MERCEDES-BENZ CLK350 2008 C209 Owner's Manual

260 Controls in detail
Soft top (Cabriolet)
Opening the soft top
1Soft top, opening
Before pulling on the soft top switch, you
must make sure:

the parking brake is engaged
(
page 59)

the luggage cover is latched, see
“Latch luggage cover” (
page 264)

the trunk lid is closed

the ignition is switched on (page 38)
Pull up on the soft top switch as indi-
cated by the arrow1 until the soft top
is completely lowered into its trunk
storage compartment.
During the opening procedure the mul-
tifunction display shows the message
Top In Operation.
If you continuously pull on the soft top
switch, the windows will close.However, the windows can also be
closed/opened later on, for more informa-
tion see “Opening and closing all side win-
dows with the soft top switch (CLK
cabriolet)” (
page 255), or see “Opening
and closing the windows” (
page 250).
iThe soft top cannot be opened using the soft
top switch when the roll bars have been re-
leased. The roll bars need to be lowered before
the soft top can be operated again using the soft
top switch. If the roll bars have released and the
soft top is closed, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center to have the roll bars low-
ered. Do not attempt to lower the roll bars man-
ually with the soft top closed. Lowering the roll
bars manually with the soft top closed may im-
pair the function of the roll bars (
page 82).
If the roll bars have released and the soft top is
open, you can lower the roll bars manually
(
page 431) or contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center to have the roll bars
lowered.
iFor safety reasons, the soft top cannot be
opened while driving.
Make sure the soft top is dry before you open it.
Otherwise water may enter the trunk interior.
!To prevent mildew, the soft top must be dry
before lowering it into the storage compartment.
Do not lower a frozen soft top until thawed and
dry. Lowering a frozen soft top may result in
damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
Do not place anything on the soft top com-
partment cover.
The soft top compartment cover must never
be used by any persons as a seat bench.
Raising of the roll bars could result in seri-
ous personal injury.

261 Controls in detail
Soft top (Cabriolet)
Closing the soft top
1Soft top, closing
Before pressing the soft top switch, you
must make sure:

the parking brake is engaged
(
page 59)

the trunk lid is closed

the ignition is switched on (page 38)
Press the soft top switch as indicated
by the arrow1 until the soft top is
completely closed and locked.
During the closing procedure the multi-
function display shows the message
Top In Operation.
If you continuously press on the soft
top switch the windows will close.
However, the windows can also be
closed/opened later on, for more informa-
tion see “Opening and closing all side win-
dows with the soft top switch (CLK
cabriolet)” (
page 255) or see “Opening
and closing the windows” (
page 250).
iFor safety reasons, the soft top cannot be
closed while driving.
iThe soft top cannot be closed using the soft
top switch when the roll bars have been re-
leased. The roll bars need to be lowered before
the soft top can be operated again using the soft
top switch. If the roll bars have released and the
soft top is open, you can lower the roll bars man-
ually (
page 431) or contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center to have the roll bars low-
ered.
Warning!G
To prevent possible accidents, drive the ve-
hicle only with the soft top either completely
closed and locked, or fully lowered into its
storage compartment.
If the soft top does not completely open or
close, a warning sounds. In the multifunc-
tion display you will see K, and the mes-
sage
Open/Close Top Completely
appears. After about 15 seconds the roof
hydraulics lose pressure if the ignition is
switched off.
Properly lock the soft top (
page 262) be-
fore continuing to drive.

262 Controls in detail
Soft top (Cabriolet)
Locking the soft top after raising/low-
ering
If the soft top is not properly locked, lock it
as described below.Unlocked status noticed when stopped
Switch on the ignition (page 38).
To lock the soft top in its fully closed
position, press soft top switch.
or:
To lock the soft top in its fully opened
position, pull up on the soft top switch.
Unlocked status noticed while driving
Stop the vehicle.
Leave the ignition switched on.
To lock the soft top in its fully closed
position, press soft top switch.
or:
To lock the soft top in its fully opened
position, pull up on the soft top switch.
Warning!G
The soft top is not fully closed and locked or
not fully opened if:

the message Top In Operation is
shown in the multifunction display

a warning sounds for 10 seconds when
starting to drive
To prevent possible accidents, drive the ve-
hicle only with the soft top either completely
closed and locked, or fully lowered into its
storage compartment.
Warning!G
Stop the vehicle in a safe location or as soon
as it is safe to do so and lock the soft top be-
fore continuing to drive. You could other-
wise endanger yourself and others.
Warning!G
If the soft top does not completely open or
close, the roof hydraulics will lose pressure
and the soft top will lower

after approximately seven minutes
when the ignition is switched on.

after approximately 15 seconds when
the ignition is switched off.
Shortly before the soft top is lowered, a
warning will sound. In the multifunction dis-
play you will see K, and the message
Top
Lowering
appears.

Properly lock the soft top (page 262)
before continuing to drive.

263 Controls in detail
Soft top (Cabriolet)
Opening and closing the soft top with
the SmartKey
The windows will also be opened or closed
when you operate the soft top with the
SmartKey.
Aim transmitter eye of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* at the
driver’s outside door handle. The
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* must be in close proxim-
ity to the driver’s outside door handle.Opening (Summer opening feature)
Press and hold button Πuntil the
soft top is completely open.
The windows and soft top begin to
open after approximately one second.
During the opening procedure the mul-
tifunction display shows the message
Top In Operation.
Release transmit button Πto inter-
rupt procedure.
Make sure the soft top is fully opened.
Closing (Convenience feature)
Press and hold button ‹until the
soft top is completely closed.
The windows and soft top begin to
close after approximately one second.
During the closing procedure the multi-
function display shows the message
Top In Operation.
Release transmit button ‹to inter-
rupt procedure.
Warning!G
Before operating the soft top, make sure no
persons can be injured by the moving parts
(roll bar, soft top frame, and soft top com-
partment cover) due to negligence.
Hands must never be placed near the roll
bar, soft top frame, upper windshield area,
shelf behind roll bar, or soft top storage
compartment while the soft top is being
raised or lowered. Serious personal injury
may occur.
If potential dangers exists, release the re-
spective button on the SmartKey. This im-
mediately interrupts the raising or lowering
procedure. You then can operate Πto
lower or ‹to raise the soft top away
from the danger zone.

264 Controls in detail
Soft top (Cabriolet)
Make sure all side windows and the
soft top are properly closed before leaving
the vehicle.Luggage cover
The luggage cover is located in the trunk.
1Luggage cover
Open the trunk
Latch luggage cover
Pull luggage cover1 out in direction
of arrow until it engages in place.Folding back luggage cover
Press luggage cover1 in direction of
rear seat.
Warning!G
If the soft top does not completely open or
close, a warning sounds and the soft top
switch flashes. In the multifunction display
you will see K, and the message
Open/Close Top Completely appears.
After about 15 seconds the roof hydraulics
lose pressure.
Properly lock the soft top (
page 262) be-
fore continuing to drive.
!To prevent damage to the soft top or lug-
gage/cargo when lowering the roof:

load trunk only to the height of the luggage
cover

do not permit luggage/cargo to push up the
closed luggage cover

do not place anything on the shelf behind the
roll bars

do not place anything on the soft top com-
partment cover
!Never place anything behind the side nets
when the luggage cover has been folded back.
You could forget about objects placed there,
which could result in damage when operating the
soft top.

265 Controls in detail
Soft top (Cabriolet)
Wind screen
The wind screen deflects drafts away from
the driver and passenger when the soft top
is lowered. It is stored in a separate stor-
age bag in the trunk.Installing
Remove the wind screen from its stor-
age bag.
1Upper section
2Lower section
Fold sections1 and2 together.3Catch
4Retainer claw
5Snap fastener
Press retainer claw4 on upper sec-
tion into snap fastener5 of lower sec-
tion.
Warning!G
The wind screen can restrict the driver’s vi-
sion to the rear of the vehicle. To prevent a
possible accident when visibility is limited
(e.g. in darkness), the upper part of the wind
screen should be folded back.


266 Controls in detail
Soft top (Cabriolet)
Fold retaining lugs6 out.
Slide pre-assembled wind screen into
mounting fixture on right side7 using
retaining pin on right side. Simulta-
neously, retaining lugs6 should slide
into seat belt passage in rear bench
seat.
Pull catch8 in position9 and guide
left retaining pin into mounting fixture
on left side.
Fold upper section of wind screen up
toward head restraints until it stops.Removing
Fold upper section of wind screen back
down.
Pull catch8 in position10 and pull
wind screen out toward front of vehi-
cle. Be careful not to damage interior
trim with guide tabs.
Fold retaining lugs6 back.
bCatch
Press catch b to the right and fold up-
per and lower sections back.
Place the wind screen back into the
bag.
6Retaining lugs
7Mounting fixture on right side
8Catch
9Locking
10Unlocking
Warning!G
Check for secure locking by pulling up on
the wind screen.
To prevent personal injury, remove wind
screen if rear seats are to be occupied by
passengers.


267 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control, with which the vehicle
can maintain a preset speed.

Parktronic* (CLK 63 AMG (USA),
Canada all vehicles), which serves as a
parking assistant.
For information on the BAS, ABS, and
ESP
®, see “Driving safety systems”
(
page 90).
Cruise control
Cruise control automatically maintains the
speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time.
You can set or resume cruise control at any
speed over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever on the left-hand side of the steering
column (
page 26).
Warning!G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle’s speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.

Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

268 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume to last set speedSetting current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.
Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.
Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds, and the corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed to the
vehicle maximum speed are illuminated.
Warning!G
Cruise control brakes automatically so that
the set speed is not exceeded. The brake
pedal depresses when the cruise control en-
gages the brakes.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement which could interfere with the
braking ability of the cruise control system.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
- your foot could become caught.
Keep in mind that cruise control is a conve-
nience system designed to assist the driver
during vehicle operation. The driver is and
must always remain responsible for the ve-
hicle’s speed and for safe brake operation.
iOn uphill or downhill grades, cruise control
may not be able to maintain the set speed. Once
the grade eases, the set speed will be resumed.
On downhill grades, the cruise control will hold
the set speed with braking from the vehicle’s
brake system.
In addition, on longer downhill grades the auto-
matic transmission will automatically downshift.

269 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel cruise
control:
Step on the brake pedal.
Cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
or
Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position3.
Cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.Setting a higher speed
Lift cruise control lever in the direction
of arrow1 and hold it up until the de-
sired speed is reached.
Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
iThe last stored speed is canceled when you
turn off the engine.
iCruise control automatically switched off, if

you step on the brake pedal.

you press the parking brake pedal.
In this case the segments in the multifunc-
tion display (
page 268) go out and no
warning sounds.

the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(30 km/h).

ESP® is in operation or switched off with the
ESP® switch (page 94).

you move the gear selector lever in
positionN while driving.
The segments in the multifunction display
(
page 268) go out, and an acoustic warning
sounds.
!Moving gear selector lever to positionN
while driving also cancels cruise control. Howev-
er, the gear selector lever should not be moved
to positionN while driving except to coast when
the vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g. on icy
roads).
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does not
deactivate cruise control. After brief accelera-
tion (e.g. for passing), cruise control will resume
the last speed set.
Warning!G
If you increase the set vehicle speed, keep in
mind that it may take a brief moment until
the vehicle has made the necessary adjust-
ments.
Increase the set vehicle speed to a value
that the prevailing road conditions and legal
speed limits permit. Otherwise, sudden and
unexpected acceleration of the vehicle
could cause an accident and/or serious in-
jury to you and others.