2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK CLASS ESP

97 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
when the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h).
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the control system, see “Setting
automatic locking” (
page 141).
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
trunk from inside using the central locking
switch. This can be useful, for example, if
you want to lock the vehicle before starting
to drive.
The fuel filler flap will not be locked or un-
locked with the central locking or unlock-
ing switch, respectively.
iIf the vehicle has previously been cen-
trally locked from the outside with the
SmartKey, opening the trunk from the
inside will trigger the anti-theft alarm
system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the fol-
lowing:

Press buttonŒor‹ on the
SmartKey.


Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
To prevent the vehicle door locks from
locking, deactivate the automatic cen-
tral locking when the vehicle

is pushed or towed


is on a test stand
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.

100 Controls in detailSeats
When entering the vehicle, with the
easy-entry/exit feature activated, the
steering wheel or, depending on your se-
lection, the steering wheel and driver’s
seat will return to their last set position or
a factory-set maximum forward position
when you

close the driver’s door with the ignition
switched on.


insert the SmartKey into the starter
switch with the driver’s door closed.
iIf the current position for the steering
wheel is in the uppermost tilt position,
the steering wheel will no longer be
able to move upward when the
easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
If the current seat position falls into a
factory-set position range and the sys-
tem recognizes the current seat posi-
tion to be rearward enough for easy
entry and exit, the driver’s seat will not
move to the rear when the
easy-entry/exit feature is activated.
iFor safety reasons, the driver’s seat will
not return to its last set position with
the easy-entry/exit feature activated if
the system recognizes the last set posi-
tion as an extreme forward position.
Instead, the driver’s seat will remain at
or move to a factory-set maximum
forward position. To again fully return
the driver’s seat to your last set or to a
memory position, adjust the driver’s
seat to the desired position or press
and hold the respective memory posi-
tion switch* (
page 104).

102 Controls in detailSeatsAIRSCARF neck-level heating*
The AIRSCARF neck-level heating provides
the area surrounding the occupants’ necks
with a heated air stream flowing from
openings in the head restraints.
The switches are located on the upper part
of the center console.
1AIRSCARF switch (driver’s side)
2Indicator lampsThe red indicator lamps2 on the
AIRSCARF switches show which heating
level you have selected:

Switch on the ignition (
page 35).Switching on

Press the respective AIRSCARF switch
for the desired side.
All three indicator lamps on the respec-
tive AIRSCARF switch come on. After a
preheating time of approximately
seven seconds, the blower starts.

Press the respective AIRSCARF switch
repeatedly until the desired AIRSCARF
heating level for the corresponding
seat is reached.
Switching off

Press the respective AIRSCARF switch
repeatedly until all indicator lamps on
the AIRSCARF switch go out.
Warning!
G
When switching on the AIRSCARF neck-level
heating, the air streaming from the openings
may be very hot. When in close proximity to
the openings, you could be seriously
burned. To avoid serious personal injuries,
switch the AIRSCARF to a lower heating
level.Level3
Three indicator lamps on
(highest heating level)
2
Two indicator lamps on
1
One indicator lamp on
(lowest heating level)
off
No indicator lamp on
iAfter switching off the AIRSCARF
neck-level heating, the AIRSCARF fan
continues to operate for approximately
10 seconds to cool down the heater
elements.

104 Controls in detailMemory function*The memory button and memory position
switch are located on the outer side of
each seat.
1Memory buttonM
2Memory position switch
Switch on the ignition (
page 35).
or

Open the respective door.
Storing positions into memory
Adjust the seat, on the driver’s side
also the steering wheel and exterior
rear view mirrors, to the desired posi-
tions (
page 37).

Press memory buttonM1.

Release memory buttonM1 and
press a memory position switch2
within three seconds.
All settings are stored to the selected
position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold desired memory posi-
tion switch2 until the seat, on the
driver’s side also the steering wheel
and exterior rear view mirrors, have
completely moved to the stored posi-
tions.!Do not operate the power seats using
the memory position switches if the
seat backrest is in an excessively re-
clined position. Doing so could cause
damage to the seats.iReleasing the memory position switch-
es immediately stops movement to the
stored positions.

107 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and the parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch.
Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off au-
tomatically depending on the brightness of
the ambient light:

Low beam headlamps


Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionU.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1 only the parking lamps will
switch on and off automatically.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the license plate lamps, and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off automatically.
iWith the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch and the driver’s door
open, a warning sounds if the parking
lamps or low beam headlamps are
switched on.
The message
Turn off lights
appears
in the multifunction display.
Warning!
G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU

the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright am-
bient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.


the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others, acti-
vate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch to
B
when driving or when traffic
and/or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from position
U
toB
with
the vehicle at a standstill. Switching
from
U
toB
will briefly switch off
the headlamps. Doing so while driving in low
ambient lighting conditions may result in an
accident.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle's lights at all
times.

108 Controls in detailLightingDaytime running lamp mode
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionMorU.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the fol-
lowing lamps will switch on additional-
ly:

Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to positionB to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.Canada only:
The daytime running lamp mode is manda-
tory and therefore in a constant mode.
Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
the low beam headlamps will switch off
with a three-minute delay.
When the engine is running, and you


turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the parking lamps
switch on additionally.


turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime run-
ning lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 106).USA only:
By default, the daytime running lamp mode
is deactivated. Activate the daytime run-
ning lamp mode using the control system,
see “Setting daytime running lamp mode”
(
page 137).
When the engine is running, and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to
positionCorB, the manual head-
lamp mode has priority over the daytime
running lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (page 106).
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
and the exterior lamp switch in
positionM you cannot switch on the
high beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all
times.

111 Controls in detail
Lighting
Cornering fog lamps* (SLK 350 with
Bi-Xenon* headlamps and without Sport Package*)
The cornering fog lamps improve illumina-
tion of the road into which you are turning.
Cornering fog lamps will operate with the
engine running and with

the exterior lamp switch in
positionB (
page 106)
or


the exterior lamp switch in
positionU (
page 106)
or


the daytime running lamp mode
activated (
page 108)Driving forward
Switching on cornering fog lamps

Depending on whether you are turning
left or right, switch on the left or right
turn signal (
page 52).
The respective front fog lamp comes on
and illuminates the road into which you
are turning.
Switching off cornering fog lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the cornering fog lamps if they where activat-
ed by switching on the left or right turn
signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after mak-
ing the turn, the turn signal and cornering
fog lamp can be switched off by returning
the combination switch to its original
position.
Driving rearward
Switching on cornering fog lamps

Place the gearshift lever (gear selector
lever*) in positionR.
The inverse front fog lamp comes on
automatically depending on the
steering direction and steering angle.
Switching off cornering fog lamps

Place the gearshift lever (gear selector
lever*) out of positionR.
The respective front fog lamp goes out.
iCornering fog lamps will only come on
in low ambient lighting conditions.
The cornering fog lamps function is not
available at a vehicle speed above
25 mph (40 km/h).
iThe cornering fog lamps will come on
automatically depending on the
steering angle, even if you did not
switch on either turn signal.
If the cornering fog lamps came on
automatically, they will also go out au-
tomatically depending on the steering
angle.

114 Controls in detailLightingManual control
Interior lighting
Press interior lighting switch1.
The interior lighting switches on.

Press interior lighting switch1 again.
The interior lighting switches off.Reading lamps
The standard reading lamps are located to
the left and right of the overhead control
panel. Reading lamps as part of the interior
lighting package* are located on the lower
edge of the interior rear view mirror.

Press reading lamp switch3or4 to
switch on the respective reading lamp.

Press reading lamp switch3or4
again to switch off the respective
reading lamp.
Door entry lamps
For better orientation in the dark, the cor-
responding door entry lamps will switch on
in darkness when you open a door and the
automatic control is activated.
The door entry lamps switch off when the
corresponding door is closed.
iThe footwell lighting* is switched on
and off simultaneously with the manual
control.
iIf you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and switch off the
exterior headlamps, the door entry
lamps will remain lit for approximately
five minutes.