2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SL500 Retract roof

159 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
Retractable hardtop
Opening and closing the retractable hardtop
For safety reasons, the retractable hardtop
can only be opened and closed when the
vehicle is standing still.Warning!
G
Before operating the switch for the retract-
able hardtop, make sure that no persons are
injured by the moving parts (retractable
roof, roof frame, and trunk lid) due to inat-
tention.
Hands must never be placed near the roof
frame, upper windshield area, hardtop, shelf
behind roll bars, or trunk lid while the re-
tractable hardtop is being raised or lowered.
Serious personal injury may occur.
If potential danger exists, release the re-
tractable hardtop switch. This immediately
interrupts the raising or lowering procedure.
You then can operate the hardtop switch to
raise or lower the hardtop away from the
danger zone.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from starter switch, take the KEY-
LESS-GO
* card (if so equipped) with you,
and lock your vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of
vehicle equipment can cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
!Never sit or place heavy objects on the
rear shelf. Doing so could cause dam-
age to the retractable hardtop and the
rear shelf.
!When opening and closing the retract-
able roof, make sure that

there is sufficient clearance for the
hardtop to move up and the trunk
lid to move back


the luggage cover is extended and
closed


the trunk lid is closed


no roof luggage carrier is installed


the outside temperature is above
+5°F (–15°C)
Otherwise the roof and trunk of the ve-
hicle could be damaged.

160 Controls in detailRetractable hardtopLuggage cover
The luggage cover is located in the trunk.
1Handle
2Holders
Closing luggage cover
Pull out the luggage cover using the
handle1.

Hook the luggage cover into the left
and right side holders2.Opening luggage cover

Unhook luggage cover from side hold-
ers.

While holding onto the handle1, guide
luggage cover back into its storage
compartment. Opening the retractable hardtop with
the switch
Hardtop switchBefore pulling on the hardtop switch, you
must make sure that:

the parking brake is engaged
(page 41)


the luggage cover is closed, see Lug-
gage cover


the trunk lid is closed


the ignition is switched on (key in start-
er switch position2)
!To prevent damage to the hardtop or
luggage/cargo when lowering the roof:

load trunk only to the height of the
luggage cover


do not permit luggage/cargo to
push up the closed luggage cover


do not load anything on top of or in
front of the luggage cover


do not place anything on the shelf
behind the roll bar

161 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop

Pull up on the hardtop switch as indi-
cated by the arrow until the hardtop is
completely lowered into its trunk stor-
age compartment and the indicator
lamp in the hardtop switch goes out.
The multifunction display will briefly
show the message
Hardtop open
.Closing the retractable hardtop with
the switch
Before pressing the hardtop switch, you
must make sure that:


the parking brake is engaged
(page 41)


the luggage cover is closed
(page 160)


the trunk lid is closed


the ignition is switched on (key in start-
er switch position2)

Press the hardtop switch as indicated
by the arrow until the hardtop is com-
pletely closed and locked and the indi-
cator lamp in the hardtop switch goes
out.
The multifunction display will briefly
show the message
Hardtop closed
.
iBe sure that the roof is dry before you
open it. Otherwise water may enter the
trunk interior.
Warning!
G
If the retractable hardtop is not fully opened
or closed, a warning will sound after 15 sec-
onds, pressure in the hardtop’s hydraulic
system will drop and the hardtop will lower.
Be sure to keep the hardtop switch pulled or
pressed until the hardtop is fully opened or
closed. The hydraulic pump will then shut
off.
To prevent possible accidents, drive the ve-
hicle only with the hardtop either completely
closed and locked, or fully lowered into its
storage compartment.

163 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
Opening the retractable hardtop with
the key

Aim the transmitter eye at the door
handle.

Press and hold button
Œ
until the
retractable hardtop is completely
open.
The seat ventilation switches on. The
rear side windows open. In the tachom-
eter display you will see the message
Hardtop open
.
Warning!
G
If the retractable hardtop does not com-
pletely open or close, the roof hydraulics will
lose pressure and the retractable hardtop is
lowered

after approximately seven minutes
when the ignition is switched on


after approximately 15 seconds when
the ignition is switched off
Shortly before the hardtop is lowered, a
warning will sound and the hardtop switch
lamp will blink. In the speedometer display
you will see
K
, in the tachometer display
you will see the message
being lowered!


Properly lock the retractable hardtop
(page 162) before continuing to drive
Warning!
G
Before operating the switch for the retract-
able hardtop make sure that no persons are
injured by the moving parts (retractable
roof, roof frame, and trunk lid) due to inat-
tention.
Hands must never be placed near the roof
frame, upper windshield area, hardtop, shelf
behind roll bars, or trunk lid while the re-
tractable hardtop is being raised or lowered.
Serious personal injury may occur.
If potential danger exists, release the re-
spective button on the SmartKey. This im-
mediately interrupts the raising or lowering
procedure. You then can operate
Œ
or
‹
to raise or lower the hardtop away
from the danger zone.

164 Controls in detailRetractable hardtopClosing the retractable hardtop with
the key
Aim the transmitter eye at the door
handle.

Press and hold button
‹
until the
retractable hardtop is completely
closed.
The retractable hardtop and the side
windows close. In the tachometer dis-
play you will see the message Hardtop
closed
.Problems when operating the retract-
able hardtop
Indicator lamp in the retractable hard-
top switch is blinking
Several problems may cause the indicator
lamp in the hardtop switch to blink when
activated:


The luggage cover in the trunk is not
closed.
Close the luggage cover in the
trunk.


The trunk lid is open.
Close the trunk lid.


The battery voltage is too low.
Start engine and let run while acti-
vating switch.


The hardtop drive system has shut it-
self down. For safety reasons, no more
than five consecutive attempts may be
made to raise or lower the hardtop.
After about ten minutes you may
again attempt to open or close the
retractable hardtop again.
If the indicator lamp in the retractable
hardtop switch blinks when starting off or
while driving and you hear a warning sound
for a maximum of 10 seconds, the retract-
able hardtop is not locked.

Properly lock the retractable hardtop
(page 162) before continuing to
drive.
If the indicator lamp continues to blink af-
ter you have carried out the above actions,
there is a malfunction.

Have the retractable hardtop system
checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
If the retractable hardtop does not com-
pletely open or close a warning sounds and
the retractable hardtop switch blinks. In the
speedometer display you will see
K
, in
the tachometer display you will see the mes-
sage
being lowered!
. After about
15 seconds the roof hydraulics lose pres-
sure.
Properly lock the retractable hardtop
(
page 162) before continuing to drive.

166 Controls in detailRetractable hardtop2Close the fastening straps
Guide the fastening straps around the
top of the roll bar and close the buck-
les.

Tighten the fastening straps if neces-
sary.

Lower the roll bar.

Fold the upper section of the wind
screen up towards the head restraints
until it stops.Removing

Fold the upper section of the wind
screen back down.

Raise the roll bar slightly (
page 61).
1Release button

Undo the buckles on the upper section
of the roll bar by pressing the release
button1.

Lower the roll bar. Make sure that the
fastening straps do not get caught.

Pull the wind screen out towards the
front of the vehicle. Be careful not to
damage interior trim with the guide
tabs.

Place the wind screen back into the
bag.
Sunshade for panorama roof*
The sunshade protects you from excessive
sunlight coming in through the panorama
roof.Warning!
G
Do not operate the sunshade while driving.
Adjusting the sunshade while driving could
cause the driver to lose control of the vehi-
cle.

287 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
K
Visit workshop!
The retractable hardtop is mal-
functioning.

Have the retractable hardtop checked by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Lock
hardtop
The roof is not properly locked.

Push or pull on the retractable hardtop switch
until the indicator lamp in the switch goes out
and the roof is completely open or closed
(page 159).
±
Display defective
Visit workshop!
Certain electronic systems are un-
able to relay information to the
control system. The following sys-
tems may have failed:

Coolant temperature gauge


Tachometer


Cruise control display

Have the electronic systems checked by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center (
page 256).
W
Washer fluid
Check level!
The fluid level has dropped to
about 1/3 of total reservoir ca-
pacity.

Add washer fluid (
page 233).

354 Technical termsMultifunction display
Two display fields in the instrument
cluster used to present information
provided by the control system.
Multifunction steering wheel
Steering wheel with buttons for operat-
ing the control system.
Overspeed range
Engine speeds within the red marking
of the tachometer dial. Avoid this en-
gine speed range, as it may result in se-
rious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Parktronic*
System which uses visual and acoustic
signals to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers.
Poly-V-belt drive
Drives engine-components (alternator,
AC compressor, etc.) from the engine.Power train
Collective term designating all compo-
nents used to generate and transmit
motive power to the drive axles, includ-
ing


engine


clutch/torque converter


transmission


transfer case


drive shaft


differential


axle shafts/axles
Program mode selector switch
Used to switch the automatic transmis-
sion between standard operation (S)
and winter operation (W).
SL 55 AMG with steering wheel gear-
shift control and manual shift program:
in addition to S and W (for regular S or
winter W operation, see above), you
can use MANUAL for manual shift pro-
gramRemote Vehicle Diagnostics
Transmission of vehicle data and cur-
rent location to the Mercedes-Benz
Customer Assistance Center for sub-
scribers to Tele Aid service.
REST
(Residual Engine Heat Utilization)
Feature that uses the engine heat
stored in the coolant to heat the vehi-
cle interior for a short time after the en-
gine has been turned off.
Retractable hardtop
Hardtop roof that can be opened and
closed at the push of a button and
stored in the trunk.
Roll bar
Occupant protection system which
consists of tubular steel sheathed in
plastic. The roll bar is lowered into the
car body during normal driving condi-
tions and raised automatically. It may
also be manually raised and lowered by
operating a button during critical driv-
ing situations.