2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK350 warning

184 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shift to the next higher gear.
The fuel supply will otherwise be inter-
rupted to prevent the engine from over-
revving.
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
or
Briefly pull left shift paddle1
(
page 181).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
manual program modeM is not possible.
Deactivating manual shift program
Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 182) repeatedly
until
CorS appears in the multifunction
display.
or
Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the
automatic program mode (C orS).
The manual program modeM is not
stored.Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode)
If vehicle acceleration becomes less re-
sponsive or sluggish or the transmission
no longer shifts, the transmission is most
likely operating in limp-home (emergency
operation) mode. In this mode only second
gear and reverse gear can be selected.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location.
Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.
Turn off the engine.
Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.
Restart the engine.
Move the gear selector lever to
positionD (for second gear) or
positionR.
Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.
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.
iWhen you brake or stop, the transmission
shifts down to a gear from which you can easily
accelerate or take off.

186 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Auto-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 (page 40),
and

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

reverse gearR 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 rear window sun
shade* is in raised position, or if the wind
screen is installed.
Light hitting the mirror(s) at certain angles
(incident light) could blind you. As a result,
you may not be able to observe traffic con-
ditions and could cause an accident.
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.

187 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
Swing sun visor4 down when you
experience glare.1Vanity mirror lamp
2Vanity mirror cover
3Mounting
4Sun visor
To use the illuminated vanity mirror, lift
up vanity mirror cover2.If sunlight enters through a side window:
Disengage sun visor from mounting3.
Pivot sun visor to the side.
The sun visors are extendable.
Adjust the sun visors by pushing or
pulling in the direction of the arrows.
Warning!G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the vanity mirror in the sun visors
closed while vehicle is in motion. Reflected
glare can endanger you and others.
iIf sun visor4 is disengaged from
mounting3 with vanity mirror cover2 open,
vanity mirror lamp1 will switch off.
!Close vanity mirror cover2 (if open) before
you disengage the sun visor4 from
mounting3 and pivot it to the side.

188 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window sunshade*
(CLK coupe: Canada only)
The switch is located in the center console.
1Rear window sunshade switch
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Always raise the sunshade fully for its sup-
port against the window frame.Raising the sunshade
Press switch1 briefly.
The sunshade is raised completely.
Stopping the raising procedure
Press switch1 again.
The sunshade stops.
Lowering the sunshade
Press switch1 briefly.
The sunshade is lowered completely.
Stopping the lowering procedure
Press switch1 again.
The sunshade stops.!Make sure the movement of the rear win-
dow sunshade is not restricted by objects on the
rear window shelf. Otherwise, the sunshade or
the objects could be damaged.
Warning!G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
make sure there is no danger of anyone be-
ing harmed by the raising or lowering
procedure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be
immediately halted by briefly pressing the
switch1.
Briefly press switch1 again to raise or low-
er the rear window sunshade completely.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

189 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.
Switch on the ignition (page 38).Activating
Press buttonF or1 in the
climate control panel (
page 191) or
automatic climate control panel
(
page 201).
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 insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system re-
sponds automatically by deactivating the rear
window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient voltage, the
rear window defroster automatically switches on
again.

192 Controls in detail
Climate control
The climate control is operational when-
ever the engine is running. You can oper-
ate the climate control system in either the
automatic or manual mode. The system
cools or heats the interior depending on
the selected interior temperature and the
current outside temperature.Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the A/C mode is deactivated
(
page 198).
Warning!G
When operating the climate control, the air
that enters the passenger compartment
through the air vents can be very hot or very
cold (depending on the set temperature).
This may cause burns or frostbite on unpro-
tected skin in the immediate area of the air
vents. Always keep sufficient distance be-
tween unprotected parts of the body and the
air vents. If necessary, use the air distribu-
tion control (
page 191) to direct the air to
air vents in the vehicle interior that are not
in the immediate area of unprotected skin.
Warning!G
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before
its scheduled replacement interval. A
clogged filter will reduce the air volume to
the interior and the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others. Have a clogged filter replaced as
soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iKeep the air intake grille in front of the wind-
shield free of snow and debris.
Do not obstruct air flow by placing objects on the
air flow-through exhaust slots below the rear
window.
iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate the in-
terior before driving off, see “Summer opening
feature” (
page 253). The climate control will
then adjust the interior temperature to the set
value much faster.

193 Controls in detail
Climate control
Deactivating the climate control
system
Deactivating
Set air volume control1 (page 191)
to position0.
Reactivating
Make sure the ignition is switched on.
Set air volume control1 (page 191)
to any speed.
The previous settings are once again in
effect.Operating the climate control system
in automatic mode
Activating
Press buttonU (page 191) while
the engine is running.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air volume and air distri-
bution are adjusted automatically.
Use temperature controls2 and3
(
page 191) to separately adjust the
air temperature on each side of the
passenger compartment.
The temperature of the vehicle interior
is adjusted automatically.
Deactivating
Press buttonU (page 191) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The automatic operation of air vol-
ume and air distribution switches off.
Warning!G
When the climate control is switched off, the
outside air supply and circulation are also
switched off. Only choose this setting for a
short time. Otherwise the windows could
fog up, impairing visibility and endangering
you and others.
iWhen operating the climate control system
in automatic mode, you will only rarely need to
adjust the temperature, air volume and air
distribution.
In automatic mode, the dehumidify function is
switched on when the system is cooling. If nec-
essary, this function can be switched off by
pushing the2 button.

196 Controls in detail
Climate control
Deactivating
Press buttonP or0
(
page 191) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
The previous settings are once again in
effect.
Windshield fogged on the outside
Switch the windshield wipers on
(
page 56).
If the automatic mode of the climate con-
trol is switched off:
Turn air distribution control4
toaorY(
page 191).
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside (e.g. before driving
through a tunnel). This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.
Activating
Press button, (page 191).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating
Press button, (page 191).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
iIf you have switched on the defrost function
using thePor0 button, you cannot
make any other settings.
iThe cooling remains switched on.
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.
Warning!G
Fogged windows impair visibility, endanger-
ing you and others. If the windows begin to
fog on the inside, switching off the air
recirculation mode immediately should clear
interior window fogging. If interior window
fogging persists, make sure the air
conditioning (
page 198) is activated, or
press buttonP or0.
iThe air recirculation mode is activated auto-
matically at high outside temperatures.
The indicator lamp on button, is not lit when
the air recirculation mode is automatically
switched on.
A quantity of outside air is added after approxi-
mately 30 minutes.
iThe air recirculation mode is deactivated au-
tomatically:

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

after 5 minutes if the air conditioning is
turned off

after 30 minutes if the outside temperature
is above approximately 41°F (5°C)