2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER engine

Occupant safety
46 Roll-over bar
G
Risk of injury
Make sure that the roll-over bar's range of
movemen tisfree to preven tinjuries when
the roll-over bar is extended or retracted.
The roll-over bar extends automatically if sys-
tems detec tthat the vehicle is in danger of
rolling over to the side. You will hear aratch-
etin gnoise when the roll-over bar extends.
You can also extend and retract the roll-over
bar manually with the buttons.
! If the ambient temperature drops below
-5 †, you must extend the roll-over bar
manually. Otherwise, the hydraulics could
be damaged. Extending and retracting the roll-over
bar manually 1
Retract sthe roll-over bar
2 Extending the roll-over bar G
Risk of injury
If the C roll-over bar warning lamp in the
instrument cluster is still on along time
after starting the engine, this means afault
has occurred. The Raise roll-over bar
message appears in the multi-function dis-
play.
In this case, the roll-over bar is not exten-
ded automatically in the event of an acci-
dent if systems identify arisk of the vehicle
overturnin gsideways. You or other vehicle
occupants could be injured seriously or
even fatally. For safety reasons ,therefore, drive with the roll-over bar extended man-
ually until the fault has been rectified.
Have your vehicle checked at
aqualified
specialist workshop which has the neces-
sary specialist knowledge and tools to carry
out the work required. Mercedes-Benz rec-
ommends that you use aMercedes-Benz
Service Centr efor this purpose. In particu-
lar, work relevant to safety or on safety-
related systems must be carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
X Make sure the key is in position 2in the
ignition lock.
Extending the roll-over bar
X Lift the hardtop switch.
X Press and hold button 2until the roll-over
bar is extended.
i If you have extended the roll-over bar
using the button, it will be retracted and
extended automatically when the roof is
closed and opened. Safety
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Driving safet
ysystems 54 BAS (Brake Assist)
BAS operates in emergency braking situa-
tions. If yo udepress the brake peda lquickly,
BAS automaticall yboost sthe braking force,
thu sshortening the stopping distance.
X Kee pthe brake peda lfirml yd epresse duntil
the emergency braking situatio niso ver.
ABS prevents the wheels fro mlocking.
Th eb rakes will functio nasusual once you
release the brake pedal. BAS is deactivated. G
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kofa ccident
If BAS ha smalfu nctioned ,the braking sys-
tem remains availabl ewithf ullb rake boost-
ing effect. However, braking force is not
automaticall yincrease dinemergency
braking situations and the stopping dis-
tanc emayincrease. Adaptive brak
elamps
i Adaptive brake lamps ar eonlya vailable in
certai ncountries.
If yo ubrake sharpl yfromas peed of more
tha n50k m/h or if braking is assiste dbyBAS,
the brake lamps flas hrapidly .Inthisw ay,
traffi ctravelling behind yo uiswarne dinan
eve nm oren oticeabl emanner.
After bringing the vehicl etoahalta fter per-
forming such abraking manoeuvre, when the
brake peda lispresse dagain the brake lamps
will once agai nlight up continuously. ESP
®
(Electroni cStability Program)
ESP ®
monitors driving stability and traction,
i.e .p ower transmission between tyres and
the roa dsurface.
If ESP ®
detects tha tthe vehicl eisdeviating
fro mt he directio ndesir ed by the driver ,one
or mor ewheel sarebraked to stabilise the
vehicle. Th eengine outpu tisa lsom odified, if
necessary ,tokeept he vehicl eonthe desired
course withi nphysical limits. ESP ®
assists
the driver when pulling away on we torslip-
pery roads .ESP ®
ca na lsos tabilise the vehi-
cle during braking. When ESP
®
intervenes ,the v warning
lamp flashe sinthe instrumen tcluster. G
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If the v warning lamp in the instrument
cluste rflashes ,procee dasfollows:
R Do not deactivate ESP ®
under any cir-
cumstances.
R Onl ydepress the accelerator peda lasfar
as necessary when pulling away.
R Adapt your driving style to suit the pre-
vailing roa dand weather conditions.
Th ev ehicl ecould otherwis egointoaskid.
ESP ®
cannot reduc ethe risk of an accident
if yo udrive too fast. ESP ®
cannot override
the laws of physics.
! If:
R the vehicl eisbeing towed with the front
or rea raxler aised
R the parking brake is being tested using a
dynamometer
the ignition must be switched off (ke yin
position 0or 1in the ignition lock). Appli-
catio noft he brakes by ESP ®
could other-
wise destro ythe brake syste monthe front
or rea raxle. Safety
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Driving safet
ysystems 55
i
Onlyusewheels with the recommended
tyr es izes .O nlyt henw illE SP ®
function
properly.
Tractio ncontrol Tractio
ncontrol is part of ESP ®
.
Tractio ncontrol brakes the drive wheels indi-
vidually if the yspin. This enables yo utopull
away and accelerate on slippery surfaces ,for
exampl eifthe roa dsurface is slippery on one
side.
Tractio ncontrol remains activ ewheny ou
deactivate ESP ®
. G
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Tractio ncontrol cannot reduc ethe risk of
an accident if yo udrive too fast. Traction
control cannot override the laws of physics.
Activating/deactivating ESP ®
,( exce pt
SL 63 AMG) ESP
®
is activate dautomaticall ywhent he
engine is running. It ma
ybeb esttod eactivate ESP ®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using sno wchains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel G
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Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
describe dabove no longe rapply .ESP ®
will
otherwis enot be able to stabilise the vehi-
cle if the vehicl estarts to ski dorawheel
starts to spin.
If yo udeact ivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longe rimp roves driving stability.
R engine torque is not limited and the drive
wheels ar eabletos pin. Th espinning
wheels produce acutting effect for better
traction.
R tractio ncontrol is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provide ssuppo rt when you
brake.
i If ESP ®
is deactivate dand one or more
wheels start to spin, the vwarning lamp
in the instrumen tcluste rflashes .Insuch situations ESP
®
will not stabilise the vehi-
cle. 1
To deactivate/activate ESP ®
X To deactivate: press button1.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluste rlight sup. G
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If the v warning lamp in the instrument
cluste riscontinuously li twhent he engine
is running ,ESP ®
is deactivate dornot avail-
able du etoam alfunction. There is an
increase driskofy ourv ehicl eskidding in
certai nsituations.
Yo us houl dalway sadapt your driving style
to suit the prevailing roa dand weather con-
ditions. Safety
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Driving safet
ysystems 56
X
To activate: press button 1.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluste rgoeso ut.
SL 63 AMG Activating/deactivating ESP
®
Sport
ESP ®
is activate dautomaticall ywhent he
engine is running.
It ma ybeb esttoa ctivate ESP ®
Sport in the
following situations:
R when using sno wchains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel
Otherwise, yo ushoul donlyu seESP ®
Sport
on designated race circuits. G
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Deactivate ESP ®
Sport and activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations describe dabove
no longe rapply .ESP ®
Sport will otherwise
onl ybea bletos tabilise the vehicl etoa
limited degre eifthe vehicl estarts to skid
or aw heel starts to spin. If yo
uactivate ESP ®
Sport:
R ESP ®
onl yimp roves driving stability to a
limited degree.
R engine torque is onl yrestricted to alimit ed
degre eand the drive wheels ar eableto
spin. Th espinning wheels produce acut-
ting effect for better traction.
R tractio ncontrol is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provide ssuppo rt when yo ubrake
firmly.
i If ESP ®
Sport is activate dand one or more
wheels start to spin, the vwarning lamp
in the instrumen tcluste rflashes .ESP ®
only
stabilise sthe vehicl etoalimited degree. 1
Activating/deactivating ESP ®
Sport X
To activate: brieflypress button 1.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluste rlight sup.Them essage ESP Sport
appear sinthe multi-functio ndisplay.
X To deactivate: brieflypress button 1.
The v warning lamp in the instrument
cluste rgoeso ut.T he message ESP On
appear sinthe multi-functio ndisplay.
To deactivate/activate ESP ®
ESP ®
is activate dautomaticall ywhent he
engine is running.
It ma ybeb esttod eactivate ESP ®
in the fol-
lowing situations:
R when using sno wchains
R in deep snow
R on sand or gravel G
Ris
kofa ccident
Activate ESP ®
as soon as the situations
describe dabove no longe rapply .ESP ®
will
otherwis enot be able to stabilise the vehi-
cle if the vehicl estarts to ski dorawheel
starts to spin. Safety
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Driving safet
ysystems 57
If yo
udeact ivate ESP ®
:
R ESP ®
no longe rimp roves driving stability.
R engine torque is no longe rlimit ed and the
drive wheels ar eabletos pin. Th espinning
wheels produce acutting effect for better
traction.
R tractio ncontrol is still activated.
R ESP ®
still provide ssuppo rt when yo ubrake
firmly.
i If ESP ®
is deactivate dand one or more
wheels start to spin, the vwarning lamp
in the instrumen tcluste rdoesn ot flash. In
such situations ESP ®
will not stabilise the
vehicle. 1
To deactivate/activat eESP® X
To deactivate: pressbutton 1untilt he
v and¯ warning lamp sinthe instr u-
ment cl usterlight up.
Th em essage ESPO ffappear sinthe multi-
function displa y. G
Risk of ac
cident
ESP ®
is deactivated if the vand¯
warning lamp sinthe instr umentclus tera re
li tc ontin uously when the engin eisrunning.
Ther eisani ncreased risk of yourvehicle
skiddin gincertain situations.
Yo us hould alwaysadap tyou rd riving style
to suit prevailing road an dweather condi-
tions.
X To activate: brieflypress button 1.
The v and¯ warning lamp sinthe
instr ument clus tergoo ut.T he message
ES POn appear sinthe multi-function dis-
play. SBC
™brake system
Th eS BCTM
brak esystemc ombines a
hydrauli cbrake syste mwithane lectronicall y-
controlled brak eboost inge ffec t. This pro-
vide sincreased brakin gsafet yand comfort.
In additio ntothe brakin gfun ction, SBC TM
also
provides the SBC Hold convenienc efunction
(Y page 137). G
Risk of ac
cident
The 3 indicator lamp in the instr ument
cl us terlight supift here isamalfun ction in
the SBC TM
brak esystemort he brakes.
Alwa ysobserve the note sinthe multi-func-
tio nd isplay. Lookup"SBC TM
brak esystem"
in the inde xand un dertha th eading the
"Malfunction" entry an dfollow the proce-
dure described there in the event of amal-
function.
If the SBC TM
brak esystemm alfun ctions,
Mercedes-Benz recommends tha tyou have
the vehicl etransported on atransporter or
trailer .Ifthisisn ot possible ,atowba rmust
be used. Alwayscompl ywitht he maxim um
permissible spee dand distance fo rtowing
in your country. Safety
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Anti-thef
tsyste ms 59G
Ris
kofa ccident
Make sure tha tyou do not endanger
other roa dusers when applying the
brakes.
R Yo us hould applythe brakes firml yfrom
tim etot imeatah ighv ehicle speedifthe
vehicle' sbrake syste mhasnot been sub-
jected to high load sfor alon gp erio dof
time. This improve sthe gri pofthe brake
pads/linings.
R Yo us hould brakefirml ya fter driving on a
we tors now-covere droads urface before
stopping the engine .The brak ediscs dr yas
the yarewarme dup,thu spreve nting cor-
rosion.
R For safety reasons ,Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends tha tyou onlyusecomponents ,e.g.
brak epads/li nings,which have been spe-
cially approve dbyMercedes-Benz for your
vehicle. Brake pads/linings whic hhaven ot
been approve dfor Mercedes-Benz could
affect your vehicle' sopera ting safety. Anti-theft systems
Immobiliser
Th eimm obiliser prevents your vehicl efrom
being starte dwithout the correct key.
Activating the immobiliser X
With the key: removethe key fro mthe
ignition lock.
X With KEYLES SGO*: pres sthe KEYLESS
GO button on the selector lever.
Th ee ngine switche soff.
Deactivating th eimmob iliser X
Wit hthe key: turn th ekeyto position 2in
th ei gnition lock.
X Wit hKEYLESS GO*: press theKEYLESS
GO butto nontheselecto rlever twic ewith-
out depressin gthe brake.
i The immobilise risalways deactivated
when you start th eengine. ATA (anti-thef
talarm system)
Av isual and audible alar mistriggere difthe
alar msystem is primed and you open:
R ad oor
R ad ooru sin gthe emergency ke yelement
R theb ootlid
R theb onnet
R theg love compartment
R thes towag espac eunder th earmrest
R as towag ecom partmen tintherear
The alar misnotswitched of fevenify ou close
an ope ndoora gain. 1
Indicator lamp
X To prime: lockthe vehicle usin gthe key.
On vehicles wit hKEYLESS GO* ,the locking Safety
*o ptional
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Opening and closing
68possible to close the door. Do not attempt
to forc
ethe door to close. You could oth-
erwise damage the door or the window. Locking/unlocking the vehicle from
the inside
You can centrally lock or unlock the vehicle
from the inside. This feature may be useful if,
for example, you wish to unlock the
passenger door from the inside or lock the
vehicle before you pull away. G
Risk of accident
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. They could open adoor from the
inside –even if it is locked –and thereby
endanger themselves and others. 1
Lockingb utton
2 Unlocking button
X To lock: press button 1.
X To unlock: press button 2.
i You may hear abrief noise when you
unlock the vehicle as the SBC ®
brake sys-
tem is activated. Automatic lockingf
eature
The vehicle will lock automatically once you
have pulleda way.
You can switch off the automatic locking
function via the on-board computer
(Y page 120).
i The vehicle is locked automatically when
the ignition is switched on and the wheels
begin to turn. There is therefore arisk of
being locked out when the vehicle is being
pushed or tested on adynamometer. Boot (vehicles without remote boot
lid closing feature*)
G
Risk of poisoning
Exhaust fumes could enter the vehicle inte-
rior if the engine is running and the boot lid
is open. This could poison you. Therefore,
you should make sure that the boot lid is
always closed when the engine is running.
! The boot lid swings upwards when
opened. Therefore, make sure that there is
enough space above the boot lid. Controls
*optional
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Opening and closing
701
Remote opening button
2 Indicator lamp
X Pull remote operating button 1until the
boot lid opens.
Indicator lamp 2lights up and stays lit
until the boot is closed again.
i With the roof open, you can use the load-
ing aid (Y page 164) to raise the folded-up
roof in the boot, to enable you to load and
unload more easily.F or this purpose, you
can also open the boot separator.
Do not forget to close the boot separator
again afterwards. Otherwise, it will not be
possible to close the roof. Locking the boot separately You can lock the boot separately
10
.Ify ou then
unlock the vehicle centrally, the boot remains
locked and cannot be opened.
X Close the boot lid.
X Remove the emergency key element from
the key (Y page 255). $
Basic position
% To lock separately
X Insert the emergency key element fully into
the boot lock.
X Turn the emergency key element clockwise
to position %.
X Remove the emergency key element. Boot (vehicles with remote boot lid
closing feature*)
The remote boot lid closing feature* opens
and closes the boot lid automatically. You can
stop the automatic opening and closing pro-
cedure at any time:
R by pulling or pressing the remote operating
button at the driver's seat
R by pressing the ibutton on the key
R by pulling the handle on the boot lid
R by pressing the closing button in the boot
lid G
Risk of poisoning
Exhaust fumes could enter the vehicle inte-
rior if the engine is running and the boot lid
is open. This could poison you. Therefore,
you should make sure that the boot lid is
always closed when the engine is running.
! The boot lid swings upwards when
opened. Therefore, make sure that there is
enough space above the boot lid.
i With the roof open, you can use the load-
ing aid (Y page 164) to raise the folded-up
roof in the boot, to enable you to load and
10 Not availabl einall countries. Controls
*optional
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