2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK350 Owner's Manual

184 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
The automatic climate control is oper-
ational whenever the engine is running.
You can operate the automatic climate
control system in either the automatic or
manual mode. The system cools or heats
the interior depending on the selected
interior temperature and the current
outside temperature.Item
1Air volume control, manual
2Air distribution and air volume
(automatic mode)
3Front defroster
4Temperature control, left, raising
5Automatic climate control on/off
(complete system)
6Temperature control, right, raising
7Rear window defroster
8Air distribution control, manual
9Residual heat/ventilation
aAC cooling on/off
bTemperature control, right, lowering
cTemperature control, left, lowering
dAir recirculation
eDisplay
Warning!G
When operating the automatic climate
control, the air that enters the passenger
compartment through the air vents can be
very hot or very cold (depending on the set
temperature). This may cause burns or frost-
bite on unprotected skin in the immediate
area of the air vents. Always keep sufficient
distance between unprotected parts of the
body and the air vents. If necessary, use the
air distribution controls (
page 184) to
direct the air to air vents in the vehicle
interior that are not in the immediate area of
unprotected skin.

185 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air
enters the interior through the air dis-
tribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the A/Cmode is deactivated
(
page 184).Deactivating the climate control
system
Deactivating
Press button´ (page 184).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Warning!G
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before
its scheduled replacement interval.
A clogged filter will reduce the air volume to
the interior and the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others. Have a clogged filter replaced as
soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
Follow the recommended settings for
heating and cooling given on the following
pages. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate the in-
terior before driving off. The automatic climate
control will then adjust the interior temperature
to the set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the wind-
shield free of snow and debris.
When the retractable hardtop is closed, do not
obstruct air flow by placing objects on the air
flow-through exhaust slots below the rear win-
dow.
Warning!G
When the automatic climate control is
switched off, the outside air supply and
circulation are also switched off. Only
choose this setting for a short time.
Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you
and others.

186 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Reactivating
Switch on the ignition (page 37).
Press button´ (page 184) again.
The previous settings are once again in
effect.
or
Press buttonU (page 184).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. Air volume and air dis-
tribution are adjusted automatically.
Operating the climate control system
in automatic modeActivating
Press buttonU (page 184) while
the engine is running.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air volume and air dis-
tribution are adjusted automatically.
Use temperature controls4and6
orbandc (
page 184) to sepa-
rately adjust the air temperature on
each side of the passenger com-
partment.
The temperature of the vehicle interior
is adjusted automatically.
Deactivating
Press buttonU (page 184) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The air volume changes to level2
and the air distribution changes
tob. Automatic control of air
volume and air distribution is switched
off.
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls4andc for
the driver’s side or6andb for the
passenger side (
page 184) to separately
adjust the air temperature on each side of
the passenger compartment. You should
raise or lower the temperature setting in
small increments, preferably starting
at 72°F (22°C). The automatic climate
control will adjust to the set temperature
as fast as possible.
iWhen operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic mode, you will only
rarely need to adjust the temperature, air volume
and air distribution.
In automatic mode, cooling with dehumidify is
switched on. This function can be switched off if
necessary.

187 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Increasing
Press temperature button(s) 4
and/or6 (
page 184) until the
desired temperature appears in the
control panel displaye (
page 184).
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Decreasing
Press temperature button(s) b
and/orc (
page 184) until the
desired temperature appears in the
control panel displaye (
page 184).
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Adjusting air distribution
Use air distribution control 8
(
page 184) to adjust the air distribution.
The following symbols are found on the
control:
Turn air distribution control8
(
page 184) to the desired position.
The indicator lamp on the buttonU
(
page 184) goes out.
The automatic air distribution is
switched off. The air distribution is
controlled according to the selected
control setting.
SymbolFunction
aDirects air through the
center and side air vents
ZDirects air to the wind-
shield and through the side
air vents
bDirects air into the entire
vehicle interior
YDirects air to the footwells
and through the side air
vents
iYou can also turn the control to a position
between two symbols.

188 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Opening the cockpit air vent and center
air vents
Center air vents
Turn thumbwheels 4and b
(
page 182) to the first stop.
Center air vents 3,5,a andcare
open.
Turn thumbwheels4 andb
(
page 182) upward all the way.
Only center air vents3andc are
open.
Cockpit air vent (depending on vehicle
production date)
Turn thumbwheel 2 (page 182)
upward all the way.
Cockpit air vent1 is open.Closing the cockpit air vent and center
air vents
Center air vents
Turn thumbwheels4andb
(
page 182) downward.
Center air vents 3,5,a andc are
closed.
Cockpit air vent (depending on vehicle
production date)
Turn thumbwheels2 (page 182)
downward.
Cockpit air vent1 is closed.
Opening and closing side air vents
Turn thumbwheels8andd
(
page 182) in the corresponding
direction.
Side air vents7ande are open or
closed.
Adjusting air volume
Use buttonU (
page 184) for auto-
matic mode or air volume control1
(
page 184) to adjust air volume
manually.
Eleven blower speeds are available.
Turn air volume control1
(
page 184) to the desired position.
The indicator lamp on buttonU
(
page 184) goes out.
The automatic operation of air volume
switches off.

189 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Front defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, for example if it is iced up.
You can also defog the windshield and the
side windows.
Activating
Press buttonP (page 184).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning switches
automatically to the following functions:

cooling on to dehumidify

maximum blowing and heating
power

air flows onto the windshield and
the front side windowsDeactivating
Press buttonP (page 184) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The previous settings are once again in
effect.
Windows fogged on the outside
Switch the windshield wipers on
(
page 56).
Press buttonU (page 184).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. Air distribution and air
volume are adjusted automatically.
If the automatic air distribution and air
volume are switched off:
Turn air distribution control8 to
positionaorY (
page 184).
Maximum cooling MAX COOL
When operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic modeU
and there is a high need for cooling,
MAX COOL is activated. This provides the
fastest possible cooling of the vehicle’s in-
terior (when retractable hardtop is closed).
MAX COOL will appear in displaye
(
page 184).
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield or the side windows are clear again.
iWhen you have activated the front defroster
using buttonP, no other settings are
possible.
iThe cooling remains switched on.
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.

190 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside (e.g. before driving
through a tunnel). This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the interior.
Activating
Press button, (page 184).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating
Press button, (page 184) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Air recirculation mode with
convenience closing or opening featureWarning!G
Fogged windows impair visibility, endanger-
ing you and others. If the windows begin to
fog on the inside, switching off the air
recirculation mode immediately should clear
interior window fogging. If interior window
fogging persists, make sure the air
conditioning (
page 180) is activated, or
press buttonP.
iThe air recirculation mode activates auto-
matically at high outside temperatures.
The indicator lamp on button, is not lit when
the air recirculation mode is automatically
switched on.
A quantity of outside air is added after
approximately 30 minutes.
iThe air recirculation mode is deactivated
automatically:

after 5 minutes if the outside temperature is
below approximately 41°F (5°C)

after 5 minutes if the air conditioning is
turned off (
page 191)

after 30 minutes if the outside temperature
is above approximately 41°F (5°C)
Warning!G
Never operate the side windows if there is
the possibility of anyone being harmed by
the closing procedure.
When using the air recirculation mode with
convenience closing feature, should the up-
ward movement of a window be blocked by
some obstruction including but not limited
to arms, hands, fingers, etc., the automatic
reversal feature will not operate.
In the event that the closing procedure
causes potential danger, the closing of the
door windows can be immediately halted by
releasing the, button or by pressing the
respective power window switch.
The closing of the rear side windows can be
immediately halted by releasing the
,button.

191 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Convenience closing
Press and hold button, until the
windows are closed or have reached
the desired position.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air recirculation mode is
activated.Convenience openingPress and hold button, until the
windows are opened or have reached
the desired position.
The indicator lamp on the button
goes out. The air recirculation mode
is deactivated.
Air conditioning
The cooling function, only operational
when the engine is running, cools the
vehicle interior down to the selected
temperature. The cooling function also
dehumidifies the air in the vehicle interior,
thus preventing the windows from
fogging up.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
iThe closing of the windows can be immedi-
ately halted by releasing button,.iThe opening of the windows can be immedi-
ately halted by releasing button,.
A window will only return to its previous position
if it has not been moved to another position us-
ing the respective window switch after it was
closed with button,.
A window that has been moved will remain in its
current position if button, is used to reopen
the remaining windows.
Warning!G
If you turn off the cooling function, the
vehicle will not be cooled when weather
conditions are warm. The windows can fog
up more quickly. Window fogging may
impair visibility and endanger you and
others.
iCondensation may drip from underneath the
vehicle. This is normal and not an indication of a
malfunction.