2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK CLASS manual transmission

84 Controls in detailLightingDaytime running lamp mode (Canada
only)
Vehicles with automatic transmission
When the engine is running, the low beam
headlamps are automatically switched on.
In low ambient light conditions the parking
lamps will also switch on.
When you shift from a driving position to
positionN orP, the low beam switches off
(two seconds delay).
Vehicles with manual transmission
With the engine running, the low beam
headlamps are automatically switched on.
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to positionB to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.Switching on front fog lamps

Make sure the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
lamp switch lights up.Switching on rear fog lamp

Make sure the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp† in the
lamp switch lights up.
iThe high beam flasher is always avail-
able.
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or low beam headlamps on.
Fog lamps should only be used in con-
junction with low beam headlamps.
Consult your State or Province Motor
Vehicle Regulations regarding allow-
able lamp operation.

92 Controls in detailManual transmission
Manual transmissionInformation on driving with a manual trans-
mission is found in the “Getting started”
section (
page 40).
Do not exceed the maximum speed in the
individual gears. Refer to tachometer
(
page 90) for engine speeds.
Shifting into reverse
Stop the vehicle completely.

Pull gearshift lever up and shift in
Rreverse.
Warning!
G
For vehicles equipped with a manual trans-
mission, getting out of your vehicle with the
gearshift lever not engaged in first or re-
verse gear and parking brake engaged is
dangerous. Also, when parked on an incline,
an engaged first or reverse gear alone may
not prevent your vehicle from moving, possi-
bly hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
engaging first or reverse gear (
page 47).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
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.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Children could move the gearshift
lever, which could result in an accident
and/or serious injury.
On slippery road surfaces as well as high en-
gine speeds, never downshift in order to ob-
tain braking action. This could result in drive
wheel slip and reduced vehicle control. Your
vehicle’s ABS will not prevent this type of
loss of control.
!Downshifting gears leading to overrev-
ving the engine can result in engine
damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Never hold the vehicle stopped on a hill
by using the clutch pedal. The clutch
may be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Do not exceed the engine speed limits
(page 90).

93 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Automatic transmission*
Information on driving with an automatic
transmission is found in the “Getting
started” section (
page 27).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its gear shift program.The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:


the gear selector lever positionD with
gear ranges4, 3, 2, 1 (
page 95)


the selected shift program (W/S)
(page 97)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 98)


the vehicle speed
The current gear selector lever position
appears in the tachometer display see
“Getting started” (
page 27). When the gear selector lever is in
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the
catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperature.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out ofP orN if the engine speed is
higher than idle speed. If your foot is not
firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate quickly forward or reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.

94 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*One-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission you
can change the gears manually when the
gear selector lever is in positionD.
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear. This action
simultaneously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 95).Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next higher gear as permitted
by the shift program. This action simul-
taneously extends the gear range of the
transmission.Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD+direction until
D reappears in
the tachometer display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD-direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more gears.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the gear selector lever is moved to
theD-direction, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.

137 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume at last set speed
Setting current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel cruise
control:

Step on the brake pedal.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position3.
Cruise control will be canceled. The
last speed set will be stored for later
use.Vehicles with manual transmission:
The set cruise controlled speed is switched
off when declutching exceeds four sec-
onds during downshifting a gear. iOn uphill or downhill grades, cruise
control may not be able to maintain the
set speed. Once the grade eases, the
set speed will be resumed.
!Moving gear selector lever to
positionN while driving also cancels
cruise control. However, the gear se-
lector lever should not be moved to
positionN while driving except to coast
when the vehicle is in danger of skid-
ding (e.g. on icy roads).iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.

142 Controls in detailUseful featuresAshtray
1Cover plate
Opening ashtray
Briefly touch cover plate1.
The ashtray opens automatically.Removing ashtray insert

Secure vehicle from movement by
setting the parking brake. Move the
selector lever to positionP (manual
transmission: in first gear).

Pull ashtray past detent.

Hold left and right side2 of ashtray
insert and pull up.Reinstalling the ashtray insert

Place the ashtray insert into the
ashtray frame.

Push the ashtray insert down until it
engages.
Coin holder

Open the ashtray.

Pull at the top of cover plate1 and
fold it under3.
Warning!
G
Remove front ashtray only with vehicle
standing still. Set the parking brake to se-
cure vehicle from movement. Move gear
selector lever to positionP (manual trans-
mission: in first gear). With gear selector le-
ver in positionP (manual transmission: in
first gear) turn off the engine.

163 Operation
Driving instructions
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
parking, so that the air stream will cool
down the brakes faster.
Driving off
Apply the brakes to test them briefly after
driving off. Perform this procedure only
when the road is clear of other traffic.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached.
When starting off on a slippery surface, do
not allow a drive wheel to spin for an ex-
tended period with the ESP switched off.
Doing so may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Parking
Warning!
G
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake
fluid is used, the braking properties of the
vehicle can be degraded to an extent that
safe braking is substantially impaired. This
could result in an accident.!When driving down long and steep
grades, relieve the load on the brakes
by shifting into a lower gear to use the
engine’s braking power. This helps pre-
vent overheating of the brakes and re-
duces brake pad wear.
!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.
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 vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Move the selector lever to positionP
(manual transmission: first or reverse
gear).


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.


Turn the key to steering lock position0.


Take the key and lock vehicle when
leaving.

167 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 positionN or
declutch in case of manual transmission.
Try to keep the vehicle under control by
corrective steering action.Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal brake 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 188).
iFor information on driving with snow
chains, see “Snow chains”
(page 189).
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.