2005 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK500 CABRIOLET ESP

167 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP. With the SmartKey
removed, the gear selector lever
is locked in positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP
(page 400).
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.

176 Controls in detailGood visibilityFor information on the windshield wipers,
see “Windshield wipers” (
page 52).
Headlamp cleaning system*
The switch is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer switch
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).

Press switch1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system*”
(
page 460).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 41).
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when


the ignition is switched on,
and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror.
The rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gear R is engaged


the interior lighting is turned on
Warning!
G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at sen-
sors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the wind screen is
installed.
Glare can endanger you and others.Warning!
G
In the case of an accident, liquid electrolyte
may escape from the mirror housing if the
mirror glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not
allow the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.

179 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the
defroster as soon as the rear window is
clear. The defroster is automatically
deactivated after approximately
6 to 17 minutes of operation depending on
the outside temperature.Activating

Press buttonF or1 in the cli-
mate control panel (
page 181) or in
the automatic climate control panel
(
page 191).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating

Press buttonF or1 again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before
driving. Visibility could otherwise be
impaired, endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts flashing, this means that too
many electrical consumers are
operating simultaneously and there is
insufficient voltage in the battery. The
system responds automatically by
deactivating the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster
automatically switches on again.

186 Controls in detailClimate control (CLK 320)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 181).
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 will close.Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows if there is
the possibility of anyone being harmed by
the closing procedure.
In the event that the closing procedure
causes potential danger, the closing of the
side windows can be immediately halted by
releasing the, button or by pressing or
pulling the respective window switch.
iThe air recirculation mode is activated
automatically at high outside tempera-
tures.
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 condi-
tioning (
page 187) or the outside
temperature is below 41°F (5°C), the
air recirculation mode will not switch
on automatically.

193 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 191).
The indicator lamp on the button´
comes on.
The automatic climate control system
is deactivated.Reactivating

Press button´ (
page 191) again.
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 191) 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).
Display1Temperature, left
2Blower speed
3Temperature, right
Increasing
Push temperature control3
and/or6 (
page 191).
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Decreasing

Push temperature controlb
and/ord (
page 191).
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
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.

196 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control (CLK 500/CLK 55 AMG)Activating
Press button, (
page 191).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating

Press button, (
page 191).
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)
iIf you keep button, pressed, the
side windows will close.Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows if there is
the possibility of anyone being harmed by
the closing procedure.
In the event that the closing procedure
causes potential danger, the closing of the
side windows can be immediately halted by
releasing the, button or by pressing or
pulling the respective window switch.
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 198) or the out-
side temperature is below 41°F (5°C),
the air recirculation mode will not
switch on automatically.
iIf you keep button, pressed, the
side windows will return to their previ-
ous position.

197 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control (CLK 500/CLK 55 AMG)
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.Activating

Press buttone (
page 191).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating

Press buttone (
page 191).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
iThe automatic air recirculation mode
does not function if theAC
OFF
(indica-
tor lamp on button° illuminated)
orA/C (indicator lamp on button2
not lit) mode is selected or if the out-
side temperature has fallen
below 41°F (5°C).
iIf you keep buttone pressed, the
side windows will close.iThe activated charcoal filter should be
switched off when windows fog up on
the inside, or if the passenger compart-
ment needs to be quickly heated or
cooled down.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows if there is
the possibility of anyone being harmed by
the closing procedure.
In the event that the closing procedure
causes potential danger, the closing of the
side windows can be immediately halted by
releasing thee button or by pressing or
pulling the respective window switch.iIf you keep buttone pressed, the
side windows will return to their previ-
ous position.

206 Controls in detailAudio systemSound system*
You can either program the sound settings
manually (
page 205) or choose settings
via preset sound characteristics.
You can select from among the following
settings:


STANDARD
: conventional stereo sound.


SURROUND
: the sound is set for better
three-dimensional acoustic character-
istics.


SPEECH
: the sound is optimized for the
spoken word.

Press O button repeatedly until STANDARD
, SURROUND
or
SPEECH
appears
in the display.

Press X or Y soft key repeatedly
until the desired sound setting has
been reached.
The sound is set accordingly.
or

Press
RES
soft key briefly.
The sound setting is reset depending
on the sound source activated.


Radio mode:
STANDARD


CD/AUX mode:
SURROUND


Telephone:
SPEECH
The radio switches back to the stan-
dard radio menu eight seconds after
the last soft key is pressed.Returning sound functions to factory
settings

Press O button to call up settings
menu in the display.

Press
RES
soft key briefly; the respec-
tive sound function is reset to its center
level.
or

Press and hold
RES
soft key until
RESET

appears in the display.
The sound settings for bass and treble
are returned to their center level and
the volume is set to a predefined level.