2018 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS ECU

Alway ss wi tch off the windshield wipers and
the ignition before cleaning the windshield.
! Do not pull the wipe rb lade .O therwise, the
wipe rb lade could be damaged.
! Do not clean wipe rb lade st oo ofte na nd do
not ru bt hem too hard. Otherwise, the graph-
ite coating could be damaged .T hi sc ould
cause wipe rn oise.
! Hol dt he wipe ra rm securel yw he nf olding
back. The windshield could be damaged if the
wipe ra rm smacks against it suddenly.X
Fol dt he windshield wipe ra rm sa wa yf rom the
windshield. X
Carefully clean the wipe rb lade sw it had am p
cloth. X
Fol dt he windshield wipe ra rm sb ac ka gain
before switching on the ignition.
Cleanin gt he exterior lighting
! Onl yu se cleaning agents or cleaning cloths
which ar es ui tabl ef or plastic light lenses.
Unsuitabl ec leaning agents or cleaning cloths
could scratch or damage the plastic light len-
ses. X
Clea nt he plastic lenses of the exterio rl ig hts
with aw et sponge and am il dc leaning agent,
e.g .M ercedes-Benz car shampo oorc leaning
cloths.
Cleanin gt he mirro rt urn signals
! Onl yu se cleaning agents or cleaning cloths
tha ta re suitabl ef or plastic lenses .U nsuitable
cleaning agents or cleaning cloths could
scratch or damage the plastic lenses of the
mirror turn signals. X
Clea nt he plastic lenses of the mirror turn sig-
nal sint he exterio rm irror housing using aw et
sponge and mil dc leaning agent, e.g.
Mercedes-Benz car shampo oorw it hc leaning
cloths.
Cleanin gt he sensors
! If yo uc lean the sensors with ap ower
washer, make sure tha ty ou kee pad is tance
of at leas t1 1.8 in (30 cm )b et ween the vehicle
and the powe rw as he rn ozzle. Information abou tt he correct distance is availabl ef rom
the equipment manufacturer.
X
Clea ns ensors C of the driving system sw it h
water, car shampo oa nd as of tc loth.
Cleanin gt he rear view camera
! Do not clean the camera lens and the area
around the rea rv ie wc amera with ap ower
washer.
X
Ope nt he camera fla p( Y
page 155).X
Use clean water and as of tc loth to clean
camera lens C .
The camera fla pc loses: R
if the ignition is switched off R
if the camera system is deactivated R
starting at vehicl es peed sa bo ve 6.2 mph
(10 km/h)242
Care
Maintenance and care

Where will If ind...?
Warning triangle
Removing the warning triangle
Warning triangle D is secure dont he insid eo f
the trunk lid. X
Open the trunk lid. X
Turn lever C in the direction of the arrow.X
Remove warning triangle D .
Setting up the warning triangle
X
Fold feet

rubbish. They must be col-
lected separately and dis-
posed of in an environmen-
tall yr esponsible recycling
system.
Dispose of batterie sina n
environmentally responsi-
ble manner. Take dis-
charge db atterie stoaq uali-
fied specialist workshop or
to ac ollection point for
used batteries.
! Have the battery checked regularl yata
qualified specialist workshop.
Observe the service interval sint he Mainte-
nance Booklet or contact aq ualified specialist
workshop for more information.
! Always have work on batterie sc arrie do ut at
aq ualified specialist workshop.
Shoul di t, in exceptiona lc ircumstances, be
absolutel yn ecessary to disconnect the 12-
volt battery yourself, please observe the fol-
lowing: R
Secure the vehicl etop revent it from rolling
away. R
Switch off the ignition. R
Disconnect the negative terminal first and
then the positive terminal.
The transmission is locked in position ]
after disconnecting the battery.
After the work has been done, install the bat-
tery and replace the cover of the positive ter-
minal clamp firmly.
Comply with safety precautions and take pro-
tective measures when handling batteries.
Ris kofe xplosion.
Fire, open flame sa nd smoking are
prohibited when handling the bat-
tery. Avoid creating sparks.
Battery acid is caustic. Avoid contact
with skin, eye sorc lothing.
Wea rs uitable protective clothing,
especially gloves, apro na nd face-
guard. Rinse any acid spills immediately
with clea rw ater. Contact ap hysician
if necessary.
Wea re ye protection.
Keep children away.
Observe this Operator's Manual.
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you only use batterie sw hich have
been tested and approved for you rv ehicl eb y
Mercedes-Benz. These batterie sp rovide
increase di mpact protection to prevent vehicle
occupants from suffering acid burns should the
battery be damaged in the event of an accident.
In order for the battery to achieve the maximum
possible service life ,itm ust alway sbes uffi-
ciently charged.
Like other batteries, the vehicl eb attery may
discharge over time if you do not use the vehicle.
In this case, have the battery disconnected at a
qualified specialist workshop .Y ou can also
charge the battery with ac harge rr ecommended
by Mercedes-Benz. Contact aq ualified special-
ist workshop for further information.
Have the battery condition of charge checked
more frequently if you use the vehicl em ainl yf or
short trips or if you leave it standing idl ef or a
lengthy period. Consult aq ualified specialist
workshop if you wis htol eave you rv ehicle
parked for al ong perio doft ime.
Remove the SmartKey if you park the vehicle
and do not require any electrica lc onsumers.
The vehicl ew il lt hen use very little energy ,t hus
conserving battery power.
If the powe rs upply has been interrupted ,e .g. if
you reconnect the battery ,y ou wil lh ave to:R
reset the function for automatically folding
the exterior mirrors in/out by folding the mir-
rors out once ( Y
pag e9 1)R
set the clock
On vehicles with am ultimedia system, the
time is set automatically.252
Battery (vehicle)
Breakdown assistance

G WARNING
During the charging process ,ab attery produces hydrogen gas. If as hort circui to ccurs or sparks
are created ,t he hydrogen gas can ignite. There is ar isk of an explosion.R
Make sure that the positive terminal of ac onnected battery does not come into contact with
vehicl ep arts.R
Never place metal objects or tools on ab attery.R
It is important that you observe the described order of the battery terminal sw hen connecting
and disconnecting ab attery.R
When jump-starting, make sure that the battery pole sw ith identical polarity are connected.R
It is particularl yi mportant to observe the described order when connecting and disconnecting
the jumper cables. R
Never connect or disconnect the battery terminal sw hile the engine is running.
G WARNING
Ad ischarged battery can freeze at temperatures below freezing point. When jump-starting the
vehicl eorc harging the battery ,g ase sc an escap ef rom the battery .T here is ar isk of an explosion.
Allow the frozen battery to thaw out before charging it or jump-starting.
! Avoid repeated and lengthy starting attempts. Otherwise, the catalytic converter coul db e
damaged by the non-combusted fuel.
If the indicator/warning lamp sdon ot light up at low temperatures, it is very likel yt hat the dis-
charge db attery has frozen. In this case, you may neither charge the battery nor jump-start the
vehicle. The service life of at hawed-out battery may be shorter. The starting characteristics can be
impaired ,p articularl yatl ow temperatures. Have the thawed-out battery checked at aq ualified
specialist workshop.
Do not start the vehicl eu sing ar api dc harging device. If you rv ehicle's battery is discharged, the
engine can be jump-started from another vehicl eorf rom as econd battery using jumper cables.
Observe the following points: R
The battery is not accessible in all vehicles. If the other vehicle's battery is not accessible ,j ump-
start the vehicl eu sing as econd battery or aj ump-starting device.R
You may only jump-start the vehicl ew hen the engine and exhaust system are cold.R
Do not start the engine if the battery is frozen. Let the battery thaw first. R
Only jump-start from batterie sw ith a12Vv oltag er ating.R
Only use jumper cables which have as ufficient cross-section and insulated terminal clamps.R
If the battery is full yd ischarged, leave the battery that is being used to jump-start connected for
af ew minutes before attempting to start. This charge st he battery slightly.R
Make sure that the two vehicles do not touch.
Make sure that: R
The jumper cables are not damaged. R
Bare parts of the terminal clamp do not come into contact with other metal parts while the jumper
cables are connected to the ba ttery.R
The jumper cables cannot come into contact with parts which can move when the engine is
running, such as the V-belt pulley or the fan. X
Secure the vehicl ebya pplying the electric parking brake.X
Shift the transmission to position ] .254
Jump-starting
Breakdown assistance

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

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

Avoi dt ire pressures tha ta re too high in al lt he
tires, including the spare wheel.
Overinflated tire sm ay :R
increase the braking distance R
adversel ya ffect handlingR
wear excessivel ya nd/or unevenlyR
have an adverse effect on rid ec omfortR
be more susceptibl etod amag e
Maximum tire pressures
C
Example: maximu mp er missibl et ire pres-
sure
Never exceed the maximu mp er missibl et ire
inflation pressure. Alway so bs erve the recom-
mended tire pressure for your vehicl ew he n
adjusting the tire pressure ( Y
page 263).
i The actual values for tire sa re vehicle-spe-
cifi ca nd ma yd ev iate from the values in the
illustration.
Checkin gt he tire pressures
Important safety notes The tire pressure monitor does not warn yo uo f:R
incorrectly set tire pressure R
sudden loss of tire pressure, e.g .f rom af or-
eign object tha th as penetrated the tire
Observ et he notes on tire pressure
( Y
page 263). Informatio nona ir pressure for the tire sony ou r
vehicl ec an be found: R
on the vehicle's Tire and Loading Information
placard on the B-pillar R
on the tire pressure table in the fuel fille rf lapR
in the "Tire pressure" section
Checkin gt ire pressure sm anuallyTo determine and set the correct tire pressure,
procee dasf ollows: X
Remove the valve cap of the tire tha ti stob e
checked. X
Press the tire pressure gaug es ecurel yo nto
the valve. X
Read the tire pressure and compar eittot he
recommende dv alue on the Tire and Loading
Informatio np la card or the tire pressure table
( Y
page 263). X
If the tire pressure is too low, increase the tire
pressure to the recommende dv alue.X
If the tire pressure is too high, release air. To
do so, press down the meta lp in in the valve,
using the tip of ap en for example. The nc heck
the tire pressure agai nu si ng the tire pressure
checker. X
Screw the valve cap onto the valve. X
Repeat thes es tep sf or the othe rt ires.
Tire pressure loss warning system
(Canada only)
General notes While the vehicl eisinm otion, the tire pressure
loss warning system monitors the set tire pres-
sure using the rotational speed of the wheels.
Thi se nables the system to detect significant
pressure loss in at ire .Ift he speed of rotatio no f
aw heel change sasa resul tofa loss of pressure,
ac orresponding warning message will appear in
the multifunctio nd is play.
Yo uc an recognize the tire pressure loss warning
by the Run Fla tI ndicator Active Press
'OK 'toR estart message which appear si n
the Serv. menu of the multifunctio nd is play.
Informatio nont he message display can be
found in the "Restarting the tire pressure loss
warning system "s ectio n( Y
page 267).266
Tire pressure
Wheel sa nd tires

Speed rating The speed rating is part of the tire identification.
It specifies the speed range for which the tire is
approved.
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight) The gross vehicle weight includes the weight of
the vehicle including fuel, tools, the spare wheel,
accessories installed, occupants, luggage and
the drawbar noseweight, if applicable. The gross
vehicle weight must not exceed the gross vehi-
cle weight rating GVWR as specified on the vehi-
cle identification plate on the B-pillar on the
driver's side.
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) The GVWR is the maximum permissible gross
weight of af ully loaded vehicle (the weight of the
vehicle including all accessories, occupants,
fuel, luggage and the drawbar noseweight, if
applicable). The gross vehicle weight rating is
specified on the vehicle identification plate on
the B-pillar on the driver's side.
Maximu ml oaded vehicle weightThe maximum weight is the sum of: R
the curb weight of the vehicle R
the weight of the accessories R
the load limit R
the weight of the factory installed optional
equipment
Kilopascal (kPa) Metric unit for tire pressure. 6.9 kPa corre-
sponds to 1p si. Another unit for tire pressure is
bar. 100 kilopascals (kPa) are the equivalent of
1b ar.
Load index
In addition to the load-bearing index, the load
index may also be imprinted on the sidewal lo f
the tire. This specifies the load-bearing capacity
more precisely.
Curb weight
The weight of av ehicle with standard equipment
including the maximum capacity of fuel, oil and
coolant. It also includes the air-conditioning sys-
tem and optional equipment if these are instal-
led in the vehicle, but does not include passen-
gers or luggage. Maximu ml oad ratingThe maximum load rating is the maximum per-
missible weight in kilograms or lbs for which a
tire is approved.
Maximu mp ermissible tire pressureMaximum permissible tire pressure for one tire.
Maximu ml oad on one tireMaximum load on one tire. This is calculated by
dividing the maximum axle load of one axle by
two.
PSI (pounds per squar ei nch)As tandard unit of measure for tire pressure.
Aspect ratio Relationship between tire height and tire width
in percent.
Tire pressure This is pressure inside the tire applying an out-
ward force to each square inch of the tire's sur-
face. The tire pressure is specified in pounds per
square inch (psi), in kilopascal (kPa) or in bar.
The tire pressure should only be corrected when
the tires are cold.
Cold tire pressure The tires are cold: R
if the vehicle has been parked with the tires
out of direct sunlight for at least three hours
and R
if the vehicle has not been driven further than
1m ile (1.6 km)
Tread
The part of the tire that comes into contact with
the road.
Bead
The tire bead ensures that the tire sits securely
on the wheel. There are several steel wires in the
bead to prevent the tire from coming loose from
the wheel rim.
Sidewall
The part of the tire between the tread and the
bead.All about wheel sa nd tires 279
Wheels and tires Z