2008 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK350 key

153 Controls in detail
Manual transmission
Manual transmission
Manual transmission is standard equip-
ment on select models and not available
on all models.
For information on driving with a manual
transmission, see “Driving off”
(
page 53).
Warning!G
For vehicles equipped with a manual trans-
mission, getting out of your vehicle with the
gearshift lever not engaged in first or
reverse gear and the parking brake not
engaged is dangerous.
Also, when parked on an incline, an engaged
first or reverse gear alone may not prevent
your vehicle from moving, possibly hitting
people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
engaging first or reverse gear (
page 59).
W h e n p a r k e d o n a n i n c line, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible 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.
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 move the gearshift lever, 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 vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS
will not prevent this type of loss of control.

156 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
There are additional indicators on the
cover of the shifting gate showing the
current gear selector lever position.
The indicators come on when you insert
the SmartKey into the starter switch, and
go out when you remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:

gear selector lever positionD
(
page 157) with gear ranges
(
page 160)

the selected program mode:
(C/S)(
page 161)
or
(M/C/S)* (
page 165)

the position of the accelerator pedal
(
page 159)

the vehicle speedWhen the gear selector lever is in drive
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by:

limiting the gear range

changing gears manually
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out of park positionP or neutral
positionN 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 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.
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park positionP only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an extended
period when driving off on slippery road
surfaces. This may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

157 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Gear selector lever positions
The current gear selector lever position
appears in the multifunction display.
1Current gear selector lever positionEffect
ìPark position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in park
positionP only when vehicle is
stopped. The park position is not
intended to serve as a brake
when the vehicle is parked.
Rather, the driver should always
set the parking brake in addition
to placing the gear selector lever
in park positionP to secure the
vehicle.
Effect
The SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
park positionP. With the
SmartKey removed, the gear
selector lever is locked in park
positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in park positionP
(
page 396).
íReverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.

158 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Effect
ëNeutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engage neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever to neu-
tral positionN only if the vehicle
is in danger of skidding, e.g. on
icy roads.
êDrive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason with gear selector lever in neutral
positionN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear
selector lever not fully engaged in park
positionP is dangerous. Also, park
positionP alone is not intended to or capa-
ble of preventing your vehicle from moving,
possibly hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to park positionP (
page 59).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible 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.
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 move the gear selector lever from
park positionP, which could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.

195 Controls in detail
Audio system
ItemPage
1CD changer mode selector208
2Single CD mode selector 212
3Radio mode selector
4Mute function (radio)202
Pause (CD)218
5Volume distribution198
6Sound settings197
7Display
8Alphanumeric keypad
ItemPage
9Speed dialing memory (tele-
phone*) in descending order
aAccepting a call
(telephone*)224
bTelephone* mode selector219
cSpeed dialing memory (tele-
phone*) in ascending order221
dTerminating a call
(telephone*)225
eCD slot
fCD ejection212
ItemPage
gSoft keys196
hVolume196
jSwitching on/off196
kManual tuning / seek
tuning (radio)201
Track search, reverse (CD)217
lManual tuning / seek
tuning (radio)201
Track search,
fast forward (CD)217

196 Controls in detail
Audio system
Button and soft key operation
In these instructions, the alphanumeric
keypad (right side of radio panel) and the
function buttons (left side of radio panel)
are referred to as “buttons”. The four keys
below the display panel are referred to as
“soft keys”.Operation
Switching the unit on/off
Switching on
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or2 (
page 37).
If the audio system was on as you
removed the SmartKey from the starter
switch, the audio system will
automatically come back on as you
turn the SmartKey to position1 or2.
or
PressDbutton.Switching off
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
or
PressDbutton.
Adjusting the volume
Turn rotary control ofEbutton.
The volume will increase or decrease
depending on the direction turned.
!Do not press directly in the display face.
Otherwise, the display will be damaged.
iIf the radio is switched on without the
SmartKey in the starter switch, it will automati-
cally switch off again after approximately
30 minutes.
If your vehicle is equipped with a mobile
telephone*, the display may prompt you to enter
your PIN (GSM network) or code (TDMA or
CDMA network).
iShould excessively high temperatures occur
while the audio system is being operated, the
display will dim. If temperatures continue to rise,
HIGH TEMP will appear in the display, after which
the audio system will be switched off for a
cooling-down period.
iIf your vehicle equipment includes a
Mercedes-Benz specified mobile telephone*,
you can adjust its volume separately from the
volume of the audio system while the telephone
is being used.

197 Controls in detail
Audio system
Adjusting sound functions
The bass and treble functions are called up
by pressing the O button.
Settings for bass and treble are stored
separately for the AM and FM wavebands,
weather band, CD mode and telephone
mode.
Bass
Press O button repeatedly until
BASS appears in the display.
Press + or– soft key to increase or
decrease tone level accordingly.
or
Press RES soft key briefly to reset bass
tones to their center level.
The radio switches back to the
standard radio menu 8 seconds after
the last soft key is pressed.Adjusting treble
Press O button repeatedly until
TREBLE appears in the display.
Press +or– soft key to increase or
decrease tone level accordingly.
or
Press RES soft key briefly to reset treble
tones to their center level.
The radio switches back to the
standard radio menu 8 seconds after
the last soft key is pressed.

198 Controls in detail
Audio system
Returning sound functions to factory
settings
Press O button to call up settings
menu in the display.
Press RES soft key briefly; the respec-
tive sound function is reset to its center
level.
or
Press and hold RES soft key until RESET
appears in the display.
The sound settings for bass and treble
are returned to their center level and
the volume is set to a predefined level.
The radio switches back to the
standard radio menu 4 seconds after
the last soft key is pressed.Adjusting balance
Press P button.
BALANCE appears in the display.
Press X or Y soft key.
The volume is distributed between the
left and right sides of the vehicle.
or
Press RES soft key briefly.
The balance is reset to its center level.
The radio switches back to the
standard radio menu 8 seconds after
the last button is pressed.Returning volume distribution to
factory settings
Press P button to call up settings
menu in the display.
Press RES soft key briefly; the
respective volume distribution is reset
to its center (flat) level.
or
Press and hold RES soft key until RESET
appears in the display.
The volume distribution settings for the
balance is set to the center level.
The radio switches back to the
standard radio menu 4 seconds after
the last soft key is pressed.