2020 MERCEDES-BENZ SL CLASS engine

Engine
compartm ent Hood
Imp ortant safety notes G
WAR
NING
If th ehood isunlat ched, itmay open up
when theveh icle isin mot ionand blockyour
view. Thereis arisk ofan acc iden t.
Nev erunlat chthehood while driving.Bef ore
ever ytrip, ens ure that thehood isloc ked. G
WAR
NING
When openingand closingth ehood ,it may
sudde nlyfall intoth eclo sed posit ion.Ther e
is arisk ofinjury topers onswith inran geof
mov emen tof thehood .
Open andclosethehood onlywhen noone
is with inits ran geofmov emen t. G
WAR
NING
Open ingthehood when theeng ineisove r-
heat edorwhen there isafir ein theeng ine
com partmen tcoul dexp ose you tohot gases
or other servicepro duct s.Ther eis arisk of
inj ury.
Let anove rheatedeng inecoo ldown before
open ingthehood .If th ere isafir ein the
eng inecom partmen t,ke ep thehood closed
and contactth efir edepar tment . G
WAR
NING
The enginecom partmen tcon tain smov ing
com ponents.Cert aincom ponents,suc has
th eradiat orfan ,may continue torun orstart
again sudde nlywhen theign ition isoff .
Ther eis arisk ofinjury.
If you needto do any work inside theeng ine
com partmen t:
R swit choff theign ition
R nev erreac hint oth earea whereth ere isa
risk ofdang erfrom mov ingcom ponents,
suc has thefan rotatio narea R
rem ove jewelry andwatc hes
R ke ep items ofclo thing and hair, forexam -
ple, away from mov ingpart s
To ens ure theflow offresh airthroug hth eair
ven tsint oth eveh icle interio r,please observe
th efoll owin gno tes: (Y page 122)
Open ingthehood G
WAR
NING
Cert aincom ponentsin theeng inecom part-
men t,suc has theeng ine,radiat orand parts
of theexh aust system, canbecome very
hot .Wor kingin theeng inecom partmen t
pose sa risk ofinjury.
Wher eposs ible, lettheeng inecoo ldown
and touch onlythecom ponentsdesc ribedin
th efoll owin g. G
WAR
NING
When thehood isopen andthewind shield
wiper sare setinmot ion,you can beinjured
by thewiper linkage. Thereis arisk ofinjury.
Always switchoff thewind shieldwiper sand
th eign ition befo reopen ingthehood .
! Mak
esure that thewind shieldwiper sare
no tfold edaway from thewind shield.You
coul dot her wise damag eth ewind shieldwip-
ers orthehood . X
Mak esure that thewind shieldwiper sare
tur ned off.
X Pull release lever0043 onthehood .
The hood isrele ased. 268
Engine
compartm entMa intenance andcare

X
Reac hint oth egap, pullhoodcat chhan -
dle 0044upand lifthoo d0043.
If you liftthehoo dby appr oximat ely15in
(40 cm), thehoo dis open edand held open
auto maticallyby thegas- filled strut .
Closin gth ehood X
Lowe rth ehoo dand letitfall from aheig ht
of appr oximat ely8in (20 cm).
X Chec kth at thehoo dhas engage dpro perly.
If th ehoo dcan berais edslig htly, itis no t
pro perlyen gage d.Open itagain andcloseit
wit halit tle mor efor ce. Engine
oil
Not eson theoil level De
pen dingon your drivingstyle, theveh icle
co nsumes upto0.9US qt(0.8 lite rs)of oilpe r
60 0mi les(1 ,000 km).Th eoilco nsumpt ion
may behigh erthan this when theveh icle is
ne wor ifyou frequen tlydriv eat high engin e
spee ds.
De pen dingon theen gin e,theoil dipst ickmay
be inadiff ere ntloc atio n.
When check ing theoil leve l:
R park theveh icle onaleve lsurf ace
R theen gin esho uld beswit ched off for
appr oximat elyfivemin utesif th een gin eis
at norm aloper atingte mpe rature
R ifth een gin eis no tat norm aloper atingte m-
per atur e,e.g .if th een gin ewas onlystart ed
brie fly,wait about 30min utesbef ore carry-
ing out themeas urement Check
ingtheoil level usingth eoil dip -
st ick G
WAR
NING
Cert aincompo nentsin theen gin eco mpar t-
men t,suc has theen gin e,radiat orand parts
of theex haust system, canbecome very
hot .Wor kingin theen gin eco mpar tment
pose sa ris kof injury.
On lytouch thefoll owin gco mpo nentsdesc ri-
bed.
If work isbein gcar ried outonpublic roads,
pay attentio nto theroad andtraff icco nd ition s
and secure thearea asappr opriate . Ex
ample
X Pull outoildipst ick0043.
X Wipe offoildipst ick0043.
X Slo wly slide oildipst ick0043intoth eguide
tub eas far asitwill go,and takeit out
again .
If th eleve lis bet ween MINmark0087 and
MA Xmar k0044, theoil leve lis co rrect .
X Ifth eoil leve lhas dropped toMIN mark0087
or below, add1.1US qt(1l)of engin eoil.
Add ingengine oil G
WAR
NING
Cert aincompo nentsin theen gin eco mpar t-
men t,suc has theen gin e,radiat orand parts
of theex haust system, canbecome very
hot .Wor kingin theen gin eco mpar tment
pose sa ris kof injury.
Wher eposs ible, lettheen gin eco ol down
and touch onlytheco mpo nentsdesc ribedin
th efoll owin g. Engine
compartm ent
269Maintenan ceand care Z

G
WARNING
If engine oilcomes intocontact withhot
components inthe engine compartment, it
may ignite. Thereisarisk offire and injury .
Make surethatengine oilisnot spilled next
to the filler neck. Letthe engine cooldown
and thoroug hlyclea nthe engine oiloff the
components beforestarting theengine. H
Envi
ronmental note
When addingoil,take carenottospil lany. If
oil enters thesoil orwate rways,itis harmfu l
to the environment.
! Use
only engine oilsand oilfilters thatare
app roved forvehicl eswith aservice system.
A list ofthe engine oilsand oilfilters that
have been tested andapproved inaccord-
ance withMercede s-BenzSpecifications for
Service Productsisava ilable atany author-
ized Mercede s-BenzCenter.
The followi ngcaus eengine failure ordam-
age tothe exhau stsystem:
R Use ofengine oilsand oilfilters thathave
not been express lyapp roved forthe ser-
vice system
R Rep lace ment ofengine oiland oilfilter
after thereplacement intervalspecified
by the service system hasexpire d
R Use ofengine oiladd itives
! Do
not add toomuch oil.If the oilleve lis
abo vethe "ma x"mark onthe dipstick, too
much oilhas been added. This canleadto
dama getothe engine orthe catal yticcon-
verter. Haveexcess oilsiph oned off. Example
:engine oilcap X
Turn cap0043counter-clockwi seand remove
it.
X Add engine oil.
If the oilleve lis at or bel ow the MIN mark
on the oildip stick, add1.1USqt(1.0 liter)
of engine oil.
X Rep lace cap0043onthe filler neck andturn
clockwis e.
Ensure thatthecap locks intoplace
secure ly.
X Che ckthe oilleve laga inwith theoildip stick
(Y pag e269) .
Further informati ononengine oil
(Y pag e327) . Che
ckin gand adding otherservice
products
Che ckin gco olan tlev el G
WARNING
Certa incomponents inthe engine compart-
ment, suchasthe engine, radiator andparts
of the exhau stsystem, canbecome very
hot. Working inthe engine compartment
poses arisk ofinjury .
Where possible,let the engine cooldown
and touch onlythecomponents describedin
the followi ng. G
WARNING
Opening thehood when theengine isover-
hea ted orwhen thereisafire inthe engine
compartment couldexpose youtohot gase s
or other service products.There isarisk of
injury .
Let anoverhe atedengine cooldownbefore
openi ngthe hood. Ifthere isafire inthe
engine compartment, keepthehood closed
and contact thefire depa rtment. G
WARNING
The engine compartment containsmoving
components. Certaincomponents, suchas
the radiator fan,may continue torun orstart
aga insud denly whentheignitio nis off.
There isarisk ofinjury . 270
Eng
inecompar tmentMainten anceandcare

If
you need todo any work inside theengine
compartment:
R switch offthe ignition
R never reach intothearea where thereisa
risk ofdanger frommoving components,
such asthe fanrotation area
R remove jewelryandwatches
R keep items ofclothing andhair, forexam-
ple, awayfrom moving parts G
WARNING
The cooling systemispressu rized,particu-
larl ywhen themotor iswarm. Ifyou open
the cap, youcould bescalde difhot coolant
spray sout. There isarisk ofinjury.
Let the engine cooldown before youopen
the cap. Wear protective glovesandprotec-
tive eyew earwhen opening. Openthecap
slow lyto relea sepressu re. Example
X Park thevehicle onalevel surface.
Only check thecoolant levelwhen thevehi-
cle ison alevel surface andtheengine has
cooled down.
X Turn theSmartKey topositio n0048 inthe igni-
tion lock (Ypage 126).
On vehicle swith KEYLESS- GO,press the
Start/St opbutton twice(Ypage 126).
X Check thecoolant temperature gageinthe
multifu nctiondisplay.
The coolant temperature mustbebelow
158 ‡(70 †).
X Turn theSmartKey topositio n0092
(Y page 126)inthe ignition lock. X
Slowl yturn cap0044half aturn counter-clock-
wise toallow excess pressureto escape .
X Turn cap0044further <004600520058005100570048005500100046004F00520046004E005A004C0056
0048[ and
remove it.
If the coolant isat the level ofmarker bar
0087 inthe fillerneck when cold,there is
enough coolant incoolant expansion
tank 0043.
If the coolant levelisappro ximately 0.6in
(1.5 cm)above marker bar0087inthe filler
neck when warm, thereisenough coolant in
expansion tank0043.
X Ifnecessary ,add coolant thathasbeen tes-
ted and appro vedbyMercedes-Benz.
X Repl acecap 0044and turn itclockwise asfar
as itwil lgo.
Further information oncoolant (Ypage 328).
Windshie ldwashe rsystem G
WARNING
Certai ncomponents inthe engine compart-
ment, suchasthe engine, radiator andparts
of the exhau stsystem, canbecome very
hot. Working inthe engine compartment
poses arisk ofinjury.
Where possible,let the engine cooldown
and touch onlythecomponents describedin
the follow ing. G
WARNING
If you open thehood when thedrive system
has overhea tedorduri ngafire inthe engine
compartment, youcould come intocontact
with hotgases orother escapi ngopera ting
flui ds. There isarisk ofburns.
Let the overhea tedcomponents cooldown
before opening thehood. Inthe event ofa
fire inthe engine compartment, keepthe
hood closed andcallthefire service. G
WARNING
Windshi eldwash erconcentrate ishighl y
flamma ble.Ifwindshi eldwash erconcentrate
gets onto hotcomponents ofthe engine or
the exhau stsystem, itcan ignite. Thereisa
risk offire and injury. Eng
inecompar tment
271Maintenanc eand care
Z

Make
surethatwindshield washerconcen-
trate isnot spilled inthe vicinity ofthe filler
neck . Example
X To open: pullcap 0043upwa rdsbythe tab.
X Add thepremixed washerfluid.
X To close :press cap0043onto thefiller neck
until itengages.
If the washer fluidlevel drops below therec-
ommended minimumfluidlevel of1US qt
(1 liter), amessage appearsinthe multifunc-
tion display prompting youtoadd washer fluid
(Y page 234).
Further information onwindshield washer
fluid/antifreeze (Ypage 329). Overview
ofthe engine compart -
ment Example
engine
0043 Oildipstick
0044 Brake fluidreservoir
0087 Engin eoil cap
0085 Coolant expansion tank
0083 Washer fluidreservoir ASSYST
PLUS Service
display
The ASSYST PLUS service interval displayindi-
cates theremaining timeperiod orthe remain-
ing distance tothe next regular service due
date.
Inform ationonthe type ofservice andservice
intervals (seetheseparate Maintenanc eBook-
let).
You canobtain further information froman
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCenter orat
http: //www.mbusa.com (USAonly).
i The
ASSYST PLUS service interval display
does notshow anyinformation onthe
engine oillevel. Observe thenotes onthe
engine oillevel (Ypage 269).
The multifunction displayshowsaservice dis-
play forafew seconds, e.g.:
R Service Ain ..Days Service
Ain ..Days
R Service ADue Service
ADue
R Service AExceeded by..Days Service
AExceeded by..Days
Depending onthe operating conditionsof the
vehicle, theremaining timeordistance until
the next service duedate isdisplay ed.
The letter A A
or B B,
possibly inconn ection witha
number oranother letter,shows thetype of
service. A A
stands foraminor service andB B
for
a major service.
You canobtain further information froman
authorized Mercedes-Ben zCenter.
Depending onhow thevehicle isused, the
ASS YST PLUS service interval displaymay
reduce theservice interval, e.g.inthe follow-
ing situations:
X the vehicle isprimarily usedtotravel short
distances
X ifthe engine isoften leftidling forlong peri-
ods
X ifthere arefrequent coldstart phases
Mercedes-Ben zrecommen dsyou avoid such
operating conditions.
The ASSYST PLUS service interval displaydoes
not take intoaccount anyperiods oftime dur-
ing which thebattery isdisconnec ted. 272
ASSY
STPLUSMaintenance andcare

Maintaining
thetime-dependent servicesched-
ule:
X Note down theservice duedate display edin
the multifunction displaybeforedisconnec t-
ing the battery.
or X Aft erreconn ectingthebattery, subtract the
battery disconnec tionperiods fromtheser-
vice date shown onthe display . Hiding
service displays
X Press the0076 or0038 button onthe steer-
ing wheel. Showing
servicedisplays
X Switch onthe ignition.
X Press 0059or0065 onthe steering wheel
to select theServ. Serv.
menu.
X Press 0063or0064 toselect theASSYST ASSYST
PLUS PLUS
submenu andconfirm bypressing the
0076 button.
The service duedate appears inthe multi-
funct iondisplay . Informat
ionabout Service
Resetting theASSYST PLUSservice
interval display !
If
the ASS YST PLUS service interval dis-
play hasbeen inadvertent lyreset, thisset-
ting canbecorrect edataqual ified special-
ist workshop.
Have service workcarried outasdescribed
in the Maintenanc eBooklet. Thismay other-
wise leadtoincreased wearanddamage to
the major assemblies orthe vehicle.
A qual ified specialist workshop, e.g.anauthor-
ized Mercedes-Ben zCenter, willreset the
ASS YST PLUS service interval displayafterthe
service workhasbeen carried out.Youcan
also obtain further information onmainte-
nance work,forexample. Special
servicerequirements The
specified maintenanc einterval takesonly
the normal operation ofthe vehicle into
account. Serviceworkwillneed tobe per-
formed moreoften ifthe vehicle isoperated
under arduou scondition sor increased loads.
The ASSYST PLUS service interval displayis
only anaid. Thedriver ofthe vehicle isrespon-
sible forwhether serviceworkwillneed tobe
performed morefrequently thanrequired asa
result ofthe actual operating conditions
and/or loads.
Examples ofarduou soperating conditions:
R regular citydriving withfrequent intermedi-
ate stops
R the vehicle isprimarily usedtotravel short
distances
R frequent useinmountainous terrainoron
poor roadsurfaces
R the engine isoften leftidling forlong peri-
ods
R particularly dustycondition s,or ifair-recir-
culation modeisfrequently used
In these orsimilar operating conditions,have
the interior filter,airfilter, engine oiland oilfil-
ter, forexample, changedmorefrequently.
Under arduou soperating conditions,the tires
must becheck edmore often. Further informa-
tion canbeobtained ataqual ified specialist
workshop.
Driving abroad An
exten siveMercedes-Ben zService network
is also availa bleinother countr ies.You can
obtain further information fromanyauthorized
Mercedes-Ben zService Center. Care
Notes
oncare H
Environmental
note
Dispose ofempty packaging andcleaning
cloths inan environm entallyresponsible
manner.
! When
cleaning yourcar,donot use:
R dry, coarse orhard cloths
R abrasive cleaningagents Care
273Maintenance andcare Z

Tire
-chan getoo lkit The
tire-cha nge tool kitcan befou ndinthe
stow agewe llund erthe trunk floor
(Y page 255 ). 0043
Bag conta ining the tire-cha nging tool s
Bag 0043with the tire-cha nging tool sconta ins:
R jack
R lug wr ench
R alig nment bolt
R wh eelcho ck
R glove s
Dep endingonthe equipme nt,tool sreq uired
for awh eelcha nge ,su ch asajack oralug
wr ench ,ar enot availabl e in allveh icles. Tools
ap pro ved foryour veh iclear eav ailabl e at a
qu alifi ed speci alistwo rksh op. Fl
at tire Pre
parin gthe vehic le
Yo ur veh iclema ybe equipp ed with:
R tire swi th run-fl atcha racteri stics
(M OExte ndedtire s)(Y page 281 )
Veh iclepre paratio nis not nece ssaryon
veh icles with MOExte ndedtire s.
R aTIR EFIT kit(Ypage 280 )
Veh icle swi th the Merce des -Benzeme r-
ge ncyca llsys tem: inthe eventofafla ttire ,
yo ucan conta ctthe Merced es-Benz emer-
ge ncy callsy stem custome rcente r.
Veh icles equipp ed with MOExte ndedtire sar e
not equipp ed with aTIR EFIT kitatthe factory .
It is the refore reco mme ndedtha tyo uad ditio n-
al ly eq uip yo ur veh iclewi th aTIR EFIT kitifyo u
mou nttire stha tdo not featureru n-fl atcha rac-
teri stics, e.g.wi nter tires.ATIR EFIT kitmaybe
ob tained fromaqu alifi ed speci alistwo rksh op. Info
rma tionon cha nging and mou nting wheels
(Y page 316 ).
X Stop thevehicleon solid,non-s lipp ery and
le vel ground ,as faraw ay aspossi ble fro m
tra ffic.
X Swi tch onthe hazar dwa rning lamps .
X Secu rethe vehicleag ainst rolling away
(Y page 147 ).
X Ifpo ssi ble, bri ng the frontwh eelsinto the
stra ight-a head positio n.
X Swi tch offthe engine.
X Veh icle swi tho utKEYLES S-GO :rem ove
the Sma rtKeyfro mthe igniti onlock.
X Veh icle swi th KEYLES S-GO :op en the driv-
er' sdo or.
The vehicleelectro nicsarenow inpo sitio n
005A. Thisis the same asthe Sma rtKeyha vin g
be en rem oved.
X Veh icle swi th KEYLES S-GO :rem ove the
Star t/Stop button fromthe igniti onlock
(Y page 126 ).
X Ma kesure tha tthe passe nge rsarenot
end angeredas the ydo so. Makesure tha t
no one isnea rthe dange rar ea while a
wh eelis be ing change d.Anyo newhois not
di rectl yas sisti ng inthe wheelcha nge
sho uld, for exa mpl e,sta nd behind the bar-
rie r.
X Ge tou tof the vehicle. Pa yatte ntionto tra f-
fic cond itions when doing so.
X Close thedriver 'sdo or. MOE
xtende dtire s(ti res with run-f lat
prope rties)
Ge neral notes Wi
th MOExte ndedtire s(ti res with runfla t
cha racteri stics) ,yo ucan conti nuetodrive your
veh icleeve nif the reisatota llo ss ofpre ssu re
in one ormor etire s.The affecte dtire mustnot
sho wany clearly vis ible da ma ge.
Yo ucan reco gnizean MOExte ndedtire bythe
MOExte ndedma rkin gwh ich appe arson the
si de wa llof the tire.Yo uwi llfind thisma rkin g
next tothe tire size designa tion,the load -be ar-
ing capacityand thespee dind ex
(Y page 310 ).
MOExte ndedtire sma yonl ybe used incon-
juncti onwith an acti vetire pressu remoni tor. Fl
at tire
281Break downass istanc e

The
operating safetyofyour vehicle maybe
restr icted.
You could losecontrolofthe vehicle, for
example:
R when braking
R in the event ofabrupt steeringmaneuvers
and/or whenthevehicle's speedisnot
adapted tothe road condit ions
There isarisk ofan accident .
In the event ofashort circuit orasimilar
incident ,cont actaqualified specialist work-
shop immediately. Donot drive anyfurther.
You should haveallwork involving thebat-
tery carried outataqualified specialist
workshop.
For further informationabout ABSandESP®
,
see (Ypage 60)and (Ypage 65). G
WARNIN
G
Elect rostat icbuild-up canlead tothe crea-
tion ofsparks, whichcouldignite thehighly
explosive gasesofabattery. Thereisarisk
of an explosion.
Before handling thebattery, touchthevehi-
cle body toremove anyexistin gelectrost atic
build-up.
The highly flammable gasmixt ureforms when
charging thebattery aswell aswhen jump-
start ing.
Always makesurethatneither younorthebat-
tery iselectrost aticallycharged. Abuild-up of
electrost aticcharge canbecaused, forexam-
ple:
R by wearing clothingmade fromsynthet ic
fibers
R due tofrict ionbetween clothingand seats
R ifyou push orpull thebattery acrossthe
carpet orother synthet icmaterials
R ifyou wipe thebattery withacloth G
WARNIN
G
During thecharging process,abattery pro-
duces hydrogen gas.Ifashort circuit occurs
or sparks arecreated, thehydrogen gascan
ignite. Thereisarisk ofan explosion. R
Make surethatthepositive terminalof a
conn ected battery doesnotcome into
cont actwith vehicle parts.
R Never placemetal object sor tools ona
battery.
R Itis important thatyouobserve the
described orderofthe battery terminals
when connectin gand disconn ectingabat-
tery.
R When jump-st arting,makesurethatthe
battery poleswithidentical polarityare
conn ected.
R Itis particularly importanttoobserve the
described orderwhen connectin gand dis-
conn ectin gthe jumper cables.
R Never connectordisconn ectthe battery
termin alswhile theengine isrunnin g. G
WARNIN
G
Batt eryacid iscaustic. Thereisarisk of
injury.
Avoid contactwith skin, eyesorclothin g.Do
not inhale anybattery gases.Donot lean
over thebattery. Keepchildren awayfrom
batteries. Washawaybattery acidimmedi-
ately withplenty ofclean water andseek
medical attention. H
Environmental
note Batt
eries containpollutants.
It is illegal todispose of
them withthehousehold
rubbish. Theymust becol-
lected separately anddis-
posed ofinan environ men-
tally responsible recycling
system. Dispose
ofbatteries inan
environ mentallyresponsible
manner .Take discharged
batteries toaqualified spe-
cialist workshop ortoacol-
lection pointforused bat-
teries. 286
Bat
tery (vehicl e)Breakdown assistance