2004 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK55AMG CABRIOLET trunk release

215 Controls in detail
Soft top
Soft top
Opening and closing the soft top
For safety reasons, the soft top can only be
opened and closed when the vehicle is
standing still.Warning!
G
Before operating the switch for the soft top,
make sure no persons can be injured by the
moving parts (roll bar, soft top frame, and
soft top compartment cover).
Hands must never be placed near the roll
bar, soft top frame, upper windshield area,
shelf behind roll bar, or soft top storage
compartment while the soft top is being
raised or lowered. Serious personal injury
may occur.
If potential danger exists, release the soft
top switch. This immediately interrupts the
raising or lowering procedure. You then can
operate the soft top switch to raise or lower
the soft top away from the danger zone.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
* with you, and
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment can cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
!Never sit or place heavy objects on the
rear shelf. Doing so could cause dam-
age to the soft top and the rear shelf.
!When opening and closing the soft top,
make sure:

there is sufficient clearance for the
soft top to move up


the ski sack roller blind is closed


the luggage cover is engaged in
place


the trunk is only loaded to the
height of the luggage cover


the luggage/cargo does not push
the closed luggage cover up


the trunk lid is closed


nothing is placed on the soft top
compartment cover


the outside temperature is above
+5°F (-15°C)
Otherwise the soft top and other parts
of the vehicle could be damaged.

223 Controls in detail
Soft top
Closing (Convenience feature)
Aim the transmitter eye at the door
handle.

Press and hold button ‹ until the
soft top is completely closed.
The windows and soft top begin to
close after approximately one second.
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
.

Release transmit button ‹ to inter-
rupt procedure.
Ensure that all side windows and the
soft top are properly closed before leaving
the vehicle.Wind screen
The wind screen deflects drafts away from
the driver and passenger when the soft top
is lowered. It is stored in a separate stor-
age bag in the trunk.
Warning!
G
If the soft top does not completely open or
close a warning sounds and the soft top
switch flashes. In the multifunction display
you will see K, and the message
Top
being lowered!
appears. After about
15 seconds the roof hydraulics lose pres-
sure.
Properly lock the soft top (
page 220) be-
fore continuing to drive.
Warning!
G
The wind screen can restrict the driver’s vi-
sion to the rear of the vehicle. To prevent a
possible accident when visibility is limited
(e.g. in darkness), the upper part of the wind
screen should be folded back.

352 Practical hintsUnlocking/locking in an emergencyFuel filler flap
In case the central locking system does
not release the fuel filler flap, you can open
it manually.
Open trunk lid.

Remove right side trim panel in the
trunk.

Reach inside through opening2 in di-
rection of arrow.

Turn release knob 1 clockwise (ar-
row).
The fuel filler flap can be opened.Manually unlocking the gear selector
lever
In case of power failure, the gear selector
lever can be manually unlocked, e.g. to tow
the vehicle.
Open the storage compartment under
the center armrest (
page 251).

Take out cover 1.

Insert a pin into the opening of
division2 and pry the division out.

Insert a tool3 (e.g. screwdriver) into
the opening.

Perform the following two steps simul-
taneously:
Push pin3 forward in the direction
of the arrow.

Move selector lever from
positionP.

Reinstall the division and cover after re-
moving the tool from the opening.iThe gear selector lever is locked again
when moving it to positionP.

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.


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.

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.


363 Practical hints
Opening/closing in an emergency
eLocking 
Insert hex wrench into soft top locking
mechanism screw.

Turn the soft top locking mechanism
screw with hex wrench counterclock-
wise in direction of arrowe as far as it
will go.
The soft top is locked onto the wind-
shield frame.

Have the soft top operation checked at
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible.
Warning!
G
Position hands as indicated by arrows so
that when you press soft top compartment
cover c forward and lower material ten-
sioning frameb, your hands cannot be-
come trapped.
!Make sure you turn the hex wrench
counterclockwise as far as it will go.
Otherwise the soft top may not lock
properly.!If, after completing the soft top emer-
gency operation, the trunk cannot be
opened using the remote trunk lid re-
lease switch in the driver’s door,
theŠ button on the SmartKey, or
the trunk lid release handle in the li-
cense plate recess, press the soft top
compartment cover down again as de-
scribed above.
Do not open the trunk with the emer-
gency key, as this could otherwise
damage the trunk lid and the soft top
compartment cover.

364 Practical hintsOpening/closing in an emergencyVehicles with 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 wrench1 into screw2.

Turn hydraulic pump screw2 counter-
clockwise one revolution with hex
wrench1.
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.