2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK CLASS oil

227 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Rear lamps Notes on bulb replacement


Use only 12-volt bulbs of the same type
and with the specified watt rating.


Switch lights off before changing a bulb
to prevent short circuits.


Always use a clean lint-free cloth when
handling bulbs.


Your hands should be dry and free of oil
and grease.


If the newly installed bulb does not light
up, visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.


Have the LEDs and bulbs for the follow-
ing lamps replaced by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

Additional turn signals in the
exterior rear view mirrors


High mounted brake lamp


Xenon* lamps


Front fog lamps
Lamp
Type
7
Brake lamp
1154/ 32 cp
8
High mounted brake
lamp
LED
9
Backup lamp
1154 / 32 cp
a
Turn signal lamp
1156 NA
b
Tail, parking, stand-
ing and side marker
lamp
67 / 4 cp
c
License plate lamps
C5W
d
Rear fog lamp,
driver’s side
1155 / 32 cp
Warning!
G
Keep bulbs out of reach of children.
Bulbs and bulb sockets can be very hot.
Allow the lamp to cool down before
changing a bulb.
Halogen lamps contain pressurized gas.
A bulb can explode if you:

touch or move it when hot


drop the bulb


scratch the bulb
Wear eye and hand protection.
Because of high voltage in xenon lamps, it is
dangerous to replace the bulb or repair the
lamp and its components. We recommend
that you have such work done by a qualified
technician.

248 Practical hintsFlat tire

Unscrew the alignment bolt, install last
wheel bolt and tighten slightly.
Lowering the vehicle

Lower vehicle by turning crank coun-
terclockwise until vehicle is resting ful-
ly on its own weight.

Pull the jack out of the jack support
tube.

Install jack tube cover.1 - 5Wheel bolts

Tighten the five wheel bolts evenly, fol-
lowing the diagonal sequence illustrat-
ed (1to5), until all bolts are tight.
Observe a tightening torque of 80 lb-ft
(110 Nm).
Warning!
G
Always replace wheel bolts that are dam-
aged or rusted.
Never apply oil or grease to wheel bolts.
Damaged wheel hub threads should be re-
paired immediately. Do not continue to drive
under these circumstances! Contact an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center or call
Roadside Assistance.
Incorrect mounting bolts or improperly
tightened mounting bolts can cause the
wheel to come off. This could cause an acci-
dent. Be sure to use the correct mounting
bolts.
Warning!
G
Use only genuine equipment
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts. Other wheel
bolts may come loose.
Do not tighten the wheel bolts when the ve-
hicle is raised. Otherwise the vehicle could
tip over.
Warning!
G
Have the tightening torque checked after
changing a wheel. The wheels could come
loose if they are not tightened to a torque of
80 lb-ft (110 Nm).

277 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
CapacitiesVehicle components and their respective
lubricants must match. Therefore use only
brands tested and approved by Mer-
cedes-Benz.Please refer to the Factory Approved Ser-
vice Products pamphlet, or inquire at your
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Engine with oil filter
SLK 230 Kompressor
6.1 US qt (5.5 l)
Recommended engine oils
SLK 320
SLK 32 AMG
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
Automatic transmission*
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Oil
Manual transmission
SLK 230 Kompressor
1.6 US qt (1.5 l)
MB Manual Transmission Oil
SLK 320
1.9 US qt (1.8 l)
Rear axle
1.4 US qt (1.3 l)
Hypoid gear oil SAE 90, 85 W 90
Power steering
approx. 1.1 US qt (1.0 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid
Front wheel hubs
approx. 1.5 oz (43 g) each
High temperature roller bearing grease
Brake system
0.5 US qt (0.5 l)
MB Brake Fluid (DOT 4)
Cooling system
SLK 230 Kompressor
approx. 9.8 US qt (9.3 l)
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion/Antifreeze Agent
SLK 320
approx. 11.8 US qt (11.2 l)
SLK 32 AMG
approx. 15.3 US qt (14.5 l)

278 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Fuel tank
including a reserve of
approx. 15.8 US gal (60.0 l)
approx. 2.1 US gal (8.0 l)
Premium unleaded gasoline:
Posted Octane 91 (average of 96 RON / 86 MON)
Air conditioner system
R-134a refrigerant and special PAG lubricant oil (never R-12)
Windshield washer and
headlamp cleaning sys-
tem*
7.4 US qt (7.0 l)
MB Windshield washer concentrate
1
1Use MB Windshield Washer Concentrate“S” and water for temperatures above freezing or MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S” and commercially available pre-
mixed windshield washer solvent/antifreeze for temperatures below freezing. Follow suggested mixing ratios (page 283).

279 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Engine oils
Engine oils are specifically tested for their
suitability in our engines. Therefore, use
only engine oils recommended by
Mercedes-Benz. Information on approved
engine oils is available in the Factory Ap-
proved Service Products pamphlet, or at
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.Please follow FSS or Service Booklet rec-
ommendations for scheduled oil changes.
Failure to do so could result in engine dam-
age not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Engine oil additives
Do not blend oil additives with engine oil.
They may damage the engine.
Damage or malfunctions resulting from
blending oil additives are not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Air conditioning refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special
PAG lubricating oil is used in the air condi-
tioning system.Never use R-12 (CFC) or mineral-based
lubricating oil, otherwise damage to the
system will occur.
Brake fluid
During vehicle operation, the boiling point
of the brake fluid is continuously reduced
through the absorption of moisture from
the atmosphere. Under extremely strenu-
ous operating conditions, this moisture
content can lead to the formation of bub-
bles in the system, thus reducing the sys-
tem’s efficiency.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be re-
placed every two years, preferably in the
spring.
Only brake fluid approved by
Mercedes-Benz is recommended. Your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center will pro-
vide you with additional information.
!Always check the oil filler cap
(page 171) for important informa-
tion pertaining to the engine oil need-
ing to meet a specific Mercedes-Benz
specification (e.g. MB 229.5). If such
information is printed on the oil filler
cap, only use an engine oil from the list
of approved engine oils in the Factory
Approved Service Products pamphlet
that meets the specification indicated
on the oil filler cap.
Using engine oils of other specification
may cause the FSS to incorrectly deter-
mine the next service interval and will
result in engine damage not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

280 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants etc.Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel requirements
Use only premium unleaded gasoline
meeting ASTM standard D 439:

The octane number (posted at the
pu mp ) m ust b e 91 m i n. It is an a ve ra ge
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number:
(R+M) / 2). This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed
10%; MTBE not to exceed 15%.
The ratio of methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of ethanol and methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains 10%
ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline, can be
used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure etc.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among engine manufac-
turers is carbon build-up caused by gaso-
line. Mercedes-Benz recommends only the
use of quality gasoline containing additives
that prevent the build up of carbon depos-
its.
After an extended period of using fuels
without such additives, carbon deposits
can build up especially on the intake valves
and in the combustion area, leading to
engine performance problems such as:

Warm-up hesitation


Unstable idle


Knocking/pinging


Misfire


Power loss
Do not blend any specific fuel additives
with fuel. This only results in unnecessary
costs and may be harmful to engine opera-
tion.
!To maintain the engine’s durability and
performance, premium unleaded gaso-
line must be used. If premium unleaded
is not available and low octane fuel is
used, follow these precautions:

Have the fuel tank only partially
filled with unleaded regular and fill
up with premium unleaded as soon
as possible.


Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration.


Do not exceed an engine speed of
3000 rpm if the vehicle is loaded
with a light load such as two per-
sons and no luggage.


Do not exceed
2/3of maximum ac-
celerator pedal position if the vehi-
cle is fully loaded or operating in
mountainous terrain.

281 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Damage or malfunctions resulting from
poor fuel quality or from blending specific
fuel additives are not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Coolants
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion / antifreeze, which pro-
vides:

Corrosion protection


Freeze protection


Boiling protection (by increasing the
boiling point)
The cooling system was filled at the factory
with a coolant providing freeze protection
to approximately -22°F (-30°C) and corro-
sion protection.
If the antifreeze mixture is effective to
-22°F (-30°C), the boiling point of the cool-
ant in the pressurized cooling system is
reached at approximately 266°F (130°C).The coolant solution must be used
year-round to provide the necessary corro-
sion protection and increase boil over-pro-
tection. Refer to Service Booklet for
replacement interval.
Coolant system design and coolant used
stipulate the replacement interval. The re-
placement interval published in the Ser-
vice Booklet is only applicable if MB 325.0
anticorrosion/antifreeze solution or other
Mercedes-Benz approved products of
equal specification (see Factory Approved
Service Products pamphlet) are used to re-
new the coolant concentration or bring it
back up to the proper level.
To provide important corrosion protection,
the solution must be at least 45% anticor-
rosion/antifreeze (equivalent to freeze
protection to approx. -22°F [-30°C]). If you
use a solution that is more than 55% anti-
corrosion/antifreeze (freeze protection to
approx. -49°F [-45°C]), the engine temper-
ature will increase due to the lower heat transfer capability of the solution. There-
fore, do not use more than this amount of
anticorrosion/antifreeze.
If the coolant level is low, water and MB
Anticorrosion /Antifreeze should be used
to bring it up to the proper level (have cool-
ing system checked for signs of leakage).
Please make sure the mixture is in accor-
dance with label instructions.
The water in the cooling system must meet
minimum requirements, which are usually
satisfied by normal drinking water. If you
are not sure about the water quality, con-
sult your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

288 Technical termsEngine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine pro-
duced.
Engine oil viscosity
Measurement for the inner friction (vis-
cosity) of the oil at different tempera-
tures. The higher the temperature an
oil can tolerate without becoming thin,
or the lower the temperature it can tol-
erate without becoming viscous, the
better the viscosity.
ESP
(E
lectronic S
tability Pr
ogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.ETD
(E
mergency T
ensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem's threshold to tighten the seat
belts. ->SRS
FSS
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem)
Service indicator in the speedometer
display that informs the driver when
the next vehicle maintenance service is
due.
Gear range
Number of gears which are available to
the automatic transmission for shifting.
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the selector lever.GPS
(G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem)
Satellite-based system for relaying
geographic location information to and
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers.
Instrument cluster
The displays and indicator/warning
lamps in the driver’s field of vision, in-
cluding the tachometer, speedometer,
engine temperature and fuel gauge.
Kickdown
Depressing the accelerator past the
point of resistance shifts the transmis-
sion down to the lowest possible gear.
This very quickly accelerates the vehi-
cle and should not be used for normal
acceleration needs.