2013 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-Class Owner's Manual

You can adjust the blower output of
AIRSCARF vents 0002using the AIRSCARF
button (Y page 120). Setting the air vents
151Climate control Z

152

Useful information
............................154
Notes on breaking-in anew vehicle 154
Driving ............................................... 154
Automatic transmission ...................163
Refueling ............................................ 172
Parking ............................................... 175
Driving tips ........................................ 178
Driving systems ................................ 183 153Driving and parking

Useful information
i This Operator's Manual describes all
models and all standard and optional
equipment of your vehicle available at the
time of publication of the Operator's
Manual. Country-specific differences are
possible. Please note that your vehicle may
not be equipped with all features
described. This also applies to safety-
related systems and functions.
i Read the information on qualified
specialist workshops: (Y page 38).Notes on breaking-in
anew vehicle Important safety notes
New and replaced brake pads and discs only
reach their optimum braking effect after
several hundred kilometers of driving.
Compensate for this by applying greater force
to the brake pedal. The first 1,000miles (1,500 km)
The more you look after the engine when it is
new, the more satisfied you will be with its
performance in the future.
R You should therefore drive at varying
vehicle and engine speeds for the first
1,000miles (1,500km).
R Avoid heavy loads, e.g .driving at full
throttle, during this period.
R Change gearing ood time, before the
tachometer needle is 0001of the way to the
red area of the tachometer.
R Do not manually shift to a lower gear to
brake the vehicle.
R If possible, do not depress the accelerator
pedal past the point of resistance
(kickdown). R
Only select shift ranges 3,2or 1when
driving slowly, e.g. in mountainous terrain.
R Ideally, drive for the first 1,000 miles
(1,500km) in drive program C.
After 1,000 miles (1,500km), you can
increase the engine speed gradually and bring
the vehicle up to full speed.
Additional breaking-in notes for AMG
vehicles:
R Do not drive faster than 85 mph
(140 km/h) for the first 1,000 miles
(1,500 km).
R Only allow the engine to reach a maximum
engine speed of 4,500 rpm briefly.
R Change gear in good time.
i You should also observe these notes on
breaking in if the engine or parts of the drive
train on your vehicle have been replaced. AMG vehicles with self-locking rear
axle differential
Your vehicle is equipped with aself-locking
differential on the rear axle. To protect the
differential on the rear axle, carry out an oil
change after a breaking-in phase of
2,000 miles (3,000 km). This oil change
prolongs the service life of the differential.
Have the oil change carried out at a qualified
specialist workshop. Mercedes-Benz
recommends that you use an authorized
Mercedes-BenzC enter for this purpose. Driving
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Objects in the driver's footwell can restrict the
pedal travel or obstruct adepressed pedal.
The operating and road safety of the vehicle
is jeopardized. There is a risk of an accident.
Make sure that all objects in the vehicle are
stowed correctly, and that they cannot enter
the driver's footwell. Install the floormats 154
DrivingDriving and parking

securely and as specified in order to ensure
sufficient clearance for the pedals. Do not use
loose floormats.
G
WARNING
Unsuitable footwear can hinder correct usage
of the pedals, e.g.:
R shoes with thick soles
R shoes with high heels
R slippers
There is a risk of an accident.
Wear suitable footwear to ensure correct
usage of the pedals. 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 the parking brake has not been fully
released when driving, the parking brake can:
R overheat and cause a fire
R lose its hold function.
There is a risk of fire and an accident. Release
the parking brake fully before driving off.
! Warm up the engine quickly. Do not use
the engine's full performance until it has
reached operating temperature.
Only shift the automatic transmission to
the desired drive position when the vehicle
is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads. You could otherwise damage the
drive train.
! AMG vehicles: at low engine oil
temperatures below 68 ‡(+20 †), the maximu
mengine speed is restricted in
order to protect the engine .To protec tthe
engine and maintain smooth engine
operation, avoid driving at full throttle when
the engine is cold. Key positions
SmartKey 0010
To remove the SmartKey
0007 Power supply for some consumers, such
as the windshield wipers
0008 Ignition (power supply for all consumers)
and drive position
0009 To start the engine
i The SmartKey can be turned in the
ignition lock even if it is not the correct
SmartKey for the vehicle. The ignition is not
switched on. The engine cannot be started.
KEYLESS-GO General notes
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO are equipped with
aS
martKey featuring an integrated KEYLESS-
GO start function and a detachable Start/
Stop button.
You can switch the engine on and off with the
Start/Stop button. The Start/Stop button
must be inserted into the ignitio nlock and the
SmartKey must be in the vehicle.
Pressing the Start/Stop button several times
in succession corresponds to the different
SmartKey positions in the ignition lock. This Driving
155Driving and parking Z

is only the case if you are not depressing the
brake pedal.
If you depress the brake pedal and press the
Start/Stop button, the engine starts
immediately.
The Start/Stop button can be removed from
the ignition lock
.Then, you can insert the
SmartKey into the ignition lock.
i You do not have to remove the Start/Stop
button from the ignition lock when you
leave the vehicle. You should, however,
always take the SmartKey with you when
leaving the vehicle. As long as the
SmartKey is in the vehicle:
R the vehicle can be started using the
Start/Stop button and
R electrically powered equipment can be
operated.
i The engine can be turned off while the
vehicle is in motion by pressing and holding
the Start/Stop button for approximately
three seconds. This function operates
independently from the ECO start/stop
automatic engine switch-off function.
Key positions with KEYLESS-GO 0002
Start/Stop button
0003 Ignition lock
X Insert Start/Stop button 0002into ignition
lock 0003.
i When you insert Start/Stop button 0002
into ignition lock 0003, the system needs
approximately two seconds recognition time. You can then use Start/Stop
button 0002. Start/Stop button
0027
USA only
0026 Canada only
Activating power supply
X If Start/Stop button 0002has not yet been
pressed, this corresponds to the SmartKey
being removed from the ignition.
X Press Start/Stop button 0002once.
The power supply is switched on. You can
now activate the windshield wipers, for
example.
i The power supply is switched off if you
press Start/Stop button 0002twice when in
this position and the driver's door is open.
Switching on the ignition
X Press Start/Stop button 0002twice.
The ignition is switched on.
i The power supply is switched off if you
press Start/Stop button 0002twice when in
this position and the driver's door is open.
As soon as the ignition is switched on, all the
indicator lamps in the instrumentc luster light
up. If an indicator lamp does not go out after
starting the engine or lights up while driving,
there may be a technical problem
(Y page 271). 156
DrivingDriving and parking

Removing the Start/Stop button
You can remove the Start/Stop button from
the ignition lock and star
tthe vehicle as
normal using the SmartKey.
X Remove Start/Stop button 0002from ignition
lock 0003.
i You do not have to remove the Start/Stop
button from the ignition lock when you
leave the vehicle. Starting the engine
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If children are left unsupervised in the vehicle,
they could:
R open the doors, thus endangering other
people or road users.
R get out and disrupt traffic.
R operate the vehicle's equipment.
Additionally, children could set the vehicle in
motion if, for example, they:
R release the parking brake.
R shift the automatic transmission out of
parking position P.
R starting the engine.
There is a risk of an accident and injury.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with you and lock the vehicle. Never
leave children or animals unattended in the
vehicle. Always keep the SmartKey out of
reach of children. G
WARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is a risk of fatal injury. Therefore never leave
the engine running in enclosed spaces
without sufficient ventilation.
! Do not depress the accelerator pedal
when starting the engine.
i The catalytic converter is preheated for
up to 30 seconds after acold start. During
this time, the engine sound may be
different.
Starting procedure with the SmartKey X
Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
The transmission position display in the
multifunction display shows P.
i You can also start the engine when the
transmission is in position N.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 3in the
ignition lock (Y page 155) and release it as
soon as the engine is running.
Using KEYLESS-GO to startt he engine i
The Start/Stop button can be used to
start the vehicle without inserting the
SmartKey into the ignition lock. The Start/
Stop button must be inserted in the ignition
lock and the SmartKey must be in the
vehicle.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift the transmission to position P.
The transmission position displa yinthe
multifunction display shows P. Driving
157Driving and parking Z

i
You can also star tthe engine when the
transmission is in position N.
X Press the Start/Stop button once
(Y page 155).
The engine starts. Pulling away
Automatic transmission 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.
i It is only possible to shift the transmission
from position Pto the desired position if
you depress the brake pedal. Only then is
the shift lock released.
X Depress the brake pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift the transmission to position Dor R.
X Release the electric parking brake
(Y page 176).
X Release the brake pedal.
X Carefully depress the accelerator pedal.
! If a warning tone sounds and the
Release Park. Brake message appears
in the multifunction display, the parking
brake is still applied. Release the parking
brake.
i The vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away.T he locking knobs in the doors
drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at
any time.
You can also deactivate the automatic
locking feature (Y page 235). i
Upshifts take place at higher engine
speeds after a cold start. This helps the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature more quickly.
Hill starta ssist G
WARNING
After a short time, hill start assist will no
longer brake your vehicle and it could roll
away. There is a risk of an accident and injury.
Therefore, quickly move your foot from the
brake pedal to the accelerator pedal. Never
leave the vehicle when it is held by hill start
assist.
Hill start assist helps you when pulling away
forwards or in reverse on an uphill gradient.
It holds the vehicle for a short time after you
have removed your foot from the brake pedal.
This gives you enough time to move your foot
from the brake pedal to the accelerator pedal
and to depress it before the vehicle begins to
roll.
X Remove your foot from the brake pedal.
The vehicle is then held for about a second.
X Pull away.
Hill start assist will not function if:
R you are pulling away on a level road or on
a downhill gradient.
R the transmission is in position N.
R the parking brake is applied.
R ESP ®
is malfunctioning. ECO start/stop function
Important safety notes G
WARNING
If the engine is switched off automatically and
you exit the vehicle, the engine is restarted
automatically. The vehicle may begin moving.
There is a risk of accident and injury. 158
DrivingDriving and parking