2004 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK55AMG CABRIOLET parking brake

160 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP. With the SmartKey
removed, the gear selector lever
is locked in positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP
(page 352).
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All five forward
gears are available.

161 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Steering wheel gearshift control (Speedshift) CLK 55 AMG
In the manual shift program mode you can
change the gears manually on the steering
wheel or by using the gear selector lever
(page 158).
Allow engine to warm up under low load
use. Do not place full load on the engine
until the operating temperature has been
reached. Shift into reverse gear only when
the vehicle is stopped.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with gear selector lever
inN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear
selector lever not fully engaged in positionP
is dangerous. Also, positionP alone is not
intended to or capable of preventing your
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 46).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as gras, hay, or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
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 move the
gear selector lever from positionP, which
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drive train which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

218 Controls in detailSoft topOpening the soft topSoft top switch1Indicator lamp
2Soft top openingBefore pulling on the soft top switch, you
must make sure:


the parking brake is engaged
(page 46)


the luggage cover is latched, see
“Latch luggage cover” (
page 216)


the ski sack roller blind is closed, see
“Closing ski sack roller blind”
(page 217)


the trunk lid is closed


the ignition is switched on (SmartKey in
starter switch position2 or press the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button twice)

Pull up on the soft top switch as indi-
cated by the arrow2 until the soft top
is completely lowered into its trunk
storage compartment and the indicator
lamp1 in the soft top switch goes
out.
During the opening procedure the mul-
tifunction display shows the message Top in operation
.
If the opening procedure is finished,
the multifunction display will briefly
show the message Top open
.
If you continuously pull on the soft top
switch, the windows will close.
However, the windows can also be
closed/opened later on, for more informa-
tion see “Opening and closing the windows
with the soft top switch” (
page 212), or
see “Opening and closing the windows”
(
page 210)

220 Controls in detailSoft topBefore pressing the soft top switch, you
must make sure:

the parking brake is engaged
(page 46)


the trunk lid is closed


the ignition is switched on (SmartKey in
starter switch position2 or press the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button twice)

Press the soft top switch as indicated
by the arrow2 until the soft top is
completely closed and locked.The indi-
cator lamp1 in the soft top switch
goes out.
During the closing procedure the multi-
function display shows the message Top in operation
.
If the soft top is closed and locked, the
multifunction display will briefly show
the message
Top closed
.
If you continuously press on the soft
top switch the windows will close.However, the windows can also be
closed/opened later on, for more informa-
tion see “Opening and closing the windows
with the soft top switch” (
page 212) or
see “Opening and closing the windows”
(
page 210)Locking the soft top after raising/low-
ering
If the soft top is not properly locked, lock it
as described below.iFor safety reasons, the soft top cannot
be opened while driving.Warning!
G
To prevent possible accidents, drive the ve-
hicle only with the soft top either completely
closed and locked, or fully lowered into its
storage compartment.
Warning!
G
The soft top is not fully closed and locked or
not fully opened if:

the indicator lamp in the soft top switch
remains lit


the message
Top in operation!
is
shown in the multifunction display and
the indicator lamp in the soft top switch
does not go out


the indicator lamp flashes and a warning
sounds for 10 seconds and the message Lock top
is shown in the multifunction
display when starting to drive
To prevent possible accidents, drive the ve-
hicle only with the soft top either completely
closed and locked, or fully lowered into its
storage compartment.

226 Controls in detailDriving systems
Driving systemsThe driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed


Parktronic*, which serves as a parking
assistant.
For information on the BAS, ABS, and ESP
driving systems, see “Driving safety sys-
tems” (
page 76).
Cruise control
Cruise control automatically maintains the
speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed over 20 mph
(30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 20).
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must remain at all
times responsible for the vehicle speed and
for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

234 Controls in detailDriving systemsActivating Distronic
You can activate Distronic if

you are driving between 25 mph
(40 km/h) and 110 mph (180 km/h)


the ESP is activated (
page 79)
If Distronic has not been activated after
pressing the cruise control lever you will
see the message
---
in the multifunction
display.
In the following cases you cannot activate
Distronic:


up to two minutes after starting the en-
gine.


when you brake.


if you have set the parking brake.


if the gear selector lever is in
positionP, R or N.


if ESP is switched off.Setting the current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift or depress the cruise control
lever.
Distronic is activated and the current
speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.Setting a higher speed

Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow1 (
page 233) to in-
crease vehicle speed in increments of
5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
The new speed is set.
The stored speed is displayed in the
multifunction display for approximately
five seconds (
page 233), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
come on, on the speedometer
(
page 231).
iIf you do not take your foot off of the
accelerator completely, the following
message will appear in the multifunc-
tion display: Distronic override
.
Distronic will not work to maintain the
distance to slower moving vehicles in
front of you. Your vehicle speed will
then be determined only by the accel-
erator pedal position.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate Distronic. After brief ac-
celeration (e.g. for passing), the cruise
control will resume the last speed set.

236 Controls in detailDriving systemsDeactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow3 (
page 233).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored into memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when


you set the parking brake


you drive slower than 25 mph
(40 km/h)


the ESP is active (
page 79) or you de-
activate the ESP


you move the gear selector lever into
positionN.
A si gnal wi ll s ound. T he
Distronic off

message appears in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for Distronic by varying the time set-
ting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using
this time setting and the current speed of
your vehicle, Distronic calculates and sets
the required following distance to the vehi-
cle ahead. The set distance will be shown
in the multifunction display field.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.
iThe following message will appear in
the multifunction display for approxi-
mately five seconds:
Distronic off
.
The last stored speed is deleted when
you turn off the engine.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of approximately
25 mph ( 40 km / h) by operation of the sys-
tem. At that time the driver must apply the
brakes in order to reduce vehicle speed fur-
ther or bring it to a stop.
Warning!
G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.

241 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Parktronic (Parking assist)*
The Parktronic system is an electronic aid
designed to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers. It visually and audibly indi-
cates the relative distance between the
vehicle and an obstacle.
The Parktronic system is automatically ac-
tivated when you switch on the ignition
and release the parking brake. The Park-
tronic system deactivates at speeds over
approximately 11 mph (18 km/h). At low-
er speeds the Parktronic system turns on
again.The Parktronic system monitors the sur-
roundings of your vehicle with six sensors
in the front bumper and four sensors in the
rear bumper.
1Sensors in the front bumperWarning!
G
Parktronic is a supplemental system. It is
not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always rests with the driver.
Special attention must be paid to objects
with smooth surfaces or low silhouettes
(e.g. trailer couplings, painted posts or road
curbs). Such objects may not be detected by
the system and can damage the vehicle.
The operational function of the Parktronic
system can be affected by dirty sensors, es-
pecially at times of snow and ice, see
“Cleaning the Parktronic* system sensors”
(page 308).
Interference caused by other ultrasonic sig-
nals (e.g. working jackhammers or the air
brakes of trucks) can cause the system to
send erratic indications, and should be tak-
en into consideration.
Warning!
G
Make sure no persons or animals are in the
area in which you are maneuvering. You
could otherwise injure them.