2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK280 fuel

94 Controls in detail
In the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed in your vehicle.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions of your vehicle, this section will
be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the
basic functions of the vehicle, refer to the
“Getting started” section of this manual.
The corresponding page numbers are
given at the beginning of each segment.
For more information on unlocking and
locking, see (
page 36) and (page 59).
Locking and unlocking
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys, each with remote control and
a removable mechanical key.
The SmartKey provides an extended oper-
ating range. To prevent theft, however, it is
advisable to only unlock the vehicle when
you are in close proximity to it.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks:

the doors

the trunk

the fuel filler flap

the glove box

the storage/telephone* compartment
under the armrest
SmartKey with remote control
1‹Lock button
2
ŠUnlock button for the trunk
(
page 99)
3Mechanical key locking tab
4ŒUnlock button
5Battery check lamp
6ÂPanic button (
page 83)

97 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Selective setting
If you frequently travel alone, you may wish
to reprogram the SmartKey so that press-
ing buttonŒ only unlocks the driver’s
door, the storage/telephone* compart-
ment under the armrest, the glove box, and
the fuel filler flap.
Press and hold buttonsŒand‹
simultaneously for about 5 seconds
until battery check lamp5
(
page 94) flashes twice.
The SmartKey will then function as fol-
lows:
Unlocking driver’s door and fuel filler
flap
Press buttonΠonce.

All turn signal lamps flash once.

An acoustic warning sounds once.

The locking knob in the driver’s
door moves up.

The anti-theft alarm system is
disarmed.Global unlocking
Press buttonΠtwice.

All turn signal lamps flash once.

An acoustic warning sounds once.

The locking knobs in the doors
move up.

The anti-theft alarm system is
disarmed.
Global locking
Press button‹.
With all doors and the trunk closed:

All turn signal lamps flash three
times.

An acoustic warning sounds three
times.

The locking knobs in the doors
move down.

The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.Restoring to factory setting
Press and hold buttonsŒand‹
simultaneously for about 5 seconds
until battery check lamp5
(
page 94) flashes twice.
Checking the batteries
Press button‹orŒ.
The battery check lamp (
page 94)
comes on briefly to indicate that the
SmartKey batteries are in order.
iIf the battery check lamp (page 94) does
not come on briefly during check, the SmartKey
batteries are discharged.

Replace the batteries (page 398).
You can obtain the required batteries at any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
iIf the batteries are checked within signal
range of the vehicle, pressing
button‹orŒ will lock or unlock the
vehicle accordingly.

103 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 switch and central
unlocking switch do not lock or unlock the
fuel filler flap or the interior storage com-
partments, such as the glove box.1Central locking switch
2Central unlocking switch
Locking
Press central locking switch1.
If all doors are closed, the vehicle
locks.
Unlocking
Press central unlocking switch2.
The vehicle unlocks.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could
result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the inside.
Open door only when conditions are safe to do
so.
If the vehicle was previously centrally locked
using the SmartKey, it will not unlock using the
central unlocking switch.
If the vehicle was previously locked with the
central locking switch

and the SmartKey is set to factory settings,
the complete vehicle is unlocked when a
door is opened from the inside

and the SmartKey is set to selective settings,
only the door opened from inside is unlocked

119 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer
(
page 26) denotes excessive engine
speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is displayed in
the multifunction display (
page 128).The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. There-
fore, the accuracy of the displayed temper-
ature can only be verified by comparison to
a thermometer placed next the sensor, not
by comparison to external displays, e.g.
bank signs, etc.
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate
temperature displays caused by heat radi-
ated from the engine during idling or slow
driving.
!Avoid driving at excessive engine speeds,
as it may result in serious engine damage that
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Warning!G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.

126 Controls in detail
Control system
Menus, submenus and functions
Menu5Menu6Menu7Menu8
Vehicle status message
memory1SettingsTrip computerTEL*
(page 135)(page 136)(page 148)(page 149)
Commands/submenus
Calling up vehicle malfunction,
warning and system status
messages stored in memoryResetting to factory settingsFuel consumption statistics
since startLoading phone book
Instrument cluster submenu Fuel consumption statistics
since last resetSearching for name in phone
book
Time/Date submenuResetting fuel consumption
statisticsRedialing
Lighting submenuDistance to empty
Vehicle submenu
Convenience* submenu
1The vehicle status message memory menu is only displayed if there is a message stored.

148 Controls in detail
Control system
Trip computer menu
Use the trip computer menu to call up
statistical data on your vehicle.
The following information is available:Fuel consumption statistics since start
Press buttonèorÿ repeatedly
until the message
From Start appears
in the multifunction display.
1Statistics called up: since start
2Time elapsed since start
3Average fuel consumption since start
4Average speed since start
5Distance driven since startFuel consumption since last reset
Press buttonèorÿ repeatedly
until the message
From Start appears
in the multifunction display.
Press buttonjork repeatedly
until the message
From Reset appears
in the multifunction display.
1Statistics called up: since last reset
2Time elapsed since last reset
3Average fuel consumption since last
reset
4Average speed since last reset
5Distance driven since last resetFunctionPage
Fuel consumption statistics
since start148
Fuel consumption statistics
since last reset148
Resetting fuel consumption
statistics149
Calling up range
(distance to empty)149
iAll statistics stored since the last engine
start will be reset approximately four hours after
the SmartKey in the starter switch is turned to
position0 or removed from the starter switch.
Resetting will not occur if you turn the SmartKey
back to position1or2 within this time period.

149 Controls in detail
Control system
Resetting fuel consumption statistics
Press and hold reset buttonJuntil
the values of the statistics are reset
to
0.Calling up range (distance to empty)
Press buttonèorÿ repeatedly
until the message
From Start appears
in the multifunction display.
Press buttonjork repeatedly
until the message
Range: appears in
the multifunction display.
The calculated remaining driving range
based on the current fuel tank level
appears in the multifunction display.
TEL* menu
iThe fuel consumption statistics reset auto-
matically to
0 when either of the following values
is exceeded:

distance covered:
100 000 miles (100 000 km)

time elapsed: 10 000 hours
iIf only very little fuel is left in the tank, a
vehicle at the fuel pump is shown instead of the
range.
Warning!G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call. If you choose to use the tele-
phone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road, and traffic
conditions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a
vehicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just
30 mph (approximately 50 km/h), your
vehicle is covering a distance of
44 feet (approximately 14 m) every second.


166 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Activating manual shift program
Press program mode selector switch
repeatedly until the
M for manual
program modeM appears in the multi-
function display.
The transmission switches to the
manual program modeM. Automatic
shifting is switched off. The gear range
is not limited.
You can change the gears manually when
the gear selector lever is in drive
positionD. You can upshift or downshift
through the gears in succession.Upshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction.
or
Briefly pull right shift paddle2
(
page 164).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
If, instead of the manual program mode
symbol
M, thep symbol appears in the
multifunction display (
page 161), shift to
the next higher gear. The fuel supply will
otherwise be interrupted to prevent the
engine from overrevving.If you have selected the AMG menu in the
control system and you are driving in the
manual program modeM, upshift
indicator2 in the multifunction display
advises you to upshift before the engine
reaches the overspeed range. Thus you
can drive at the maximum engine speed for
each gear without overrevving the engine.
1Gear indicator
2Upshift indicator
Shift to the next higher gear.
The fuel supply will otherwise be
interrupted to prevent the engine
from overrevving.
iThe manual program modeM will not be
stored. When the engine is turned off with the
manual program modeM selected, the transmis-
sion will go to the automatic program mode
(CorS) when the engine is restarted.
!In the manual program modeM, the trans-
mission will not upshift, even if the engine has
reached its overrevving range. Shift up to the
next gear before the engine has reached its over-
revving range. Make absolutely certain that the
engine speed does not reach the red marking on
the tachometer (
page 26). Otherwise the
engine could be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.