2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER Owners Manual

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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Occupant safety
47
Retracting the roll-over bar
X
If the roll-over bar was extended man-
ually: lift the hardtop switch.
X Press and hold button 1until the roll-over
bar is retracted.
X If the roll-over bar was extended auto-
matically: press and hold button 2until
the roll-over bar engages audibly.
X Press and hold button 1until the roll-over
bar is retracted. Children in the vehicle
If ac hild is travelling in your vehicle, secure
the child using achild restraint system which
is appropriate to the size and age of the child
and recommended for Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles. Ensure that the child is strapped in
throughout the trip.
You can obtain information about the correct
child restraint system from any Mercedes-
Ben zService Centre.
i It is advisable to use Mercedes-Benz care
product stoclean child restraint systems.
Information about this can be obtained
from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. G
Risk of injury
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in achild
restraint system. Children could injure
themselves on parts of the vehicle. They
could also be seriously or even fatally
injured by prolonged exposure to extreme
heat or cold.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight .The metallic parts of the
child restraint system could heat up and the
child could be burned by them.
If ac hild opens adoor, the child or other
person scould be injured as aresult. The
child could get out and be injured in the
proces sorbei njured by apassing vehicle.
Also observe the notes on SBC Hold. You
will find further information in the index. G
Risk of injury
An unsecured or incorrectly positioned load
increases the risk of injury to the child in
the event of:
R an accident
R ab rakin gmanoeuvre
R as udden chang eofdirection Do not carry heavy or hard objects inside
the vehicle unless they are secured. You
will find further information in the index
under "Practical tips".
Child restraint systems Mercedes-Benz recommends that you only
use the child restraint systems listed on
(Y
page 51). G
Risk of injury
To reduce the risk of serious or even fatal
injury to the child in the event of asudden
chang eindirection, brakin goranaccident:
R Children less than 1.5 0mtall and under
twelve years of age must alway sbe
secured in special child restraint systems
on asuitable vehicle seat. This is neces-
sary because the seat belts are not
designed for children of this size.
R If you secure achild restraint system
without automatic child seat recognition
to the front-passenger seat, you must
move the front-passenger seat as far
back as possible.
R Children must never travel sitting on the
lap of another occupant. Due to the Safety
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Occupant safety
48 forces occurring in the event of
asudden
chang eofdirection, heavy brakin goran
accident, it would not be possible to
restrain the child. The child could be
thrown against parts of the vehicle inte-
rior and be seriously or even fatally
injured. G
Risk of injury
If the child restraint system is not correctly
fitted to asuitable vehicle seat, it cannot
perfor mits protective function .The child
cannot be restrained in the event of asud-
den chang eofdirection, heavy brakin gor
an accident. This may lead to serious or
even fatal injuries. For this reason, when
fitting achild restraint system, observe the
manufacturer's installation instructions
and the correct use of the child restraint
system.
The entire base of the child restraint system
must alway srest on the seat cushion.
Never place objects, e.g. acushion ,under
the child restraint system.
Only use child restraint systems with their
original covers. Only replace damaged cov-
ers with genuine Mercedes-Benz covers. For safety reasons
,you should only use
child restraint systems which have been
approved for use in Mercedes-Benz vehi-
cles.
Child seat on the front-passenger seat Warning on the front-passenger sun visor Warning symbol for
arearward-facing child
restraint system G
Risk of injury
If the front-passenger front airbag is not
disabled:
R ac hild secured in achild restraint system
on the front-passenger seat could be
seriously and even fatally injured by the
front-passenger front airbag deploying.
This is especially arisk if the child is in
the immediate vicinity of the front-
passenger front airbag when it deploys.
R ac hild must never be secured on the
front-passenger seat in arearward-facing
child restraint system.
R always move the front-passenger seat to
the rearmost position if you secure a Safety
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Occupant safety
49child in
aforward-facin gchild restraint
system on the front-passenger seat.
The front-passenger fron tairbag is not dis-
abled:
R no child restraint system with automatic
child seat recognition is fitted
R if the 5 PASSENGER AIRBA GOFF
warning lamp on the centre console is
not lit
To draw attention to this danger, ther eisan
appropriate warning sticker on the dash-
board as well as on both sides of the sun
visor on the front-passenger side.
Information about recommended child
restraint systems is available at any
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Automatic child seat recognition on the
front-passenger seat 1
5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning
lamp
The front-passenger seat sensor system for
child restraint systems detectsw hether a
special Mercedes-Benzc hild seat with auto-
matic child seat recognition has been fitted.
In such cases, 5PASSENGER AIRBAG
OFF indicator lamp 1lights up. The front-
passenger airbag is deactivated. G
Risk of injury
If the 5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warn-
ing lamp does not light up when the child
restraint system is fitted, the front-
passenger front airbag has not been disa-
bled. If the front-passenger front airbag is deployed, the child could be seriously or
even fatally injured.
Proceed as follows:
R
do not use arearward-facing child
restraint system on the front-passenger
seat.
or
R only use aforward-facing child restraint
system on the front-passenger seat and
move the front-passenger seat to its rear-
most position.
R have the automatic child seat recognition
checked at aqualified specialist work-
shop.
To ensure that the automatic child seat rec-
ognition on the front-passenger seat func-
tions correctly, never place objects( such
as ac ushion) under the child restraint sys-
tem. The entire base of the child restraint
system must always rest on the seat cush-
ion. An incorrectly fitted child restraint sys-
tem cannot perform its intended protective
function in the event of an accident, and
could lead to injuries.
i The head/thorax airbag and the belt ten-
sioner on the front-passenger side are still Safety
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Occupant safety
50activ
eeven if the front-passenger fron tair-
bag is disabled. G
Risk of injury
Do not place items of electronic equipment
on the front-passenger seat, e.g.:
R laptops, when switched on
R mobile phones
R cards with transponders, e.g. ski passes
or access cards Signals from electronic equipment can
cause interference in the automatic child
seat recognition sensor system. This can
lead to
asystem malfunction .This may
cause the 5PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF
warning lamp to light up without there
being achild seat with automatic child seat
recognition fitted. This means that the
front-passenger airbag does not deploy
during an accident. It is also possible that the
5 PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF warning
lamp will not light up briefly if you turn the
key in the ignition lock to position 2.
Suitable positioning of the child restraint system Weight categories and ages Child restraint system on the front-passenger seat
Group 0: up to 10 kg;
Up to approximately
9months as recommended
6, 7 Group 0+: up to 13 kg;
Up to approximately 18 months
as recommended
6, 7 Group I:
9to18k g;
Between approximately 8months and 4years as recommended
6, 7 Category II/III: 15 to 36 kg
Between approximately 3½ and 12 years
Universal
7
or as recommended 6
Only use child restraint systems featurin gautomatic child seat recognition.
7 Move the front-passenger seat to the rearmost position. Safety
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Occupant safety
51
"Universal" category child restraint systems
can be recognised by their orange approval
label. Example of an approval label on the child restraint
system
Recommended child restraint systems Weight categories and
ages Manufacturer Type Approval number Daimler order num-
ber Automatic child seat
recognition
Group 0: up to 10 kg;
Up to approximately
9m
onths Britax-Römer BABYS
AFE
PLUS 8 E1 03 301146 A0
00 970 10 00 Yes
Group 0+: up to 13 kg;
Up to approximately
18 months Britax-Römer BABYS
AFE
PLUS 8 E1 03 301146 A0
00 970 10 00 Yes
8
Move the front-passenger seat to the foremost position. Safety
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Occupant safety
52 Weight categories and
ages Manufacturer Type Approval number Daimler order num-
ber Automatic child seat
recognition
Group I:
9to18k g;
Between approximately
8m onths and 4years Britax-Römer
DUO PLUS
8 E1 03 301133 A0
00 970 11 00 Yes
A0
00 970 16 00 No
9 Group II/III: 15 to 36 kg;
Between approximately
3½ and 12 years Britax-Römer
KID
8 E1 03 301148 A0
00 970 12 00 Yes
A0
00 970 17 00 No
9 8
Move the front-passenger seat to the foremost position.
9 For child restraint systems without automatic child seat recognition, move the front-passenger seat to the rearmost position. Safety
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Driving safet
ysystems 53Driving safety systems
Overvie
wofdrivingsafety systems
In thi ssection, yo uwillf in di nformation about
the following driving safety systems:
R ABS ( Anti-lock Braking System)
R BAS ( Brake Assist System)
R Adaptive brake lamps
R ESP ®
( Electronic Stability Program)
R SBC TM
brake syste m( Sensotronic Brake
Control)
i In wintry roa dconditions ,alway susewin-
ter tyres (M+ Styres )and ,w here necessary,
sno wchains .Onlyint hisw aywill the driv-
ing safety systems describe dinthiss ection
work as effectivel yaspossible. G
Ris
kofa ccident
Th er iskofana ccident is significantly
increase dbydriving too fast. This is partic-
ularly the case when cornering on we tand
slippery roads and when driving too close
to the vehicl einfront.
Th ed riving safety systems describe dinthis
sectio ncannot reduc ethisr iskn or override
the laws of physics. For thi
sreason, always adap tyou rd riving
style to suit prevailing roa dand weather
conditions .Maintain sufficient distance
fro mo ther roa dusers and objects on the
road. ABS (Anti-lock Braking System)
ABS regulate sbrake pressure in such away
tha tthe wheels do not lock when yo ubrake.
This allows yo utocontinue steering the vehi-
cle when braking.
ABS works fro maspeed of abou t8km/h
upwards ,regardles sofroads urface condi-
tions. ABS works on slippery surfaces ,even
when yo uonlyb rake gently. G
Ris
kofa ccident
Do not depress the brake peda lsev eral
times in quick succession (pumping).
Depres sthe brake firml yand evenly .Pum p-
ing the brake peda lreduces the braking
effect.
Braking If ABS intervenes whil
eyou areb raking ,the
v warning lamp flashe sinthe instrument cluster. Yo
uwilln ot fee lthe brake peda lpul-
sating as thi shappe ns.
X If ABS intervenes: continue to depress the
brake peda lwithf orce unti lthe braking sit-
uatio niso ver.
X To make afullb rak eapplication:
depress the brake peda lwithf ullf orce. G
Ris
kofa ccident
If ABS is faulty, the wheels could lock when
braking .Thisl imit sthe steerability of the
vehicl ewhenb raking and the braking dis-
tanc emayincrease.
If ABS is deactivate dduetoam alfunction,
the nB AS and ESP ar ealsod eact ivated.
There is an increase driskofy ourv ehicle
skidding 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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