2013 MERCEDES-BENZ SL-CLASS ROADSTER overheating

Exhaust check
G
WARNING
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to your
health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide (CO), and inhaling it can cause
unconsciousness and possible death.
Do not
run the engine in confined areas (such
as a garage) which are not properly ventilated.
If you think that exhaust gas fumes are
entering the vehicle while driving, have the
cause determined and corrected
immediately. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive only with at least one
window fully open at all times.
Certain engine systems are designed to keep
the level of poisonous components in exhaust
fumes within legal limits.
These systems only work at peak efficiency if
they are serviced exactly in accordance with
the manufacturer's specifications. All work
on the engine must be carried out by qualified
and authorized Mercedes-Benz technicians.
The engine settings must not be changed
under any circumstances. Furthermore, all
specific service work must be carried out at
regular intervals and in accordance with the
Mercedes-Benz service requirements. Details
can be found in the Maintenance Booklet. Brakes
Important safety notes G
WARNING
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift in
order to obtain braking action. This could
result in

drive wheel slip and reduced vehicle
control. Your vehicle's ABS will not prevent
this type of loss of control. G
WARNING
Make sure that you do not endanger other
road users when you apply the brakes. Downhill gradients !
On long, steep gradients, you must
reduce the load on the brakes. In order to
use engine

braking effect, restrict the shift
range in good time. This helps you to avoid
overheating the brakes and wearing them
out excessively.
When making use of the engine braking
effect, it is possible that a drive wheel may
not turn for some time, e.g. in the case of
suddenly changing or slippery road surface
conditions. This could cause damage to the
drive train. This type of damage is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz warranty.
Heavy and light loads G
WARNING
Depressing the brake pedal constantly results
in excessive

and premature wear to the brake
pads.
It may also cause the brakes to overheat,
seriously impairing their effectiveness. It may
then not be possible to stop the vehicle in
sufficient time to avoid an accident.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy
load, do not stop the vehicle immediately, but
drive on for a short while. This allows the
airflow to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads G
WARNING
After driving in heavy rain for some time
without applying

the brakes or through water
deep enough to wet brake components, the
first braking action may be somewhat
reduced. You have to depress the brake pedal
more firmly. Maintain a safe distance from
vehicles in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the
vehicle washed, brake firmly while paying
attention to the traffic conditions. This will
warm up the brake discs, thereby drying them 158
Driving tips
Driving and parking

If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X
Shift the transmission to position N.
Drive particularly carefully on slippery road
surfaces. Avoid
sudden acceleration, steering
and braking maneuvers. Do not use cruise
control.
i For more information on driving with
snow chains, see ( Y page 529).Driving systems
Cruise control
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle's speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use

the cruise control if the road, traffic,
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a constant speed.
R The use of the cruise control can be
dangerous on winding roads or in heavy
traffic because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a constant speed.
R The use of the cruise control can be
dangerous on slippery roads. Rapid
changes in tire traction can result in wheel
spin and loss of control.
R Deactivate the cruise control when driving
in fog.
The "Resume" function should only be
operated if the driver is fully aware of the
previously set speed and wishes to resume
this particular preset speed. G
WARNING
The cruise control brakes automatically so
that the set speed is not exceeded. General notes Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed
for

you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden, you must select shift range
1, 2 or 3 in good time (Y page 149). By doing
so, you will make use of the braking effect of
the engine, which relieves the load on the
brake system and prevents the brakes from
overheating and wearing too quickly.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic
conditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You can
store any road speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h).
Cruise control lever Cruise control lever
:
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
; To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed
= To store the current speed or a lower
speed
? To deactivate cruise control
When you activate cruise control, the stored
speed is shown in the status indicator of the
multifunction display:
R USA only: e.g. CRUISE 55 Miles
R Canada only: e.g. ¯90 Km/h162
Driving systems
Driving and parking

Deactivate DISTRONIC PLUS:
R
when changing to the right lane, if the
vehicles in the left lane are driving slower
R when driving into a filter lane or an
expressway exit
R in complex driving situations, for example
in construction sites on an expressway
In these situations DISTRONIC PLUS will
maintain the
set speed if it is not deactivated.
DISTRONIC PLUS is intended only for
maintaining a set speed and a set distance
from the objects moving in front of the
vehicle. G
WARNING
An intermittent warning sounds and the
distance warning

lamp · in the instrument
cluster is illuminated if the DISTRONIC PLUS
system calculates that the distance to the
vehicle ahead and your vehicle's current
speed indicate that the DISTRONIC PLUS will
not be capable of slowing the vehicle
sufficiently to maintain the preset following
distance, which creates a danger of a
collision.
Immediately brake the vehicle to increase
your distance to the preceding vehicle. The
warning sound is intended as a final caution
in which you should intercede with your own
braking inputs to avoid a potentially
dangerous situation. Do not wait for the
operation of the warning signal to intercede
with your own braking. This will result in
potentially dangerous emergency braking
which will not always result in an impact being
avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident. G
WARNING
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes your vehicle with a
maximum deceleration of 13 ft/s 2
(4 m/s 2
).
This corresponds to approximately 40% of
your vehicle's maximum braking force.
To

avoid a collision, you must apply the brakes
yourself. DISTRONIC PLUS brakes the vehicle just
enough to restore the preset speed or the
preset distance to the vehicle in front. G
WARNING
If you do not receive visual or acoustic
warning signals during a critical traffic
situation, DISTRONIC PLUS has either not
recognized the collision risk, has been
deactivated or is malfunctioning.
Remember, whether

or not DISTRONIC PLUS
is operating, it is ultimately always the drivers
responsibility to apply the brakes in order to
control the vehicle and avoid a collision.
General notes DISTRONIC PLUS regulates the speed and
automatically helps you maintain the
distance to the vehicle detected in front.
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes automatically so
that the set speed is not exceeded.
On long and steep downhill gradients,
especially if the vehicle is laden, you must
select shift range

1, 2 or 3 in good time
(Y page 149).

By doing so, you will make use
of the braking effect of the engine, which
relieves the load on the brake system and
prevents the brakes from overheating and
wearing too quickly.
If a slower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
DISTRONIC PLUS brakes your vehicle. It
maintains the preset distance to the vehicle
in front.
If you want DISTRONIC PLUS to assist you,
the radar sensor system must be activated
(Y page 218) and operational.
If there is no vehicle in front, DISTRONIC
PLUS operates in the same way as cruise
control in the speed range between 20 mph
(Canada: 30 km/h) and120 mph (Canada:
200 km/h). If a vehicle is driving in front of
you, it operates in the speed range between
0 mph and (0 km/h) 120 mph (Canada:
200 km/h).
Do not use DISTRONIC PLUS while driving on
roads with steep gradients. 166
Driving systems
Driving and parking

Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsThe Navigation
Unavailable message
appears. COMAND has an integrated hard drive on which the digital map is
stored.
To protect the integrated hard drive against damage, COMAND
deactivates it at very high and low temperatures. The navigation
system will then be temporarily unavailable.
X
Let the vehicle and COMAND cool down.
X To hide the message:
switch COMAND off and then on again. If an area of the hard disk has a malfunction, COMAND can no
longer access the map data in this area. This may occur when
calculating a route, for example.
X
To hide the message: switch
COMAND off and then on again.
The navigation system will be operational again until it has to
access the faulty area of the hard drive once more. The message
will then reappear.
X Consult an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsYou see a message
informing you that the
DVD containing the
digital map is
incompatible with the
system software. The DVD containing the digital map cannot be used for the update.
X
To confirm the message: press W the COMAND controller.
X Eject the DVD.
X Have the system database checked at an authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center. Problem Possible causes/consequences and
M SolutionsThe map software
update has failed. The DVD is dirty.
X
Clean the DVD.
X Restart the update. The DVD is scratched.
X
Consult an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center. There is overheating due to excessive temperatures in the vehicle
interior.
X
Wait until the vehicle interior has cooled down.
X Restart the update. COMAND's integrated hard disk is defective.
X
Consult an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.356
Navigation
COMAND

Of which reserve
SL 550 BlueEFFICIENCY
approximate
ly 2.4 US gal (9.0 l) AMG vehicles
approximate
ly 3.7 US gal (14.0 l) Fuel
Important safety notes G
WARNING
Gasoline is highly flammable and poisonous.
It burns violently and can cause serious
personal injury.
Never allow sparks, flames or smoking
materials near gasoline.
Turn off the engine before refueling.
Whenever you are around gasoline, avoid
inhaling fumes and any skin or clothing
contact.
Direct skin contact with fuels and the
inhalation of
fuel vapors are damaging to your
health.
Gasoline Fuel grade
!
Do not

use diesel to refuel vehicles with a
gasoline engine. Even small amounts of the
wrong fuel result in damage to the fuel
system and engine.
! You should only refuel with unleaded
premium-grade gasoline as this avoids
damaging the catalytic converter.
If engine running problems are apparent,
have the cause checked immediately and
repaired. Excess unburned fuel can
otherwise enter the catalytic converter,
leading to overheating and possibly
causing a fire. !
To ensure the longevity and full
performance of the engine, only premium-
grade unleaded gasoline may be used.
If there is no premium-grade unleaded
gasoline available and regular unleaded
gasoline must

be used, please observe the
following precautions:
R only fill the fuel tank to half full with
regular unleaded gasoline and fill the rest
with premium-grade unleaded gasoline
as soon as possible.
R do not drive at the maximum speed.
R avoid sudden acceleration.
R if the vehicle is carrying a light load, e.g.
two passengers without luggage, do not
allow the engine to rev above 3000 rpm.
R if the vehicle is fully loaded or is being
operated in mountainous terrain, do not
depress the accelerator pedal further
than Ô of the pedal travel.
Only refuel using unleaded gasoline with a
minimum octane rating of 91.
Reformulated Gasoline (RFG) and/or
unleaded gasoline with additives can be used.
The concentration of additives in the fuel
must, however, remain below 10 %, such as:
R Ethanol
R TAME
R ETBE
R IPA
R TBA
For MTBE, the concentration should not
exceed 15 %.
The concentration of methanol in gasoline
including other additives must not exceed
3 %.
Using mixtures of methanol and ethanol is not
permitted. Gasohol, a mixture of 10 % ethanol
and 90 % unleaded gasoline, can be used. Service products and filling capacities
561
Technical data Z

If antifreeze comes into contact with hot
engine
parts,
it may ignite and you could burn
yourself. Do not spill any antifreeze on hot
engine parts.
! Only add coolant that has been premixed
with the desired antifreeze protection. You
could otherwise damage the engine.
Further information on coolants can be
found in the Mercedes-Benz Specifications
for Service Products, MB Specifications for
Service Products 310.1, e.g. on the
Internet at
http://bevo.mercedes-benz.com. Or
contact a qualified specialist workshop.
! Always use a suitable coolant mixture,
even in countries where high temperatures
prevail.
Otherwise, the engine cooling system is not
sufficiently protected from corrosion and
overheating.
The coolant is a mixture of water and
antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor. It performs
the following tasks:
R corrosion protection
R antifreeze protection
R raising the boiling point
If the coolant has antifreeze protection down
to -35 ‡ (-37 †), the boiling point of the
coolant during operation is approximately
266 ‡ (130 †).
The antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor
concentration in the engine cooling system
should:
R be at least 50 %. This will protect the engine
cooling system against freezing down to
approximately -35 ‡ (-37 †).
R not exceed 55 % (antifreeze protection
down to -49 ‡ [-45 †]). Otherwise, heat
will not be dissipated as effectively.
If the vehicle has lost coolant, add equal
amounts of water and antifreeze/corrosion
inhibitor. Mercedes-Benz recommends an
antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor concentrate in accordance with MB Specifications for
Service Products 310.1.
The coolant is checked with every
maintenance interval at a qualified specialist
workshop.
i
When the vehicle is first delivered, it is
filled with a coolant mixture that ensures
adequate antifreeze and corrosion
protection.
Capacity Model Capacity
SL 550
BlueEFFICIENCY
Approximately
15.3 US qt (14.5 l) SL 63 AMG
Approximately
15.2 US qt (14.4 l) SL 65 AMG
Approximately
13.5 US qt (12.8 l)
Low-temperature circuit:
approximately
3.7 US qt

(3.5 l) i
Use antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor
according to MB approval 325.0 or 326.0. Windshield/headlamp cleaning
system
G
WARNING
Washer solvent/antifreeze is highly
flammable. Do not spill washer solvent/
antifreeze on

hot engine parts, because it may
ignite and burn. You could be seriously
burned.
! Only use washer fluid that is suitable for
plastic lamp lenses, e.g. MB SummerFit or
MB WinterFit. Unsuitable washer fluid
could damage the plastic lenses of the
headlamps. 564
Service products and filling capacities
Technical data