Contents
Practical hints................................. 331
What to do if … .................................. 332
Lamps in the instrument cluster .. 332
Air bag off indicator lamp ............. 345
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display .................... 347
Where will I find ...? ........................... 388
First aid kit ................................... 388
Vehicle tool kit, jack, and spare
wheel ........................................... 388
Locking/unlocking in an
emergency ......................................... 391
Unlocking the vehicle ................... 391
Locking the vehicle ...................... 393
Lowering the load assist manually 394
Replacing SmartKey batteries ........... 395
Replacing bulbs ................................. 397
Bulbs ............................................ 397
Replacing bulbs for front lamps ... 399
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps..... 402
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 403
Placing wiper arms in vertical
position ........................................ 403
Removing wiper blades ................ 404
Installing wiper blades................. 404Flat tire ............................................... 405
Preparing the vehicle .................... 405
Mounting the spare wheel ............ 405
MOExtended system* ................... 413
Batteries ............................................. 414
Disconnecting the batteries .......... 416
Removing the batteries ................. 417
Charging and reinstalling
batteries ....................................... 417
Reconnecting the batteries ........... 418
Jump starting ...................................... 419
Towing the vehicle .............................. 421
Installing towing eye bolt .............. 423
Fuses .................................................. 424
Fuse boxes in engine
compartment ................................ 425
Fuse box in passenger
compartment ................................ 426
Fuse in trunk ................................. 426
Emergency engine shut-down ....... 426
Technical data.................................. 427
Parts service ...................................... 428
Warranty coverage ............................. 429
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet ...................... 429
Identification labels ............................ 430
Layout of poly-V-belt drive.................. 432
SL 550 .......................................... 432
SL 55 AMG ................................... 432
SL 600, SL 65 AMG ...................... 432
Engine ................................................ 433
Rims and tires .................................... 435
Same size tires ............................. 436
Mixed size tires ............................. 437
MOExtended tires* ....................... 439
Spare wheel .................................. 440
Electrical system ................................ 441
Main dimensions ................................ 442
Weights .............................................. 443
23 At a glance
Exterior view
Item
Page
1
TrunkOpening the trunk
111
Closing the trunk
113
Spare wheel
388
Vehicle tool kit
388
2
Rear lamps
398
3
Rear window defroster
183
4
Fuel filler flap
271
Refueling
271
Gasoline
447
5
DoorsLocking and unlocking
102
Opening and closing
111
Locking/unlocking in an
emergency
391
6
Exterior rear view mirrorsAdjusting
48
Auto-dimming rear view
mirrors
180
Item
Page
7
Towing
421
Installing towing eye bolt
423
8
Tires and wheels
283
Checking tire inflation
pressure
292
Run Flat Indicator*
293
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS)
295
Advanced Tire Pressure
Monitoring System
(Advanced TPMS)*
298
General information
283
Flat tire
405
Vehicle tool kit
388
9
HoodOpening
274
Engine oil
275
Coolant
280,
449
Item
Page
a
Headlamp cleaning
system
180,
282
b
Front lamps
398
c
Windshield wipers
57
Wiper blades, replacing
403
Wiper blades, cleaning
326
d
WindshieldCleaning with wiper fluid
58
Cleaning
326
e
Retractable hardtopOpening/closing
199
Wind screen
204
Luggage cover
205
Sunshade for panorama
roof*
208
35 At a glance
Storage compartments
Item
Page
1
Glove box
233
2
Passenger seat storage
compartment
234
First aid kit
388
3
Door storage compart-
ment
233
4
Rear storage compart-
ment, passenger side
235
CD changer
235
5
Side storage compartment
in trunk, parcel net
237
6
TrunkVehicle tool kit, jack, spare
wheel
388
Load assist
241
Luggage cover
205
Trunk load
443
Load limit
288
Item
Page
7
Navigation computer (re-
fer to separate Operator’s
Manual)
8
Rear storage compart-
ment, driver’s side
235
9
Door storage compart-
ment
233
a
Driver’s seat storage com-
partment
234
b
Parcel net in passenger
footwell
236
c
Armrest storage compart-
ment
234
Armrest storage tray
234
d
Luggage straps
237
388 Practical hintsWhere will I find ...?First aid kit
The first aid kit is located in storage com-
partment under the passenger seat.
1Handle
2Lid
Pull handle 1 up.
Fold lid 2 down.
You can now remove the first-aid kit.
Vehicle tool kit, jack, and spare wheel
The vehicle tool kit, jack, and spare wheel
are stored in the space underneath the
trunk floor.
Lift up the trunk floor cover.
You can now remove the tools and ac-
cessories.
The vehicle tool kit includes
One pair of universal pliers
Two open-end wrenches
One hex-socket wrench
One interchangeable slot/Phillips
screwdriver
One towing eye bolt
One alignment bolt
One fuse extractor
One fuse chart
Spare fuses
i
Check expiration dates and contents for
completeness at least once a year and replace
missing/expired items.
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 a hard level surface. Be sure that the jack
arm is fully inserted in the jack tube. Always
lower the vehicle onto sufficient capacity
jackstands before working under the vehi-
cle.
389 Practical hints
Where will I find ...?
1Spare wheel
2Electric air pump
3Vehicle tool kit
4Storage well casing
Take spare wheel 1 out of the trunk,
see “Removing the spare wheel”
(page 389), to access jack 5 and
wheel wrench 6.5Jack
6Wheel wrench
Removing the spare wheel
Open the trunk (
page 111).
Lift up the trunk floor cover.
Remove storage well casing that con-
tains the vehicle tool kit and the elec-
tric air pump.1Spare wheel
2Tensioning strap (vehicles with
19" spare wheel only)
3Retaining screw
4Storage well casing base
Remove storage well casing base 4.
Remove retaining screw 3 by turning
it counterclockwise.
Remove spare wheel 1.
390 Practical hintsWhere will I find ...?Storing the spare wheel after use
If you wish to store the spare wheel after
use, carry out the following steps. Other-
wise, the spare wheel may not fit the spare
wheel well.
Unscrew the valve cap from the valve
of the collapsible tire.
Take the valve extractor from the
vehicle tool kit (
page 388).
Unscrew the valve insert from the valve
and allow the air to escape.
Screw the valve insert back into the
valve.
Screw the valve cap back onto the
valve.
Store the spare wheel by carrying out
the steps described in “Removing the
spare wheel” (
page 389) in reverse
order.
Compressing the collapsible tire
(vehicles with 19" spare wheel only)
The collapsible tire on a 19" spare wheel
must be compressed with two tensioning
straps before you can store it back in the
trunk.
Extend the tensioning strap by pulling
the slider.
Place tensioning strap around spare
wheel rim and collapsible tire with the
buckle facing the inside of the rim.
Close the buckle.
Pull the loose end of the tensioning
strap.
The tensioning strap must be pulled as
tight as possible.
!
Make sure the spare wheel is dry before
storing it.
i
It may take a few minutes for the collapsible
tire to deflate completely.
i
Vehicles with 19" spare wheel only: Before
storing the spare wheel in trunk fasten tension-
ing straps, see “Compressing the collapsible tire
(vehicles with 19" spare wheel only)”
(
page 390).
i
The tensioning straps are shown in red for
illustration purposes. The tensioning straps on
the spare wheel of your vehicle are black.
394 Practical hintsLocking/unlocking in an emergencyLowering the load assist manually
If the load assist feature does not fully low-
er the retractable hardtop into the trunk
compartment and you are unable to close
the trunk lid, follow the instructions below.
1Hex-socket wrench
2Locking screw
Remove the trunk floor from the trunk.
Lift up the lid located at the lower left
side of the trunk.
Have a second person lift and hold the
retracted hardtop.
Using hex-socket 1 wrench provided
in the vehicle tool kit, carefully turn the
locking screw 2 approximately one
quarter of a turn.
Hook luggage cover into holders
(page 205).
Let go of the hardtop.
It should gradually lower into the trunk.
When top is completely lowered, return
locking screw 2 to its original posi-
tion.
Close the lid.
Replace the trunk floor.
Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
!
Do not overtighten the screw.
407 Practical hints
Flat tire
Take the vehicle tool kit and the jack
out of the storage compartment under
the trunk floor (
page 388).
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.