2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK350 top lower

237 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
Retractable hardtop
Opening and closing the retractable hardtop
For safety reasons, the retractable hardtop
can only be opened and closed when the
vehicle is standing still.Warning!
G
Before operating the switch for the retract-
able hardtop, make sure no persons are in-
jured by the moving parts (retractable
hardtop, roof frame, and trunk lid).
Hands must never be placed near the roof
frame, upper windshield area, retractable
hardtop, shelf behind roll bars, or trunk lid
while the retractable hardtop is being raised
or lowered. Serious personal injury may
occur.
If potential danger exists, release the re-
tractable hardtop switch. This immediately
interrupts the raising or lowering procedure.
You can then operate the retractable hard-
top switch to raise or lower the retractable
hardtop away from the danger zone.
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.!Never sit or place heavy objects on the
rear shelf. Doing so could cause dam-
age to the retractable hardtop and the
rear shelf.
!When opening and closing the retract-
able hardtop, make sure

there is sufficient clearance for the
retractable hardtop to move up and
the trunk lid to move back


the luggage cover is extended and
closed


the trunk is only loaded to the
height of the luggage cover


the luggage/cargo does not push
the closed luggage cover up


the trunk lid is closed


no roof luggage carrier is installed


the outside temperature is above
+5°F (-15°C)
Otherwise the roof and other parts of
the vehicle could be damaged.

238 Controls in detailRetractable hardtopLuggage cover
The luggage cover is located in the trunk.Luggage coverClosing
Pull the luggage cover at the handle in
direction of the arrow until it engages
on both sides at the trunk sill.Opening

Press the release handle on the lug-
gage cover.

Guide the luggage cover forward to its
end stop.Retractable hardtop!To prevent damage to the retractable
hardtop or luggage/cargo when lower-
ing the roof:

Load trunk only to the height of the
luggage cover.


Do not permit luggage/cargo to
push up the closed luggage cover.


Do not place anything on top or in
front of the luggage cover.


Do not place anything on the shelf
behind the roll bar.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible accidents, drive the ve-
hicle only with the retractable hardtop either
completely closed and locked, or fully low-
ered into its storage compartment.iFor safety reasons, the retractable
hardtop cannot be opened or closed
while driving.
Make sure the retractable hardtop and
the rear window are dry before you
open it. Otherwise water may enter the
interior and/or trunk.

239 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
The switch for opening/closing the retract-
able hardtop is on the lower part of the
center console.Retractable hardtop switch1Opening
2Closing
For operating the power windows with the
retractable hardtop switch (
page 234).Opening

Push and hold the retractable hardtop
switch in direction of arrow1 until the
retractable hardtop is completely low-
ered into the trunk.
The message
Retractable roof open

briefly appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
Closing

Push and hold the retractable hardtop
switch in direction of arrow2 until the
retractable hardtop is completely
closed and locked.
The message
Retractable roof
closed
briefly appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
iBefore operating the retractable hard-
top via the retractable hardtop switch,
do the following first:

Engage the parking brake
(page 56).


Close the luggage cover.


Close the trunk lid.


Switch on ignition (
page 35).

240 Controls in detailRetractable hardtopLocking the retractable hardtop after
raising/lowering
If the retractable hardtop is not properly
locked, lock it as described below.Warning!
G
If the retractable hardtop is not fully opened
or closed, a warning will sound after
15 seconds, pressure in the hardtop’s hy-
draulic system will drop, and the hardtop will
lower.
Be sure to keep the hardtop switch pushed
until the hardtop is fully opened or closed.
The hydraulic pump will then shut off.
To prevent possible accidents, drive the ve-
hicle only with the hardtop either completely
closed and locked, or fully lowered into its
storage compartment.
Warning!
G
If the retractable hardtop does not com-
pletely open or close, the roof hydraulics will
lose pressure and the retractable hardtop is
lowered

after approximately seven minutes
when the ignition is switched on


after approximately 15 seconds when
the ignition is switched off
Shortly before the hardtop is lowered, a
warning will sound. In the multifunction dis-
play you will see
K
and the message
Retractable roof being lowered
.


Properly lock the retractable hardtop
before continuing to drive (
page 241).
Warning!
G
The hardtop is not fully closed and locked or
not fully opened and locked if:

the message
Retractable roof in
operation is shown in the multifunc-
tion display


a warning sounds for ten seconds when
starting to drive or while driving

242 Controls in detailRetractable hardtopOpening and closing the retractable
hardtop with the SmartKey*
The power windows (
page 232) will also
be opened or closed when you operate the
retractable hardtop with the SmartKey.

Aim transmitter eye at the outside
driver’s or passenger door handle.Opening (Summer opening feature)

Press and hold unlock buttonΠun-
til the retractable hardtop is complete-
ly open.
The retractable hardtop and windows
begin to open after approximately
one second.
In the multifunction display you will see
the message
Retractable roof open
.

Release buttonΠon the SmartKey
to interrupt procedure.
Warning!
G
Before operating the retractable hardtop,
make sure no persons can be injured by the
moving parts (retractable roof, roof frame,
and trunk lid) due to negligence.
Hands must never be placed near the roof
frame, upper windshield area, hardtop, shelf
behind roll bars, or trunk lid while the re-
tractable hardtop is being raised or lowered.
Serious personal injury may occur.
If potential danger exists, release the re-
spective button on the SmartKey. This im-
mediately interrupts the raising or lowering
procedure. You can then operate
Œ

or
‹
to raise or lower the hardtop away
from the danger zone.
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows or retractable
hardtop if there is the possibility of anyone
being harmed by the opening or closing pro-
cedure.
In case the procedure causes potential dan-
ger, the procedure can be immediately halt-
ed by releasing the button on the SmartKey.
To reverse direction of movement,
pressŒ for opening or‹ for closing.

243 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
Closing (Convenience closing feature)
Press and hold lock button‹ until
the retractable hardtop is fully closed.
The retractable hardtop and windows
begin to close after approximately
one second.
In the multifunction display you will see
the message
Retractable roof
closed
.

Release button‹ on the SmartKey
to interrupt procedure.
Wind screen
1Wind screen
2Snap fastener
3Supporting strap
4Fastening pinInstalling

Remove wind screen1 from its stor-
age bag and unfold.
The storage bag is located on the wall
behind the seat backrests.

Attach supporting straps3 to fasten-
ing pins4.

Close snap fasteners2.

Pull wind screen1 on molding over
roll bars.
Removing

Pull off wind screen1 from roll bars.

Open snap fasteners2.

Loosen supporting straps3 from fas-
tening pins4.

Fold wind screen1 and put it back
into storage bag.
Warning!
G
If the retractable hardtop does not com-
pletely open or close, a warning sounds. In
the multifunction display you will see
K

and the message
Retractable roof
being lowered. After about 15 seconds
the roof hydraulics lose pressure.
Properly lock the retractable hardtop
(
page 240) before continuing to drive.
Warning!
G
The wind screen can restrict the driver’s
vision to the rear of the vehicle. To prevent
a possible accident when visibility is limited
(e.g. in darkness), the upper part of the wind
screen should be folded back.
iPull on snap fastener’s head to open
the snap fastener.

278 OperationDriving instructionsTire traction
The safe speed on a wet, snow-covered or
icy road is always lower than on a dry road.
You should pay particular attention to the
condition of the road whenever the outside
temperatures are close to the freezing
point.Mercedes-Benz recommends M+S rated
radial-ply tires with a minimum tread depth
of approximately
1/6in (4 mm) on all four
wheels for the winter season to ensure
normal balanced handling characteristics.
On packed snow, they can reduce your
stopping distance as compared with sum-
mer tires.
Stopping distance, however, is still consid-
erably greater than when the road is not
covered with snow or ice. Exercise appro-
priate caution.
Tire speed rating
Regardless of the tire speed rating, local
speed limits should be obeyed. Use pru-
dent driving speeds appropriate to prevail-
ing conditions.
Warning!
G
If ice has formed on the road, tire traction
will be substantially reduced. Under such
weather conditions, drive, steer and brake
with extreme caution.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel. This
may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Even when permitted by law, never operate
a vehicle at speeds greater than the maxi-
mum speed rating of the tires.
Exceeding the maximum speed for which
tires are rated can lead to sudden tire fail-
ure, causing loss of vehicle control and pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury and possible death, for you
and for others.

377 Practical hints
Opening/closing in an emergency
Opening/closing in an emergency
Raising retractable hardtop manuallyWarning!
G
If the retractable hardtop does not com-
pletely open or close, the roof hydraulics will
lose pressure and the retractable hardtop is
lowered

after approximately seven minutes
when the ignition is switched on


after approximately 15 seconds when
the ignition is switched off
Shortly before the hardtop is lowered, a
warning will sound. In the multifunction dis-
play you will see
K
and the message
Retractable roof being lowered
.


Properly lock retractable hardtop before
continuing to drive (
page 237).
Warning!
G
Manually closing the retractable hardtop is a
complicated and technically demanding pro-
cedure and should only be performed by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or quali-
fied technician. Attempting to manually
close the retractable hardtop may cause
damage to the retractable hardtop and/or
personal injury.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible accidents, drive the ve-
hicle only with the retractable hardtop either
completely closed and locked, or fully low-
ered into its storage compartment.