2004 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK55AMG COUPE cruise control

227 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a lower speed
Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow2 (
page 225) to de-
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 225), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
come on, on the speedometer
(
page 223).Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow4 (
page 225).Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)

Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow4 (
page 225).
Distronic is set to the last stored
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the rate of de-
celeration is too low.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to the pre-
set speed could cause an accident and/or
serious injury to you and others.

228 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 225).
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 78) 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.

273 Operation
Driving instructions
Winter driving instructions
The most important rule for slippery or icy
roads is to drive sensibly and to avoid
abrupt acceleration, braking and steering
maneuvers. Do not use the cruise control
system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
move gear selector lever to position N. Try
to keep the vehicle under control by cor-
rective steering action.Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal braking effect.
Depressing the brake pedal periodically
when traveling at length on salt-strewn
roads can bring road-salt-impaired braking
efficiency back to normal.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt-treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed.
For more information, see “Winter driving”
(
page 294).
iFor information on driving with snow
chains, see “Snow chains”
(page 295).
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of control loss.
Warning
G
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when carrying out these braking ma-
neuvers.
Warning!
G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make
sure snow is kept clear of the exhaust pipe
and from around the vehicle with the engine
running. Otherwise, deadly carbon monox-
ide (CO) gases may enter vehicle interior re-
sulting in unconsciousness and death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the wind.Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose. In-
dicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road
surface is free of ice.

317 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
BAS
not available
See operator’s manual
The charging voltage has fallen below
10 volts and the BAS has switched off.
The brake system is still functioning nor-
mally but without the BAS available.

When the voltage is above this value
again, the BAS is operational again.

Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon
as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of an accident.
Cruise Con-
trol
Visit workshop!
Cruise control or Distronic* is malfunc-
tioning.

Have cruise control or Distronic*
checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Distronic
External interference
Reactivate!
Distronic* is switched off and is tempo-
rarily unavailable.

Try activating Distronic* again later.
Currently unavailable!
see oper. manual
Distronic* is switched off because the
Distronic* cover in the radiator grille is
dirty.

Clean the Distronic* cover in the radi-
ator grille (
page 301).

Restart the vehicle.
Visit workshop!
Distronic* is malfunctioning or the display
is malfunctioning.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.

325 Practical hints
What to do if …?
Display symbol
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
G
Display defective
Visit workshop!
The instrument cluster display is malfunc-
tioning.

Continue driving with added caution.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center as soon as possible.
The displays for several systems have
malfunctioned. Some systems them-
selves may also have malfunctioned.

Have the electronic systems checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
±
Display defective
Visit workshop!
Certain electronic systems are unable to
relay information to the control system.
The following systems may have failed:

Coolant temperature display


Tachometer


Cruise control display

Have the electronic systems checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
J
Doors open!
You are attempting to drive with one or
more doors open.

Close the doors.

398 Technical termsCAC
(C
ustomer A
ssistance C
enter)
Mercedes-Benz customer service cen-
ter, which can help you with any ques-
tions about your vehicle and provide
assistance in the event of a break-
down.
CAN system
(C
ontroller A
rea N
etwork)
Data bus network serving to control ve-
hicle functions such as door locking or
windshield wiping.
Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and
indicator/warning lamps in the passen-
ger compartment needed for vehicle
operation and monitoring.COMAND
(C
ockpit M
anagement and D
ata Sys-
tem)
Information and operating center for
vehicle sound and communications
systems, including the radio and the
navigation system, as well as other op-
tional equipment (CD changer, tele-
phone, etc.).
Control system
The control system is used to call up
vehicle information and to change
component settings. Information and
messages appear in the multifunction
display. The driver uses the buttons on
the multifunction steering wheel to
navigate through the system and to ad-
just settings.
Cruise control
Driving convenience system for auto-
matically maintaining the vehicle speed
set by the driver.Distronic*
A driving convenience cruise control
system which helps the driver maintain
a pre-selected speed:


If there is no vehicle directly ahead,
the system operates in the same
way as conventional ->cruise con-
trol.


If a slower moving vehicle is ahead,
Distronic will reduce your vehicle
speed to the extent permitted by re-
duced throttle and up to 20% brak-
ing power to maintain the preset
minimum following distance.

406 IndexBattery, vehicle 288, 363
Charging 364
Disconnecting 364
Messages in display 320
Reconnecting 365
Reinstalling 364
Removing 364
Bi-Xenon headlamps* 397
Block heater* 295
Blocking
Rear window operation 74
Bolts
For Minispare wheel 342
Brake assist system (BAS) 397
Brake fluid 390
Message in display 321
Brake lamp bulbs 351
Brake lamp, high mounted 351
Brake pads
Message in display 321
Brakes 268
Warning lamp 307
Break-in period 266Bulbs, replacing 350
Additional turn signals 351
Backup lamps 351
Brake lamps 351
Fog lamps 351
Front lamps 351
High beam (Bi-Xenon*) 351
High beam (Halogen) 351
High beam flasher (Bi-Xenon*) 351
High beam flasher (Halogen) 351
High mounted brake lamp 351
License plate lamps 351, 356
Low beam (Bi-Xenon*) 351
Low beam (Halogen) 351
Parking lamps 351, 353, 355
Rear fog lamp 351
Rear fog lamps 356
Side marker lamps 351, 355
Standing lamps 351, 353, 355
Tail lamp assemblies 351, 356
Turn signal lamps 351
Button
Audio system 186C
CAC (Customer Assistance Center) 398
Calling up
Distronic* settings 137
Range (distance to empty) 153
Service indicator 297
CAN system 398
Canceling
Cruise control 219
Capacities
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. 388
Cargo tie-down rings 243
Cassette operation
Playing cassettes 196
Cassette player
Operating 136
Catalytic converter 275
CD changer* 199
CD operation 199
CD player
Operating 136

409 Index
Convenience submenu 149
Activating
easy-entry/exit feature 150
Setting key-dependency 151
Setting parking position
for exterior rear view mirror 151
Coolant 286, 392
Adding 287
Anticorrosion/antifreeze
quantity 392
Capacities 388
Checking level 286
Messages in display 322
Temperature 277
Temperature indicator 127
Warning lamp 309, 323
Coolant level
Checking 286Cruise control 218, 398
Canceling 219
Driving downhill 219
Driving uphill 219
Fine adjustment 220
Lever 225
Messages in display 317
Setting current speed 219
Setting to last stored speed
("Resume" function) 220
Cruise control lever 218
Cup holder
Cleaning 303
Closing 245
In rear seat armrest 245
In the dashboard 245
Opening 245
Customer Assistance Center (CAC) 398D
Daytime running lamp mode 121
Setting 145, 146
Deactivating
Air conditioning (cooling) 181
Air recirculation mode 179
Alarm 82
Anti-theft alarm system 82
Automatic climate control 173
Central locking (control system) 149
Defrosting 177
Distance warning function* 230
Distronic* 225, 228
Engine with KEYLESS-GO* 54
Engine with the SmartKey 53
ESP 79
Exterior lamps 120
Hazard warning flasher 124
Headlamps 53
Immobilizer 81
Interior lighting
delayed switch-off 148
Manual shift programm
CLK 55 AMG 165
Rapid seat heating*
with seat ventilation* 115