2012 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER check engine light

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The engine can no lon-
ger be started using the key. The on-board voltage is too low.
X Switch off non-essential consumers, e.g. seat heating or interior
lighting, and try to start the engine again.
If this does not work:
X Check the starter battery and charge it if necessary
(Y page 584).
or
X Jump-start the vehicle (Y page 586).
or
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The engine can no lon-
ger be started using
KEYLESS-GO. The key
is in the vehicle. The vehicle is locked.
X Unlock the vehicle and try to start the vehicle again. There is interference from a powerful source of radio waves.
X Start your vehicle with the key in the ignition lock. Doors
Important safety notes
United Kingdom only: G
WARNING
When the double locks are activated, the
doors can no longer be opened from the
inside. People in the vehicle can no longer get out, e.g. in hazardous situations. There is a
risk of injury.
Therefore, do not leave any people unsuper-
vised in the vehicle, particularly children, eld-
erly people or people in need of special assis-
tance. Do not activate the double lock when
people are in the vehicle.
If the vehicle has been locked from the out-
side, the double-lock function is activated as
standard. It is then not possible to open the
doors from inside the vehicle. You can deac-
tivate the double-lock function by deactivat-
ing the interior motion sensor (Y page 80).
The doors can then be opened from the inside after the vehicle has been locked from the
outside. The anti-theft alarm system is trig- gered if the door is opened from the inside.
Switch off the alarm (Y
page 79).
All countries: G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they could:
R open doors, thereby endangering other per-
sons or road users
R get out and be struck by oncoming traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and become
trapped, for example
In addition, the children could also set the
vehicle in motion, for example, if they:
R release the parking brake
R shift the automatic transmission out of park
position P or shift manual transmission into
neutral
R start the engine
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the key with you and lock the vehicle. Never leave
children and animals unattended in the vehi-
cle. Keep the keys out of the reach of children. 90
DoorsOpening and closing

Problems with the windscreen wipers
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The windscreen wipers
are jammed. Leaves or snow, for example, may be obstructing the windscreen
wiper movement. The wiper motor has been deactivated.
X For safety reasons, you should remove the key from the ignition
lock.
or
X Switch off the engine using the Start/Stop button and open the
driver's door.
X Remove the cause of the obstruction.
X Switch the windscreen wipers back on. The windscreen wipers
fail completely. The windscreen wiper drive is malfunctioning.
X Select another wiper speed on the combination switch.
X Have the windscreen wipers checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. 138
Windscreen wipersLights and windscreen wipers

Selecting variable SPEEDTRONIC
Cruise control lever
X Check whether LIM indicator lamp :is on.
If it is on, variable SPEEDTRONIC is already selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow ;.
LIM indicator lamp :in the cruise control
lever lights up. Variable SPEEDTRONIC is
selected.
Storing the current speed Cruise control lever
X Briefly press the cruise control lever up :
or down ;.
The current speed is stored. The multifunc- tion display shows the stored speed, such
as Limit 100 km/h
Limit 100 km/h, for five seconds.
Vehicles with cruise control: the stored
speed is permanently displayed in the sta-
tus indicator, e.g. LIM 100 km/h LIM 100 km/h.
Vehicles with DISTRONIC PLUS: the seg-
ments from the start of the scale up to the
stored speed light up in the speedometer. You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/hw hile
the engine is running.
Storing the current speed and calling up
the last stored speed G
WARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it is lower
than the current speed, the vehicle deceler-
ates. If you do not know the stored speed, the vehicle could decelerate unexpectedly. There
is a risk of an accident.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again. Cruise control lever
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you :.
Setting a speed Cruise control lever
X To adjust the set speed in 10 km/h
increments: briefly press the cruise con- Driving systems
195Driving and parking Z

Pedestrian and animal recognition is deacti-
vated at temperatures above 32 †. The spot-
light function and automatic activation are
then no longer active.
Pedestrian recognition :
Night View Assist Plus display in the
COMAND display
; Standby symbol for active pedestrian rec-
ognition
= Highlighting
? Pedestrian recognised
Night View Assist Plus can recognise pedes-
trians using typical characteristics, e.g. the
body contours and posture of a person stand- ing upright.
Pedestrian recognition is then switched on
automatically if:
R Night View Assist Plus is activated
R you are driving faster than approximately
10 km/h
R it is dark
If pedestrian recognition is active, symbol ;
appears. Persons who are detected are high-
lighted by framing =. If the pedestrian rec-
ognition system has brought a pedestrian to
your attention, look through the windscreen
to evaluate the situation.
Animal recognition
Animals can be recognised in the following
situations:
R darkness
R outside built-up areas
R below an outside temperature of 32 † Night View Assist Plus can recognise larger
animals such as deer, cows or horses using
typical characteristics.
The system does not detect:
R smaller animals, e.g. dogs and cats
R animals whose silhouette is not clearly rec-
ognisable
When detected, animals are marked with
small coloured frame corners. In contrast to
pedestrian recognition, there is no separate
standby symbol in the multifunction display.
Activating/deactivating Night View
Assist Plus Activation conditions
You can only activate Night View Assist if all of
the following conditions have been fulfilled:
R the ignition is switched on (Y page 155) or
the engine has been started
R the light switch is in the ÃorL posi-
tion
R reverse gear has not been engaged
Activating Night View Assist Plus X
Press button :.
The Night View Assist Plus display appears in the COMAND display.
i The infrared headlamps only switch on in
the dark when the vehicle is being driven at speeds of at least 10 km/h. This means
that you do not have the full visual range
while stationary and cannot check whether
Night View Assist Plus is working. The infra- 218
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Useful information
i This Owner's Manual describes all mod-
els, series and optional equipment for your
vehicle that were available at the time of
going to press. National variations are pos- sible. Note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all of the functions descri-
bed. This is also the case for systems and
functions relevant to safety.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops: (Y page 34). Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Operating the integrated information systems and communications equipment in the vehicle
while driving will distract you from traffic con-
ditions. You could then lose control of the
vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
Only operate these devices if road traffic con-
ditions permit. If you are unsure about the
surrounding conditions, pull over to a safe
location and make entries only while the vehi-
cle is stationary. G
WARNING
If the instrument cluster has failed or mal-
functioned, you may not recognise function
restrictions relevant to safety. The operating
safety of your vehicle may be impaired. There is a risk of an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have the vehicle checked
at a qualified specialist workshop immedi-
ately.
You must observe the legal requirements for
the country in which you are currently driving when operating the on-board computer.
The on-board computer only shows messages
or warnings from certain systems in the mul- tifunction display. You should therefore make
sure your vehicle is operating safely at all times. Otherwise, a vehicle that is not oper-
ating safely may cause an accident.
For an overview, see the instrument panel
illustration (Y
page 40). Displays and operation
Instrument cluster lighting
The lighting in the instrument cluster, in the
displays and the controls in the vehicle inte-
rior can be adjusted using the brightness con- trol knob.
The brightness control knob is on the bottom
left of the instrument cluster (Y page 40).
X Turn the brightness control knob anti-
clockwise or clockwise.
If the light switch is set to Ã,Tor
L, the brightness is dependant upon
the brightness of the ambient light.
i The light sensor in the instrument cluster
automatically controls the brightness of
the multifunction display.
In daylight, the displays in the instrument
cluster are not lit. Coolant temperature gauge
G
WARNING
If you open the bonnet while the engine is
overheating or while there is a fire in the
engine compartment, you could come into
contact with hot gases or other leaking ser-
vice products. There is a danger of injury.
Allow an overheating engine to cool down
before opening the bonnet. If there is a fire in the engine compartment, leave the bonnet
closed and notify the fire brigade.
The coolant temperature gauge is in the
instrument cluster on the right-hand side
(Y page 40).
Under normal operating conditions and with
the specified coolant level, the coolant tem-
perature may rise to 120 †. 228
Displays and operationOn-board computer and displays

R
Checking the tyre pressure electronically
(Y page 602)
R Calling up the service due date
(Y page 567) Settings menu
Introduction In the
Settings Settings menu, you have the following
options:
R changing the instrument cluster settings
(Y page 239)
R changing the light settings (Y page 239)
R changing the vehicle settings
(Y page 242)
R changing the convenience settings
(Y page 243)
R restoring the factory settings
(Y page 244)
Instrument cluster Selecting the unit of measurement for dis-
tance
You can determine whether the multifunction
display shows some messages in miles or kil- ometres.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings
Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster submenu.
X Press ato confirm. X
Press the :or9 button to select the
Display unit Speed-/odometer Display unit Speed-/odometer func-
tion.
You will see the selected setting: km kmor
miles
miles.
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
The selected unit of measurement for dis-
tance applies to: R digital speedometer in the Trip Tripmenu
R total distance recorder and the trip meter
R trip computer
R current consumption and the range
R navigation instructions in the Navi Navimenu
R cruise control
R SPEEDTRONIC
R DISTRONIC PLUS
R ASSYST PLUS service interval display
Selecting the permanent display function
Vehicles for the United Kingdom: this func-
tion is unavailable.
You can determine whether the multifunction display permanently shows your speed or the
outside temperature.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settings Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster submenu.
X Press ato confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Permanent display
Permanent display function.
You will see the selected setting outside
outside
temperature
temperature orDig. speedo [mph]
Dig. speedo [mph].
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
i The speed is displayed in mph.
Lights Setting the daytime driving lights
The
Daytime driving lights Daytime driving lights function can
only be switched on with the engine turned
off. Menus and submenus
239On-board computer and displays Z

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions !
Parking Parking
brake
brakeinop‐
inop‐
erative
erative The yellow
!warning lamp lights up. The red !indicator
lamp flashes for about ten seconds after the electric parking brake
has been applied or released. It then goes out or remains lit.
The electric parking brake is malfunctioning, e.g. because of over- voltage or undervoltage.
X Rectify the cause of the overvoltage or undervoltage, e.g. by
charging the battery or restarting the engine.
X Apply or release the electric parking brake.
If the electric parking brake still cannot be applied or released: X Switch off the ignition and turn it back on.
X Apply or release the electric parking brake.
If the electric parking brake still cannot be released: X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. The red
!indicator lamp flashes and the yellow !warning
lamp is lit.
It is not possible to apply the electric parking brake manually.
X Move the transmission selector lever to P.
X Visit a qualified specialist workshop. !
Turn on the igni‐ Turn on the igni‐
tion to release tion to release
the parking brake the parking brake The red
!indicator lamp lights up.
You attempted to release the electric parking brake while the igni-
tion was switched off.
X Key: turn the key to position 1in the ignition lock.
X KEYLESS-GO: switch on the ignition. J
Check brake fluid Check brake fluid
level level There is insufficient brake fluid in the brake fluid reservoir.
In addition, the red Jwarning lamp lights up in the instrument
cluster and a warning tone sounds.
G WARNING
Braking efficiency may be impaired.
There is a risk of an accident. X Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon as possible, paying
attention to road and traffic conditions. Do not continue driving
under any circumstances.
X Secure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling away (Y page 175).
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop.
X Do not top up the brake fluid. This does not correct the fault. Display
messages
253On-board computer and displays Z

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions !
The red indicator lamp
for the electric parking
brake flashes or is lit
and/or the yellow
warning lamp for the
electric parking brake
is lit. X
Observe the additional display messages in the multifunction
display. 6
The red SRS warning
lamp is lit while the
engine is running.
SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) is malfunctioning.
G WARNING
The airbags or belt tensioners may either be triggered uninten-
tionally or, in the event of an accident, may not be triggered.
This poses an increased risk of injury. X Drive on carefully.
X Have SRS checked at a qualified specialist workshop immedi-
ately.
For further information about the Supplemental Restraint System, see (Y page 51). Engine
Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M MSolutions ;
The yellow engine diag-
nostics warning lamp
lights up while the
engine is running. There may be a fault, for example:
R in the engine management
R in the fuel injection system
R in the exhaust system
R in the ignition system
R in the fuel system
The emission limit values may be exceeded and the engine may be
running in emergency mode.
X Have the vehicle checked as soon as possible at a qualified
specialist workshop. 8
The yellow reserve fuel
warning lamp is on
while the engine is run-
ning. The fuel level has dropped into the reserve range.
X Refuel at the nearest filling station. 280
Warning and indicator lampsOn-board computer and displays