2013 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-CLASS ROADSTER brakes

X
Make sure that the engine is running or that
it has been switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
X If indicator lamp ; is lit: press
button :.
Indicator lamp ; goes out. You have
selected the suspension for a comfortable
driving style.
The AMG Suspension System COMFORT
message appears in the multifunction
display.
In Comfort mode, the driving characteristics
of your vehicle are more comfortable. Select
this mode if you favor a more comfortable
driving style.
Driving conditions menu in the
COMAND display You can display some driving systems and
additional information in the COMAND
display.
X
Call up the driving conditions menu in the
COMAND display (Y
page 291).
The corresponding displays appear in the
COMAND display. Example: displays in the COMAND display
:
Selection of raised level (Y page 181)
; Activity of ABC spring struts for roll and
pitching support
= Selected suspension tuning, i.e. sports or
comfort (

Y page 182)
? G-FORCE (longitudinal and lateral
acceleration)
A Current vehicle level PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The PARKTRONIC is a supplemental system.
It is not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always remains with the driver. G
WARNING
Make sure no persons or animals are in or
near the area in which you are parking/
maneuvering. Otherwise, they could be
injured.
! When parking,

pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars.
PARKTRONIC does not detect such objects
when they are in the immediate vicinity of
the vehicle. You could damage the vehicle
or the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and other
objects that absorb ultrasonic waves.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic
car wash, the compressed-air brakes on a
truck or a pneumatic drill could cause
PARKTRONIC to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain.
PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visually and
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is activated automatically when
you:
R switch on the ignition
R shift the transmission to position D, R or N
R release the electric parking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18km/h). It is reactivated at lower
speeds. Driving systems
183
Driving and parking Z

Problems with PARKTRONIC
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsOnly the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning
displays
are lit.
You also hear a warning
tone for approximately
two seconds.
PARKTRONIC is
deactivated after
approximately five
seconds, and the
indicator lamp in the
PARKTRONIC button
lights up. PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has switched off.
X
If problems persist, have PARKTRONIC checked at a qualified
specialist workshop. Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning
displays

are lit.
PARKTRONIC is
deactivated after
approximately five
seconds. The PARKTRONIC sensors are dirty or there is interference.
X
Clean the PARKTRONIC sensors ( Y page 504).
X Switch the ignition back on. The problem may be caused by an external source of radio or
ultrasound waves.
X
See if PARKTRONIC functions in a different location. Active Parking Assist
Important safety notes G
WARNING
PARKTRONIC and Active Parking Assist are
merely parking aids and may not detect all
obstacles. They do not relieve you of the
responsibility of paying attention.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your
immediate surroundings when parking,
exiting parking

spaces and maneuvering. You
could otherwise endanger yourself and
others. G
WARNING
When parking or exiting a parking space, you
need to make sure that no obstacles are
located in

the vicinity of the vehicle during the entire operation. Active Parking Assist does
not relieve you of the responsibility of paying
attention. It merely aids you by intervening
actively in the steering.
To stop the vehicle or to avoid an accident,
you need to apply the brakes yourself.
G
WARNING
Make sure no persons or animals are in or
near the area in which you are parking/
maneuvering. Otherwise, they could be
injured.
! If unavoidable, you should drive over
obstacles such as curbs slowly and not at
a sharp

angle. Otherwise, you may damage
the wheels or tires.
Active Parking Assist is an electronic parking
aid with ultrasound. Active steering
intervention can assist you when parking or 186
Driving systems
Driving and parking

When you switch on the turn signals to
change
lanes
and a vehicle is detected in the
side monitoring range, you receive a visual
and acoustic collision warning. You then hear
a double warning tone and red warning
lamp : flashes. If the turn signal remains on,
detected vehicles are indicated by the
flashing of red warning lamp :. There are no
further warning tones.
Course-correcting brake application G
WARNING
Active Blind Spot Assist is only an aid
designed to

assist driving. It is not a substitute
for attentive driving. In some cases, the
course-correcting brake application is not
sufficient to avoid a collision. In such a case,
you must steer, brake or accelerate.
In very rare cases, the system may
erroneously detect a danger of collision in the
area of crash barriers or similar lane borders
and apply the brakes. Active Blind Spot Assist
does not detect all traffic situations and road
users. Always make sure that there is
sufficient distance on the side for other traffic
or obstacles. An inappropriate brake
application may be interrupted at any time if
you steer slightly in the opposite direction or
accelerate.
You are responsible for driving at appropriate
speeds, braking in good time, and steering
correctly. Always adapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather
conditions. Always pay attention to traffic
conditions and your surroundings. Otherwise,
you may fail to recognize dangers in time,
cause an accident and injure yourself and
others. If a course-correcting brake application
occurs, red warning lamp
: flashes in the
exterior mirror and a dual warning tone
sounds. In

addition, display ; appears in the
multifunction display.
If Active Blind Spot Assist detects a risk of a
lateral collision in the monitoring range, a
course-correcting brake application is carried
out. This is meant to assist you in avoiding a
collision.
The course-correcting brake application is
available in the speed range between 20 mph
(30 km/h) and120 mph (200km/h).
There will be either no or only a weak course-
correcting brake application if:
R there are vehicles or obstacles, e.g. crash
barriers, located on both sides of your
vehicle.
R a vehicle approaches you too closely at the
side.
R you have adopted a sporty driving style with
high cornering speeds.
R you clearly brake or accelerate.198
Driving systems
Driving and parking

brakes can bring the vehicle back into the
original lane.
If you select
km on the on-board computer in
the Display Unit Speed-/Odometer
function ( Y page 215), Active Lane Keeping
Assist is activated starting at a speed of
60 km/h
. If the miles display unit is selected,
the assistance range begins at 40 mph.
Warning vibration in the steering wheel
A warning may be given if a front wheel
passes over a lane marking. It will warn you
by means of intermittent vibration in the
steering wheel for up to 1.5 seconds.
In order that you are warned only when
necessary and in good time if you cross the
lane marking, the system recognizes certain
conditions and warns you accordingly.
The warning vibration occurs earlier if:
R you approach the outer lane marking on a
bend.
R the road has very wide lanes, e.g. a
freeway.
R the system recognizes solid lane markings.
The warning vibration occurs later if:
R the road has narrow lanes.
R you cut the corner on a bend.
Lane-correcting brake application G
WARNING
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not keep
your vehicle in its lane. It is only an aid
designed to

assist driving. It is not a substitute
for attentive driving. In some cases, the lane-
correcting brake application is not sufficient
to bring your vehicle back to the original lane.
In such cases, you must steer the vehicle
yourself to ensure that it does not leave the
lane.
Active Lane Keeping Assist does not detect
road and traffic conditions. Always make sure
that there is sufficient distance to the side for
other traffic or obstacles. In rare cases,
unclear markings or particular structures on
the roadway can be recognized as solid lane markings. An inappropriate brake application,
e.g.
after

intentionally driving over a solid lane
marking, may be interrupted at any time by
steering slightly in the opposite direction.
Active Lane Keeping Assist cannot take
weather conditions into account.
You are responsible for the driving at
appropriate speeds, braking in good time, and
steering correctly. Always adapt your driving
style to suit the prevailing road and weather
conditions. Always pay attention to traffic
conditions and your surroundings. Otherwise,
you may fail to recognize dangers in time,
cause an accident and injure yourself and
others. If a lane-correcting brake application occurs,
display
: appears in the multifunction
display.
If you leave your lane under certain
circumstances the vehicle will brake briefly
on one side. This is meant to assist you in
bringing the

vehicle back to the original lane.
This function is available in the range between
40 mph and 120 mph (60 km/h and
200 km/h).
A lane-correcting brake application can only
be made after driving over a solid,
recognizable lane marking. Before this, a
warning must be given by means of
intermittent vibration in the steering wheel.
In addition, a lane with lane markings on both
sides must be recognized. The brake
application also slightly reduces vehicle
speed. 200
Driving systems
Driving and parking

Warning and indicator lamps
Warning and indicator lamps
overview
L Low-beam headlamps
( Y page 109)
#! Turn signals (Y page 112)
K High-beam headlamps
(Y page 112)
N Front fog lamps
(Y page 111)
7 Seat belts (Y page 256)
$ (USA) Brakes (Y page 257)
J (Canada) Brakes (Y page 257)
! ABS (Y page 257)
÷ ESP®
(Y page 259)
å ESP®
OFF (Y page 259)
M SPORT handling mode in
AMG vehicles (Y page 260)
F (USA) Electric parking brake (red) (Y page 257)
! (Canada) Electric parking brake (red) (Y page 257)
! Electric parking brake
(yellow) (Y

page 257)
6 SRS (Y page 262)
; Check Engine (Y page 263)
8 Reserve fuel (Y page 263)
? Coolant (Y page 263)
· Distance warning signal
(Y page 265)
h Tire pressure monitor
(Y page 266) Warning and indicator lamps
255
On-board computer and displays Z

Vehicle remote malfunction diagnosis
With the vehicle remote malfunction
diagnosis (Vehicle Health Check), the
Customer Assistance center can provide
improved support for problems with your
vehicle. During an existing call, vehicle data
is transferred to the Customer Assistance
center. The customer service representative
can
use
the received data to decide what kind
of assistance is required. You are then, for
example, guided to the nearest Mercedes-
Benz Service center or a recovery vehicle is
called.
If vehicle data needs to be transferred during
an MB Info call or a Roadside Assistance call,
this is initiated by the Customer Assistance
center. You will see the Roadside
Assistance Connected message in the
COMAND display. If the vehicle remote
malfunction diagnosis is able to be started,
the Request for vehicle diagnosis
received. Start vehicle diagnosis?
message appears in the display.
X Press Yes to confirm the message.
X If the Vehicle Diagnosis: Please
switch on ignition. message appears:
turn the key to position 2 in the ignition
lock.
X If the Please follow the
instructions received

by phone and
move your vehicle to a safe
position. message appears: follow the
instructions of the customer service
representative.
The message in the display disappears.
If you select Cancel, the vehicle remote
malfunction diagnosis is canceled
completely.
The vehicle operating state check begins.
Meanwhile, the Vehicle diagnosis
activated message appears.
When the check is finished, the Sending
vehicle diagnosis data...(Voice
connection may be interrupted
during data transfer.) message appears. The vehicle data can now be sent to
the Customer Assistance center.
X
Press OK to confirm the message.
The voice connection with the Customer
Assistance center is terminated.
The Vehicle Diagnosis:
Transferring data... appears.
The vehicle data is sent to the Customer
Assistance center.
Depending on what the customer service
representative agreed with you, the voice
connection is

re-established after the transfer
is complete. If necessary, you will be
contacted at a later time by another means,
e.g. by E-Mail or telephone.
Further functions of the vehicle remote
malfunction diagnosis include, for example:
R transfer of service data to the Customer
Assistance center. If a service is overdue,
the COMAND display shows a message
about various special offers at your
workshop.
R monthly status information E-Mail on oil
level, air pressure, maintenance, brakes,
etc. If applicable, you will receive
information on special offers in the E-Mail.
USA only: this information can also be
called up under "Owners Online" at http://
www.mbusa.com.
Information on the data stored in the vehicle
(Y page 32).
Information on roadside assistance
(Y page 29).
Downloading routes Downloading routes allows you to transfer
and save predefined routes in the navigation
system.
To

do this, an SD memory card must
be inserted into the COMAND system. If no
SD memory card is inserted, you must insert
the card into the card slot on the COMAND
system before saving.
A route can be prepared and sent either by a
customer service representative or via the
mbrace portal on the Internet. Each route can 492
Features
Stowage and features

ASSYST PLUS
The ASSYST PLUS service interval display
informs you of the next service due date.
Information on
the type of service and service
intervals (see separate Maintenance
Booklet).
You can obtain further information from an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or at
http://www.mbusa.com (USA only).
i The ASSYST PLUS service interval display
does not show any information on the
engine oil level. Observe the notes on the
engine oil level ( Y page 497).Care
Notes on care
G
WARNING
Many cleaning products can be hazardous.
Some are poisonous, others are flammable.
Always follow the instructions on the
particular container. Always open your
vehicle's doors

or windows when cleaning the
inside.
Never use fluids or solvents that are not
designed for cleaning your vehicle.
Always lock away cleaning products and keep
them out of reach of children. H
Environmental note
Dispose of empty packaging and cleaning
cloths in an environmentally responsible
manner.
! For cleaning your vehicle, do not use any
of the following:
R dry, rough or hard cloths
R abrasive cleaning agents
R solvents
R cleaning agents containing solvents
Do not scrub.
Do not touch the surfaces or protective
films with hard objects, e.g. a ring or ice scraper. You could otherwise scratch or
damage the surfaces and protective film.
! Do not park the vehicle for an extended
period straight

after cleaning it, particularly
after having cleaned the wheels with wheel
cleaner. Wheel cleaners could cause
increased corrosion of the brake discs and
brake pads/linings. For this reason, you
should drive for a few minutes after
cleaning. Braking heats the brake discs and
the brake pads/linings, thus drying them.
The vehicle can then be parked.
Regular care of your vehicle is a condition for
retaining the quality in the long term.
Use care products and cleaning agents
recommended and approved by Mercedes-
Benz. Washing
the vehicle and cleaning the
paintwork
Automatic car wash G
WARNING
Braking efficiency is reduced after washing
the vehicle.

This could cause an accident. For
this reason, you must drive particularly
carefully after washing the vehicle until the
brakes have dried. G
WARNING
The
vehicle is braked when the HOLD function
or DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. Therefore,
deactivate the

HOLD function and DISTRONIC
PLUS before the vehicle is washed in an
automatic car wash.
! It is preferable to use car washes with
adjustable high-pressure pre-cleaning that
corresponds to the specification for the
Cabriolet program. In car washes that use
high water pressures, there is a risk that a
small amount of water may leak into the
vehicle.
! Never clean your vehicle in a Touchless
Automatic Car Wash as these use special 500
Care
Maintenance and care

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 31).Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If
wheels and tires of the wrong size are used,
the wheel brakes or suspension components
may be damaged. There is a risk of accident.
Always replace wheels and tires with those
that fulfill the specifications of the original
part (designation, manufacturer, model). G
WARNING
A flat tire severely impairs the driving,
steering and braking characteristics of the
vehicle. There is a risk of accident.
Tires without run-flat characteristics:
R do not drive with a flat tire.
R immediately replace the flat tire with your
emergency spare wheel or spare wheel, or
consult a qualified specialist workshop.
Tires with run-flat characteristics:
R pay attention to the information and
warning notices

on MOExtended tires (tires
with run-flat characteristics).
Accessories that are not approved for your
vehicle by Mercedes-Benz or are not being
used correctly can impair the operating
safety. Before purchasing and using non-approved
accessories, visit a qualified specialist
workshop and inquire about:
R
suitability
R legal stipulations
R factory recommendations
Information on dimensions and types of
wheels and

tires for your vehicle can be found
(Y page 552).
Information on air pressure for the tires on
your vehicle can be found:
R on the vehicle's Tire and Loading
Information placard on the B-pillar
R on the tire pressure label on the fuel filler
flap
R under "tire pressure" Operation
Information on driving
If the vehicle is heavily laden, check the tire
pressures and correct them if necessary.
While driving, pay attention to vibrations,
noises and unusual handling characteristics,
e.g. pulling

to one side. This may indicate that
the wheels or tires are damaged. If you
suspect that a tire is defective, reduce your
speed immediately. Stop the vehicle as soon
as possible to check the wheels and tires for
damage. Hidden tire damage could also be
causing the unusual handling characteristics.
If you find no signs of damage, have the tires
and wheels checked at a qualified specialist
workshop.
When parking your vehicle, make sure that
the tires do not get deformed by the curb or
other obstacles. If it is necessary to drive over
curbs, speed humps or similar elevations, try
to do so slowly and at an obtuse angle.
Otherwise, the tires, particularly the
sidewalls, may be damaged. 526
Operation
Wheels and tires