2012 MERCEDES-BENZ SL ROADSTER brake

Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions The coolant tempera-
ture display is showing
more than 120 †. The
coolant warning lamp
may also be on and a
warning tone may
sound. The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine
is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
X Stop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
X Check the coolant level (Y page 565). Observe the warning
notes as you do so and top up the coolant if necessary. If the coolant level is correct, the engine radiator fan may be faulty.
The coolant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled
sufficiently.
X If the coolant temperature is below 120 †, you can continue
driving to the nearest qualified specialist workshop.
X Avoid heavy loads on the engine as you do so, e.g. driving in
mountainous terrain and stop-start traffic. Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If the engine speed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is a risk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate. G
WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake. Selector lever
Overview of transmission positions !
If the engine speed is too high or if the
vehicle is rolling, do not shift the transmis- sion directly from Dto R, from Rto Dor
directly to P.
Do not open the driver's door while the
vehicle is in motion. At low speeds in trans-
mission position Dor R, park position Pis
otherwise engaged automatically.
The transmission could be damaged. Selector lever
j
Park position
k Reverse gear Automatic transmission
163Driving and parking Z

i
Neutral
h Drive
When you select a transmission position, the
selector lever subsequently returns to its
original position.
The current transmission position P,R, Nor D
appears in the transmission position display
in the multifunction display.
Engaging park position P X
When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Press the Pbutton in the centre console.
i Park position Pis released if you:
R depress the brake pedal and
R push the selector lever forwards or back
to the first point of resistance
The transmission shifts to neutral N.
Park position Pis engaged automatically and
the electric parking brake applied:
R if you remove the key from the ignition lock
R if you switch off the engine using the Start/
Stop button and open the driver's or front- passenger door
R if you open the driver's door while travelling
at low speed in transmission position Dor
R
R when HOLD (Y page 196) or DISTRONIC
PLUS (Y page 185) brakes your vehicle
until it is stationary and at least one of the
following conditions is fulfilled:
- the engine is switched off
- the driver's door is open and the seat belt
is not fastened
- there is a system malfunction
- the power supply is insufficient
Engaging reverse gear R !
Only shift the automatic transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary. X
When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Push the selector lever forwards past the
first point of resistance.
i When reverse gear is engaged and the
ECO start/stop function is switched on, the
engine starts up automatically
(Y page 159).
Shifting to neutral N X
When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Push the selector lever forwards or back to
the first point of resistance.
i If the vehicle is braked to a standstill when
in neutral Nand the brake pedal is kept
depressed, the ECO start/stop function
switches the engine off automatically
(Y page 159).
Staying in neutral (N) G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle, they can:
R open doors and endanger other persons or
road users
R climb out and be injured by the traffic
R operate vehicle equipment and, for exam-
ple, trap themselves.
Children could also set the vehicle in motion, for example by:
R releasing the parking brake
R shifting the automatic transmission out of
park position P
R starting 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 unattended in the vehicle. Always
keep the key out of reach of children. 164
Automatic transmissionDriving and parking

With the key:
R make sure the ignition is switched on.
R when the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
R select neutral N.
R release the brake pedal.
R if the electric parking brake is applied,
release it.
R switch off the ignition and leave the key in
the ignition lock.
With KEYLESS-GO:
R make sure the ignition is switched on.
R when the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
R engage park position P.
R release the brake pedal.
R remove the Start/Stop button from the
ignition lock.
R insert the key into the ignition lock.
R switch on the ignition.
R depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
R select neutral N.
R release the brake pedal.
R if the electric parking brake is applied,
release it.
R switch off the ignition and leave the key in
the ignition lock.
Shifting to transmission position D X
When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal.
X Push the selector lever back past the first
point of resistance.
i If the vehicle is braked to a standstill when
in transmission position D(Y page 159) and
the brake pedal is kept depressed, the ECO start/stop function switches the engine offautomatically. Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
Display in transmission positions P, R
and N :
Transmission position: currently selected
transmission position will be highlighted
; Drive program (E/S/M)
In addition to drive program ;being shown
in the multifunction display, the currently
selected drive program is indicated in red on
the program selector button.
Display when in transmission position D :
Transmission position
; Gear
= Drive program (E/S)
When you have selected drive program Eor S,
the transmission position is displayed in posi-
tion :. The selected gear is displayed in
position ;. Automatic transmission
165Driving and parking Z

Display when in transmission position D
and drive program M :
Gear
; Drive program (M) Transmission positions
B Park position
This prevents the vehicle from roll-
ing away when stopped. Do not
shift the transmission into position
P (Y page 163) unless the vehicle is
stationary. The parking lock should not be used as a brake when park-
ing. In order to secure the vehicle,
always engage the electric parking brake in addition to the parking
lock.
If the key is removed from the igni-
tion lock, the transmission is
locked.
The automatic transmission shifts
into Pautomatically:
R when the key is removed from
the ignition lock.
R when the engine is switched off
with the transmission in position
R or Dand one of the doors is
opened.
In the event of a malfunction of the
vehicle's electronics, the transmis- sion may lock in position P.
Have the vehicle electronics
checked immediately at a qualified
specialist workshop. C Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary. 166
Automatic transmissionDriving and pa
rking

A Neutral
Do not shift the transmission to
N
while driving. Otherwise, the auto-
matic transmission could be dam-
aged.
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brakes will allow you
to move the vehicle freely, e.g. to
push it or tow it.
If ESP ®
is deactivated or faulty:
only shift the transmission to posi-
tion Nif the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
! Rolling in neutral
Ncan lead to
damage to the transmission. 7 Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Changing gear
The automatic transmission shifts to the indi- vidual gears automatically when it is in trans-
mission position D. Gearshifting is deter-
mined by:
R the selected drive program (Y page 167)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
R the road speed Driving tips
Accelerator pedal position Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
R little throttle: early upshifts
R more throttle: late upshifts Double-clutch function When shifting down, the double-clutch func-
tion is active regardless of the currently selec-
ted drive program. The double-clutch functionreduces load change reactions and is condu-cive to a sporty driving style. The sound gen-
erated by the double-clutch function depends
on the drive program selected.
Kickdown Use kickdown for maximum acceleration.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
X Ease off the accelerator pedal once the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up. Program selector button
Selecting drive programs Program selector button
Program selector button :allows you to
choose between different driving character-
istics.
X Press program selector button :repeat-
edly until the letter for the desired gearshift
program appears in the speedometer mul-
tifunction display. Automatic transmission
167Driving and parking Z

dles if the transmission is in position
D. The
selected gear appears in the multifunction
display.
X Press the program selector button until M
(Y page 167) appears in the multifunction
display.
X AMG vehicles: turn the drive program
selector until Mappears in the multifunc-
tion display (Y page 168).
Shifting up X
Pull the right-hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle (Y page 169).
The automatic transmission shifts up to the next gear.
Before the engine speed reaches the red
area, an upshift indicator will be shown in
the multifunction display.
Gearshift recommendation The gearshift recommendations assist you in
adopting an economical driving style. The rec- ommended gear is shown in the multifunction
display.
X Shift to recommended gear ;according
to gearshift recommendation :when
shown in the multifunction display of the
instrument cluster.
AMG vehicles !
In manual gearshift program
M, the auto-
matic transmission does not shift up auto-
matically even when the engine limiting
speed for the current gear is reached.
When the engine limiting speed is reached, the fuel supply is cut to prevent the engine
from overrevving. You must make sure that the engine speed does not reach the red
area of the rev counter. Otherwise, there is
a risk of engine damage. :
Gear indicator
; Upshift indicator
Before the engine speed reaches the red area, an upshift indicator will be shown in the mul-
tifunction display.
X If the colour in the speedometer multifunc-
tion display changes to red and the UP UPdis-
play message is shown, shift up a gear.
Downshifting X
Pull the left-hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle (Y page 169).
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear.
Maximum acceleration X Pull the left-hand steering wheel gearshift
paddle until the transmission selects the
optimum gear for the current speed.
i If you brake the vehicle or stop without
shifting down, the automatic transmission
will shift down to a gear that will allow the
vehicle to accelerate or pull away again.
Kickdown You can also use kickdown for maximum
acceleration in manual drive program M.
X Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
i AMG vehicles:
it is not possible to use
kickdown in manual drive program M. Automatic transmission
171Driving and parking Z

Problems with the fuel and fuel tank
This section provides descriptions of and solutions to safety-relevant problems. Descriptions
of and solutions to further problems can be found in the Digital Owner's Manual. Problem
Possible causes/consequences and
M
MSolutions Fuel is leaking from the
vehicle. The fuel line or the fuel tank is faulty.
G WARNING
There is a risk of fire or explosion. X Turn the key to position 0in the ignition lock immediately and
remove it (Y page 155).
X Do not restart the engine under any circumstances.
X Consult a qualified specialist workshop. Parking
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Flammable material such as leaves, grass or
twigs may ignite if they come into contact with hot parts of the exhaust system or exhaust
gas flow. There is a risk of fire.
Park the vehicle so that no flammable mate-
rial can come into contact with hot vehicle
components. In particular, do not park on dry grassland or harvested grain fields. G
WARNING
If you switch off the ignition while driving,
safety-relevant functions are only available
with limitations, or not at all. This could affect, for example, the power steering and the brake
boosting effect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake. There is a risk of an accident.
Do not switch off the ignition while driving. G
WARNING
If you leave children unattended in the vehi-
cle, they may be able to set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake
R shift the automatic transmission out of park
position P
R start the engine
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. 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 unattended in the vehicle.
! Always secure the vehicle correctly
against rolling away. Otherwise, the vehicle or its drivetrain could be damaged.
To ensure that the vehicle is secured against rolling away unintentionally:
R the electric parking brake must be applied.
R the transmission must be in position Pand
the key must be removed from the ignition lock.
R the front wheels must be turned towards
the kerb on steep uphill or downhill gradi-
ents. Parking
175Driving and parking Z

Switching off the engine
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is a risk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P. Prevent the parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
Vehicles with automatic transmission X
Vehicles with a key: move the transmis-
sion to position P.
X Turn the key to position 0in the ignition
lock and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: press the
Start/Stop button (Y page 155).
The engine stops and all the indicator
lamps in the instrument cluster go out.
When the driver's door is closed, this cor-
responds to key position 1. When the driv-
er's door is open, this corresponds to key
position 0(Y page 155).
i The engine can be switched off while the
vehicle is in motion by pressing and holding the Start/Stop button for about three sec-
onds. This function operates independently
of the ECO start/stop automatic engine
switch-off function. Electric parking brake
General notes G
WARNING
If you leave children unattended in the vehi-
cle, they may be able to set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake
R shift the automatic transmission out of park
position P
R start the engine
In addition, they may operate vehicle equip-
ment and become trapped. 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 unattended in the vehicle.
The function of the electric parking brake is
dependent on the on-board voltage. If the on-
board voltage is low or if there is a malfunc-
tion in the system, it may not be possible to
apply the released parking brake.
X If this is the case, only park the vehicle on
level ground and secure it to prevent it roll-
ing away.
X Shift the automatic transmission to posi-
tion P.
It may not be possible to release an applied
parking brake, if the on-board voltage is low
or if there is a malfunction in the system.
Contact a qualified specialist workshop.
i The electric parking brake carries out a
function check at regular intervals when
the engine is switched off. Noises that
occur are normal. 176
ParkingDriving and parking