2018 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS air condition

ECO start/stop function During automatic engine switch-off ,t he climate
control system only operate satar educed capa-
city. If you require full climate control capacity,
th eE CO start/sto pf unction can be deactivated
by pressin gt he ECO button ( Y
page 120).
Operating th ec limat ec ontrol sys-
tems
Activating/deactivatin gc limat ec on-
trol
General notes When th ec limate control is switched off ,t he air
supply and air circulation are also switched off.
The windows coul df og up. Therefore, switch off
climate control only briefly
i Activate climate control primarily usin gt he
X butto n( Y
page 109).
Air-conditioning system X
Turn th eS ma rtKey to position H in th ei gni-
tio nl oc k( Y
page 116).X
To switch on: tur na irflow control k clock-
wise to th ed esired position (excep tp osition
0 )( Y
page 104).X
To switch off: tur na irflow control k coun-
ter-clockwise to position 0 ( Y
page 104).
3-zone automatic climat ec ontrolX
Turn th eS ma rtKey to position H in th ei gni-
tio nl oc k( Y
page 116).X
To switch on: pres st he X button.
The indicator lamp in the X button lights
up. Airflow and air distribution are set to auto-
matic mode.
or X
Press the x button.
The indicator lamp in the x button goes
out .T he previously selecte ds ettings are
restored. X
To switch off: pres st he x button.
The indicator lamp in the x button lights
up. Switching cooling with air dehumidi-
fication on/off
General notes If you deactivate th e" Coolin gw ith air-dehumid-
ification" function ,t he air inside th ev ehicle will
no tbec ooled. The air inside th ev ehicle will also
no tbed ehumidified. The windows can fog up
mor eq uickly. Therefore, deactivate th ec ooling
with air-dehumidification function only briefly.
The "Coolin gw ith air dehumidification "f unction
is only availabl ew hen th ee ngine is running. The
air inside th ev ehicle is cooled and dehumidified
according to th et em peratur es elected.
Condensation may drip from th eu ndersid eo f
th ev ehicle when it is in cooling mode. This is
normal and no tas ign that there is am alfunc-
tion.
Activating/deactivating X
To activate: pres st he Z or V button.
The indicator lamp in the Z or V button
light su p. X
To deactivate: pres st he Z or V but-
ton.
The indicator lamp in the Z or V button
goes out .T he "Coolin gw ith air dehumidifica-
tion" function has ad elayed switch-off fea-
ture.108
Operating th ec limate control systems
Climate control

Setting the air distribution
Air-conditioning system X
Turn the SmartKey to position H in the igni-
tion lock ( Y
page 116).X
Press one or more of the

In addition to driving style, the actual consump-
tion is affected by other factors, such as: R
load R
tire pressure R
cold start R
choice of route R
active electrical consumers
These factors are not include dint he ECO dis-
play.
An economical driving style specially requires
driving at moderate engine speeds.
Achieving ah igher valu eint he categories
"Acceleration" and "Constant": R
observe the gearshift recommendations. R
drive the vehicle in drive program C or E .
In urba nt raffic and stop-start traffic, drive pro-
gram C is recommended.
On long journeys at ac onstant speed ,e .g. on the
highway, only the outer area for "constant" will
change.
The ECO display summarizes the driving style
from the start of the journey to its completion.
Therefore, there are more marked changes in
the outer area satt he start of aj ourney. On lon-
ger journeys, there are fewer changes. For more
marked changes, perform am anua lr est
( Y
page 167).
Further information on the ECO display
( Y
page 166).
Braking
Important safety notes
G WARNING
If you shift down on as lippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheel sc ould lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on as lippery road surface.
Downhill gradients
! On long, steep gradients, you must reduce
the load on the brakes. To use engine braking,
shift to al owe rg ear in good time. This helps you to avoid overheating the brakes and wear-
ing them out excessively.
When making use of the engine braking
effect, it is possible that ad rive wheel may not
turn for some time, e.g. in the case of sud-
denly changing or slippery road surface con-
ditions. This could cause damage to the drive
train. This type of damage is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz warranty.
Change into al owe rg ear in good time on long
and steep downhill gradients. This is especially
important if the vehicle is laden.
This also applies if you have activated cruise
control or Distance Pilo tD ISTRONIC.
Heavy and light loads
G WARNING
If you rest you rf oot on the brake peda lw hile
driving, the braking system can overheat. This
increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail .T here is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake peda lasaf ootrest. Never
depres st he brake peda la nd the accelerator
peda latt he same time.
! Depressing the brake peda lc onstantly
results in excessive and premature wea rt o
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to ah eavy
load ,don ot stop the vehicle immediately ,b ut
drive on for as hort while. This allows the airflow
to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads If you have driven for al ong time in heavy rain
withou tb raking, there may be ad elayed reac-
tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after the vehicle has
been washed or driven through deep water.
You then have to depres st he brake peda lm ore
firmly .M aintai nag reater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on aw et road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly whil ep aying attention to
the traffic conditions. This wil lw arm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.136
Driving tips
Driving and parking

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

Important safety notes The rear vie wc amera is only an aid. It is no ta
replacemen tf or your attention to your immedi-
ate surroundings. You are always responsible
for saf em aneuverin ga nd parking .M ak es ur e
that there are no persons, animals or objects in
th em aneuverin ga rea when you are maneuver-
ing or parking .
Under th ef ollowin gc ircumstances, th er ear
vie wc amera will no tf unction ,orw ill function in
al imite dm anner:R
if th et ru nk lid is openR
in heav yr ain ,s no worf ogR
at night or in ver yd ark placesR
if th ec amera is exposed to ver yb right ligh tR
if th ea rea is lit by fluorescent bulbs or LE D
lighting (the display may flicker) R
if there is as udde nc ha ng eint em perature,
e.g. when driving int oah eated garage in win -
te r R
if th ec amera len sisd irt yoro bstructed.
Observ et he note sonc leaning
( Y
page 242) R
if th er ear of your vehicl eisd amaged. In this
case, hav et he camera position and setting
checke dataq ualified specialist workshop
The field of vision and other function soft he rear
vie wc amera may be restricted due to additional
accessories on th er ear of th ev ehicl e( e.g.
license plat eh older, bicycle rack) .
On vehicles wit hh eight-adjustable chassis,
leaving th es ta ndard height can result in inac-
curacie si nt he g uide lines, depending on tech -
ni
cal conditions.
i The contras toft he display may be affecte d
by th es udde np resence of sunligh toro th er
ligh ts ources, e.g. when exiting ag arage. Pay
particular attention in this situation .
i If usabilit yiss everely restricted, e.g. due to
pixel errors ,h ave th ed isplay repaire do r
replaced.
i The rear vie wc amera is protected from rain -
drops and dust by mean sofaf lap .W hen th e
rear vie wc amera is activated, this flap opens.
The flap closes again when :R
you hav ef inishe dt he maneuverin gp rocessR
you switch off th ee ng in eR
you open th et ru nk
Observ et he note sonc leaning ( Y
page 242). Fo rt echn ical reasons, th ef lap may remain
open briefly after th er ear vie wc amera has
been deactivated.
Activating/deactivating th er ea rv iew
camera X
To activate: mak es ur et ha tt he SmartKey is
in position H in th ei gnition lock.X
Mak es ur et ha tt he Activatio nbyRg ea r
function is selected in th em ultimedia system;
see th eD ig ital Owner' sM anual.X
Engage revers eg ear .
The rear vie wc amera flap opens. The multi-
media system shows th ea rea behind th ev ehi-
cle wit hg uide lines.
The imag ef ro mt he rear vie wc amera is avail-
able throughout th em aneuverin gp rocess.
To deactivate: th er ear vie wc amera deacti -
vates if you driv ef orwards as hort distances or
shif tt he transmission to ] .
The inner segments of th ew arning indicator are
displayed in red if there is ac om plete system
failure. The indicator lamp in th eP AR KTRONIC
butto nl ights up.
If th er ear system fails :R
th er ear segments are displayed in red when
reversing R
th er ear segments are no td isplayed when
driving forwards
Display sint he multimedi as ystemThe rear vie wc amera may sho wad istorted vie w
of obstacles, sho wt he mi ncorrectl yorn ot at all.
The rear vie wc amera does no ts ho wo bjects in
th ef ollowin gp ositions: R
ver yc lose to th er ear bumper R
under th er ear bumper R
in close range abov et he handle on th et ru nk
lid
! Objects no tatg round level may appear to
be further away than they actually are, e.g. :R
th eb umper of ap arked vehicl eR
th ed rawbar of at ra ilerR
th eb all couplin gofat ra iler to wh itchR
th er ear section of an HGV R
as lante dp os tDriving systems 155
Driving and parking Z

Lane Keeping Assist General notes
Lan eK eeping Assist monitors th ea rea in front of
your vehicle with camera C ,w hic hism ounted
at th et op of th ew indshield. Lan eK eeping Assist
detect sl ane marking sont he road and warns
you before you leave your lane unintentionally.
If you select km on th eo n-board compute rint he
Displa yU ni tS peed-/Odometer function
( Y
page 172), Lan eK eeping Assist is active
starting at as peed of 60 km/h. If the miles
display unit is selected ,t he assistance range
begin sa t40m ph.
Aw arning may be give nifaf ront wheel passes
over al ane marking .Itw ill warn you by mean so f
intermittent vibratio nint he steerin gw heel for
up to 1. 5s econds.
Important safety notes
G WARNING
Lan eK eeping Assist cannot always clearly
detect lane markings.
In such cases, Lan eK eeping Assist can:R
give an unnecessar yw arningR
not give aw arning
Ther eisar isk of an accident.
Always pay particular attention to th et ra ffic
situatio na nd kee pw ithin th el ane, especially
if Lan eK eeping Assist alert sy ou.
G WARNING
The Lan eK eeping Assist warning does not
return th ev ehicle to th eo riginal lane. Ther ei s
ar isk of an accident. You should always steer, brak eora ccelerate
yourself, in particular if warned by Lan eK eep-
ing Assist.
If you fail to adapt your driving style, Lan eK eep-
ing Assist can neither reduc et he risk of an acci-
den tn or override th el aws of physics. Lane
Keeping Assist cannot tak ei nt oa ccount the
road, traffic and weather conditions. Lan eK eep-
ing Assist is merely an aid. You are responsible
for th ed istanc etot he vehicle in front ,f or vehi-
cle speed ,f or braking in good tim ea nd for stay-
ing in your lane.
The Lan eK eeping Assist does not kee pt he vehi-
cle in th el ane.
The system may be impaired or may not function
if: R
there is poor visibility, e.g .d ue to insufficient
illuminatio noft he road, or due to snow, rain,
fog or spray R
there is glare ,e .g .f ro mo ncomin gt ra ffic, the
sun or reflection s( e.g. when th er oad surface
is wet) R
th ew indshiel disd irty, fogged up, damage do r
covered ,f or instance by as ti cker, in th ev icin-
ity of th ec amera R
there are no, several or unclear lane markings
for al ane, e.g .ina reas with road construction
work R
th el ane marking sa re worn away, dark or cov-
ered up, e.g .byd irt or snow R
th ed istanc etot he vehicle in front is to os mall
and th el ane marking st hu sc annot be detec-
ted R
th el ane marking sc hange quickly, e.g .l anes
branch off ,c ro ss one another or merge R
th er oad is narrow and winding R
there are stron gs hadows cast on th er oad
Switching on Lane Keeping Assist X
Switch on Lan eK eeping Assist usin gt he on-
board computer; to do so, select Standard
or Adaptive ( Y
page 171).
If you driv eats peed sa bove 40 mph
(60 km/ h) and lane markings are detected,
th el ine sint he assistance graphic sd isplay
( Y
page 170) are show ning reen. Lan eK eep-
ing Assist is ready for use.Driving systems 161
Driving and parking Z

Important safety notes
G WARNIN G
If you operate information systems and com-
munication equipmen ti ntegrate dint he vehi-
cle when driving ,y ou may be distracte df ro m
th et ra ffic situation .Y ou could also lose con-
trol of th ev ehicle. Ther eisar is kofana cci-
dent.
Only operate this equipmen tw hen th et ra ffic
situation permits. If you are no ts ur et ha tt hi s
is possible ,p ark th ev ehicl ep ayin ga ttention
to traffic condition sa nd operate th ee quip-
men tw hen th ev ehicl eiss ta tionary.
You must observ et he legal requirements for th e
country in whic hy ou are currentl yd riving when
operating th eo n-bo ard computer.
G WARNIN G
If th ei nstrumen tc luste rh as faile dorm al-
functioned, you may no tr ecognize function
restriction sins ystems relevan ttos afety. The
operating safet yofy our vehicl em ay be
impaired .T her eisar is kofana ccident.
Drive on carefully. Hav et he vehicl ec hecked
at aq ualified specialist workshop immedi-
ately.
The on-board computer only shows message so r
warning sf ro mc ertai ns ystems in th em ultifunc-
tion display. You should therefor em ak es ur e
your vehicl eiso perating safely at all times .
If th eo perating safet yofy our vehicl ei s
impaired ,p ull ove rass oo nasitiss af etodos o.
Contac taq ualified specialist workshop.
Fo rano verview, see th ei nstrumen tp anel illus-
tration ( Y
page 32).
Display sa nd operation
Instrumen tc luster lighting
The lighting in th ei nstrumen tc luster, in th ed is-
plays and th ec ontrols in th ev ehicl ei nterior can
be adjusted usin gt he brightness control knob.
The brightness control knob is locate dont he
botto ml ef toft he instrumen tc luste r
( Y
page 32). X
Turn th eb rightness control knob clockwise or
counter-clockwise.
If you tur nt he ligh ts witch ( Y
page 95 )t ot he
X , ` or X position ,t he brightness
will depend upon th eb rightness of th ea mbi -
en tl ight.
The ligh ts ensor in th ei nstrumen tc luste r
automatically control st he brightness of th e
multifunction display. In daylight, th ed isplays
in th ei nstrumen tc luste ra re no ti lluminated.
Speedometer with segments The segments in th es peedometer indicat e
whic hs pee dr ange is available. R
Cruis ec ontro la ctivated ( Y
page 138):
The segments ligh tupf ro mt he store ds pee d
to th em aximum speed. R
Distanc eP ilot DISTRONI Cisa ctivated
( Y
page 140):
On eort wo segments in th es et spee dr ange
ligh tu p. R
Distanc eP ilot DISTRONI Cd etects av ehicl ei n
fron tm oving mor es lowly than th es to re d
speed:
The segments between th es pee doft he vehi-
cle in fron ta nd th es to re ds pee dl igh tu p.
Tachometer
! Do no td riv eint he overrevving range, as this
could damag et he engine.
The red ban dint he tachometer indicates th e
engine's overrevving range.
The fuel suppl yisi nterrupted to protect th e
engin ew hen th er ed ban disr eached.
Outsid et emperatur ed isplayYou should pay special attention to road condi-
tion sw hen temperatures are aroun df re ezing
point.
Bea rinm in dt ha tt he outside temperature dis-
play indicates th et em perature measured and
does no tr ecord th er oad temperature.
The outside temperature display is in th em ulti-
function display ( Y
page 165).
Ac ha ng eint he outside temperature is shown in
th em ultifunction display after ad elay.Display sa nd operation 163
On-boar dc omputer and displays Z

Display messages
Possible causes/consequences and P Solutions
The yellow $ warning lamp lights up and th er ed I (US Ao nl y)
or $ (Canada only) indicator lamp flashes .
It is no tp ossibl etoa pply th ee lectric parking brak em anually.X
Shift th et ra nsmission to position ] .X
Visit aq ualified specialist workshop .
' (US Ao nl y)
M (Canada only)
Check Brake Fluid
Level There is no te no ugh brak ef luid in th eb rak ef luid reservoir .
In addition ,t he ' (US Ao nl y) or M (Canada only) warning lamp
lights up in th ei nstrumen tc luste ra nd aw arning tone sounds.
G WARNIN G
The braking effec tm ay be impaired.
There is ar is kofana ccident.X
Pull ove ra nd stop th ev ehicl es afely as soo nasp ossible, payin g
attention to roa da nd traffic conditions. Do no tc ontinue drivin g
under any circumstances. X
Secur et he vehicl ea gainst rollin ga way ( Y
page 131).X
Consult aq ualified specialist workshop .X
Do no ta dd brak ef luid .T his does no tc orrect th em alfunction .
& Check Brake Pad Wea r The brak ep ads/linings hav er eached their wear limit.X
Visit aq ualified specialist workshop .
S Inoperative On eorm or em ain features of th em brace system are malfunctioning .X
Hav et he mbrace system checke dataq ualified specialist work-
shop.
PRE-SAFE Inopera‐
tiv e See Operator' s
Manual Importan tf unction sofP RE-SAF E ®
hav ef ailed. Al lo th er occupant
safet ys ystems ,e .g .a ir bags ,r emain available.X
Visit aq ualified specialist workshop immediately.
Active Brake Assist
Functions Currently
Limite dS ee Opera‐
tor's Manual Active Brake Assis tist em porarily inoperative.
Possibl ec auses are: R
The radar sensor system is temporarily inoperative, e.g. due to
electromagneti cr adiation emitted by nearby TV or radi os ta tion so r
other source sofe lectromagneti cr adiation .R
The system is outside th eo perating temperature range.R
The on-boar dv oltag eist oo low.
Whe nt he causes state da bov enol onger apply, th ed isplay message
disappears.
Active Brake Assis tiso perational again .
If th ed isplay message does no td isappear :X
Pull ove ra nd stop th ev ehicl es afely as soo nasp ossible, payin g
attention to roa da nd traffic conditions.X
Secur et he vehicl ea gainst rollin ga way ( Y
page 131).X
Restart th ee ng ine.184
Display messages
On-boar dc omputer an dd isplays