2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK350 center console

95 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
The ESP® switch is located on the center
console.
1ESP
® switch
With the engine running, press ESP®
switch1 until the ESP® warning
lampv in the instrument cluster
comes on.
The ESP
® is switched off.Switching off the ESP
®
(CLK 63 AMG only)iWhen the ESP® is switched off and one or
more drive wheels are spinning, the ESP®
warning lampv in the instrument cluster
flashes. However, the ESP
® will then not
stabilize the vehicle.
Warning!G
When the ESP® warning lampv is
illuminated continuously, the ESP® is
switched off or is not operational due to a
malfunction. Vehicle stability in standard
driving maneuvers reduces.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP
®.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period with the ESP® switched off. This
may cause serious damage to the drivetrain
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
The ESP® should not be switched off during
normal driving. Disabling of the system will
result in the following:

no restriction to engine torque

loss of system supported traction
control
“ESP
® Off” is designed for driving on closed
tracks when the natural oversteer and
understeer characteristics are desired and
requires a highly skilled and experienced
driver able to handle these critical driving
situations.
You could lose control of your vehicle and
cause an accident.
Please be aware of these limits when you
switch off the ESP
®.

96 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
When you switch off the ESP®

the ESP® does not stabilize the vehicle

the engine output is not limited, which
allows the drive wheels to spin and
thus cut into surfaces for better grip

the traction control will still apply the
brakes to a spinning wheel

the ESP® operates while you are
braking

you cannot activate the cruise control

the cruise control switch off if currently
activatedThe ESP
® switch is located on the center
console.
1ESP
® switch
With the engine running, press ESP®
switch1 until the ESP® warning
lampv in the instrument cluster
comes on.
The ESP
® is switched off.
Switching on the ESP®
Press ESP® switch1 until the ESP®
warning lampv in the instrument
cluster goes out.
You are now again in normal driving
mode with ESP
® switched on.
iWhen the ESP® is switched off and one
or more drive wheels are spinning, the ESP®
warning lampv in the instrument cluster
flashes. However, the ESP
® will then not
stabilize the vehicle.
Warning!G
When the ESP® warning lampv is
illuminated continuously, the ESP® is
switched off or is not operational due to a
malfunction. Vehicle stability in standard
driving maneuvers reduces.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP
®.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period with the ESP® switched off. This
may cause serious damage to the drivetrain
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

98 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Arming the alarm system
The indicator lamp is in the center console.
1Indicator lamp
Lock the vehicle with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO*.The turn signal lamps flash three times,
and an acoustic signal sounds three
times, to indicate that the alarm sys-
tem is armed.
Indicator lamp1 begins to flash after
approximately 30 seconds after arming
the alarm system.
Disarming the alarm system
Unlock your vehicle with the SmartKey
or KEYLESS-GO*.
The turn signal lamps flash once, and
an acoustic signal sounds once, to
indicate that the alarm system is
disarmed.Canceling the alarm
With the SmartKey
Press the Œ or ‹button on the
SmartKey.
or
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
With KEYLESS-GO*
Pull an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.
or
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 39).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must
be inside the vehicle.
iIf the alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call to the Response Center is ini-
tiated automatically by the Tele Aid system
(
page 295) provided Tele Aid service was sub-
scribed to and properly activated, and that nec-
essary cellular service and GPS coverage are
available.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not flash three
times, and the acoustic signal do not sounds
three times (if equipped and feature activated),
one of the following elements may not be prop-
erly closed:

a door

the trunk
Close the respective element and lock the vehi-
cle again.
iThe alarm system will rearm automatically
after approximately 40 seconds if neither a door
nor the trunk lid was opened.

119 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the doors and the
trunk from the inside using the central
locking or unlocking switch. This can be
useful, for example, if you want to lock the
vehicle before starting to drive.
The central locking or unlocking switch do
not lock or unlock the fuel filler flap and/or
the glove box.The switches are located in the center
console.
1Central locking switch
2Central unlocking switchLocking
Press central locking switch1.
If both doors are closed, the vehicle
locks.
Unlocking
Press central unlocking switch2.
The vehicle unlocks.
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. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the inside
at any time. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally locked
with the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*, it will not unlock using the central
unlocking switch.
If the vehicle was previously locked with the
central locking switch:

and the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* is set to factory settings, the
complete vehicle is unlocked when a door is
opened from the inside

and the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* is set to selective settings,
only the door opened from the inside is un-
locked

121 Controls in detail
Seats
Raising
Manually adjust the height of the head
restraint by pulling it upward.
If the head restraint is fully retracted,
push release button1 and pull the
head restraint up.
Lowering
To lower the head restraint, push
release button1 and push down on
the head restraint.Folding head restraints back with re-
lease button
1Release button
Push release button1.
The head restraints will fold backward.Folding head restraints back with
switch in the center console
1Rear head restraints folding switchStart the engine (page 51).
Press switch1 to release the head re-
straints.
The head restraints will fold backward.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are
intended to help reduce injuries during an
accident.
iAdjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible.
iYou can also fold the head restraints back
using the switch in the center console.

123 Controls in detail
Seats
Rear seat head restraints
(CLK cabriolet)
Raising rear head restraints
1Rear seat head restraint
Pull head restraint1 to its highest
position.
Lowering rear head restraints with
switch in the center console
1Rear head restraint lowering switch
Switch on the ignition (page 38).
Push the rear head restraints lowering
switch1.
The rear head restraints are lowered.
Warning!G
For safety reasons, always drive with the
rear head restraints in the raised position
when the rear seats are occupied.
Keep the area around head restraints clear
of articles (e.g. clothing) to not obstruct the
lowering/raising operation of the head
restraints.
iThe rear head restraints cannot be lowered
using the switch1 when the roll bars have been
released. The roll bars need to be lowered before
the rear head restraints can be operated again
using switch1.

If the roll bars have released and the soft top
is closed, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center to have the roll bars
lowered. Do not attempt to lower the roll
bars manually with the soft top closed. Low-
ering the roll bars manually with the soft top
closed may impair the function of the roll
bars.

If the roll bars have released and the soft top
is open, you can lower the roll bars manually
(
page 431) or contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center to have the roll bars
lowered.

125 Controls in detail
Seats
Seat heating*
Both switches for the front seats are
located in the center console.
1Seat heating switchThe red indicator lamps on the switch1
show which heating level you have
selected.
Switch on the ignition (page 40).Switching on seat heating
Press seat heating switch1 once.
Three red indicator lamps in the switch
come on.
Continue pressing seat heating
switch1 until desired seat heating
level is reached.
Switching off seat heating
Press seat heating switch1
repeatedly until all red indicator lamps
go out.
Level
3Three indicator lamps on
(highest level).
After approximately five minutes,
seat heating is automatically
switched to level 2.
2Two indicator lamps on.
After approximately ten minutes,
seat heating is automatically
switched to level 1.
1One indicator lamp on
(lowest level).
After approximately 20 minutes,
seat heating is automatically
switched off.
offNo indicator lamp on.
iIf one or more of the indicator lamps on the
seat heater switch1 are flashing, there is insuf-
ficient voltage due to too many electrical con-
sumers being switched on. The seat heating
switches off automatically.
The seat heating will switch back on again auto-
matically as soon as sufficient voltage is
available.

126 Controls in detail
Seats
Seat ventilation*
Both switches for the front seats are
located in the center console.
1Seat ventilation switchThe blue indicator lamps in the switch1
show which ventilation level you have
selected:
Switch on the ignition (page 40).Switching on seat ventilation
Press seat ventilation switch1.
Three blue indicator lamps come on.
Press seat ventilation switch1
repeatedly until the desired seat venti-
lation level is reached.
Switching off seat ventilation
Press seat ventilation switch1
repeatedly until all blue indicator lamps
go out.
Level
3Three indicator lamps on
2Two indicator lamps on
1One indicator lamp on
offNo indicator lamp on
iThe seat ventilation for the driver’s seat is
automatically set to the highest level if activated
via summer opening feature (
page 253).
iIf one or more of the indicator lamps on the
seat ventilation switch1 are flashing, there is
insufficient voltage due to too many electrical
consumers being switched on. The seat ventila-
tion switches off automatically.
The seat ventilation will switch back on again au-
tomatically as soon as sufficient voltage is
available.