2003 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK320 lights

70 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsSwitching off the ESP
To improve the vehicle's traction, turn off
the ESP in driving situations where it would
be advantageous to have drive wheels spin
and thus cut into surfaces for better grip
such as:

starting out on slippery surfaces and in
deep snow in conjunction with snow
chains


sand or gravelThe switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1ESP off
2ESP on

Press upper half1 of the ESP switch
until the ESP warning lamp
v
in the
speedometer lights up.
The ESP is deactivated.
If one or more drive wheels are spinning,
the ESP warning lamp
v
in the speed-
ometer flashes, regardless of the speed.
Traction control brakes a spinning wheel
even when ESP is deactivated.ESP always operates when you are brak-
ing, even when it has been deactivated.
Switching on the ESP

Press lower half2 of the ESP switch.
The ESP warning lamp
v
in the
speedometer goes out. You are now
again in normal driving mode.
Warning!
G
The ESP should not be switched off during
normal driving other than in the circum-
stances described below. Disabling of the
system will reduce vehicle stability in stan-
dard driving maneuvers.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period with the ESP switched
off. This may cause serious damage to
the drivetrain which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
When the ESP warning lamp
v
is
illuminated continuously, the ESP is
switched off.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP.

72 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsTow-away alarm
Once the tow-away alarm is armed, a visual
and audible alarm will be triggered when
someone attempts to raise the vehicle.
Arming tow-away alarm
When you lock your vehicle, the tow-away
alarm is automatically armed after about
30 seconds.
When you unlock your vehicle, the
tow-away protection disarms automatical-
ly.Disarming tow-away alarm
To prevent triggering the tow-away alarm
feature, switch off the tow-away alarm be-
fore towing the vehicle, or when parking on
a surface subject to movement, such as a
ferry or auto train.
1Tow-away alarm off switch
2Indicator lampThe switch is located on the center con-
sole.

Turn off the ignition and remove the
key.

Press upper half1 of the switch.
Indicator lamp2 in the switch lights up
briefly.

Lock your vehicle with the key or re-
mote control.
The tow-away alarm remains disarmed un-
til you lock your vehicle again.
iThe tow-away protection alarm is trig-
gered, for example, if the vehicle is lift-
ed on one side.
If the alarm stays on for more than
20 seconds, an emergency call is initi-
ated automatically by the Tele Aid sys-
tem provided Tele Aid service was
subscribed to and properly activated,
and that necessary cellular service and
GPS coverage are available.
iYou cannot disarm the tow-away alarm
if the ignition is turned on.

76 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Checking the batteries
Press button
‹
or
Œ
longer than
1second.
The battery check lamp4 lights up
briefly to indicate that the key batteries
are in order.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock and lock the vehi-
cle. Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehi-
cle. It is possible for children to open a
locked door from the inside, which could re-
sult in an accident and/or serious injury.
!If you can no longer lock or unlock the
vehicle with the remote control, then
either the batteries in the remote con-
trol are discharged, the remote control
is malfunctioning, or the vehicle battery
is drained.

Check the batteries in the remote
control and replace them if neces-
sary (
page 212)
or


Synchronize the remote control
(page 213)
or


Use the folding key to unlock the
doors (
page 210) and the trunk
(
page 210) as required. Lock the
vehicle using the folding key
(page 211).
If the remote control is malfunctioning,
contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
!If battery check lamp4 does not light
up briefly during the check, then the re-
mote control batteries are discharged.
Replace the batteries (
page 212).
You can obtain the required batteries
at any authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

81 Controls in detail
Seats
Seats
Information on seat adjustment can be
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 30).
Heated seats*
The seat heater switches are located in the
center console.
1Normal heating
2Rapid heating
Make sure that the ignition is switched
on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
light up.Switching on seat heating

Press upper switch position1.
One indicator lamp on the switch lights
up.
Switching on rapid seat heating

Press lower switch position2.
Both indicator lamps on the switch light
up.Switching off seat heating

If one indicator lamp is on, press upper
switch position1.

If both indicator lamps are on, press
lower switch position2.
!If one or both of the indicator lamps on
the seat heater switch are blinking,
there is insufficient voltage available
since too many electrical consumers
are turned on. The seat heater switches
off automatically.
The seat heater will switch back on
again automatically as soon as suffi-
cient voltage is available.
iThe system switches over to normal
heating mode after approximately five
minutes. Only one indicator lamp re-
mains lit. iThe seat heater will be automatically
switched off after approximately
30 minutes.

84 Controls in detailLightingFor nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to position
B
to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
Switching on front fog lamps

Check that the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The green indicator lamp
‡
in the
lamp switch lights up.Switching on rear fog lamp

Check that the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp
†
in the
lamp switch lights up.
Combination switch
The combination switch is located on the
left side of the steering column.
1High beam
2High beam flasher
iThe high beam flasher is always avail-
able.
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or low beam headlamps on.
Fog lamps should only be used in con-
junction with low beam headlamps.
Consult your State or Province Motor
Vehicle Regulations regarding allow-
able lamp operation.

105 Controls in detail
Climate control
Air 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
Ð
(page 102).
The indicator lamp on the
Ð
button
comes on.Deactivating

Press button
Ð
(page 102).
The indicator lamp on the
Ð
button
goes out.
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.
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated af-
ter a maximum of 12 minutes.
Activating
Switch on the ignition.

Press button
F
(page 102).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
F
(page 102) again.
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.iThe air recirculation mode is activated
automatically at high outside temper-
tures.

106 Controls in detailClimate 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 climate
control system. The air in the vehicle will
then no longer be cooled or dehumidified.

Press buttonAC
OFF
(page 102).
The indicator lamp on the
AC
OFF
button lights up.
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.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
Warning!
G
While driving, deactivate the air conditioning
only temporarily to prevent window fogging.

173 Operation
Engine compartment
You can check the engine oil level with
the oil dipstick
Open the hood (
page 171).

Pull out oil dipstick1 (
page 175) and
wipe the tip clean.

Reinsert the oil dipstick into the dip-
stick guide tube as far as it will go.
1Oil dipstick

Pull out the oil dipstick again after
approximately 3 seconds.
The oil level is acceptable when it
leaves a line between the upper and
lower marks of the dipstick.
For adding oil (
page 175).
See “Practical hints” (
page 200) if the
low engine oil level warning lamp in the in-
strument cluster lights up.You can check the engine oil level on the
odometer display (SLK 320 and
SLK 32 AMG only)

Turn the key in the steering lock to
position2.
1Knob

Wait until the symbols
:
and
I

appear in the odometer display indica-
tor.
iFill quantity between upper and lower
dipstick marking level is approximately
2.1 US qt (2.0 l).