2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLK550 manual transmission

Contents
Standard display menu ................ 147
AMG menu ................................... 148
AUDIO menu ................................ 151
Navi* menu .................................. 153
Vehicle status
message memory menu ............... 154
Settings menu .............................. 155
Trip computer menu..................... 167
TEL* menu ................................... 169
Automatic transmission ..................... 172
Gear selector lever ....................... 172
Shifting procedure ....................... 173
Gear selector lever positions ....... 174
Driving tips ................................... 176
Gear ranges ................................. 177
Automatic shift program .............. 178
Gear selector lever
one-touch gearshifting ................. 179
Steering wheel gearshift
control one-touch gearshifting* ... 180
Manual shift program
CLK 63 AMG ................................ 182
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 184Good visibility ..................................... 185
Headlamp cleaning system* ......... 185
Rear view mirrors.......................... 185
Sun visors ..................................... 187
Rear window sunshade*
(CLK coupe: Canada only) ............. 188
Rear window defroster .................. 189
Climate control ................................... 190
Deactivating the climate control
system .......................................... 193
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode............ 193
Setting the temperature................ 194
Adjusting air distribution............... 194
Adjusting air volume ..................... 195
Front defroster.............................. 195
Air recirculation mode .................. 196
Air conditioning............................. 198
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 199
Automatic climate control .................. 200
Deactivating the automatic
climate control system ................. 203
Operating the automatic climate
control system
in automatic mode ........................ 203Setting the temperature ............... 204
Adjusting air distribution .............. 205
Adjusting air volume ..................... 206
Front defroster ............................. 206
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 207
Air recirculation mode .................. 207
Charcoal filter ............................... 209
Air conditioning ............................ 210
Residual heat and ventilation*
(Canada only)................................ 211
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents ...................... 212
Audio system...................................... 213
Audio and telephone*, operation .. 213
Operating safety ........................... 213
Sound system* ............................. 213
Operating and display elements ... 214
Button and soft key operation ...... 216
Operation...................................... 216
Radio operation ............................ 221
Satellite radio* ............................. 225
CD mode....................................... 229
GSM network phones ................... 236
TDMA or CDMA network phones .. 242
Emergency calls “911” ................. 248

Contents
At the gas station .............................. 320
Refueling ...................................... 320
Check regularly
and before a long trip................... 322
Engine compartment ......................... 323
Hood ............................................ 323
Engine oil ..................................... 325
Transmission fluid level ................ 327
Coolant ........................................ 328
Battery ......................................... 329
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system* ......... 330
Tires and wheels ................................ 331
Important guidelines .................... 331
Tire care and maintenance........... 332
Direction of rotation ..................... 334
Loading the vehicle ...................... 334
Recommended
tire inflation pressure ................... 339
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 341
MOExtended system* .................. 348
Tire labeling.................................. 348
Load identification ....................... 352
DOT,
Tire Identification Number (TIN) ... 353
Maximum tire load ....................... 354Maximum tire inflation pressure ... 355
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) .............. 356
Tire ply material ............................ 357
Tire and loading terminology......... 358
Rotating tires ................................ 361
Winter driving ..................................... 362
Winter tires ................................... 362
Block heater (Canada only) ........... 363
Snow chains.................................. 363
Maintenance....................................... 364
Maintenance service
indicator message......................... 364
Clearing the maintenance
service indicator message ............ 365
Maintenance
service term exceeded.................. 365
Calling up the maintenance
service indicator display ............... 366
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator ........................... 366
Vehicle care........................................ 367
Cleaning and care of vehicle ......... 367
Practical hints.................................. 377
What to do if …? ................................. 378
Lamps in instrument cluster ......... 378
Lamp in center console ................ 390
Vehicle status messages
in the multifunction display .......... 392
Where will I find...? ............................. 421
First aid kit.................................... 421
Storage compartment
underneath the trunk floor............ 421
TIREFIT (CLK 63 AMG only)........... 422
Vehicle tool kit.............................. 422
Minispare wheel............................ 425
Spare wheel bolts ......................... 426
Unlocking/locking in an emergency .. 427
Unlocking the vehicle ................... 427
Locking the vehicle ....................... 428
Manually unlocking
the gear selector lever .................. 429
Opening/closing
in an emergency (Cabriolet) ............... 430
Operating roll bars manually ......... 430
Soft top emergency operation ...... 432

32 At a glance
Center console
Lower part
CLK cabriolet
ItemPage
1Ashtray
Cigarette lighter289
290
2KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button39
3Cup holder287
4Storage compartment
with cup holder
and
telephone* compartment
in center armrest.287
288
287
5Soft top switch
(CLK cabriolet)260
6Program mode selector
switch for automatic trans-
mission

Automatic shift program

Manual shift program
(CLK 63 AMG cabriolet)
178
182
7Gear selector lever for
automatic transmission172

173 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
An additional indication of the current gear
selector lever position can be found on the
cover of the shifting-gate.
The indicators come on when you activate
a switch (e.g. unlocking the vehicle or
opening a door) and go out after approxi-
mately 15 minutes.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

gear selector lever positionD
(
page 174) with gear ranges
(
page 177)

the selected program mode (C/S)
(
page 178)
or
(M/C/S) (CLK 63 AMG only)
(
page 182)

the position of the accelerator pedal
(
page 176)

the vehicle speedWhen the gear selector lever is in drive
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by:

limiting the gear range

changing gears manually
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out of park positionP or neutral
positionN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the
engine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel when driving off
on slippery road surfaces. This may cause seri-
ous damage to the drivetrain which is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

178 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
Program mode selector switch
C Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
Program mode selector switch
(CLK 63 AMG only)
M Manual For manual gear shifting
(
page 182)
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty drivingThe selected program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
1Selected program mode (comfort,
sport, or manual (CLK 63 AMG only))
!Never change the program mode when the
gear selector lever is out of park positionP. This
could result in a change of driving characteristics
for which you may not be prepared.
iThe last selected program mode (CorS) is
switched on when the engine is restarted.

179 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Press program mode selector switch
repeatedly until the letter of the
desired program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
SelectCfor comfort driving
(CLK 63 AMG: for standard driving):

The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.

Traction and driving stability are
improved on icy roads.

Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.
SelectSfor standard driving
(CLK 63 AMG: for sporty driving):

The vehicle starts out in first gear.

Upshifts occur later.Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting
With the gear selector lever in drive posi-
tion D and driving in program modeC orS,
you can limit or extend the gear range.
If your vehicle is equipped with manual
shift programM, you can use the gear
selector lever to manually shift the gears.
The following instructions describe opera-
tion of the gear selector lever when driving
in the automatic program modeC orS.Limiting gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
limits the gear range of the transmis-
sion (
page 177).
iFor information on using the gear selector
lever in program modeM, see “Manual shift pro-
gram CLK 63 AMG” (
page 182).
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel when driving off
on slippery road surfaces. This may cause seri-
ous damage to the drivetrain which is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
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.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be
exceeded.

180 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Extending gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the transmis-
sion.
Canceling gear range limit
Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD+direction until
D reappears in
the multifunction display (
page 174).
The transmission will shift from the
current gear range directly to gear
rangeD.Shifting into optimal gear range
Press and hold the gear selector lever
in theD-direction.
The transmission will automatically
select the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.Steering wheel gearshift control one-touch gearshifting*
With the gear selector lever in drive
positionD and driving in program modeC
orS, you can limit or extend the gear
range.
If your vehicle is equipped with manual
shift programM, you can use the steering
wheel gearshift control to manually shift
the gears.
iIf you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.
iFor information on using the steering wheel
gearshift control in program modeM, see “Man-
ual shift program CLK 63 AMG” (
page 182).
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel when driving off
on slippery road surfaces. This may cause seri-
ous damage to the drivetrain which is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

182 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Shifting into optimal gear range
Pull and hold left shift paddle1.
The transmission will automatically
select the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.
Manual shift program CLK 63 AMG
In addition to the automatic shift
programC orS, your vehicle is equipped
with the manual shift programM.
In the manual program modeM,
system-controlled automatic gearshifting
is switched off and you need to change the
gears by manually upshifting or downshift-
ing using the steering wheel gearshift
paddles (
page 181) or the gear selector
lever.The program mode selector switch is
located on the lower part of the center
console.
Program mode selector switch
M Manual For manual gear shifting
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty driving
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel when driving off
on slippery road surfaces. This may cause seri-
ous damage to the drivetrain which is not cov-
ered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.