391 Practical hints
Flat tire
After attaining a tire inflation pressure
of 26 psi (1.8 bar), press 0 on electric
air pump switch8.
The electric air pump should now be
switched off.
Turn the SmartKey in the ignition to
position0 (
page 36).
or
Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 37) on the gear selec-
tor lever twice. 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 inflation pressure of 26 psi (1.8 bar)
is not attained, 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.
398 Practical hintsFlat tire
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1.
or
Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button on the gear selector lever once
without depressing the brake pedal.
Press I on the electric air pump switch.
The electric air pump should now
switch on and inflate the tire.
Inflate the tire to approx. 36 psi
(2.5 bar).
This takes about five minutes for the
spare tire. Air hose 2 and union
nut3 can become hot duration infla-
tion. Exercise proper caution to avoid
burning yourself when using the equip-
ment.
Press 0 on the electric air pump switch.
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0.
or
Press KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
on the gear selector lever twice without
depressing the brake pedal.
The electric air pump should now be
switched off.
If the tire inflation pressure is above
36 psi (2.5 bar), release excess tire in-
flation pressure using the vent screw.!Do not operate the air pump longer
than eight minutes without interrup-
tion. Otherwise it may overheat.
You may operate the air pump again af-
ter it has cooled off.
Warning!
G
Follow recommend inflation pressures.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflating tires
can result in sudden deflation (blowout) be-
cause they are more likely to become punc-
tured or damaged by road debris, potholes,
etc.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated tires
wear unevenly, adversely affect handling
and fuel economy, and are more likely to fail
from being overheated.
403 Practical hints
Batteries
Disconnecting the batteries
Make sure the gear selector lever is set
to position P.
Close the retractable hardtop
(page 196).
Turn off the engine (
page 58).
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
or
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: Open the
driver’s door.
Depress the parking brake.
Open the trunk.
Warning!
G
The brake system requires electrical power
to operate.
A malfunction in the vehicle’s power supply
or electrical system may impair brake sys-
tem operation and switch it into its emer-
gency operation mode. The same applies if
battery is disconnected. To brake, the driver
must then apply significantly greater brake
pedal pressure and depress the pedal much
further to obtain the expected braking ef-
fect. If necessary, apply full pressure to the
brake pedal. Brakes are only applied to the
front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased! Adjust your driving style according-
ly. For more information, see “SBC brake
system” (
page 85).
Warning!
G
With a disconnected battery
you will no longer be able to turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch and
pressing the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button on the gear selector lever will
have no effect
the gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP
!Always disconnect the batteries in the
order described below, even if you only
want to charge the starter battery, for
example. Otherwise the vehicle’s
electronics can be damaged.
410 Practical hintsTowing the vehicleWarning!
G
The brake system requires electrical power
to operate.
A malfunction in the vehicle’s power supply
or electrical system may impair brake sys-
tem operation and switch it into its emer-
gency operation mode. To brake, the driver
must then apply significantly greater brake
pedal pressure and depress the pedal much
further to obtain the expected braking ef-
fect. If necessary, apply full pressure to the
brake pedal. Brakes are only applied to the
front wheels. Stopping distance is in-
creased! Adapt your driving style according-
ly. For more information, see “SBC brake
system” (
page 85).
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle. Adapt your driving accordingly.
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, please note the follow-
ing:
With the automatic central locking acti-
vated and the SmartKey in starter
switch position2, or KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button in position2, the ve-
hicle doors lock if the left front wheel
as well as the right rear wheel are turn-
ing at vehicle speeds of approx. 9 mph
(15 km / h) or more.
To prevent the vehicle door locks from
locking, deactivate the automatic cen-
tral locking (
page 110).
Towing of the vehicle should only be
done using the properly installed tow-
ing eye bolt. Never attach tow cable,
tow rope or tow rod to the vehicle chas-
sis, frame or suspension parts.
iIf the battery is disconnected or dis-
charged
the SmartKey will not turn in the
starter switch
the gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP.
For more information, see “Batteries”
(
page 401) and
“Jump starting” (
page 406).
441 Technical terms
ESP
(E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.
ETD
(E
mergency Tensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem's threshold to tighten the seat
belts.
->SRS
FSS (Canada vehicles)
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem)
Service indicator in the multifunction
display that informs the driver when
the next vehicle maintenance service is
due.
Gear range
Number of gears which are available to
the automatic transmission for shifting.
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the gear selector le-
ver.GPS
(G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem)
Satellite-based system for relaying
geographic location information to and
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers. Employs CD digital maps for
navigation.
Head-thorax airbag
Installed in the doors, these airbags
protect occupants during side impact
collisions exceeding a preset thresh-
old. Unlike normal side airbags,
head-thorax airbags are also designed
to provide protection for the head area.
Instrument cluster
The displays and indicator/warning
lamps in the driver’s field of vision, in-
cluding the tachometer, speedometer,
engine temperature and fuel gauge.
KEYLESS-GO*
System for entering and operating the
vehicle without the use of a key. Kickdown
Depressing the accelerator past the
point of resistance shifts the transmis-
sion down to the lowest possible gear.
This very quickly accelerates the vehi-
cle and should not be used for normal
acceleration needs.
Lock button
Button on the door which indicates
whether the door is locked or un-
locked. Pushing the lock button down
on an individual door from inside will
lock that door.
Maintenance System (U.S. vehicles)
Maintenance service indicator in the
multifunction display that informs the
driver when the next vehicle mainte-
nance service is due. The Maintenance
system tracks distance driven and teh
time elapsed since the last mainte-
nance service, calculates other mainte-
nance service work required, and calls
for the next service accordingly.
442 Technical termsMemory function
Used to store three individual seat,
steering wheel and mirror positions for
each SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.
MON
The Motor Octane Number for gasoline
as determined by a standardized
method. It is an indication of a gaso-
line’s ability to resist undesired detona-
tion (knocking). The average of both
the MON (Motor Octane Number) and
RON (Research Octane Number) is
posted at the pump, also known as
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Multifunction 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
on the tachometer dial, see “Tachome-
ter” (
page 132). Avoid this engine
speed range, as it may result in serious
engine damage that is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Parktronic (Parking assist)*
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 comfort operation (C).
SL 55 AMG with steering wheel gear-
shift control and manual shift program:
in addition to S and C (for regular S or
comfort C operation, see above), you
can use MANUAL for manual shift pro-
gram
447 Index
B
BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation
system 76, 439
BabySmartTM compatible child
seats 439
Backrest supports
Lumbar region 116
Shoulder region 116
Backrest tilt 40
Backup lamp bulbs 381
Backup lamps 385
Bar 305
BAS 79, 81, 439
Batteries, SmartKey
Changing 377
Batteries, SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Changing 378
Check lamp 105
Batteries, vehicle 277
Charging 404
Disconnecting 403
For electrical consumers 277, 373,
401For starter 277, 401
Messages in display 345, 346
Reconnecting 405
Removing 404
Service 401
Battery
For electrical consumers 373
Bead 305
Bi-Xenon* 439
Bi-Xenon* headlamps 439
Block heater 310
Brake fluid 269, 431, 433
Brake lamp bulb, high mounted 381
Brake lamp bulbs, left and right 381
Brake pads
Message in display 346
Brake system
Messages in display 350
Brakes 256
High-performance brake system (SL 65
AMG only) 258
Warning lamp 326Break-in period 254
Bulbs, replacing
Backup lamps 385
Brake lamps 381
Front lamps 380, 383
License plate lamps 385
Parking lamps 384
Rear fog lamp 385
Standing lamps 384
Tail lamp assemblies 385
Turn signal lamps, front 383
Turn signal lamps, rear 385
C
CAC see Customer Assistance Center
CAN System 440
Capacities
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc. 431
Catalytic converter 265
CD player
Operating 141
448 IndexCenter air vents 29
Center console
Lower part 30
Upper part 29
Centigrade
Setting temperature units 148
Central locking
Automatic 110
Central locking switch 111
Switching on/off (control
system) 156
Unlocking from inside 111
Central locking switch 29
Central unlocking switch 29
Changing
Batteries (SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*) 378
Batteries (SmartKey) 377
SmartKey setting 96
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
settings 103
Vehicle level 222Charging
Vehicle batteries 404
CHECK ENGINE
Messages in display 351
CHECK ENGINE malfunction indicator
lamp 27, 327, 328
Checking
Coolant level 276
Oil level 269, 272
Tire inflate pressure 269
Vehicle lighting 269
Child safety
Airbags 64
Automatic child seat recognition 76
Infant and child restraint systems 62
Cigarette lighter 29, 233
Cleaning
Cup holder 320
Gear selector lever 320
Hard plastic trim items 320
Headlamps 178Headliner 320
Leather upholstery 321
Plastic and rubber parts 321
Seat belts 320
Steering wheel 320
Upholstery 321
Windshield 53
Wood trims 321
Cleaning tires 281
Clock 23
Closing
Hood 271
Power window with
KEYLESS-GO* 195
Retractable hardtop (SmartKey) 201
Retractable hardtop (switch) 198
Side windows 194, 195
Sunshade 204
Trunk lid 109
Windows 193
Windows with KEYLESS-GO* 195