Page 348 of 480
347 Practical hints
What to do if …
Text messagesLeft display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
ABC
Drive carefully
The capability of the ABC system is re-
stricted. This can impair handling.
Do not exceed a speed of 50 mph
(80 km/h).
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible.
The vehicle is losing oil.
Stop your vehicle in a safe location or as
soon as it is safe to do so.
ABC
Display malfunction
Visit
workshop
The ABC display or the ABC system it-
self is malfunctioning.
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible.
Visit
workshop
The capability of the ABC system is re-
stricted.
Do not exceed a speed of 50 mph
(80 km/h).
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible.
Page 370 of 480

369 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
J
Door open
You are attempting to drive with
one or more doors open.
Close the doors.
_
Entry position
Do not drive
The steering wheel has not yet
moved into its preset driving posi-
tion.
Wait until the steering wheel has moved to its
driving positions.
The message disappears.
N
USA only:Add 1 qt. engine oil
at next refuelingCanada only:Add 1 liter
engine oil
at next refueling
The engine oil level is too low.
Add engine oil (
page 276) and check the
engine oil level (page 274).
Engine oil level
Stop, put engine off
There is no oil in the engine. There
is a danger of engine damage.
Carefully bring the vehicle to a halt as soon as
possible.
Turn off the engine.
Add engine oil (
page 276) and check the
engine oil level (page 274).
Engine oil level
Reduce
oil level
You have added too much engine
oil. There is a risk of damaging the
engine or the catalytic converter.
Have excess oil siphoned or drained off. Ob-
serve all legal requirements with respect to its
disposal.
Page 371 of 480

370 Practical hintsWhat to do if …When the message
Add 1 qt engine oil
at next refueling (Canada:
1l
) appears
while the engine is running and at
operating temperature, the engine oil level
has dropped to approximately the
minimum level.When this occurs, the warning will first
come on intermittently and then stay on if
the oil level drops further.
If no oil leaks are noted, continue to drive
to the nearest service station where the
engine oil should be topped to the required
level with an approved oil specified in the
Factory Approved Service Products pam-
phlet.
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
N
Engine oil
Visit workshop!
It may be that there is water in the
engine oil.
Have the engine oil checked.
Engine oil level
Visit workshop
The engine oil has dropped to a crit-
ical level.
Check the engine oil level (
page 274) and
add oil as required (
page 276).
If you must add engine oil frequently, have the
engine checked for possible leaks.
The measuring system is malfunc-
tioning.
Have the measuring system checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!The engine oil level warnings should
not be ignored. Extended driving with
the symbol displayed could result in
serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Page 394 of 480

393 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Notes on bulb replacement
Only use 12-volt bulbs of the same type
and with the specified watt rating.
Switch the 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
come on, 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 unit
the rear fog lamps
the low beam (Xenon or Bi-Xenon*)
lamps
the front fog lamps
the front side marker 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.
iHave the headlamp adjustment
checked regularly.
Page 408 of 480

407 Practical hints
Flat tire
Keeping jack in this position, turn
crank3 clockwise until the jack base
meets the ground. Make sure the jack
is vertical (plumb line).
Continue to turn the crank until the tire
is a maximum of 1.2 in (3 cm) from the
ground.Removing the wheel
1Alignment bolt
Unscrew upper-most wheel bolt and re-
move.
Replace this wheel bolt with alignment
bolt1 supplied in the tool kit.
Remove the remaining bolts.
Remove the wheel.Mounting the new wheel
Clean contact surfaces of wheel and
wheel hub.
Guide the spare wheel onto the align-
ment bolt and push it on.
Insert wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly.
!Do not place wheel bolts in sand or dirt.
This could result in damage to the bolt
and wheel hub threads.
Warning!
G
Inflate spare wheel tire only after the wheel
is properly mounted.
Inflate the spare wheel tire using the electric
pump (
page 408) before
lowering the ve-
hicle.
Warning!
G
Always replace wheel bolts that are dam-
aged or rusted.
Never apply oil or grease to wheel bolts.
Page 446 of 480

445 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
CapacitiesVehicle components and their respective
lubricants must match. Therefore use only
products tested and approved by
Mercedes Benz.Please refer to the Factory Approved Ser-
vice Products pamphlet, or inquire at your
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine with oil filter
SL 500
SL 600
SL 55 AMG
SL 65 AMG
7.9 US qt (7.5 l)
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
9.0 US qt (8.5 l)
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
Approved engine oils
Automatic transmission
SL 500
SL 600
SL 55 AMG
SL 65 AMG
9.2 US qt (8.7 l)
8.0 US qt (7.5 l)
9.1 US qt (8.6 l)
8.0 US qt (7.5 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Fluid
Rear axle
SL 500
SL 600
SL 55 AMG
SL 65 AMG
1.3 US qt (1.2 l)
1.3 US qt (1.2 l)
1.5 US qt (1.4 l)
1.3 US qt (1.2 l)
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
Hypoid gear oil SAE 75 W 140
Hydraulic system for active body control (ABC)
approx. 4.3 US qt (4.0 l)
MB Hydraulic Fluid
Power steering
approx. 1.1 US qt (1.0 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid (Pentosin
CHF 11S)
Front wheel hubs
approx. 3.0 oz (85 g) each
High temperature roller bearing grease
Brake system
1.1 US qt (1.05 l)
MB Brake Fluid (DOT 4+)
Page 447 of 480

446 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Cooling system
SL 500
SL 600
SL 55 AMG
SL 65 AMG
approx. 12.3 US qt (11.6 l)
approx. 13.6 US qt (12.9 l)
approx. 14.5 US qt (13.7 l)
approx. 16.4 US qt (15.5 l)
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion / Antifreeze
Low temperature cooling system
SL 600
SL 65 AMG
approx. 2.2 US qt (2.1 l)
approx. 3.1 US qt (2.9 l)
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion / Antifreeze
Fuel tank
including a reserve of
All models
SL 500
SL 600
SL 55 AMG
SL 65 AMG
21.1 US gal (80.0 l)
2.6 US gal (10.0 l)
2.6 US gal (10.0 l)
3.7 US gal (14.0 l)
3.7 US gal (14.0 l)
Premium unleaded gasoline:
Minimum Posted Octane 91
(Avg. of 96 RON /86 MON)
Air conditioning system
R-134a refrigerant and special PAG lu-
bricant oil (never R-12)
Hydraulic system for retractable hardtop
0.42 US qt (0.4 l)
MB Hydraulic Fluid
Windshield washer and headlamp cleaning system
7.4 US qt (7 l)
MB Windshield Washer Concentrate
1
1Use MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S” and water for temperatures above freezing or MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S” and commercially available pre-
mixed windshield washer solvent / antifreeze for temperatures below freezing. Follow suggested mixing ratios (page 452).
Page 448 of 480

447 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine oils
Engine oils are specifically tested for their
suitability in our engines and durability for
our service intervals. Therefore, only use
approved engine oils and oil filters re-
quired for vehicles with Maintenance
System (U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada
vehicles). For a listing of approved engine
oils and oil filters, refer to the Factory Ap-
proved Service Products pamphlet, or con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Engine oil additives
Do not blend oil additives with engine oil.
They may damage the engine.
Damage or malfunctions resulting from
blending oil additives are not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Air conditioning refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG
lubricating oil are used in the air condition-
er system.
Never use R-12 (CFC) or mineral-based lu-
bricating oil. Otherwise damage to the
system will occur.
Brake fluid
During vehicle operation, the boiling point
of the brake fluid is continuously reduced
through the absorption of moisture from
the atmosphere.
Only brake fluid approved by
Mercedes-Benz is recommended. Your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center will
provide you with additional information.
!Using engine oils and oil filters of spec-
ification other than those expressly re-
quired for the Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada vehi-
cles), or changing oil and oil filter at
change intervals longer than those
called for by the Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada
vehicles) will result in engine damage
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Please follow Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada vehi-
cles) recommendations for scheduled
oil changes. Failure to do so could re-
sult in engine damage not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Under extremely strenuous operating condi-
tions, this moisture content can lead to the
formation of bubbles in the system, thus
reducing the system’s efficiency.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be replaced
regularly. Refer to your vehicle’s Mainte-
nance Booklet for replacement interval.