2012 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK250 automatic transmission

cleaning agents. These cleaning agents can
damage the paintwork or plastic parts.
If the vehicle is very dirty, pre-wash it before
cleaning it in an automatic car wash.
! Make sure that the automatic
transmissio nis in position Nwhen washing
your vehicle in a tow-through car wash. The
vehicle could be damaged if the
transmission is in another position.
! Make sure that:
R the side windows and roof are
completely closed.
R the blower for the ventilation/heating is
switched off (OFF button is depressed/
airflow control is turned to position 0).
R the windshield wiper switch is at position
0.
The vehicle could otherwise be damaged.
After using an automatic car wash, wipe off
wax from the windshield and the wiper
blades. This will prevent smears and reduce
wiping noises caused by residue on the
windshield.
Washing by hand In some countries, washing by hand is only
allowed at specially equipped washing bays.
Observe the legal requirements in all
countries concerned.
X Do not use hot water and do not wash the
vehicle in direct sunlight.
X Use a soft sponge to clean.
X Use a mild cleaning agent, such as a car
shampoo approved by Mercedes-Benz.
X Thoroughly hose down the vehicle with a
gentle jet of water.
X Do not point the water jet directly towards
the air inlet.
X Use plenty of water and rinse out the
sponge frequently. X
Rinse the vehicle with clean water and dry
thoroughly with a chamois.
X Do not let the cleaning agent dry on the
paintwork.
When using the vehicle in winter, remove all
traces of road salt deposits carefully and as
soon as possible.
Powerw ashers G
WARNING
Do not use power washers with circular-jet
nozzles (dirt grinders) to clea nyour vehicle, in
particular the tires. You could otherwise
damage the tires and cause an accident.
! Always maintain a distance of at least
11.8 in (30 cm) between the vehicle and the
power washer nozzle. Information about
the correc tdistance is available fro mthe
equipment manufacturer.
Move the power washer nozzle around
when cleaning your vehicle.
Do not aim directly at any of the following:
R tires
R door gaps, roof gaps, joints, etc.
R electrical components
R battery
R connectors
R lights
R seals
R trim
R ventilation slots
Damaged seals or electrical components
can lead to leaks or failures.
! Do not use high-pressure cleaners if the
tank recess is open while you clean it. This
can cause damage to the seals or other
components.
Cleaning the wheels !
Do not use acidic wheel cleaning products
to remove brake dust. This could damage
wheel bolts and brake components. 266
CareMaintenance and care

Jump-starting
G
WARNING
Failure to follow these directions will cause damage to the electronic components, and can lead
to a battery explosion and severe injury or death.
Never lean over batteries while connecting or jump starting. You might get injured.
Battery fluid contains sulfuric acid. Do not allow this fluid to come in contact with eyes, skin or
clothing. In case it does, immediately flush affected area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.
Ab attery will also produce hydrogen gas, which is flammable and explosive. Keep flames or
sparks away from battery, avoid improper connectio nofjumpe rcables, smoking, etc.
Attempting to jump start a frozen battery can result in it exploding, causing personal injury.
Read all instructions before proceeding. G
WARNING
Non-combusted fuel can collect in the exhaust system and ignite. There is a risk of fire. Avoid
repeated and lengthy starting attempts.
! Avoid repeated and lengthy starting attempts. Otherwise, the catalytic converte rcould be
damaged by the non-combusted fuel.
Do not use a rapid charging device to start the vehicle. If your vehicle's battery is discharged,
the engine can be jump-started from another vehicle or from a second battery using jumper
cables. Observe the following points:
R The battery is not accessible in all vehicles. If the other vehicle's battery is not accessible,
jump-start the vehicle using a second battery or ajump-starting device.
R You may only jump-start the vehicle when the engine and catalyti cconverter are cold.
R Do not start the engine if the battery is frozen. Let the battery thaw first.
R jump-starting may only be performed from batteries with a nominal voltage of 12 V.
R Only use jumper cables which have a sufficient cross-section and insulated terminal clamps.
R If the battery is fully discharged, leave the battery that is being used to jump-start connected
for a few minutes before attempting to start.T his charges the empty battery a little.
R Make sure that the two vehicles do not touch.
Make sure that:
R the jumper cables are not damaged.
R bare parts of the terminal clamp do not come into contact with other metal parts while the
jumper cables are connected to the battery.
R the jumper cables cannot come into contact with parts such as the V-belt pulley or the fan.
These parts move when the engine is started and while it is running.
X Secure the vehicle by applying the electric parking brake.
X Manual transmission: engage neutral.
X Automatic transmission: move the selector lever to position P. Jump-starting
285Breakdown assistance Z

Towing and tow-starting
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If you tow the vehicle, you must use a rigid
towing ba rif:
R the engine is not running.
R there is a brake system malfunction.
R there is a malfunction in the power supply
or the vehicle's electrical system.
The power assistance for the steering and the
brake force booster do not work when the
engine is not running. You will need more
force to steer and brake, you may have to
depress the brake pedal with maximu mforce.
Before towing away, make sure that the
steering can be moved and is not locked.
If you tow or tow-start another vehicle, its
weight must not exceed the maximum
permissible gross vehicle weight of your
vehicle.
It is better to have the vehicle transported
than to have it towed.
! The vehicle can be towed a maximum of
30 miles (50km). The towing speed of
30 mph (50 km/h) must not be exceeded.
If the vehicle has to be towed more than
30 miles (50km), the entire vehicle must be
raised and transported.
! Make sure that the electric parking brake
is released. If the electric parking brake is
faulty, visit a qualified specialist workshop.
! Only secure the tow rope or tow bar at the
towing eyes. Otherwise, the vehicle could
be damaged.
! Do not use the towing eye for recovery,
as this could damage the vehicle. If in
doubt, recover the vehicle with a crane.
! Drive slowly and smoothly when towing.
Excessive tractive power could otherwise
damage the vehicles. !
Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
This could damage the vehicle.
! On vehicles with KEYLESS-GO, use the
SmartKey instead of the Start/Stop
button. Turn the SmartKey to position 2in
the ignition lock and shift the automatic
transmission to N. Then, turn the SmartKey
back to 0and leave it in the ignition lock.
When towing a vehicle with an automatic
transmission, the transmission must be in
position N.
The battery must be connected and charged.
Otherwise, you:
R cannot turn the SmartKey to position 2in
the ignition lock
R cannot shift the transmission to position
N on vehicles with automatic transmission
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
release the selector lever lock manually to
move it out of position P(Ypage 146).
i Switch off the automatic locking feature
(Y page 75) You could otherwise be locked
out when pushing or towing the vehicle. Installing/removing the towing eye
Installing the towing eye X
Remove the towing eye from the vehicle
tool kit (Y page 274). G
WARNING
The exhaust tail pipe may be hot. You could
burn yourself if you touch the tail pipe. Be
particularly careful when removing the rear
cover.
The mountings for the removable towing eyes
are located in the bumpers. They are at the
front and at the rear, under the covers. Towing and tow-starting
287Breakdown assistance Z

X
Press the mark on cover 0002inwards in the
direction of the arrow.
X Take cover 0002off the opening.
X Screw the towing eye in clockwise to the
stop and tighten it.
Removing the towing eye X
Loosen the towing eye and unscrew it.
X Attach cover 0002to the bumper and press
until it engages.
X Place the towing eye in the vehicle tool kit. Towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised
When towing your vehicle with the rear axle
raised, it is importan tthat you observe the
safety instructions (Y page 287).
! The ignition must be switched off if you
are towing the vehicle with the rear axle
raised. Intervention by ESP ®
could
otherwise damage the brake system. X
Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 108).
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0in the
ignition lock and remove the SmartKey
from the ignition lock.
X When leaving the vehicle, take the
SmartKey or the KEYLESS-GO key with you. Towing
avehicle with both axles on
the ground
When having your vehicle towed, observe the
important safety notes (Y page 287). G
WARNING
The power assistance for the steering and the
brake force booster do not work when the
engine is not running. You will then need
much more effort to brake and steer the
vehicle .Adapt your style of driving
accordingly.
X Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 108).
i When towing with the hazard warning
lamps switched on, use the combination
switch as usual to signal a change of
direction. In this case, only the turn signals
for the desired direction flash. When the
combination switch is reset, the hazard
warning lamps start flashing again.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2in the
ignition lock.
X When the vehicle is stationary, depress the
brake pedal and keep it depressed.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
depress the clutch pedal.
X Shift to neutral.
or
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the automatic transmission to
position N.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Release the parking brake. 288
Towing and tow-startingBreakdown assistance

Transporting the vehicle
The towing eye can be used to pull the vehicle
onto a trailer or transporter for transporting
purposes.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
shift to neutral.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
turn the SmartKey to position 2in the
ignition lock.
X Move the selecto rlever to N.
As soon as the vehicle is loaded:
X Preven tthe vehicle from rolling away by
applying the parking brake.
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
shift to first gear or reverse gear.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
move the selector lever to P.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 0in the
ignition lock and remove the SmartKey
from the ignition lock.
X Secure the vehicle.
! Only lash the vehicle down by the wheels
or wheel rims, not by parts of the vehicle
such as axle or steering components.
Otherwise, the vehicle could be damaged. Tow-starting (emergency starting)
When tow-starting your vehicle, it is
important that you follow the safety
instructions (Y page 287).
! Vehicles with automatic transmission
must not be started by tow-starting. This
could otherwise damage the transmission.
For further information on "Jump-starting"
see (Y page 285).
Before tow-starting the following conditions
must be fulfilled:
R the battery is connected.
R the engine has cooled down.
R the catalytic converter has cooled down. X
Switch on the hazard warning lamps
(Y page 108).
X Install the towing eye (Y page 287).
X Secure the rigid towing bar or the towing
rope.
X Depress and hold the brake pedal.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2in the
ignition lock.
X Depress the clutch pedal and keep it
depressed.
X Shift to neutral.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Tow-start the vehicle.
X Shift to second gear.
X Release the clutch pedal slowly;d o not
depress the accelerator pedal while doing
so.
The engine is started.
X Depress the clutch pedal and shift to
neutral.
X Stop at a suitable place.
X Depress the parking brake.
X Remove the rigid towing bar or towing rope.
X Remove the towing eye (Y page 288).
X Switch off the hazard warning lamps. Fuses
Important safety notes
G
WARNING
Only use fuses that have been approved for
Mercedes-Benz vehicles and that have the
correct fuse rating for the systems
concerned. Do not attempt to repair or bridge
faulty fuses. Using fuses that have not been
approved or attempting to repair or bridge
faulty fuses could cause the fuse to be
overloaded and result in afire. Have the cause
traced and rectified at a qualified specialist
workshop.
The fuses in your vehicle serve to close down
faulty circuits. If afuse blows, all the Fuses
289Breakdown assistance Z