2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER Owners Manual

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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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
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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. Safety
230_AKB; 5; 4, en-GB
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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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Driving safet
ysystems 58 G
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If there is afault in the powe rsuppl yort he
vehicle' selectrica lsystem, the SBC TM
brake syste menters emergency mode
becaus eitrequires electrica lpower to
operate. Greater braking force will the nbe
required and the brake peda ltravel and
braking distance will be longer. If neces-
sary ,depress the brake peda lwithm axi-
mu mf orce.
Th eS BCTM
brake syste misautomaticall yacti-
vated if you:
R unlock the vehicl eusing the key or the KEY-
LESS GO *system
R open the driver's or front-passenge rdoor
R switch on the ignition
R press the KEYLESS GO button* on the
selector lever once on vehicles with KEY-
LESS GO
R depress the brake pedal
R release the parking brake
i If yo uactivate the SBC TM
brake system
with the brake pedal, peda lresistanc eis
less tha nnormal the first tim eyou depress
the brake. There is also mor epedal travel tha
nnormal .Pedal travel returns to normal
when yo urelease the brake pedal. Yo umay
fee lthe brake peda lpulsa te when you
release it, and hear asound .Thiss ound,
which is produced by the SBC TM
pump,
cease safter as hort time. G
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If the SBC TM
brake syste misnot deactiva-
ted befor emaintenanc ework—e specially
brake pad/lining replacement —thisc ould
resul tininjury .Ifthe syste misactive, it
carries ou tself- tests, automaticall ybuild-
ing up high pressures in the brake system
for tes tpurposes. Th ebrake calliper pis-
tons ar eforced out, which ca nresul tin
crush injuries .Brake flui dmayescape,
which ca nresul tina cidb urns.
Th eS BCTM
brake syste mmustbed eacti-
vated befor emaintenanc eworkisc arried
out. Yo ucan obtai ninformation on ho wto
deactivate the SBC TM
brake syste matany
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. G
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Onl yhavet he brake pads/lining sreplaced
and other work on the SBC TM
brake system
carried ou tataqualifie dspecialis twork-
shop. Consult aqualified specialis twork- sho
pwhich ha sthe necessary specialist
knowledg eand tools to carry ou tthe work
required.
Mercedes-Benz recommend sthaty ou use
aM ercedes-Benz Service Centre for this
purpose .Inparticular, work relevant to
safety or on safety-related systems must be
carried ou tataqualifie dspecialis twork-
shop.
Th eS BCTM
brake syste mbrake boos tisa uto-
maticall ydeact ivated:
R after approximately 20 second sifyoulock
the vehicl efromt he outside
R after approximately two minute sifyouturn
the key to position 0in the ignition lock or
remove it fro mthe ignition lock
Tips fo rdrivin gwithS BCTM R
Yo us houl ddownshift ( 1st,2nd or 3rd gear)
when driving on long and steep downhill
gradients .Thisp revents the brakes from
overheating or wearing too quickly.
R Continu edriving for ashort tim eafter sub-
jecting the brakes to aheavy load.This
allows the airflow to coo lthe brakes more
quickly. Safety
*optional
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Anti-thef
tsyste ms 59G
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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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Anti-thef
tsyste ms 60button on the door handle/boo
tlid ca na lso
be used.
Indicato rlamp 1flashes. Th ealarm sys-
tem is primed after approximatel y15sec-
onds.
X To deactivate: unlock the vehicl eusing the
key .Onv ehicle swithK EYLESS GO *, you
can also unlock the vehicle by opening the
door/boot lid.
Switchin goff the alarm X
With the key: insert the key into the igni-
tion lock.
The alarm is switched off.
or
X Press the Œor‹ button on the key.
The alarm is switched off.
X With KEYLES SGO*: grasp the outside
doo rhandle. The key mus tbeo utsid ethe
vehicle.
The alarm is switched off.
or
X Press the KEYLESS GO button on the selec-
tor lever. The key mus tbeinside the vehi-
cle.
The alarm is switched off. Tow-awa
yprotection
An audibl eand visua lalarm is triggered if your
vehicle's angle of inclination is altered while
tow-awa yprotectio nisp rimed .Thish appens
if the vehicle is jacked up on one side, for
example.
Priming tow-awa yprotection X
Lock the vehicle using the key .Onvehicles
with KEYLESS GO*, the locking button on
the doo rhandle/boot li dcan also be used.
Tow-away protectio nisp rimed after
approximately 30 seconds.
To deactivate tow-awa yprotection Whe
nyou unlock your vehicle using the key
or KEYLESS GO *,tow-away protection is
automaticall ydeactivated.
Deactivate tow-away protection manuall yto
prevent afalse alarmify ourv ehicle:
R is being transported
R is being loaded ,e.g.o nto aferry or car
transporter
R is being parked on amovable surface, e.g.
split-level garages 1
To deactivate tow-away protection
2 Indicator lamp
X Remov ethe key fro mthe ignition lock.
X Press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2lights up briefly.
X Loc kthe vehicl eusing the key .Onvehicles
with KEYLESS GO*, the locking button on
the door handle/boo tlid can also be used.
Tow-awa yprotection remains deactivated
unti lthe vehicl eisunlocke dand locked
again. Safety
*optional
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Anti-thef
tsyste ms 61Interio
rmotio nsenso r*
If the interior motio nsensorisp rimed, avis-
ua land audibl ealarm is triggered if move-
ment is detected in the vehicl einterior while
the vehicl eislocked .Thiso ccurs, for exam-
ple, if someone breaks the side windows of
your vehicl eorreaches into the vehicle' sinte-
rior.
Primin gthe interio rmotio nsensor X
Make sure that:
R
the side windows ar eclosed
R the roo fisclosed
R the stowage compartments unde rthe
armrest ar eclosed
R there ar enoobjects, e.g .mascots, hang-
ing on the rear-view mirro roronthe
grasp handles on the roo ftrim.
This will prevent fals ealarm s.
X Make sure tha tthe boot li disclosed.
Onl ythe nc an the interior motio nsensorbe
primed.
X Lock the vehicl eusing the key .Onvehicles
with KEYLESS GO*, the locking button on the door handle/boo
tlid cana lsobeu sed
to lock the vehicle.
Th einterior motio nsensorisp rimed after
approximatel y30seconds.
Th ef actor ysettin gist hatthe interior motion
senso risnot primed if the roo fisopen. You
ca nu sethe on-board computer to change the
settings so tha tthe interior motio nsensoris
primed even when the roo fisopen
( Y page 121).
i Yous hould always clos ethe roo fwhen
yo up arky ourv ehicle to prevent afalse
alar mb eing triggered ,for example by fall-
ing leaves or insects .Incertaincountries,
the interior motio nsensorisp rimed even
when the roo fisopen.
i Do not plac eanyobject sonthe armrest
in the centre console. This could otherwise
interfere with the interior motio nsensor.
Metalli cobject scoming into contac twith
other metalli cobject sm aytrigger afalse
alarm. Therefore ,donot leav eobject ssuch
as ab unch of key sinornext to the armrest.
Us ead ifferent lockabl estowage compart-
ment for such items. To deactivate the interio
rmotio nsen-
sor To prevent
afalse alarm, deactivate the inte-
rior motio nsensorify oulock your vehicl eand
R people remain in the vehicle
R animal sremain in the vehicle
R the windows remain open. 1
Indicato rlamp
2 To deactivate the interior motio nsensor Safety
*o ptional
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