2004 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK320 CABRIOLET soft top

249 Controls in detail
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Loading instructions
The total load weight including vehicle oc-
cupants and luggage/cargo should not ex-
ceed the vehicle capacity weight indicated
on the certification tag which can be found
on the left door pillar.
The handling characteristics of a fully load-
ed vehicle depend greatly on the load dis-
tribution. It is therefore recommended to
load the heaviest items being placed to-
wards the front of the vehicle.
Always place items being carried against
r e a r s e a t b a c k r e s t s , a n d f a s t e n t he m a s s e -
curely as possible.
The heaviest portion of the cargo should al-
ways be kept as low as possible since it in-
fluences the handling characteristics of
the vehicle.
!To prevent damage to the soft top or
luggage/cargo when lowering the roof:

load trunk only to the height of the
luggage cover


do not permit luggage/cargo to
push up the closed luggage cover


do not place anything on the shelf
behind the roll bar


do not place anything on the soft
top compartment cover
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle and can cause in-
jury to vehicle occupants unless the items
are securely fastened in the vehicle.
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when transporting cargo. Put luggage or car-
go in the trunk if possible. Do not pile lug-
gage or cargo higher than the seat backs.
Do not place anything on the shelf below the
rear windows.
Never drive vehicle with trunk open. Deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) gases may enter ve-
hicle interior resulting in unconsciousness
and death.

306 OperationVehicle careEngine cleaning
Prior to cleaning the engine compartment,
make sure to protect electrical compo-
nents and connectors from the intrusion of
water and cleaning agents.
Corrosion protection, such as MB Anticor-
rosion Wax, should be applied to the en-
gine compartment after every engine
cleaning. Before applying, all control link-
age bushings and joints should be lubricat-
ed. The poly-V-belt and all pulleys should
be protected from any wax.
Vehicle washing
Do not use hot water or wash your vehicle
in direct sunlight. Only use 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.Soft top
Clean soft top with soft top raised and
locked. Lower the soft top into the storage
compartment only if the soft top is com-
pletely dry. If the soft top is kept in the
storage compartment for a lengthy period,
raise it and air out with the windows open
about every 4 months.
Light colored soft tops should be cleaned
frequently to prevent spots and dirt from
setting in, which could stain and discolor
the soft top material permanently.
iVehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
If a door handle is hit by a strong jet of
water, and a SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* is in close proximity, i.e.
within approx. 3 ft (approx. 1 m), the
vehicle could be inadvertently locked
or unlocked.
!Remove bird droppings immediately.
The organic acid damages the material
and causes the soft top to leak
Never use a power washer to clean the
soft top, as you may damage the soft
top material.
Do not use sharp-edged instruments
for the removal of ice and snow.

307 Operation
Vehicle care
Dry cleaning:
Brush the dry top with a soft-bristled
brush.
Brush top always from front to rear.
Wet cleaning:

Brush the top with a soft-bristled
brush.
Wash with clear water or with a mild
detergent and an ample supply of luke-
warm water by wiping with a soft-bris-
tled brush or sponge from front to
rear.Then rinse thoroughly with clear
water.Wash the top only when heavily soiled.
If only parts of the top have been washed,
wet the entire top and allow it to air-dry be-
fore lowering it into the storage compart-
ment.
For cleaning soft top or wind screen never
use:


gasoline


thinner


tar and stain removers


glass cleaner


similar organic solvents
They will cause damage which is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited War-
ranty.Ornamental moldings
For regular cleaning and care of very dirty
chrome-plated parts, use a chrome clean-
er.
Headlamps, tail lamps, side markers,
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 only use a soft, non-scratchy
cloth when cleaning the lenses. Do not at-
tempt to wipe dirty lenses with a dry cloth
or sponge.
iWhen you run the vehicle through an
automatic car wash, never use
hot-wax.
Depending on the operation mode of
the car wash, there is the possibility of
water drops entering the vehicle’s inte-
rior. This is not an indication of a defect
or malfunction in the soft top.
iIn general, regular spraying or cleaning
with clear water is sufficient to keep
the soft top clean.

340 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display symbol
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
K
Lock top
The soft top is not properly locked.

Lock the soft top again (
page 220).
Top being opened
The soft top is not completely open or
closed. The hydraulics are losing pres-
sure.

Open or close the soft top all the way.
Top Visit workshop
The soft top is malfunctioning.

Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon
as possible.
Start engine to
operate top
The on-board voltage is too low.

Start the engine.
Top locked
as vehicle is moving
You have attempted to open or close the
soft top while driving.

Pull over to the side of the road and re-
peat soft top operation while the vehi-
cle is stationary.

342 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Display symbol
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
ì
Function
Not available
This display appears if button ì or
í on the multifunction steering wheel
is pressed and the vehicle is not equipped
with a telephone.
Ê
Trunk open!
This message will appear whenever the
trunk lid is open.

Close the trunk lid.
Close trunk lid
This message will appear when the soft
top is operated with the trunk lid open.

Close the trunk lid.
Please close
trunk partition
This message will appear when the soft
top is operated with the luggage cover or
ski sack open.

Fold down and latch luggage cover
(page 216).

Close the ski sack roller blind
(page 217).
W
Washer fluid
Check level
The fluid level has dropped to about
1/3 of
total reservoir capacity.

Add washer fluid (
page 295).

343 Practical hints
Where will I find...?
Where will I find...?
First aid kit
The first aid kit is stored in right hand side
of the trunk underneath the trunk floor in
an separate storage space.
Lift cover1.

Remove first aid kit2.
Vehicle tool kit
The vehicle tool kit is stored in the com-
partment underneath the trunk floor.
The following is included:

Towing eye bolt


Vehicle jack


Wheel wrench


Alignment bolt


Wheel bolts


Fuse extractor


Straps for soft top emergency opera-
tion
iCheck expiration dates and contents
for completeness at least once a year
and replace missing/expired items.
iHex wrench:
You will find the hex wrench for
manually operating the roll bars
(page 353) or the soft top
(page 355) in the Mercedes-Benz
vehicle literature pouch.

353 Practical hints
Opening/closing in an emergency
Opening/closing in an emergency
Operating roll bars manually
Releasing roll bars manually
If the roll bar system is malfunctioning, you
can release the roll bars manually.

Close the soft top (
page 219)

Open the trunk (
page 98)

Fold back the luggage cover
(page 216).

Open ski sack roller blind
(page 217).

Take hex wrench out of the
Mercedes-Benz vehicle literature
pouch.1Perforation

Push hex wrench through
perforation1 in trim of rear wall in
trunk.
Warning!
G
If the yellow roll bar warning lamp in
the clock does not go out after starting the
engine, or if it comes on while driving, then
the roll bar system is not operating properly
and may not activate in an accident. In this
case, raise the roll bars manually before
continuing to drive.
For safety reasons drive only with the roll
bars raised until the malfunction is repaired.
Have your vehicle checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
iThe soft top cannot be operated after
the roll bars have been manually re-
leased.
Warning!
G
Make sure no one is located in the roll bar’s
path of motion while the next steps are be-
ing carried out.
When the roll bar is manually released, the
rear head restraints and the roll bar under-
neath shoot up almost instantaneously.


354 Practical hintsOpening/closing in an emergency2Hex wrench
Insert long side of hex wrench2 into
opening.

Using hex wrench 2, press release
catch down in direction of arrow.
The roll bar extends with a loud sound.

Repeat this step for the second roll bar.
Have the systems checked at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as
possible.Lowering roll bars manually
You can lower the roll bars manually after
they have been released.
1Orientation seam
2Hex wrench
3Press wrench down
4Press head restraint down

Take hex wrench out of the
Mercedes-Benz vehicle literature
pouch.

Align hex wrench so that its long side is
parallel to orientation seam1 and in-
sert hex wrench2 into gap on left side
of respective head restraint.

Press hex wrench down firmly in direc-
tion of arrow3 and hold.
iThe rear head restraints cannot be low-
ered and the soft top cannot be opened
or closed when the roll bars have been
released.Warning!
G
Never lower the roll bars manually unless
the soft top is open. Otherwise, the roll bars
function could be impaired, no longer reduc-
ing your risk of injury in an optimal manner.
Contact your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center to have the roll bar lowered when the
soft top is closed.