MERCEDES-BENZ SLR 2006 R199 Owner's Manual

300 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solutions
3
(Canada only)
;
(USA only)
The red brake warning lamp
comes on while driving and
you hear a warning sound.
You are driving with the parking brake on.

Release the parking brake (
page 50).
There is a malfunction in the electrohy-
draulic brake system.

Read and observe messages in the multi-
function display (
page 307).
3
(Canada only)
;
(USA only)
The red brake warning lamp
comes on while driving.
There is insufficient brake fluid in the
reservoir.

Risk of accident! Carefully stop the vehicle in
a safe location and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center. Do not add brake
fluid! This will not solve the problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the brake warning lamp illumi-
nated can result in an accident. Have your
brake system checked immediately if the
brake warning lamp stays on. Do not add
brake fluid before checking the brake sys-
tem.
Overfilling the brake fluid reservoir can re-
sult in spilling brake fluid on hot engine
parts and the brake fluid catching fire. You
can be seriously burned.
!If you find that the brake fluid in the
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the
minimum mark or below, have the
brake system checked for brake pad
thickness and leaks.

301 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solutions
ú
(USA only)
±
(Canada only)
The yellow engine malfunc-
tion indicator lamp comes on
while driving.
There is a malfunction in:

The fuel injection system


The ignition system


The emission control system


Systems which effect emissions
Such malfunctions may result in excessive
emissions values and may switch the en-
gine to its limp-home (emergency opera-
tion) mode.

Have the vehicle checked as soon as possi-
ble by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
An on-board diagnostic connector is used by
the service station to link the vehicle to the
shop diagnostics system. It allows the accu-
rate identification of system malfunctions
through the readout of diagnostic trouble
codes. It is located in the front left area of
the footwell next to the parking brake.
Your gas tank is empty.

After refuelling, start, turn off and restart the
engine three or four times in succession.
The limp-home mode is canceled. You do not
need to have your vehicle checked.
The fuel cap is not closed tightly.

Check the fuel cap.

302 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
D
The red coolant warning lamp
comes on when the engine is
running.
There is insufficient coolant in the reservoir.

Immediately add coolant to prevent
engine from overheating
(page 250).
If this warning lamp comes on frequently,
there is a leak in the cooling system.

Have the cooling system checked by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If the coolant level is correct, the electric
radiator fan may be broken.

If the coolant temperature is below
248°F (120°C), you can continue
driving to the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

Avoid high engine loads (e.g. driving
uphill) and stop-and-go driving.
D
The red coolant warning lamp
comes on while driving and you
hear a warning sound.
The coolant temperature has exceeded
248°F (120°C).

Stop as soon as possible in a safe lo-
cation and allow the engine and cool-
ant to cool down.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly overheat-
ed 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.

303 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solutions
<
The red Airbrake warning
lamp comes on while driving
and you hear a warning
sound.
The Airbrake or the central locking system
is malfunctioning.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
immediately.
>
The red gearshift indicator
lamp comes on while you are
driving.
You are driving with the manual shift pro-
gram. The engine is in the overrevving
range.

Shift to the next higher gear. Otherwise the
fuel supply will be interrupted to prevent the
engine from overrevving.
A
The yellow reserve fuel warn-
ing lamp lights up while you
are driving.
The fuel level has fallen into the reserve
range.

Refuel at the nearest gas station
(page 241).
=
The engine oil temperature
indicator comes on in the
tachometer while you are
driving.
The engine oil has not yet reached its
operating temperature.

Warm up the engine and do not drive at full
power until the operating temperature has
been reached.
The symbol will go out as soon as the engine
oil has reached its operating temperature.

304 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
<
The red seat belt telltale comes
on briefly after starting the
engine.
The telltale reminds you and your passenger
to fasten your seat belts.

Fasten your seat belt.
The telltale goes out.
1
The red SRS indicator lamp
comes on while driving.
There is a malfunction in the restraint sys-
tems. The airbags or emergency tensioning
device (ETD) could deploy unexpectedly or
fail to activate in an accident.

Drive with added caution to the
nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
In the event that a malfunction of the SRS is
indicated as outlined above, the SRS may
not be operational. For your safety, we
strongly recommend that you visit an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center immedi-
ately to have the system checked, otherwise
the SRS may not be activated when needed
in an accident, which could result in serious
or fatal injury, or it might deploy
unexpectedly and unnecessarily which
could also result in an accident and/or
injury to you or to others.

305 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
H
The yellow warning lamp for the
tire pressure monitoring system
comes on.
The tire pressure monitoring system detects
a loss of pressure in at least one tire.

Bring the vehicle to a halt, avoiding
abrupt steering and braking maneu-
vers. Observe the traffic situation
around you.

Read and observe messages in the
multifunction display.
The warning lamp goes out once the tire
inflation pressure monitor has been reac-
tivated after the tire inflation pressure
has been corrected.
Warning!
G
When the tire pressure monitoring system
warning light is lit, one or more of your tires
is significantly under-inflated. You should
stop in a safe location and check your tires
as soon as possible, and inflate them to the
proper pressure as indicated on the vehi-
cle’s tire information placard. Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes the
tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel efficiency
and tire tread life, and may affect the vehi-
cle’s handling and stopping ability. Each tire,
including the spare, should be checked
monthly when cold and set to the recom-
mended inflation pressure as specified in
the vehicle placard and owner’s manual.
iThe recommended tire inflation pres-
sures for your vehicle can be found on
the tire placard on the driver’s door
B-pillar, not in the owner’s manual.

306 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Lamp in center consoleProblem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
The front passenger front airbag
off indicator lamp comes on and
remains illuminated.
A BabySmart
TM child seat is installed on the
front passenger seat. Therefore the passen-
ger front airbag is switched off.
The system is malfunctioning when there is
no BabySmart
TM child seat installed on the
front passenger seat.

Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon
as possible.
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
The front passenger front airbag
off indicator lamp does not come
on or does not remain illuminat-
ed with a BabySmart
TM child seat
properly installed on the front
passenger seat.
The system is malfunctioning.

Make sure there is nothing between
seat cushion and child seat.

Check installation of the child seat.
If the indicator lamp remains out:

Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon
as possible.
Do not use the BabySmart
TM restraint to
transport children on the front passenger
seat until the system has been repaired.

307 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Vehicle status messages in the multifunction display
Warning and malfunction messages
appear in the multifunction display located
in the instrument cluster.
Certain warning and malfunction messag-
es are accompanied by an audible signal.
Address these messages accordingly and
follow the additional instructions given in
this Operator’s Manual.
Selecting the vehicle status message
memory menu in the control system
(page 124) displays both cleared and
uncleared messages.
High-priority messages appear in the
multifunction display in red color.
Certain messages of high priority cannot
be cleared from the multifunction display
using the reset button (
page 29). Other messages of high priority and
messages of less immediate priority can
be cleared from the multifunction display
using the reset button. They are then
stored in the vehicle status message mem-
ory (
page 124). Remember that clearing
a message will only make the message dis-
appear. Clearing a message will not cor-
rect the condition that caused the
message to appear.
Warning!
G
All categories of messages contain
important information which should be
taken note of and, where a malfunction is
indicated, addressed as soon as possible at
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Failure to repair condition noted may cause
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty, or result in property
damage or personal injury.
Warning!
G
No messages will be displayed if either the
instrument cluster or the multifunction
display is inoperative.
Contact your nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.iSwitching on the ignition causes all in-
strument cluster lamps (except high
beam headlamp indicator lamp and
turn signal indicator lamps unless acti-
vated) as well as the multifunction dis-
play to come on. Make sure the lamps
and multifunction display are in work-
ing order before starting your journey.

308 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...On the pages that follow, you will find a
compilation of the most important warning
and malfunction messages that may
appear in the multifunction display. High
priority messages appear in red color.
For your convenience the messages are di-
vided into two sections:

Text messages (
page 309)


Symbol messages (
page 315)

309 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Text messagesLeft display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
ABS
Malfunction
Visit
workshop
The ABS has detected a malfunction
and has switched off. The ESP
® and
the BAS are also deactivated.
The electrohydraulic brake system is
still functioning normally but without
the ABS available.

Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels may lock during hard braking, re-
ducing steering capability.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.
Failure to follow these instructions increases
the risk of an accident.
Display malfunction
Visit
workshop
The ABS or the ABS display is mal-
functioning.

Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels may lock during hard braking, re-
ducing steering capability.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.
Failure to follow these instructions increases
the risk of an accident.
Cruise control
– – –
You attempted to resume a stored
speed, but nothing is stored.

Store a speed (
page 198).
You attempted to set a speed below
20 mph (30 km/h).

Drive faster than 20 mph (30 km/h) and set
the speed (
page 198).