2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG stop start

262 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
Distronic
External fault
Reactivate!
Distronic* is switched off and is
temporarily unavailable.

Try activating Distronic* again later.
Clear sensor!
See Owner’s Man.
Distronic* is switched off be-
cause the Distronic* cover in the
radiator grille is dirty.

Clean the Distronic* cover in the radiator grille
(page 246).

Restart the vehicle.
Visit workshop!
Distronic* is malfunctioning or
the display is malfunctioning.

Visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
P
Selector lever
to P!
You have turned off the engine
with the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button* and opened
the driver’s door.

Place the selector lever in position P.
Cruise
Control
Visit workshop!
Cruise control or Distronic* is
malfunctioning.

Have the cruise control or Distronic* checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

264 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
#
Electric consumers
offline!
The consumer battery has insuffi-
cient voltage and can no longer sup-
ply the convenience functions such
as seat ventilation*.
The electrical consumers will come back online
as soon as on-board voltage is sufficient.
Battery/Alternator
Stop vehicle!
The battery was charged with a bat-
tery charger or jump started.
The battery is no longer charging.
Possible causes

alternator malfunctioning


broken poly-V-belt
Do not forget that the brake system
requires electrical energy and may
be operating with restricted capabil-
ity. Considerably greater brake ped-
al force is required and the stopping
distance is increased.

Have the battery checked at a service sta-
tion.

Stop immediately and check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken
Do not continue to drive. Notify an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If it is in order

Drive immediately to the nearest autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center. Adjust driv-
ing to be consistent with reduced braking
responsiveness.

265 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
2
Brake lining wear!
Visit workshop!
The brake pads have reached their
wear limit.

Have the brake pads replaced as soon as
possible.
T
Brake defective!
Stop vehicle!
The SBC brake system is in emer-
gency operation mode. Consider-
ably greater brake pedal force is
required and the stopping distance
is increased.
The maximum speed is limited to
55 mph (90 km/h).

Do not drive any further.

Stop the vehicle and notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

Significantly greater force must be applied
to the brake pedal.

Call for roadside assistance.
Reduced
brake effect
Start engine!
The battery has insufficient voltage
and cannot supply sufficient power
to the SBC brake system.

Start the engine.
As soon as the engine is running, the mes-
sage disappears.
!Brake pad thickness must be visually
checked by a qualified technician at the
intervals specified in the Service book-
let.

269 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
F
Chip card
Check battery!
The KEYLESS-GO* card batteries are
discharged.

Change the batteries (
page 294).
Chip card
not recognised!
The KEYLESS-GO* card is not recog-
nized while the engine is running be-
cause

the card is not in the vehicle


there is strong radio-frequency
interference

Stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do
so.

Search for the card or continue to operate
the vehicle with the key.
Otherwise the vehicle cannot be centrally
locked nor can the engine be started again
after the engine is stopped.
The KEYLESS-GO* card is momen-
tarily not recognized.

Change the position of the card in the vehi-
cle.

Operate the vehicle with the key if neces-
sary.
Chip card
still in vehicle!
A KEYLESS-GO* card left in the vehi-
cle was recognized while locking the
vehicle from the outside.

Take the card out of the vehicle.
KEYLESS-GO
Visit workshop!
The KEYLESS-GO* system is mal-
functioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible.

273 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause
Possible solution
Ï
Coolant
Stop, engine off!
The coolant is too hot.
The poly-V-belt could be broken.

Stop the vehicle.

Only start the engine again after the message
disappears. You could otherwise damage the
engine.

Stop immediately and check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken, do not drive any further.
Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
If it is in order, drive immediately to the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
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 it
cools down. The engine should not be oper-
ated with the coolant temperature above
266°F (130°C). Doing so may cause serious
engine damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

290 Practical hintsLocking/unlocking in an emergency
Locking/unlocking in an emergencyUnlocking the vehicle
Unlocking the driver’s door
If you are unable to unlock the driver’s
door using the key, open the door using
the mechanical key.
1Mechanical key locking tab
2Mechanical key

Move locking tab 1 direction of arrow
and slide the mechanical key out of the
housing.
3Unlocking
4Locking

Unlock the door with the mechanical
key. To do so, push the mechanical key
in the lock until it stops and turn it to
the left.
iUnlocking your vehicle with the me-
chanical key will trigger the anti-theft
alarm system. To cancel the alarm, do
one of the following:

Press button
Œ
or
‹
on the
key.


Insert the key in the starter switch.


Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 30).

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.