2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SL600 brake

95 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
The electro-hydraulic brake system is auto-
matically activated when you

unlock the vehicle with the SmartKey
or with KEYLESS-GO*

open the driver’s or passenger door

turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1

in vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*, press
the start/stop button on the gear se-
lector lever once

depress the brake pedal

release the parking brake
Warning!G
The electro-hydraulic 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. In such a case, the
red brake warning lamp (
page 345)
comes on and warning messages
(
page 377) appear in the multifunction
display while driving. 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!
If there is a malfunction in the
electro-hydraulic brake system, we recom-
mend that the vehicle be transported with
all wheels off the ground using flatbed or ap-
propriate wheel lift/dolly equipment.
A tow bar must be used if circumstances do
not permit the use of the recommended
towing methods and the vehicle requires
towing with all four wheels on the ground.
Towing the vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is only permissible for distances
up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a speed not to
exceed 30 mph (50 km/h). For more infor-
mation, see “Towing the vehicle”
(
page 434).

96 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
The electro-hydraulic brake system
switches off automatically

approximately 2 minutes after you
turned the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 or removed the
SmartKey

approximately 2 minutes after you
pressed the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button to turn off the engine or power
supply and opened the driver’s door
(with driver’s door open, the starter
switch is set to position 0, same as
SmartKey removed from starter
switch)

approximately 20 seconds after you
locked the vehicle from outside
iIf the electro-hydraulic brake system is acti-
vated as the brake pedal is first depressed, you
may feel a reduced pedal resistance and longer
pedal travel than normal. When releasing the
pedal, you may also feel the brake pedal pulsate
and you may hear a sound which is caused by the
activation of the electro-hydraulic brake system
pump. This is normal and not an indication of a
malfunction. Pedal travel returns to normal when
you release the brake pedal and the sound soon
ceases.
If you experience the above while driving and the
red brake warning lamp (
page 345) illumi-
nates and/or warning messages appear in the
multifunction display (
page 377), the brake
system is malfunctioning. Follow the instructions
of the warning message(s) and have the brake
system checked immediately.
Warning!G
Have brake pad replacement and other work
on the electro-hydraulic brake system
carried out by qualified technicians only.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center for further information.
The electro-hydraulic brake system must be
deactivated prior to working on the system.
High pressure is intermittently built up in the
system as part of its automatic self-test.
In addition, the system is automatically acti-
vated when the vehicle is unlocked by re-
mote control, when the driver or passenger
door is opened, when the SmartKey in the
starter switch is turned to position1 or the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button is pressed
once, when the brake pedal is depressed or
when the parking brake is released. Failure
to deactivate the system prior to mainte-
nance will cause brake pistons to extend
and brake fluid to leak, which may result in
injuries (contusions and acid burns). Extend-
ed brake pistons may also cause injury.

97 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Notes on driving with the
electro-hydraulic brake system

Following extended periods of only
minor loads to your brake system, you
should occasionally apply the brakes
when traveling at high speeds. This
improves the grip of the brake pads.
After driving on wet or snow-covered
roads, you should apply your brakes
firmly before parking your vehicle.
This produces heat which serves to
dry the brake disks and help prevent
corrosion.

On long and steep grades, shift to a
lower gear (gear range1, 2, or 3) to
prevent the brakes from overheating
and to reduce brake wear.

After hard braking, it is advisable to
drive on for some time so that the air
stream will cool down the brakes
faster.

Only Mercedes-Benz approved compo-
nents (e.g. brake pads) should be in-
stalled on your vehicle. Brake pads
not approved by Mercedes-Benz may
impair the safety of your vehicle.
Warning!G
Be very careful not to endanger other road
users when you apply the brakes.

109 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Important notes on using KEYLESS-GO

You can also use the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO like a normal SmartKey
(
page 104).

You can combine KEYLESS-GO func-
tions with normal SmartKey functions
(e.g. unlocking with KEYLESS-GO and
locking with the ‹button).

Always carry the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO with you.

Never store the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO together with:

Electronic items such as a cellular
phone or another SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO

Metallic objects such as coins or
metal foil
Doing so could impair the function of
the KEYLESS-GO system.
iCanada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
iYou can also close the power windows
(
page 201) and the retractable hardtop using
the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO (
page 206).
iWhen you unlock the vehicle, the
electro-hydraulic brake system is activated.
!If you cannot lock or unlock the vehicle with
the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO, then the
batteries in the SmartKey are discharged, the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is malfunctioning or
the vehicle battery is drained.

Check the batteries in the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO (
page 113) and replace
them if necessary (
page 407).

Use the mechanical key to unlock the
driver’s door (
page 403) and the
trunk (
page 404).

Have the vehicle batteries and their
connections checked (
page 427).

Use the mechanical key to lock or unlock the
doors (
page 405).
If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is malfunc-
tioning, contact Roadside Assistance or an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.

110 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking

To lock or unlock the vehicle, the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
located outside the vehicle within ap-
proximately 3 ft (1 m) of a door or the
trunk.

If the vehicle has been parked for more
than 72 hours, you must pull an outside
door handle in order to activate the
KEYLESS-GO function.

In order to start the engine with the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO:

The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be located in the vehicle.

All doors must be closed.

The brake pedal must be firmly
depressed. Do not depress the
accelerator.

If you have started the engine with the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
(
page 41), you can only turn it off
again with this button, even if you have
put the SmartKey in the starter switch
in the meantime.

This does not apply if, after starting, the
selector lever is still in positionP and
the SmartKey is then inserted in the
starter switch. The SmartKey will then
have priority over the KEYLESS-GO
function and the vehicle’s electrical
system will operate according to the
position of the SmartKey in the starter
switch, even stopping the engine.

If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is
positioned farther away from the vehi-
cle, the system may no longer recog-
nize the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO.
The vehicle then cannot be locked or
the engine started via the KEYLESS-GO
system.

If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is re-
moved from the vehicle while the en-
gine is running (e.g. if passenger exits
the vehicle with the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO), the message
Key Not
Detected
will appear in the multifunc-
tion display while driving off.Find the SmartKey or change its
present location immediately (e.g.
place it on the passenger seat or insert
it in shirt pocket).

Remember that the engine can be
started by anyone with a SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO that is left inside the
vehicle. If you leave the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO behind when exiting and
locking the vehicle, the message
Key
Detected In Vehicle
will appear in the
multifunction display.

157 Controls in detail
Control system
If conditions have occurred causing status
messages to be recorded, the number of
messages appears in the right multifunc-
tion display:
1Number of recorded status messages
Press button k or j.
The stored messages will now be dis-
played in the order in which they have
occurred. For malfunction and warning
messages, see “Vehicle status messag-
es in the multifunction display”
(
page 359).Should the vehicle’s system record any
conditions while driving, the number of
messages will reappear in the multifunc-
tion display

when the SmartKey in the starter
switch is turned to position0 or
removed from the starter switch
or

when you turn off the engine by press-
ing the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button on the gear selector lever once
and open the driver’s door (this puts
the starter switch in position 0, same
as with the SmartKey removed from
the starter switch)
Settings menu
In the
Settings menu there are two
functions:

The function Reset, with which you can
reset most settings to those set at the
factory.

A collection of submenus with which
you can make individual settings for
your vehicle.
The following settings and submenus are
available:
iAfter you have scrolled through all recorded
status messages, the first recorded message
appears again.
iThe vehicle status message memory will be
cleared when you then turn the SmartKey in the
starter switch to position 1 or 2, or when you
press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once
or twice without depressing the brake pedal. You
will then only see high priority messages in the
multifunction display (
page 359).
FunctionPage
Resetting all settings158
Submenus in the Settings menu158
Instrument cluster submenu160
Time submenu161
Lighting submenu163
Vehicle submenu166
Convenience submenu166

172 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
For more information on driving with an
automatic transmission, see “Automatic
transmission” (
page 53).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its shift program.
Gear selector lever
The gear selector lever is located on the
lower part of the center console.
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmission
PPark position
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive position
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the catalytic
converter to heat up more quickly to operating
temperature.
Warning!G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are
obstructing the pedals’ range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets in
the footwell, make sure that the pedals still
have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between the
pedals. You could then no longer brake or
accelerate. This could lead to accidents and
injury.
iThe current gear selector lever
positionP,R,N orD appears in the right
multifunction display (
page 174).

173 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

gear selector lever positionD
(
page 174) with gear ranges
(
page 176)

the selected program mode:
(C/S) (
page 177)
or
(MANUAL/C/S) (SL 55 AMG and
SL 65 AMG only) (
page 182)

the position of the accelerator pedal
(
page 175)

the vehicle speedWhen the gear selector lever is in drive
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by:

limiting the gear range

changing gears manually
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out of park positionP or neutral
positionN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the
engine is idling normally a n d w h e n y o u r r i g h t
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extended
period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. This may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.