2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 Bra Js

296 Practical hintsReplacing bulbsFront lamps Rear lamps
Lamp
Type
1
Additional turn
signal
LED
2
Turn signal lamp
1156 A
3
Low beam
1
1Vehicles with Bi-Xenon* headlamps: Low beam
and high beam use the same D2S-35W lamp. Do
not replace the Xenon and Bi-Xenon* bulbs your-
self. See your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Xenon D2S-35 W
4
High beam
H7 (55 W)
Parking and
standing lamps
W 5 W
5
Fog lamp
HB4/9006 (55 W)
6
Side marker
lamp
W 5 W
Lamp
Type
7
Rear fog lamp,
driver’s side;
replacement
P 21 W
1156/32 cp
8
High mounted
brake lamp
LED
9
Backup lamp;
replacement
P 21 W
1156/32 cp
10
Tail, parking and
standing lamp,
side marker
LED
11
Tail, parking and
standing lamp,
brake lamp
LED
12
License plate
lamps
C 5 W
13
Turn signal
lamp;
replacement
P 21 W
1156/32 cp

297 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Notes on bulb replacement

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


Switch 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 light
up, 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 exteri-
or rear view mirrors


the high mounted brake lamp


the brake lamps


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


the rear fog lamps


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


the front fog lamps
Warning!
G
Bulbs and bulb sockets can be very hot. Al-
low the lamp to cool down before changing
a bulb.
Keep bulbs out of reach of children.
Halogen lamps contain pressurized gas. A
bulb can explode if you:

touch or move it when hot,


drop the bulb,


scratch the bulb.
Wear eye and hand protection.
Because of high voltage in Xenon lamps, it is
dangerous to replace the bulb or repair the
lamp and its components. We recommend
that you have such work done by a qualified
technician.

302 Practical hintsFlat tire
Flat tireYour vehicle is equipped with a TIREFIT kit
(SL 55 AMG only) or a spare wheel
(SL 500 only).
You can identify which TIREFIT kit
(SL 55 AMG only) you have as follows:

The TIREFIT container of kit 1 is a
squeeze container.


The TIREFIT container of kit 2 is a rigid
container.
Preparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle as far as possible from
moving traffic on a hard surface.

Turn on the hazard warning flashers.

Engage the steering wheel lock in the
straight ahead position and set the
parking brake.

Move the selector lever to P.

Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.
Sealing tires with TIREFIT kit 1
Small tire punctures, particularly those in
the tread, can be sealed with TIREFIT.
TIREFIT can be used in ambient tempera-
tures down to -4°F (-20°C).The TIREFIT kit stored in the trunk contains
the TIREFIT container, a filler hose, a valve
stem tool, a valve, and a sticker.Warning!
G
Keep TIREFIT away from sparks, open flame
or heat source.
Do not smoke.
Warning!
G
TIREFIT is a limited repair device. TIREFIT
cannot be used for cuts or punctures larger
than approx. 0.16 in (4 mm) and tire dam-
age caused by driving with extremely low
tire pressure, or on a flat tire, or a damaged
wheel.
Do not drive the vehicle under such circum-
stances.
Contact your nearest Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter for assistance or call Roadside
Assistance.

305 Practical hints
Flat tire

Drive the vehicle back and forth very
slowly approximately 30 ft (10 m).
This distributes the TIREFIT sealant ma-
terial inside the tire.

Take the electric air pump out of the
trunk.
1Flap
2Air hose with pressure gauge and vent
screw
3Union nut
4Electrical plug

Open flap 1 on air pump.

Pull out electrical plug 4 and air hose
with the pressure gauge 2.

Screw the air hose 2 onto the tire valve.

Insert electrical plug 4 into vehicle ci-
gar lighter socket.

Turn the key in the ignition to position
1 (
page 29).
or

Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button on the selector lever once. Do
not depress brake pedal.

Press I on the electric air pump switch.
The electric air pump should now
switch on and inflate the tire.
After 5 minutes, the pressure gauge must
display at least 26 psi (1.8 bar). The air
hose and the union nut can become hot
during inflation. Please exercise appropri-
ate caution.

If this tire pressure is not attained, turn
off the electric air pump, detach the air
hose from the tire valve, and again
drive vehicle back and forth very slowly
approximately 30 ft (10 m).
This serves to better distribute the
TIREFIT sealant material inside the tire.

Inflate the tire again.
Warning!
G
Observe safety instructions on air pump la-
bel.

306 Practical hintsFlat tire
Press 0 on the electric air pump switch.

Turn the key in the ignition to
position0.
or

Press KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
on the selector lever twice. Do not de-
press brake pedal.
The electric air pump should now be
switched off.

Detach the electric air pump.
The air hose may still be hot. Please ex-
ercise appropriate caution.

Store the electrical plug and the air
hose behind the flap and place the air
pump back in the trunk.

Close the trunk lid.

Drive away immediately.
The TIREFIT sealant will distribute itself
evenly inside the tire.

After driving vehicle for an initial
10 minutes, check tire pressure using
the pressure gauge on the air pump.
!Do not operate the electric air pump
longer than eight minutes without in-
terruption. Otherwise it may overheat.
You may operate the air pump again af-
ter it has cooled off.
Warning!
G
If a tire pressure of 26 psi (1.8 bar) is not at-
tained, tire is too severely damaged for
TIREFIT to provide a reliable tire repair.
In this case, TIREFIT cannot properly seal
the tire.
Do not drive the vehicle.
Contact the nearest Mercedes-Benz Center
or call Roadside Assistance.
Warning!
G
Do not exceed vehicle speed of
50 mph (80 km / h). A TIREFIT repair is not
designed to operate at higher speeds.
The sticker must be attached on the instru-
ment cluster where it will be easily seen by
the driver.
Vehicle handling characteristics may
change. Adapt your driving accordingly.

309 Practical hints
Flat tire
1TIREFIT container
2Flap
3Notch
4Electrical plug
5Air hose
6Flange
Open flap2 on the electric air pump.

Pull plug4 and air hose5 out of the
pump housing.

Screw the air pump’s air hose5 onto
flange6 of the TIREFIT container.

Stick TIREFIT container1 upside down
into notch3 of the electric air pump.
7Tire valve
8Electric air pump switch
9Air hose with pressure gauge and vent
screw
10Filler hose

Unscrew the valve cap from tire
valve7.

Screw filler hose10 onto tire valve7.

Insert electrical plug4 into vehicle cig-
arette lighter socket.

Turn the key in the ignition to
position1 (
page 29).
or

Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 30) on the selector le-
ver once. Do not depress brake pedal.

PressI on electric air pump switch8.
The electric air pump should now
switch on and inflate the tire.
iIf sealant has leaked out, let it dry. You
can then peel it off.
Warning!
G
Observe safety instructions on air pump la-
bel.
!Do not operate the electric air pump
longer than eight minutes without in-
terruption. Otherwise it may overheat.
You may operate the air pump again af-
ter it has cooled off.

310 Practical hintsFlat tireAfter 5 minutes, the pressure gauge must
display at least 26 psi (1.8 bar). The air
hose can become hot during inflation.
Please exercise appropriate caution.
If this tire pressure is not attained, turn
off the electric air pump, detach the fill-
er hose from the tire valve, and drive
vehicle back and forth very slowly ap-
proximately 30 ft (10 m).
This serves to better distribute the
TIREFIT sealant material inside the tire.

Unscrew the air pump’s air hose5 from
flange6 of the TIREFIT container.

Inflate the tire again.

After attaining a tire pressure of 26 psi
(1.8 bar), press0 on electric air pump
switch8.
The electric air pump should now be
switched off.

Turn the key in the ignition to
position0 (
page 29).
or

Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 30) on the selector le-
ver once. Do not depress brake pedal.

Detach the electric air pump.
The air hose may still be hot. Please ex-
ercise appropriate caution.

Store the electrical plug and the air
hose behind the flap and place the air
pump back in the trunk.

Close the trunk lid.

Drive away immediately.
The TIREFIT sealant will distribute itself
evenly inside the tire.
Warning!
G
If a tire pressure of 26 psi (1.8 bar) is not at-
tained, tire is too severely damaged for
TIREFIT to provide a reliable tire repair.
In this case, TIREFIT cannot properly seal
the tire.
Do not drive the vehicle.
Contact the nearest Mercedes-Benz Center
or call Roadside Assistance.
Warning!
G
Do not exceed vehicle speed of
50 mph (80 km / h). A TIREFIT repair is not
designed to operate at higher speeds.
The sticker must be attached on the instru-
ment cluster where it will be easily seen by
the driver.
Vehicle handling characteristics may
change. Adapt your driving accordingly.

312 Practical hintsFlat tireMounting the spare wheel Preparing the vehicle
Prepare the vehicle as described above
(
page 302).

Turn spare wheel bracket counter-
clockwise to loosen.

Take the wheel out of the trunk.
Lifting the vehicle

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking wheels with wheel chocks
(not included) or other sizable objects.
When changing wheel on a level sur-
face:
Place one chock in front of and one
behind the wheel that is diagonally
opposite to the wheel being
changed.
When changing wheel on a hill:

Place chocks on the downhill side
blocking both wheels of the other
axle.

Take the vehicle tool kit and the jack
out of the storage compartment under
the trunk floor (
page 289).
Warning!
G
The dimensions of the spare wheel are dif-
ferent from those of the road wheels. As a
result, the vehicle handling characteristics
change when driving with a mounted spare
wheel. Adapt your driving style accordingly.
The spare wheel is for temporary use only.
When driving with spare wheel mounted, en-
sure proper tire pressure and do not exceed
vehicle speed of 50 mph (80 km/h).
Drive to the nearest Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible to have the spare wheel
replaced with a regular road wheel.
Never operate the vehicle with more than
one spare wheel mounted.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack tubes built into
both sides of the vehicle. To help avoid per-
sonal injury, use the jack only to lift the ve-
hicle during a wheel change. Never get
beneath the vehicle while it is supported by
the jack. Keep hands and feet away from the
area under the lifted vehicle. Always firmly
set parking brake and block wheels before
raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Be sure that the jack arm is
fully inserted in the jack tube. Always lower
the vehicle onto sufficient capacity jack-
stands before working under the vehicle.