ContentsControls in detail............................... 73
Locking and unlocking ......................... 74
Keys ............................................... 74
Opening the doors from the inside . 77
Opening the trunk .......................... 77
Closing the trunk ............................ 78
Trunk lid emergency release .......... 78
Automatic central locking .............. 79
Locking and unlocking from the
inside ............................................. 80
Seats.................................................... 81
Removing and installing head
restraints ........................................ 81
Heated seats* ................................ 82
Lighting ................................................ 83
Exterior lamp switch ....................... 83
Combination switch........................ 85
Hazard warning flasher................... 86
Interior lighting ............................... 87
Instrument cluster ............................... 89
Instrument cluster illumination....... 89
Coolant temperature gauge............ 89
Trip odometer................................. 90
Tachometer .................................... 90
Outside temperature indicator ....... 91Setting clock .................................. 91
Manual transmission ........................... 92
Shifting into reverse ....................... 92
Automatic transmission* ..................... 93
One-touch gearshifting................... 94
Gear ranges.................................... 95
Gear selector lever position ........... 95
Program mode selector switch....... 97
Accelerator position ....................... 98
Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode)............................................. 98
Good visibility ...................................... 99
Headlamp cleaning system* .......... 99
Rear view mirror............................. 99
Sun visors .................................... 100
Rear window defroster ................. 101
Climate control .................................. 102
Setting the temperature ............... 104
Adjusting air volume .................... 105
Adjusting air distribution .............. 105
Air recirculation mode .................. 106
Air conditioning ............................ 106
Residual heat ............................... 107
Basic settings............................... 108
Special settings............................ 109Deactivating the climate control
system ......................................... 110
Audio system ..................................... 111
Audio and telephone, operation ... 111
Operating safety .......................... 111
Operating and display elements... 112
Anti-theft system ......................... 114
Button and soft key operation...... 115
Operation ..................................... 115
Radio mode .................................. 116
Cassette mode............................. 118
CD mode ...................................... 121
Telephone* operation .................. 125
Power windows ................................. 128
Opening and closing the windows 128
Retractable hardtop........................... 130
Opening and closing the
retractable hardtop ...................... 130
Wind screen ................................. 135
Driving systems ................................. 136
Cruise control .............................. 136
Useful features .................................. 139
Interior storage spaces ................ 139
Ashtray ........................................ 142
Cigarette lighter ........................... 143
Telephone* .................................. 143
21 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
Left indicator lamps
with:W
Low windshield
washer and head
lamp washer* sys-
tem fluid level warn-
ing lamp
206
/
Low engine coolant
level warning lamp
207
N
Low engine oil level
warning lamp
206
1
Supplemental Re-
straint System
(SRS) indicator
lamp
52,
203
2
Brake pad wear in-
dicator lamp
209
?
Engine malfunction
indicator lamp
205
_
Telescoping steer-
ing column warning
lamp
206
Item
Page
2
Display with:D
Coolant tempera-
ture gauge
89
A
Fuel gauge
207
Outside temperature
indicator
91
3
Knob for:
Instrument cluster illu-
mination
89
Resetting trip odome-
ter
90
Activating Flexible Ser-
vice System (FSS) indi-
cator
190
Item
Page
4
Speedometer with:L
Left turn signal indi-
cator lamp
K
Right turn signal in-
dicator lamp
v
Electronic Stability
Program (ESP)
warning lamp
68,
200
Trip odometer
90
Main odometer
5
Knob for:
Setting clock
91
6
Tachometer with:Selector lever position
41, 90
Clock
91
29 Getting started
Unlocking
Steering lock positionsSteering lock0For removing key
The steering is locked when the key is
removed from the steering lock. If nec-
essary, move steering wheel slightly to
allow the locking mechanism to en-
gage.
1Power supply to some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position
3Starting position
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock and lock the vehi-
cle. Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehi-
cle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment
may cause an accident and/or serious per-
sonal injury.iThe key can only be withdrawn in
position0.
If necessary, move steering wheel
slightly to allow the key to be turned
clockwise to position1.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
The key can only be removed from the
steering lock with the gear selector
lever in positionP.
!To prevent accelerated battery dis-
charge and a possible dead battery,
always remove the key from the
steering lock when the engine is not in
operation.
89 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster
A full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the “At a glance”
section of this manual (
page 20).
The instrument cluster is activated when
you
open the driver’s door
turn the key in steering lock to
position2 (
page 29)
press left knob3 (
page 20)
Instrument cluster illumination
Instrument lamps
To brighten illumination
Turn knob3 (
page 20) clockwise.
The instrument lamps will brighten.
To dim illumination
Turn knob3 counterclockwise.
The instrument lamps will dim.
Display illumination
Press knob3.
With key removed or in steering lock
position0 or1 (
page 29), the display
is illuminated for a short time.
Coolant temperature gauge
Under normal driving conditions, the cool-
ant temperature may rise to 248°F
(120°C). The coolant temperature may
climb to the red marking:
at high outside temperatures
during stop-and-go traffic
when driving on hilly terrain
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature in the red zone.
Doing so may cause serious engine dam-
age which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
91 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Outside temperature indicator
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
Setting clock
Hour
Pull out right knob5 in the instrument
cluster (
page 20) and turn it counter-
clockwise.
Minutes
Pull out right knob5 in the instrument
cluster and turn it clockwise.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.
iTo adjust the time by a single hour or a
few minutes, turn knob5 just a few
degrees in the direction indicated for
hours or minutes.
115 Controls in detail
Audio system
Button and soft key operation
In these instructions, the alpha-numeric
keypad (right side of radio face) and the
function buttons (left side of radio face)
are referred to as “buttons” and the four
keys under the display are referred to as
“soft keys”.Operation
Switching on and off
Press control knob a.
The radio is switched off when you turn the
key in the steering lock to position0 or re-
move it from the steering lock. The radio is
switched on again when you turn the key in
the steering lock to position1 or2.Adjusting the volume
Turn the control knob.
Turning the knob clockwise will in-
crease the volume, counterclockwise
will decrease the volume.
Audio functions
The AUD
key is used to select the BASS,
TREBLE and BALANCE functions. Settings
for bass and treble are stored separately
for the cassette and CD modes. Tone level
settings are identified by the vertical bars.
The center (flat) setting is shown by one
longer bar in the center of the display.Bass
Press the
AUD
key repeatedly until
BASS
appears in the display.
Treble
Press the
AUD
key repeatedly until
TRE-
BLE
appears in the display.
Press the + key to increase or the - key
to decrease the level.
iDo not press directly on the radio dis-
play face.
iThe radio can also be switched on even
if the key is not inserted in the steering
lock, but will switch itself off automati-
cally after one hour to conserve vehicle
battery power.
122 Controls in detailAudio systemInstalling and removing the CD
changer*
The CD changer is located in the trunk on
the right side.
1Fastener
2CD changer (with protective cover)Removing
Release fasteners 1 by turning them
counterclockwise with a screwdriver.
Carefully lift CD changer up and place it
to the side.3Mounting fixture
4Retainer
Installing
Insert CD changer from above into
mounting fixture until retainers 4 en-
gage in mounting fixture3.
Press fasteners 1 down with a screw-
driver and turn them clockwise to lock.
iIf your CD changer holder does not
have the fasteners1as shown in
above illustration, your vehicle may be
equipped with a non-factory installed
CD changer holder. The CD changer
holder then does not need to be re-
moved as there should be enough room
between the CD changer holder and
the right side trim panel in the trunk to
remove the cover and gain access to
the screw for hydraulic pump
(page 221) should you need to raise
the retractable hardtop manually.
213 Practical hints
Where will I find ...?
Spare wheel (SLK 230 Kompressor, SLK 320)
1Spare wheel with collapsible tire
2Vehicle tool kit
3Wheel wrench
4Jack
5Electric air pump, bolts for spare wheel
rimSparewheel, vehicle tool kit, wheel
wrench, jack and electric air pump are
located under the trunk floor cover.
Lift trunk floor cover.
You can take out vehicle tool kit2,
wheel wrench3 and jack4.
Electric air pump5 is secured with a belt.
Loosen the belt.
Remove electric air pump from pump
holder.
Spare wheel1 is secured with the pump
holder.
Turn pump holder counterclockwise.
Remove pump holder.
Remove spare wheel out of the wheel
well.Spare wheel bolts
Wheel bolts1 Wheel bolt for
wheel rim size 7J x16H2 and
8Jx16H2
AMG wheel rim size 7½ J x 17 H2 and
8½ J x 17 H2
spare wheel rim size 4.5 B x 16 H2
2 Wheel bolt for
spare wheel rim size 4.5 B x 15 H2
(located with electric air pump)