2006 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK500 ESP

124 Controls in detailMemory functionPrior to operating the vehicle, the driver
should check and adjust the seat height,
seat position fore and aft, and seat back-
rest angle if necessary, to ensure adequate
control, reach and comfort. The head
restraint should also be adjusted for
proper height. See also the section on
air bags (
page 63) for proper seat
positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, operation
and comfort. Both the interior and exterior
rear view mirrors should be adjusted for
adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small chil-
dren should be seated in a properly se-
cured restraint system that complies with
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and
Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
213 and 210.2.The following settings are stored when
using the buttons on the driver’s door:


Driver’s seat, backrest and head
restraint position


Steering wheel position


Exterior rear view mirror position
The following settings are stored when
using the buttons on the passenger door:


Front passenger seat, backrest and
head restraint positionThe memory button and memory position
switch are located on the door.
1Memory button
2Memory position switch

Switch on the ignition (
page 34).
or

Open the respective door and insert
the SmartKey in the starter switch.
Warning!
G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.

128 Controls in detailLightingManual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and the parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch.
Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off au-
tomatically depending on the brightness of
the ambient light:

Low beam headlamps


Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionU.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once, only
the parking lamps will switch on and off
automatically.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the license plate lamps, and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off automatically.
iWith the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch or the engine turned off
with KEYLESS-GO* and the driver’s
door open, a warning sounds if the
parking lamps or low beam headlamps
are switched on.
The message
Turn off lamps
appears
in the multifunction display.
Warning!
G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU,

the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright
ambient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.


the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others,
activate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch to B when driving or when traffic
and / or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from position U to B with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from U to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle's lights at all
times.

129 Controls in detail
Lighting
Daytime running lamp mode
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM orU.
When the engine is running, the low beam
headlamps are switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the
following lamps will switch on additionally:


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.
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
running lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 127).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
(USA only)” (
page 156).
When the engine is running, and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to positionC
orB, the manual headlamp mode has
priority over the daytime running lamp
mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (
page 127).
Locator lighting and night security
illumination
The locator lighting and the night security
illumination are described in the “Control
system” section, see “Setting locator light-
ing” (page 157) and “Setting night secu-
rity illumination” (
page 158).
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the exterior lamp switch
in positionM, the high beam head-
lamps cannot be switched on.
The high beam flasher is available at all
times.

132 Controls in detailLightingCorner-illuminating front fog lamps* (CLK with Bi-Xenon* headlamps)
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps im-
prove illumination of the road into which
you are turning.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
operate with the engine running and with

the exterior lamp switch in
positionB (
page 127)
or


the exterior lamp switch in
positionU (
page 127)
or


the daytime running lamp mode
activated (
page 129)Driving forward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps

Depending on whether you are turning
left or right, switch on the left or right
turn signal (
page 53).
The respective front fog lamp comes on
and illuminates the road onto which
you are turning.Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps if they
where activated by switching on the left or
right turn signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after mak-
ing the turn, the turn signal and corner-illu-
minating front fog lamps can be switched
off by returning the combination switch to
its original position.
iCorner-illuminating front fog lamps will
only come on in low ambient lighting
conditions.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps
function is not available at a vehicle
speed above 25 mph (40 km/h).
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps
will come on automatically depending
on the steering angle, even if you did
not switch on either turn signal.
If the corner-illuminating front fog
lamps came on automatically, they will
also go out automatically depending on
the steering angle.

133 Controls in detail
Lighting
Driving rearward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Place the gear selector lever in
positionR.
The inverse front fog lamp comes on
automatically depending on the steer-
ing direction and steering angle.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps

Place the gear selector lever out of
positionR.
The respective front fog lamp goes out.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be
switched on at all times, even with the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KELESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or with the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle.
The hazard warning flasher switches on
automatically when an air bag deploys.
The hazard warning flasher switch is
located on the upper part of the center
console.
1Hazard warning flasher switchSwitching on hazard warning flasher

Press hazard warning flasher
switch1.
All turn signals are flashing.
Switching off hazard warning flasher

Press hazard warning flasher switch1
again.iWith the hazard warning flasher
activated and the combination switch
set for either left or right turn, only the
respective turn signals will operate
when the ignition is switched on.iIf the hazard warning flasher has been
activated automatically, press hazard
warning flasher switch1 once to
switch it off.

138 Controls in detailInstrument clusterTachometer
The red marking on the tachometer
(page 24) denotes excessive engine
speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is indicated in the
multifunction display (
page 140).The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. This
means that the accuracy of the displayed
temperature can only be verified by com-
parison to a thermometer placed next to
the sensor, not by comparison to external
displays (e.g. bank signs etc.).
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious
engine damage that is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.

145 Controls in detail
Control system
AUDIO menu
The functions in the
Audio
menu operate
the audio equipment which you currently
have turned on.
If no audio equipment is currently turned
on, the message
Audio off
is shown in the
multifunction display.
The following functions are available:
Select radio station

Turn on the radio (
page 212) and se-
lect radio. Vehicles with COMAND*:
Refer to separate operating instruc-
tions.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the currently tuned station
appears in the multifunction display.1Waveband setting
2Station frequency

Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired station is found.Select satellite radio station*
(USA only)
The satellite radio is treated as a radio
application.

Select satellite radio with the
corresponding soft key (SAT) in the
radio menu.
1SAT mode and preset number
2Setting for station selection using
memory
3Channel name or number

Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired channel is found.
Function
Page
Select radio station
145
Select satellite radio station*
(USA only)
145
Operate CD player
146
iYou can only store new stations using
the corresponding feature on the radio
(page 219).
Vehicles with COMAND*: Refer to
separate operating instructions.
You can also operate the radio in the
usual manner.

147 Controls in detail
Control system

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the vehicle status message
memory appears in the multifunction
display.
If the vehicle status message memory
menu does not appear, then there are
no messages stored.Vehicle status messages have been
recorded
If conditions have occurred causing status
messages to be recorded, the number of
messages appears in the multifunction
display:
1Number of messages

Press buttonk orj.
The stored messages will now be
displayed in the order in which they
have occurred.
For malfunction and warning messag-
es, see “Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display” (
page 383).Should the vehicle’s system record any
conditions while driving, the number of
messages will reappear in the multifunc-
tion display when the SmartKey in the
starter switch is turned to position0 or
removed from the starter switch. With
KEYLESS-GO*, turn off the engine by
pressing the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button and open the driver’s door.
Warning!
G
Malfunction and warning messages are only
indicated for certain systems and are inten-
tionally not very detailed. The malfunction
and warning messages are simply a remind-
er with respect to the operation of certain
systems and do not replace the owner’s
and/or driver’s responsibility to maintain
the vehicle’s operating safety by having all
required maintenance and safety checks
performed on the vehicle and by bringing
the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center to address the malfunction and
warning messages (
page 383).
iThe vehicle status message memory
will be cleared when you switch on the
ignition(
page 34). You will then only
see high-priority messages in the multi-
function display (
page 383).