2004 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK320 steering

107 Controls in detail
Climate control
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the climate
control system. The air in the vehicle will
then no longer be cooled or dehumidified. 
Press button± (
page 102).
The indicator lamp on the button±
lights up.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

Press button± again (
page 102).
The indicator lamp on the ±button
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.
Activating
Turn the key in the steering lock to
position1or0, or remove it from the
starter switch.

Press buttonÐ (
page 102).
The indicator lamp on the buttonÐ
comes on.
Warning!
G
While driving, deactivate the air conditioning
only temporarily to prevent window fogging.

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.

128 Controls in detailPower windows
Power windowsOpening and closing the windows
The side windows can be opened and
closed electrically. The switches for the
side windows are on the lower part of the
center console.
1Power window switch

Turn key in the steering lock to
position1 or2.Opening the windows

Press switch at the symbolk to the
resistance point.
The corresponding window will move
downwards until you release the
switch.
Closing the windows

Press switch at the symbolj.
The corresponding window will move
upwards until you release the switch.
Fully opening the windows (Ex-
press-open)

Press switch at the symbolk past
the resistance point and release.
The corresponding window opens com-
pletely.
Stopping windows

Briefly press switch atk orj.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure there
is no danger of anyone being harmed by the
closing procedure.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasingj.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from steering lock and lock your vehicle.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment can
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.iThe power windows can also be
operated with the retractable hardtop
switch (
page 132).

130 Controls in detailRetractable hardtop
Retractable hardtopOpening and closing the retractable hardtop
For safety reasons, the retractable hardtop
can only be opened and closed when the
vehicle is standing still.
Warning!
G
Before operating the switch for the retract-
able hardtop make sure no persons are in-
jured by the moving parts (retractable
hardtop, roof frame, and trunk lid) due to in-
attention.
Hands must never be placed near the roof
frame, upper windshield area, retractable
hardtop, shelf behind roll bars, or trunk lid
while the retractable hardtop is being raised
or lowered. Serious personal injury may oc-
cur.
If potential danger exists, release the re-
tractable hardtop switch. This immediately
interrupts the raising or lowering procedure.
You then can operate the retractable hard-
top switch to raise or lower the retractable
hardtop away from the danger zone.
!Never sit or place heavy objects on the
rear shelf. Doing so could cause dam-
age to the retractable hardtop and the
rear shelf.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.

136 Controls in detailDriving systems
Driving systemsThe driving system of your vehicle is
described on the following pages:

Cruise control, with which the vehicle
can maintain a preset speed
The BAS, ABS and ESP driving systems are
described in the “Safety and Security” sec-
tion (page 66).
Cruise control
Cruise control automatically maintains the
speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed over 20 mph
(30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 18).
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

143 Controls in detail
Useful features
Cigarette lighter
1Cigarette lighter
2Cover
Turn key in the steering lock to
position1 or2 (
page 29).

Slide cover2 rearward.

Push in cigarette lighter1.
The cigarette lighter will pop out auto-
matically when hot.
Telephone*
Radio transmitters, such as a portable tele-
phone or a citizens band unit, should only
be used inside the vehicle if they are con-
nected to an antenna that is installed on
the outside of the vehicle.
The external antenna must be approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Please contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center for informa-
tion on the installation of an approved
external antenna. Refer to the radio trans-
mitter operation instructions regarding use
of an external antenna.
Warning!
G
Never touch the heating element or sides of
the cigarette lighter; they are extremely hot.
Hold the knob only.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, and lock your
vehicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.iThe cigarette lighter socket can be
used to accommodate electrical acces-
sories up to a maximum 85 W.
Warning!
G
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

144 Controls in detailUseful featuresSee separate operating manual for instruc-
tions on how to use the telephone.
Tele Aid
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle. A driver’s
attention to the road must always be
his /her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop the vehicle before placing or taking
a telephone call.
If you choose to use the telephone
1 while
driving, please use the hands-free device
and only use the telephone when road,
weather and traffic conditions permit. Some
jurisdictions prohibit the driver from using a
cellular telephone while driving a vehicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of approx. 44 feet (ap-
proximately 13.5 m) every second.
1Observe all legal requirements.
Warning!
G
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle. Whether or not prohibited by law, for
safety reasons, the driver should not use the
cellular telephone while the vehicle is in mo-
tion.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location before an-
swering or placing a call.
!The initial activation of the Tele Aid sys-
tem may only be performed by com-
pleting the subscriber agreement and
placing an acquaintance call using the
SOS button. Failure to complete either
of these steps will result in a system
that is not activated. If the system is
not activated, the indicator lamp in the
SOS button stays on after turning the
key in steering lock to position2.
If you have any questions regarding ac-
tivation, please call the Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).

149 Controls in detail
Useful features
Information button¡
Located below the center armrest cover is
the Information button¡.
Press and hold the button (for longer
than two seconds).
A call to the Customer Assistance Cen-
ter will be initiated. The button will
flash while the call is in progress.
The Tele Aid system will transmit data gen-
erating the vehicle identification number,
model, color and location (subject to avail-
ability of cellular and GPS signals).
A voice connection between the Customer
Assistance Center representative and the
occupants of the vehicle will be estab-
lished. Information regarding the operation
of your vehicle, the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Center or Mercedes-Benz
USA products and services is available to
you.
For more details concerning the Tele Aid
system, please visit www.mbusa.com and
use your ID and password (sent to you sep-
arately) to learn more (USA only).
iThe indicator lamp in the Roadside As-
sistance button• remains illumi-
nated in red for approx. ten seconds
during the system self-check after turn-
ing the key in the steering lock to
position2 (together with the
SOS button and the Information
button¡).
See System self-check (
page 145)
when the indicator lamp does not light
up in red or stays on longer than ap-
proximately ten seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Roadside
Assistance button• is illuminated
continuously and there was no voice
connection to the Response Center es-
tablished, then the Tele Aid system
could not initiate a Roadside Assis-
tance call (e.g. the relevant cellular
phone network was not available).
iThe indicator lamp in the Information
button¡ remains illuminated in red
for approx. ten seconds during the sys-
tem self-check after turning key in the
steering lock to position2 (together
with the SOS button and the Roadside
Assistance button•).
See System self-check (
page 145)
when the indicator lamp does not light
up in red or stays on longer than ap-
proximately ten seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Information
button¡ is illuminated continuous-
ly and there was no voice connection to
the Response Center established, then
the Tele Aid system could not initiate
an Information call (e.g. the relevant
cellular phone network is not avail-
able).