2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK280 headlamp

113 Controls in detail
Lighting
Rear fog lamp (driver’s side only)
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionCorB (
page 109).
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 109).
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.
Combination switch
1High beam
2High beam flasherHigh beam
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB (
page 109).
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 26).
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
direction of arrow2.

114 Controls in detail
Lighting
Corner-illuminating front fog lamps*
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 109)
or

the exterior lamp switch in
positionU (
page 109)
or

the daytime running lamp mode
activated (
page 111)Driving forward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Switch on the left or right turn signal
(
page 55), depending on whether
you are turning left or right.
The respective front fog lamp comes on
and illuminates the area in the
direction into which you are turning.
or
Turn the steering wheel in the desired
direction.
The front fog lamp on the side of your
steering direction comes on.
iCorner-illuminating front fog lamps are not
available for the following models:

SLK 280 and SLK 350 without Bi-Xenon*
headlamps

SLK 280 and SLK 350 with Sport Package*

SLK 55 AMG
iWith automatic headlamp mode activated:
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.
iIf you have switched on the turn signal for
one side but turn the steering wheel in the
opposite direction, the corner-illuminating front
fog lamp the corner-illuminating lamp comes on
for the side indicated by the turn signal.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamp remains lit
for a maximum of 3 minutes. Afterwards, it goes
out even if the turn signal is still switched on.
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps
temporarily come on on both sides of the vehicle
if you turn the steering wheel in one direction
and then again in the other direction shortly
thereafter.
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps
will come on automatically depending on the
steering angle, even if you did not switch on
either turn signal.
If the corner-illuminating front fog lamps came
on automatically, they will also go out automati-
cally depending on the steering angle.

117 Controls in detail
Lighting
Activating
Press automatic control switch2 until
it is flush to the other switches.
The interior lighting switches on in
darkness, when you

unlock the vehicle

remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch

open a door
The interior lighting switches off automati-
cally following a preset time delay.
For more information, see “Setting interior
lighting delayed shut-off” (
page 145).Manual control
Switching interior lighting on and off
Press interior lighting switch1.
The interior lighting switches on.
Press interior lighting switch1 again.
The interior lighting switches off.
Switching reading lamps on and off
The standard reading lamps are located to
the left and right of the overhead control
panel. Reading lamps as part of the interior
lighting package* are located on the lower
edge of the interior rear view mirror.
Press reading lamp switch3or4 to
switch on the desired reading lamp.
Press reading lamp switch3or4
again to switch off the respective
reading lamp.
Door entry lamps
For better orientation in the dark, the
corresponding door entry lamps will switch
on in darkness when you open a door and
the automatic control is activated.
The door entry lamps switch off when the
corresponding door is closed.
iIf the door remains open, the interior lighting
switches off automatically after approximately
5minutes.
iThe footwell lighting* is switched on and off
simultaneously with the manual control.iIf you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and switch off the exterior
headlamps, the door entry lamps will remain lit
for approximately 5 minutes.

136 Controls in detail
Control system
If conditions have occurred causing status
messages to be recorded, the number of
messages appears in the multifunction dis-
play:
1Number of recorded status messages
Press buttonjork.
The stored messages will now be dis-
played in the order in which they have
occurred. For malfunction and warning
messages, see “Vehicle status messag-
es in the multifunction display”
(
page 360).
Should the vehicle’s system record any
conditions while driving, the number of
messages will reappear in the multifunc-
tion display when the SmartKey in the
starter switch is turned to position0 or
removed from the starter switch:
Settings menu
In the
Settings menu are two functions:

The function To reset, push reset
button for 3 seconds.
for resetting all
settings to factory standard.

A collection of submenus for perform-
ing individual settings for your vehicle.
Press buttonèorÿ repeatedly
until the
Settings menu appears in the
multifunction display.The following settings and submenus are
available in the
Settings menu:
Resetting all settings
You can reset all the functions of most of
the submenus to the factory settings.
For safety reasons, the function
Headlamp
Mode
in the Lighting submenu cannot be
reset while driving.
Press buttonèorÿ repeatedly
until the
Settings menu appears in the
multifunction display.
iThe vehicle status message memory will be
cleared when you turn the SmartKey in the
starter switch to position1or2.
You will then only see high-priority messages in
the multifunction display (
page 360).
FunctionPage
Resetting all settings136
Submenus in the Settings menu137
Instrument cluster submenu139
Time/date submenu141
Lighting submenu143
Vehicle submenu146
Convenience* submenu147


143 Controls in detail
Control system
Lighting submenu
Access the
Lighting submenu via the
Settings menu. Use the Lighting sub-
menu 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
buttonæorç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press buttonjork repeatedly
until the message
Headlamp Mode
appears in the multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæorç to select
manual operation (
Manual) or daytime
running lamp mode (
Constant).With daytime running lamp mode activated
and the exterior lamp switch at
positionMorU, the low beam
headlamps are switched on when the en-
gine is running.
In low ambient light conditions the follow-
ing 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 109).
FunctionPage
Setting daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)143
Setting locator lighting144
Setting night security
illumination144
Setting interior lighting delayed
shut-off 145
iThis function is not available in countries
where the daytime running lamp mode is manda-
tory and therefore in a constant mode.
iFor safety reasons, resetting all the func-
tions of all submenus to the factory settings
while driving (
page 136) will not deactivate the
daytime running lamp mode.
The following message appears in the multifunc-
tion display:
Lighting Cannot be completely reset to
factory settings while driving
.

144 Controls in detail
Control system
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 with the SmartKey:

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 approxi-
mately 40 seconds.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæorç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press buttonjork repeatedly
until the message
Surround Lighting
Function
appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæorç to switch
the locator lighting function
On or Off.
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionU when exiting the vehicle
(
page 55).
The locator lighting feature is
activated.Setting night security illumination
(Headlamps delayed shut-off)
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

145 Controls in detail
Control system
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
buttonæorç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press buttonjork repeatedly
until the message
Headlamps Delayed
Shut-off
appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæorç to switch
the headlamps delayed shut-off feature
On or Off.
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionU before turning off the
engine (
page 55).
The headlamps delayed shut-off
feature is activated.
You can temporarily deactivate the
delayed shut-off feature:
Before exiting the vehicle, turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position0.
Then turn it to position2 and back to
position0.
The delayed shut-off feature is deacti-
vated. It will reactivate as soon as you
reinsert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.Setting interior lighting delayed shut-off
Use this function to set whether you would
like the interior lighting to remain on for
10 seconds during darkness after you have
removed the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Move the selection marker with
buttonæorç to the
Lighting
submenu.
Press buttonjork repeatedly
until the message
Interior Lighting
Delayed Shut-off
appears in the
multifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæorç to
switch the interior delayed shut-off
feature
On or Off.

168 Controls in detail
Good visibility
For information on the windshield wipers,
see “Windshield wipers” (
page 56).
Headlamp cleaning system*
The headlamps will automatically be
cleaned with a high-pressure water jet
when you have

switched on the headlamps
and

operated the windshield wipers with
windshield washer fluid five times
When you switch off headlamps, the
counter resets.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system*”
(
page 301).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 46).
Interior rear view mirror, antiglare
position
Tilt the mirror to the antiglare night
position by moving the lever towards
the windshield.
The interior rear view mirror is dimmed.Auto-dimming rear view mirrors*
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirrors and the interior rear view
mirror will respond automatically to glare
when

ignition is switched on
and

incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror
The rear view mirrors will not react if

reverse gearR is engaged

interior lighting is switched on