2013 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-CLASS ROADSTER Owners Manual

Attempting to manually close the roof may
cause damage to the roof and/or injury.
For this reason, the manual closing process
should only be carried out at a qualified
specialist workshop.
! Never sit
on the rear compartment trim or
stow heavy objects there. You will
otherwise damage the roof and rear
compartment trim of the vehicle.
! Do not forget that the weather can
change abruptly. Make certain that the roof
is closed when you leave the vehicle. The
vehicle electronics can be damaged if
water enters the vehicle interior.
! When opening and closing the roof, make
sure that:
R there is sufficient clearance, as the roof
swings upwards.
R there is sufficient clearance behind the
vehicle, as the trunk lid swings
backwards beyond the bumper.
R the trunk is only loaded to below the
trunk partition.
R the trunk partition is not pushed up by
the load.
R the trunk partition is closed.
R the trunk lid is closed.
R the outside temperature is above 5 ‡
(Ò15 †).
You could otherwise damage the roof,
trunk and other parts of the vehicle.
i Make sure that the roof and rear window
are clean and dry before opening the roof.
Otherwise, water or dirt could enter the
vehicle interior or trunk. Opening and closing using the roof
switch
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Before operating the retractable hardtop
(vario-roof), make sure there is no danger of
anyone being injured by the moving parts
(retractable hardtop, roof frame, and trunk
lid).
Hands must never be placed near the roof
frame, upper windshield area, hardtop, shelf
behind roll bars, or trunk lid while the
retractable hardtop is being raised or
lowered. Serious personal injury may occur.
If potential danger exists, release the
retractable hardtop switch or the
% or
& button on the SmartKey. This
immediately interrupts

the raising or lowering
procedure. You can then operate the
retractable hardtop switch or press the
% or & button on the SmartKey to raise
or lower the retractable hardtop away from
the danger zone.
Opening/closing X
Secure the vehicle against rolling away
(
Y page 154).
X Close the trunk partition (Y page 89).
X Close the trunk lid.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2 in the
ignition lock.
X Open the cover in the lower center console.
Roof switch : is located under the cover. Roof
87
Opening/closing Z

X
To open: pull roof switch : until the roof
has been fully retracted into the trunk and
the Vario-Roof in Operation message
disappears from the multifunction display.
All of the side windows open.
X To close: press roof
switch : until the roof
is fully closed and the Vario-Roof in
Operation message disappears from the
multifunction display.
All of the side windows open.
X To close all side windows, pull the switch
under the cover of the center console
(Y page 84). Opening and closing using the
SmartKey
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Before operating the retractable hardtop
(vario-roof), make sure there is no danger of
anyone being injured by the moving parts
(retractable hardtop, roof frame, and trunk
lid).
Hands must never be placed near the roof
frame, upper windshield area, hardtop, shelf
behind roll bars, or trunk lid while the
retractable hardtop is being raised or
lowered. Serious personal injury may occur.
If potential danger exists, release the
retractable hardtop switch or the % or
& button on the SmartKey. This
immediately interrupts

the raising or lowering
procedure. You can then operate the
retractable hardtop switch or press the
% or & button on the SmartKey to raise
or lower the retractable hardtop away from
the danger zone.
Opening/closing X
Close the trunk partition (Y page 89).
X Close the trunk lid ( Y page 77). X
Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO: point
the
tip of the SmartKey at the door handle on
the driver's door.
X Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: the
SmartKey must be within 6 ft (2 m) of the
vehicle.
X To open: press and hold the % button
on the key until the roof is fully opened.
The roof and the rear side windows open.
The front side windows close.
X To interrupt the opening procedure:
release the % button.
X To open the front side windows: press
and hold

the % button on the key again.
X To close: press and hold the & button
on the key until the roof is fully closed.
The roof and the side windows close.
X To interrupt the closing procedure:
release the & button.
i When the roof is closed and the trunk
partition is open, the roof cannot be
opened using the SmartKey functions.
Instead, all of the side windows open or
close simultaneously (Y

page 84). Locking the roof again
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so and lock the retractable
hardtop before

continuing to drive. You could
otherwise endanger yourself and others.
The roof is not locked if:
R the K symbol and Vario-Roof In
Operation message appear in the
multifunction display
R the K symbol and Open/Close Vario-
Roof Completely message appear and
you hear a warning tone
R you hear a warning tone for up to
10 seconds when pulling away or while
driving.88
Roof
Opening/closing

Locking
You can lock the roof again if it is not locked
fully.
X
Pull over and stop the vehicle safely as soon
as possible, paying attention to road and
traffic conditions.
X Make sure that the SmartKey is in position
2 in the ignition lock.
X Press the roof switch (Y page 87). Trunk partition
General notes !
To avoid damaging the roof or luggage
when folding back the roof, you should:
R only load the trunk to below the trunk
partition
R not place
any objects on or in front of the
trunk partition
R not place any objects on the cover
behind the roll bars
R not allow the cargo to push the trunk
partition upwards
! Make sure the trunk separator is
completely closed. Otherwise, the roof can
be blocked when it is opened or closed.
The trunk partition can be used to cover
luggage and loads in the trunk. Opening/closing Closed trunk partition
:
Trunk partition
; Eyelets
= Handle
X To close: pull trunk partition : in the
direction of the arrow by handle =.
X Hook trunk partition : into fastening
eyelets ; in the side panels.
X To open: remove trunk partition : from
fastening eyelets ; in the side panels.
X Push trunk partition : against the
direction of the arrow by handle =.
Removing and installing Closed trunk partition
:
Trunk partition
; Net
= Eyelets
? Handle Roof
89
Opening/closing Z

X
To remove: unhook net ; from the holder
on the left and right-hand sides and guide
it to the rear until it is completely rolled up.
X Remove trunk partition : from fastening
eyelets = in the side panels.
X Push trunk partition : against the
direction of the arrow by handle ?.Opened trunk partition
:
Trunk partition
A Catch lever (example: driver's side)
X Turn driver's side catch lever A in the
direction of the arrow.
X Repeat the same process on the catch lever
on the passenger side.
trunk partition : is unlocked.
X Pull out trunk partition : in the direction
of the arrow. A
Catch lever (example: driver's side)
B Guide X
To install: insert guides B of trunk
partition : into the brackets.
X Slide in trunk partition : as far as it will
go.
X Turn driver's side catch lever A in the
direction of the arrow.
X Repeat the same process on the catch lever
on the passenger side.
trunk partition : is unlocked.
X Pull trunk partition : by handle ? in the
direction of the arrow.
X Hook trunk partition : into fastening
eyelets = in the side panels.
X Pull net ; forwards and hook the left and
right-hand sides into the holder. Wind screen
Manual wind screen Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If you use the wind screen in darkness or in
other conditions offering poor visibility, your
view to

the rear is further impaired. As a result
of the visibility impairment, you could cause
an accident and injure yourself or others. For
this reason, fold back the wind screen as soon
as it is dark or if your vision is otherwise
restricted. G
WARNING
You could lose control of the vehicle and
injure yourself or others if you operate the
wind screen while driving.
Install or remove the wind screen only when
the vehicle is stationary. G
WARNING
If the wind screen is not correctly engaged, it
may break free and thus obstruct traffic
behind you or lead to an accident. 90
Roof
Opening/closing

Each time before driving with the roof down,
check that the wind screen is properly
engaged.
! Install or remove the wind screen only
when the
roof is open. You could otherwise
damage the wind screen or the vehicle
interior.
The wind screen offers protection from the
wind when driving with the roof down.
The wind screen can be installed or removed
from the driver's side or passenger side. We
recommend that a second person assists you
when doing this.
Perform operations involving the wind screen
preferably on the side facing away from
traffic, after you have stopped the vehicle,
paying attention to road and traffic
conditions.
Installing/removing Rear brackets for wind screen
:
Bracket cover, front-passenger side
; Bracket cover, driver's side
X To install:
open the roof (Y page 87).
X Press the mark on cover : and
push in the
direction of the arrow.
X Repeat the procedure with cover ;.
The rear brackets for wind screen = are
visible. =
Wind screen
? Pin
A Front brackets for wind screen
B Example:
lock cover, front-passenger side
X Make sure that wind screen = is folded
back.
X Push the upper half of cover B on wind
screen =.
X Repeat the procedure with the cover on the
driver's side.
wind screen = is unlocked.
X Hold wind screen = at

an angle and insert
pins ? into the rear brackets.
Make sure that pins ? sit correctly in the
brackets.
X Insert wind screen = into front brackets
A.
X Check whether wind screen = is

correctly
seated in all four brackets.
X Push the lower half of cover B on wind
screen =.
Wind screen = is locked.
X Fold wind screen = forward if necessary.
X To remove: make sure that wind screen
= is folded back.
X Push the upper half of cover B on wind
screen =.
Wind screen = is unlocked.
X First remove wind screen = from front
brackets A. Roof
91
Opening/closing Z

X
Hold wind screen = at an angle and then
remove from the rear brackets.
X Slide covers : and ; of the rear brackets
against the direction of the arrow until they
are fully closed.
Electrical wind screen Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If you use the wind screen in darkness or in
other conditions offering poor visibility, your
view to

the rear is further impaired. As a result
of the visibility impairment, you could cause
an accident and injure yourself or others. For
this reason, retract the wind screen as soon
as it is dark or if your vision is otherwise
restricted.
! When extending or retracting the wind
screen, make sure there are no objects on
the rear compartment trim. Otherwise, the
objects could damage the wind screen.
The wind screen offers protection from the
wind when driving with the roof down. The
roof must be fully open before the wind
screen can be extended.
Extending and retracting
X Open the roof (Y page 86).
X Open the cover in the lower center console.
The switch

for the electrical wind screen is
under the cover. X
To extend: press button :.
X To retract: press button : again. Roller sunblind for the glass roof
The roller sunblind protects you from
excessive glare and heat caused by the sun
shining through the glass roof.
X
To close: using handle : slide the roller
blind in the direction of the arrow.
X To open: using handle : slide the roller
blind in
the opposite direction to the arrow. MAGIC SKY CONTROL
General notes MAGIC SKY CONTROL is a glass roof, the
transparency of which can be changed by
applying electrical voltage.
MAGIC SKY CONTROL can be switched
between darkened and transparent states.
i
MAGIC SKY CONTROL darkens
automatically when

you turn the SmartKey
to position 0 in the ignition lock or remove
the SmartKey.
Risk of electric shock G
DANGER
The MAGIC SKY CONTROL electrical system
works at high voltage.
If the cover behind the overhead control unit
is damaged or is removed, electrical 92
Roof
Opening/closing

components of MAGIC SKY CONTROL are
exposed.
These
may be live. If you touch these
components, you may get an electric shock
and could be seriously or even fatally injured.
For this reason, never remove the cover
behind the overhead control unit. Never touch
parts of the electrical system (control unit,
cables or cable connections).
Have all work on MAGIC SKY CONTROL
carried out at a qualified specialist workshop.
The electrical components of MAGIC SKY
CONTROL are protected by a paneling behind
the overhead control panel.
The MAGIC SKY CONTROL control unit is
marked with a yellow warning sticker that
warns you of high voltage. The high-voltage
cables are orange in color.
Operating MAGIC SKY CONTROL X
Turn
the SmartKey to position
1 or 2
in the
ignition lock.
MAGIC SKY CONTROL switches to the
status it was set to before the engine was
switched off.
X To change the degree of transparency:
press button :.
i At sub-zero temperatures, the change is
slower and

uneven. The entire process may
take some time. Roof
93
Opening/closing Z

Problems with the roof
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M Solutions
The roof will not open or
close. The trunk partition is not in place.
X
Close the trunk partition ( Y page 89).
The trunk lid is open.
X
Close the trunk lid ( Y page 78).
The on-board voltage is too low.
X
Leave the engine running. The roof has been opened and closed several times in a row. The
roof drive has been automatically deactivated.
You can open and close the roof again after approximately ten
minutes.
X Switch off the ignition and turn it back on.
X Repeat the opening or closing procedure. The automatic roof mechanism is faulty.
X
Consult a qualified specialist workshop.94
Roof
Opening/closing