MERCEDES-BENZ CLK CABRIOLET 2001 A208 Owner's Manual

318 Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc. - capacities
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Windshield washer system
(MB Windshield washer concentrate “S”
1)approx. 7.4 US qt (7.0 l)
Fuel tank
including a reserve of
(Premium unleaded gasoline:
Posted Octane 91 (Avg. of 96 RON/86 MON))approx. 16.4 US gal (62.0 l)
approx. 2.1 US gal (8.0 l)
Air conditioner system
(R-134a refrigerant and special
PA C l u b r i c a n t (Never R-12))
1 Use MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S” and water for temperatures above freezing or MB Windshield Washer Concentrate “S” and
commercially available premixed windshield washer solvent/antifreeze for temperatures below freezing. Follow suggested mixing ratios, see
page 259.Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc. Model Capacity

319 Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
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Engine oils are specifically tested for their suitability in
our engines. Therefore, use only engine oils
recommended by Mercedes-Benz. Information on
recommended brands is available at your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Please follow Service Booklet recommendations for
scheduled oil changes. Failure to do so could result in
engine damage not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Engine oil additives
Do not blend oil additives with engine oil. They may be
harmful to the engine operation.
Damage or malfunctions resulting from blending oil
additives are not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
War ra nt y.Air conditioner refrigerant
R-134a (H FC) ref rigerant a nd special PAG l ubricating oil
is used in the air conditioner system.
Never use R-12 (CFC) or mineral-based lubricating oil,
otherwise damage to the system will occur.
Brake fluid
During vehicle operation, the boiling point of the brake
fluid is continuously reduced through the absorption of
moisture from the atmosphere. Under extremely hard
operating conditions, this moisture content can lead to
the formation of bubbles in the system thus reducing
the system’s efficiency.
The brake fluid must therefore be replaced every two
years, preferably in the spring.
It is recommended to use only brake fluid approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
will provide you with additional information.

320 Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
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Premium unleaded gasoline
Caution!
To maintain the engine’s durability and performance,
premium unleaded gasoline must be used. If premium
unleaded is not available and low octane fuel is used,
follow these precautions:
•have the fuel tank filled only partially with unleaded
regular and fill up with premium unleaded as soon
as possible,
•avoid full throttle driving and abrupt acceleration,
•do not exceed an engine speed of 3000 rpm, if the
vehicle is loaded with a light load such as two
persons and no luggage,
•do not exceed 2/3 of maximum accelerator pedal
position, if the vehicle is fully loaded or operating in
mountainous terrain.Fuel requirements
Use only Premium unleaded meeting ASTM
standa rd D 439:
The octane number (posted at the pump) must be
91 min. It is an average of both the Research (R) octane
number and the Motor (M) octane number: [(R+M)/2].
This is also known as ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates such as
Ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be used provided the
ratio of any one of these oxygenates to gasoline does not
exceed 10%, MTBE not to exceed 15%.
The ratio of Methanol to gasoline must not exceed 3%
plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of Ethanol and Methanol is not allowed.
Gasohol, which contains 10% Ethanol and 90% unleaded
gasoline, can be used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel requirements
such as resistance to spark knock, boiling range, vapor
pressure etc..

321 Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
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A major concern among engine manufacturers is carbon
build up caused by gasoline. Mercedes-Benz
recommends the use of only quality gasoline containing
additives that prevent the build up of carbon deposits.
After an extended period of using fuels without such
a d d i t i ve s , c a r b o n d e po si t s c a n b u il d u p e s pe c ia l ly o n t h e
intake valves and in the combustion area, leading to
engine performance problems such as:
•warm-up hesitation,
•unstable idle,
•knocking/pinging,
•misfire,
•power loss.
Do not blend other specific fuel additives with fuel.
They only result in unnecessary cost, and may be
harmful to the engine operation.
Damage or malfunctions resulting from poor fuel
quality or from blending specific fuel additives are not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Coolants
The engine coolant is a mixture of water and
anticorrosion/antifreeze, which provides:
•corrosion protection,
•freeze protection,
•boiling protection (by increasing the boiling point).
The cooling system was filled at the factory with a
coolant providing freeze protection to approximately
-22°F (-30°C) and corrosion protection.
If the antifreeze mixture is effective to -22°F (-30°C), the
boiling point of the coolant in the pressurized cooling
system is reached at approximately 266°F (130°C).
The cool ant sol ution must be used yea r round to provide
the necessary corrosion protection and increase in the
boil-over protection. You should have it replaced every
3years.
To provide the important corrosion protection, the
solution must be at least 45% anticorrosion/antifreeze
(equals a freeze protection to approx. - 22°F [-30°C]). If
you use a solution that is more than 55% anticorrosion/
antifreeze (freeze protection to approx. - 49°F [-45°C]),

322 Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc.
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the engine temperature will increase due to the lower
h eat transfer ca pa bil ity of th e sol ution. Therefore, d o not
use more than this amount of anticorrosion/antifreeze.
If the coolant level is low, water and MB anticorrosion/
antifreeze should be used to bring it up to the proper
level (have cooling system checked for signs of leakage).
The water in the cooling system must meet minimum
requirements, which are usually satisfied by normal
drinking water. If your are not sure about the water
quality, consult your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Anticorrosion/antifreeze
Your vehicle contains a number of aluminum parts. The
use of aluminum components in motor vehicle engines
necessitates that anticorrosion/antifreeze coolant used
in such e ng ines b e specif ica lly formul ated to protec t th e
aluminum parts. (Failure to use such anticorrosion/
antifreeze coolant will result in a significantly
shortened service life.)
Therefore the following product is strongly
recommended for use in your vehicle: Mercedes-Benz
Anticorrosion/antifreeze agent.Before the start of the winter season (or once a year in
the hot southern regions), you should have the
anticorrosion/antifreeze concentration checked. The
coolant is also regularly checked each time you bring
your vehicle to your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for service.
Anticorrosion/antifreeze quantity
Model Approx. freeze protection
-35°F
(-37°C)-49°F (
-45°C)
CLK 320 4.8 US qt
(4.5 l)5.3 US qt
(5.0 l)
CLK 430 5.9 US qt
(5.6 l)6.5 US qt
(6.1 l)

323 Consumer information
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This has been prepared as required of all manufactures
of passenger cars under Title 49, Code of U.S. Federal
Regulations, Part 575 pursuant to the “National Traffic
and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966”.
Uniform tire quality grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable on the
tire sidewall between tread shoulder and maximum
section width. For example:
All passenger vehicle tires must conform to federal
safety requirements in addition to these grades.
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating based on
the wear rate of the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specified government test course. For
example, a tire graded 150 would wear one and one-half
(1
1/2) times as well on the government course as a tire
graded 100. The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, however, and may depart significantly from the norm due to
variations in driving habits, service practices and
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest are AA, A, B,
and C. Those grades represent the tire’s ability to stop
on wet pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test surfaces of
asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C may have poor
traction performance.
Tread wear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
Wa r n i n g !
The traction grade assigned to this tire is based on
straightahead braking traction tests, and does not
include acceleration, cornering, hydroplaning, or
peak traction characteristics.

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Temp era tur e
The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C,
representing the tire’s resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life,
and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire
failure. The grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger vehicle tires must
meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel than the
minimum required by law.
Wa r n i n g !
The temperature grade for this tire is established
for a tire that is properly inflated and not
overloaded. Excessive speed, underinflation, or
excessive loading, either separately or in
combination, can cause excessive heat build up
and possible tire failure.

325 Index
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Index
AABS (Antilock brake system) ....................................... 218
Malfunction indicator lamp ..................................... 231
ABS-SYSTEM - malfunction
and warning messages ............................................237
Adjusting headlamp aim ...............................................285
Adjusting telescoping steering column ........................ 76
Air conditioner refrigerant ........................................... 319
Air distribution .............................................................. 124
Air volume ...................................................................... 124
Airbag deactivation system ............................................ 64
Airbag OFF indicator lamp ...........................................233
Airbags .............................................................................. 66
Alarm system ............................................................. 42, 44
Antenna
Removal ......................................................................298
Anticorrosion/antifreeze .....................212, 258, 317, 322
Antiglare night position ................................................. 77
Antilock brake system (ABS) ....................................... 218
Malfunction indicator lamp ..................................... 231
Antitheft alarm system ................................................... 42
Aquaplaning ...................................................................209Armrest, rear bench ....................................................... 156
Ashtray
Center console, front ................................................ 154
Audio system .................................................................. 127
Anti-theft system .......................................................129
Button and soft key operation ................................. 130
Cassette mode ............................................................ 135
CD changer .................................................................140
CD mode ..................................................................... 139
Operating and display elements .............................128
Operating safety ........................................................127
Operation .................................................................... 131
Operation – audio and telephone ...........................127
Radio mode ................................................................ 133
Telephone operation .................................................143
Audio systems ...................................................................93
Cassette player ............................................................95
CD player ......................................................................94
Radio .............................................................................93
Automatic central locking ..............................................37
Automatic climate control ............................................120
Air distribution ..........................................................124
Air recirculation ........................................................125
Air volume .................................................................. 124
Basic setting ...............................................................122
Defogging windows ...................................................123

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Defrosting ................................................................... 123
Display and controls ................................................. 122
Dust filter ................................................................... 126
Economy ..................................................................... 123
Rear window defroster ............................................. 124
Residual engine heat utilization (REST) ............... 125
Special settings ......................................................... 123
Automatic transmission ............................................... 195
Emergency operation ...............................................203
Fluid level ...................................................................257
Program mode selector switch ...............................202
Selector lever position .............................................. 198
Transmission selector lever, manually unlocking 279
BBabySmart
TM airbag deactivation system ..................... 64
Self-test ......................................................................... 64
Backrest, front seat .......................................................... 54
BAS (Brake assist system) ............................................ 216
Malfunction indicator lamp ..................................... 231
Battery .............................................................................272
Battery recycling .......................................................273
BATTERY/ALTERNATOR - malfunction
and warning messages ............................................236Block heater .................................................................... 212
BRAKE ASSIST - malfunction
and warning messages ............................................ 237
Brake assist system (BAS) ............................................ 216
Malfunction indicator lamp .....................................231
Brake fluid ..................................................... 229, 317, 319
Capacity ...................................................................... 317
BRAKE FLUID - malfunction
and warning messages ............................................ 238
BRAKE LINING WEAR - malfunction
and warning messages ............................................ 238
Brake pad wear .............................................................. 238
Brake warning lamp ..................................................... 229
Brake fluid low ......................................................... 229
Brakes ................................................... 204, 206, 216, 220
CCapacities
Fuels, coolants, lubricants etc. ............................... 317
Cargo tie-down rings ..................................................... 156
Catalytic converter ......................................................... 180
Cellular telephone .......................................................... 157
Center console .................................................................. 20
Central locking switch .................................................... 36

327 Index
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cluster displayPractical hints Car careIndex Central locking system ................................................... 28
Automatic central locking ......................................... 37
Choosing global or selective mode ........................... 31
Electronic main key .................................................... 25
Electronic reserve key ................................................ 26
Locking and unlocking .............................................. 30
Mechanical keys .......................................................... 33
Remote control ............................................................ 28
Changing wheels ...........................................................266
CHECK ENGINE malfunction indicator lamp ............228
Check regularly and before a long trip ......................226
Checking engine oil level
Via engine oil level indicator ...................................112
Via oil dipstick ...........................................................256
Child restraint .............................................. 58, 63, 64, 74
Cleaning and care of the vehicle .................................302
Clock, setting .................................................................. 106
COMAND, radio and telephone ................................... 178
Combination switch .......................................................117
Consumer information ..................................................323
Control and operation of radio transmitters ............. 178
COOLANT (coolant level) -
malfunction and warning messages ......................240
Coolant level
Adding coolant ..........................................................258
Checking ....................................................................257COOLANT TEMP. (coolant temperature) -
malfunction and warning messages ......................241
Coolant temperature gauge ............................................ 86
Coolants ...........................................................................321
Anticorrosion/antifreeze quantity .........................321
Cruise control ................................................................. 214
Cup holder
Center console, front ................................................ 153
DDaytime running lamps ................................................ 115
Deep water
Driving instructions ................................................. 212
DISPLAY DEFECTIVE (engine control unit) -
malfunction and warning messages ..................... 235
DISPLAY DEFECTIVE (several systems) -
malfunction and warning messages ..................... 235
Display illumination ........................................................ 85
Doors .................................................................................. 34
Drinking and driving .................................................... 205
Drive sensibly - save fuel ............................................. 205
Driving instructions ..................................................... 205
Driving off ...................................................................... 207