2005 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK55AMG COUPE tow

389 Practical hints
Where will I find...?
Where will I find...?
First aid kit
The first aid kit is located in the trunk on
the left side secured by a hook and loop
fastener.
Loosen hook and loop fastener.

Remove first aid kit.
Vehicle tool kit
The vehicle tool kit is located in the storage
compartment underneath the trunk floor.
The following is included:

Towing eye bolt


Wheel wrench


Alignment bolt


Vehicle jack


Spare wheel bolts


Spare fuses


Valve extractor (CLK 55 AMG only)


Protective wrap (CLK 55 AMG only)


Collapsible wheel chock


A pair of gloves Removing the vehicle tool kit (except
CLK 55 AMG)

Lift up trunk floor cover and engage
trunk floor handle in upper edge of
trunk.
1Retaining screw
2Storage well casing

Loosen retaining screw1 in the mid-
dle of storage well casing by turning it
counterclockwise.

Remove storage well casing2.
iCheck expiration dates and contents
for completeness at least once a year
and replace missing/expired items.


391 Practical hints
Where will I find...?
1Vehicle jack
2Collapsible wheel chock and spare
wheel bolts
3Towing eye bolt
4Alignment bolt
5Wheel wrench
6Spare fuses and valve extractor
7Electric air pumpVehicle jackThe vehicle jack is located in the storage
compartment underneath the trunk floor.
Storage position
Remove vehicle jack from its
compartment.

Push crank handle up.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into both sides of the vehicle. To help
avoid personal injury, use the jack only to lift
the vehicle during a wheel change. Never
get beneath the vehicle while it is supported
by the jack. Keep hands and feet away from
the area under the lifted vehicle. Always
firmly set parking brake and block wheels
before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use,
especially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Make sure the jack arm is
fully seated in the jack take-up bracket.
Always lower the vehicle onto sufficient
capacity jackstands before working under
the vehicle.

400 Practical hintsUnlocking/locking in an emergencyManually unlocking the gear selector lever
In case of power failure, the gear selector
lever can be manually unlocked, e.g. to tow
the vehicle.
Open the storage compartment under
the center armrest (
page 273).

Take out cover 1.

Insert a pin into the opening of
division2 and pry the division out.

Insert a tool3 (e.g. flade blade screw-
driver) into the opening.

Perform the following two steps simul-
taneously:
Push pin3 forward in the direction
of the arrow.

Move gear selector lever from
positionP.

Reinstall the division and cover after re-
moving the tool from the opening.iThe gear selector lever is locked again
when moving it to positionP.

409 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Front turn signal lamp bulb
Turn bulb socket1 counterclockwise
and remove it.

Press gently onto the bulb and turn
counterclockwise out of bulb
socket1.

Press the new bulb gently into bulb
socket1 and turn clockwise until it
engages.

Place bulb socket1 back into the
lamp and turn it clockwise.Parking and standing lamp bulb

Turn housing cover2 counterclock-
wise and remove it.

Pull out bulb socket5 with the bulb.

Pull the bulb out of the bulb socket5.

Press the new bulb into bulb socket5.

Press bulb socket5 back into the
lamp.

Align housing cover2 and turn it
clockwise.Side marker lamp bulb

Carefully slide the lamp towards the
rear in direction of arrows.

Remove front end first.

Turn the bulb socket with the bulb
counterclockwise and remove it.

Pull the bulb out of the bulb socket.

Insert the new bulb into the bulb
socket.

Place the bulb socket back into the
lamp and turn it clockwise.

To reinstall the lamp, set rear end in the
bumper and let the front end engage.

424 Practical hintsJump startingThe battery is located on the right side of
the engine compartment. For jump start-
ing use the terminals in front of the bat-
tery.
Make sure the two vehicles do not
touch.

Turn off all electrical consumers.

Apply parking brake.

Shift gear selector lever to positionP.

Open the hood.1Positive terminal of charged battery
2Positive under hood terminal in front of
discharged battery
3Negative under hood terminal in front
of discharged battery
4Negative terminal of charged battery

Connect the positive terminal1 of the
charged battery with the positive under
hood terminal 2 in front of the dis-
charged battery with the jumper cable.
Clamp cable to charged battery1
first.

Start engine of the vehicle with the
charged battery and run at idle speed.

Connect the negative terminal4 of
the charged battery with the negative
under hood terminal 3 in front of the
discharged battery with the jumper ca-
ble. Clamp cable to charged battery4
first.

Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.
You can now turn on the electrical con-
sumers. Do not turn on the lights under
any circumstances.

Remove the jumper cables first from
the negative terminals3 and4 and
then from the positive terminals1
and2.
You can now turn on the lights.

Have the battery checked at the near-
est authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Keep flames or sparks away from battery.
Do not smoke.
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries
(page 314).
!Never invert the terminal connections.
!Do not tow-start the vehicle.

425 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Towing the vehicle
Towing the vehicle
Mercedes-Benz recommends that the vehi-
cle be transported with all wheels off the
ground using flatbed or appropriate wheel
lift/dolly equipment.When circumstances do not permit the
recommended towing methods, the vehi-
cle may be towed with all wheels on the
ground or front wheels raised only so far as
necessary to have the vehicle moved to a
safe location where the recommended
towing methods can be employed.
!Use flatbed or wheel lift/dolly equip-
ment with SmartKey in starter switch
turned to position0.
Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
Towing with sling-type equipment over
bumpy roads will damage radiator and
supports.
To prevent damage during transport,
do not tie down vehicle by its chassis or
suspension parts.
Switch off the tow-away alarm
(page 91) and the automatic central
locking (
page 158).
!If the vehicle is towed with the front
axle raised, the engine must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0
or1). Otherwise, the ESP will immedi-
ately be engaged and will apply the rear
wheel brakes.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the selector lever must
be in positionN and the SmartKey
must be in starter switch position2.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground or the front axle raised,
the vehicle may be towed only for dis-
tances up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a
speed not to exceed 30 mph
(50 km/h).
!To be certain to avoid a possibility of
damage to the transmission, however,
we recommend the drive shaft be dis-
connected at the rear axle drive flange
for any towing beyond a short tow to a
nearby garage.

426 Practical hintsTowing the vehicleWarning!
G
Prior to towing the vehicle with all wheels on
the ground, make certain that the SmartKey
is in starter switch position
2.
If the SmartKey is left in starter switch posi-
tion
0 for an extended period of time, it can
no longer be turned in the switch. In this
case, the steering is locked. To unlock, re-
move SmartKey from starter switch and re-
insert.
If circumstances require towing the vehicle
with all wheels on the ground, always tow
with a tow bar if:


the engine will not run


there is a malfunction in the power sup-
ply or in the vehicle’s electrical system
as that will be necessary to adequately con-
trol the towed vehicle.
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 ve-
hicle. Adapt your driving accordingly.iTo signal turns while being towed with
the hazard warning flasher in use,
switch on ignition and activate the
combination switch for the left or right
turn signal in the usual manner – only
the selected turn signal will operate.
Upon canceling the turn signal, the haz-
ard warning flasher will operate again.
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, please note the follow-
ing:
With the automatic central locking acti-
vated and the SmartKey in starter
switch position2, or KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button in position2, the ve-
hicle doors lock if the left front wheel
as well as the right rear wheel are turn-
ing at vehicle speeds of approx. 9 mph
(15 km / h) or more.
Switch off the tow-away alarm
(page 91).
To prevent the vehicle door locks from
locking, deactivate the automatic cen-
tral locking (
page 158).
Towing of the vehicle should only be
done using the properly installed tow-
ing eye bolt. Never attach tow cable,
tow rope or tow rod to the vehicle chas-
sis, frame or suspension parts.

427 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Installing towing eye bolt
Towing eye bolt CLK 320/CLK 500
1Cover on right side of front bumper2Cover on right side of rear bumper
To remove cover:

Press mark on cover in direction of ar-
row.

L i f t c o v e r o f f t o r e v e a l t h r e a d e d h o l e f o r
towing eye bolt.
The towing eye bolt is supplied with the
tool kit (located in the compartment under-
neath the trunk floor).

Screw towing eye bolt to its stop and
tighten with lug wrench.
To reinstall cover:

Fit cover and snap into place.
iIf the battery is disconnected or
discharged

the SmartKey will not turn in the
starter switch. For more informa-
tion, see “Battery” (
page 420)
and “Jump starting” (page 423).


the gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP. For informa-
tion on manually unlocking the
transmission gear selector lever
see (
page 400).