326 OperationEngine compartmentCLK 3501Filler capCLK 500, CLK 55 AMG1Filler cap
Unscrew filler cap1 from filler neck.
Add engine oil as required. Be careful
not to overfill with oil.
Be careful not to spill any oil when adding.
Avoid environmental damage caused by oil
entering the ground or water.
Screw filler cap1 back on filler neck.
More information on engine oil can be
found in the “Technical data” section
(
page 479) and (
page 481).
Transmission fluid level
The transmission fluid level does not need
to be checked. If you notice transmission
fluid loss or gear shifting malfunctions,
have an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
check the automatic transmission.
!Excess oil must be siphoned or drained
off. It could cause damage to the
engine and catalytic converter not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
355 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
The combined weight (in excess of those
standard items which may be replaced) of
automatic transmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows, power
seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as
factory-installed equipment (whether
installed or not).
Air pressure
The amount of air inside the tire pressing
outward on each square inch of the tire.
Air pressure is expressed in pounds per
square inch (psi), or kilopascal (kPa) or
bars.
Aspect ratio
Dimensional relationship between tire
section height and section width
expressed in percentage.Bar
Another metric unit for air pressure. There
are 14.5038 pounds per square inch (psi)
to 1 bar; there are 100 kilopascals (kPa)
to 1 bar.
Bead
The tire bead contains steel wires wrapped
by steel cords that hold the tire onto the
rim.
Cold tire inflation pressure
Tire inflation pressure when your vehicle
has been sitting for at least three hours or
driven no more than one mile (1.6 km).
Curb weight
The weight of a motor vehicle with stan-
dard equipment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, oil, and coolant, and, if so
equipped, air conditioning and additional
optional equipment, but without passen-
gers and cargo.DOT (D
epartment o
f T
ransportation)
A tire branding symbol which denotes the
tire meets requirements of the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
GAWR (G
ross A
xle W
eight R
ating)
The GAWR is the maximum permissible
axle weight. The gross vehicle weight on
each axle must never exceed the GAWR for
the front and rear axle indicated on the
certification label located on the driver’s
door B-pillar.
GVW (G
ross V
ehicle W
eight)
The GVW comprises the weight of the
vehicle including fuel, tools, spare wheel,
installed accessories, passengers and
cargo and, if applicable, trailer tongue
load. The GWV must never exceed the
GWVR indicated on the certification label
located on the driver’s door B-pillar.
374 Practical hintsWhat to do if …?Lamps in instrument clusterGeneral information:
If any of the following bulbs in the instru-
ment cluster fails to come on during thebulb self-check when switching on the igni-
tion, have the respective bulb checked and
replaced if necessary.Problem
Possible cause/consequence
Suggested solution
-
The yellow ABS indicator lamp
comes on while driving.
The ABS has detected a malfunction and has
switched off. The BAS and the ESP
® are also
switched off (see messages in display).
The brake system is still functioning normally
but without the ABS available.
If the ABS control unit is malfunctioning,
other systems such as the navigation
system* or the automatic transmission may
also be malfunctioning.
Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels will lock during hard braking,
reducing steering capability.
Read and observe messages in the
multifunction display (
page 383).
Have the system checked at an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center as soon
as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of an accident.
The charging voltage has fallen below
10 volts and the ABS has switched off.
The battery might not be charged sufficiently.
Switch off electrical consumers that
are currently not needed, e.g. seat
heating*.
If necessary, have the generator (al-
ternator) and battery checked.
When the voltage is above this value
again, the ABS is operational again.
458 Practical hintsTowing the vehicleTowing 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.
!Use flatbed or wheel lift/dolly equip-
ment with SmartKey in starter switch
turned to 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 94) and the automatic central
locking (
page 159).
!If the vehicle is towed with the front
axle raised, the engine must be shut off
(SmartKey in starter switch position0
or1). Otherwise, the ESP
® will immedi-
ately be engaged and will apply the rear
wheel brakes.
When towing the vehicle with all wheels
on the ground, the selector lever must
be in positionN and the SmartKey
must be in starter switch position2.
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).
!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.
460 Practical hintsTowing the vehicle
Installing towing eye bolt
Towing eye bolt CLK 350
1Cover on right side of front bumper2Cover on right side of rear bumper
To remove cover:
Press mark on cover 1 or 2.
Lift cover off to reveal the threaded
hole for towing eye bolt.
The towing eye bolt is supplied with the
tool kit (located in the compartment under-
neath the trunk floor).
Screw towing eye bolt in to its stop and
tighten with lug wrench.
To reinstall cover:
Fit cover 1 or 2 and snap into place.
iIf the battery is disconnected or
discharged
the SmartKey will not turn in the
starter switch. For more informa-
tion, see “Battery” (
page 453)
and “Jump starting” (page 456).
the gear selector lever will remain
locked in positionP. For informa-
tion on manually unlocking the
transmission gear selector lever,
see (
page 422).
479 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Fuels, 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
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine with oil filter
CLK 350
CLK 500
CLK 55 AMG
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
7.9 US qt (7.5 l)
9.0 US qt (8.5 l)
Approved engine oils
Automatic transmission
CLK 350
CLK 500
CLK 55 AMG
9.0 US qt (8.5 l)
9.0 US qt (8.5 l)
9.3 US qt (8.7 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Fluid
Rear axle
CLK 350
CLK 500
CLK 55 AMG
1.16 US qt (1.1 l)
1.69 US qt (1.6 l)
1.50 US qt (1.4 l)
Hypoid gear oil SAE 85 W 90
Power steering
approx. 1.1 US qt (1.0 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid (Pentosin
CHF 11S)
Front wheel hubs
approx. 3.0 oz (85 g) each
High temperature roller bearing grease
Brake system
0.64 US qt (0.6 l)
MB Brake Fluid (DOT 4+)
488 Technical termsCruise control
Driving convenience system for auto-
matically maintaining the vehicle speed
set by the driver.
Curb weight
(
page 355)
DOT
(Department O
f Transportation)
(
page 355)
Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine pro-
duced.
Engine oil viscosity
Measurement for the inner friction (vis-
cosity) of the oil at different tempera-
tures. The higher the temperature an
oil can tolerate without becoming thin,
or the lower the temperature it can tol-
erate without becoming viscous, the
better the viscosity.ESP
®(Electronic S
tability Pr
ogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.
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 355)
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 gear selector le-
ver.
GPS
(Global P
ositioning S
ystem)
Satellite-based system for relaying
geographic location information to and
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers. Employs CD digital maps for
navigation.
GVW
(G
ross V
ehicle W
eight)
(
page 355)
GVWR
(Gross V
ehicle W
eight R
ating)
(
page 356)
490 Technical termsMOE
(M
ercedes-Benz O
riginal E
xtended
equipment tires)
Tires with limited run-flat characteris-
tics. The MOExtended system allows
you to continue driving your vehicle
even if there is a total loss of pressure
in one or more tires.
Multifunction display
Display field in the speedometer used
to present information provided by the
control system.
Multifunction steering wheel
Steering wheel with buttons for operat-
ing the control system.
Normal occupant weight
(
page 356)
OCS
(Occupant C
lassification S
ystem)
The system automatically turns the
front passenger front air bag on or off
based on the classified occupant size
category determined by weight sensor
readings from the seat.Overspeed range
Engine speeds within the red marking
on the tachometer dial. Avoid this en-
gine speed range, as it may result in se-
rious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Poly-V-belt drive
Drives engine-components (alternator,
AC compressor, etc.) from the engine.
Power train
Collective term designating all
components used to generate and
transmit motive power to the drive
axles, including
engine
clutch/torque converter
transmission
transfer case
drive shaft
differential
axle shafts/axlesProduction options weight
(
page 356)
Program mode selector switch
Used to switch the automatic transmis-
sion between regular operationS and
comfort operationC.
CLK 55 AMG with steering wheel gear-
shift control and manual shift program:
In addition toS andC (for regularS or
comfortC operation, see above) you
can use theM for manual shift
program.
PSI
(Pounds per S
quare I
nch)
(
page 356)
Recommended tire inflation pressure
(page 356)
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.