2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK350 Owner's Manual

48 Getting started
Driving
Fastening the seat belts
Warning!G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are ob-
structing the pedal’s range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets in
the footwell, make sure the pedals still have
sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneu-
vers, the objects could get caught between
the pedals. You could then no longer brake
or accelerate. This could lead to accidents
and injury.Warning!G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure your passenger is
properly restrained.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely severity
in an accident. You and your passenger
should always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are wearing your
seat belt. The air bags can only provide the
protection they were designed to afford if
the occupants are using their seat belts
(
page 64).
Warning!G
Children 12 years old and under must be
seated and properly secured in an appropri-
ate infant, or toddler restraint, or booster
seat recommended for the size and weight
of the child. For additional information, see
“Children in the vehicle” (
page 79).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.

49 Getting started
Driving
1Loop for seat belt guidance
2Latch plate
3Release button
4Buckle
With a smooth motion, pull the seat
belt from the seat belt outlet.
Place the shoulder portion of the seat
belt across the top of your shoulder
and the lap portion across your hips.
Push latch plate2 into buckle4 until
it clicks.
If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
For more information, see “Safety guide-
lines for the seat belt, emergency tension-
ing device and air bag” (
page 68).
Warning!G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly
restrained with a separate seat belt. Never
use a seat belt for more than one person at
a time.
Warning!G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause
serious or even fatal injuries. The seat back-
rest and seat belt provide the best restraint
when the wearer is in a position that is as
upright as possible and the seat belt is
properly positioned on the body.
Warning!G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 68) and (page 76).

50 Getting started
Driving
Proper use of seat belts

Do not twist the seat belt when
fastening.

Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the seat belt under
your arm.

Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.

Place the seat backrest in a position
that is as upright as possible.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.

Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant or toddler restraints or children
in booster seats, always follow the
child seat manufacturer’s instructions.

Check your seat belt during travel to
make sure it is properly positioned.

Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.
Warning!G
Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not allow the seat belt to get caught in
the door or in the seat adjustment mecha-
nism. This could damage the seat belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the seat belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash, they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Damaged seat belts or seat belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

51 Getting started
Driving
Starting the engine Manual transmission
Gearshift pattern for manual transmission
For more information, see “Manual trans-
mission” (
page 153).Starting
Depress brake pedal.
Make sure the gearshift lever is in neu-
tral position (no gear selected).
Fully depress clutch pedal.
Otherwise the engine cannot be start-
ed due to the integrated safety inter-
lock.
Do not depress accelerator.
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position3 (
page 37) and hold until
the engine starts.
For information on turning off the engine,
see “Turning off engine” (
page 61).
Warning!G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide (CO), and inhaling it can cause un-
consciousness and possible death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated. If you think that exhaust gas
fumes are entering the vehicle while driving,
have the cause determined and corrected
immediately. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive only with at least one win-
dow fully open.

52 Getting started
Driving
Automatic transmission*
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmission
PPark position with gear selector lever
lock
RReverse gear
NNeutral position
DDrive position
For more information, see “Automatic
transmission*” (
page 155).Starting
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP.
Do not depress accelerator.
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position3 (
page 37) and release it
again immediately. The engine starts
automatically.
For information on turning off the engine,
see “Turning off engine” (
page 61).Starting difficulties
If the SmartKey is left in starter switch
position 0 for an extended period of time,
it can no longer be turned in the starter
switch. In this case the steering is locked.
To unlock, remove SmartKey from the
starter switch and reinsert.
If the engine does not start as described,
carry out the following steps:
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and repeat the starting
procedure.
Remember that extended starting at-
tempts can drain the vehicle battery.
Get a jump start (page 426).
If the engine does not start after several
starting attempts, there could be a mal-
function in the engine electronics or in the
fuel supply system.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center or call Roadside Assistance.

53 Getting started
Driving
Parking brake
1Parking brake lever
2Release button
Pull up slightly on parking brake
lever1 and press release button2.
Push parking brake lever1 down to
its original position.
The brake warning lamp; (USA
only) or3 (Canada only) in the
instrument cluster goes out.
Driving off
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. Children
could release the parking brake, which
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
!If you hear a warning signal and the
message
Release Parking Brake appears in
the multifunction display when driving off, you
have forgotten to release the parking brake.
Release the parking brake (
page 53).
!Do not run cold engine at high engine speed.
Running a cold engine at high engine speed may
shorten the service life of the engine.
!Simultaneously depressing the accelerator
pedal and applying the brakes reduces engine
performance and causes premature brake and
drivetrain wear.

54 Getting started
Driving
Manual transmission
Depress the brake pedal.
Fully depress the clutch pedal.
Move gearshift lever to first gear to
drive forward, or to reverse gear to
drive rearward.
Simultaneously release the brake pedal
and slowly the clutch pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.Automatic transmission*
Depress the brake pedal.
Move the gear selector lever to
positionDorR.
Release the brake pedal.
Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
After a cold start, the transmission engag-
es at a higher revolution. This allows the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature earlier.
iOnce the vehicle is in motion, the automatic
central locking system engages and the locking
knobs drop down.
The automatic door lock feature can be deacti-
vated (
page 146).
You can open a locked door from the inside.
Open door only when conditions are safe to do
so.
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out ofPorN if the engine speed is
higher than idle speed. If your foot is not
firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate quickly forward or in reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
!In order to avoid damage to the transmis-
sion:

Wait for the gear selection process to com-
plete before setting the vehicle in motion.

Place the gear selector lever in
positionPorR only when the vehicle is
stopped.

55 Getting started
Driving
Switching on headlamps
Low beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
Exterior lamp switch
1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
The low beam headlamps come on.High beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch
1High beam
2High beam flasher
Push the combination switch in
direction of arrow1.
The high beam headlamps and high
beam headlamp indicator lampA in
the instrument cluster come on
(
page 26).
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 109).
Turn signals
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch
1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left