2013 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-CLASS ROADSTER ECU

seat adjustment, steering wheel
adjustment or memory function.
If children open a door, they could cause
severe or
even fatal injury to other persons; if
they get out of the vehicle, they could injure
themselves when doing so or be seriously or
even fatally injured by any passing traffic.
Do not expose the child restraint system to
direct sunlight. The child restraint system's
metal parts, for example, could become very
hot, and a child could be burned on these
parts. G
WARNING
Do not carry heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment

or trunk unless they
are firmly secured in place.
Unsecured or improperly positioned cargo
increases a child's risk of injury in the event
of
R strong braking maneuvers
R sudden changes of direction
R an accident G
WARNING
Make sure the trunk lid is closed when the
engine is running and while driving. Among
other dangers, deadly carbon monoxide (CO)
gases may

enter the vehicle interior resulting
in unconsciousness and death.
! The trunk lid swings upwards when
opened. Therefore, make sure that there is
sufficient clearance above the trunk lid.
i The opening dimensions of the trunk lid
can be found in the "Vehicle data" section
(Y page 565).
i To make loading easier, the stowed roof
can be raised with the loading aid after the
trunk lid has been opened. The trunk
partition can also be detached. The trunk
partition must be put back in position after
loading. Otherwise, the roof cannot be
lowered. You can unlock the trunk lid if the vehicle is
stationary
and

the roof is completely open or
closed.
Do not leave the SmartKey in the trunk. You
could otherwise lock yourself out.
The trunk lid can be:
R opened and closed manually from outside
R opened automatically from outside
(vehicles without trunk lid remote closing
feature)
R opened and closed automatically from
outside (vehicles with trunk lid remote
closing feature)
R opened and closed from outside (vehicles
with KEYLESS-GO and HANDS-FREE
ACCESS)
R opened and closed automatically from
inside (vehicles with trunk lid remote
closing feature)
R locked separately
R unlocked with the mechanical key
R opened with the emergency release button Opening and closing manually from
outside
Opening X
Press the
% button on the SmartKey.
X Pull handle :.
X Raise the trunk lid.
i With the roof open, you can use the
loading aid (Y

page 477) to raise the
folded-up roof in the trunk, enabling you to 78
Trunk
Opening/closing

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

Seats
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
The seats can still be adjusted when there is
no key in the ignition lock. For this reason,
children should never be left unsupervised in
the vehicle. They could otherwise become
trapped when adjusting the seat. G
WARNING
Make sure that the back of your head is
supported at eye level by the central area of
the head restraint. If your head is not
supported correctly
by the head restraint, you
could suffer a severe neck injury in the event
of an accident. Never drive if the head
restraints are not engaged and set correctly. G
WARNING
In order to avoid possible loss of vehicle
control, all seat, head restraint, steering
wheel and rear view mirror adjustments, as
well as fastening of seat belts, must be done
before setting the vehicle in motion. G
WARNING
Do not adjust the driver's seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never travel

in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide under
the seat belt in a collision. If you slide under
it, the seat belt would apply force at the
abdomen or neck. This could cause serious or
fatal injuries. The seat backrest and seat belts
provide the best restraint when the wearer is
in a position that is as upright as possible and
seat belts are properly positioned on the
body. G
WARNING
Your seat belt must be adjusted so that you
can correctly fasten your seat belt. Observe the following points:
R
adjust the

seat backrest until your arms are
slightly angled when holding the steering
wheel.
R adjust the seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach the
accelerator/brake pedal safely. The
position should be as far back as possible
with the driver still able to operate the
controls properly.
R adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to the head as possible and the center
of the head restraint supports the back of
the head at eye level.
R never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being
adjusted.
Failure to do so could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury. G
WARNING
Children 12 years old and under must be
seated and

properly secured in an appropriate
infant restraint, toddler restraint, or booster
seat recommended for the size and weight of
the child. Additional information can be found
under "Children in the vehicle".
A child's risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and/
or the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
! To avoid damage to the seats and the seat
heating, observe the following information:
R keep liquids from spilling on the seats. If
liquid is spilled on the seats, dry them as
soon as possible.
R if the seat covers are damp or wet, do not
switch on the seat heating. The seat
heating should also not be used to dry
the seats.
R clean the seat covers as recommended;
see "Interior care". Seats
97
Seats, steering wheel and mirrors Z

Keep bulbs out of the reach of children.
Otherwise, they could, for example, damage
the bulbs and injure themselves.
Never use a bulb which has been dropped.
Such a bulb may explode and injure you.
Halogen bulbs are pressurized and could
explode when you change them, especially if
they are very hot. You should therefore wear
eye protection and gloves when you are
changing them.
There are bulbs other than the Xenon bulbs
that you cannot replace. Replace only the
bulbs listed
(Y page 117). Have the bulbs that
you cannot replace yourself changed at a
qualified specialist workshop.
If you require assistance changing bulbs,
consult a qualified specialist workshop.
Do not touch the glass tube of new bulbs with
your bare hands. Even minor contamination
can burn into the glass surface and reduce
the service life of the bulbs. Always use a lint-
free cloth or only touch the base of the bulb
when installing.
Only use bulbs of the correct type.
If the new bulb still does not light up, consult
a qualified specialist workshop.
Bulbs and lamps are an important aspect of
vehicle safety. You must therefore make sure
that these function correctly at all times.
Have the headlamp setting checked regularly. Overview:
changing bulbs/bulb types
You can

change the following bulbs. The bulb
type can be found in the legend. Vehicles without Intelligent Light System
:
Fog lamp: H7 55 W Changing the front bulbs
Front fog lamps (without Intelligent
Light System) X
Switch off the lights.
X Open the hood.
X Turn housing cover
: counter-clockwise
and pull it out.
X Push the bulb upwards by the holder,
disconnect it and pull it out of bulb
holder ;.
X Insert the new bulb into bulb holder ;,
push it down and secure it in place.
X Attach housing cover : and turn it
clockwise until it engages. Replacing bulbs
117
Lights and windshield wipers Z

Pulling away
Automatic transmission G
WARNING
It is dangerous to shift the automatic
transmission out of parking position P or
neutral position N 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 in reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
i It is only possible to shift the transmission
from position P to 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 D or R.
X Release the electric parking brake
(Y page 155).
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.The 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 218).
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 start assist G
WARNING
Never leave the vehicle when it is being held
by hill start assist. After approximately one
second, hill start assist will no longer brake
your vehicle and it could roll away.
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 and the ECO
symbol is

shown in green in the multifunction
display, the engine has been switched off
automatically. All of the vehicle's systems
remain active. If you open the door, unfasten
your seat belt or remove your foot from the
brake pedal, the engine will automatically
start. The vehicle may begin moving. You
could suffer serious or even fatal injury or
cause an accident resulting in injury or death.
Never leave the vehicle while the ECO symbol
in the multifunction display is shown in green
or yellow. Always secure the vehicle against
rolling away before leaving it. 138
Driving
Driving and parking

Display when in transmission position
D and drive program M
:
Gear
; Drive program (M) Transmission positions
B
Park position
Do not shift the transmission into
position P(Y page 143) unless the
vehicle is stationary. The parking
lock
should
not be used as a brake
when parking. Always apply the
parking brake in addition to the
parking lock in order to secure the
vehicle.
If the SmartKey is removed from
the ignition lock, the transmission
is locked.
The automatic transmission shifts
into P automatically:
R when the SmartKey is removed
from the ignition lock
R when the engine is switched off
with the transmission in position
R or D and one of the doors is
opened
If the vehicle electronics are
malfunctioning, the transmission
may be locked in position P.
Have the vehicle electronics
checked immediately at a qualified
specialist workshop, e.g. an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. C
Reverse gear
Only shift the transmission to
R
when the vehicle is stationary. A
Neutral
Do not shift the transmission to
N
while driving. Otherwise, the
automatic transmission could be
damaged.
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
position N if the vehicle is in danger
of skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
! Rolling in neutral N can damage
the drive train. 7
Drive
The automatic transmission
changes gear automatically. All
forward gears are available.
Changing gear
The automatic transmission shifts to the
individual gears automatically when it is in
transmission position D. This automatic
gearshifting behavior is determined by:
R a shift range restriction, if selected
R the selected drive program E, S or
M (Y page 147)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
R the road speed Driving tips
Accelerator pedal position Your style of driving influences how the
automatic transmission shifts gear:
R
little throttle: early upshifts
R more throttle: late upshifts146
Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

!
As the ESP ®
system operates
automatically, the engine and the ignition
system must be switched off (SmartKey in
position 0
or 1
in the ignition lock or Start/
Stop button in position 0 or 1) when:
R testing the parking brake on a brake
dynamometer.
R you intend to have the vehicle towed with
the front axle raised.
Braking maneuvers triggered automatically
by ESP ®
may seriously damage the brake
system.
All checks and maintenance work on the
brake system must be carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. Have this work
carried out at an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Have the brake pads and brake fluid installed
or replaced at a qualified specialist workshop,
e.g. an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
If the brake system has only been subject to
moderate loads, you should test the
functionality of your brakes at regular
intervals. To do so, press firmly on the brake
pedal when driving at a high speed. This
improves the grip of the brake pads.
A description of Brake Assist (BAS):
(Y page 58)
Checking brake lining thickness You can measure the break pad/lining
thickness using a test gauge. Color-coding
(green
or

red) on the test gauge allows you to
determine whether the brake pad/lining
thickness is still sufficient. The test gauge is
in the vehicle document wallet in the glove
box. Front wheel
Rear wheel
X
Bring the vehicle and wheels into a suitable
position so that you can attach test gauge
A.
X Secure the vehicle against rolling away
(Y page 154).
X Move the selector lever to position P.
X Switch off the engine.
X Place test gauge A between the wheel's
spokes on brake pad/lining =. 160
Driving tips
Driving and parking

As DISTRONIC PLUS transmits radar waves,
it can resemble the radar detectors of the
responsible authorities. You can refer to the
relevant chapter in the Operator's Manual if
questions are asked about this.
i
USA only:
This device has been approved
by the FCC as a "Vehicular Radar System".
The radar sensor is intended for use in an
automotive radar system only. Removing,
altering or tampering with the device will
void any warranties, and is not permitted
by the FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or
use the device in any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user's authority to
operate the equipment.
i Canada 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.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the
device will void any warranties and is not
permitted. Do not tamper with, alter, or use
the device in any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user's authority to
operate the equipment. Cruise control lever Cruise control lever
:
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
; To set the specified minimum distance
= To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed
? To store the current speed or a lower
speed
A To deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS
Activating DISTRONIC PLUS; storing,
maintaining and calling up a speed Important safety notes
G
WARNING
When the DISTRONIC PLUS is switched on,
the vehicle can be braked. You should
therefore switch off the DISTRONIC PLUS if
the vehicle must be towed.
In order to activate DISTRONIC PLUS, the
following conditions must be fulfilled:
R the engine

must be started. It may take up
to two minutes after pulling away before
DISTRONIC PLUS is operational.
R your vehicle must not be secured by the
electric parking brake.
R ESP ®
must be activated.
R the transmission must be in position D.
R the driver's door must be closed when you
shift from P to D or your seat belt must be
fastened. Driving systems
167
Driving and parking Z