2012 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK55AMG Owner's Manual

The driver must always be alert, observe all
traffic and intercede as required by means of
steering or braking the vehicle. G
WARNING
The DISTRONIC PLUS should not be used in
snowy or icy road conditions.
Cornering, going into and coming out of a
bend The ability of DISTRONIC PLUS to detect
vehicles when cornering is limited. Your
vehicle may brake unexpectedly or late.
Vehicles traveling on adifferent line DISTRONIC PLUS may not detect vehicles
traveling on a different line. The distance to
the vehicle in fron twill be too short. Other vehicles changing lane DISTRONIC PLUS has not detected the
vehicle cutting in yet. The distance to this
vehicle will be too short.
Narrow vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS has not yet detected the
vehicle in front on the edge of the road,
because of its narrow width
.The distance to
the vehicle in front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for
obstacles or stationary vehicles. If, for Driving systems
167Driving and parking Z

example, the detected vehicle turns a corner
and reveals an obstacle or stationary vehicle,
DISTRONIC PLUS will not brake for these.
Crossing vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS may mistakenly detect
vehicles that are crossing your lane.
Activating DISTRONIC PLUS at traffic lights
with crossing traffic, for example, could cause
your vehicle to pull away unintentionally.
Dynamic handling package
General notes The adjustable damping system adapts to the
current driving conditions. The adjustment
depends on whether you have selected sport
or comfort mode. Your selection remains
stored even if you remove the SmartKey from
the ignition lock. Sports tuning
The firmer setting of the suspension tuning in
sports mode ensures even better contact
with the road. Select this mode if you want
more direct contact with the road when
employing a sporty driving style, e.g. on
winding country roads.
X If indicator lamp 0002 is not lit:
press
button 0003.
Indicator lamp 0002lights up. You have
selected the suspension for a sporty driving
style.
Comfort tuning Select comfort mode if you prefer a more
comfortable driving style.
X
If indicator lamp 0002 is lit:
press
button 0003.
Indicator lamp 0002goes out. You have
selected the suspension for acomfortable
driving style. HOLD function
General notes The HOLD function can assist the driver in the
following situations:
R
when pulling away, especially on steep
slopes
R when maneuvering on steep slopes
R when waiting in traffic
The vehicle is kept stationary without the
driver having to depress the brake pedal.
The braking effect is canceled and the HOLD
function deactivated when you depress the
accelerator pedal to pull away.
Activation conditions You can activate the HOLD function if:
R
the vehicle is stationary.
R the engine is running. 168
Driving systemsDriving and parking

R
the driver's door is closed or your seat belt
is fastened.
R the electric parking brake is released.
R the hood is closed.
R the selector lever is in position D,Ror Non
vehicles with automatic transmission.
R DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
Activating the HOLD function X
Make sure tha tthe activation conditions
are met.
X Depress the brake pedal.
X Quickly depress the brake pedal further
until 0001 appears in the multifunction
display.
The HOLD function is activated. You can
release the brake pedal.
i If depressing the brake pedal the first
time does not activate the HOLD function,
wait briefly and then try again. G
WARNING
The vehicle's brakes are applied when the
HOLD function is activated. For this reason,
deactivate the HOLD function if the vehicle is
to be set in motion by other means (e.g. in a
car wash or by towing).
Deactivating the HOLD function The HOLD function is deactivated
automatically if:
R
you accelerate. On vehicles with automatic
transmission: only when the transmission
is in position Dor R.
R you shift the transmission to position Pon
vehicles with automatic transmission.
R you depress the brake pedal again with a
certain amount of pressure until 0001
disappears from the multifunction display.
R you secure the vehicle using the electric
parking brake.
R you activate DISTRONIC PLUS. i
After a time, the electric parking brake
secures the vehicle and relieves the service
brake. G
WARNING
Never get out of the vehicle when the HOLD
function is activated.
The HOLD function must never be operated
or deactivated by a passenger or from outside
the vehicle.
The HOLD function does not replace the
electric parking brake and must not be used
for parking.
The braking effect of the HOLD function is
canceled and the vehicle could roll away if:
R the HOLD function is deactivated by
depressing the accelerator pedal or the
brake pedal.
R there is a malfunction in the system or an
interruption in the power supply, e.g.
battery failure.
R the electrical system in the engine
compartment, the battery or the fuses are
tampered with.
R the battery is disconnected.
If you leave the vehicle or park it, deactivate
the HOLD function and secure the vehicle
against rolling away.
The electric parking brake automatically
secures the vehicle if the HOLD function is
activated and:
R the driver's door is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
R the engine is switched off.
R the hood is opened.
R a system malfunction occurs.
R the power supply is not sufficient.
If there is a malfunction in the vehicle
electronics, a warning message may also
appearint he multifunction display.
Brake Immediately X
Immediately depress the brake pedal firmly
until the warning message in the Driving systems
169Driving and parking Z

multifunction display goes out. This
deactivates the HOLD function.
In vehicles with automatic transmission:
Shift to 'P' .
X Shift the transmission to position Pto
prevent the vehicle from rolling away.
The HOLD function is deactivated. The
warning message in the multifunction
display disappears.
Ah orn will also sound at regular intervals if
the HOLD function is activated and you:
R switch the engine off, open the driver's
door and remove your seat belt
R open the hood
The sounding of the horn alerts you to the fact
that the vehicle has been parked while the
HOLD function is still activated. If you attempt
to lock the vehicle, the tone becomes louder.
The vehicle is not locked until the HOLD
function is deactivated.
i If the engine has been switched off, it cant
be started again until the HOLD function
has been deactivated. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes G
WARNING
The PARKTRONIC is a supplemental system.
It is not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always remains with the driver. G
WARNING
Make sure no persons or animals are in or
near the area in which you are parking/
maneuvering. Otherwise, they could be
injured.
PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visually and
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object. PARKTRONIC is activated automatically when
you:
R
switch on the ignition
R move the selector lever to position D,Ror
N on vehicles with automatic transmission
R release the electric parking brake
PARKTRONIC is deactivated at speeds above
11 mph (18km/h). It is reactivated at lower
speeds.
PARKTRONIC monitors the area around your
vehicle using six sensors in the front and four
sensors in the rear. 0002
Example: sensors in the front bumper,
left-hand side
Range of the sensors General notes
The sensors must be free of dirt, ice and
slush. Otherwise, they may not function
correctly. Clean the sensors regularly, taking
care not to scratch or damage them
(Y
page 269). Side view170
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Top view
Front sensors
Center approximately 40in
(approximately 100cm)
Corners approximately 24in
(approximately 60cm)
Rear sensors
Center approximately 48in
(approximately 120cm)
Corners approximately 32in
(approximately 80cm)
!
When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars.
PARKTRONIC does not detect such objects
when they are in the immediate vicinity of
the vehicle. You could damage the vehicle
or the objects.
The sensors may not detect snow and other
objects that absorb ultrasonic waves.
Ultrasonic sources such as an automatic
car wash, the compressed-air brakes on a
truck or a pneumatic drill could cause
PARKTRONIC to malfunction.
PARKTRONIC may not function correctly on
uneven terrain. Minimum distance Center approximately 8in
(approximately 20cm)
Corners approximately 6in
(approximately 15cm)
If there is an obstacle within this range, the
relevant warning displays light up and a
warning tone sounds. If the distance falls
below the minimum, the distance may no
longer be shown.
Warning displays
The warning displays show the distance
between the sensors and the obstacle. The
warning display for the front area is located
on the dashboard above the center air vents.
The warning display for the rear area is
located between the roll bars.
Warning display for the front area
0002
Segments on the left-hand side of the
vehicle
0003 Segments on the right-hand side of the
vehicle
0023 Segments showing operational readiness
The warning display for each side of the
vehicle is divided into five yellow and two red
segments. PARKTRONIC is operational if
yellow segments showing operational
readiness 0023light up.
The gear lever position or the transmission
position of the automatic transmission and
the direction in which the vehicle is rolling Driving systems
171Driving and parking Z

determine which warning display is active
when the engine is running.
Manual transmission: Gear lever
position Warning display
Forwards gear
or
Neutral
Front area activated
Reverse gear
, or
the vehicle is rolling
backwards Rear and front areas
activated
Automatic transmission:
Transmission
position Warning display
D
Front area activated
R,
Nor the vehicle
is rolling
backwards Rear and front areas
activated
P
No areas activated
One or more segments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, dependin
gonthe
vehicle's distance from the obstacle.
From the:
R sixth segment onwards, you will hear an
intermittent warning tone for
approximately two seconds.
R seventh segment onwards, you will hear a
warning tone for approximately two
seconds. This indicates that you have now
reached the minimum distance. Deactivating/activating PARKTRONIC 0002
Indicator lamp
0003 To deactivate/activate PARKTRONIC
If indicator lamp 0002lights up, PARKTRONIC is
deactivated. Parking Guidance is also
deactivated.
i PARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you turn the SmartKey to position 2
in the ignition lock. 172
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Problems with PARKTRONIC
Problem Possible causes/consequences and
0001 Solutions
Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displays are lit.
You also hear a warning
tone for approximately
two seconds.
PARKTRONIC is
deactivated after
approximately
20 seconds, and the
indicator lamp in the
PARKTRONIC button
lights up. PARKTRONIC has malfunctioned and has switched off.
X
If problems persist, have PARKTRONIC checked at a qualified
specialist workshop. Only the red segments
in the PARKTRONIC
warning displays are lit.
PARKTRONIC is
deactivated after
approximately
20 seconds. The PARKTRONIC sensors are dirty or there is interference.
X
Cleant he PARKTRONIC sensors (Y page 269).
X Switch the ignition back on. The problem may be caused by an external source of radio or
ultrasound waves.
X See if PARKTRONIC functions in a different location. Parking Guidance
Important safety notes Parking Guidance is an electronic parking aid
with ultrasound. Ultrasound is used to
measure the road on both sides of the vehicle.
As uitable parking space is indicated by the
parking symbol. You receive steering
instructions when parking .You may also use
PARKTRONIC (Y page 170). G
WARNING
Parking Guidance is merely an aid and may
display parking spaces that are not suitable
for parking, for example:
R no-parking areas
R parking spaces with unsuitable surfaces
(road surface) R
driveways
R entrances and exits
Parking Guidance detects and measures
potential parking spaces while driving past.
Changes to the parking space after this point
are not taken into account, for example if the
vehicle in front of or behind the parking space
changes position or objects in the parking
space are moved.
Even when using Parking Guidance, you are
still responsible for driving carefully. If you
rely on Parking Guidance alone, you could
cause an accident and injure yourself and
others.
Safety always remains your responsibility and
you must continue paying careful attention to
your immediate surroundings when parking
and maneuvering. Driving systems
173Driving and parking Z

G
WARNING
Objects located above the height range of
Parking Guidance will not be detected when
the parking space is measured. These objects
are not taken into account when the parking
procedure is calculated, e.g. overhanging
loads, tail sections or loading ramps of goods
vehicles. Under some circumstances, Parking
Guidance might therefore issu esteering
instructions too soon. Thi smay lead to a
collision .For this reason, you should avoid
using Parking Guidance in such situations. G
WARNING
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the maneuvering range. Otherwise, they
could be injured.
! Pay particular attention to low objects or
objects with flat surfaces, such as trailer
drawbars, posts, cross beams and curbs.
These types of objects cannot be detected
by Parking Guidance and may damage the
vehicle.
When PARKTRONIC is deactivated, Parking
Guidance is also unavailable.
Use Parking Guidance for parking spaces:
R that are parallel to the direction of travel
R that are on straight roads, not bends
R that are on the same level as the road, i.e.
not on the pavement, for example. Parking
Guidance may not detect flat curbs
Parking tips:
R on narrow roads, drive past the parking
space as close as possible.
R parking spaces that are littered, overgrown
or partially occupied by trailer drawbars
might be identified incorrectly or not at all.
R snowfall or heavy rain may lead to a parking
space being measured inaccurately.
R pay attention to the PARKTRONIC
(Y page 171) warning messages during the
parking procedure. R
when transporting a load which protrudes
from your vehicle, you must not use Parking
Guidance.
R never use Parking Guidance with snow
chains or an emergency spare wheel
mounted.
R make sure that the tire pressures are
always correct. This has adirec teffect on
the steering instructions.
R the way you rvehicle is positioned in the
parking space after parkin gis dependent
on various factors. These include the
position and shape of the vehicles parked
in front and behind it and the conditions of
the location. In some cases, Parking
Guidance may guide you too far or not far
enough into a parking space. In some
cases, it may also lead you across or onto
the curb. If necessary, cancel the parking
procedure with Parking Guidance.
! If unavoidable, you should drive over
obstacles such as curbs slowly and not at
a sharp angle. Otherwise, you may damage
the wheels or tires.
Detecting aparking space 0002
Detected parking space on the left
0003 Parking symbol
0023 Detected parking space on the right
Parking Guidance is automatically activated
whe nyou drive forwards. The system is
operational at speeds of up to approximately
22 mph (35 km/h). While in operation, the
system independently locates and measures 174
Driving systemsDriving and parking