400 Practical hintsJump starting
Make sure the two vehicles do not
touch.
Switch off all electrical consumers.
Apply parking brake.
Shift gear selector lever* to positionP
(manual transmission to Neutral).
Open the hood (
page 287).
Remove the cover from positive under
hood terminal2 in front of discharged
battery.1Positive terminal of charged battery
2Positive under hood terminal in front of
discharged battery
3Negative under hood terminal in front
of discharged battery
4Negative terminal of charged battery
Connect positive terminal1 of the
charged battery with positive under
hood terminal2 in front of the dis-
charged battery with one jumper cable.
Clamp the cable to positive terminal1
of the charged battery first.
Start the engine of the vehicle with the
charged battery and run at idle speed.
Connect negative terminal4 of the
charged battery with negative under
hood terminal3 in front of the dis-
charged battery with the second jump-
er cable. Clamp the cable to negative
terminal4 of the charged battery
first.
Start the engine of the disabled vehi-
cle.
You can now switch on the electrical con-
sumers. Do not switch on the lights under
any circumstances.
Remove the jumper cables first from
negative terminals3 and4 and then
from positive terminals2 and1.
You can now switch on the lights.
Have the battery checked at the near-
est authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
Keep flames or sparks away from battery.
Do not smoke.
Observe all safety instructions and precau-
tions when handling automotive batteries
(page 294).
!Never invert the terminal connections.
iVehicles with automatic transmission*:
Do not tow-start vehicle.
401 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Towing the vehicle
Mercedes-Benz recommends that the vehi-
cle be transported with all wheels off the
ground using flatbed or appropriate wheel
lift/dolly equipment.When circumstances do not permit the
recommended towing methods, the vehi-
cle may be towed with all wheels on the
ground or front wheels raised only so far as
necessary to have the vehicle moved to a
safe location where the recommended
towing methods can be employed.
!Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
Do not tow-start vehicle.!Use flatbed or wheel lift/dolly equip-
ment with the SmartKey in the starter
switch in position0.
Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
Towing with sling-type equipment over
bumpy roads will damage radiator and
supports.
To prevent damage during transport,
do not tie down vehicle by its chassis or
suspension parts.
Switch off the tow-away alarm
(page 86) and the automatic central
locking (
page 97).
!To be certain to avoid a possibility of
damage to the transmission, however,
we recommend the drive shaft be dis-
connected at the rear axle drive flange
for any towing beyond a short tow to a
nearby garage.
!If the vehicle is towed with the front
axle raised, the engine must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch
position0or1). Otherwise, the ESP
will immediately be engaged and will
apply the rear wheel brakes.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the gear selector lever*
must be in positionN (manual trans-
mission: gear shift lever in neutral posi-
tion) and the SmartKey must be in
starter switch position1.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground or the front axle raised,
the vehicle may be towed only for dis-
tances up to 30 miles (50 km) and at a
speed not to exceed 30 mph
(50 km/h).
403 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Installing towing eye bolt
The towing eye bolt is supplied with the ve-
hicle tool kit, located in the compartment
underneath the trunk floor (
page 369).
The towing eyes are located on the passen-
ger side in the front and rear bumper.
Take vehicle tool kit out of trunk
(page 369).1Cover in front bumper
2Cover in rear bumper
Press mark on corresponding cover1
or2 in direction of arrow for folding
down.
Lift cover off to reveal threaded hole for
towing eye bolt.
Do not remove cover completely.
Screw towing eye bolt in to its end stop
and tighten with lug wrench.
For removing towing eye bolt and rein-
stalling cover, follow the previously de-
scribed steps in reverse order.
iThe gear selector lever* will remain
locked in positionP (vehicles with au-
tomatic transmission*) and the Smart-
Key will not turn in the starter switch if
the battery is disconnected or dis-
charged. See notes on the battery
(page 396) or on jump starting
(page 399).
Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
For information on manual unlocking of
transmission selector lever, see
(page 376).
iWhen closing the cover, insert the
latches first and gently press on the
opposite side until the cover fully en-
gages.
Make sure the cover’s check strap
does not get caught when closing.
422 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.CapacitiesVehicle components and their respective
lubricants must match. Therefore, only use
products tested and approved by
Mercedes-Benz.Please refer to the Factory Approved Ser-
vice Products pamphlet, or inquire at your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
Engine with oil filter
SLK 350
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
Approved engine oils
SLK 55 AMG
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
Automatic transmission*
SLK 350
10.4 US qt (9.8 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Fluid
SLK 55 AMG
10.4 US qt (9.8 l)
Manual transmission
SLK 350
1.6 US qt (1.5 l)
MB Manual Transmission Oil
Rear axle
SLK 350
1.2 US qt (1.1 l)
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
SLK 55 AMG
1.3 US qt (1.2 l)
Power steering
SLK 350
1.1 US qt (1.0 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid (Pentosin CHF 11S)
SLK 55 AMG
1.1 US qt (1.0 l)
Front wheel hubs
approx. 2.1oz (60g) each
High temperature roller bearing grease
Brake system
0.5 US qt (0.5 l)
MB Brake Fluid (DOT 4)
Cooling system
SLK 350
approx.11.2 US qt (10.2 l)
MB 325.0 Anticorrosion/Antifreeze Agent
SLK 55 AMG
approx. 11.7 US qt (11.1 l)
433 Technical terms
ETD
(E
mergency T
ensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem's threshold to tighten the seat
belts. ->SRS
FSS (Canada vehicles)
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem)
Maintenance service indicator in the
multifunction display that informs the
driver when the next vehicle mainte-
nance service is due. FSS evaluates en-
gine temperature, oil level, vehicle
speed, engine speed, distance driven
and the time elapsed since your last
maintenance service, and calls for the
next maintenance service accordingly.
GAWR
(G
ross A
xle W
eight R
ating)
(
page 323)Gear range
Number of gears which are available to
the automatic transmission for shifting.
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the selector lever.
GPS
(G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem)
Satellite-based system for relaying
geographic location information to and
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers.
GVW
(G
ross V
ehicle W
eight)
(
page 323)
GVWR
(Gross V
ehicle W
eight R
ating)
(
page 324)Head-thorax air bag
Installed in the doors, these air bags
protect occupants during side impact
collisions exceeding a preset thresh-
old. Unlike normal side air bags,
head-thorax air bags are also designed
to provide protection for the head area.
Instrument cluster
The displays and indicator/warning
lamps in the driver’s field of vision, in-
cluding the tachometer, speedometer,
coolant temperature and fuel gauge.
Kickdown
Depressing the accelerator past the
point of resistance shifts the automatic
transmission down to the lowest possi-
ble gear. This very quickly accelerates
the vehicle and should not be used for
normal acceleration needs.
Kilopascal (kPa)
(
page 324)
435 Technical terms
Power train
Collective term designating all compo-
nents used to generate and transmit
motive power to the drive axles, includ-
ing
Engine
Clutch/torque converter
Transmission
Transfer case
Drive shaft
Differential
Axle shafts/axles
Production options weight
(
page 324)Program mode selector switch
Used to switch the automatic transmis-
sion between standard operation (S)
and comfort operation (C).
Vehicles with steering wheel gearshift
control and manual shift program: in
addition toS andC (for regularS
or comfortC operation, see above),
you can useM for manual shift pro-
gram.
PSI
(P
ounds per s
quare i
nch)
(
page 324)
Recommended tire inflation pressure
(page 324)REST
(Residual engine heat utilization)
Feature that uses the engine heat
stored in the coolant to heat the vehi-
cle interior for a short time after the en-
gine has been turned off.
Restraint systems
Seat belts, belt tensioners, air bags
and child restraint systems. As inde-
pendent systems, their protective func-
tions complement one another.
Rim
(
page 324)
Retractable hardtop
Hardtop that can be opened and closed
at the push of a button and stored in
the trunk.
436 Technical termsRoll bar
Occupant protection system which
consists of tubular steel sheathed in
plastic.
RON
(R
esearch O
ctane N
umber)
The Research Octane Number for gaso-
line as determined by a standardized
method. It is an indication of a gaso-
line’s ability to resist undesired detona-
tion (knocking). The average of both
the ->MON (Motor Octane Number)
and RON (Research Octane Number) is
posted at the pump, also known as
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.Shift lock
When the vehicle with automatic trans-
mission is parked, this lock prevents
the gear selector lever from being inad-
vertently moved out of positionP with-
out the SmartKey turned and the brake
pedal depressed.
Sidewall
(
page 324)
Speedshift
Steering wheel gearshift control for ve-
hicles with automatic transmission.
You can change the gears yourself with
the steering wheel gearshift buttons.
SRS
(Supplemental R
estraint S
ystem)
Seat belts, emergency tensioning
device and air bags. Though indepen-
dent systems, they are closely inter-
faced to provide effective occupant
protection.Tele Aid system
(T
elematic A
larm I
dentification on
D
emand)
The Tele Aid system consists of three
types of response: automatic and man-
ual emergency, Roadside Assistance
and information. Tele Aid is initially ac-
tivated by completing a subscriber
agreement and placing an acquain-
tance call.
The Tele Aid system is operational pro-
vided that the vehicle’s battery is
charged, properly connected, not dam-
aged and cellular and GPS coverage is
available.
Tightening torque
Force times lever arm (e.g. a lug
wrench) with which threaded fasteners
such as wheel bolts are tightened.
439 Index
A
ABS 80
Braking 80
Description 431
Display message 350
Emergency brake maneuver 80
Indicator lamp 342
Accelerator position, automatic
transmission 159
Accessory weight 323
Accident 55
Adjusting (Getting started) 37
Air bags 63
BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation
system 75
BabySmartTM air bag deactivation
system, description 431
BabySmartTM compatible child
seat 74
BabySmartTM self-test 76
Children 64
Front 68
Head-thorax 69
Head-thorax, description 433
Kneebag 68Passenger front air bag off indicator
lamp 76
Safety guidelines 66
Air conditioning
Automatic climate control 188
Climate control 178
Air conditioning refrigerant 424
Air pressure see Tire inflation pressure
AIRSCARF neck level heating
(Seats) 102
Description 431
Alarm system see Anti-theft systems
Alignment bolt (Vehicle tool kit) 369,
391
Description 431
Anticorrosion/antifreeze 427
Antilock brake system see ABS
Anti-theft systems 85
Activating 86
Alarm system 85
Canceling alarm 86
Canceling alarm (Tow-away) 87
Deactivating 86
Immobilizer 85
Tow-away alarm 86
Transporting the vehicle 87Ashtray 253
Aspect ratio 323
AUDIO menu (Control system) 123
Audio system 191
Adjusting balance 196
Adjusting sound functions 195
Adjusting volume 195
Audio and telephone, operation 191
Button and soft key operation 194
CD changer 209
CD operation 207
Introduction to satellite radio
(USA only) 202
Operating and display elements 192
Operating safety 191
Operation 194
Radio operation 197
Returning sound functions to factory
settings 196
Returning volume distribution to
factory settings 197
Switching on/off 194
Telephone muting 197
Telephone operation 216
Weather band 201