2005 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK55AMG CABRIOLET lock

49 Getting started
Driving
Parking brake
1Parking brake release handle
2Parking brake pedal
Release the parking brake by pulling on
handle1.
The indicator lamp ; (USA only)
or3 (Canada only) in the clock
goes out.Driving

Depress the brake pedal.

Move gear selector lever in
positionDorR.

Release the brake pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
Once the vehicle is in motion, the auto-
matic central locking system engages and
the locking knobs drop down.After a cold start, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts at a higher engine revolution.
This allows the catalytic converter to reach
its operating temperature earlier.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Children could release the
parking brake, which could result in an acci-
dent and/or serious personal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic
locking using the control system
(page 155).
!If you hear a warning signal and the
message
Parking brake Release
brake!
appears in the multifunction
display when driving off, you have for-
gotten to release the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.

53 Getting started
Driving
Intermittent wiping
Turn the combination switch to
positionI.
Single wipe

Press combination switch briefly in the
direction of arrow1.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.Wiping with windshield washer fluid

Push combination switch in the direc-
tion of arrow1 past the resistance
point.
The windshield wipers operate with
washer fluid.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system*”
(
page 312).
iThe intermittent wiping is interrupted
when the vehicle is at a standstill and a
door is opened.
!If anything blocks the windshield wip-
ers (leaves, snow, etc.), switch them off
immediately.

For safety reasons,

turn off the engine by turning
the SmartKey to position 0 and
withdraw SmartKey from starter
switch
or


turn off the engine by pressing
the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button and open the driver’s
door (with the driver’s door
open, starter switch is in posi-
tion 0, same as with SmartKey
removed from starter switch)
before attempting to remove any
blockage.


Remove blockage.


Turn the windshield wipers on
again.
If windshield wipers fail to function at
all in switch positionI,


set the combination switch to the
next highest wiper speed


have the windshield wipers
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

55 Getting started
Parking and locking
Parking and locking
You have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows:
Parking brake
1Release handle
2Parking brake pedal
Step firmly on parking brake pedal2.
When the engine is running, the indica-
tor lamp ;(USA only)
or3(Canada only) in the instru-
ment cluster will be illuminated.
Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the
vehicle.Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
Warning!
G
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of inadvertent vehicle movement, be-
fore turning off the engine and leaving the
vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheel towards the road curb.


Turn the SmartKey to starter switch
position0 and remove, or press
start / stop button (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*).


Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* and lock vehicle when
leaving.

56 Getting startedParking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch toM
(page 50).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 122).
Turning off the engine 
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP.
Turning off the engine with the
SmartKey

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
(page 34) to position0 and remove
it.
The immobilizer is activated.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Children could release the
parking brake and/or move the gear selec-
tor lever from positionP, either of which
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever not fully engaged in positionP is
dangerous. Also, when parked on an incline,
positionP alone may not prevent your vehi-
cle from moving, possibly hitting people or
objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 167).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
iAlways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting to positionP.
On slopes, turn the front wheels to-
wards the curb.iThe SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.

57 Getting started
Parking and locking

Press the seat belt release button
(page 45).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.

After exiting the vehicle, press the lock
button‹ on the SmartKey
(page 32).
With the hood, trunk and both doors
closed, all turn signal lamps flash three
times. The locking knobs in the doors
move down. The anti-theft alarm sys-
tem is armed.For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 94).
Turning off the engine with
KEYLESS-GO*

Place the gear selector lever inP.

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton to shut off the engine.
With the driver's door closed, the start-
er switch is now in position1. With the
driver’s door opened, the starter switch
is set to position0, same as SmartKey
removed from starter switch
(page 34).

Press the seat belt release button
(page 45).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
iWith the SmartKey removed and the
driver’s door open, a warning sounds if
the vehicle’s exterior lamps are not
switched off.Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
iOpening a door causes the windows on
that side of the car to open slightly.
They will return to the up position when
the door is closed.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.


58 Getting startedParking and locking
1Lock button on the door handle

After exiting the vehicle, press lock
button1 on the door handle or on the
trunk lid.
With the hood, trunk and both doors
closed, all turn signal lamps flash three
times. The locking knobs in the doors
move down. The anti-theft alarm sys-
tem is armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 94).
!If you hear a warning signal you have
either

forgotten to switch off the vehicle’s
exterior lamps before opening the
driver’s door, or


tried to turn off the engine while the
gear selector lever is not inP.
Turn off the lights or place the gear se-
lector lever inP.
iOpening a door causes the windows on
that side of the car to open slightly.
They will return to the up position when
the door is closed.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.


71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Roll bars
The roll bars are integrated into the rear
head restraints.
The roll bars raise automatically in an acci-
dent or in a critical driving situation.You can manually lower the roll bars again
when the soft top is open (
page 402).
With the soft top closed, contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center to have the
roll bars lowered. Do not attempt to lower
the roll bars manually with the soft top
closed. Lowering the roll bars manually
with the soft top closed may impair the
function of the roll bars.
Warning!
G
Make sure nothing is blocking the roll bars’
path of motion. Otherwise someone could
be injured when the roll bars are raised. The
head restraints should therefore always be
in the raised position when the rear seat is
occupied (
page 115).
iWhen the roll bars are raised automati-
cally, you will hear a ratcheting sound
and the rear head restraints will also
rise.
iYou cannot lower the rear head
restraints with the rear head restraint
lowering switch (
page 115) when the
roll bars are in the raised position.
Also, you cannot operate the soft top
using the soft top switch when the roll
bars are in the raised position.


If the soft top is open, you can man-
ually lower the roll bars
(page 402).


If the soft top is closed, contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
to have the roll bars lowered.
Warning!
G
If the yellow roll bar warning lamp in
the clock does not go out after starting the
engine, or if it comes on while driving, then
the roll bar system is not operating properly
and may not activate in an accident. In this
case, raise the roll bars manually before
continuing to drive (
page 401).
For safety reasons, drive only with the roll
bars raised until the malfunction is repaired.
Have your vehicle checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

72 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyChildren in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:

Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child.


Make sure that the infant or child is
properly secured at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
Infant and child restraint seats and
information on choosing an appropriate
restraint system can be obtained from any
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Infant and child restraint systems
We recommend all infants and children be
properly restrained at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
All lap-shoulder belts except the driver’s
seat belt have special seat belt retractors
for secure fastening of child restraints.To fasten a child restraint, follow child
restraint instructions for mounting. Then
pull the shoulder belt out completely and
let it retract. During seat belt retraction, a
ratcheting sound can be heard to indicate
that the special seat belt retractor is acti-
vated. The belt is now locked. Push down
on child restraint to take up any slack.
To deactivate, release seat belt buckle and
let seat belt retract completely. The seat
belt can again be used in the usual
manner.
iFor information on LATCH-type child
seat anchors (
page 80).
!The use of infant or child restraints is
required by law in all 50 states, the Dis-
trict of Columbia, the U.S. territories,
and all Canadian provinces.
Infants and small children should be
seated in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system, properly secured by a
lap / shoulder belt or, if so equipped, a
lap shoulder belt and a child restraint
lower anchorage system that complies
with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213
and 210.2.Warning!
G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.