ContentsSafety and Security........................... 61
Occupant safety................................... 62
Air bags .......................................... 63
Seat belts ....................................... 69
Children in the vehicle.................... 73
Panic alarm .......................................... 78
Activating ....................................... 78
Deactivating ................................... 78
Driving safety systems ......................... 80
ABS ................................................ 80
BAS ................................................ 81
ESP................................................. 82
Anti-theft systems................................ 85
Immobilizer..................................... 85
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 85
Tow-away alarm ............................. 86
Controls in detail............................... 89
Locking and unlocking ......................... 90
SmartKey ....................................... 90
Opening the doors from the inside . 94
Opening the trunk .......................... 95
Closing the trunk............................ 95
Trunk lid emergency release.......... 96
Automatic central locking .............. 97
Locking and unlocking from
the inside ....................................... 97
Seats ................................................... 99
Easy-entry/exit feature* ................ 99
Seat heating* ............................... 101
AIRSCARF neck-level heating* ..... 102
Memory function* ............................. 103
Storing positions into memory ..... 104
Recalling positions from memory . 104
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position (parking aid)....... 105
Lighting.............................................. 106
Exterior lamp switch..................... 106
Combination switch ..................... 110Cornering fog lamps* (SLK 350
with Bi-Xenon* headlamps and
without Sport Package*).............. 111
Hazard warning flasher ................ 112
Interior lighting ............................ 113
Door entry lamps ......................... 114
Instrument cluster ............................. 115
Instrument cluster illumination .... 115
Tachometer.................................. 115
Outside temperature indicator ..... 116
Trip odometer .............................. 116
Clock............................................ 116
Control system .................................. 117
Multifunction display.................... 117
Multifunction steering wheel........ 118
Menus .......................................... 120
Standard display menu ................ 122
AUDIO menu ................................ 123
NAV* menu .................................. 126
Vehicle status message memory
menu............................................ 126
Settings menu.............................. 127
Trip computer menu..................... 144
TEL menu* ................................... 146
Manual transmission ......................... 150
Shifting into reverse ..................... 151
28 At a glanceCenter consoleUpper part
Item
Page
1
Cup holder
252
2
Audio system, or
COMAND* (see separate
operating instructions)
123
3
AIRSCARF neck-level
heating* switch,
passenger-side
102
4
Seat heater* switch,
passenger-side
101
5
Central unlocking switch
97
6
Hazard warning flasher
switch
112
7
Central locking switch
97
8
ESP switch
82
9
Seat heater* switch,
driver’s side
101
Item
Page
a
AIRSCARF neck-level
heating* switch, driver’s
side
102
b
75 passenger
front air bag off indicator
lamp
75,
347
c
Climate control
Automatic climate control*
Rear window defroster
switch
172
182
171
d
Cigarette lighter
254
e
Ashtray
253
101 Controls in detailSeats
Seat heating*
The switches are located on the upper part
of the center console.
1Seat heating switch (driver’s side)
2Indicator lampsThe red indicator lamps2 on the seat
heating switch show the heating level se-
lected:
Switch on the ignition (
page 35).Switching on seat heating
Press the desired seat heating switch.
Three red indicator lamps2 on the re-
spective seat heating switch come on.
Press the seat heating switch repeat-
edly until the desired seat heating level
is reached.
Switching off seat heating
Press the desired seat heating switch
repeatedly until all indicator lamps2
on the seat heating switch go out.
Level3
Three indicator lamps on.
After approximately five minutes,
seat heating is automatically
switched to level 2.
2
Two indicator lamps on.
After approximately ten minutes,
seat heating is automatically
switched to level 1.
1
One indicator lamp on.
After approximately 20 minutes,
seat heating is automatically
switched to off.
off
No indicator lamp on.
iIf one or all of the indicator lamps2
on the seat heating switch are flashing,
there is insufficient voltage due to too
many electrical consumers being
turned on. The seat heating switches
off automatically.
The seat heating will switch back on
again automatically as soon as suffi-
cient voltage is available.
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.
254 Controls in detailUseful featuresCigarette lighter
1Cigarette lighter
Switch on the ignition (
page 35).
Push in cigarette lighter1.
Cigarette lighter1 will pop out auto-
matically when hot.
Reinsert cigarette lighter1 in its
socket after use.
Electrical outlet
An electrical outlet1 is located in the
passenger footwell on the side panel of the
center console.
Switch on the ignition (
page 35).
Flip up cover of electrical outlet1 and
insert electrical plug (cigarette lighter
type).
Warning!
G
Never touch the heating element or sides of
the cigarette lighter; they are extremely hot.
Hold the knob only.
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.iThe lighter socket can be used to ac-
commodate electrical accessories up
to a maximum of 85 W.
iThe electrical outlet can be used to ac-
commodate electrical consumers
(e.g. air pump, auxiliary lamps) up to a
maximum of 180 W.
270 Controls in detailUseful featuresReprogramming a single integrated
signal transmitter button
To program a device using a signal trans-
mitter button previously trained, follow
these steps:
Press and hold desired signal transmit-
ter button (1,2 or3). Do not re-
lease the button.
The indicator lamp will begin to flash af-
ter 20 seconds. Without releasing the
integrated signal transmitter button,
proceed with programming starting
with step 3.Heated steering wheel*
(SLK 350, Canada only)
The steering wheel heating warms up the
leather area of the steering wheel.
The lever is on the lower left-hand side of
the steering wheel.
1Switching on
2Indicator lamp
3Switching offSwitching on
Switch on the ignition (
page 35).
Turn switch at tip of lever in direction of
arrow1 and release it.
Indicator lamp2 comes on.
The steering wheel heating switches
on.
Switching off
Turn switch at tip of lever in direction of
arrow3 and release it.
The steering wheel heating switches
off.
Indicator lamp2 goes out.iThe heating of the steering wheel de-
pends on the current temperature.
The steering wheel heating switches off
automatically when you remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch.
274 OperationDriving instructionsBrakesTo help prevent brake disk corrosion after
driving on wet road surfaces (particularly
salted roads), it is advisable to brake the
vehicle with considerable force prior to
parking. The heat generated serves to dry
the brakes.
If your brake system is normally only sub-
jected to moderate loads, you should occa-
sionally test the effectiveness of the
brakes by applying above-normal braking
pressure at higher speeds. This will also
enhance the grip of the brake pads.If the parking brake is released and the
brake warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter stays on, the brake fluid level in the res-
ervoir is too low.
Brake pad wear or a leak in the system may
be the reason for low brake fluid in the res-
ervoir.
Have the brake system inspected immedi-
ately. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
All checks and service work on the brake
system should be carried out by qualified
technicians only. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Install only brake pads and brake fluid
recommended by Mercedes-Benz.Warning!
G
After driving in heavy rain for some time
without applying the brakes or through wa-
ter deep enough to wet brake components
or salty road conditions, the first braking ac-
tion may be somewhat reduced and in-
creased pedal pressure may be necessary to
obtain expected braking effect. Maintain a
safe distance from vehicles in front.
Resting your foot on the brake pedal will
cause excessive and premature wear of the
brake pads.
It can also result in the brakes overheating,
thereby significantly reducing their effec-
tiveness. It may not be possible to stop the
vehicle in sufficient time to avoid an acci-
dent.
!Be very careful not to endanger other
road users when you apply the brakes.
Refer to the description of the Brake
Assist System (BAS) (
page 81).
275 Operation
Driving instructions
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
parking, so that the air stream will cool
down the brakes faster.High-performance brake system
(SLK 55 AMG only)
The high-performance brake system is de-
signed to operate under the extremely high
operating demands required to accommo-
date the performance capabilities of the
vehicle. The brakes may produce a squeak-
ing-type noise depending on the
vehicle speed
brake force applied
ambient conditions, e.g. temperature
and humidity
As with any brake system, the wear of indi-
vidual brake system components such as
brake pads or discs strongly depends on
your driving style and the conditions under
which you operate the vehicle. Thus, a driv-
ing style calling for high demand braking
will cause your vehicle’s brakes to wear
more quickly.
Warning!
G
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake
fluid is used, the braking properties of the
vehicle can be degraded to an extent that
safe braking is substantially impaired. This
could result in an accident.!When driving down long and steep
grades, relieve the load on the brakes
by shifting into a lower gear to use the
engine’s braking power. This helps pre-
vent overheating of the brakes and re-
duces brake pad wear.
Warning!
G
New vehicle brake pads and discs, and
replacement brake pads and discs may take
several hundred miles of driving until they
provide optimum braking efficiency. Until
that time, you may need to use increased
brake pedal pressure while braking. Please
be aware of this and adjust your driving and
braking accordingly during this break-in
period.
Excessive high demand braking will cause
correspondingly high brake wear. Please be
attentive to the brake warning lamp in the
instrument cluster and brake condition mes-
sages in the multifunction display. Especial-
ly for high performance driving, it is
important to maintain the brake system and
have it checked regularly.