2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK550 Clk trunk

281 Controls in detail
Loading
Installing the ski bag
Install the ski bag in the reverse order.
Push ski bag frame2 with ski bag in-
ward until the ski bag frame snaps into
place.
Close flap3.
Close trunk lid.
Split rear bench seat (CLK coupe only)
To expand the cargo area, you can fold
down the left and right rear seat backrests.
The two sections can be folded down
separately.Folding the backrest forward
The release handle1 is located in the
trunk.
1Release handle
Pull release handle1.
Fully retract and fold rearward head re-
straint (
page 121).
Warning!G
Never drive vehicle with trunk open while
the ski bag is removed. Deadly carbon mon-
oxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle interior,
resulting in unconsciousness and death.
iTo prevent unauthorized persons from ac-
cess to the trunk, always close the flap.Warning!G
When expanding the luggage compartment,
always fold the seat cushions fully forward.
Unless you are transporting cargo, the back-
rests must remain properly locked in the up-
right position.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.
Always use the cargo tie down rings
(
page 284).


283 Controls in detail
Loading
Loading instructions
The total load weight including vehicle oc-
cupants and luggage/cargo should not ex-
ceed the load limit indicated on the
corresponding Tire and Loading Informa-
tion placard located on the driver’s door
B-pillar (
page 334).
The handling characteristics of a fully load-
ed vehicle depend greatly on the load dis-
tribution. It is therefore recommended to
load the vehicle according to the illustra-
tions shown, with the heaviest items being
placed towards the front of the vehicle.Always place items being carried against
front or rear seat backrests, and fasten
them as securely as possible.
The heaviest portion of the cargo should al-
ways be kept as low as possible since it in-
fluences the handling characteristics of
the vehicle.
Warning!G
If a red indicator is visible with the backrest
up, then the backrest is not properly locked
into position.
Always lock backrest in its upright position
when rear seat bench is occupied, or the ex-
tended trunk compartment is not in use.
Check for secure locking by pushing and
pulling on the backrest.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when transporting cargo.
iTo prevent unauthorized persons from ac-
cess to the trunk, always lock backrest in its up-
right position.
!CLK cabriolet:
To prevent damage to the soft top or lug-
gage/cargo when lowering the roof:

load trunk only to the height of the luggage
cover

do not permit luggage/cargo to push up the
closed luggage cover

do not place anything on the shelf behind the
roll bar

do not place anything on the soft top com-
partment cover

284 Controls in detail
Loading
Cargo tie-down rings (CLK coupe only)
The four cargo tie-down rings are located
in the trunk.
Cargo tie-down rings
Carefully secure cargo by applying
even load on all rings with rope of
sufficient strength to hold down the
cargo.
Always follow loading instructions
(
page 283).
Warning!G
CLK coupe:
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible using cargo tie-down rings and
fastening materials appropriate for the
weight and size of the load.
CLK cabriolet:
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible using fastening materials ap-
propriate for the weight and size of the load.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle and can cause in-
jury to vehicle occupants unless the items
are securely fastened in the vehicle.
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when transporting cargo. Put luggage or car-
go in the trunk if possible.
Never drive vehicle with trunk open. Deadly
carbon monoxide (CO) gases may enter ve-
hicle interior resulting in unconsciousness
and death.
iThe trunk is the preferred place to carry ob-
jects.
CLK coupe: The enlarged cargo area should only
be used for items which do not fit in the trunk
alone.

421 Practical hints
Where will I find...?
Where will I find...?
First aid kit
The first aid kit is located in the trunk on
the left side (CLK coupe) or on the right
side (CLK cabriolet), secured by a hook
and loop fastener.
Example CLK coupe
Loosen hook and loop fastener.
Remove first aid kit.Storage compartment underneath the
trunk floor
The TIREFIT kit (CLK 63 AMG only) or the
vehicle tool and the Minispare wheel are
located under the trunk floor.
1Handle
2Push handle
Raising: Pu s h i n h a n d l e1 in direction
of arrow2. The other side of
handle1 lifts up.
Take handle1 and lift up the trunk
floor cover.1Handle
3Upper trunk lip
Engage handle1 on upper trunk
lip3.
You can now access the TIREFIT kit
(CLK 63 AMG only) or the vehicle tool kit
and Minispare wheel.
Lowering: To disengage handle1 lift
up the trunk floor.
Disengage handle1 from upper trunk
lip3 and lower the trunk floor cover.
iCheck expiration dates and contents for
completeness at least once a year and replace
missing/expired items.
!To prevent damage, always disengage
handle1 from upper trunk lip3 and lower
trunk floor cover before closing the trunk.

422 Practical hints
Where will I find...?
TIREFIT (CLK 63 AMG only)
The TIREFIT kit is located under the trunk
floor.
Lift up trunk floor cover and engage the
handle in the upper edge of trunk
(
page 421).
1Straps for soft top emergency opera-
tion, a pair of gloves
2Electric air pump
3Towing eye bolt
4Vehicle jack
5TIREFIT kit
6Wheel wrench
7Collapsible wheel chock
Vehicle tool kit
The vehicle tool kit is located in the storage
compartment underneath the trunk floor.
The following is included:

Towing eye bolt

Wheel wrench

Alignment bolt

Vehicle jack

Collapsible wheel chock

A pair of gloves

Straps for soft top emergency opera-
tion (CLK cabriolet only)
The spare wheel bolts are fixed at the
Minispare wheel.Removing the vehicle tool kit
Lift up trunk floor cover and engage the
handle in upper edge of trunk
(
page 421).
Example CLK coupe
1Retaining screw
2Storage well casing
Loosen retaining screw1 in the mid-
dle of storage well casing2 by turning
it counterclockwise.
Remove storage well casing2.
i(CLK cabriolet) Hex wrench:
You will find the hex wrench for manually operat-
ing the roll bars (
page 430) or the soft top
(
page 432) at the lower edge of the storage
well casing.

423 Practical hints
Where will I find...?
Example CLK coupe
3Arrow
4Minispare wheel
5Vehicle tool kit storage well casing
6Vehicle tool kit
Remove vehicle tool kit6.Storing the vehicle tool kit
Place vehicle tool kit6 in vehicle tool
kit storage well casing5.
Place storage well casing2 over the
vehicle tool kit storage well casing5
and turn retaining screw1 clockwise
as far it will go to secure the Minispare
wheel.
Disengage the handle in upper edge of
trunk and lower trunk floor cover
(
page 421).Vehicle jack
iArrow3 on vehicle tool kit storage well
casing5 must point in the direction of travel.
Otherwise you cannot place the storage well
casing2 on top and secure the Minispare
wheel with retaining screw1.
!To prevent damage, always disengage trunk
floor handle from upper edge of trunk and lower
trunk floor before closing the trunk.
Warning!G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into both sides of the vehicle. To help
avoid personal injury, use the jack only to lift
the vehicle during a wheel change. Never
get beneath the vehicle while it is supported
by the jack. Keep hands and feet away from
the area under the lifted vehicle. Always
firmly set parking brake and block wheels
before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use,
especially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Make sure the jack arm is
fully seated in the jack take-up bracket.
Always lower the vehicle onto sufficient
capacity jackstands before working under
the vehicle.

425 Practical hints
Where will I find...?
Tilt both plates upward1.
Fold the lower plate outward2.
Guide the tabs of the lower plate all the
way into the openings of the base
plate3.
For information on where to place wheel
chocks when changing a wheel, see “Lift-
ing the vehicle” (
page 459).
Minispare wheel
The Minispare wheel is located in the
storage compartment underneath the
trunk floor.
Removing the Minispare wheel
Lift up trunk floor cover and engage
trunk floor handle in upper edge of
trunk.
Loosen the retaining screw in the mid-
dle of storage well casing by turning it
counterclockwise (
page 422).
Remove the storage well casing
(
page 422).
Example CLK coupe
1Vehicle tool kit
Wheel wrench
Jack
2Arrow
3Minispare wheel, Wheel bolts for
Minispare wheel
4Vehicle tool kit storage well casing
Remove vehicle tool kit storage well
casing4.
Remove Minispare wheel3.Storing the Minispare wheel
Place Minispare wheel3 in wheel
well.
Place vehicle tool kit storage well
casing4 over the Minispare wheel.
Make sure arrow2 on vehicle tool kit
storage well casing4 points in the
direction of travel.
Place storage well casing (page 422)
over vehicle tool kit storage well
casing4 and turn the retaining screw
(
page 422) clockwise as far it will go
to secure the Minispare wheel.
Disengage trunk floor handle in upper
edge of trunk and lower trunk floor cov-
er.
iArrow2 on vehicle tool kit storage well
casing4 must point in the direction of travel.
Otherwise you cannot place the storage well cas-
ing (
page 422) on top and secure the Minis-
pare wheel with the retaining screw
(
page 422).


428 Practical hints
Unlocking/locking in an emergency
Unlocking the trunk
A minimum height clearance of 5.71 ft
(1.74 m) (CLK coupe) or 5.41 ft (1.65 m)
(CLK cabriolet) is required to open the
trunk lid.
The trunk lid lock is located next to the
handle above the rear license plate recess.Insert the mechanical key3 into the
trunk lid lock until it stops.
Turn the mechanical key3
counterclockwise to position1 and
hold it in this position.
Pull the trunk lid handle2 and lift the
trunk lid.
The trunk opens.
Turn the mechanical key3 back and
remove it from the trunk lid lock.
Locking the vehicle
If you cannot lock the vehicle with the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*, do the following:
Close the passenger door and the
trunk.
Press the central locking switch in the
center console (
page 118).
Check to see whether the locking knob
on the passenger door has moved
down.
If necessary, push it down manually.
Remove the mechanical key out of the
SmartKey (
page 427).
Check whether the trunk is locked.
If necessary, lock the trunk with the
mechanical key (
page 118).
Except for the driver’s door, the vehicle
should now be locked.
1Unlocking in an emergency
2Handle
3Mechanical key
!The trunk lid swings open upwards
automatically. Always make sure there is suffi-
cient overhead clearance.