Page 330 of 473

329 Operation
Vehicle care
Carpets
Use Mercedes-Benz approved Carpet
and Fabric Care for cleaning the car-
pets.
Headliner
Use a soft bristle brush or a dry-sham-
poo cleaner in case of excessive dirt.
Seat belts
Only use clear, lukewarm water and
soap.Upholstery
Using aftermarket seat covers or wearing
clothing that have the tendency to give off
coloring (e.g. when wet, etc.) may cause
the upholstery to become permanently dis-
colored. By lining the seats with a proper
intermediate cover, contact-discoloration
will be prevented.Leather upholstery
Wipe leather upholstery with a damp
cloth and dry thoroughly or clean with
Mercedes-Benz approved Leather
Care.
Exercise particular care when cleaning per-
forated leather as its underside should not
become wet.
Wood trims
Dampen cloth using water and use
damp cloth to clean wood trims in your
vehicle.
!
The seat belts must not be treated with
chemical cleaning agents. Do not dry the seat
belts at temperatures above 176°F (80°C) or in
direct sunlight.
Warning!
G
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Warning!
G
Only use seat or head restraint covers which
have been tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz for your vehicle model.
Using other seat or head restraint covers
may interfere with or prevent the activation
of the active head restraints. Contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for
availability.
!
Do not use solvents like tar remover or
wheel cleaner nor polishes or waxes as these
may be abrasive.
Page 342 of 473

341 Practical hints
What to do if …
Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
<
The red seat belt telltale comes
on and a warning chime sounds
for approximately 6 seconds
after starting the engine with all
doors closed.
The seat belt telltale reminds you and your
passengers to fasten your seat belts before
driving off.
Fasten your seat belts.
The seat belt telltale goes out.
<
The red seat belt telltale remains
illuminated after driving off. The
vehicle’s speed does not exceed
15 mph (25 km/h).
You and/or your front passenger have
forgotten to fasten your seat belts.
Fasten your seat belts.
There are items placed on the front passen-
ger seat and therefore the system senses the
front passenger seat as being occupied.
Remove the items from the front
passenger seat and put them in a safe
place.
<
The red seat belt telltale flashes
and you additionally hear an in-
termittent warning chime with in-
creasing intensity for a maximum
of 60 seconds from the time the
vehicle’s speed exceeds 15 mph
(25 km/h).
You and/or your front passenger have
forgotten to fasten your seat belts.
Fasten your seat belts.
There are items placed on the front passen-
ger seat and therefore the system senses the
front passenger seat as being occupied.
Remove the items from the front
passenger seat and put them in a safe
place.
i
After 60 seconds with an unfastened seat
belt, the warning chime stops sounding and the
seat belt telltale illuminates continuously. The
seat belt telltale will only go out if both, the driver
and front passenger’s seat belt are fastened, or the vehicle is standing still and a front door is
opened.
Page 366 of 473
365 Practical hints
What to do if …
Symbol messagesLeft display
Right display
Possible cause/consequence
Possible solution
#
The battery is no longer charging.
Possible causes:
alternator malfunctioning
broken poly-V-belt
Do not forget that the brake system
requires electrical energy and may
be operating with restricted capa-
bility. Considerably greater brake
pedal force is required and the stop-
ping distance is increased.
Stop the vehicle immediately in a safe loca-
tion and check the poly-V-belt.
If it is broken:
Do not continue to drive. Otherwise, the
engine will overheat due to an inoperative
water pump which may result in damage
to the engine. Notify an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
If it is in order:
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center immediately. Adjust driving to be
consistent with reduced braking respon-
siveness.
#
There is a malfunction in the elec-
tronic system.
Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.
Page 372 of 473
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)
Page 428 of 473
427 Technical data
Parts service
Warranty coverage
Identification labels
Layout of poly-V-belt drive
Engine
Rims and tires
Electrical system
Main dimensions
Weights
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Page 433 of 473
432 Technical dataLayout of poly-V-belt driveSL 550
1Idler pulley
2Idler pulley
3Automatic belt tensioner
4ABC tandem pump (pump for
power-steering assistance and ABC
chassis)
5Air conditioning compressor
6Crankshaft
7Coolant pump
8Generator (alternator)
SL 55 AMGThe SL 55 AMG has two poly-V-belts (belt
one shown in purple/belt two shown in
black).1Idler pulley
2Automatic belt tensioner
3ABC tandem pump (pump for
power-steering assistance and ABC
chassis)
4Air conditioning compressor
5Crankshaft
6Coolant pump
7Generator (alternator)
8Idler pulley
9Automatic belt tensioner
aSupercharger
SL 600, SL 65 AMG
1Automatic belt tensioner
2ABC tandem pump (pump for
power-steering assistance and ABC
chassis)
3Air conditioning compressor
4Crankshaft
5Coolant pump
6Generator (alternator)
7Idler pulley
8Idler pulley
9Idler pulley
Page 434 of 473

433 Technical data
Engine
Engine
Model
SL 550 (230.471)
1
1The quoted data apply only to the standard vehicle. See an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for the corresponding data of all special bodies and special equipment.
SL 600 (230.477)
1
Engine
273
275
Mode of operation
4-stroke engine, gasoline injection
4-stroke engine, gasoline injection
No. of cylinders
8
12
Bore
3.82 in (97.00 mm)
3.23 in (82.00 mm)
Stroke
3.31 in (84.00 mm)
3.43 in (87.00 mm)
Total piston displacement
333.3 cu in (5 461 cm
3)
336.4 cu in (5 513 cm
3)
Compression ratio
10.7:1
9:1
Output acc. to SAE J 1349
382 hp/6 000 rpm
2
(285 kW/6 000 rpm)
2Premium fuel required. Performance may vary with fuel octane rating.
510 hp/5 000 rpm
2
(380 kW/5 000 rpm)
Maximum torque acc. to SAE J 1349
391 lb-ft/2 700 rpm
(530 Nm/2800 - 4 800 rpm)
612 lb-ft/1 900 - 3 500 rpm
(830 Nm/1 900 - 3 500 rpm)
Maximum engine speed
6 500 rpm
5 950 rpm
Firing order
1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8
1-12-5-8-3-10-6-7-2-11-4-9
Poly-V-belt
2 404 mm
2 335 mm
Page 435 of 473

434 Technical dataEngineModel
SL 55 AMG (230.474)
1
1The quoted data apply only to the standard vehicle. See an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center for the corresponding data of all special bodies and special equipment.
SL 65 AMG (230.479)
1
Engine
113
275
Mode of operation
4-stroke engine, gasoline injection
4-stroke engine, gasoline injection
No. of cylinders
8
12
Bore
3.25 in (82.60 mm)
3.25 in (82.60 mm)
Stroke
3.66 in (93.00 mm)
3.66 in (93.00 mm)
Total piston displacement
331.8 cu in (5439 cm
3)
364.9 cu in (5980 cm
3)
Compression ratio
11:1
9:1
Output acc. to SAE J 1349
510 hp/6 100 rpm
2
(380 kW/6 100 rpm)
2Premium fuel required. Performance may vary with fuel octane rating.
603 hp/4 800-5 100 rpm
2
(450 kW/4 800-5 100 rpm)
Maximum torque acc. to SAE J 1349
530 lb-ft/2 600-4000 rpm
(720 Nm/2 600-4000 rpm)
738 lb-ft/2 000-4000 rpm
(1 000 Nm/2 000-4000 rpm)
Maximum engine speed
6500 rpm
5950 rpm
Firing order
1-5-4-2-6-3-7-8
1-12-5-8-3-10-6-7-2-11-4-9
Poly-V-belt
2 462 mm/1 289 mm
2335 mm