2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK CLASS warning

160 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:
Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.

Accelerate gently.

Never abruptly step on the accelerator.Working on the vehicle
Steering wheel gearshift control
When driving in the automatic program
modesC orS, or in the manual program
modeM (SLK 55 AMG only), you can
change the gears manually on the steering
wheel or by using the gear selector lever
(page 154).
Warning!
G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move gear selector lever
to positionP. Otherwise the vehicle could
roll away.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
downshifting with steering wheel
gearshift buttons, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.

162 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*Downshifting
Press the inside1 of one of the
buttons on the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously limits
the gear range of the transmission
(
page 155).Upshifting

Press the outside2 of one of the
buttons on the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmis-
sion.Steering wheel gearshift control
(Speedshift) SLK 55 AMG
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshift
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.

163 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Downshifting
Press button1 on the left side of the
steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously limits
the gear range of the transmission
(
page 155) when you are driving in the
automatic program mode (CorS).Upshifting

Press button2 on the right side of the
steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmission
when you are driving in the automatic
program mode (CorS).
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
The manual program modeM will not
be stored. When the engine is turned
off with the manual program modeM
selected, the transmission will go to
the automatic program mode (CorS)
when the engine is restarted.
The last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted in the automatic
program mode.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.

165 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction
(page 154).
or

Press button1 on the left side of the
steering wheel (
page 162).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction
(page 154).
or

Press button2 on the right side of the
steering wheel (
page 162).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
If, instead of the manual program mode
symbol
M, thep symbol appears in the
multifunction display (
page 153), shift to
the next higher gear. The fuel supply will
otherwise be interrupted to prevent the
engine from overrevving.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.iWhen you brake or stop, the transmis-
sion shifts down to a gear from which
you can easily accelerate or take off.
!In the manual program modeM, the
transmission will not upshift, even if
the engine has reached its overrevving
range. Shift up to the next gear before
the engine has reached its overrevving
range. Make absolutely certain that the
engine speed does not reach the red
marking on the tachometer
(page 24). Otherwise the engine
could be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

168 Controls in detailGood visibilityAuto-dimming mirror*
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirrors and the interior rear view
mirror will respond automatically to glare
when

ignition is switched on
and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror
The rear view mirrors will not react if


reverse gearR is engaged


interior lighting is switched on
Warning!
G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at sen-
sors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the wind screen is in-
stalled.
Glare can endanger you and others.
Warning!
G
In the case of an accident, liquid electrolyte
may escape from 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 the respiratory sys-
tem. In case it does, immediately flush af-
fected 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.

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.