368 Practical hints
Batteries
Charging the batteries
You can obtain detailed information on
charging the battery from your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
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
increased! Adjust your driving style
accordingly. For more information, see
“Electro-hydraulic brake system”
(
page 86).
Warning!G
With a disconnected battery
you will no longer be able to turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch
the gear selector lever will remain
locked in park positionP
Warning!G
Never charge a battery while still installed in
the vehicle unless the battery charge unit
approved by Mercedes-Benz (supplied with
your vehicle) is being used. Gases may es-
cape during charging and cause explosions
that may result in paint damage, corrosion
or personal injury.
A battery charge unit specially adapted for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles and tested and
approved by Mercedes-Benz is available,
permitting the charging of the battery in its
installed position. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center for information and
availability. Charge battery in accordance
with the separate operating instructions for
the battery charger.
371 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
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 86).
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
vehicle. Adapt your driving accordingly.
!Towing of the vehicle should only be done
using the properly installed towing eye bolt.
Never attach tow cable, tow rope or tow rod to
the vehicle chassis, frame or suspension parts.
iTo signal turns while being towed with the
hazard warning flasher in use, turn SmartKey in
starter switch to position2 and activate the
combination switch for the left or right turn
signal in the usual manner – only the selected
turn signal will operate.
Upon canceling the turn signal, the hazard
warning flasher will operate again.
iWhen towing the vehicle with all wheels on
the ground, please note the following:
With the automatic central locking activated and
the SmartKey in starter switch position2 the
vehicle doors lock if the left front wheel as well
as the right rear wheel are turning at vehicle
speeds of approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or
more.
To prevent the vehicle door locks from locking,
deactivate the automatic central locking
(
page 139) and switch off the tow-away alarm
(
page 94).
iThe gear selector lever will remain locked in
park positionP and the SmartKey will not turn in
the starter switch if the battery is disconnected
or discharged. See notes on the battery
(
page 367).
372 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Installing/reinstalling towing eye bolt
Take the towing eye bolt1 from its
storage compartment (
page 353).
1Towing eye bolt
Remove cover from the access hole.
Screw towing eye bolt1 clockwise in
to its stop.
Remove the towing eye bolt when you
no longer need it. To do this, carry out
the above steps in reverse order.
Points to bear in mind
The vehicle must not be tow-started.
If the vehicle is to be towed, only tow it
with all wheels on the ground.
If the vehicle has suffered transmission
damage, only tow it with the propeller
shaft disconnected.
Before towing the vehicle, make sure
the battery is connected and charged.
Otherwise you will not be able to switch
on the ignition and move the selector
lever to neutral positionN. There will
then be no power assistance when
steering and braking.
Transporting the vehicle
The towing eye bolt can be used to pull the
vehicle onto a trailer or transporter for
transporting purposes.
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Move the selector lever to neutral
positionN.
!Only secure the tow bar to the towing eye
bolt. The vehicle could otherwise be damaged.
!Your vehicle is equipped with a front towing
eye bolt only (
page 372).
You cannot tow other vehicles with your vehicle.
!Due to the low clearance height of the SLR,
care must be taken when loading and unloading
from a transporter to avoid damaging the vehicle
body work.
To secure the vehicle, only tie it down by the
wheels or tires. Otherwise it could be damaged.
399 Technical terms
ABS
(A
nti-lock Braking System)
Prevents the wheels from locking up
during braking so that the vehicle can
continue to be steered.
Accessory weight
(
page 284)
ACL
(A
irbrake/Central Locking)
Controls the locking mechanism of the
Airbrake and the central locking
system.
Air pressure
(
page 284)
Aspect ratio
(
page 284)
Bar
(
page 284)BAS
(B
rake Assist System)
System for potentially reducing braking
distances in emergency braking situa-
tions. The system is activated when it
senses an emergency based on how
fast the brake is applied.
Bead
(
page 284)
Bi-Xenon headlamps
Headlamps which use an electric arc as
the light source and produce a more in-
tense light than filament headlamps.
Bi-Xenon headlamps produce low
beam and high beam.
CAC
(C
ustomer Assistance Center)
Mercedes-Benz customer service cen-
ter, which can help you with any ques-
tions about your vehicle and provide
assistance in the event of a
breakdown.CAN system
(C
ontroller Area Network)
Data bus network serving to control
vehicle functions such as door locking
or windshield wiping depending on
vehicle settings and/or ambient
conditions.
Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and
indicator/warning lamps in the passen-
ger compartment needed for vehicle
operation and monitoring.
Cold tire inflation pressure
(
page 284)
Control system
The control system is used to call up
vehicle information and to change
component settings. Information and
messages appear in the multifunction
display. The driver uses the buttons on
the multifunction steering wheel to
navigate through the system and to
adjust settings.
400 Technical terms
Cruise control
Driving convenience system for auto-
matically maintaining the vehicle speed
set by the driver.
Curb weight
(
page 284)
DOT
(D
epartment of Transportation)
(
page 284)
Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine
produced.
Engine oil viscosity
Measure of the internal oil friction (vis-
cosity) at different temperatures. The
higher the temperature the oil can tol-
erate without thinning too much, or the
lower the temperature it can tolerate
without thickening too much, the bet-
ter the viscosity characteristics of the
oil.ESP
®
(Eectronic Stability Program)
Improves vehicle handling and
directional stability.
ETD
(E
mergency Tensioning Device)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem’s threshold to tighten the seat
belts.
->SRS
GAWR
(G
ross Axle Weight Rating)
(
page 284)
Gear range
Number of gears which are available to
the automatic transmission for shifting.
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the gear selector lever
or the steering wheel gearshift control
buttons.GPS
(G
lobal Positioning System)
Satellite-based system for relaying
geographic location information to and
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers. Employs CD digital maps for
navigation.
GVW
(G
ross Vehicle Weight)
(
page 284)
GVWR
(G
ross Vehicle Weight Rating)
(
page 285)
Head-thorax air bag
Installed in the doors, these air bags
protect occupants during side impact
collisions exceeding a preset thresh-
old. Unlike normal side air bags,
head-thorax air bags are also designed
to provide protection for the head area.
402 Technical terms
Power train
Collective term designating all compo-
nents used to generate and transmit
motive power to the drive axles,
including
engine
clutch/torque converter
transmission
transfer case
drive shaft
differential
axle shafts/axles
Production options weight
(
page 285)
Program mode selector switch
Used to switch the automatic trans-
mission between sport operation (S),
comfort operation (C) and manual
operation (MAN).
PSI
(P
ounds per square inch)
(
page 285)Recommended tire inflation pressure
(
page 285)
REST
(Residual Engine Heat Utilization)
Feature that uses the engine heat
stored in the coolant to heat the vehi-
cle interior for a short time after the
engine has been turned off.
Rim
(
page 285)
RON
(R
esearch Octane Number)
The Research Octane Number for gaso-
line as determined by a standardized
method. It is an indication of a gaso-
line’s ability to resist undesired detona-
tion (knocking). The average of both
the MON (Motor Octane Number) and
RON (Research Octane Number) is
posted at the pump, also known as
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.Electro-hydraulic brake system
Electronically controlled hydraulic
braking system for increased braking
safety and comfort.
Shift lock
When the vehicle is parked, this lock
prevents the gear selector lever from
being inadvertently moved out of park
position P without SmartKey turned
and brake pedal depressed.
Sidewall
(page 285)
SRS
(S
upplemental Restraint System)
Seat belts, emergency tensioning de-
vice and air bags. Though independent
systems, they are closely interfaced to
provide effective occupant protection.
405 Index
A
ABS 81, 399
Indicator lamp 29, 302
Messages in the multifunction
display 316, 317
ABS/ESP
®
Warning lamp 29, 300
Accelerator position, automatic
transmission 173
Accessory weight 284
Accident 54
ACL 399
Messages in the multifunction
display 323
Additional turn signals, Exterior
mirror 360Air bags 62
Children 63
Front, Driver 65
Front, Passenger 66
Head-thorax 65, 66
Knee 66
Occupant Classification System
(OCS) 67
Passenger front air bag off indicator
lamp 70
Safety guidelines 64
Air conditioning system see Automatic cli-
mate control
Air distribution 191, 192
Air pressure 284
Air pressure see Tire inflation pressure
Air recirculation mode 195
Air vents 187
Air volume 191, 193Airbrake 31, 89
Automatic mode 91
Emergency braking 91
Manual mode 90
Message in the multifunction
display 327
Test Mode 90
Warning lamp 29, 307
Alarm system see Anti-theft systems
Anticorrosion/antifreeze 390, 396
Antiglare, Interior rear view mirror 182
Antilock Brake System see ABS
Anti-theft systems
Anti-theft alarm system 92
Immobilizer 92
Tow-away alarm 94
Anti-theft wheel nuts 288
Aquaplaning see Hydroplaning
Armrest 206
406 Index
Ashtray 208
Aspect ratio 284
AUDIO menu 126
Audio system 31, 145
Button and soft key operation 148
Cassette operation 154
CD operation 158
Location 145
Operating and display elements 146
Operating safety 145
Operation 148
Radio operation 151
Switching on/off 148
Telephone operation 162, 210
Auto-dimming, Interior rear view
mirror 182
Automatic car wash 296
Automatic central locking, Control
system 104, 139Automatic climate control 186
Adjusting air volume 193
Air conditioning refrigerant 391
Air conditioning, Cooling 196
Air distribution 191, 192
Air recirculation mode 195
Air vents 187
Air volume 191
Control panel 188
Deactivating system 190
Defrosting 185, 194
MAXCOOL 193
Residual heat utilization 197
Side air vents 31
Temperature 191
Temperature sensor 33
Automatic headlamp mode 107
Automatic lighting control, Interior
lighting 112Automatic transmission 169
Accelerator position 173
Damage 372
Driving tips 173
Emergency operation (Limp-Home
Mode) 181
Gear ranges 174
Gear selector lever 32, 169
Gear selector lever control one-touch
gearshifting 175
Gear selector lever position 171
Gear shifting malfunctions 181
Kickdown 173
Manual shift program 179
Shift program mode selector
switch 175
Shifting procedure 170
Starting the engine 47
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting 177
Towing 372
Transmission fluid level 254
Automatic transmission fluid 254