2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK CLASS ESP

39 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat height
Pull or push handle2 up or down and
adjust the seat cushion until your legs
are slightly supported.
Backrest tilt

Pull handle3 and adjust the backrest
until your arms are slightly angled
when holding the steering wheel.
For more information, see “Seats”
(
page 99).Power seat* adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
on the outer side of each seat.
1Seat fore and aft adjustment
2Seat height
3Backrest tilt
4Seat cushion tilt

Switch on the ignition (
page 35).
or

Open the respective door.Seat fore and aft adjustment

Press the horizontal switch forward or
backward in direction of arrow1.
Adjust seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach
the accelerator / brake pedal safely.
The position should be as far rearward
as possible, consistent with ability to
properly operate controls.
Seat height

Press the horizontal switch up or down
in direction of arrow2 until your legs
are slightly supported.
Backrest tilt

Press the vertical switch forward or
backward in direction of arrow3 until
your arms are slightly angled when
holding the steering wheel.

42 Getting startedAdjustingAdjusting steering column in or out
Move the lever in direction of
arrows1 until a comfortable steering
wheel position is reached with your
arms slightly bent at the elbow.
Adjusting steering column up or down

Move the lever in direction of
arrows2.
Make sure your legs can move freely
and all the displays (including malfunc-
tion and indicator lamps) on the instru-
ment cluster are clearly visible.
Mirrors
Adjust the interior and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.
Interior rear view mirror

Adjust the interior rear view mirror
manually.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
rors” (
page 167).
iThe memory function* (
page 103)
lets you store the settings for the steer-
ing wheel together with the settings for
the exterior rear view mirrors and the
driver’s seat position.
Warning!
G
In the case of an accident, liquid electrolyte
may escape the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low 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.
!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can only be
completely removed while in their
liquid state and by applying plenty of
water.

43 Getting started
Adjusting
Exterior rear view mirrorThe switches are located on the lower part
of the center console.
1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
2Adjustment switch
3Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror

Switch on the ignition (
page 35).

Press switch1 or3 to select the
respective exterior rear view mirror.

Press adjustment switch2 forward,
rearward, left, or right according to the
desired setting.For more information, see “Storing exterior
rear view mirror parking position (parking
aid)” (
page 105).
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
terior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes. !If an exterior rear view mirror housing
is forcibly pushed forward (hit from the
rear) or rearward (hit from the front),
reposition it by applying firm pressure
until it snaps into place. The exterior
rear view mirror housing is now proper-
ly positioned and you can adjust the
mirror normally.
iAt low ambient temperatures, the exte-
rior rear view mirrors will be heated au-
tomatically.iThe memory function (
page 103) lets
you store the settings for the exterior
rear view mirrors together with the set-
tings for the steering wheel and the
driver’s seat position.
!Before driving the vehicle through an
automatic car wash, fold the exterior
mirrors in. Otherwise they may get
damaged.

52 Getting startedDrivingSwitching on headlamps
Low beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.Exterior lamp switch1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionB.High beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch1High beam
2High beam flasher
Push combination switch in direction of
arrow1.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
comes on (
page 24).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 106).
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press combination switch in direction
of arrow1 or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lampKorL in the instrument
cluster flashes (
page 24).

59 Getting started
Parking and locking

Exit the vehicle and close all doors.

Press the lock button‹ on the
SmartKey (
page 34).
With the hood, trunk and all doors
closed, all turn signal lamps flash three
times. The locking knobs on the doors
move down.
The anti-theft alarm system is armed
now (
page 85).
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 90).
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.
iWithout the antenna on the left rear
side of the vehicle installed, the
SmartKey signaling range is consider-
ably reduced. Hold the SmartKey in
close proximity towards the antenna
base when locking or unlocking the
vehicle.
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.

64 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety

Adjust the driver seat as far as possible
rearward, still permitting proper opera-
tion of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
ten inches (25 cm) or more. You should
be able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and the
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Do not lean with your head or chest
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.


Keep hands on the outside of the steer-
ing wheel rim. Placing hands and arms
inside the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver front air bag inflates.


Adjust the passenger seat as far as pos-
sible rearward from the dashboard when
the seat is occupied.


Occupants, especially children, should
never lean their heads in the area of the
door where the head-thorax air bag in-
flates. This could result in serious inju-
ries or death should the air bag be
triggered. Always sit nearly upright,
properly use the seat belts and appropri-
ately sized infant or child restraint sys-
tem.


Children 12 years old and under must
never ride in this vehicle, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized
BabySmart
TM1
compatible child seat,
which operates with the BabySmart
TM
system installed in the vehicle to deacti-
vate the passenger front air bag when it
is properly installed. Otherwise, they will
be struck by the air bag when it inflates
in a crash. If this happens, serious or fa-
tal injury will result.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injuries to you or other occu-
pants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety in-
formation. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator’s Manual.


65 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!
G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat. Should you choose to place a child
12 years old or under in the passenger seat
of your vehicle, you must properly use a
BabySmart
TM1
child restraint which will turn
off the passenger front air bag.
BabySmart
TM will not, however, turn off any
head-thorax air bag.
It should be noted, however, that there is a
possibility of a head-thorax air bag related
injury if occupants, especially children, are
not properly seated or restrained when next
to a head-thorax air bag which needs to de-
ploy rapidly in a side impact in order to do its
job.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door where the
head-thorax air bag inflates. This could
result in serious injuries or death should
the head-thorax air bag be activated.
(2) Always sit nearly upright, properly use
the seat belts and use an appropriately
sized infant or child restraint system for
all children 12 years old or under.
(3) Always wear seat belts properly.
If you believe that, even with the use of
these guidelines, it would be safer for your
passenger seat occupants to have the pas-
senger head-thorax air bag deactivated,
then deactivation can be accomplished
upon your written request to do so at an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center at an addi-
tional cost.
Please contact your local authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.

72 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyEmergency tensioning device (ETD),
seat belt force limiter
The seat belts are equipped with
emergency tensioning devices (ETDs) and
seat belt force limiters.
The ETD is designed to activate in the fol-
lowing cases:

in frontal or rear-end impacts exceed-
ing a preset severity level.


if the restraint systems are operational
and functioning correctly, see
“1indicator lamp” (
page 62).In an impact emergency tensioning
devices remove slack from the belts in
such a way that the seat belts fit more
snugly against the body. Belt force limiters
reduce the force exerted by the seat belts
on occupants during a crash.
iThe ETDs for the seats will only activate
if the respective seat belt is fastened
(latch plate properly inserted into buck-
le).
Warning!
G
An emergency tensioning device (ETD) that
was activated must be replaced.
When scrapping the emergency tensioning
device, our safety instructions must be fol-
lowed. These are available at your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
!Do not place objects heavier than
20 lbs (9 kg) on the passenger seat.
This could cause the front air bag or
head-thorax air bag on the passenger
side and, with the seat belt fastened to
secure the object, the ETD to deploy in
a crash which exceeds the system’s
deployment threshold.