2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SLR CLASS oil level

ContentsAt the gas station............................... 240
Refueling ...................................... 240
Check regularly and before
a long trip ..................................... 241
Engine compartment.......................... 243
Hood ............................................ 243
Engine oil...................................... 246
Transmission fluid level ................ 248
Coolant......................................... 249
Trunk ................................................. 250
Batteries....................................... 250
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system ........... 251
Tires and wheels ................................ 253
Important guidelines .................... 253
Tire care and maintenance ........... 254
Direction of rotation ..................... 256
Loading the vehicle ...................... 256
Recommended tire inflation
pressure ....................................... 262
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 264
Tire labeling .................................. 268
Load identification........................ 272
DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) ............................................. 273Maximum tire load ....................... 274
Maximum tire inflation pressure .. 275
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) ............. 276
Tire ply material ........................... 278
Tire and loading terminology ........ 278
Rotating tires ............................... 281
Anti-theft wheel nuts .................... 282
Winter driving .................................... 284
Winter tires* ................................ 284
Snow chains ................................. 285
Maintenance ...................................... 286
Clearing the maintenance
service indicator........................... 286
Maintenance service term
exceeded ..................................... 287
Calling up the service due date .... 287
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator........................... 288
Vehicle care ....................................... 289
Cleaning and care of the vehicle .. 289
Vehicle washing ........................... 290
Practical hints................................. 294
What to do if ... .................................. 296
Lamps in instrument cluster ........ 296
Lamp in center console................ 303
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display.................... 304
Symbol messages ........................ 309
Where will I find ...? ........................... 340
First aid kit ................................... 340
TIREFIT kit, electric air pump,
towing eye bolt and vehicle
literature portfolio ........................ 340
Locking/unlocking in an emergency . 342
Unlocking the vehicle................... 342
Replacing SmartKey batteries ........... 344
SmartKey ..................................... 345
Replacing bulbs ................................. 346
Front lamps.................................. 347
Rear lamps ................................... 347
Replacing the wiper blades................ 348
Removing wiper blades ................ 348
Installing wiper blades ................. 348

241 Operation
At the gas station

Replace fuel cap by turning it
clockwise.
You will hear when fuel cap is
tightened.

Close the fuel filler flap until you hear
the latch close shut.
Check regularly and before a long trip
1Coolant
2Engine oil
3Brake fluidCoolant
For normal replenishing, use water (pota-
ble water quality). For more information,
see “Coolant” (
page 249) and see “Fu-
els, coolants, lubricants, etc.”
(
page 375).
Engine oil level
For more information on engine oil level,
see “Engine oil” (
page 246).
Brake fluid
iMore information on gasoline can be
found in the Factory Approved Service
Products pamphlet.
Leaving the engine running and the fuel
cap open can cause theú malfunc-
tion indicator lamp (USA only) or
the± malfunction indicator lamp
(Canada only) to illuminate.
For more information, see “Practical
hints” (
page 299).
iOpening the hood, see (
page 243).
!If you find that the brake fluid in the
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the
minimum mark or below, have the
brake system checked for brake pad
thickness and leaks immediately.
Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center immediately. Do not add brake
fluid as this will not solve the problem.
For more information, see “Practical
hints” (
page 298).

246 OperationEngine compartmentClosing
Pull the hood upwards in the center,
against the resistance of the gas-filled
spring struts.

Hold the front center part of the hood
with both hands and push it back-
wards. After pushing the hood back-
wards about half-way, you will feel the
hood passing a crest and the resulting
force pulling the hood away from you.
At that point, let go of the hood and let
it fall onto the latches.
The hood should now be locked and en-
tirely closed.

Check that the hood is properly closed.
If the hood is not properly engaged, re-
peat the closing procedure.
Engine oil
The amount of oil your engine needs will
depend on a number of factors, including
driving style. Higher oil consumption can
occur when

the vehicle is new


the vehicle is driven frequently at
higher engine speeds
Engine oil consumption checks should only
be made after the vehicle break-in period.
Regularly check the engine oil level, at
least every 1 800 miles (3 000 km).
Warning!
G
Be careful that you do not close the hood on
anyone.
!Make sure the rollers at the rear of the
hood are engaged and the guide pins
line up with the guide holes. Otherwise
the hood may be damaged.
!Do not use any special lubricant addi-
tives, as these may damage the drive
assemblies. Using special additives not
approved by Mercedes-Benz may
cause damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

247 Operation
Engine compartment
Checking the engine oil level
When you check the oil level, the vehicle
must

be parked on level ground


be at normal operating temperature
(min. 80°C)

Wait for at least 30 seconds with en-
gine still at idle.

Measure engine oil level with engine
still at idle.The dipstick and the cap are located on the
passenger side in the engine compart-
ment.
1Dipstick
2Filler cap

Pull out dipstick1 and wipe it off.

Reinsert the dipstick fully into the
guide.

Pull out the dipstick again after three
seconds.
DipstickThe engine oil level must be between the
lower (min) and upper (max) marks.
Top up the engine oil if necessary.iThe difference in level between the up-
per and lower marks represents a
volume of about 1.1 US qt (1.0 l).

248 OperationEngine compartmentAdding engine oil

Using a rag, unscrew filler cap2 from
filler neck.

Add engine oil as required. Be careful
not to overfill with oil.Be careful not to spill any oil when adding.
Avoid environmental damage caused by oil
entering the ground or water.

Screw the filler cap back on filler neck.
You will find further information about en-
gine oil in the “Technical data” section
(
page 377) and (
page 375).
Transmission fluid level
The transmission fluid level does not need
to be checked. If you notice transmission
fluid loss or gear shifting malfunctions,
have an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
check the transmission.
Warning!
G
The filler cap on the filler neck could be hot.
Use a rag when you unscrew the filler cap.
Otherwise you could burn yourself.
!Only use approved engine oils and oil
filters required for vehicles with
Maintenance System. For a listing of
approved engine oils and oil filters,
refer to the Factory Approved Service
Products pamphlet in your vehicle
literature portfolio, or contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Using engine oils and oil filters of
specification other than those
expressly required for the Maintenance
System, or changing of oil and oil filter
at change intervals longer than those
called for by the Maintenance System
will result in engine damage not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
!Excess oil must be siphoned or drained
off. It could cause damage to the
engine and catalytic converter not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

255 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tread depth
Do not allow your tires to wear down too
far. Adhesion properties on wet roads are
sharply reduced at tread depths under 1/8in (3 mm).
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and
become visible at a tread depth of approx-
imately
1/16
in (1.6 mm), at which point
the tire is considered worn and should be
replaced.
Recommended minimum tire tread depth:


Summer tires
1/8in (3 mm)


Winter tires
1/6in (4 mm)
1TWI (T
readW
ear I
ndicator)
The treadwear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.Storing tires
Cleaning tires
Warning!
G
Although the applicable federal motor safety
laws consider a tire to be worn when the
treadwear indicators (TWI) become visible at
approximately
1/16in (1.6 mm), we recom-
mend that you do not allow your tires
to wear down to that level. As tread depth
approaches
1/8in (3 mm), the adhesion
properties on a wet road are sharply
reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.
!Keep unmounted tires in a cool, dry
place with as little exposure to light as
possible. Protect tires from contact
with oil, grease and gasoline.!Never use a round nozzle to power
wash tires. The intense jet of water can
result in damage to the tire.
Always replace a damaged tire.Warning!
G
Have worn or damaged tires replaced in
pairs (front pair or rear pair). Otherwise, the
driving stability of the vehicle will be ad-
versely affected.

287 Operation
Maintenance
Maintenance service term exceeded
If you have exceeded the suggested ser-
vice term, you will see the following mes-
sage in the right multifunction display:Service exceeded by .. days
Service exceeded by .. kmAny authorized Mercedes-Benz Center will
reset the maintenance service indicator
following a completed maintenance
service.
Calling up the service due date
Switch on the ignition (
page 40).
The standard display of the control
system appears (
page 117).

Press button k or j on the
multifunction steering wheel until the
maintenance service indicator service
symbol 9 appears in the left multi-
function display and the service dead-
line appears in the right multifunction
display.
iYou should not disconnect the consum-
er battery if you do not intend to use
your SLR for a longer period. Instead,
maintain the condition of the battery by
using the battery charger approved by
Mercedes-Benz for use on the SLR and
supplied with the car (
page 356).
This charger automatically controls the
charge rate, and can be left connected
to the car for long periods without dam-
age to the battery.
If the battery supplying the vehicle’s
electrical consumers is disconnected,
the days of disconnection will not be in-
cluded in the count shown by the ser-
vice indicator. To arrive at the true
service deadline, you will need to sub-
tract these days from the days shown
in the service indicator.
Do not confuse the maintenance
service indicator with the engine oil
level indicator:.

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.