2018 MERCEDES-BENZ SLC ROADSTER ESP

Deactivating or activating theECO
start/stop functionXTo deactivate :press EC Obutto n:.
Indicator lamp ;goe sout.
XTo activate :press EC Obutto n:.
Indicator lamp ;lights up.
If indicator lamp ;is off, th eECO start/sto p
function has bee ndeactivated manually or as
th er esult of amalfunction .The engin ewill then
no tbes witched of fautomatically when th evehi-
cl es tops .
Problem switht he engin e
ProblemPossible causes/consequences an dMSolutions
The engin edoesn ot
start .The HOLD function or Distanc ePilotD ISTR ONIC is activated.
XDeactivat ethe HOLD function (Ypage 148) or Distanc ePilot
DISTRONIC (Ypage 146).
XTryt os tart th eenginea gain .
The engin edoesn ot
start .The starter moto r
can be heard.RThere is amalfunction in th eenginee lectronics.
RThere is amalfunction in th efuelsupply.
Before attemptin gtostart th eenginea gain :
XTurnthe SmartKey bac ktoposition uin th eignition lock.
or
XPress th eStart/Sto pbutto nrepeatedly until all indicator lamp sin
th ei nstrument cluster go out .
XTryt os tart th eenginea gain (Ypage 117). Avoid excessivel ylon g
and frequent attempt stostart th eengineast hese will drain th e
battery.
If th eengined oesn otstart after severa lattempts:
XConsult aqualified specialis tworkshop .
The engin edoesn ot
start .You canno thear
th es tarter motor.The on-boar dvoltag eistoolow because th ebattery is to oweak or
discharged.
XJump-start th evehicle (Ypage 253).
If th eengined oesn otstart despit eattempts to jump-start it :
XConsultaqualified specialis tworkshop .
The starter moto rwas exposed to athermal load that was to ohigh.
XAllow th estarter moto rtocooldown fo rapproximately tw ominutes.
XTryt os tart th eenginea gain .
If th eengines till doe snotstart :
XConsult aqualified specialis tworkshop .
120Driving
Driving an dpark ing

drive program, regardless of the display in the
multimedia system display.
In urban traffic and stop-start traffic, drive pro-
gram Cis recommended.
Available drive programs:
C ComfortComfortable and economi-
cal driving characteristics
SSportSportyd riving characteris-
tics
S+ Sport PlusParticularly sportyd riving
characteristics
I IndividualIndividual settings
E EconomyParticularly economical
driving characteristics
Additional information for drive programs
(Ypage 125).
Automatic transmission
Important safetyn otes
GWARNING
If the engin espeed is above the idling speed
and you engage transmission position Dor R,
the vehicle could pull away suddenly. There is
ar isk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmly depress the brake pedal and do not simultaneously accelerate.
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhen you switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away. There is arisk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parkin gposition P.Preventt he parked vehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
Selector lever
Overview of transmission positions
!If the engin espeed is too high or the vehicle
is in motion ,donot shift the automatic trans-
mission directly from htok,f romktoh
or directly to j.
Do not open the driver'sd oor while the vehi-
cle is in motion .Atlow speeds in transmission
position hork,o therwise park position j
is engaged automatically.
The transmission could be damaged.
jPark position
kReverse gear
iNeutral
hDrive
The selector lever always return stoits original
position .The currentt ransmission position j,
k, iorh is shown in the transmission posi-
tion display in the multifunction display.
Transmission position and drive pro-
gram display
All vehicles (except for Mercedes-AMG
SLC 43)
:Transmission position
;Gear
=Driv eprogram
122Automatic transmission
Driving and parking

ANeutral
Do not shift the transmission toA
whil edriving .The automatic trans-
mission could otherwis ebedam-
aged.
No powe ristransmitted fromt he
engine to the drive wheels.
Releasing the brake peda lwilla llow
yo utom ovet he vehicl efreely, e.g .to
push it or tow it.
If ESP
®is deactivated or faulty: shift
the transmission to position Aif
the vehicl eisindangerofs kidding,
e.g .oni cy roads.
!Coasting in neutral imay
cause damage to the drive train.
7Drive
The automatic transmission changes
gear automatically. All forward gears
ar ea vailable.
Driving tips
Changin ggear
The automatic transmission shifts throug hthe
individual gear sautomaticall ywhenitisint rans-
mission position h.Thisa utomatic gear shift-
ing behavio risdetermine dby:
Rthe selecte ddrive program
Rthe positio nofthe accelerator pedal
Rthe roa dspeed
Accelerator peda lposition
Your style of driving influences how the auto-
matic transmission shifts gear:
Rlittle throttle :early upshifts
Rmor ethrottle :lat eu pshifts
Kickdown
Use kickdow nfor maximum acceleration.
XDepres sthe accelerator peda lbeyond the
pressure point.
The automatic transmission shifts to alower
gear depending on the engine speed.
XEas eoff the accelerator peda lonce the
desired speed is reached.
The automatic transmission shifts back up.
Drive programs
Drive program C(Comfort)
In urba ntraffica nd stop-start traffic, drive pro-
gram Cis recommended.
Driv eprogram Cis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rthe vehicl edelivers comfortable, economical
handling characteristics.
Rthe vehicl epulls away mor egently in forward
and revers egears ,unless the accelerator
peda lisdepressedf ully.
Rthe vehicl ehasimproved driving stability, for
exampl eonslipperyroads urfaces.
Roptima lfue lconsumption resulting fromt he
automatic transmission shifting up sooner.
The vehicl eisdriven in the lo wengine speed
range and the wheels ar elesslikel ytos pin.
Rth es uspension exhibits comfortabl edam ping
settings (adaptive damping system onl yin
vehicles with AMG RIDE CONTROL sports
suspension).
Rthe steering exhibits comfortabl esteering
characteristics.
Drive program S(Sport)
Driv eprogram Sis characterized by the follow-
ing:
Rthe vehicl eexhibits sporty driving character-
istics.
Rthe vehicl epulls away in first gear.
Rthe automatic transmission shifts up later.
The fuel consumption possibl ybeing higher
as aresul toft he later automatic transmission
shift points.
Automatict ransmission125
Driving andparking
Z

Drivingtips
General notes
Important safet ynotes
GWARNING
If you switch of fthe ignition whil edriving,
safety-relevant function sare only available
wit hlimitations, or no tatall. Thi scould affect,
fo re xample, th epowe rsteerin gand th ebrake
boostin geffect. You will require considerably
more effort to steer and brake .There is arisk
of an accident.
Do no tswitch of fthe ignition whil edriving.
GWARNING
If you operat emobile communication equip -
men twhen driving, you may be distracted
from th etraffic situation .You could also los e
contro lofthevehicle. There is ariskofa n
accident.
Only operat ethise quipmen twhen th evehicle
is stationary.
Observ ethe lega lrequirements fo rthe country
in whic hyou are driving. Some jurisdiction spro-
hibi tthe driver from usin gamobile phone whil e
drivin gavehicle.
If you mak eacallw hiled riving, always use
hands-free mode. Only operat ethe telephon e
when th etraffic situation permits. If you are
unsure ,pull over to asafel ocation and stop
befor eoperatin gthe telephone.
Bear in min dthatatas peed of only 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), th evehicle cover sa
distanc eof44f t(approximately 14 m)per sec-
ond.
Drive sensibly –save fuel
Observe the following tips to save fuel:
RThe tires should always be inflated to the rec-
ommended tire pressure.
RRemove unnecessary loads.
RWarm up the engin eatlow engin espeeds.
RAvoid frequenta cceleration or braking.
RObserve the servicei ntervals in the Mainte-
nanc eBooklet or in the servicei nterval dis-play. Have all the maintenanc
ework carried in
accordance with Daimler AG regulations.
Fuel consumption also increases when driving in cold weather, in stop-start traffic and in hilly ter-
rain.
Drinking and driving
GWARNING
Drinkin gand driving and/or takin gdrugs and
driving are very dangerous combinations.
Even asmall amount of alcohol or drugs can
affect your reflexes, perceptions and judg-
ment.
The possibility of aserious or even fatal acci-
dent is greatly increased when you drink or
take drugs and drive.
Do not drink or take drugs and drive or allow
anyone to drive who has been drinking or tak-
ing drugs.
Emission control
GWARNING
Combustion engines emit poisonous exhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is ar isk of fatal injury. Thereforen ever leave
the engin erunning in enclosed spaces with-
out sufficientv entilation.
Certain engin esystems are designed to keep
the level of poisonous component sinexhaust
fumes within legal limits.
These systems only work at peak efficiency if
they are serviced exactly in accordance with the
manufacturer's specifications .Always have
work on the engin ecarried out at aqualified
specialist workshop. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you use an authorized Mercedes-
BenzC enter for this purpose. In particular, work
relevant to safety or on safety-related systems
must be carried out at aqualified specialist
workshop.
The engin esettings must not be changed under
any circumstances. Furthermore, all specific
servicew ork must be carried out at regular
intervals and in accordance with the Mercedes-
Benzs ervicer equirements. Details can be found
in the Maintenance Booklet.
134Driving tips
Driving and parking

ECO display
The ECO display showsyou how economical
your driving style is. The ECO display assists you
in achievin gthe mos teconomical driving style
for th eselecte dsettings and prevailingc ondi-
tions .Your driving style can significantly influ-
enc ethe vehicle's consumption.
:Acceleration
;Coasting
=Constant
?Additional range achieved
Range ?is shownu nderBonus
fr.Startand
represents th eadditional range achieve dsince
th eb eginnin gofthejourney as aresult of an
adapted driving style.
If th efuel leve lhas dropped int othe reserve
range, the FuelLow
message is shownint he
multifunction display instead of range ?.The
8 warning lamp in th einstrumen tcluster
also lightsup(
Ypage 207). The ECO display consistsoft
hree sections ,with
an inner and outer area. The sections corre-
spondtot hefollowingt hree categories:
:Acceleration (evaluationofall accel-
eration processes):
Rth eo uter area fills up and th einner
area lightsupg reen: moderate
acceleration, especiall yathigher
speeds
Rth eo uter area empties and the
inner area is gray: sporty acceler-
ation
;Coasting (evaluationofall decelera-
tio np rocesses):
Rtheo uter area fills up and th einner
area lightsupg reen: anticipatory
driving ,kee pingy our distanc eand
early release of th eaccelerator.
The vehicle can coas twithout use
of th ebrakes.
Rtheo uter area empties and the
inner area is gray: frequenth eavy
braking
=Constant (continuous evaluation
ove rthe entire journey):
Rtheo uter area fills up and th einner
area lightsupg reen: constant
speeda nd avoidanc eofunneces-
sary acceleratio nand deceleration
Rtheo uter area empties and the
inner area is gray: fluctuationsi n
speed
The three inner areas display th ecurren tdriving
style and light up green as aresult of aparticu-
larly economical driving style. Dependingont he
driving situation, up to two areas may light up
simultaneously.
At th ebeginnin gofthejourney, th ethree outer
areas are emptya nd fill up asaresult of eco-
nomical driving .Ahigher leve lindicates amore
economical driving style. If th ethree outer areas
are completely fille datthesame time, th edriver
has adopted th emoste conomical driving style
for th eselecte dsettings and prevailingc ondi-
tions .The ECO display border lightsu p.
The ECO display does no tindicat ethe actual fuel
consumption. The additionally achieve drange
displayed under Bonus fr. start
does not
indicat eafixed consumptio nreduction.
Driving tips135
Driving and parking
Z

In addition to driving style, the actual consump-
tion is affected by other factors, such as:
Rload
Rtire pressure
Rcold start
Rchoice of route
Ractive electrical consumers
These factors are not includedint he ECO dis-
play.
An economical driving style specially requires
driving at moderate engine speeds.
Achieving ahigher valueint he categories
"Acceleration" and "Constant":
Robserve the gearshift recommendations.
Rdrive the vehicle in drive program Cor E.
In urbant raffic and stop-start traffic, drive pro-
gram Cis recommended.
On long journeys at aconstant 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 areasatt he start ofajourney. On lon-
ger journeys, there are fewer changes. For more
marked changes, perform amanua lrest
(
Ypage 167).
Further information on the ECO display
(
Ypage 166).
Braking
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If you shift down on aslippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheelsc ould lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface.
Downhill gradients
!On long, steep gradients, you must reduce
the load on the brakes. To use engine braking,
shift to alowerg 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
adrive 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 alowerg 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 PilotD ISTRONIC.
Heavy and light loads
GWARNING
If you rest you rfoot on the brake pedalw 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 pedalasaf ootrest. Never
depresst he brake pedala nd the accelerator
pedalatt he same time.
!Depressing the brake pedalc onstantly
results in excessive and premature weart o
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to aheavy
load,don ot stop the vehicle immediately,b ut
drive on for ashort while. This allows the airflow
to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads
If you have driven for along time in heavy rain
withoutb raking, there may be adelayed 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 depresst he brake pedalmore
firmly.M aintainagreater distance from the
vehicle in front.
After driving on awet road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly whilep aying attention to
the traffic conditions. This willw arm up the
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.
136Driving tips
Driving and parking

Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads
If you driveonsalted roads,alayer of salt resi-
due may for monthebraked iscsand brake
pads. This can result in asignificantly longer
braking distance.
RIn ordertop revent any salt build-up, apply the
brakes occasionally while paying attention to th et raffic conditions.
RCarefully depress th ebrakep edal and the
beginnin gand end of ajou rney.
RMaintain agreater distanc etothevehicle
ahead.
Servicing th ebrakes
!The brakef luid level may be to olow, if:
Rif th ered brakew arning lamp lightsupi n
th ei nstrumentc luster and
Ryou hearawarning tone while th eengine is
running
Observe additional warning messages in the
multifunction display.
The brakef luid level may be to olow due to
brak epad wear or leaking brak elines.
Hav ethe brakes ystem checked immediately.
Consult aqualifie dspecialist workshop to
arrange this.
!As th eESP®system operates automatically,
th ee ngine and th eignitio nmust be switched
off (th eSmartKey must be in position uor
1 in th eignitio nlock), if th eelectric parking
brakeist ested onabraking dynamometer
(maximum 10 seconds).
Brakin gtriggered automatically by ESP
®may
cause severe damage to th ebrakes ystem.
All check sand maintenanc ework on th ebrake
system must be carried out at aqualifie dspe-
cialis tworkshop.
Hav ebrakep ads installe dand brak efluid
replaced at aqualifie dspecialist workshop.
If th ebrakes ystem has onl ybeen subject to
moderatel oads, you should tes tthe functional-
ity of your brakes at regular intervals.
Information on BA S(Brake Assist)(
Ypage 57).
Mercedes-Ben zrecommend stha tyou onl yhave
brakep ads/linings installe donyour vehicle
whichh ave been approved for Mercedes-Benz
vehicle sorwhichcorrespondtoane quivalent
qualitys tandard. Brake pads/linings whichh avenot been approved for Mercedes-Ben
zv
ehic
les
or whicha re not of an equivalent qualityc ould
affect your vehicle's operatin gsafety.
Mercedes-Ben zrecommend sthaty ou onl yuse
brakef luid that has been specially approved for
your vehicle by Mercedes-Benz, or whichc orre-
sponds to an equivalent qualitys tandard. Brake
fluid whichh as not been approved for
Mercedes-Ben zvehicle sorw hichisn ot of an
equivalent qualityc ould affect your vehicle's
operatin gsafety.
High-performance brake system
(except Mercedes-AMG SLC 43)
AM Gb rakes ystems are designed for heavy
loads and have component swith corresponding
properties. This may lead to noise when braking.
This will dependo n:
RSpeed
RBrakingforce
RAmbientc onditions, e.g .temperature and
humidity
The wear of individual component softhebrake
system, such as th ebrakep ads/linings or brake
discs, depends on th eindividual driving style
and operatin gconditions.
For this reason, it is impossibletos tate am ile-
age that will be valid unde rall circumstances. An
aggressived riving style will lead to high wear.
You can obtain morei nformationonthisf roma
qualifie dspecialist workshop.
New and replaced brakep ads and discsonly
reacht heir optimum braking effect after several
hundred kilometers of driving .Compensate for
this by applyingg reater force to thebrakep edal.
Keep this in mind, and adapt your driving and
braking accordingl yduringt hisb reak-in period.
Excessive heavy braking results in correspond-
ingly high brak ewear. Observe th ebrakes ystem
warning lamp in th einstrumentc luster and note
any brak estatus messages in th emultifunction
display. Especially for high performanc edriving,
it is important to maintain and have th ebrake
system checked regularly.
Driving tips137
Driving and parking
Z

Drivingonw et road s
Hydroplaning
If water has accumulated to acertai ndept hon
th er oads urface, there is adanger of hydro-
planin goccurring.
Fo rthisr eason ,intheevent of heav yrain or in
condition sinwhichh ydroplaning may occur ,
you mus tdrive in th efollowin gmanner:
Rlowe ryour speed
Ravoid rut s
Ravoid sudden steerin gmovements
Rbrake carefully
Drivin gonflooded road s
!Do notdrive through floode dareas. Chec k
th ed ept hofa ny water befor edrivin gthrou gh
it .D rive slowly through standin gwater. Oth-
erwise ,water could ente rthe vehicle interio r
or engin ecom partment. It can then damage
th ee ngine's or automatic transmission' s
electronic components. It can also be sucke d
in by th eengine's air intake connection and
cause engin edamage.
Winte rdrivin g
GWARNING
If you shift down on aslipper yroads urfac ein
an attempt to increase th eengine's braking
effect ,the drive wheels could los etheir grip.
There is an increase ddanger of skidding and
accidents .
Do no tshift down fo radditional engin ebrak-
in gonas lipperyroads urface.
GDANGER
If th eexhaus tpipe is blocke doradequat e
ventilation is no tpossible, poisonous gases
suc hasc arbon monoxide (CO) may ente rthe
vehicle. Thi sisthecase, e.g. if th evehicle
becomes trappe dinsnow. There is arisko f
fatal injury.
If you leav ethe engin eortheauxiliar yheatin g
running ,makes uret he exhaus tpipe and are a
around th evehicle are clear of snow. To
ensur eana dequat esupply of fresh air, ope na
window on thesideoft hevehicle that is no t
facin gintot he wind.
Hav eyour vehicle winter-proofed at aqualified
specialis tworkshop at th eonset of winter.
Drive particularly carefully on slipper yroads ur-
faces. Avoid sudden acceleration ,steerin gand
braking maneuvers .Donotuse cruise control.
If th evehicle threatens to skid or canno tbe
stopped when movin gatlow speed:
XShift th etransmissio ntoposition i.
The outsid etem perature indicator is no t
designed to serve as an ice-warnin gdevic eand
is therefore unsuitable fo rtha tp urpose.
Changes in th eoutsid etem perature are dis -
playe dafter ashort delay.
Indicated temperature sjusta bov ethe freezin g
poin tdon otguarantee that th eroads urfac eis
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 gstyle. Always
adapt your drivin gstyle and drive at aspeed to
suit th eprevailin gweather conditions.
You should pay special attention to road condi-
tion swhen temperature sare around freezin g
point.
Fo rm orei nformat ion on drivin gwiths now
chains, see (
Ypage 262).
Fo rm orei nfor mati
on on drivin gwiths ummer
tires ,see (Ypage 262).
Observ ethe note sint he"Winte roperation "sec-
tion (
Ypage 262).
Drivin gsystems
Cruis econtro l
General notes
Cruise contro lmaintain saconstan troa ds peed
fo ry ou. It brake sautomatically in order to avoid
exceedin gthe set speed. On lon gand steep
downhill gradients, especially if th evehicle is
laden, you mus tselec talowe rgear in goo dtim e.
By doin gso, you will mak euse of th ebraking
effect of th eengine. Thi srelieves th eload on th e
brake syste mand prevents th ebrake sfrom
overheatin gand wearin gtoo quickly.
Use cruise contro lonlyifr oada nd traffic con-
dition smakeita ppropriat etomaintain asteady
138Driving systems
Driving an dparking