2015 MERCEDES-BENZ SLK-Class lock

Heavy and light loads
G
WARNING
If you rest your foot on the brake pedal while
driving, the braking system can overheat. This increases the stopping distance and can even
cause the braking system to fail. There is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedal as a footrest. Never
depress the brake pedal and the accelerator
pedal at the same time.
! Depressing the brake pedal constantly
results in excessive and premature wear to
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to a heavy load, do not stop the vehicle immediately, but
drive on for a short while. This allows the air- flow to cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads If you have driven for a long time in heavy rain
without braking, there may be a delayed reac- tion from the brakes when braking for the first
time. This may also occur after the vehicle has been washed or driven through deep water.
You then have to depress the brake pedal
more firmly. Maintain a greater distance from
the vehicle in front.
After driving on a wet road or having the vehi- cle washed, brake firmly while paying atten-
tion to the traffic conditions. This will warm upthe brake discs, thereby drying them more
quickly and protecting them against corro-
sion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads If you drive on salted roads, a layer of salt
residue may form on the brake discs and
brake pads. This can result in a significantly
longer braking distance. R
Brake occasionally to remove any possible
salt residue. Make sure that you do not
endanger other road users when doing so.
R Carefully depress the brake pedal and the
beginning and end of a journey.
R Maintain a greater distance to the vehicle
ahead.
Servicing the brakes !
If the red brake warning lamp lights up in
the instrument cluster and you hear a warn-
ing tone while the engine is running, the
brake fluid level may be too low. Observe
additional warning messages in the multi-
function display.
The brake fluid level may be too low due to brake pad wear or leaking brake lines.
Have the brake system checked immedi-
ately. This work should be carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop.
! As the ESP ®
system operates automati-
cally, the engine and the ignition must be
switched off (SmartKey in position 0or 1in
the ignition lock) if the electric parking
brake is being tested on a brake dynamom-
eter (maximum 10 seconds).
Braking triggered automatically by ESP ®
may seriously damage the brake system.
All checks and maintenance work on the
brake system must be carried out at a quali-
fied specialist workshop. Have this work car-
ried out at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
Have the brake pads replaced and the brake
fluid renewed at a qualified specialist work-
shop, e.g. an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen- ter.
If the brake system has only been subject to
moderate loads, you should test the function- ality of your brakes at regular intervals. To doso, depress the brake pedal firmly when driv-
ing at a high speed. This improves the grip of
the brake pads.
A description of Brake Assist (BAS):
(Y page 62) Driving tips
167Driving and parking Z

Winter driving
G
WARNING
If you shift down on a slippery road surface in an attempt to increase the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on a slippery road surface. G
DANGER
If the exhaust pipe is blocked or adequate
ventilation is not possible, poisonous gases
such as carbon monoxide (CO) may enter the vehicle. This is the case, e.g. if the vehicle
becomes trapped in snow. There is a risk of
fatal injury.
If you leave the engine or the auxiliary heating
running, make sure the exhaust pipe and area
around the vehicle are clear of snow. To
ensure an adequate supply of fresh air, open a window on the side of the vehicle that is not
facing into the wind.
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at a quali-
fied specialist workshop at the onset of win-
ter.
Drive particularly carefully on slippery road
surfaces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steering and braking maneuvers. Do not use cruise
control.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
X Vehicles with manual transmission:
shift to neutral.
X Vehicles with automatic transmission:
shift the transmission to position N.
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device
and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after a short delay.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy, especially in wooded areas or on bridges. The
vehicle could skid if you fail to adapt your
driving style. Always adapt your driving style
and drive at a speed to suit the prevailing
weather conditions.
You should pay special attention to road con-
ditions when temperatures are around freez-
ing point.
For more information on driving with snow
chains, see (Y page 313).
For more information on driving with summer tires, see (Y page 312).
Observe the notes in the "Winter operation"
section (Y page 312). Driving systems
Cruise control
General notes Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden, you must select a lower gear in good time. By doing so, you will make use of the braking effect of the engine. This relievesthe load on the brake system and prevents
the brakes from overheating and wearing too
quickly.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con- ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You canstore any road speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h).
Important safety notes If you fail to adapt your driving style, cruise
control can neither reduce the risk of an acci-
dent nor override the laws of physics. Cruise
control cannot take into account the road,
traffic and weather conditions. Cruise control
is only an aid. You are responsible for the dis-
tance to the vehicle in front, for vehicle speed, Driving systems
169Driving and parking Z

The electric parking brake automatically
secures the vehicle if DISTRONIC PLUS is
activated and:
R the driver's door is open and the driver's
seat belt is unfastened.
R the engine is switched off, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
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 elec-
tronics, a warning message may also appear
in the multifunction display.
Brake Immediately
Brake Immediately
X Immediately depress the brake firmly until
the warning message in the multifunction
display goes out. DISTRONIC PLUS is deac- tivated.
Shift to 'P'
Shift to 'P'
X
Shift the transmission to position Pto pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling away.
DISTRONIC PLUS is deactivated. The warn-
ing message in the multifunction display
disappears.
The horn will also sound at regular intervals if DISTRONIC PLUS 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 DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is still activated. The sound
becomes louder if you attempt to lock the
vehicle. The vehicle is not locked until DIS-
TRONIC PLUS is deactivated.
i If the engine has been switched off, it
cannot be started again until DISTRONIC
PLUS has been deactivated. Storing the current speed or calling up the
last stored speed G
WARNING
If you call up the stored speed and it differs
from the current speed, the vehicle acceler-
ates or decelerates. If you do not know the
stored speed, the vehicle could accelerate or brake unexpectedly. There is a risk of an acci-
dent.
Pay attention to the road and traffic condi-
tions before calling up the stored speed. If you do not know the stored speed, store the
desired speed again.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you 0087.
X Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
DISTRONIC PLUS is activated. The first
time it is activated, the current speed is
stored. Otherwise, it sets the vehicle cruise
speed to the previously stored value.
Setting a speed Keep in mind that it may take a brief moment
until the vehicle has accelerated or braked to the speed set.
X To adjust the set speed in 1 mph incre-
ments (1 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up 0043to the
pressure point for a higher speed or
down 0085for a lower speed.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up or down, the last speed stored
is increased or reduced.
X To adjust the set speed in 5 mph incre-
ments (10 km/h increments): briefly
press the cruise control lever up 0043past
the pressure point for a higher speed or
down 0085for a lower speed.
Every time the cruise control lever is
pressed up or down, the last speed stored
is increased or reduced. 176
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Obstructions and stationary vehicles
DISTRONIC PLUS does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for 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. Activat-
ing 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 wind-
ing country roads.
X If indicator lamp 0043 0043is not lit: press but-
ton 0044.
Indicator lamp 0043lights up. You have selec-
ted the suspension for a sporty driving
style.
Comfort tuning Select comfort mode if you prefer a more
comfortable driving style.
X If indicator lamp 0043 0043is lit: press but-
ton 0044.
Indicator lamp 0043goes out. You have selec-
ted the suspension for a comfortable driv-
ing style. 180
Driving systemsDriving and parking

R
you apply the brakes again with a certain
amount of pressure until HOLD
HOLD 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.
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, unless it is auto-
matically switched off by the ECO start/
stop function.
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 elec-
tronics, a warning message may also appear
in the multifunction display.
Brake Immediately
Brake Immediately
X Immediately depress the brake firmly until
the warning message in the multifunction
display goes out.
The HOLD function is deactivated.
In vehicles with automatic transmission: Shift to 'P'
Shift to 'P' .
X Shift the transmission to position Pto pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling away.
The HOLD function is deactivated. The
warning message in the multifunction dis-
play disappears.
The horn 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 func- tion is deactivated.
i If the engine has been switched off, it
cannot be started again until the HOLD
function has been deactivated. PARKTRONIC
Important safety notes PARKTRONIC is an electronic parking aid with
ultrasonic sensors. It indicates visually and
audibly the distance between your vehicle
and an object.
PARKTRONIC is only an aid. It is not a replace-
ment for your attention to your immediate
surroundings. You are always responsible for
safe maneuvering, parking and exiting a park-
ing space. When maneuvering, parking or
pulling out of a parking space, make sure that there are no persons, animals or objects in
the area in which you are maneuvering.
! When parking, pay particular attention to
objects above or below the sensors, such
as flower pots or trailer drawbars. PARK-
TRONIC 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.
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. 182
Driving syste
msDriving and parking

Warning displays
Warning display for the front area
0043 Segments on the left-hand side of the
vehicle
0044 Segments on the right-hand side of the
vehicle
0087 Segments showing operational readiness
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 loca-
ted between the roll bars.
The warning display for each side of the vehi-
cle is divided into five yellow and two red seg- ments. PARKTRONIC is operational if yellow
segments showing operational readiness 0087
light up.
The selector lever position or selected auto-
matic transmission position and the direction
in which the vehicle is rolling determine which warning display is active when the engine is
running.
Manual transmission: Gear lever posi-
tion 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 back-
wards Rear and front areas
activated
P
No areas activated
One or more segments light up as the vehicle
approaches an obstacle, depending on the
vehicle's distance from the obstacle.
From the:
R sixth segment onwards, you will hear an
intermittent warning tone for approx-
imately two seconds.
R seventh segment onwards, you will hear a
warning tone for approximately two sec-
onds. This indicates that you have now
reached the minimum distance.
Deactivating/activating PARKTRONIC 0043
Indicator lamp
0044 Deactivates/activates PARKTRONIC
If indicator lamp 0043is on then PARKTRONIC is
deactivated. Parking Guidance is also deacti- vated.
i PARKTRONIC is automatically activated
when you turn the SmartKey to position 2in
the ignition lock. 184
Driving systemsDriving and parking

The two radar sensors for Blind Spot Assist
are integrated into the sides of the rear
bumper. Make sure that the bumper is free of dirt, ice or slush in the vicinity of the sensors.
The sensors must not be covered, for exam-
ple by cycle racks or overhanging loads. Fol-
lowing a severe impact or in the event of dam- age to the bumpers, have the function of the
sensors checked at a qualified specialist
workshop. Blind Spot Assist may otherwise
not work properly.
Indicator and warning display 0043
Yellow indicator lamp/red warning lamp
When Blind Spot Assist is activated, indicator
lamp 0043in the exterior mirrors lights up yel-
low at speeds of up to 20 mph (30 km/h) . At
speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h), the indica-
tor lamp goes out and Blind Spot Assist is
operational.
If a vehicle is detected within the blind spot
monitoring range at speeds above 20 mph
(30 km/h), warning lamp 0043on the corre-
sponding side lights up red. This warning is
always emitted when a vehicle enters the
blind spot monitoring range from behind or
from the side. When you overtake a vehicle,
the warning only occurs if the difference in
speed is less than 7 mph (12 km/h).
The yellow indicator lamp goes out if reverse gear is engaged. In this event, Blind Spot
Assist is no longer active.
The brightness of the indicator/warning
lamps is adjusted automatically according to
the ambient light. Collision warning
If a vehicle is detected in the monitoring range
of Blind Spot Assist and you switch on the
corresponding turn signal, a double warning
tone sounds. Red warning lamp 0043flashes. If
the turn signal remains on, vehicles detected
are indicated by the flashing of red warning
lamp 0043. There are no further warning tones.
Switching on Blind Spot Assist
X Make sure that the radar sensor system
(Y page 207) and Blind Spot Assist
(Y page 204 )are activated in the on-board
computer.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2in the igni-
tion lock.
Warning lamps 0043in the exterior mirrors
light up red for approximately 1.5 seconds
and then turn yellow.
Lane Keeping Assist General notes
Lane Keeping Assist monitors the area in
front of your vehicle with camera
0043, which is
mounted at the top of the windshield. Lane
Keeping Assist detects lane markings on the
road and warns you before you leave your
lane unintentionally.
If you select km kmon the on-board computer in
the Display Unit Speed-/Odometer
Display Unit Speed-/Odometer func-
tion (Y page 204), Lane Keeping Assist is
active starting at a speed of 60 km/h. If the
miles
miles display unit is selected, the assistance
range begins at 40 mph. 190
Driving systemsDriving and parking

Useful information
i This Operator's manual describes all
models and all standard and optional equip- ment of your vehicle available at the time of
publication of the Operator's manual.
Country-specific differences are possible.
Please note that your vehicle may not be
equipped with all features described. This
also applies to safety-related systems and
functions.
i Read the information on qualified special-
ist workshops (Y page 26). Important safety notes
G
WARNING
If you operate information systems and com-
munication equipment integrated in the vehi- cle while driving, you will be distracted from
traffic conditions. You could also lose control of the vehicle. There is a risk of an accident.
Only operate the equipment when the traffic
situation permits. If you are not sure that this
is possible, park the vehicle paying attention
to traffic conditions and operate the equip-
ment when the vehicle is stationary.
You must observe the legal requirements for
the country in which you are currently driving when operating the on-board computer. G
WARNING
If the instrument cluster has failed or mal-
functioned, you may not recognize function
restrictions in systems relevant to safety. The operating safety of your vehicle may be
impaired. There is a risk of an accident.
Drive on carefully. Have the vehicle checked
at a qualified specialist workshop immedi-
ately.
The on-board computer only shows messages
or warnings from certain systems in the mul- tifunction display. You should therefore make
sure your vehicle is operating safely at all times. Otherwise, a vehicle that is not oper-
ating safely may cause an accident.
If the operating safety of your vehicle is
impaired, pull over as soon as it is safe to do
so. Contact a qualified specialist workshop.
For an overview, see the instrument panel
illustration (Y
page 31). Displays and operation
Instrument cluster lighting
The lighting in the instrument cluster, in the
displays and the controls in the vehicle inte-
rior can be adjusted using the brightness con-
trol knob.
The brightness control knob is on the bottom left of the instrument cluster (Y page 31).
X Turn the brightness control knob counter-
clockwise or clockwise.
If the light switch is set to 0058,0060or
0058, the brightness is dependent upon
the brightness of the ambient light.
i The light sensor in the instrument cluster
automatically controls the brightness of
the multifunction display.
In daylight, the displays in the instrument
cluster are not lit. Coolant temperature display
G
WARNING
Opening the hood when the engine is over-
heated or when there is a fire in the engine
compartment could expose you to hot gases
or other service products. There is a risk of
injury.
Let an overheated engine cool down before
opening the hood. If there is a fire in the
engine compartment, keep the hood closed
and contact the fire department.
! A display message is shown if the coolant
temperature is too high. 194
Displays and operationOn-board computer and displays