MERCEDES-BENZ SLR CLASS 2005 Owners Manual

300 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Problem
Possible cause
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 249).
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 and allow
the engine and coolant 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.

301 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Problem
Possible cause
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
immeditaly.
>
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 240).
=
The engine oil temperature
symbol 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.

302 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Problem
Possible cause
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.

303 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Lamp in center consoleProblem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
The front passenger front airbag
off indicator lamp comes on.
A BabySmart
TM1
child seat is installed on the
front passenger seat. Therefore the passen-
ger front airbag is switched off.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens Automotive Corp.
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 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.

304 Practical hintsWhat 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.

305 Practical hints
What 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 306)


Symbol messages (
page 309)

306 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Text messagesLeft display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
ABS
malfunction!
Visit
workshop!
The ABS has detected a mal-
function and has switched off.
The ESP and the BAS are also
deactivated.
The SBC brake system is still
functioning normally but with-
out the ABS available.

Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels may lock during hard braking, reducing 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 malfunc-
tion
Visit
workshop!
The ABS or the ABS display is
malfunctioning.

Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels may lock during hard braking, reducing steering
capability.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.
Failure to follow these instructions increases the risk of an
accident.

307 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
ESP
malfunction!
Visit
workshop!
The ESP has detected a mal-
function and switched off. The
SBC brake system is still func-
tioning normally. The ABS may
still be operational.

Continue driving with added caution.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.
Failure to follow these instructions increases the risk of an
accident.
Unavailable!
See Oper.'s Man.
The ESP is deactivated because
the power supply has been in-
terrupted. The SBC brake sys-
tem is still functioning
normally.

Synchronize the ESP. With the vehicle stationary, turn
the steering wheel completely to the left and then to the
right.
Ensure that you can turn the steering wheel to the stop
without the wheels touching an object (e.g. the road
curb).
If the ESP message does not go out:

Continue driving with added caution.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.
Failure to follow these instructions increases the risk of an
accident.

308 Practical hintsWhat to do if ...Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
ESP
Display malfunc-
tion
Visit
workshop!
The ESP or the ESP display is
malfunctioning.

Continue driving with added caution.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.
Failure to follow these instructions increases the risk of an
accident.
SLR
ACL system
malfunction
Visit
workshop!


The locking system is
malfunctioning.


The transmission cooling
system is malfunctioning.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.

309 Practical hints
What to do if ...
Symbol messagesLeft display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
G
Display malfunc-
tion
Visit
workshop!
The displays for several sys-
tems have malfunctioned.
Some systems themselves may
also have malfunctioned.

Continue driving with added caution.
When the display is malfunctioning, warnings and mal-
function messages might not be displayed.

Have the electronic systems checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.
Failure to follow these instructions increases the risk of an
accident.
L
Tele Aid
Drive to
workshop!
One or more main functions of
the Tele Aid system are mal-
functioning.

Have the Tele Aid system checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.