2006 MERCEDES-BENZ SL600 page 1

364 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
USA only:;Canada only:3
Service brake
Visit
workshop
There are malfunctions, but the
electro-hydraulic brake system is
operating normally.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
Brakes overheated
Drive on, but with
even greater care
The brake system is overheated due
to an excessive load on the brakes.

Relieve the load on the brake system.

Drive more smoothly and think ahead to avoid
unnecessary braking.

When driving down steep grades, shift into a
lower gear to use the engine’s braking power
(page 169).

Cautiously continue driving so that the air
stream will cool down the brakes.
USA only:;Canada only:!
Release
parking brake
You are driving with the parking
brake set.

Release the parking brake (
page 59).

365 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
±
Engine
Service
There may be a malfunction in the

fuel injection system


ignition system


exhaust system


fuel system

Have the engine checked as soon as possible
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
(page 335).
B
Coolant
Check level
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 278).

If you have to add coolant frequently, have the
cooling system checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Do not spill antifreeze on hot engine parts.
Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol which
may burn if it comes into contact with hot
engine parts. You can be seriously burned.
!Do not ignore the low engine coolant
level warning. Extended driving with
this message and symbol displayed
may cause serious engine damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty. Do not drive without suffi-
cient amount of coolant in the cooling
system. The engine will overheat, caus-
ing major engine damage.

367 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
•
Coolant
Stop, put engine off!
The poly-V-belt could be broken.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so and immediately turn off
the engine.

Check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:

Do not continue to drive. Otherwise, the en-
gine will overheat due to an inoperative water
pump which may result in damage to the en-
gine. Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If it is intact:

Do not continue to drive with this message
displayed. Doing so could result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge in the
instrument cluster (
page 25).

Drive immediately to the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

368 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
•
Coolant
Visit
workshop
The cooling fan for the coolant is
malfunctioning.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge.

Have the fan replaced as soon as possible.
G
Display malfunction
Visit
workshop!
The displays for several systems
have malfunctioned. Some systems
themselves may also have malfunc-
tioned.

Continue driving with added caution.
When the display is malfunctioning, warnings
and malfunction messages might not be dis-
played.

Have the electronic systems checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
±
Display malfunction
Visit workshop
Certain electronic systems are un-
able to relay information to the con-
trol system. The following systems
may have failed:

Coolant temperature gauge


Tachometer


Cruise control display

Have the electronic systems checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
(page 335).

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.

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.

371 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
A
Reserve fuel
The fuel level has dropped below
the reserve mark.

Refuel at the next gas station (
page 269).
Check
fuel cap
See Oper. Manual
A loss of pressure has been detect-
ed in the fuel system. The fuel cap
may not be closed properly or the
fuel system may be leaky.

Check the fuel cap (
page 269).
If it is not closed properly:

Close the fuel cap.
If it is closed properly:

Have the fuel system checked by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
K
being lowered
The retractable hardtop is not com-
pletely opened or closed. The roof
hydraulics will start to lose pres-
sure.

Make sure the retractable hardtop is com-
pletely opened or closed (
page 195).
Lock
retractable roof
The retractable hardtop is not
locked properly.

Push or pull on the retractable hardtop switch
until the indicator lamp in the switch goes out
and the retractable hardtop is completely
open or closed (
page 195).
locked
in driving mode
You have attempted to open the re-
tractable hardtop while driving.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location and try to
open the hardtop again.
Visit
workshop
The retractable hardtop is malfunc-
tioning.

Have the retractable hardtop checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

372 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
O
Close hood
You are driving with the hood open.

Close the hood (
page 273).
I
Remove
key
You have forgotten to remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch.

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Replace
key
The batteries in the SmartKey are
discharged.

Change the batteries (
page 389).
F
Key
Check battery
The batteries in the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* are discharged.

Change the batteries (
page 389).
Don’t forget
key
This message appears (for a maxi-
mum of 60 seconds) if the driver’s
door is opened with the engine shut
off and no SmartKey in the starter
switch.
Message is only a reminder.

Insert SmartKey in the starter switch.

Take the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with
you when leaving the vehicle.
KEYLESS GO
Check system
The KEYLESS-GO* system is mal-
functioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
KEYLESS-GO
Drive to
workshop
The KEYLESS-GO* system is mal-
functioning.

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