Page 59 of 304

59 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!
G
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY
Seat belts can only work when used 
properly. Never wear seat belts in any 
other way than as described in this sec-
tion, as that could result in serious inju-
ries in case of an accident.
Each occupant should wear their seat 
belt at all times, because seat belts help 
reduce the likelihood of and potential 
severity of injuries in accidents, includ-
ing rollovers. The integrated restraint 
system includes SRS (driver airbag, pas-
senger airbag, side impact airbags, ETD 
(seat belt emergency tensioning device), 
and driver knee bolster. The system is 
designed to enhance the protection of-
fered to properly belted occupants in 
certain frontal (front airbags) and side 
(side impact airbags) impacts which ex-
ceed preset deployment thresholds.
Never wear the shoulder belt under your 
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a crash, your body would move 
too far forward. That would increase the 
chance of head and neck injuries. The 
belt would also apply too much force to 
the ribs or abdomen, which could se-
verely injure internal organs such as 
your liver or spleen.
Never wear belts over rigid or breakable 
objects in or on your clothing, such as 
eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as these 
might cause injuries.
Position the lap belt as low as possible 
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the belt is positioned across your 
abdomen, it could cause serious injuries 
in a crash.
Never use a seat belt for more than one 
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat 
belt around a person and another per-
son or other objects.
Belts should not be worn twisted. In a 
crash, you wouldn’t have the full width 
of the belt to manage impact forces. The 
twisted belt against your body could 
cause injuries.
Pregnant women should also use a 
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion 
should be positioned as low as possible 
on the hips to avoid any possible pres-
sure on the abdomen.
Never place your feet on the instrument 
panel or on the seat. Always keep both 
feet on the floor in front of the seat. 
     
        
        Page 189 of 304

189 Operation
Vehicle care
Engine cleaning
Prior to cleaning the engine compartment, 
make sure to protect electrical compo-
nents and connectors from contact with 
water and cleaning agents.
Corrosion protection, such as MB Anticor-
rosion Wax should be applied to the engine 
compartment after every engine cleaning. 
Before applying, all control linkage bush-
ings and joints should be lubricated. The 
poly-V-belt and all pulleys should be pro-
tected from any wax. Vehicle washing
Do not use hot water or wash your vehicle 
in direct sunlight. Use only a mild car wash 
detergent, such as Mercedes-Benz ap-
proved Car Shampoo.
Thoroughly spray the vehicle with a dif-
fused jet of water. Direct only a very weak 
spray towards the ventilation intake. Use 
plenty of water and rinse the sponge and 
chamois frequently. 
Rinse with clear water and thoroughly dry 
with a chamois. Do not allow cleaning 
agents to dry on the finish.
Due to the width of the vehicle, fold in out-
side mirrors prior to running the vehicle 
through an automatic car wash to prevent 
damage to the mirrors.
In the winter, thoroughly remove all traces 
of road salt as soon as possible.
When washing the underbody, do not for-
get to clean the inner sides of the wheels.Ornamental moldings
For regular cleaning and care of very dirty 
chrome-plated parts, use a chrome clean-
er.
Headlamps, tail lamps, turn signal 
lenses
Use a mild car wash detergent, such as 
Mercedes-Benz approved Car Shampoo, 
with plenty of water.
To prevent scratches, never apply strong 
force and use only a soft, non-scratchy 
cloth when cleaning the lenses. Do not at-
tempt to wipe dirty lenses with a dry cloth 
or sponge. 
     
        
        Page 267 of 304
267 Technical data
Main Dimensions
Main Dimensions
Model
SLK 230 Kompressor, SLK 320
SLK 32 AMG
Overall vehicle length
157.9 in (4010 mm)
157.9 in (4010 mm)
Overall vehicle width
67.5 in (1715 mm)
67.5 in (1715 mm)
Overall vehicle height
50.4 in (1279 mm)
50.4 in (1279 mm)
Wheelbase
94.5 in (2400 mm)
94.5 in (2400 mm)
Track, front
58.6 in (1488 mm)
58.6 in (1488 mm)
Track, rear
58.5 in (1485 mm)
58.2 in (1477 mm) 
     
        
        Page 276 of 304

276 Technical dataConsumer information
Consumer informationThe following text is published as required 
of all manufacturers of passenger cars un-
der Title 49, Code of U.S. Federal Regula-
tions, Part 575 pursuant to the “National 
Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act 
of 1966”.Uniform tire quality grading
Quality grades can be found, where appli-
cable, on the tire sidewall between tread 
shoulder and maximum section width. For 
example:
All passenger car tires must conform to 
federal safety requirements in addition to 
these grades.Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when 
tested under controlled conditions on a 
specified government test course. For ex-
ample, a tire graded 150 would wear one 
and one-half (1
1⁄2) times as well on the 
government course as a tire graded 100. 
The relative performance of tires depends 
upon the actual conditions of their use, 
however, and may depart significantly 
from the norm due to variations in driving 
habits, service practices and differences in 
road characteristics and climate.Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest 
are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades repre-
sent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pave-
ment as measured under controlled 
conditions on specified government test 
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire 
marked C may have poor traction perfor-
mance.
Tread wear
Traction
Temperature
200
AA
A
Warning!
G
The traction grade assigned to this tire is 
based on straightahead braking traction 
tests, and does not include acceleration, 
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction 
characteristics.