2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK350 brake

175 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Effect
ëNeutral
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 engage neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever to neu-
tral positionN only if the vehicle
is in danger of skidding, e.g. on
icy roads.
êDrive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason with gear selector lever in neutral
positionN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
Getting out of your vehicle without shifting
into park positionP is dangerous. Also, park
positionP alone is not intended to or capa-
ble of preventing your vehicle from moving,
possibly hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake (
page 59) in
addition to shifting to park positionP.
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
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. Children could move the
gear selector lever from park positionP,
which could result in an accident and/or
serious personal injury.
Getting out of your vehicle without taking
the above measurements to secure it is
dangerous.

176 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
Depending on the engine speed the
transmission shifts into a lower gear.
Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Stopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:
Leave the transmission in gear.
Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop for a longer period of time
with the engine idling and/or on a hill:
Set the parking brake.
Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:
Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.
Accelerate gently.
Never abruptly step on the accelerator.
Working on the vehicle
Warning!G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move gear selector lever
to park positionP. Otherwise the vehicle
could roll away.

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.

260 Controls in detail
Soft top (Cabriolet)
Opening the soft top
1Soft top, opening
Before pulling on the soft top switch, you
must make sure:

the parking brake is engaged
(
page 59)

the luggage cover is latched, see
“Latch luggage cover” (
page 264)

the trunk lid is closed

the ignition is switched on (page 38)
Pull up on the soft top switch as indi-
cated by the arrow1 until the soft top
is completely lowered into its trunk
storage compartment.
During the opening procedure the mul-
tifunction display shows the message
Top In Operation.
If you continuously pull on the soft top
switch, the windows will close.However, the windows can also be
closed/opened later on, for more informa-
tion see “Opening and closing all side win-
dows with the soft top switch (CLK
cabriolet)” (
page 255), or see “Opening
and closing the windows” (
page 250).
iThe soft top cannot be opened using the soft
top switch when the roll bars have been re-
leased. The roll bars need to be lowered before
the soft top can be operated again using the soft
top switch. If the roll bars have released and the
soft top is closed, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center to have the roll bars low-
ered. Do not attempt to lower the roll bars man-
ually with the soft top closed. Lowering the roll
bars manually with the soft top closed may im-
pair the function of the roll bars (
page 82).
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.
iFor safety reasons, the soft top cannot be
opened while driving.
Make sure the soft top is dry before you open it.
Otherwise water may enter the trunk interior.
!To prevent mildew, the soft top must be dry
before lowering it into the storage compartment.
Do not lower a frozen soft top until thawed and
dry. Lowering a frozen soft top may result in
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
Do not place anything on the soft top com-
partment cover.
The soft top compartment cover must never
be used by any persons as a seat bench.
Raising of the roll bars could result in seri-
ous personal injury.

261 Controls in detail
Soft top (Cabriolet)
Closing the soft top
1Soft top, closing
Before pressing the soft top switch, you
must make sure:

the parking brake is engaged
(
page 59)

the trunk lid is closed

the ignition is switched on (page 38)
Press the soft top switch as indicated
by the arrow1 until the soft top is
completely closed and locked.
During the closing procedure the multi-
function display shows the message
Top In Operation.
If you continuously press on the soft
top switch the windows will close.
However, the windows can also be
closed/opened later on, for more informa-
tion see “Opening and closing all side win-
dows with the soft top switch (CLK
cabriolet)” (
page 255) or see “Opening
and closing the windows” (
page 250).
iFor safety reasons, the soft top cannot be
closed while driving.
iThe soft top cannot be closed using the soft
top switch when the roll bars have been re-
leased. The roll bars need to be lowered before
the soft top can be operated again using the soft
top switch. If the roll bars have released and the
soft top is open, you can lower the roll bars man-
ually (
page 431) or contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center to have the roll bars low-
ered.
Warning!G
To prevent possible accidents, drive the ve-
hicle only with the soft top either completely
closed and locked, or fully lowered into its
storage compartment.
If the soft top does not completely open or
close, a warning sounds. In the multifunc-
tion display you will see K, and the mes-
sage
Open/Close Top Completely
appears. After about 15 seconds the roof
hydraulics lose pressure if the ignition is
switched off.
Properly lock the soft top (
page 262) be-
fore continuing to drive.

267 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control, with which the vehicle
can maintain a preset speed.

Parktronic* (CLK 63 AMG (USA),
Canada all vehicles), which serves as a
parking assistant.
For information on the BAS, ABS, and
ESP
®, see “Driving safety systems”
(
page 90).
Cruise control
Cruise control automatically maintains the
speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time.
You can set or resume cruise control at any
speed over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever on the left-hand side of the steering
column (
page 26).
Warning!G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle’s speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.

Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

268 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume to last set speedSetting current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.
Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.
Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds, and the corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed to the
vehicle maximum speed are illuminated.
Warning!G
Cruise control brakes automatically so that
the set speed is not exceeded. The brake
pedal depresses when the cruise control en-
gages the brakes.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement which could interfere with the
braking ability of the cruise control system.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
- your foot could become caught.
Keep in mind that cruise control is a conve-
nience system designed to assist the driver
during vehicle operation. The driver is and
must always remain responsible for the ve-
hicle’s speed and for safe brake operation.
iOn uphill or downhill grades, cruise control
may not be able to maintain the set speed. Once
the grade eases, the set speed will be resumed.
On downhill grades, the cruise control will hold
the set speed with braking from the vehicle’s
brake system.
In addition, on longer downhill grades the auto-
matic transmission will automatically downshift.

269 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel cruise
control:
Step on the brake pedal.
Cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
or
Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position3.
Cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.Setting a higher speed
Lift cruise control lever in the direction
of arrow1 and hold it up until the de-
sired speed is reached.
Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
iThe last stored speed is canceled when you
turn off the engine.
iCruise control automatically switched off, if

you step on the brake pedal.

you press the parking brake pedal.
In this case the segments in the multifunc-
tion display (
page 268) go out and no
warning sounds.

the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(30 km/h).

ESP® is in operation or switched off with the
ESP® switch (page 94).

you move the gear selector lever in
positionN while driving.
The segments in the multifunction display
(
page 268) go out, and an acoustic warning
sounds.
!Moving gear selector lever to positionN
while driving also cancels cruise control. Howev-
er, the gear selector lever should not be moved
to positionN while driving except to coast when
the vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g. on icy
roads).
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does not
deactivate cruise control. After brief accelera-
tion (e.g. for passing), cruise control will resume
the last speed set.
Warning!G
If you increase the set vehicle speed, keep in
mind that it may take a brief moment until
the vehicle has made the necessary adjust-
ments.
Increase the set vehicle speed to a value
that the prevailing road conditions and legal
speed limits permit. Otherwise, sudden and
unexpected acceleration of the vehicle
could cause an accident and/or serious in-
jury to you and others.