2005 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK55AMG transmission

48 Getting startedDrivingManual transmissionGearshift pattern for manual transmissionFor more information, see “Manual trans-
mission” (
page 150).Starting

Depress brake pedal.

Make sure the gearshift lever is in neu-
tral position (no gear selected).

Fully depress the clutch pedal.
Otherwise the engine cannot be start-
ed due to the integrated safety inter-
lock.

Do not depress accelerator.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position3 (
page 35) and hold until
the engine starts.
For information on turning off the engine,
see “Turning off engine” (
page 58).Automatic transmission*
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmissionPPark position with gear selector lever
lock
RReverse gear
NNeutral position
DDrive position
For more information, see “Automatic
transmission*” (
page 152).

51 Getting started
Driving
Manual transmission
Depress the brake pedal.

Fully depress the clutch pedal.

Move gearshift lever to first gear to
drive forward, or to reverse gear to
drive rearward.

Simultaneously release the brake pedal
and slowly the clutch pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.Automatic transmission*

Depress the brake pedal.
The gear selector lever lock is released.

Move gear selector lever to positionD
to drive forward, or to positionR to
drive rearward.

Release the brake pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.!Wait for the gear selection process to
complete before setting the vehicle in
motion.iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the
catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperature.
Warning!
G
Vehicles with automatic transmission: It is
dangerous to shift the gear selector lever
out of
PorN if the engine speed is higher
than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on
the brake pedal, the vehicle could acceler-
ate quickly forward or in reverse. You could
lose control of the vehicle and hit someone
or something. Only shift into gear when the
engine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.

54 Getting startedDriving
Intermittent wiping
Set combination switch to positionI.Single wipe

Press combination switch briefly in di-
rection of arrow1.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.
Wiping with windshield washer fluid

Push combination switch in direction of
arrow2 past the resistance point.
The windshield wipers operate with
washer fluid.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer sys-
tem and headlamp cleaning system*”
(page 295).
!The switch should not be left in inter-
mittent setting as the wipers will wipe
the windshield once every time the en-
gine is started. Dust that accumulates
on the windshield might scratch the
glass and/or damage the wiper blades
when wiping occurs on a dry wind-
shield.
Vehicles with rain sensor*:
Do not leave windshield wipers in inter-
mittent setting when vehicle is taken to
an automatic car wash or during wind-
shield cleaning. Wipers will operate in
the presence of water sprayed on the
windshield, and wipers may be dam-
aged as a result.
iIntermittent wiping is interrupted when
the vehicle is at a standstill and a door
is opened.
Intermittent wiping will be continued
when

all doors are closed


the clutch pedal is depressed (vehi-
cles with manual transmission)


the gear selector lever is in
positionDorR (vehicles with auto-
matic transmission*)


56 Getting startedParking and lockingYou have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake
1Parking brake lever
2Release button
Pull up parking brake lever1 firmly.
When the engine is running, the brake
warning lamp; (USA only) or3
(Canada only) in the speedometer dial
comes on.
Warning!
G
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Wait until the vehicle is stationary before re-
moving the SmartKey from the starter
switch. The vehicle cannot be steered when
the SmartKey is removed.Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
system. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Pull up the parking brake lever firmly.


Move the gear selector lever* to
position
P (manual transmission: first or
reverse gear).


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.


Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position
0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.


Take the SmartKey and lock vehicle
when leaving.

57 Getting started
Parking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn exterior lamp switch toM
(page 52).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 106).
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever* not fully engaged in positionP
(manual transmission: first or reverse gear)
is dangerous. Also, when parked on an in-
cline, positionP (manual transmission: first
or reverse gear) alone may not prevent your
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (manual transmission:
first or reverse gear).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
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. Children
could release the parking brake and/or
move the gear selector lever* from
positionP (manual transmission: into
Neutral), either of which could result in an
accident and/or serious injury.

58 Getting startedParking and lockingTurning off engine 
Manual transmission: Move the gear-
shift lever into first or reverse gear.

Automatic transmission*: Place the
gear selector lever in positionP.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.
The immobilizer is activated.

Press the seat belt release button
(page 46).

Guide the latch plate to allow the re-
tractor to completely rewind the seat
belt.
iAlways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting into first or reverse gear
(automatic transmission*: gear selec-
tor lever in positionP).
On slopes, turn the front wheels to-
wards the road curb.
iVehicles with automatic transmission*:
The SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.
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 (
page 106).
The message Turn off lights
appears
in the multifunction display.

89 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function*
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Manual transmission
Automatic transmission*
Good visibility
Climate control
Automatic climate control*
Audio system
Power windows
Retractable hardtop
Driving systems
Useful features

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.