2004 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK-CLASS tow

ContentsSafety and Security........................... 57
Occupant safety................................... 58
Airbags ........................................... 59
Seat belts ....................................... 64
Roll bars ......................................... 68
Children in the vehicle .................... 69
Blocking of rear side
window operation ........................... 74
Panic alarm .......................................... 75
Activating ....................................... 75
Deactivating ................................... 75
Driving safety systems ......................... 76
ABS ................................................ 77
BAS ................................................ 78
ESP ................................................. 79
Anti-theft systems................................ 82
Immobilizer..................................... 82
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 83
Tow-away alarm ............................. 84
Controls in detail............................... 87
Locking and unlocking ......................... 88
SmartKeys...................................... 88
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ........ 91
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................... 97
Opening the trunk .......................... 98
Closing the trunk.......................... 100
Trunk lid
opening/closing system* ............ 100
Trunk lid emergency release ........ 105
Separately locking the trunk ........ 106
Separately unlocking the trunk .... 107
Automatic central locking ............ 107
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 108
Seats ................................................. 109
Easy-entry/exit feature ................ 109
Removing and installing
front seat head restraints............. 110
Rear seats head restraints ........... 111
Multicontour seat* ....................... 112
Seat ventilation* .......................... 113
Seat heating* ............................... 114Memory function ............................... 116
Storing positions into memory ..... 117
Recalling positions from memory . 117
Storing exterior rear view
mirror parking position ................ 118
Lighting ............................................. 119
Exterior lamp switch .................... 119
Combination switch ..................... 123
Hazard warning flasher ................ 123
Interior lighting ............................ 124
Door entry lamps ......................... 125
Instrument cluster ............................. 126
Instrument cluster illumination .... 126
Coolant temperature indicator ..... 127
Trip odometer .............................. 127
Tachometer .................................. 127
Outside temperature indicator ..... 128
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Contents
Maintenance...................................... 302
Clearing the service indicator ...... 302
Service term exceeded ................ 302
Calling up the service indicator .... 303
Resetting the service indicator..... 303
Vehicle care ....................................... 304
Cleaning and care of vehicle ........ 304
Practical hints.................................. 311
What to do if …? ................................. 312
Lamps in instrument cluster ......... 312
Lamp in center console................. 319
Messages in the display ................ 320
Where will I find...? ............................. 343
First aid kit.................................... 343
Vehicle tool kit .............................. 343
Minispare wheel............................ 346
Unlocking/locking in an emergency... 348
Unlocking the vehicle.................... 348
Locking the vehicle ....................... 349
Changing batteries in
the SmartKey/ SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* ....................... 350
Fuel filler flap ................................ 352
Manually unlocking
the gear selector lever .................. 352
Opening/closing in an emergency ..... 353
Operating roll bars manually ......... 353
Soft top emergency operation ...... 355Replacing bulbs .................................. 372
Bulbs............................................. 372
Replacing bulbs for front lamps .... 374
Side marker lamp bulb.................. 377
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps ..... 378
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 379
Removing wiper blades ................. 379
Installing wiper blades .................. 379
Flat tire............................................... 380
Preparing the vehicle .................... 380
Mounting the Minispare wheel...... 380
Battery ............................................... 385
Disconnecting the battery ............ 386
Removing the battery ................... 386
Charging and reinstalling battery .. 386
Reconnecting the battery ............. 387
Jump starting...................................... 388
Towing the vehicle.............................. 390
Towing the vehicle ........................ 390
Installing towing eye bolt .............. 392
Fuses.................................................. 394
Fuse box in
passenger compartment ............... 394
Fuse box in engine compartment . 395
Auxiliary fuse box in trunk ............ 396
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16 IntroductionOperating safety
Operating safety
Proper use of the vehicle
Proper use of the vehicle requires that you
are familiar with the following information
and rules:

the safety precautions in this manual


the “Technical data” section in this
manual


traffic rules and regulations


motor vehicle laws and safety stan-
dards
Warning!
G
Work improperly carried out on electronic
components and associated software could
cause them to cease functioning. Because
the vehicle’s electronic components are in-
terconnected, any modifications made may
produce an undesired effect on other sys-
tems. Electronic malfunctions could seri-
ously impair the operating safety of your
vehicle.
See your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for repairs or modifications to electronic
components.
Other improper work or modifications on the
vehicle could also have a negative impact on
the operating safety of the vehicle.
Some safety systems only function while the
engine is running. You should therefore nev-
er turn off the engine while driving.
Warning!
G
Heavy blows against the vehicle underbody
or tires / wheels, for example when running
over an obstacle, road debris or a pothole,
may cause serious damage and impair the
operating safety of your vehicle. If you feel a
sudden significant vibration or ride distur-
bance, or you suspect that damage to your
vehicle has occurred, you should turn on
your hazard warning flashers, carefully slow
down, and drive with caution to an area
which is a safe distance from the road.
Inspect the vehicle underbody and
tires / wheels for possible damage. If the ve-
hicle appears unsafe, have it towed to the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
or other qualified maintenance or repair fa-
cility for further inspection or repairs.
Warning!
G
Various warning labels are attached to your
vehicle. These warning labels are intended
to make you and others aware of various
risks. You should not remove any of these
warning labels unless explicitly instructed to
do so by information on the label itself. Re-
moval of any of these labels may cause you
and others to be unaware of certain risks
which may result in an accident and/or per-
sonal injury.
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25 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part
Item
Page
1
Seat heater*, driver’s side
Seat ventilation*, driver’s
side
114
113
2
Parking assist* (Parktronic
system*) deactivation
switch
244
3
ESP control switch
79
4
Hazard warning flasher
on/off switch
123
5
Central locking switch
108
6
Rear head restraints, low-
ering switch
111
7
Tow-away alarm switch
Anti-theft alarm system in-
dicator lamp
84
85
Item
Page
8
Seat heater*, passenger
side
Seat ventilation*,
passenger side
114
113
9
PASS. AIRBAG OFF
indicator lamp
71,
319
a
Audio system or
COMAND* (see separate
operating instructions)
134
b
Automatic climate control
Rear window defroster
172,
171
c
Ashtray
253
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52 Getting startedParking and locking
Parking and lockingYou have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows:Warning!
G
Wait until the vehicle is stationary before re-
moving the SmartKey from the starter
switch. The vehicle cannot be steered when
the SmartKey is removed.Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of inadvertent vehicle movement, be-
fore turning off the engine and leaving the
vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheel towards the road curb.


Turn the SmartKey to starter switch
position0 and remove, or press
start / stop button (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*).


Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* and lock vehicle when
leaving.
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53 Getting started
Parking and locking
Parking brake
1Parking brake
2Release handle
Step firmly on parking brake1.
When the engine is running, the indica-
tor lamp ;(USA only)
or3(Canada only) in the instru-
ment cluster will be illuminated.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Children could release the
parking brake and/or move the gear selec-
tor lever from positionP, either of which
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever not fully engaged in positionP is
dangerous. 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 159).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
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54 Getting startedParking and lockingSwitching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch toM
(page 47).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 119).
Turning off the engine 
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP.Turning off the engine with the
SmartKey

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

Press the seat belt release button
(page 42).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
iAlways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting to positionP.
On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the curb.
iThe SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.!With the SmartKey removed and the
driver’s door open, a warning sounds if
the vehicle’s exterior lamps are not
switched off.
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80 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsFor more information, see “Practical hints”
(page 311).Switching off the ESP
To improve the vehicle's traction, turn off
the ESP in driving situations where it would
be advantageous to have the 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 gravel
The 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
instrument cluster comes on.
The ESP is deactivated.
If one or more drive wheels are spinning,
the ESP warning lamp v in the instru-
ment cluster flashes, regardless of the
speed.
!Because of the ESP’s automatic opera-
tion, the engine must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0
or1 or KEYLESS-GO* start/stop but-
ton in position0 or1) when

the parking brake is being tested on
a brake test dynamometer


the vehicle is being towed with the
front axle raised
Active braking action through the ESP
may otherwise seriously damage the
brake system.
The ESP will only function properly if
you use wheels of the recommended
tire size.
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.
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