This is what happened....I was driving down the street forgetting that I really should be filling up my car when it suddenly starts to run really rough and the check engine light came on. I barely got into a Starbucks parking lot rolling at around 3 mph towards the end (it would not go any faster).

After I got into the parking lot I turned off the engine which at that point was idling very rough. I started it back up again and it started up right away but then started to shake all over the place.

I figured I had ran out of gas so I called AAA and got some gas from the tow truck driver. I started it up after that and it would not even idle. It took 4 tries before it would start up and the idle was rough even though it was noticeably smoother then before the tow truck gas was added. The check engine light is still staying lit.

At the point I was not going to try to drive home even though I was less then 2 miles from home. I called MD's roadside assistance, it took 10 minutes before I got an operator and by that time I had already told the AAA tow truck driver to call for a flatbad truck to get my car home.

Have you guys ran out of gas on your car and what problem if any surfaced after it was refueled?

I have an 04' SL600


thx

That is not an uncommon occurrence for newer vehicles when you run them nearly dry. You have introduced air into the fuel system, and that will either work itself out overtime, or the more likely solution is that you'll need to bring it to the dealer to have the system bled. There are multiple systems in-line that control, and regulate fuel flow, so I'd suggest you contact your dealer and get their recommendation on the best solution.

I highly doubt that you've caused damage that is lasting, your symptoms are situational, and will clear up once the system has been purged of all the air.

Best of luck.

-Audio

Thanks for your reply. I am going to take it to the dealer on Monday.

I did the same to my 04+ BMW E46 330Ci Cabrio...Had the same problem of starting up and being shaky, does take awhile for the car to get back to normal.

With being run out of gas engine management has stored mis-fire codes.
You need to have codes erased. Have seen this lots of time at work.

How the hell do you run out of gas??! I've never heard anyone I personally know to do such a thing. And on top of that you have an SL600...

You can pull the battery for a while (1-2hrs) and let the codes reset. I think SLs have two though, so you would need to pull both.

That is not such a great idea. It never was and probably never will be with any modern MB.

You are right. I filled the tank up yesterday and it ran just fine. I will go to the dealer tomorrow and have them reset the 'check engine' light.


Thanks for the info.

just an update...

I called my service adviser at the dealer and he told me that I should not even bother to bring the car in as everything that I had experienced was normal.

I asked him if I should at least bring the car in to have the 'Check Engine' light reset and he said that they can do that for me but I will have to pay for the labor. He said that MB will not pay for reset due to running out of gas.....user error!

Thanks to everyone who replied to my post.