2018 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS Owners Manual

X
Make sure that the ignition is switched off. All indicator lamps in the instrumen tc luster must be
off. When using the SmartKey, turn the SmartKey to position

Towin ga nd tow-starting
Important safety notes
G WARNING
When towing or tow-startin ga nothe rv ehicle
and its weight is greate rt ha nt he permissible
gross weight of your vehicle, the: R
the towing ey ec ould detach itselfR
the vehicle/trailer combinatio nc ould roll-
over.
There is ar is kofana ccident.
When towing or tow-startin ga nothe rv ehicle,
its weight shoul dn ot be greate rt ha nt he per-
missibl eg ross weight of your vehicle.
Detail sont he permissibl eg ross vehicl ew eigh t
of your vehicl ec an be found on the vehicl ei de n-
tification plate ( Y
page 289).
! When Activ eB rake Assist, Distance Pilot
DISTRONI Cort he HOLD functio ni sa ctivated,
the vehicl eb rakes automaticall yinc ertain
situations.
To avoi dd amag etot he vehicle, deactivate
these system sint he following or similar sit-
uations: R
when towing the vehicle R
in the car wash
! Onl ys ecur et he tow rop eort ow ba ratt he
towing eyes. Otherwise, the vehicl ec ould be
damaged.
! Do not us et he towing ey ef or recovery, this
could damage the vehicle. If in doubt, recover
the vehicl ew it hac rane.
! When towing ,p ul la wa ys lowly and
smoothly. If the tractiv ep ower is too high, the
vehicles could be damaged.
! Do not tow with sling-typ ee quipment .T h is
could damage the vehicle.
! When towing away vehicles with KEYLESS-
GO ,u se the key instea doft he Start/Stop
button. The automatic transmission ma yo th-
erwis es hift to position ] when yo uo pe nt he
driver's or front-passenge rd oo r, which could
damage the transmission. ! Make sure tha tt he electri cp ar kin gb rake is
released .Ift he electri cp ar kin gb rake is faulty,
visit aq uali fied specialis tw or kshop.
! The vehicl ec an be towed am ax imum of
30 miles (50km). The towing spee dof30m ph
(50 km/h )m us tn ot be exceeded.
If the vehicl eh as to be towed mor et han
30 miles (50km), the entire vehicl em us tb e
raised and transported.
! If yo ut ow or tow-start anothe rv ehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximum per-
missibl eg ross vehicl ew eigh tofy ou rv ehicle.
It is better to have the vehicl et ransporte dt han
to have it towed away.
The automatic transmission must be in position
\\ when the vehicl eisb ei ng towed away.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you: R
canno tt ur nt he SmartKe ytop osit ion H in
the ignition lock. R
canno ts hift the automatic transmission to
position \\ .
Deactivate the automatic locking featur eb ef o re
th
e vehicl eist owed ( Y
page 173) .Y ou could
otherwis ebel oc ked ou tw he np us hing or towing
the vehicle.
Installing/removin gt he towin ge ye
Installing the towin ge ye
G WARNING
The exhaust tai lp ip em ay be ver yh ot. There is
ar is kofb ur ns when removing the rea rc over.
Do not touch the exhaust pipe .T ak ep ar ticular
car ew he nr emoving the rea rc over.256
Towin ga nd tow-starting
Breakdow na ssistance

The bracket sf or the screw-in towing eye are
located in the bumpers. They are at the front and
at the rear, behind the covers. X
Remove the towing eye from the vehicle tool
kit ( Y
page 245).X
Press the mark on cover C inwards in the
direction of the arrow. X
Take cover C off the opening.X
Screw in the towing eye clockwise as far as it
will go and tighten it.
Removing the towing eye X
Unscrew and remove the towing eye. X
Attach cover C to the bumper and press until
it engages. X
Place the towing eye in the vehicle tool kit.
Towing av ehicle with both axles on
the ground
G WARNING
You can no longer steer the vehicle if the
steerin gw heel lock has been engaged. There
is ar isk of an accident.
Always switch off the ignition when towing the
vehicle with at ow cable or at ow bar.
The automatic transmission shifts to position
] automatically when you open the driver's or
front-passenger door or when you remove the
SmartKey from the ignition lock. In order to ensure that the automatic transmis-
sion stays in position \\ when towing away the
vehicle, you must observe the following points: X
Switch on the hazard warning lamps
( Y
page 97). X
Turn the SmartKey to position H in the igni-
tion lock.
On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the Smart-
Key instead of the Start/Stop button
( Y
page 116). X
Depress and hold the brake pedal. X
Shift the transmission to position \\ .X
Release the brake pedal. X
Release the electric parking brake. X
Leave the SmartKey in position H in the igni-
tion lock.
In order to signal ac hange of direction when
towing the vehicle with the hazard warning
lamps switched on, use the combination switch
as usual. In this case, only the indicator lamps
for the direction of travel flash. When you reset
the combination switch, the hazard warning
flashers start flashing again.
It is important that you observe the safety
instructions when towing away your vehicle
( Y
page 256).
Towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised
! The ignition must be switched off if you are
towing the vehicle with the rear axle raised.
Intervention by ESP ®
could otherwise dam-
age the brake system.
! Vehicles with automatic transmission must
not be towed with the rear axle raised. The
vehicle/trailer combination may otherwise
swerve or even roll over.Towing and tow-starting 257
Breakdown assistance Z

Transporting the vehicle
Vehicle sw it ha utomatic transmission
! When the vehicl eisl oaded for transport, the
front and rea ra xles must be stationar ya nd on
the same transportatio nv ehicle. Positioning
ove rt he connectio np oi nt of the transport
vehicl eisn ot permitted .T he drive train may
otherwis ebed amaged .
Al lv eh icles
! Yo um ay onl ys ecur et he vehicl ebyt he
wheels ,n ot by parts of the vehicl es uc ha s
axl eors teerin gc omponents. Otherwise, the
vehicl ec ould be damaged.
The towing ey ec an be used to pull the vehicle
onto at railer or transporte rf or transporting pur-
poses. X
Turn the SmartKe ytop osit ion H in the igni-
tio nl oc k.X
Shift the transmission to position \\ .
As soon as the vehicle has been loaded: X
Prevent the vehicl ef ro mr olling away by
applying the electri cp ar kin gb rake.X
Shift the transmission to position ] .X
Turn the SmartKe ytop osit ion

X
Make sure that the ignition is switched off
( Y
page 116).
or X
When using the SmartKey, turn the SmartKey
to position

Important safety notes
G WARNIN G
If wheels and tires of th ew rong siz ea re used,
th ew hee lb rakes or suspension component s
may be damaged. Ther eisar is kofana cci-
dent.
Always replace wheels and tires wit ht ho se
that fulfill th es pecification soft he original
part .
When replacing wheels, mak es ur etou se th e
correct: R
designation R
model
When replacing tires ,m ak es ur etou se th e
correct: R
designation R
manufacturer R
model
G WARNIN G
Af lat tire severely impairs th ed riving ,s te er -
ing and braking characteristics of th ev ehicle.
Ther eisar is kofa ccident.
Tires without run-flat characteristics :R
do no td riv ew it haf lat tire.R
immediately replace th ef lat tire wit hy our
emergenc ys par ew hee lors par ew heel, or
consult aq ualified specialist workshop.
Tires wit hr un-flat characteristics :R
pay attention to th ei nformation and warn -
ing notice sonM OExtended tires (tire sw it h
run-flat characteristics).
Accessories that are no ta pprove df or your vehi-
cle by Mercedes-Ben zora re no tb ein gu sed cor-
rectl yc an impair th eo perating safety.
Before purchasing and usin gn on-ap prove d
accessories, visit aq ualified specialist work-
sho pa nd ask about :R
suitabilit yR
legal stipulation sR
factory recommendation s Further information regarding wheels and tires
can be foun du nder "Wheel/tire combinations"
( Y
page 284).
You can ask for information regarding permitte d
wheel-tire combination satana uthorize d
Mercedes-Ben zC enter.
Information on tire pressur ec an be found:R
on th eT ir ea nd Loading Information placard
on th eB -p illar on th ed river' ss ide
( Y
page 271) R
in th et ir ep ressur et able in th ef uel filler flap
( Y
page 130) R
in th e" Tir ep ressure" section
Operation
Information on driving Chec kt he tire pressur ew hen th ev ehicl ei s
heavily laden and adjust prio rtoat ri p.
While driving ,p ay attention to vibrations, noises
and unusual handlin gc ha racteristics ,e .g .p ull-
ing to on es ide .T his may indicat et ha tt he
wheels or tires are damaged. If you suspec tt ha t
at ir eisd efective, reduce your spee di mmedi-
ately. Stop th ev ehicl eass oo nasp ossible to
chec kt he wheels and tires for damage. Hidden
tire damag ec ou ld also be causing th eu nusual
handlin gc ha racteristics .Ify ou fin dnos ign so f
damage, hav et he tires and wheels checke data
qualified specialist workshop.
When parking your vehicle, mak es ur et ha tt he
tires do no tg et deformed by th ec ur boro th er
obstacles. If they canno tbea voided, driv eo ve r
obstacles suc hasc urbs slowly and at an obtuse
angle. Otherwise, you may damag et he wheels
or tires .
Regula rc hecking of wheels and tires
G WARNIN G
Damaged tires can caus et ir ei nflation pres-
sur el oss .Asar esult ,y ou could lose control of
your vehicle. Ther eisar is kofa ccident.
Chec kt he tires regularly for sign sofd amag e
and replace any damaged tires immediately.260
Operation
Wheels and tires

Chec kw heel sa nd tires for damag eatl east once
am onth .C hec kw heel sa nd tires after driv ing
off-road or on roug hr oads. Damaged wheels
can caus eal oss of tir ep ressure. Pay particular
attentio ntod amag es uc ha s:R
cut sint he tiresR
punctures in th et ir esR
tears in th et ir esR
bulges on tires R
deformatio nors evere corrosio nonw heels
Regular ly check th et ir et re ad dept ha nd the
conditio noft he tread across th ew hole widt ho f
th et ir e( Y
page 261). If necessary, tur nt he
fron tw heel stof ull loc kino rder to inspec tt he
inner side of th et ir es urface.
All wheel sm ust have av alv ec ap to protect the
valv ea gainst dirt and moisture. Do no tm ount
anythin go nt ot he valv eo th er than th es ta ndard
valv ec ap or other valv ec aps approved by
Mercedes-Ben zf or your veh icle .Don ot use any
other valv ec aps or systems ,e .g .t ir ep ressure
monitorin gs ystems.
Regular ly check th ep ressur eofa ll th et ir es par-
ticularly prio rtol on gt ri ps. Adjus tt he tir ep res-
sure as necessary ( Y
page 263).
Observ et he note sont he emergenc ys pare
wheel ( Y
page 285).
The servic el ife of tires depends, amon go th er
things, on th ef oll owin gf actors:R
driv ing styleR
tir ep ressureR
dist anc ec ov ered
Notes on tir et re ad
G WAR NING
In suff icie nt tir et re ad will reduce tir et ra ction.
The tir eisnol onger able to dissipat ew ater.
This mean st ha tonw et road surfaces ,t he risk
of hydroplaning increases, in particular where
spee disn ot adapted to suit th ed riving con-
dit ions. Ther eisar is kofa cc iden t.
If th et ir ep ressur eist oo high or to ol ow, tires
may ex hibit different leve ls of wear at diff er-
en tl ocations on th et ir et re ad. Thus ,y ou
should regularly check th et re ad dept ha nd
th ec on di tio noft he tread across th ee nt ir e
widt hofa ll tires. Minimum tir et re ad dept hf or:R
Summer tires:

MOExtended tires (tires with run-flat
characteristics) With MOExtended tires (tires with run flat char-
acteristics), you can continue to drive you rv ehi-
cle even if there is at otal loss of pressure in one
or more tires.
MOExtended tires may only be use dinc onjunc-
tion with an active tire pressure loss warning
system or with an active tire pressure monitor
and on wheels specifically tested by Mercedes-
Benz.
Notes on driving with MOExtended tires with a
flat tire ( Y
pag e2 47).
Vehicles equipped with MOExtended tires are
not equipped with aT IREFIT kit at the factory. It
is therefore recommende dt hat you additionally
equip you rv ehicl ew ith aT IREFIT kit if you mount
tires that do not feature run-fla tc haracteristics,
e.g. winter tires. AT IREFIT kit can be obtained
from aq ualified specialist workshop.
Winter operation
General notes Have you rv ehicl ew inter-proofed at aq ualified
specialist worksho patt he onset of winter.
Observe the notes in the "Changing aw heel"
section ( Y
pag e2 80).
Driving with summer tires At temperatures below 45 ‡( +7 †), summer
tires lose elasticity and therefore traction and
braking power. Change the tires on you rv ehicle
to M+S tires .U sing summe rt ires at very cold
temperatures coul dc aus ec racks to form,
thereby damaging the tires permanently.
Mercedes-Benz cannot accept responsibility for
this type of damage.
G WARNING
Damaged tires can caus et ire inflation pres-
sure loss. As ar esult, you coul dl ose control of
you rv ehicle. There is ar isk of accident.
Check the tires regularl yf or signs of damage
and replace any damaged tires immediately. M+S tires
G WARNING
M+S tires with at ire tread depth of less than