Mercedes-Benz 450 SL 1980, Owner'S Manual

Page: 43 / 81

Safe Driving
The condition of the parking brake
w ill be checked during every main­
tenance service. Furtherm ore it is
recommended to exert once or tw ice
between the regular maintenance
services, a maximum pressure of
10
kp
/22
lb on the parking brake
pedal for
10
seconds while tra­
velling at a speed around 50 k m /h /
30 mph on dry road. Pull release
knob during this process! Repeat
procedure once or twice. Exercise
care, the stoplamps do not work.
Have all inspections of and w ork on
the brake system carried out by a
MERCEDES-BENZ service station.
If the parking brake is released and
the brake warning lamp in the in­
strum ent cluster comes on, the
brake fluid level in the reservoir is
too low.
A leak or brake pad w ear may
cause a shortage of brake fluid in
the reservoir.
Have brake system checked in a
MERCEDES-BENZ service station
as soon as possible.
Install only brake pads recom m en­
ded by us.
If other than recomm ended brake
pads are installed, the braking pro­
perties of the vehicle can be affec­
ted to an extent that the safety is
substantially impaired.
Brake Pad Wear Indicator Lamp
The brake pad wear ind icato r lamp
in the instrum ent cluster comes on
when the key in the steering lock
is turned to driving position “
2
” and
it must go out when the engine is
running. If the indicator lamp lights
up during braking o r driving, this
shows that the fron t wheel brake
pads are worn down.
Have brake system checked in a
MERCEDES-BENZ service station
as soon as possible.
Brake Fluid
During the course of the operation
of the vehicle, the boiling point of
the brake fluid is continuously being
reduced through the absorption of
m oisture from the atmosphere.
U nder extrem ely hard operating
conditions, this m oisture content
can lead to the form ation of vapor
in the system thus reducing the
system ’s efficiency. The brake fluid
must therefore be replaced annu­
ally, preferably in the spring. It is
recomm ended to use only brake
flu id approved by MERCEDES-
BENZ.
Your MERCEDES-BENZ dealer w ill
provide you with additional
inform ation.
Charge Indicator Lamp
Should the charge indicator lamp
fail to come on p rior to starting
when the ignition key is in posi­
tion “
2 ” o r should it fail to go out
after starting or during operation,
this indicates a fa u lt which must be
repaired at a MERCEDES-BENZ
service station as soon as possible.