2004 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK CABRIOLET Owners Manual

254 Operation
Tyres and wheels
Although you may be able to control the
vehicle fully at a given speed on a dry road
surface, you must reduce your speed on a
wet or icy road surface to achieve the
same level of road safety.
You should pay particular attention to the
road conditionswhen the temperatures
are around freezing.
If ice has formed on the road surface (e.g.
due to fog), a thin film of water quickly
forms on the ice when you brake, which
greatly reduces tyre grip. You should drive
part icularly carefully in such weather con-
ditio ns. G
Risk of accident Have th
etight ening torque checked after a
wheel cha ngeat a qual ified specialist work-
shop which has the necessary specialist
knowl edge and tools to carry out the work
require d.Mercedes -Benz rec ommends that
you use a Mercedes-Benz Service Cen tre for
this purpose. In particular ,work relevant to
safety or on safety-relate dsystems must be
carried out at a qualified specialist work-
shop.
The wheel bolts coul dwork loose if they are
not tightened to a torque of 110 Nm.
Mercedes-Benz rec ommends tha t,for safety
reasons, you only use suitable wheel bolts
whi chhave been approved for Mercedes-
Benz. Tyre grip209en_d2.boo Seite
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255
Operation
Driving tips
You will find basic driving tips inthe
"Getting started" section ( =page 32). On
long and steep downward gradients,
you shou ldshi ftto a lower gear (shift rang-
es 1,2or 3) (
=page 137). This prevents
the brakes overheat ing and wearing too
qui ckly.
If you have subjected the brakes to a very
high load, do not switch the vehicle off im-
mediately, but drive on for a short dis-
tance. The brakes will cool more qui ckly in
the airflow.
If you drive for a long period in heavy rain
withou tbr ak ing, the first tim eyou br ake:
! the brakes may not react immediately
! you may have to depress the brake
more firmly
You should therefore maintain a greater
distance from the vehicle in front. Brake carefully after driving on a
wet road
surface, particularly if sal thas been spread
on the road. The brake discs will become
warm, will dry quicker and will be protect-
ed from corros ion.
If you only use the brakes moderately, you
shoul doccasionally check their effective-
ness. To do so, brake more firmly and at a
higher speed. This improves brake grip.
Mercedes-Benz recommends that, for
safety reasons, you only fit brake pad sto
your vehicle whi chhave been approve dfor
Mercedes-Benz. Brake pads whi chhave
not been approved for Mercedes-Benz ve-
hicles may adversely affect the safety of
your vehicle. Dr
iving tips Rolling with the engine swi
tchedoff G
Risk of accident There is no power assistance for the
steer-
ing or service brake when the engine is not
running.
You will re quire considerably more effort to
st eer and brake and you could therefore
lose control of the veh icle and cause an
accid ent.
Never switch the engine off while the vehicle
is in motion. Braking
G
Risk of accident Make sure that other road users ar
enot en-
dangered when you brake. 209en_d2.boo Seite
255 Dienstag, 25. Mai 2004 7:26 19

256 Operation
Dri
ving tips
CLK 55 AMG High-performance brake system
The high-performance brake system is de-
signed for heavy loads. This means that
there may be noise under braking. This de-
pends on:
! Speed
! Braking force
! Environmental conditions, e.g. temper-
atureand humidity
The wear of individual components in the
brake system, e.g. brake pad sor brake
discs, depends on:
! your individual drivin gstyle
! the operating conditions
For this reason ,it is not possible to provide
a general indication of wear based on mile-
age. Wearis particularl y highif an aggres-
sive style of driving isadopted. If a certain amount of water has accumu-
lated on the road surface, there is a danger
of aquaplaning, even
if:
! you are driving at low speeds
! the tyre tread is of sufficient depth
You should therefore avoid driving in tyre
ru ts and should brake carefully. If you have to drive on stretches of road on
which water has collected, pl
ease note
that:
! you must not drive on stretches of road
flooded to a still water depth gre ater
than 25 cm
! the maximum speed you may drive at is
walking speed
! Note that vehicles in front or oncoming vehi-
cles create waves. This may meanthat the max-
imum permitted water depth is exceeded.
Yo u must observe thesenotes, other wise dam-
age ma yocc urto the:
! Engine
! Electrics
! Transmission Driving
inwet weather Driving on flooded roads209en_d2.
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257
Operation
Winter driving
Have your vehicle winterproofed at a
qualified specialist workshop, e.g. at a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre, at the on-
set of winter. This servi ceincludes the fol-
lo wi ng:
! Engine oil change,
if the current oil used has not been
approved for winter use
! The antifreeze /anti-corrosion
concentration is checked
! A concentrated cleanin gagent is
added to the windscreen and headl amp
cleaning system fluid*
! The battery is checked
! A tyre change Us
ewinter tyres at temperatures below
+7 °C and on snow or ice-covered roads.
Th e maximum effect of the ABS and ESP
dri ving systems is on lyachieved in win ter
with these tyr es.
Us ewinter tyres of the same make and
tread on all wheels to maintain safe han-
dling characteristics. Always observe the maximum permitted
speed sp
ecified for the winter tyres you
have fitted. If you fit winter tyres whi ch
have a lower maximu mpermitt ed speed
than that of the vehicle, affix an appropri-
ate warning sign in the driver's field of
vision. This ca nbe obtained at a qualified
specialist workshop, e.g. at a Mercedes-
Benz Service Centre.
In such circumstances, you should also
restrict the maximum speed of the vehicle
to the maximum permitted speed for the
winter tyres using permanent Speedtronic
( = pa ge 211). Winter dri
ving Win
terty res* G
Risk of accident You must re
place wint ertyres with tread
de pth sof less than 4 mm immediately.
These tyres are no tsuitable for use in winter
an d do not provide sufficient grip. You could
therefore lose control of the vehicle and
cause an accide nt. 209en_d2.boo Seite
257 Dienstag, 25. Mai 2004 7:26 19

258 Operation
Winter driving
Do not exceed the maximum permissible
spee d of 50 km /h. Remove the snow
chains as soon as pos sible if you are no
longer driving on snow-covered roads.
i Youmay wish to deactivate ESP when pull-
ing away on snow chains ( =
page 70). This will
help you to achieve an effective cutting action.
If you are intending to fit snow chains,
please remember the follow ing:
! Snow chains cannot be fitted on all
whee l/tyre combinations.
! Fit snow chains only to the rear wheels.
Comply with the manufacturer's instal-
lat ion instructions.
! Mercedes-Benz recommends that, for
safety reasons, you only use snow
chains wh ich have been approved for
Mercedes-Benz.
! Youmust not fit snow chains to AMG tyres. You should drive particularly carefully on
icy roads. Avoid sudden accelerati
on,
steering mo vements and braking.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot
be brought to a standstill at a low speed:
! shift in toneut ral
! move the selector lever to N
! try to keep the vehicle under control
using corrective steering G
Risk of accident If you fit the spare wheel
*when driving with
winter tyres, pl ease be awarethat driving
stability will beimp aired owing to unstable
cornering characteristics cause dby the dif-
ferent tyres. You should ther efore adapt
your driving style and drive carefully.
Have the spare wheel* changed at the near-
est qualifi edspecialist workshop which has
the necessary specia list knowledge and
tools to carry out the work required.
Mercedes-Benz recomme nds that youuse a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre for this pur-
pose. In particular, work relevant to safety
or on safety-re lated systems must be car-
ried out at a qualified specialist workshop. Snow chains Winter driving
G
Risk of accident Do not
change down for additio nal engine
braking ona slippery road surface. The drive
whe els may los egrip. 209en_d2.boo Seite
258 Dienstag, 25. Mai 2004 7:26 19

259
Operation
Driving abroad
An extensive network of Mercedes-Benz
Service Centres is also at your disposal
when you are travelling abroad. The appro-
priate workshop directories are available
from any Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Only low-octane fuel is available in certain
countries.
You will fin dfurther information about fuel
grades in the "Operation" section
( = page 241). If your journey takes you to countries in
wh
ich traffic drives on the opposite side
of the road to the country where the vehi-
cle is reg istered, your headl amps should
be masked or parti ally masked to ensure
that the headlamps are at symmetrical
dipped beam*. Oncoming traffic will then
be dazzled less.
6 Mask the headlamps with special adhe-
sive sheets.
These sp ecial masking sheets can be
obtained at a qual ified specialist work-
shop, e.g. at a Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre.
Or depending on your vehicle's equipment:
6 Have the bi-xenon headlamps*
switched to symmetri cal dipped beam
at a qualified specialist workshop, e.g.
at a Merce des-Benz Service Centre.
You may obtain further information from a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. !
Mercede s-Be nz recommends that you only
use genuine Merced es-Benz adh esivesheets,
otherwise your headlamps could be damaged.
Remember to switch the headlamps to asym-
metrical dipped-beam headlamps again once
you are driving on the side of th eroad for the
co untry in which your vehicle is registered. Drivi
ngabroad Symmetrical dipped-beam
he
adlamps 209en_d2.boo Seite
259 Dienstag, 25. Mai 2004 7:26 19

260 Operation
Trailer towing
The detachable ball coupling is located in
the stowage
wellunder the boot floor.
You wil lfind details of installation dimen-
sions and loads in the "Technical data"
section.
Make a note of the key number in this
Owner's Manual, for example. This will
help you to obtain a replacement key from
a Mercedes-Benz Serv ice Ce ntre quickly,
shou ldyou lose it.
Key nu mber.: ________________ Removing the cover
1 Cover
6 Pull cover 1downwards vertically.
6 Store cover 1in the ball coupling
stowage well next to the spare whee l.2
Key
6 Insert key 2into the ball coupling
lock.
6 Turn key 2anti-cloc kwise.
6 Lift the handwheel off the ball coupling
and turn th ehandw heel clockwise until
it engages.
The whi temarking on the ball coupling
must be aligned with the red marking
on the handwheel. Trailer towing
Trailer tow hitch*
G
Risk of accident Fit the ball coupling with great care as it is
essential for the safety of th
eentire
vehicle /trailer combination. P 31.10-2451-31 Fitting the
ball coupling P 31.10-2452-31209en_d2.boo Seite
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261
Operation
Trailer towing
3 Ball coupling mounting
6 At the mark on the bumper, gu ide the
ball coupling vertically into ball cou-
pling mou nting 3until it engages.
The han dwheel turns in such a way that
green area 4on the handwheel is
aligned with the white area on the ball
cou pling. 4
Green area
6 Turn the key in the direct ion of the ar-
row (to lock).
6 Rem ove the key and press on the cover
cap.
6 Fold out the socket under the vehicle.
i It isbest to remove th e ball coupling if the
tr ailer tow hitch is no longer required. P 31.10-2453-31 P 31.10-2454-31 G
Risk of accident The ball coup
ling is only correctly fitted once
the white ar eaon the ba llcoupling and the
gr ee nar ea on the han dwheelare aligned
and the key can be removed. Unless it is fit-
ted properly, the ball coupling could work
loose.
When the vehicl eis towing a trail er, the ball
coupling must be locked and the ke yre-
moved. Only then is it guaranteed that the
ball coupling issecure and cannot work
loose while the vehicle is being driven.
If the ball coupling can not be locked and the
key cannot be remove d, remove the ball
coupling and clean it ( =
pag e271). If you
still cannot fit (lock) the ball coupling after it
has been cleaned, rem ove it. Insuch cases,
the trailer tow hitch must not be used for
towing because its safety cannot be guaran-
teed. 209en
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