2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK280 control system

Contents
Safety and Security........................... 63
Occupant safety................................... 64
Air bags .......................................... 66
Occupant Classification System ..... 71
Seat belts ....................................... 76
Children in the vehicle .................... 79
Panic alarm .......................................... 83
Activating ....................................... 83
Deactivating ................................... 83
Driving safety systems ......................... 84
ABS ................................................ 84
BAS ................................................ 86
ESP
®............................................... 86
Anti-theft systems................................ 90
Immobilizer..................................... 90
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 90
Tow-away alarm ............................. 91
Controls in detail............................... 93
Locking and unlocking ......................... 94
SmartKey ....................................... 94
Opening the doors from the
inside ............................................. 98
Opening the trunk .......................... 99
Closing the trunk.......................... 100
Valet locking ................................ 101
Trunk lid emergency release ........ 102
Automatic central locking ............ 102
Locking and unlocking from the
inside ........................................... 103
Seats ................................................. 104
Seat heating* ............................... 104
Lumbar support*.......................... 105
AIRSCARF neck-level heating* ..... 105
Memory function* ............................. 107
Storing positions into memory ..... 108
Recalling positions from
memory ........................................ 108Lighting ............................................. 109
Exterior lamp switch .................... 109
Combination switch ..................... 113
Corner-illuminating front
fog lamps* ................................... 114
Hazard warning flasher ................ 115
Interior lighting ............................ 116
Door entry lamps ......................... 117
Instrument cluster ............................. 118
Adjusting instrument cluster
illumination .................................. 118
Tachometer.................................. 119
Outside temperature indicator ..... 119
Resetting trip odometer ............... 120
Clock............................................ 120

Contents
Control system .................................. 121
Multifunction display .................... 121
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 122
Menus .......................................... 124
Standard display menu ................ 127
AMG menu ................................... 128
AUDIO menu ................................ 133
NAV* menu .................................. 135
Vehicle status message
memory menu .............................. 135
Settings menu .............................. 136
Trip computer menu..................... 148
TEL* menu ................................... 149
Manual transmission ......................... 153
Shifting into reverse ..................... 154Automatic transmission*.................... 155
Gear selector lever........................ 155
Shifting procedure ........................ 156
Gear selector lever positions ........ 157
Driving tips.................................... 159
Gear ranges .................................. 160
Automatic shift program ............... 161
Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting ................................... 162
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting* ................ 163
Manual shift program* .................. 165
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ....................... 167
Good visibility ..................................... 168
Headlamp cleaning system* ......... 168
Rear view mirrors .......................... 168
Sun visors ..................................... 169
Rear window defroster .................. 170Climate control................................... 172
Switching climate control
system on/off............................... 175
Setting the temperature ............... 175
Adjusting air distribution .............. 176
Adjusting air volume ..................... 177
Basic settings ............................... 177
Front defroster ............................. 177
Air recirculation mode .................. 178
Air conditioning ............................ 180
Residual engine heat utilization .... 181
Automatic climate control* ................ 182
Deactivating the climate control
system .......................................... 185
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode ........... 186
Setting the temperature ............... 186
Adjusting air distribution .............. 187
Adjusting air volume ..................... 188
Front defroster ............................. 189
Maximum cooling MAX COOL ....... 189
Air recirculation mode .................. 190
Air conditioning ............................ 191
Residual heat and ventilation........ 192

Contents
Audio system ..................................... 193
Audio and telephone*, operation . 193
Operating safety ........................... 193
Operating and display elements ... 194
Button and soft key operation ...... 196
Operation ..................................... 196
Radio operation ............................ 199
Introduction to satellite radio* ..... 203
CD mode ...................................... 208
GSM network phones ................... 219
TDMA or CDMA network phones.. 226
Emergency calls “911” ................. 233
Power windows .................................. 235
Opening and closing the
windows ....................................... 235
Synchronizing power windows ..... 239
Retractable hardtop ........................... 240
Opening and closing the
retractable hardtop ...................... 240
Wind screen* ............................... 246
Driving systems ................................. 248
Cruise control............................... 248
Loading .............................................. 252
Roof rack ...................................... 252Useful features .................................. 253
Storage compartments ................ 253
Shelf behind roll bars ................... 254
Cup holder ................................... 255
Ashtray......................................... 255
Cigarette lighter ........................... 256
Power outlet................................. 257
Floormat (driver’s side only) ......... 258
Telephone* .................................. 259
Tele Aid* ...................................... 262
Garage door opener* ................... 270
Heated steering wheel*
(SLK 280, SLK 350, Canada only) 276
Operation......................................... 277
The first 1 000 miles (1 500 km) ........ 278
Driving instructions ........................... 279
Drive sensibly – save fuel............. 279
Drinking and driving ..................... 279
Pedals .......................................... 279
Power assistance ......................... 280
Brakes.......................................... 280
Driving off .................................... 282
Parking......................................... 282
Tires ............................................. 283
Hydroplaning................................ 284
Tire traction ................................. 284
Tire speed rating .......................... 285
Winter driving instructions ........... 286
Standing water............................. 287
Passenger compartment .............. 287
Driving abroad ............................. 287
Control and operation of radio
transmitter ................................... 287
Catalytic converter....................... 288
Emission control .......................... 289
Coolant temperature.................... 289

10 Introduction
Operator’s Manual
This Operator’s Manual contains a great
deal of useful information. We urge you to
read it carefully and familiarize yourself
with the vehicle before driving.
For your own safety and longer service life
of the vehicle, we urge you to follow the
instructions and warnings contained in this
manual. Ignoring them could result in
damage to the vehicle or personal injury to
you or others. Vehicle damage caused by
failure to follow instructions is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Your vehicle may have some or all of the
equipment described in this manual.
Therefore, you may find explanations for
optional equipment not installed in your
vehicle. If you have any questions about
the operation of any equipment, any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center will
be glad to demonstrate the proper
procedures.We continuously strive to improve our
product, and ask for your understanding
that we reserve the right to make changes
in design and equipment.
Therefore, information, illustrations and
descriptions in this Operator’s Manual
might differ from your vehicle.
Optional equipment is also described in
this manual, including operating instruc-
tions wherever necessary. Since they are
special-order items, the descriptions and
illustrations herein may vary slightly from
the actual equipment of your vehicle.
If there are any equipment details that are
not shown or described in this Operator’s
Manual, any authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center will be glad to inform you of correct
care and operating procedures.
The Operator’s Manual and Maintenance
Booklet are important documents and
should be kept with the vehicle.Service and warranty information
The Service and Warranty Information
Booklet contains detailed information
about the warranties covering your
Mercedes-Benz, including:

New Car Limited Warranty

Emission System Warranty

Emission Performance Warranty

California, Maine, Massachusetts, and
Vermont Emission Control System
Warranty
(California, Maine, Massachusetts, and
Vermont only)

State Warranty Enforcement Laws
(Lemon Laws)

27 At a glance
Instrument cluster
ItemPage
1Multifunction display
with:
Main odometer127
Trip odometer120,
127
Automatic transmission*:
Gear range indicator160
Automatic transmission*:
Program mode indicator161
Outside temperature
indicator (or digital speed-
ometer when selected)140
Set speed for cruise control249
2Tachometer with:
?Engine malfunction
indicator lamp,
USA only351
±Engine malfunction
indicator lamp,
Canada only351
ItemPage
353
HUSA only:
Combination low tire
pressure/TPMS mal-
function telltale317,
356
AHigh beam
headlamp indicator
lamp55,
113
3Fuel gauge with:
4Fuel reserve warning
lamp355
The arrow indicates that the
fuel filler flap is on the rear
right-hand side.291
4Clock120
5Speedometer with:
1Supplemental
Restraint System
(SRS) indicator lamp64,
355
ItemPage
-Antilock Brake
System (ABS)
indicator lamp84,
348
LLeft turn signal
indicator lamp
KRight turn signal
indicator lamp55
vElectronic Stability
Program (ESP®)
warning lamp
86,
352
;Brake warning lamp,
USA only59,
350
3Brake warning lamp,
Canada only59,
350
6Reset button for:

Resetting trip odometer

Resetting all settings
120
136
7Knobs for instrument
cluster illumination118

28 At a glance
Multifunction steering wheel
ItemPage
1Multifunction display118
Operating control system121
2Selecting a submenu or
setting the volume:
Press button
æup/to increase
çdown/to decrease
3Telephone*:
Press button
sto take a call
to dial
to redial
tto end a call
to reject an incoming
call
ItemPage
4Moving within a menu:
Press button
jfor next display
kfor previous display
5Menu systems:
Press button
èfor next menu
·for previous menu
iSLK 55 AMG:
The steering wheel in this vehicle will vary from
steering wheel shown. However, multifunction
steering wheel symbols and feature description
apply to AMG vehicles as well.

29 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper partItemPage
1Cup holder255
2Audio system
or
COMAND* system
(see separate operating
instructions)193
3AIRSCARF* switch,
passenger-side105
4Seat heating* switch,
passenger-side104
5Central unlocking switch103
6Hazard warning flasher
switch115
7Central locking switch103
Alarm system indicator
lamp92
ItemPage
8ESP® switch86
9Seat heating* switch,
driver’s side104
aAIRSCARF* switch,
driver’s side105
bPassenger front air bag off
indicator lamp71,
358
cClimate control
Automatic climate control*
Rear window defroster
switch172
182
170
dCigarette lighter256
eAshtray255

31 At a glance
Overhead control panel
Overhead control panel
ItemPage
1Interior lighting on/off116
2Interior lighting automatic
control switch116
3Right reading lamp on/off117
4Tele Aid* (emergency call
system) button262
5Garage door opener*270
6Sensor for auto-dimming
rear view mirrors*168
7Interior rear view mirror46,
168
8Microphone for Tele Aid*
and telephone*262,
259
9Left reading lamp on/off117