2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK CLASS Owners Manual

169 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Activating exterior rear view mirror
parking position (parking aid)
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror will be
turned downward during parking maneu-
vers to the stored position.
The switches are located on the lower part
of the center console.
1Driver-side exterior rear view mirror
2Adjustment switch
3Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror

Switch on the ignition (
page 35).

Store a parking position for the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror
(page 105).

Switch the
Mirror adjustment Park-
ing aid
function in the
Convenience

submenu of the control system to ON
(
page 144).

Press switch3 for the passenger-side
exterior rear view mirror.

Shift into reverse gearR.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror turns downwards to the stored
position.
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.

170 Controls in detailGood visibilityThe passenger-side exterior rear view mir-
ror returns to its previously stored driving
position:

ten seconds after you shifted out of re-
verse gearR


immediately once you exceed a vehicle
speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h)


immediately when you press adjust-
ment switch2
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
1Mirror lamp*
2Mounting*
3Mirror cover
4Sun visor

Swing sun visors down when you expe-
rience glare.

To use mirror and switch on mirror
lamp*, lift up mirror cover3.Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.iIf sunlight enters through a side win-
dow, disengage sun visor from
mounting*2 and pivot it to the side.
The sun visors are extendable* if
necessary.
The mirror lamp1 will switch off as
soon as sun visor is disengaged from
mounting.

171 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 defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear.
The defroster is automatically deactivated
after approximately 6 to 17 minutes of op-
eration depending on the outside tempera-
ture.Switching on

Press the rear window defroster
switchF in the control panel of the
climate control (
page 175) or the au-
tomatic climate control* (
page 185).
The indicator lamp on the rear window
defroster switchF comes on.Switching off

Press the rear window defroster
switchF again in the control panel
of the climate control or the automatic
climate control*.
The indicator lamp on the rear window
defroster switchF goes out.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.
!The rear window defroster cannot be
switched on when the retractable hard-
top is open. The indicator lamp starts
flashing if the hardtop is open.

Close the retractable hardtop first.
The rear window defroster can be
switched on again.
!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts flashing, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient 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 au-
tomatically turns itself back on.

172 Controls in detailClimate control

173 Controls in detail
Climate control
The climate control is operational whenev-
er the engine is running. The system cools
or heats the interior depending on the se-
lected interior temperature and the cur-
rent outside temperature.
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the interior through the air distribution
system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the ±mode is selected
(page 175).
Item
1
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for adjustable left-side air vent
2
Left side air vent, adjustable
3
Left center air vent, fixed
4
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for fixed/adjustable left center air
vents
5
Left center air vent, adjustable
6
Right center air vent, adjustable
7
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for fixed/adjustable right center air
vents
8
Right center air vent, fixed
9
Right side air vent, adjustable
a
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for adjustable right-side air vent
b
Climate control panel
Warning
G
When operating the 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 burn or frost-
bite to unprotected skin in the immediate
area of the air vents. Always keep sufficient
distance between unprotected parts of the
body and the footwell air vents. If necessary
change the air flow using the air distribution
controls to direct the air away from the foot-
well air vents (
page 175).
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.

174 Controls in detailClimate control
iWhen you turn the thumbwheels4
and7 upwards to the first stop, the
fixed center air vents3 and8 and
the adjustable center air vents5
and6 are open.
When you turn the thumbwheels com-
pletely upwards, only the adjustable
center air vents5 and6 are open.
For draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents5 and6
to the middle position.
iSevere conditions (e.g. strong air pollu-
tion) may require replacement of the fil-
ter 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.
When the retractable hardtop is closed,
do not obstruct air flow by placing ob-
jects on the air flow-through exhaust
slots below the rear window.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.

175 Controls in detail
Climate control
Switching climate control on/off
Switching on
Turn air volume control2 out of
position0.
Switching off

Turn air volume control2 to
position0.
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls1 and4 to
separately adjust the air temperature on
each side of the passenger compartment.
You should raise or lower the temperature
setting in small increments, preferably
starting at 72°F (22°C).
Increasing
Turn temperature control1 or4
slightly clockwise.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Decreasing

Turn temperature control1 or4
slightly counterclockwise.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Item
1
Temperature control, left side
2
Air volume control, climate control
on/off
3
Air distribution control
4
Temperature control, right side
5
FRear window defroster
6
PDefrosting
7
°Air condition on/off,
Residual engine heat utilization
8
,Air recirculation
!With the climate control system
switched off, the air flow and the air cir-
culation are deactivated.
Only choose this setting temporarily to
prevent the windows from fogging up.

176 Controls in detailClimate controlAdjusting air distribution
Use air distribution control3
(page 175) to adjust the air distribution.
The following symbols are found on the
control:
Adjusting air volume
Use air volume control2 to adjust the air
volume.
The following symbols are found on the
control:
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 interior.
Symbol
Function
Z
Directs air to the windows
b
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
Y
Directs air to the footwells
a
Directs air through the
center and side air vents
Symbol
Function
0
No ventilation, climate
control switched off
between1
and5
Ventilation with increasing
blower speed
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.