Daimler AG also supplies reconditioned
assemblies and parts which are of the same
quality as new parts. For these, the same war-
ranty applies as for new parts.
Always specify the vehicle identification num-
ber (VIN) (Y page 302) and the engine num-
ber (Y page 303) when ordering genuine
Mercedes-Ben zparts. Vehicle electronics
Tampering with the engine electron-
ics
G
WARNING
Always have work on the engine electronics
and related components carried out at a quali-
fied specialist workshop. Otherwise, the vehi-
cle's operating safety could be affected.
! Only have work carried out on the engine
electronics and its associated parts, such
as control units, sensors and connector
leads, at a qualified specialist workshop.
Vehicle components may otherwise wear
more quickly and the vehicle's operating
permit may be invalidated. Retrofitting of two-way radios and
mobile phones (RF transmitters)
Use the Technical Specification
ISO/TS 21609 22
implementation regulation
when retrofitting RF (radio frequency) trans-
mitters.
If your vehicle has fittings for two-way radio
equipment, use the power supply or aerial
connections intended for use with the basic
wiring. Be sure to observe the manufacturer's
additional instructions when installing. !
Have aftermarket radio frequency trans-
mitting equipmen tinstalled at a qualified
specialist workshop.
The transmission outpu tatthe aerial base
must not exceed the maximum values below. Waveband Maximum
transmission
output (PEAK) Short wave (f < 54 MHz) 30 W
4 m waveband 15 W
2 m waveband 25 W
Trunked radio/Tetra 15 W
70 cm waveband 15 W
GSM/DCS/PCS
850/900/1800/1900 10 W
UMTS/LTE 10 W
The following aerial positions may be used if
RF transmitters have been properly installed:
:
Rear wing 23 G
WARNING
Incorrect retrofitting of RF transmitters can
cause the vehicle electronicst o malfunction.
The vehicle's operating safety and thus your
own safety are impaired.
22 ISO/TS 21609 –Technical Specification for Road Vehicles (EMC) guidelines for installation of aftermarket
radio frequency transmitting equipment.
23 Recommended installation position: on the side which faces the centre of the road. Vehicle electronics
301Technical data
Z

numbe
r(VIN) is also stamped onto the vehicle
body.
It is located in the centre tunnel on the front-
passenger side. X
Slide the front-passenger seat to its front-
most position.
X Fold trim :upwards.
You will see vehicle identification number
(VIN) ;. Engine number
The engine number is stamped into the crank-
case. More information can be obtained from
any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Service products and capacities
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
When handling, storing and disposing of any
service products, please observe the relevant
regulations, as you could otherwise endanger
yourself and others.
Keep service products away from children.
To protect yourh ealth, do not allow service
products to come into contact with your eyes
or open wounds. See a doctor immediately if
any service product is swallowed. H
Environmental note
Dispose of service products in an environ-
mentally-responsible manner. Service products include the following:
R
fuels (e.g. petrol, diesel)
R lubricants (e.g. engine oil, transmission oil)
R coolant
R brake fluid
R windscreen washer fluid
R climate control system refrigerant
Components and service products must be
matched. Mercedes-Benz recommends that
you use products tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz .They are listed in this
Mercedes-Ben zOwner's Manual in the appro-
priate section.
You can identify service products approved
by Mercedes-Ben zby the following inscrip-
tions on the container:
R MB-Freigabe (e.g. MB-Freigabe 229.51)
R MB Approval (e.g. MB Approval 229.51)
Other designations or recommendations indi-
cate a level of quality or a specification in
accordance with an MB Sheet number (e.g.
MB 229.5). The yhave no tnecessarily been
approved by Mercedes-Benz.
Further information can be obtained from any
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre or on the
Internet at http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com. Fuel
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Fuel is highly flammable. Fire, naked flames
and smoking are therefore prohibited when
handling fuels.
Switch off the engine before refuelling. G
WARNING
Avoid contact with fuels.
It is hazardous to your health if your skin
comes into direct contact with fuels or you
breathe in fuel vapours. Service products and capacities
303Technical data Z

Tank capacity
Total capacity
60.0 l
Of whic
hreserve Approx-
imately 8.0 l Total capacit
yfor SLK 55
AMG 70.0 l
Of which reserve for SLK
55 AMG
Approx-
imately 9.0 l Petrol (EN 228, E DIN 51626-1)
Fuel grade
!
Do not use diesel to refuel vehicles with a
petrol engine. Even asmall quantity of die-
sel will damage the fuel injection system.
! Only refuel using unleaded, premium-
grade petrol with at least 95 RON/
85 MON that conforms to European stand-
ard EN 228 or E DIN 51626-1 or an equiv-
alent specification.
! Do not use the following:
R E85 (petrol with 85% ethanol)
R E100 (100% ethanol)
R M15 (petrol with 15% methanol)
R M85 (petrol with 85% methanol)
R M100 (100% methanol)
R Petrol with metallic additives
R Diesel
Do not mix fuels such as this with petrol
and do not use any additives. Doing so may
cause engine damage. This does not
include additives for the removal and pre-
vention of residue build-up .Petrol must
only be mixed with additives recommended
by Mercedes-Benz .More information about
recommended additives can be obtained
from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Usually you will find information about the
fuel grade on the pump. If you cannot find the
label on the petrol pump, ask the filling sta-
tion staff. i
E10 fuel contains up to 10 % bioethanol.
Your vehicle is suitable for use with E10
fuel. You can refuel your vehicle using E10
fuel.
i If the recommended fuel is not available,
but only as a temporary measure, you may
also use unleaded petrol with an octane
rating of 91 RON/82.5 MON. This may
reduce engine performance and increase
fuel consumption. Avoid driving at full
throttle.
The quality of the fuel available in some
countries may not be sufficient .Residue
could build up as a result. In such cases,
and in consultation with aMercedes-Benz
Service Centre, the petrol may be mixed
with the additive recommended by
Mercedes-Benz( part no.
A000989254510). You must observe the
notes and mixing ratios specified on the
container.
Information on refuelling (Y page 142).
AMG vehicles
! Only refuel using super unleaded petrol
with at least 98 RON/88 MON that con-
forms to European standard EN 228 or an
equivalent specification.
You can otherwise impair engine output or
damage the engine.
! Premium-grade unleaded petrol with an
octane rating of 95 RON/85 MON may be
used as a temporary measure if the recom-
mended fuel is not available. This may
reduce engine performance and increase
fuel consumption .As much as possible,
avoid driving at full throttle.
! Regular unleaded petrol with an octane
rating of 91 RON/82.5 MON may also be
used as a temporary measure if the recom-
mended fuel is not available.
Doing so results in noticeably higher fuel
consumption, and the engine power output
is noticeably reduced. Avoid driving at full
throttle. 304
Service products and capacitiesTechnical data