2003 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK500 COUPE steering

114 Controls in detailControl system
Control systemThe control system is activated as soon as
the key in the starter switch is turned to
position1. The control system enables you
to

call up information about your vehicle


change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Outside temperature
2Trip odometer
3Automatic transmission program mode
4Main odometer
5Current gear selector lever position
iThe displays for the audio systems (ra-
dio, CD player, cassette player) will ap-
pear in English, regardless of the
language selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
must always be his /her primary focus when
driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 13.5 m) every second.

115 Controls in detail
Control system
Multifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled by the buttons on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel (
page 24).Pressing any of the buttons on the multi-
function steering wheel will alter what is
shown in the multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or CD op-
erations under
Audio
, for example). These
functions serve to call up relevant informa-
tion or to customize the settings for your
vehicle.
It is helpful to think of the menus, and the
functions within each menu, as being ar-
ranged in a circular pattern.


If you press button
è
or
ÿ
re-
peatedly, you will pass through each
menu one after the other.


If you press button
k
or
j
re-
peatedly, you will pass through each
function display, one after the other, in
the current menu.
1
Multifunction display in the speed-
ometerOperating the control system
2
Selecting the submenu or setting
the volumeç
down / to decrease
æ
up / to increase
3
Telephone*í
to take a call
ì
to end a call
4
Menu systemsè
for next menu
ÿ
for previous menu
5
Moving within a menuj
for next display
k
for previous display

133 Controls in detail
Control system

Press
æ
or
ç
to select the de-
sired station selection mode. You can
select:


freq.


memory
selects next stored station
Setting automatic locking
Use this function to activate or deactivate
the automatic central locking. With the au-
tomatic central locking system activated,
the vehicle is centrally locked at vehicle
speeds of approximately 9 mph
(15 km/h).

Move the selection marker with
the
æ
or
ç
button to the
Vehi-
cle
submenu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Automatic door lock
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to switch
Automatic door lock
on or
off
.Convenience submenu
Access the
Convenience
submenu via the
Settings
menu. Use the
Convenience
sub-
menu to change the settings for a number
of convenience features. The following
functions are available:
Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature. When the
feature is activated, the steering wheel and
driver’s seat will move back to facilitate ex-
iting when you


remove the key from the starter switch


open the driver’s door
However, the engine must be turned off.
Function
Page
Activate easy-entry/exit feature
see
below
Set key dependency
135
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror
135

134 Controls in detailControl system
After entering the vehicle, the steering
wheel and seat will move into the position
stored in memory when

the driver’s door is closed


you put the key in the starter switch


press the appropriate stored position
button on the memory switch
(page 102).

Move the selection marker with
the
æ
or
ç
button to
the
Convenience
submenu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Function Easy-entry feature
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to change the
easy-entry/exit setting.
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and the driver’s seat when
the easy-entry/exit feature is in operation
and the driver’s door is being opened or the
key is removed from the starter switch. Do
not leave children unattended in the vehicle,
or with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(page 35)


Move the steering column stalk
(page 37)


Press the memory switch
(page 102)

135 Controls in detail
Control system
The following settings are available for the
easy-entry/exit feature:
Setting key dependency
Use this function to set whether the mem-
ory settings for the seats, the steering
wheel and the mirrors should be stored
separately for each key (
page 102).

Move the selection marker with
the
æ
or
ç
button to
the
Convenience
submenu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Key-dependent
.The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to set key depen-
dency to
on or
off
.
Setting parking position for exterior rear
view mirror
Use the
Mirror adjustment parking aid

function to select whether the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror should be
turned downward during parking maneu-
vers (when reverse gear is engaged).
For information about activating the park-
ing position, see “Parking position”
(
page 150).The exterior rear view mirror will return to
its previous position when you


shift out of reverse (after 10 seconds)


exceed a speed of 6 mph (10 km/h),
regardless of which gear is engaged


press the driver’s side mirror button
(immediately)

Move the selection marker with
the
æ
or
ç
button to
the
Convenience
submenu.

Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Mirror adjustment parking aid
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press
æ
or
ç
to switch function
on or
off
.
off
The easy-entry/ex-
it feature is deacti-
vated.
Steering col.
Only the steering
column is moved.
Steer. col. + seat
Both the steering
column and the
seat are moved.

138 Controls in detailControl systemTEL menu*
You can use the functions in the
Tel
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.

Switch on the telephone and Audio or
COMAND*.

Press button
ÿ
or
è
on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
Tel
menu in the display.Which messages will appear in the display
field depends on whether your telephone is
switched on or off:


If the telephone is off, the message in
the multifunction display is:
Tel off
.


If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the display is
empty.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network,
READY
is indicated in the dis-
play.
1Signal strength
This standby message indicates that your
telephone is ready for use and you can op-
erate it using the control system.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
o m m e n d t h a t y o u p u l l o v e r t o a s a f e l o c a t i o n
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call. If you choose to use the tele-
phone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road, and traffic con-
ditions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of approximately
44 feet (approximately 13.5 m) every sec-
ond.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and ⁄or
personal injury.

146 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionAccelerator position
Your driving style influences the transmis-
sion’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
home (emergency operation) mode. In this
mode, only 2nd gear and reverse gear can
be activated.
Stop the vehicle.

Move selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least ten seconds before re-
starting.

Move selector lever to positionD (for
2nd gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.Steering wheel gearshift control
(Speedshift) and manual shift program
CLK 55 AMG
The CLK 55 AMG can be driven in both the
automatic and manual shift program
modes. In the manual shift program mode,
you can change the gears yourself on the
steering wheel or by using the selector le-
ver.
1Shift button
2Left button: downshift
3Right button: upshift

147 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
To do so, you must first select the manual
shift program M on the program mode se-
lector switch.
1Program mode selector switch
S SPORT For regular driving
C COMFORT For comfortable driving
M MANUAL For manual gear shifting
The selected shift program (
S/C/M) is indi-
cated in the speedometer display field
(
page 114).Activating steering wheel gearshift
control

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the
M for manual
shift program appears in the speedom-
eter display field.
Automatic gear shifting is deactivated.Upshifting

Press button 3 located on the right side
of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D+direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
Warm up the engine gently. Do not place
full load on the engine until the operating
temperature has been reached. Shift into
reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped.
!Never change the program mode when
the selector lever is out of positionP. It
could result in a change of driving char-
acteristics for which you may not be
prepared.
!When driving off on slippery road sur-
faces, avoid spinning a drive wheel for
longer periods. This may cause damage
to the drivetrain.