2003 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK500 COUPE gear shift

Contents
Automatic transmission ..................... 141
One-touch gearshifting................. 142
Gear ranges ................................. 143
Gear selector lever position ......... 144
Program mode selector switch..... 145
Accelerator position ..................... 146
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 146
Steering wheel gearshift control
(Speedshift) and manual
shift program CLK 55 AMG .......... 146
Good visibility .................................... 149
Rear view mirror........................... 149
Parking position ........................... 150
Windshield wipers ........................ 151
Headlamp cleaning system* ........ 151
Sun visors .................................... 152
Rear window sunshade* .............. 153
Automatic climate control ................. 154
Setting the temperature ............... 157
Adjusting air distribution .............. 158
Adjusting air volume .................... 159
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ....... 159
Defrosting .................................... 159
Air recirculation mode.................. 160
Charcoal filter .............................. 161Rear window defroster .................. 162
Air conditioning............................. 163
Residual heat and ventilation* ...... 163
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 164
Audio system ...................................... 165
Audio and telephone, operation .... 165
Operating safety ........................... 165
Operating and display elements.... 166
Button and soft key operation....... 168
Operation ...................................... 168
Radio mode................................... 171
Cassette mode.............................. 174
CD changer* operating mode ....... 178
Telephone* operation ................... 182
Power windows .................................. 187
Opening and closing the windows. 187
Synchronizing power windows ...... 189
Sliding/pop-up roof* .......................... 190
Opening and closing the
sliding/pop-up roof....................... 190
Synchronizing the
sliding / pop-up roof ...................... 192
Driving systems .................................. 193
Cruise control ............................... 193
Distronic* ..................................... 196PARKTRONIC system* .................. 208
Loading .............................................. 212
Roof rack ...................................... 212
Ski sack* ...................................... 212
Split rear bench seat .................... 215
Loading instructions ..................... 217
Cargo tie-down rings..................... 218
Useful features ................................... 219
Interior storage spaces ................. 219
Ashtrays........................................ 223
Cigarette lighter ............................ 224
Floormats* ................................... 225
Telephone* ................................... 226
Tele Aid ......................................... 227
Garage door opener ...................... 235

43 Getting started
Driving
Starting the engine Automatic transmission
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmissionPPark position with selector lever lock
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive position
Make sure that the gear selector lever
is set toP.
Warning!
G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the belts.
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced by
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide, and inhaling it can cause uncon-
sciousness and lead to death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated. If you think that exhaust gas
fumes are entering the vehicle while driving,
have the cause determined and corrected
immediately. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive with at least one window
fully open.

46 Getting startedDrivingAfter a cold start, the automatic transmis-
sion engages at a higher revolution. This al-
lows the catalytic converter to reach its
operating temperature earlier.
Switching on headlampsExterior lamp switch1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn the switch to
B
.
More information can be found in the
“Controls in detail” section (page 105).
iWait for the gear selection process to
complete before setting the vehicle in
motion.Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the selector lever out
ofPorN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or in reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the en-
gine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.

51 Getting started
Parking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
M

(
page 46).
More information can be found in the
“Controls in detail” section (
page 105).
Turning off engine 
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP.Turning off engine with the SmartKey

Turn the key in the starter switch
(page 31) to position0 and remove
it.
The immobilizer is activated.

Press the seat belt release button
(page 42).
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the Smart-
Key with KEYLESS-GO* (if so equipped) with
you and lock the vehicle. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Children could
release the parking brake and/or move the
gear selector lever from positionP, either of
which could result in an accident and/or se-
rious personal injury.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the selector
lever not fully engaged in positionP is dan-
gerous. Also, when parked on an incline,
positionP alone may not prevent your vehi-
cle from moving, possibly hitting people or
objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 143).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
iAlways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting to position P.
On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the curb.
iThe SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* (if so equipped) can only
be removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP.

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.

141 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
Information for driving with an automatic
transmission is found in the “Getting start-
ed” section (
page 43).
Your transmission adapts its gear shifting
process to your individual driving style by
continually adjusting the shift points up or
down. These shift point adjustments are
performed based on current operating and
driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change the au-
tomatic transmission reacts by adjusting
its gear shift program.The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on


the selector lever positionD with gear
ranges4, 3, 2, 1 (
page 143)


the selected shift program (W/S)
(page 145) or
(M/C/S)(CLK55AMG)(
page 147)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 146)


the vehicle speed
The current selector lever position and
shift program (W/S) or
(M/C/S) (CLK 55 AMG) appear in the
speedometer display (
page 114).When the selector lever is in positionD,
you can influence transmission shifting by


limiting the gear range


changing gears yourself
iDuring the brief warm-up the transmis-
sion upshifting is delayed. This allows
the catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperatures.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the selector lever out
of P or N if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the en-
gine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.

142 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionOne-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission you
can change the gears yourself when the
selector lever is in positionD.
Downshifting
Briefly press the selector lever to the
left in the D–direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear. This action si-
multaneously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 143).Upshifting

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D+direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next higher gear as permitted
by the shift program. This action simulta-
neously extends the gear range of the
transmission.Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the selector lever in the
D+direction until D reappears in the
tachometer display field.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D–direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal accelera-
tion and deceleration. This will involve
shifting down one or more gears.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the selector lever is moved in the
D–direction, the transmission will not
shift to a lower gear if the engine's
max. speed would be exceeded.

143 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear ranges
With the selector lever in positionD, you
can limit the transmission’s gear range by
pressing the lever to the left (D-), and re-
verse the gear range limit by pressing the
lever to the right (D+).
The selected gear range will appear in the
tachometer display field. If you press on
the accelerator when the engine has
reached its rpm limit, the transmission will
upshift beyond any gear range limit
selected.
Gear
range
Effect
é
The transmission shifts
through fourth gear only.
è
The transmission shifts
through third gear only.
With this selection you can
use the braking effect of the
engine.
Gear
range
Effect
ç
The transmission shifts
through second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates
only in first gear.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep
or lengthy downgrades.