2006 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK350 manual gears

Contents
Trip computer menu..................... 161
TEL menu* ................................... 163
Automatic transmission ..................... 166
Gear selector lever position ......... 168
Driving tips ................................... 170
Gear ranges ................................. 171
Automatic shift program .............. 172
Gear selector lever
one-touch gearshifting ................. 173
Steering wheel gearshift
control one-touch gearshifting ..... 174
Manual shift program
CLK 55 AMG ................................ 178
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 180
Good visibility .................................... 181
Headlamp cleaning system* ........ 181
Rear view mirrors ......................... 181
Sun visors .................................... 184
Rear window defroster ................. 185
Climate control (CLK 350) ................. 186
Deactivating the
climate control system................. 189
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode ........... 189
Setting the temperature ............... 190Adjusting air distribution............... 190
Adjusting air volume ..................... 191
Front defroster.............................. 191
Air recirculation mode .................. 192
Air conditioning............................. 194
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 195
Automatic climate control
(CLK 500/CLK 55 AMG)..................... 196
Deactivating the
automatic climate control system. 199
Operating the climate control system in
automatic mode ............................ 199
Setting the temperature................ 200
Adjusting air distribution............... 200
Adjusting air volume ..................... 201
Front defroster.............................. 201
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 202
Air recirculation mode .................. 203
Charcoal filter ............................... 204
Air conditioning............................. 206
Residual heat and ventilation*
(Canada only) ................................ 207
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 208Audio system...................................... 209
Audio and telephone*, operation .. 209
Operating safety ........................... 209
Sound system* ............................. 209
Operating and display elements ... 210
Button and soft key operation ...... 212
Operation...................................... 212
Radio operation ............................ 217
Introduction to satellite radio*
(USA only) ..................................... 222
CD mode....................................... 227
GSM network phones ................... 233
TDMA or CDMA network phones .. 240
Emergency calls “911” ................. 247
Power windows .................................. 249
Opening and
closing the windows ..................... 249
Synchronizing power windows ...... 251
Summer opening feature .............. 252
Convenience closing feature......... 253
Opening and closing all side
windows with the soft top switch . 254
Soft top .............................................. 255
Opening and closing the soft top .. 255
Opening and closing the
soft top with the SmartKey ........... 260

167 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
1Current gear range/gear selector lever
position
2Current program mode
The current gear range/gear selector lever
position and program mode (
C/S) or
(
M/C/S) appear in the multifunction
display.An additional indication of the current gear
selector lever position can be found on the
cover of the shifting-gate.
The indicators come on when you activate
a switch (e.g. unlocking the vehicle or
opening a door) and go out after approxi-
mately 15 minutes.
When the gear selector lever is in
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out ofP orN if the engine speed is
higher than idle speed. If your foot is not
firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate quickly forward or 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.
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

173 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear selector lever one-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission, you
can change the gears manually and limit or
extend the gear range for automatic
shifting with the gear selector lever in
positionD and driving in the automatic
program modeC orS.Downshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear as permitted by
the shift program. This action simulta-
neously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 171).Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next higher gear as permitted
by the shift program. This action simul-
taneously extends the gear range of the
transmission.
Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD+direction until
D reappears in
the multifunction display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD-direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This may
involve shifting down one or more gears.
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the gear selector lever is moved to
theD-direction, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.

174 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionSteering wheel gearshift control one-touch gearshifting
The steering wheel gearshift control pro-
vides an alternative method for changing
the gears manually and limiting or extend-
ing the gear range for automatic shifting
with the gear selector lever in positionD
and driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.
iFor information on using the steering
wheel gearshift control in manual pro-
gram modeM (CLK 55 AMG only), see
“Manual shift program” (
page 178).
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
downshifting with steering wheel
gearshift buttons, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

176 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionSteering wheel gearshift control
CLK 55 AMG
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Left button: downshift
2Right button: upshiftThe following instructions describe opera-
tion of the steering wheel gearshift control
when driving in the automatic program
modeC orS.
For instructions on operating the steering
wheel gearshift control and gear selector
lever in the manual program modeM, see
“Manual shift program CLK 55 AMG”
(
page 178).Downshifting

Briefly press button1 on the left side
of the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously limits
the gear range of the transmission
(
page 171) when you are driving in the
automatic program mode (CorS).
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the gear
selector lever is in positionP,N orR.
The last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted in the automatic
program mode.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.

178 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionManual shift program CLK 55 AMG
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift programM.
In the manual program modeM,
system-controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched off and you need to change the
gears by manually upshifting or downshift-
ing using the steering wheel gearshift but-
tons to the left and right of the steering
wheel (
page 176) or the gear selector
lever.The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
1Program mode selector switch
M Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
The current gear selector lever position
and the selected program mode (
M/C/S)
are indicated in the multifunction display
(
page 167).
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

179 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Activating manual shift program
Press program mode selector
switch1 repeatedly until the
M for
manual program modeM appears in
the multifunction display.
The transmission switches to the
manual program modeM. Automatic
shifting is switched off. The gear range
is not limited.
You can change the gears manually when
the gear selector lever is in positionD. You
can upshift or downshift through the gears
in succession.Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
or

Briefly press button2 on the right
side of the steering wheel
(page 176).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
If, instead of the manual program mode
symbolM, thepsymbol appears in the
multifunction display (
page 167), shift to
the next higher gear. The fuel supply will
otherwise be interrupted to prevent the
engine from overrevving.
iFor information on automatic program
modesC orS, see “Automatic shift
program” (
page 172), “Gear selector
lever one-touch gearshifting”
(
page 173), and “Steering wheel
gearshift control one-touch gearshift-
ing” (page 174).
iThe manual program modeM will not
be stored. When the engine is turned
off with the manual program modeM
selected, the transmission will go to
the automatic program mode (CorS)
when the engine is restarted.!In the manual program modeM, the
transmission will not upshift, even if
the engine has reached its overrevving
range. Shift up to the next gear before
the engine has reached its overrevving
range. Make absolutely certain that the
engine speed does not reach the red
marking on the tachometer
(page 24). Otherwise the engine
could be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

494 IndexAutomatic transmission 166
Accelerator position 170
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) 180
Gear ranges 171
Gear selector lever 48, 166
Gear selector lever position 166, 168
Gear selector lever,
One-touch gearshifting 173
Gear shifting malfunctions 180
Kickdown 170
Manual (One touch) gearshifting 173
Manual shift program 178
One-touch gearshifting, Steering
wheel gearshift control 174
Shift program mode
selector switch 172, 178
Starting engine 48
Transmission fluid level 326
Automatic Transmission Fluid see ATF
B
Backrest
Seat, Multicontour* 121
Seat, Power 38Backup lamps
Messages in display 406
Replacing bulbs 438, 439
Bar 355
BAS 88, 487
Batteries, SmartKey
Changing 436
Checking battery condition 99
Batteries, SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Changing 437
Checking battery condition 105
Battery, Vehicle 328, 453
Charging 455
Connecting 455
Disconnecting 454
Installing 455
Jump starting 456
Messages in display 395
Removing 454
Bead 355
Beverage holder see Cup holder
Bi-Xenon headlamps* see Headlamps
Block heater (Canada only) 360
Bolts, Spare wheel 418
Brake Assist System see BASBrake fluid 481
Checking 320
Messages in display 396
Brake lamp
Cleaning lenses 369
High mounted 439
Messages in display 404
Replacing bulbs 439, 443
Brake pads
Messages in display 396
Brakes 308
High-performance brake system
(CLK 55 AMG only) 309
Warning lamp 375
Break-in the vehicle 306
Bulbs, replacing see Replacing bulbs
C
CAC 487
California retail buyers and lessees,
Important notice for 11
Call priority (Tele Aid) 294
Can holder see Cup holder
CAN system 487
Capacities and
recommended fuels/lubricants 479
Cargo area see Trunk