2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK350 display

265 Controls in detail
Useful features
Initiating an emergency call manually
1Cover
2SOS button
Briefly press on cover1.
The cover opens.
Press SOS button2 briefly.
The indicator lamp in SOS button2
flashes until the emergency call is con-
cluded.
Wait for a voice connection to the
Response Center.
Close cover1 after the emergency
call is concluded.
Warning!G
If the indicator lamp in the SOS button is
flashing continuously and there was no
voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could
not initiate an emergency call (e.g. the rele-
vant cellular phone network is not available).
The message
Call Failed appears in the
multifunction display for approximately
10 seconds.
Should this occur, assistance must be sum-
moned by other means.
Warning!G
If you feel at any way in jeopardy when in the
vehicle (e.g. smoke or fire in the vehicle, ve-
hicle in a dangerous road location), please
do not wait for voice contact after you have
pressed the emergency button. Carefully
leave the vehicle and move to a safe loca-
tion. The Response Center will automatically
contact local emergency officials with the
vehicle’s approximate location if they re-
ceive an automatic SOS signal and cannot
make voice contact with the vehicle occu-
pants.

266 Controls in detail
Useful features
Roadside Assistance button•
The Roadside Assistance button• is
located in the center armrest
storage/telephone* compartment
(
page 253).
1Roadside Assistance button
Open the storage/telephone* com-
partment (
page 253).
Press and hold button 1 (for longer
than 2 seconds).
A call to a Mercedes-Benz Roadside
Assistance dispatcher will be initiated.
The button will flash while the call is in
progress. The message
Connecting
Call
will appear in the multifunction
display and the audio system is muted.
When the connection is established, the
message
Call Connected appears in the
multifunction display. The Tele Aid system
will transmit data generating the vehicle
identification number, model, color and lo-
cation (subject to availability of cellular
and GPS signals).
A voice connection between the Roadside
Assistance dispatcher and the occupants
of the vehicle will be established.
Describe the nature of the need for
assistance.The Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance
dispatcher will either dispatch a qualified
Mercedes-Benz technician or arrange to
tow your vehicle to the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Center. For services such
as labor and/or towing, charges may
apply. Refer to the Roadside Assistance
manual for more information.
The following is only available in the USA:

Sign and Drive services: Services such
as jump start, a few gallons of fuel or
the replacement of a flat tire with the
vehicle spare tire are obtainable.

267 Controls in detail
Useful features
Information button¡
The Information button¡ is located in
the center armrest storage/telephone*
compartment (
page 253).
1Information button
Open the storage/telephone* com-
partment (
page 253).
Press and hold button 1 (for longer
than 2 seconds).
A call to the Customer Assistance
Center will be initiated. The button will
flash while the call is in progress. The
message
Connecting Call will appear
in the multifunction display and the
audio system is muted.
When the connection is established, the
message
Call Connected appears in the
multifunction display. The Tele Aid system
will transmit data generating the vehicle
identification number, model, color and lo-
cation (subject to availability of cellular
and GPS signals).
A voice connection between the Customer
Assistance Center representative and
the occupants of the vehicle will be estab-
lished. Information regarding the operation
of your vehicle, the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Center or Mercedes-Benz
USA products and services is available to
you.
iThe indicator lamp in the Roadside
Assistance button• remains illuminated in
red for approximately 10 seconds during the
system self-check after switching on ignition
(together with the SOS button and the
Information button¡).
See “System self-check” (
page 263) when the
indicator lamp does not come on in red or stays
on longer than approximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Roadside Assistance
button• is flashing continuously and there
was no voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could not
initiate a Roadside Assistance call (e.g. the rele-
vant cellular phone network was not available).
The message
Call Failed appears in the
multifunction display.
Roadside Assistance calls can be terminated
using the buttont on the multifunction
steering wheel or the respective button for
ending a telephone call on the audio system or
COMAND* head unit.

268 Controls in detail
Useful features
For more details concerning the Tele Aid
system, please visit www.mbusa.com and
use your ID and password (sent to you
separately) to learn more (USA only).Call priority
If other service calls such as a Roadside
Assistance call or Information call are ac-
tive, an Emergency call is still possible. In
this case, the Emergency call will take pri-
ority and override all other active calls.
iThe indicator lamp in the Information
button¡ remains illuminated in red for
approximately 10 seconds during the system
self-check after switching on ignition (together
with the SOS button and the Roadside
Assistance button•).
See “System self-check” (
page 263) when the
indicator lamp does not come on in red or stays
on longer than approximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Information
button¡ is flashing continuously and there
was no voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could not
initiate an Information call (e.g. the relevant
cellular phone network is not available).
The message
Call Failed appears in the
multifunction display.
Information calls can be terminated using the
button
t on the multifunction steering
wheel or the respective button for ending a
telephone call on the audio system or COMAND*
head unit.
!If the indicator lamps do not start flashing
after pressing one of the buttons or remain
illuminated (in red) at any time, the Tele Aid
system has detected a malfunction or the
service is not currently active, and may not
initiate a call. Visit your Mercedes-Benz Center
and have the system checked or contact the
Response Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the
USA) or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada) as soon as
possible.
iThe indicator lamp in the respective button
flashes until the call is concluded. Calls can only
be terminated by a Response Center or Custom-
er Assistance Center representative, except
Roadside Assistance and Information calls,
which can also be terminated by pressing the
tbutton on the multifunction steering wheel
or the respective button for ending a telephone
call on the audio system or COMAND* head unit.
!If the indicator lamp continues to flash or
the system does not reset, contact the Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or Mercedes-Benz
Customer Assistance at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Customer
Service at 1-800-387-0100 in Canada.

269 Controls in detail
Useful features
Remote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. SmartKey inside vehicle),
and the reserve SmartKey is not handy:
Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.
Then return to your vehicle and pull the
trunk recessed handle for a minimum
of 20 seconds until the SOS button is
flashing.
The message
Connecting Call
appears in the multifunction display.
As an alternative, you may unlock the vehi-
cle via Internet using the ID and password
sent to you shortly after the completion of
your acquaintance call.The Response Center will then unlock your
vehicle with the remote door unlocking
feature.Stolen Vehicle Recovery services
In the event your vehicle was stolen:
Report the incident to the police.
The police will issue a numbered inci-
dent report.
Pass this number on to the
Mercedes-Benz Response Center along
with your password issued to you when
you subscribed to the service.
The Response Center will then attempt
to covertly contact the vehicle’s
Tele Aid system. Once the vehicle is lo-
cated, the Response Center will con-
tact the local law enforcement and you.
The vehicle’s location will only be pro-
vided to law enforcement.
iThe remote door unlock feature is available
if the relevant cellular phone network is avail-
able.
The SOS button will flash and the message
Connecting Call will appear in the multifunc-
tion display to indicate receipt of the door unlock
command.
Once the vehicle is unlocked, a Response Center
specialist may attempt to establish voice contact
with the vehicle occupants.
If the trunk recessed handle was pulled for more
than 20 seconds before door unlock authoriza-
tion was received by the Response Center, you
must wait 15 minutes before pulling the trunk
handle again.
iWhen the anti-theft alarm or the tow-away
alarm stays on for more than 30 seconds, a call
is initiated automatically to the Response
Center. See “Anti-theft alarm system”
(
page 90) and “Tow-away alarm” (page 91).

281 Operation
Driving instructions
Refer to the description of the Brake Assist
System (BAS) (
page 86).
Brake pad wear or a leak in the system may
be the reason for low brake fluid in the res-
ervoir.
The brake fluid level in the reservoir may
be too low if the brake warning lamp in
the instrument cluster (
page 26)
comes on although the parking brake is
released (
page 350). Observe additional
messages that may appear in the multi-
function display (
page 373).
Have the brake system inspected immedi-
ately. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.All checks and service work on the brake
system should be carried out by qualified
technicians only. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Install only brake pads and brake fluid
recommended by Mercedes-Benz.
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
park, so that the air stream will cool down
the brakes faster.High-performance brake system
(SLK 55 AMG only)
The high-performance brake system is de-
signed to operate under the extremely high
operating demands required to accommo-
date the performance capabilities of the
vehicle. The brakes may produce a squeak-
ing-type noise depending on the

vehicle speed

brake force applied

ambient conditions, e.g. temperature
and humidity
As with any brake system, the wear of indi-
vidual brake system components such as
brake pads or discs strongly depends on
your driving style and the conditions under
which you operate the vehicle. Thus, a driv-
ing style calling for high demand braking
will cause your vehicle’s brakes to wear
more quickly.
Warning!G
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when carrying out these braking
maneuvers.
Warning!G
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake
fluid is used, the braking properties of the
vehicle can be degraded to an extent that
safe braking is substantially impaired. This
could result in an accident.
!When driving down long and steep grades,
relieve the load on the brakes by shifting into a
lower gear to use the engine’s braking power.
This helps prevent overheating of the brakes and
reduces brake pad wear.

282 Operation
Driving instructions
Driving off
Apply the brakes to test them briefly after
driving off. Perform this procedure only
when the road is clear of other traffic.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached.Parking
Warning!G
New vehicle brake pads and discs, and
replacement brake pads and discs may take
several hundred miles of driving until they
provide optimum braking efficiency. Until
that time, you may need to use increased
brake pedal pressure while braking. Please
be aware of this and adjust your driving and
braking accordingly during this break-in
period.
Excessive high demand braking will cause
correspondingly high brake wear. Please be
attentive to the brake warning lamp in the
instrument cluster and brake condition mes-
sages in the multifunction display. Especial-
ly for high performance driving, it is
important to maintain the brake system and
have it checked regularly.
!When starting off on a slippery surface, do
not allow a drive wheel to spin for an extended
period with the ESP
® switched off. Doing so may
cause serious damage to the drivetrain which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
!Simultaneously depressing the accelerator
pedal and applying the brake reduces engine
performance and causes premature brake and
drivetrain wear.
Warning!G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where
combustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury or
damage to the vehicle drivetrain as a result
of vehicle movement, before turning off the
engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.

Pull the parking brake lever up as many
notches as possible.

Manual transmission: Move the gear-
shift lever into first or reverse gear.

Automatic transmission*: Move the
gear selector lever to position P.

290 Operation
Driving instructions
!Excessive coolant temperature triggers a
warning message in the multifunction display
(
page 374).
The engine should not be operated with a
coolant temperature above 248°F (120°C).
Doing so may cause serious engine damage
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
iDuring severe operating conditions, e.g.
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant temperature
may rise close to 248°F (120°C).