2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK CLASS Owners Manual

385 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs

Fold corresponding trim to side.

Turn the respective bulb socket coun-
terclockwise and remove.

Press gently onto the bulb and turn
counterclockwise out of its bulb sock-
et.

Press the new bulb gently into its bulb
socket and turn clockwise.

Reinstall the bulb socket and turn
clockwise until it engages.

Reinstall trim.License plate lamp
1Screw

Loosen both screws1.

Remove the license plate lamp.

Replace the bulb.

Reinstall the license plate lamp.

Retighten screws1.

386 Practical hintsReplacing wiper bladesRemoving wiper blades

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1.

Turn combination switch to wiper
settingII (
page 53).

With wiper arms in vertical position,
turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0.

Fold the wiper arms forward until they
engage.
1Wiper blade
2Cover
3Attachment
4Tab
5Removing

Press tabs4 together and tilt wiper
blade1 to detach tabs4 on both
recesses of attachment3.
Wiper blade1 is released on one end.

Maintaining its tilted position, slide
wiper blade1 out of attachment3 in
direction of arrow5.
Warning!
G
For safety reasons, switch off wipers and
remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch before replacing a wiper blade. Oth-
erwise, the motor could suddenly turn on
and cause injury.!To avoid damage to the hood, the wiper
arms should only be folded forward
when in the vertical position.

387 Practical hints
Replacing wiper blades
Installing wiper blades
1Installing
2Tabs
3Attachment
4Guide tab
5Cover

Slide the wiper blade into
attachment3 in direction of
arrow1.

Make sure guide tab4 will be placed
under cover5 when fully inserting the
wiper blade into attachment3.

Let tabs2 latch in into both recesses
of attachment3.

Check if the wiper blade is securely
fastened.

Fold the wiper arm backward to rest on
the windshield.
Make sure you hold on to the wiper arm
when folding it back.
!Never open the hood when the wiper
arms are folded forward.
Hold on to the wiper when folding the
wiper arm back. If released, the force
of the impact from the tensioning
spring could crack the windshield.
Do not allow the wiper arms to contact
the windshield glass without a wiper
blade inserted.
Make sure the wiper blades are proper-
ly installed. Improperly installed wiper
blades may cause windshield damage.
For your convenience, you should have
this work carried out by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

388 Practical hintsFlat tirePreparing the vehicle
Park the vehicle as far as possible from
moving traffic on a hard surface.

Turn on the hazard warning flashers.

Turn the steering wheel so that the
front wheels are in a straight ahead po-
sition.

Set the parking brake (
page 49).

Move the gear selector lever* toP
(manual transmission to first or reverse
gear).

Turn off the engine (
page 58).

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.

Have any passenger exit the vehicle at
a safe distance from the roadway.
Mounting the spare wheel
iOpen door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
Warning!
G
The dimensions of the spare wheel with col-
lapsible tire are different from those of the
road wheels. As a result, the vehicle han-
dling characteristics change when driving
with a spare wheel with collapsible tire
mounted. Adapt your driving style accord-
ingly.
The spare wheel with collapsible tire is for
temporary use only. When driving with spare
wheel with collapsible tire mounted, ensure
proper tire inflation pressure and do not ex-
ceed vehicle speed of 50 mph (80 km/h).
Drive to the nearest Mercedes-Benz Center
as soon as possible to have the spare wheel
with collapsible tire replaced with a regular
road wheel.
Never operate the vehicle with more than
one spare wheel with collapsible tire mount-
ed.

389 Practical hints
Flat tire
Preparing the vehicle
Prepare the vehicle as described
(page 388).

Take the collapsible tire, wheel wrench,
wheel bolts, jack, and electric air pump
out of the trunk (
page 369).Lifting the vehicle

Prevent the vehicle from rolling away
by blocking wheels with wheel chocks
(not included) or other sizeable ob-
jects.
One wheel chock is included with the
vehicle tool kit (
page 369).
When changing wheel on a level sur-
face:

Place the wheel chock in front of
and another sizable object behind
the wheel that is diagonally oppo-
site to the wheel being changed.
When changing wheel on a hill:

Place the wheel chock and another
sizable object on the downhill side
blocking both wheels of the other
axle.
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into either side 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, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Be 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 vehi-
cle.

390 Practical hintsFlat tire1Wheel wrench
On wheel to be changed, loosen but do
not yet remove the wheel bolts in direc-
tion of arrow (approximately one full
turn with wheel wrench1).
The jack take-up brackets are located di-
rectly behind the front wheel housings and
in front of the rear wheel housings.2Jack
3Take-up bracket

Place jack2 on firm ground.

Position jack2 under take-up
bracket3 so that it is always vertical
(plumb-line) as seen from the side,
even if the vehicle is parked on an
incline.

Jack up the vehicle until the wheel is a
maximum of 1.2 in (3 cm) from the
ground. Never start engine while
vehicle is raised.
Warning!
G
Position the jack only on the jack take-up
brackets designed for this purpose.
If the jack is not properly positioned, the ve-
hicle may fall off of the jack.
Warning!
G
The jack is intended only for lifting the
vehicle briefly for wheel changes. It is not
suited for performing maintenance work
under the vehicle.

Never start the engine when the vehicle
is raised.


Never lie down under the raised vehicle.

391 Practical hints
Flat tire
Removing the wheel
4Alignment bolt
Unscrew the upper-most wheel bolt
and remove.

Replace this wheel bolt with alignment
bolt4 supplied in the vehicle tool kit.

Remove the remaining bolts.

Remove the wheel.Mounting the spare wheel
1Wheel bolt for light alloy rims
2Wheel bolt for spare wheel with
collapsible tire (located in trunk with
spare wheel)

Clean contact surfaces of wheel and
wheel hub.
!Do not place wheel bolts in sand or dirt.
This could result in damage to the bolt
and wheel hub threads.
!Wheel bolts2 must be used when
mounting the spare wheel with
collapsible tire. The use of any wheel
bolts other than wheel bolts2 for the
spare wheel with collapsible tire will
physically damage the vehicle’s
brakes. !To avoid paint damage, place wheel flat
against hub and hold it there while in-
stalling first wheel bolt.

392 Practical hintsFlat tire

Guide the spare wheel onto the align-
ment bolt and push it on.

Insert the wheel bolts and tighten them
slightly.

Unscrew the alignment bolt, install last
wheel bolt and tighten slightly.
Warning!
G
Always replace wheel bolts that are dam-
aged or rusted.
Never apply oil or grease to wheel bolts.
Damaged wheel hub threads should be re-
paired immediately. Do not continue to drive
under these circumstances! Contact an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center or call
Roadside Assistance.
Incorrect wheel bolts or improperly tight-
ened wheel bolts can cause the wheel to
come off. This could cause an accident. Be
sure to use the correct wheel bolts.
Warning!
G
Use only genuine equipment
Mercedes-Benz wheel bolts. Other wheel
bolts may come loose.
Do not tighten the wheel bolts when the
vehicle is raised. Otherwise the vehicle
could fall off the jack.