2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK550 headlamp

131 Controls in detail
Lighting
Daytime running lamp mode
The daytime running lamp mode is
mandatory and therefore in a constant
mode.
In the USA the daytime running lamp mode
is deactivated by default. Activate the day-
time running lamp mode using the control
system, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)” (
page 162).
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM orU.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the
following lamps will switch on
additionally:

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lampsCanada only
When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
with the vehicle at a standstill the low
beam headlamps will switch off with a de-
lay of 3 minutes.
When the engine is running, and you

turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the low beam head-
lamps, the tail and parking lamps, the
license plate lamp and the side marker
lamps switch on.

turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime
running lamp mode.The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 129).
USA only
When the engine is running, and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to positionC
orB, the manual headlamp mode has
priority over the daytime running lamp
mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (
page 129).
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the engine running, you cannot
switch off the low beam headlamps manually.
iWith the exterior lamp switch in
positionM or U, you cannot switch on the
high beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving turn the exterior lamp
switch to positionB to permit activation of
the high beam headlamps.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the exterior lamp switch in
positionM, you cannot switch on the high
beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving turn the exterior lamp
switch to positionB or U to permit
activation of the high beam headlamps.

132 Controls in detail
Lighting
Locator lighting and night security
illumination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the “Control sys-
tem” section, see “Setting locator lighting”
(
page 163) and “Setting night security il-
lumination (Headlamps delayed shut-off)”
(
page 164).
Fog lamps
Front fog lamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC orB (
page 55).
Pull out the exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The front fog lamps switch on.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
exterior lamp switch comes on
(
page 129).
Push in the exterior lamp switch.
The front fog lamps switch off.The green indicator lamp‡ in the
exterior lamp switch goes out.
Rear fog lamp (driver’s side only)
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB (
page 55).
Pull out the exterior lamp switch to
second stop.
The front fog lamps and the rear fog
lamp switch on.
The yellow indicator lamp† in the
exterior lamp switch comes on
(
page 129).
Push in the exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The rear fog lamp switches off.
The yellow indicator lamp† in the
exterior lamp switch goes out.
The front fog lamps remain lit.
Warning!G
In low ambient lighting or foggy conditions,
only switch from position U to B with
the vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching fromU to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps on. Fog
lamps should only be used in conjunction with
low beam headlamps. Consult your State or
Province Motor Vehicle Regulations regarding
permissible lamp operation.
iFog lamps cannot be switched on with the
exterior lamp switch in positionU. To switch
on the fog lamps, turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB first.

133 Controls in detail
Lighting
Combination switch
Combination switch
1High beam
2High beam flasherHigh beam
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB (
page 129).
Push the combination switch in
direction of arrow1 to switch on the
high beam.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
comes on (
page 28).
Pull the combination switch in direction
of arrow2 to its original position to
switch off the high beam.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
goes out.
High beam flasher
Pull the combination switch briefly in
the direction of arrow2.Corner-illuminating front fog lamps*
(With Bi-Xenon* headlamps only)
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps
improve illumination of the area in the
direction into which you are turning.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
operate with the engine running and with

the exterior lamp switch in
positionB (
page 129)
or

the exterior lamp switch in
positionU (
page 129)
or

the daytime running lamp mode
activated (
page 131)
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
only come on in low ambient lighting conditions.
iIf you are driving faster than 25 mph
(40 km/h) or have the front fog lamps switched
on, the corner-illuminating front fog lamps
function is not available.

156 Controls in detail
Control system
Submenus in the Settings menu
Press buttonj.
The collection of the submenus
appears in the multifunction display.
Press buttonç.
The selection marker moves to the next
submenu.The submenus are arranged by hierarchy.
Scroll down with buttonç, scroll up
with buttonæ.
With the selection marker on the desired
submenu, use buttonj to access the
individual functions within that submenu.
Once within the submenu, you can use
buttonj to move to the next function
or buttonk to move to the previous
function within that submenu.
The settings themselves are made with
buttonæ orç.Resetting the functions of a submenu
For each submenu you can reset all the
functions to the factory settings.
Move to a function in the submenu.
Press the reset button (page 138) in
the instrument cluster for approxi-
mately three seconds.
The request to press the reset button
once more to confirm appears in the
multifunction display.
Press the reset button once more.
All functions of the submenu will reset
to factory settings.
iThe settings you have changed will not be re-
set unless you confirm the action by pressing the
reset button a second time. After approximately
five seconds, the
Settings... menu reappears
in the multifunction display.
For safety reasons, the following function is not
reset while driving:

the Headlamp Mode function in the
Lighting submenu.
iThe settings you have changed will not be re-
set unless you confirm the action by pressing the
reset button a second time. After approximately
five seconds, the
Settings... menu reappears
in the multifunction display.

162 Controls in detail
Control system
Setting the date (year)
This function can only be seen with audio
system.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Time/Date
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Set Date Year
appears in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the year
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to set the
year.Lighting submenu
Access the
Lighting submenu via the
Settings... menu. Use the Lighting
submenu to change the lamp and lighting
settings on your vehicle.
The following functions are available:Setting daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Headlamp Mode ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to select
manual operation (
Manual) or daytime
running lamp mode (
Constant).
iVehicles with COMAND*:
For information on setting the date in COMAND,
refer to the separate COMAND operating in-
structions.
FunctionPage
Setting daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)162
Setting locator lighting163
Setting night security
illumination164
Setting interior lighting delayed
shut-off165
iThis function is not available in countries
where the daytime running lamp mode is
mandatory and therefore in a constant mode.

163 Controls in detail
Control system
With daytime running lamp mode activated
and the exterior lamp switch in
positionM or U, the low beam
headlamps are switched on when the
engine is running.
In low ambient light conditions the
following lamps will switch on additionally:

Parking lamps

Tail lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
For more information on the daytime run-
ning lamp mode, see “Lighting”
(
page 129).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 using buttonΠon the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*:

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
approximately 40 seconds.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Surround Light.
Function
appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to switch
the locator lighting function
On or Off
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
position U when exiting the vehicle.
The locator lighting feature is
activated.
iFor safety reasons, resetting the Lighting
submenu to factory settings (
page 156) while
driving will not deactivate the daytime running
lamp mode.
The following message appears in the
multifunction display:
Cannot be completely reset to factory
settings while driving
.

164 Controls in detail
Control system
Setting night security illumination
(Headlamps delayed shut-off feature)
Use this function to set whether you would
like the exterior lamps to remain on for
15 seconds during darkness after exiting
the vehicle and closing all doors.
With the headlamps delayed shut-off
feature activated and the exterior lamp
switch in positionU before the engine
is turned off, the following lamps will
switch on when the engine is turned off:

Parking lamps

Tail lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps

Front fog lamps
If after turning off the engine you do not
open a door or do not close an opened
door, the lamps will automatically switch
off after 60 seconds.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Headlamps Delayed
Shut-off
appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to switch
the headlamps delayed shut-off feature
Onor Off.
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
position U before turning off the
engine.
The headlamps delayed shut-off
feature is activated.You can temporarily deactivate the head-
lamps delayed shut-off feature:
Before exiting the vehicle, turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position0.
Then turn it to position2 and back
to0.
The headlamps delayed shut-off
feature is deactivated. It will reactivate
as soon as you reinsert the SmartKey in
the starter switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton on the gear selector lever
(
page 40).

185 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
For information on the windshield wipers,
see “Windshield wipers” (
page 56).
Headlamp cleaning system*
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer button
Switch on the ignition (page 40).
Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system*”
(
page 496).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 47).
Interior rear view mirror, antiglare
position
1Lever
Tilt the mirror to the antiglare position
by moving lever1 towards the wind-
shield.
The interior rear view mirror is dimmed.
iThe headlamps will automatically be
cleaned when you have

switched on the headlamps
and

operated the windshield wipers with wind-
shield washer fluid fifteen times
When you switch off the ignition, the counter
resets.