Page 194 of 498

192 Controls in detailClimate control (CLK 320)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.
Climate control panel design A
Press button±(
page 185).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The cooling function switches off after
a short delay.
Climate control panel design B
Press button2(
page 185).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The cooling function switches off after
a short delay.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
Climate control panel design A
Press button±(
page 185) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Climate control panel design B
Press button2(
page 185) again.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning uses the
refrigerant R134a. This refrigerant is free
of CFCs which are harmful to the ozone
layer.
!If the air conditioning cannot be turned
on again, this indicates that the air
conditioning is losing refrigerant. The
compressor has turned itself off.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Page 195 of 498
193 Controls in detail
Climate control (CLK 320)
Rear passenger compartment adjustable air vents
The air conditioning for the rear passenger
compartment is controlled via the climate
control panel (
page 185).The air vents for the rear passenger
compartment are located in the rear
center console.
1Thumbwheel for air volume control for
center air vents
2Left center air vent
3Right center air ventAdjusting air distribution
Push the slide for the left center
vent2 or right center vent3 to the
left, right, up or down.
The air flow is directed in the corre-
sponding direction.
Adjusting air volume
Turn thumbwheel1 t o t h e l e f t o r r i g h t .
The air volume is increased or
decreased.
iThe temperature at the center air vents
for the rear passenger
compartment2 and3 is the same as
at the dashboard center air vents.
iFor draft-free ventilation, push
slides2 and3 upward.
Page 198 of 498

196 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control (CLK 500/CLK 55 AMG)The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air
enters the passenger compartment
through the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the modeAC
OFF
is activated or
A/C is deactivated (
page 204).
Warning
G
When operating the automatic climate
control, the air that enters the passenger
compartment through the air vents in the
footwell can be very hot or very cold
(depending on the set temperature). This
may cause burns or frostbite on unprotected
skin in the immediate area of the air vents.
Always keep sufficient distance between
unprotected parts of the body and the foot-
well air vents. If necessary change the air
flow using the air distribution controls to
direct the air away from the footwell air
vents (
page 198).
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for
heating and cooling given on the following
pages. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iSevere conditions (e.g. strong air
pollution) may require replacement of
the filter before its scheduled interval.
A clogged filter will reduce the air
volume to the interior.
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off, see
“Opening (Summer opening feature)”
(page 253).
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.
Do not obstruct air flow by placing
objects on the air flow-through exhaust
slots below the rear window.
Page 199 of 498

197 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control (CLK 500/CLK 55 AMG)
Deactivating the automatic climate control system
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the automatic
climate control system.
Press button´ (
page 195).
The indicator lamp on the button´
comes on.
The automatic climate control system
is deactivatedReactivating
Press button´ (
page 195).
The indicator lamp on the button´
goes out.
The automatic climate control system
is reactivated
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls3 andd for
the left side or6 andb for the right side
(page 195) to separately adjust the air
temperature on each side of the passenger
compartment. You should raise or lower
the temperature setting in small incre-
ments, preferably starting at 72°F (22°C).
iWhen the air conditioning is switched
off, the outside air supply and circula-
tion are also switched off. Only choose
this setting for a short time. Otherwise
the windows could fog up.
iWhen operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic mode, you
will only rarely need to adjust the
temperature, air volume and air
distribution.
Page 202 of 498
200 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control (CLK 500/CLK 55 AMG)Defrosting
Activating
Press buttonP or0
(page 195).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning switches automatical-
ly to the following functions:
maximum blowing and heating
power
air flows onto the windshield and
the front side windows
the air recirculation mode is
switched offDeactivating
Press buttonP or0
(page 195).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
The previous settings are once again in
effect.
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set toU (
page 195) and there is a
high need for cooling, the display
“MAXCOOL” appears.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when side windows
and tilt/sliding sunroof* are closed).
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.
Page 203 of 498

201 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control (CLK 500/CLK 55 AMG)
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.
Activating
Press button, (
page 195).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is
below 41°F (5°C), only switch to air
recirculation mode for short periods to
prevent window fogging.
Window fogging may impair visibility and
endanger you and others.
iIf you keep button, pressed, the
side windows and tilt/sliding sunroof*
will close.Warning
G
Never operate the side windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof* if there is the possibility
of anyone being harmed by the closing
procedure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the side win-
dows can be immediately halted by
releasing the, button or by pressing or
pulling the respective window switch. The
closing of the tilt/sliding sunroof* can be
immediately halted by releasing the,
button or by moving the tilt/sliding sunroof*
switch in the overhead control panel in any
direction.
iThe air recirculation mode is activated
automatically:
at high outside temperatures
if the concentration of carbon mon-
oxide and nitrogen oxide in the out-
side air increases, for example in a
tunnel (charcoal filter must be
activated for the air recirculation
mode to be activated automatically)
The indicator lamp on the, button
is not lit when the air recirculation
mode is automatically switched on.
After approx. 30 minutes, outside air is
added to the air inside the vehicle.
If you have turned off the air
conditioning (
page 204) or the out-
side temperature is below 41°F (5°C),
the air recirculation mode will not
switch on automatically.
Page 204 of 498

202 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control (CLK 500/CLK 55 AMG)Deactivating
Press button, (
page 195).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The air recirculation mode is deactivated
automatically:
after five minutes if the outside
temperature is below
approximately 41°F (5 °C)
after five minutes if the air conditioning
is turned off
after 30 minutes if the outside
temperature is above
approximately 41°F (5 °C)At outside temperatures above 79°F
(26 °C) the system will not automatically
switch back to outside air. A quantity of
outside air is added after approximately
30 minutes.
Charcoal filter
An activated charcoal filter markedly
reduces bad odors and removes pollutants
from air entering the passenger compart-
ment. The charcoal filter can be activated
or deactivated.
The system switches automatically to the
air recirculation mode, if the
carbon monoxide (CO)
or
nitrogen oxide (NO
X)
concentration of the outside air increases
beyond a predetermined level.
iIf you keep button, pressed, the
side windows and tilt/sliding sunroof*
will return to their previous position.
iThe automatic air recirculation mode
does not function if theAC
OFF
(indica-
tor lamp on button° illuminated)
mode is activated orA/C (indicator
lamp on button2 not lit) mode is
deactivated, or if the outside tempera-
ture has fallen below 41°F (5°C).
Page 206 of 498

204 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control (CLK 500/CLK 55 AMG)Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the automatic
climate control system. The air in the
vehicle will then no longer be cooled or
dehumidified.
Automatic climate control panel
design A
Press button° (
page 195).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The cooling function switches off after
a short delay.
Automatic climate control panel
design B
Press button2(
page 195).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The cooling function switches off after
a short delay.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condi-
tioning.
Automatic climate control panel
design A
Press button°(
page 195) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The cooling function is switched on.
Automatic climate control panel
design B
Press button2(
page 195)
again.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The cooling function is switched on.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.Warning!
G
If you turn off the cooling function, the
vehicle will not be cooled when weather
conditions are warm. The windows can fog
up more quickly. Window fogging may
impair visibility and endanger you and
others.