2003 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK55AMG COUPE lights

109 Controls in detail
Lighting
Interior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Rear interior lights
2Right front reading lamp
3Rocker switch: Automatic control off
4Rocker switch: Automatic control on
5Rocker switch: Front interior lights on
6Left front reading lampAutomatic control
Activating

Press the rocker switch to the center
position 4.
Interior lamps are switched on in dark-
ness, when

the vehicle is unlocked


a door is opened
The interior lamps are switched off after a
set time1 (page 132).Deactivating

Press the rocker switch to the right po-
sition 3.
The interior lighting remains switched
off in darkness, even when you

unlock the vehicle


open a door
1Only after the key has been removed from the
starter switch is the interior lighting switched on
for a set time.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lamps switch off automatically after ap-
proximately five minutes.

110 Controls in detailLightingManual control
Switching lamps on
Press the rocker switch to the left posi-
tion 5.
The front interior lighting switches on.
Switching lamps off

Press the rocker switch to the center
position4.
The interior lighting switches off. The
automatic control function is switched
on.
Switching rear interior lights on

Press switch1.
The rear compartment lighting is
switched on.
Switching rear interior lights off

Press switch1.
The rear compartment lighting is
switched off.Front reading lamps
Switching on

Press switch 2 or 6.
The corresponding reading lamp is
switched on.
Switching off

Press switch 2 or 6.
The corresponding reading lamp is
switched on.
Door entry lamps
The appropriate door entry lamp switches
on if a door is opened in darkness and if
the interior lighting is switched to automat-
ic function.
The entry lamp switches off automatically
when the door is closed.
iIf you turn the key in the starter switch
to position0 and switch off the exterior
headlamps, the door entry lamps will
remain lit for approximately five
minutes.

159 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Adjusting air volume
Adjusting manually
Seven blower speeds are available.
Press left
M
or right
Q
s i d e o f a i r
volume control switch until the re-
quested blower speed is attained.
The display
Auto
disappears and the
automatic mode is switched off. The
selected blower speed is shown in the
display.
Adjusting automatically

Press left or right
U
button until it
clicks in.
The
a
, Z
, X
and
Y
sym-
bols are no longer visible. The air vol-
ume is adjusted automatically.
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set to
U
and there is a high need for
cooling, the display “MAXCOOL” appears.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
sliding/pop-up roof are closed).
Defrosting
Activating
Press button
P
(page 155).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Switch off air recirculation, if selected.

Press button
,
(page 155).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Close center air vents.

Adjust side air vents upwards.
Deactivating

Press button
P
(page 155).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.

160 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAir recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.Activating

Press button
,
(page 155).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
,
(page 155).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is below
41°F (5°C), only switch to air recirculation
mode for short periods to prevent window
fogging.
iIf you keep button
,
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof* will be closed.
The air recirculation mode is activated
automatically:


at high outside temperatures


if the concentration of carbon mon-
oxide and nitrogen oxide in the out-
side air increases, for example in a
tunnel
Please note that the charcoal filter
must be activated (
page 161) for the
air recirculation mode to be activated
automatically.
If you have turned off the air condition-
ing system (
page 163) or the outside
temperature is below 41°F (5°C), the
air recirculation mode will not switch on
automatically.
iIf you keep button
,
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof will be returned to their previous
position.

161 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
The air recirculation mode is deactivated
automatically:

after five minutes if the outside temper-
ature is below approximately 41°F
(5 °C)


after five minutes if the air conditioning
is turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside temper-
ature is above approximately 41°F
(5 °C)
At outside temperatures above 79°F
(26 °C) the system will not automatically
switch back to outside air. A quantity of
outside air is added after approximately
30 minutes.
Charcoal filter
An activated charcoal filter markedly re-
duces bad odors and removes pollutants
from air entering the passenger compart-
ment.
Activating
Press button
e
(page 155).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
e
(page 155).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.The system switches automatically to the
air recirculation mode if the carbon
monoxide (CO) or nitrogen oxide (NO
X)
concentration of the outside air increases
beyond a predetermined level.
The automatic air recirculation mode does
not function if economy mode AC
OFF
is se-
lected or if the outside temperature has
fallen below 41°F (5°C).
The activated charcoal filter should be
switched off when windows fog up on the
inside, or if the passenger compartment
needs to be quickly heated or cooled
down.
iIf you keep button
e
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof will be closed.
iIf you keep button
e
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof will be returned to their previous
position.

162 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlRear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep battery drain to
a minimum, switch off the defroster as
soon as the rear window is clear. The de-
froster is automatically deactivated after
approximately 6 to 17 minutes of opera-
tion depending on the outside tempera-
ture.Activating

Press button
F
(page 155).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
F
(page 155) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.
!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts blinking, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically turns itself back on.

163 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the automatic
climate control system. The air in the vehi-
cle will then no longer be cooled or dehu-
midified.
Press buttonAC
OFF
(page 155).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
lights up.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

PressAC
OFF
again (
page 155).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
goes out.
The air conditioning system uses the refrig-
erant R134a. This refrigerant is free of
CFCs which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat and ventilation*
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.
Activating
Turn the key in the starter switch to
position1 o r r e m o v e i t f r o m t h e s t a r t e r
switch.

Press button
T
(page 155).
The indicator lamp on button
T

comes on.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If theAC
OFF
button on the automatic
climate control panel starts to blink,
this indicates that the air conditioning
system is losing refrigerant. The com-
pressor has turned itself off. The air
conditioning cannot be turned on
again.
Have the air conditioning system
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

198 Controls in detailDriving systemsDistronic displays in the speedometer
dial
1Set speed
If Distronic is activated, one or two seg-
ments light up around the set speed.1Segments
If Distronic detects a vehicle directly
ahead, the segments from the speed of the
vehicle ahead to set speed light up.
If Distronic calculates that there is a dan-
ger of collision


the DTR warning lamp
l
in the in-
strument cluster lights up red


an intermittent warning sounds

Immediately brake the vehicle to avoid
a collision.Under no circumstances should the
driver await the intermittent warning
sound before braking. See warning
note on the next page.
The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the red DTR warning lamp
l

goes out when the necessary distance
to the vehicle ahead is again estab-
lished.
iThe vehicle speed displayed on the
speedometer can briefly vary from the
speed setting on the Distronic system.