2004 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK55AMG CABRIOLET steering

36 Getting startedAdjustingSeat cushion tilt
Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow3 until your upper
legs are lightly supported.
Seat backrest tilt

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow5 until your
arms are slightly angled when holding
the steering wheel.
Seat height

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow2.Head restraint height

Press the switch up or down in the di-
rection of arrow1.Head restraint tilt
Manually adjust the angle of the head re-
straint.

Push or pull on the lower edge of the
head restraint cushion.
For more information, see “Seats”
(
page 109).
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of
the head restraint supports the back of the
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are intend-
ed to help reduce injuries during an acci-
dent.

37 Getting started
Adjusting
Folding front seat backrests forward
1Release leverFolding backrests forward

Pull release lever1 forward and fold
the seat backrest forward.
The head restraint will automatically
move down.
Folding backrests back

Fold and press the backrest rearward
until it engages in driving position.
The head restraint returns to its previ-
ous position.
For more information, see “Easy-entry/ex-
it feature” (
page 109).
Steering wheel
iIn addition to the front seat backrests,
the front seat cushions can also be
shifted forward to permit easy access
to the rear whenever the seat is located
in the rear half of its adjustment range.
Swivel backrest forward by pulling the
release lever until the seat moves in a
combined forward and upward move-
ment.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
* with you and
lock your vehicle.
The steering wheel adjustment feature can
also be operated with the driver’s door
open. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

38 Getting startedAdjustingSteering wheel adjustment
The stalk for steering wheel adjustment is
located on the steering column (lower left).
1Adjusting steering column, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1or2 (
page 31).
or

Press the KEYLESS GO* start/stop
button once or twice (
page 33).
or

Open the driver’s door.Adjusting steering column in or out

Move stalk forward or back in the direc-
tion of arrow 1 until a comfortable
steering wheel position is reached with
your arms slightly bent at the elbow.
Adjusting steering column up or down

Move stalk up or down in the direction
of arrow 2.
Make sure your legs can move freely
and all the displays (incl. malfunction
and indicator lamps) on the instrument
cluster are clearly visible.
Mirrors
Adjust the interior and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.
Interior rear view mirror
Manually adjust the interior rear view
mirror.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
ror” (page 168)
iThe memory function (
page 116) lets
you store the setting for the steering
wheel together with the setting for the
seat position and exterior rear view
mirrors.
Warning!
G
In the case of an accident, liquid electrolyte
may escape the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.

39 Getting started
Adjusting
Exterior rear view mirror
The buttons are located above the exterior
lamp switch.1Adjustment button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view mir-
ror button
3Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
come on.

Press button3 for the left mirror or
button2 for the right mirror.

Push adjustment button1 up, down,
left or right according to the desired
setting.For more information, see “Activating exte-
rior rear view mirror parking position”
(
page 169).
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passenger
side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
terior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can only be
completely removed while in their liq-
uid state and by applying plenty of wa-
ter
!If an exterior rear view mirror was forc-
ibly pushed forward (hit from the rear)
or forcibly pushed rearward (hit from
the front), reposition it by applying firm
pressure until it snaps into place. The
mirror housing is now properly posi-
tioned and you can adjust the mirror
normally.iThe memory function (
page 116) lets
you store the setting for the exterior
rear view mirrors together with the set-
tings for the steering wheel and seat
position.
iAt low ambient temperatures, the mir-
rors will be heated automatically.

48 Getting startedDrivingTurn signals and high beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch up1 or
down2.High beam

Push the combination switch forward.
The high beam headlights are switched
on.
The high beam symbolA in the
tachometer comes on.
For more information, see “High beam
flasher” (
page 123).
Windshield wipers
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Single wipe
2Switching on windshield wipers
Make sure the ignition is switched on.
iTo signal minor directional changes,
move combination switch to point of
resistance only and release. The turn
signal flashes three times.

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.

59 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Airbags
Warning!
G
In the event that the 1 indicator lamp
comes on during driving or does not come at
all, the SRS may not be operational. For your
safety, we strongly recommend that you vis-
it an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center im-
mediately to have the system checked;
otherwise the SRS may not be activated
when needed in an accident, which could re-
sult in serious or fatal injury, or it might de-
ploy unexpectedly and unnecessarily which
could also result in injury.
Improper work on the restraint systems, in-
cluding incorrect installation and removal,
can lead to possible injury through an unin-
tended activation of the SRS.
In addition, through improper work there is
a risk of rendering the SRS inoperative or
causing unintended airbag deployment.
Work on the SRS must therefore only be per-
formed by qualified technicians. Contact
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Airbags are designed to reduce the potential
for injury resulting from certain frontal im-
pacts (front airbags) or side impacts
(head-thorax airbags and rear side-impact
airbags) which may cause significant inju-
ries. However, no system available today
can totally eliminate injuries and fatalities.
The activation of the SRS temporarily releas-
es a small amount of dust from the airbags.
This dust, however, is neither injurious to
your health, nor does it indicate a fire in the
vehicle. The dust might cause some tempo-
rary breathing difficulty for people with asth-
ma or other breathing trouble. To avoid this,
you may wish to get out of the vehicle as
soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the airbag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!
G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
airbags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to be wearing
seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the backrest. Fasten
your seat belt and ensure that it is properly
positioned on your body.
Since the airbag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the airbag. Oc-
cupants who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in-
jured by an airbag as it inflates with great
force in the blink of an eye:

Sit properly belted in an upright position
with your back against the seat back-
rest.


60 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety

Adjust the driver seat as far as possible
rearward, still permitting proper opera-
tion of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the airbag cover on
the steering wheel must be at least ten
inches (25 cm) or more. You should be
able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Do not lean with your head or chest
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.


Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver front airbag inflates.


Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.


Occupants, especially children, should
never lean their heads in the area of the
door or the side where the head-thorax
and rear side-impact airbags inflate.
This could result in serious injuries or
death should the airbag be triggered. Al-
ways sit upright, properly use the seat
belts and appropriate size infant or child
restraint system.


Children 12 years old and under must
never ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized
BabySmart
TM1 compatible child seat,
which operates with the BabySmart
TM
system installed in the vehicle to deacti-
vate the passenger front airbag when it
is properly installed. Otherwise they will
be struck by the airbag when it inflates
in a crash. If this happens, serious or fa-
tal injury will result.
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injuries to you or other occu-
pants.
If you sell your vehicle you are responsible
to make the buyer aware of these points.
Make sure to give the buyer this Operator’s
Manual.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
Warning!
G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat. Should you choose to place a child
12 years old or under in the passenger front
seat of your vehicle, you must properly use
a BabySmart
TM child restraint which will
turn off the passenger front airbag.
BabySmart
TM will not, however, turn off any
side impact airbag (front head-thorax airbag
and rear side impact airbags).
It should be noted that with respect to both
front and rear side impact airbags there is a
possibility for a side airbag related injury if
occupants, especially children, are not prop-
erly seated or restrained when next to a
front head-thorax airbag or a rear side im-
pact airbag which need to deploy rapidly in
a side impact in order to do its job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children, should
never lean their heads in the area of the