2004 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK320 CABRIOLET soft top

355 Practical hints
Opening/closing in an emergency

Press head restraint down in direction
of arrow4.

Pull hex wrench 2 out and take weight
off head restraint.

Repeat this procedure on roll bar for
second head restraint.
Soft top emergency operation
If the soft top cannot be automatically
closed, check the following:

Is the luggage cover engaged in place
(page 216)?


Is the ski sack roller blind closed
(page 217)?


Have the roll bars been released?


Is the trunk lid closed?


Is there sufficient on-board voltage?
Start the engine if necessary.
These messages will also appear in the
multifunction display (
page 342).
If automatic operation still does not func-
tion properly, you can close the soft top
manually.
This procedure should be performed with
great care by two persons.
!Manually closing the soft top is a com-
plicated and technically demanding
procedure. Close the soft top manually
in emergency cases only. Otherwise,
visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center. Please read the instructions
fully before beginning operation and
only undertake it with another person
and if you feel fully capable of perform-
ing the tasks involved. Warning!
G


It is important that a second person
helps you. Otherwise, you could become
trapped or injured.


Remove any wristwatches or jewelry
such as rings or bracelets. Otherwise,
they could get caught in the vehicle
mechanism, causing personal injury to
yourself or damage to the vehicle.


Always use the grips provided and indi-
cated. Otherwise you could injure your-
self.

356 Practical hintsOpening/closing in an emergencyYour vehicle may be equipped with an ad-
ditional locking mechanism for soft top
emergency operation.
Before continuing, check whether your ve-
hicle is equipped with the additional lock-
ing mechanism:
Open the trunk.

Open the left side trim panel in the
trunk.
Vehicles without additional locking
mechanism1Screw of hydraulic pump
Follow the instructions on
(page 357).
Vehicles with additional locking
mechanism1Locking mechanism
2Screw of hydraulic pump
Follow the instructions on
(page 364).

357 Practical hints
Opening/closing in an emergency
Vehicles without additional locking
mechanism
Engage parking brake

Lower the side windows.

Lower rear head restraints
(page 111).

For safety reasons, remove SmartKey
from starter switch.

Open the trunk.

Lift the trunk floor cover.

Take the two straps for soft top emer-
gency operation out of vehicle tool kit
(page 343)

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

Open the left side trim panel in the
trunk.1Hex wrench
2Screw of hydraulic pump

Insert hex wrench 1 into screw2.

Turn hydraulic pump screw2 counter-
clockwise one revolution with hex
wrench 1.
iIf the rear head restraints cannot be
lowered, the roll bars may have been
released. For more information, see
“Operating roll bars manually”
(page 353).
!Do not operate the soft top switch with
screw2 in the opened position, other-
wise the hydraulic pump could be dam-
aged.


358 Practical hintsOpening/closing in an emergency3Lever
4Soft top storage compartment hinge
The soft top storage compartment hinges
are located on the left and right of the
space between the soft top compartment
cover and the trunk seal.
Pull the two levers3 apart and fold
levers3 of soft top storage compart-
ment hinge4 forward on both sides
over the detent position.5Strap

Pull strap5, supplied in vehicle tool
kit, behind soft top storage compart-
ment through hinge4.

Bring strap together in front of hinge.

Pull the side with the handle through
the loop on the opposite side.

Pull strap between soft top storage
compartment hinge and soft top com-
partment.

Secure second strap to second hinge in
the same manner.!Do not pull the straps when the trunk is
open.


359 Practical hints
Opening/closing in an emergency

Place both straps on soft top compart-
ment cover.

Take hex wrench out of trunk.

Close trunk lid.
You will only have access to the trunk
again when the emergency operation
has been completed.

You and your assistant should each
take one of the straps by the handle.

With a strong, simultaneous tug on the
loops, pull soft top compartment cover
upward and out to the rear.
iDo not place the SmartKey in the open
trunk. You may lock yourself out.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: To pre-
vent a possible inadvertent lockout, the
trunk lid will open automatically if a
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is recog-
nized in the area of the rear shelf or in-
side the trunk.!The trunk lid must remain closed during
the next steps in the procedure. Other-
wise the trunk lid and the soft top com-
partment cover may come into contact
with one another and be damaged.Warning!
G
At this point, the remaining procedure
needs to be done by two people. Otherwise
you could be injured.


360 Practical hintsOpening/closing in an emergency6Soft top compartment cover
One person should stand on the left
side of the vehicle and the other on the
right side.

Pulling the cover back in one smooth
motion, lift soft top compartment
cover6 into a vertical position until it
stops.7Edge of soft top

From left and right sides, reach into
soft top compartment underneath
edge of soft top7.
Warning!
G
In the next step, you and your assistant
should each take hold of the soft top com-
partment cover as shown in the illustration.
Both of you should use your free hand to
support yourselves on the edge of the trunk
lid as shown in the illustration.
If either you or your helper assume a differ-
ent position, one or both of you could be
trapped or injured. !Make sure the soft top storage com-
partment hinges do not fold down dur-
ing this procedure. Otherwise your
vehicle could be damaged.
Warning!
G
Do not place your hands near the upper
windshield area, trunk lid, or between soft
top roof panels and hinges while the soft top
is being raised and locked. Serious personal
injury may occur.


361 Practical hints
Opening/closing in an emergency
8Windshield frame
Lift soft top out of soft top compart-
ment and pull it forward to windshield
frame8.9Opening
aLocking

Take off protective cap on the inner
side of the soft top.

Insert hex wrench into soft top locking
mechanism screw.

Turn the soft top locking mechanism
screw with hex wrench clockwise in di-
rection of arrow9 as far as it will go.
The clasp will open and the soft top will
engage audibly.

Turn the soft top locking mechanism
screw with hex wrench counterclock-
wise in direction of arrowa as far as it
will go.
The clasp will close and the soft top is
now locked onto the windshield frame.!Make sure you turn the hex wrench
counterclockwise as far as it will go.
Otherwise the soft top may not lock
properly.


362 Practical hintsOpening/closing in an emergencybMaterial tensioning frame
cSoft top compartment cover
Lift material tensioning frameb into a
vertical position.

Lower soft top compartment coverc.dSoft top base

With the palm of your hand, press the
window in material tensioning
frameb until it is positioned on soft
top compartment cover c.

You and your assistant should press
soft top compartment cover c for-
ward and down with the palms of your
hands until it snaps into place in the
guide. Place your hands on the areas
indicated by the arrows.
At the same time, gently press material
tensioning frameb down with the
palms of your hands.
!Make sure the soft top compartment
coverc does not collide or make con-
tact with the material tensioning
frameb.