MERCEDES-BENZ SLK55AMG 2008 R171 Owner's Manual

180 Controls in detail
Climate control
Air conditioning
The cooling function, only operational
when the engine is running, cools the
vehicle interior down to the selected
temperature. The cooling function also
dehumidifies the air in the vehicle interior,
thus preventing the windows from
fogging up.Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the climate
control system. The air in the vehicle will
then no longer be cooled or dehumidified.
Press button9 (page 174).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The cooling function switches off
after a short delay.
Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
Press button9 (page 174) again.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.Maximum cooling
Turn thumbwheels2and9
(
page 172) upwards to the first stop.
The fixed center air vents3and8
(
page 172) and the adjustable air
vents1anda (
page 172) are
open.
For draft-free ventilation, move the
sliders for the center air vents
1anda (
page 172) to the middle
position.
Turn thumbwheels6andb
(
page 172) for the adjustable side air
vents5andc (
page 172) to the
fully open position.
Set air distribution control3
(
page 176) to positiona.
The air distribution directs the air
through the center and side air vents.
Warning!G
If you turn off the cooling function, the inte-
rior air is not dried. The windows can fog up
more quickly. Window fogging may impair
visibility and endanger you and others.
iCondensation may drip from underneath the
vehicle. This is normal and not an indication of a
malfunction.

181 Controls in detail
Climate control
Set air volume control2 (page 177)
to position5.
The ventilation operates with maximum
blower speed.
Turn temperature controls1and4
(
page 174) completely counterclock-
wise to their end stops.
The lowest temperature for both sides
is set.
Residual engine heat utilization
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.
Activating
Switch off the ignition (page 37).
Press button9 (page 174).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating
Press button9 (page 174) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
iWhen the vehicle’s interior has cooled down
enough, reduce the air volume and increase the
air temperature to comfortable settings if
desired.
iHow long the system will provide heating
depends on

the coolant temperature

the temperature set by the operator
The blower will run at speed setting1 regardless
of the air distribution control setting.
iThe residual heat is automatically turned off

when the ignition is switched on (page 37)

after about 30 minutes

if the battery voltage drops

182 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*

183 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Item
1Cockpit air vent (depending on
vehicle production date)
2Thumbwheel for air volume control
for cockpit air vent (depending on
vehicle production date)
3Right center air vent, adjustable
4Thumbwheel for air volume control
for fixed/adjustable right center air
vents
5Right center air vent, fixed
6Right side defroster air vent, fixed
7Right side air vent, adjustable
8Thumbwheel for air volume control
for adjustable right side air vent
Item
9Automatic climate control panel
aLeft center air vent, fixed
bThumbwheel for air volume control
for fixed/adjustable left center air
vents
cLeft center air vent, adjustable
dThumbwheel for air volume control
for adjustable left side air vent
eLeft side air vent, adjustable
fLeft side defroster air vent, fixed
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the sliders
for center air vents and side air vents to the
middle position.

184 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
The automatic climate control is oper-
ational whenever the engine is running.
You can operate the automatic climate
control system in either the automatic or
manual mode. The system cools or heats
the interior depending on the selected
interior temperature and the current
outside temperature.Item
1Air volume control, manual
2Air distribution and air volume
(automatic mode)
3Front defroster
4Temperature control, left, raising
5Automatic climate control on/off
(complete system)
6Temperature control, right, raising
7Rear window defroster
8Air distribution control, manual
9Residual heat/ventilation
aAC cooling on/off
bTemperature control, right, lowering
cTemperature control, left, lowering
dAir recirculation
eDisplay
Warning!G
When operating the automatic climate
control, the air that enters the passenger
compartment through the air vents can be
very hot or very cold (depending on the set
temperature). This may cause burns or frost-
bite on unprotected skin in the immediate
area of the air vents. Always keep sufficient
distance between unprotected parts of the
body and the air vents. If necessary, use the
air distribution controls (
page 184) to
direct the air to air vents in the vehicle
interior that are not in the immediate area of
unprotected skin.

185 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air
enters the interior through the air dis-
tribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the A/Cmode is deactivated
(
page 184).Deactivating the climate control
system
Deactivating
Press button´ (page 184).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Warning!G
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before
its scheduled replacement interval.
A clogged filter will reduce the air volume to
the interior and the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others. Have a clogged filter replaced as
soon as possible at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
Follow the recommended settings for
heating and cooling given on the following
pages. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate the in-
terior before driving off. The automatic climate
control will then adjust the interior temperature
to the set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the wind-
shield free of snow and debris.
When the retractable hardtop is closed, do not
obstruct air flow by placing objects on the air
flow-through exhaust slots below the rear win-
dow.
Warning!G
When the automatic climate control is
switched off, the outside air supply and
circulation are also switched off. Only
choose this setting for a short time.
Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you
and others.

186 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Reactivating
Switch on the ignition (page 37).
Press button´ (page 184) again.
The previous settings are once again in
effect.
or
Press buttonU (page 184).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. Air volume and air dis-
tribution are adjusted automatically.
Operating the climate control system
in automatic modeActivating
Press buttonU (page 184) while
the engine is running.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air volume and air dis-
tribution are adjusted automatically.
Use temperature controls4and6
orbandc (
page 184) to sepa-
rately adjust the air temperature on
each side of the passenger com-
partment.
The temperature of the vehicle interior
is adjusted automatically.
Deactivating
Press buttonU (page 184) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The air volume changes to level2
and the air distribution changes
tob. Automatic control of air
volume and air distribution is switched
off.
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls4andc for
the driver’s side or6andb for the
passenger side (
page 184) to separately
adjust the air temperature on each side of
the passenger compartment. You should
raise or lower the temperature setting in
small increments, preferably starting
at 72°F (22°C). The automatic climate
control will adjust to the set temperature
as fast as possible.
iWhen operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic mode, you will only
rarely need to adjust the temperature, air volume
and air distribution.
In automatic mode, cooling with dehumidify is
switched on. This function can be switched off if
necessary.

187 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Increasing
Press temperature button(s) 4
and/or6 (
page 184) until the
desired temperature appears in the
control panel displaye (
page 184).
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Decreasing
Press temperature button(s) b
and/orc (
page 184) until the
desired temperature appears in the
control panel displaye (
page 184).
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Adjusting air distribution
Use air distribution control 8
(
page 184) to adjust the air distribution.
The following symbols are found on the
control:
Turn air distribution control8
(
page 184) to the desired position.
The indicator lamp on the buttonU
(
page 184) goes out.
The automatic air distribution is
switched off. The air distribution is
controlled according to the selected
control setting.
SymbolFunction
aDirects air through the
center and side air vents
ZDirects air to the wind-
shield and through the side
air vents
bDirects air into the entire
vehicle interior
YDirects air to the footwells
and through the side air
vents
iYou can also turn the control to a position
between two symbols.

188 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Opening the cockpit air vent and center
air vents
Center air vents
Turn thumbwheels 4and b
(
page 182) to the first stop.
Center air vents 3,5,a andcare
open.
Turn thumbwheels4 andb
(
page 182) upward all the way.
Only center air vents3andc are
open.
Cockpit air vent (depending on vehicle
production date)
Turn thumbwheel 2 (page 182)
upward all the way.
Cockpit air vent1 is open.Closing the cockpit air vent and center
air vents
Center air vents
Turn thumbwheels4andb
(
page 182) downward.
Center air vents 3,5,a andc are
closed.
Cockpit air vent (depending on vehicle
production date)
Turn thumbwheels2 (page 182)
downward.
Cockpit air vent1 is closed.
Opening and closing side air vents
Turn thumbwheels8andd
(
page 182) in the corresponding
direction.
Side air vents7ande are open or
closed.
Adjusting air volume
Use buttonU (
page 184) for auto-
matic mode or air volume control1
(
page 184) to adjust air volume
manually.
Eleven blower speeds are available.
Turn air volume control1
(
page 184) to the desired position.
The indicator lamp on buttonU
(
page 184) goes out.
The automatic operation of air volume
switches off.

189 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Front defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, for example if it is iced up.
You can also defog the windshield and the
side windows.
Activating
Press buttonP (page 184).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning switches
automatically to the following functions:

cooling on to dehumidify

maximum blowing and heating
power

air flows onto the windshield and
the front side windowsDeactivating
Press buttonP (page 184) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The previous settings are once again in
effect.
Windows fogged on the outside
Switch the windshield wipers on
(
page 56).
Press buttonU (page 184).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. Air distribution and air
volume are adjusted automatically.
If the automatic air distribution and air
volume are switched off:
Turn air distribution control8 to
positionaorY (
page 184).
Maximum cooling MAX COOL
When operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic modeU
and there is a high need for cooling,
MAX COOL is activated. This provides the
fastest possible cooling of the vehicle’s in-
terior (when retractable hardtop is closed).
MAX COOL will appear in displaye
(
page 184).
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield or the side windows are clear again.
iWhen you have activated the front defroster
using buttonP, no other settings are
possible.
iThe cooling remains switched on.
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.