2018 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS roof

Make sure that the roof and rear window are
clean and dry before opening the roof. Other-
wise, water or dirt could enter the vehicle inte-
rior or trunk.
Opening and closing using the roof
switch
Important safety notes
G WARNING
When opening or closing the roof, body parts
could be trapped by, for example, the roof
mechanism, trunk lid or side windows. There
is ar isk of injury.
When raising or lowering the roof, make sure
that no body parts are in the vicinity of moving
components. If someone becomes trapped,
release the button.
For safety reasons, you can only open or close
the roof when the vehicle is stationary.
! Operating the roof while pulling away: R
Observe the following traffic carefully. R
Do not drive faster than 25 mph (40 km/h). R
Avoid abrupt braking and swerving maneu-
vers.
Do not operate the roof when cornering, driv-
ing on uneven surfaces or during strong
winds. The vehicle may otherwise be dam-
aged.
i If the traffic condition sm ean that you have
to drive off while opening/closing the roof,
the procedure which was started while sta-
tionary can be continued at speeds of up to
approximately 25 mph (40 km/h). Opening and closing X
Vehicles without semi-automatic trunk
partition: close the trunk partition
( Y
page 79). X
Close the trunk lid ( Y
page 72).X
Turn the SmartKey to position H in the igni-
tion lock. X
Open the cover in the lower center console.
Roof switch C is located under the cover. X
To open :p ull roof switch C until the entire
roof is stowed away in the trunk.
The Vario-Roof in Operation
message
appears in the multifunction display .O nce the
opening procedure is complete, the message
disappears and at one sounds.
All of the side windows open.
If you operate the roof switch and the Trunk
Partition Open message appears in the
multifunction display ,t he trunk partition is
not closed correctly. X
Close the trunk partition. X
To close: press and hold soft-top switch C
until the soft top is fully closed.
The Vario-Roof in Operation
message
appears in the multifunction display .O nce the
opening procedure is complete, the message
disappears and at one sounds.
All of the side windows open. X
To close all side windows, pull the switch
under the cover of the center console
( Y
page 75).78
Roof
Opening and closing

Opening/closing using the SmartKey
Important safet yn otes
G WARNING
When opening or closing the roof, body parts
could be trapped by, for example, the roof
mechanism, trun kl id or side windows. There
is ar isk of injury.
When raising or lowering the roof, make sure
that no body parts are in the vicinity of moving
components. If someon eb ecomes trapped,
release the button.
Opening and closing This function is only available on vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO or with roof comfort operation. X
Close the trun kl id ( Y
page 72).X
Vehicles with comfort operation: point the
tip of the SmartKey at the driver's door han-
dle. X
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO: the SmartKey
must be within 6ft(2m )o ft he vehicle.X
To open: press and hold the 6 button on
the SmartKey until the roof is fully opened.
The roof and the rear side windows open. The
fron ts ide windows close.X
To interrupt the opening procedure:
release the 6 button.X
To open the front side windows: press the
6 button on the SmartKey again.X
To close: press and hold the 7 button on
the SmartKey until the roof is fully closed.
The roof and the side windows close. X
To interrupt the closing procedure: release
the 7 button.
Locking the roof again
Important safet yn otes
G WARNING
If you do not fully open/close the soft top, the
soft-top hydraulics depressuriz ea fter as hort
time. This causes the soft top to lower unex-
pectedly and may cause you or other stob e
trapped. There is ar isk of injury. Always open or close the soft top completely.
The roof is not locked if: R
the Y symbol and the Vario-Roof in
Operation message appear in the multifunc-
tion display R
the Y symbol and the Open/Close
Vario-Roof Completely message appear in
the multifunction display and you hear aw arn-
ing tone R
you hear aw arning ton ef or up to ten seconds
when pulling away or while driving
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 traf-
fic conditions. X
Ensure that the SmartKey is in position H in
the ignition lock. X
Press the roof switch ( Y
page 78).
Trunk partition
General notes
! To avoid damaging the roof or luggage when
folding back the roof, you should: R
only load the trun ktob elow the trun kp ar-
tition R
not place any objects on or in fron toft he
trun kp artition R
not place any objects on the cover behind
the roll bars R
not allow the cargo to push the trun kp ar-
tition upwards
The trun kp artition can be used to cover luggage
and loads in the trunk. Roof 79
Opening and closing Z

Opening and closing X
To open: grip the handle of trun kp artition C .X
Press the release button in the handle of trunk
partition C .
Trunk partition C is unlocked.X
Pull trun kp artition C up out of the eyelets on
the edge of the trunk. X
Push trun kp artition C forwards against the
direction of the arrow by handle. X
To close: pull back trun kp artition C by the
handle in the direction of the arrow and
engage into the eyelets on the edge of the
trun konb oth sides.
Wind screen
Important safet yn otes
G WARNING
If you use the wind screen in darkness or in
other conditions offerin gp oor visibility, your
view to the rear is further impaired. There is a
risk of an accident.
Only use the wind screen when visibility con-
ditions are good.
G WARNING
If the wind screen is incorrectly installed, it
could detach itself during aj ourney and
endanger other road users. There is ar isk of
an acciden ta nd injury.
Install the wind screen as described.
! 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.
For operation si nvolvin gt he wind screen ,iti s
preferable to be positioned on the side of the
vehicle facing away from the traffic, after stop-
ping the vehicle in accordance with the traffic
conditions.
Installing and removing the wind screen Preparing for installation
C
Wind screen D
Unlocked latch

Operating AIRGUIDE X
To fold out AIRGUIDE: turn disc C in the
direction of the arrow towards the middle of
the vehicle to the stop. X
Repeat with disc D .X
To fold in AIRGUIDE: turn discs C and D
back behind the roll bar to the stop.
Discs C and D can also be used independently
of each other ,e .g. when you are driving without
ap assenger.
MAGIC SKY CONTROL
General notes MAGIC SKY CONTROL is ap anorama roof, the
transparenc yofw hich can be changed by apply-
ing electrical voltage.
MAGIC SKY CONTROL can be switched between
darkened and transparent states.
MAGIC SKY CONTROL darken sa utomatically
after as hort period when you turn the SmartKey
to position

Problems with the roof Problem
Possible causes/consequences and P Solutions
The roof will not open or
close. The trunk partition is not closed and not properly engaged. X
Close the trunk partition ( Y
page 79).
The trunk lid is open. X
Close the trunk lid ( Y
page 73).
The on-board voltage is too low. X
Leave the engine running.
The roof has been opened and closed several times in ar ow. The roof
drive has switched off automatically.
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 system is faulty. X
Visit aq ualified specialist workshop. Roof 83
Opening and closing Z

Overview of climat ec ontrol systems
General notes Observe the settings recommended on the fol-
lowing pages. The windows could otherwise fog
up.
To preven tt he windows from fogging up:R
switch off climate control only briefly R
switch on air-recirculation mode only briefly R
switch on the cooling with air dehumidifica-
tion function R
switch on the defrost windshield function
briefly, if required
Climate control regulates the temperature and
the humidity in the vehicle interior and filters
undesirable substances out of the air.
Climate control can only be operated when the
engin eisr unning. Optimum operation is only
achieved with the side windows and roof closed. i When the weather is warm, ventilate the
vehicle for ab rief period. This will speed up
the cooling process and the desired vehicle
interior temperature will be reached more
quickly.
i The integrated filter filters out most parti-
cles of dust and soot and completely filters
out pollen. It also reduces gaseous pollutants
and odors. Ac logged filter reduces the
amount of air supplied to the vehicle interior.
For this reason, you should alway so bserve
the interval for replacing the filter, which is
specified in the Maintenance Booklet. As it
depends on environmental conditions ,e .g.
heavy air pollution, the interval may be
shorter than stated in the Maintenance Book-
let.
Air-conditioning system control panel
Canada only
C
Set st he temperature ( Y
page 109)
D
Switches the residual heat on or off ( Y
page 112)

Problems with the rear window defroster Problem
Possible causes/consequences and P Solutions
The indicator lamp on
the l button flashes.
The rear window
defroster has deactiva-
ted prematurely or can-
not be activated. The on-board voltage is too low because too many electrical consum-
ers are switched on. X
Switch off any consumers that are not required, e.g. reading lamps,
interior lighting or the seat heating.
When the battery is sufficiently charged, the rear window defroster
can be activated again.
The roof is open. X
Close the roof.
When the roof is closed, the rear window defroster can be activated
again.
Switching air-recirculation mode
on/off
General notes If you switch on air-recirculation mode, the win-
dows can fog up more quickly, in particular at
low temperatures. Only use air-recirculation
mode briefly to prevent the windows from fog-
ging up.
Activating/deactivating X
Turn the SmartKey to position H in the igni-
tion lock ( Y
page 116).X
To activate: press the r button.
The indicator lamp in the r button lights
up.
i Air-recirculation mode is automatically acti-
vated at high levels of pollution (dual-zone
automatic climate control only) or at high out-
side temperatures. When air-recirculation
mode is activated automatically, the indicator
lamp in the r button is not lit. Outside air
is added after about 30 minutes. X
To deactivate: press the r button.
The indicator lamp in the r button goes
out. i Air-recirculation mode deactivates auto-
matically: R
after approximately five minutes at outside
temperatures below approximately 41 ‡
(5 †) R
after approximately five minutes if cooling
with air dehumidification is deactivated R
after approximately 30 minutes at outside
temperatures above approximately 41 ‡
(5 †) if the "Cooling with air dehumidifica-
tion" function is activated
Switching the residual heat on or off
General notes The residual heat function is only available on
vehicles for Canada.
It is possible to make use of the residual heat of
the engine to continue heating the stationary
vehicle for up to 30 minutes after the engine has
been switched off. The heating time depends on
the set interior temperature.
Activating/deactivating X
Turn the SmartKey to position

Drivin gonw et road s
Hydroplaning If water has accumulated to ac ertai nd ept ho n
th er oa ds urface, there is ad anger of hydro-
planin go cc urring.
Fo rt hi sr eason ,int he event of heav yr ain or in
condition sinw hic hh ydroplaning may occur ,
you mus td rive in th ef ol lowin gm anner:R
lowe ry our speedR
avoid rut sR
avoid sudden steerin gm ov ementsR
brake carefully
Drivin gonf looded road s
! Do no td rive through floode da reas. Chec k
th ed ept hofa ny water befor ed rivin gt hrou gh
it .D ri ve slowly through standin gw ater. Oth-
erwise ,w ater could ente rt he vehicle interio r
or engin ec om partment. It can then damage
th ee ng ine's or automatic transmission' s
electronic components. It can also be sucke d
in by th ee ng ine's air intake connection and
cause engin ed amage.
Winte rd ri vin g
G WARNING
If you shift down on as lipper yr oa ds urfac ei n
an attempt to increase th ee ng ine's braking
effect ,t he drive wheels could los et he ir grip.
There is an increase dd anger of skidding and
accidents .
Do no ts hift down fo ra dditional engin eb rak-
in gonas lipper yr oa ds urface.
G DANGER
If th ee xh aus tp ipe is blocke dora dequat e
ventilation is no tp ossible, poisonous gases
suc hasc arbon monoxide (CO) may ente rt he
vehicle. Thi sist he case, e.g. if th ev ehicle
becomes trappe dins no w. There is ar is ko f
fatal injury.
If you leav et he engin eort he auxiliar yh eatin g
running ,m ak es ur et he exhaus tp ipe and are a
around th ev ehicle are clear of snow. To
ensur eana dequat es upply of fresh air, ope na window on th es id eoft he vehicle that is no t
facin gi nt ot he wind.
Hav ey our vehicle winter-proofed at aq ualified
specialis tw orkshop at th eo ns et of winter.
Drive particularly carefully on slipper yr oa ds ur -
faces. Avoid sudden acceleration ,s te erin ga nd
braking maneuvers .Don ot use cruise control.
If th ev ehicle threatens to skid or canno tb e
stopped when movin gatl ow speed:X
Shift th et ra nsmissio ntop osition \\ .
The outsid et em perature indicator is no t
designed to serve as an ice-warnin gd evic ea nd
is therefore unsuitable fo rt ha tp urpose.
Changes in th eo utsid et em perature are dis -
playe da fter as hort delay.
Indicated temperature sj us ta bov et he freezin g
poin tdon ot guarantee that th er oa ds urfac ei s
free of ice. The road may still be icy, especially in
wooded areas or on bridges. The vehicle could
skid if you fail to adapt your drivin gs ty le. Always
adapt your drivin gs ty le and drive at as peed to
suit th ep revailin gw eather conditions.
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tion sw hen temperature sa re around freezin g
point.
Fo rm or ei nformat ion on drivin gw it hs no w
chains, see ( Y
page 262).
Fo rm or ei nformat i on on drivin gw i t hs ummer
tires ,s ee ( Y
page 262).
Observ et he note sint he "Winte ro peration "s ec -
tion ( Y
page 262).
Drivin gs ystems
Cruis ec ontro l
General notes Cruise contro lm aintain sac onstan tr oa ds peed
fo ry ou. It brake sa utomatically in order to avoid
exceedin gt he set speed. On lon ga nd steep
downhill gradients, especially if th ev ehicle is
laden, you mus ts elec tal owe rg ear in goo dt im e.
By doin gs o, you will mak eu se of th eb raking
effect of th ee ng ine. Thi sr elieves th el oad on th e
brake syste ma nd prevents th eb rake sf ro m
overheatin ga nd wearin gt oo quickly.
Use cruise contro lo nl yifr oa da nd traffic con-
dition sm ak eita ppropriat etom aintain as te ady138
Driving systems
Driving an dp arking