2007 MERCEDES-BENZ SL55AMG engine

366 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
#
Battery/Alternator
Stop car
The battery is malfunctioning.
The electro-hydraulic brake system
requires electrical energy and
therefore has only limited opera-
tion. Considerably greater brake
pedal force is required and the stop-
ping distance is increased.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location. Adjust driv-
ing to be consistent with reduced braking re-
sponsiveness.

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
2
Brake wear
The brake pads have reached their
wear limit.

Have the brake pads replaced as soon as pos-
sible.
USA only:;Canada only:3
Reduced
brake effect
Start engine
The battery has insufficient voltage
and cannot supply sufficient power
to the electro-hydraulic brake sys-
tem.

Start the engine.
The message disappears when sufficient
voltage is available.
!
Brake pad thickness must be visually
checked by a qualified technician at the intervals
specified in the Maintenance Booklet.
Warning!
G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide (CO), and inhaling it can cause un-
consciousness and lead to death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated.

369 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
USA only:;Canada only:3
Check
brake fluid level
There is insufficient brake fluid in
the reservoir.
Risk of accident!
Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so.

Do not drive any further.

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Do not add brake fluid! This will not solve the
problem.
Warning!
G
Driving with the message
Check brake
fluid level
displayed can result in an ac-
cident. Have your brake system checked im-
mediately. Do not add brake fluid before
checking the brake system. Overfilling the
brake fluid reservoir can result in spilling
brake fluid on hot engine parts and the
brake fluid catching fire. You can be serious-
ly burned.
!
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.

370 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.

Contact 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 174).

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 61).

371 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
•
Coolant
Stop car –

Turn engine off
The coolant is too hot.
Among other possible causes, the
poly-V-belt could be broken.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so.

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. Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
If it is intact:

Wait for the message to disappear before re-
starting the engine.
Doing otherwise could result in serious engine
damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
(Continued on next page)

372 Practical hintsWhat to do if …
During severe operating conditions, e.g.
stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tempera-
ture may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Observe the coolant temperature gauge in the
instrument cluster (
page 27).
If the temperature rises again:

Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center immediately.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is overheated can
cause some fluids which may have leaked
into the engine compartment to catch fire.
You could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns and can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.
!
The engine should not be operated with the
coolant temperature above 248°F (120°C). Do-
ing so may cause serious engine damage which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

373 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
B
Top up
coolant
See Oper. Manual
The coolant level is too low.

Add coolant (
page 280).
Comply with all warnings while doing so.

If you have to add coolant frequently, have the
cooling system checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
•
The cooling fan for the coolant is
malfunctioning.

Observe the coolant temperature gauge in the
instrument cluster (
page 27).
If the coolant temperature is under 120°C,
you may continue driving to the nearest spe-
cialist workshop.

Avoid placing heavy loads on the engine
(e.g. by driving uphill) as well as stop-and-go
traffic.

Have the fan replaced as soon as possible.
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 sufficient amount of coolant in the cool-
ing system. The engine will overheat, causing
major engine damage.

374 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
Check doors
2
You are attempting to drive with
one or more doors open.

Close the doors.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
You are pressing the lock button on
the door handle and at least one
door is open.
±
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

Have the electronic systems checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
(page 336).
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 336).

375 Practical hints
What to do if …
Left display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
_
Entry position
Do not drive
The steering wheel has not yet
moved into its stored driving posi-
tion.

Wait until the steering wheel has moved to its
driving position.
The message disappears.
N
USA only:Add 1 qt. engine oil
at next refuelingCanada only:Add 1 liter
engine oil
at next refueling
Vehicles with engine oil measuring
system only:
The engine oil level is too low.

Add engine oil (
page 278) and check the
engine oil level (page 276).
Engine oil level
Stop car –

turn engine off
Vehicles with engine oil measuring
system only:
There is no oil in the engine. There
is a danger of engine damage.

Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so.

Turn off the engine.

Add engine oil (
page 278) and check the
engine oil level (page 276).
Engine oil level
Reduce
oil level
Vehicles with engine oil measuring
system only:
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.