2006 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK500 ESP

152 Controls in detailControl system
Press buttonæ orç to select
the language to be used for the
multifunction display messages.
Available languages:

German (
Deutsch
)


English (
English
)


French (
francais
)


Italian (
italiano
)


Spanish (
Español
)


Dutch (
Nederlands
)


Danish (
Dansk
)


Swedish (
Svenska
)


Portuguese (
Português
)


Turkish (
Türkçe
)Selecting display (speed display or out-
side temperature) for the status line

Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the Instr. cluster
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Status line dis-
play
appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press buttonæ orç to select
the desired setting
.
Selecting display (speed display or out-
side temperature) for standard display
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the Instr. cluster
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Basic display

appears in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press buttonæ orç to select
the display mode shown in the basic
display.
iYou will see the status line when you
have called up a different display from
the standard display.


157 Controls in detail
Control system
For more information on the daytime run-
ning lamp mode, see “Lighting”
(page 127).Setting locator lighting
With the locator lighting feature activated
and the exterior lamp switch in
positionU, the following lamps will
switch on during darkness when the vehi-
cle is unlocked with the SmartKey:


Parking lamps


Tail lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps


Front fog lamps
The locator lighting switches off when the
driver’s door is opened.
If you do not open a door after unlocking
the vehicle with the SmartKey, the lamps
will switch off automatically after approxi-
mately 40 seconds.
To activate locator lighting:

Make sure the function surround light-
ing is set to
on, see (
page 157).

Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Lighting
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Function Surround
lighting
appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press buttonæ orç to switch
the locator lighting function
On.

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
position U when exiting the vehicle
(page 127).
The locator lighting feature is
activated.
iIf you turn the exterior lamp switch to
another position, the corresponding
lamp(s) will switch on.
For safety reasons, resetting the Lighting
submenu to factory settings
(
page 149) while driving will not
deactivate the daytime running lamp
mode.
The following message appears in the
multifunction display:
Lighting – Cannot be completely
reset to factory settings while
driving
.

168 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP. With the SmartKey
removed, the gear selector lever
is locked in positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP
(page 422).
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.

171 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear ranges
With the gear selector lever in positionD
and driving in the automatic shift
programC orS (
page 172), you can
select a gear range for the automatic
transmission to operate within:
Gear selector lever (page 173):
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the gear selector lever to the left (D-), and
reverse the gear range limit by pressing
the gear selector lever to the right (D+).
Steering wheel gearshift control
(CLK 500/CLK 55 AMG) (
page 174):
You can limit the gear range by pressing
the respective downshift button on the
steering wheel gearshift control, and
reverse the gear range limit by pressing
the respective upshift button on the
steering wheel gearshift control.The selected gear range appears in the
multifunction display (
page 167). If you
press on the accelerator when the engine
has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit
selected.
Effect
ï
The transmission shifts through
sixth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
î
The transmission shifts through
fifth gear only (applies to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission only).
é
The transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
Effect
è
The transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
ç
The transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving:

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.

182 Controls in detailGood visibilityAuto-dimming rear view mirrors*
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when

the ignition is switched on,
and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror.
The rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gear R is engaged


the interior lighting is turned on
Warning!
G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at sen-
sors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the wind screen is
installed.
Glare can endanger you and others.Warning!
G
In case of an accident, liquid electrolyte may
escape from the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not
allow the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.
!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can be
completely removed only while in the
liquid state and by applying plenty of
water.Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your
interior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.

185 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the
defroster as soon as the rear window is
clear. The defroster is automatically
deactivated after approximately
6 to 17 minutes of operation depending on
the outside temperature.Activating

Press buttonF or1 in the
climate control panel (
page 187) or
automatic climate control panel
(
page 197).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating

Press buttonF or1 again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before
driving. Visibility could otherwise be
impaired, endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts flashing, this means that too
many electrical consumers are
operating simultaneously and there is
insufficient voltage in the battery. The
system responds automatically by
deactivating the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster
automatically switches on again.

193 Controls in detail
Climate control (CLK 350)
Deactivating
Press button, (
page 187).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows if there is
the possibility of anyone being harmed by
the closing procedure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the side win-
dows can be immediately halted by
releasing the, button or by pressing or
pulling the respective window switch.iIf you press and hold button,, the
side windows will close.
iThe air recirculation mode is deactivat-
ed automatically:

after 5 minutes if the outside
temperature is below
approximately 41°F (5°C)


after 5 minutes if the air condition-
ing is turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside
temperature is above
approximately 41°F (5°C)
iIf you press and hold button,, the
side windows will return to their previ-
ous position.
A side window will only return to its pre-
vious position if it has not been moved
to another position using the respec-
tive side window switch after it was
closed with button,. A side win-
dow that was moved will remain in its
current position if button, is used
to re-open the remaining side windows.

200 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control (CLK 500/CLK 55 AMG)Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls3 andd for
the left side or6 andb for the right side
(page 197) to separately adjust the air
temperature on each side of the passenger
compartment. You should raise or lower
the temperature setting in small incre-
ments, preferably starting at 72°F (22°C).
The automatic climate control will adjust
to the set temperature as fast as possible.
Increasing

Press and hold temperature button3
and/or6 (
page 197) until the de-
sired temperature appears in the dis-
play of the control panel4
(
page 197).
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.Decreasing

Press and hold temperature buttonb
and/ord (
page 197) until the de-
sired temperature appears in the dis-
play of the control panel4
(
page 197).
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Adjusting air distribution
Use the air distribution controls1 and8
(page 197) to separately adjust the air
distribution on each side of the passenger
compartment. The following symbols are
located on the controls:Symbol
Function
Z
Directs air to the windshield
and the side defroster vents
b
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
Y
Directs air to the footwells
a
Directs air through the center,
side and rear passenger
compartment air vents