402 Practical hintsFlat tire
After attaining a tire inflation pressure
of 26 psi (1.8 bar), press0 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.
Place the electric 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.
405 Practical hints
Flat tire
On wheel to be changed, loosen but do
not yet remove the wheel bolts (ap-
proximately one full turn with wrench).
The jack support tubes are located behind
the front wheel housings and in front of the
rear wheel housings.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack tubes built into
both sides of the vehicle. To help avoid per-
sonal injury, use the jack only to lift the ve-
hicle during a wheel change. Never get
beneath the vehicle while it is supported by
the jack. Keep hands and feet away from the
area under the lifted vehicle. Always firmly
set parking brake and block wheels before
raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Be sure that the jack arm is
fully inserted in the jack tube. Always lower
the vehicle onto sufficient capacity jack-
stands before working under the vehicle.
Warning!
G
When turning the wheel wrench to loosen
the wheel bolts, make sure you position
hands on the wrench in such a way that you
avoid injury to yourself, such as scraping
your hands against the wheel. Make sure
turning the wheel wrench will not scratch or
damage the wheel rim.
409 Practical hints
Flat 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.
PressI on the electric air pump
switch2.
The electric air pump should now
switch on and inflate the tire.
Inflate the spare tire for the SL 500 to
36 psi (2.5 bar) and the spare tire for
the SL 600 and SL 55 AMG to 44 psi
(3.0 bar).
This takes about 5 minutes for the
spare tire. Air hose 4 and union
nut5 can become hot during infla-
tion. Exercise proper caution to avoid
burning yourself when using the equip-
ment.
Press0 on the electric air pump
switch2.
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 spare tire inflation pressure for
the SL 500 is above 36 psi (2.5 bar)
and for the SL 600 and SL 55 AMG
above 44 psi (3.0 bar), release excess
spare tire inflation pressure using the
vent screw.
!Compare the recommended tire infla-
tion pressure for your vehicle with the
tire inflation pressure on the yellow la-
bel located on the spare wheel rim.
If the tire inflation pressure on the yel-
low label on the spare wheel rim differs
from the values given in this Operator’s
Manual, inflate the tire to the recom-
mended tire inflation pressure given on
the yellow label on the spare wheel rim.!Do not operate the electric air pump
longer than 8 minutes without interrup-
tion. Otherwise it may overheat.
You may operate the air pump again af-
ter it has cooled off.
415 Practical hints
Batteries
Disconnecting the batteries
Make sure the gear selector lever is set
to position P.
Close the retractable hardtop
(page 195).
Turn off the engine (
page 60).
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
or
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: Open the
driver’s door.
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
“Electro-hydraulic brake system”
(page 88).
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.
416 Practical hintsBatteries
Depress the parking brake pedal.
Open the trunk.
Read and observe safety instructions
and precautions (
page 279).
Unhook the luggage cover in the trunk.
Remove the trunk floor.
The battery for electrical consumers is
located in the right hand area of the
trunk (
page 383).
Use the 10 mm open-end wrench from
the vehicle tool kit to disconnect the
negative lead from negative
terminal4 of the consumer battery
(page 413).
Open the hood (
page 272).
Use the 10 mm open-end wrench from
the vehicle tool kit to disconnect the
negative lead from negative
terminal2 of the starter battery
(page 413).
Remove the covers from the positive
terminals 1 and 3 (
page 413).
Disconnect the positive lead from pos-
itive terminal 3 of the consumer bat-
tery (
page 413).
Disconnect the positive lead from pos-
itive terminal 1 of the starter battery
(page 413).
Removing the batteries
Removing the consumer battery
Remove the screws securing the bat-
tery in the trunk.
Remove the battery support and
bracket.
Pull out the battery ventilation tube
from the battery.
Depending on battery arrangement in
your vehicle model, the ventilation tube
is located either on the left or right side
of the battery.
Take out the battery.
420 Practical hintsJump startingThe starter battery is located on the right
side of the engine compartment.
Make sure the two vehicles do not
touch.
Turn off all electrical consumers.
Apply the parking brake (
page 59).
Shift gear selector lever to positionP.
Open the hood (
page 272).
Remove the red cover from positive ter-
minal on both vehicles (
page 413).1Negative terminal of charged battery
2Negative terminal of discharged
battery
3Positive terminal of discharged battery
4Positive terminal of charged battery
Connect positive terminals 3 and 4
of the batteries with the jumper cables.
Clamp cable to charged battery 4
first.
Start the engine of the vehicle with the
charged battery and run at idle speed.
Connect negative terminals 1 and 2
of the batteries with the jumper cables.
Clamp cable to charged battery 1
first.
Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.
You can now turn on the electrical con-
sumers. Do not turn on the lights under
any circumstances.
Remove the jumper cables first from
negative terminals 2 and 1 and then
from positive terminals 3 and 4.
You can now turn on the lights.
Have the battery checked at the near-
est Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Keep flames or sparks away from battery.
Do not smoke.
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries
(page 279).
!Never invert the terminal connections.
!Do not tow-start the vehicle.
421 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Towing the vehicle
Mercedes-Benz recommends that the vehi-
cle be transported with all wheels off the
ground using flatbed or appropriate wheel
lift/dolly equipment.When circumstances do not permit the
recommended towing methods, the vehi-
cle may be towed with all wheels on the
ground or front wheels raised only so far as
necessary to have the vehicle moved to a
safe location where the recommended
towing methods can be employed.
!Use flatbed or wheel lift/dolly equip-
ment with SmartKey in starter switch
turned to position0.
Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
Towing with sling-type equipment over
bumpy roads will damage radiator and
supports.
To prevent damage during transport,
do not tie down vehicle by its chassis or
suspension parts.
Switch off the tow-away alarm and the
automatic central locking.
!If the vehicle is towed with the front
axle raised, the engine must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0
or1). Otherwise, the ESP
® will immedi-
ately be engaged and will apply the rear
wheel brakes.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the gear selector lever
must be in positionN and the
SmartKey must be in starter switch
position2.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground or the front axle raised,
the vehicle may be towed only for dis-
tances up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a
speed not to exceed 30 mph
(50 km/h).
To be certain to avoid a possibility of
damage to the transmission, however,
we recommend the drive shaft be dis-
connected at the rear axle drive flange
for any towing beyond a short tow to a
nearby garage.
422 Practical hintsTowing the vehicleWarning!
G
If circumstances require towing the vehicle
with all wheels on the ground, always tow
with a tow bar if:
the engine will not run
there is a malfunction in the
electro-hydraulic brake system
there is a malfunction in the power sup-
ply or in the vehicle’s electrical system
as that will be necessary to adequately con-
trol the towed vehicle.
Prior to towing the vehicle with all wheels on
the ground, make certain that the SmartKey
is in starter switch position2.
If the SmartKey is left in starter switch
position0 for an extended period of time, it
can no longer be turned in the switch. In this
case, the steering is locked. To unlock, re-
move SmartKey from starter switch and re-
insert.
iTo signal turns while being towed with
the hazard warning flasher in use, turn
SmartKey in starter switch to
position2 and activate the combina-
tion switch for the left or right turn sig-
nal in the usual manner – only the
selected turn signal will operate.
Upon canceling the turn signal, the haz-
ard warning flasher will operate again.
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. 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
“Electro-hydraulic brake system”
(page 88).
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.