wheel MERCEDES-BENZ CLK320 COUPE 2003 C209 Service Manual

145 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Program mode selector switch
1Program mode selector switch
S Standard For regular driving
W Winter For winter driving

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the letter of the
desired shift program appears in the
speedometer display field
(page 114).
Select
Wfor winter driving:


The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.


Traction and driving stability are im-
proved on icy roads.


Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.


The power transmission ratio for se-
lector lever positionR changes de-
pending on the program mode
selected (
W or
S).
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the Smart-
Key with KEYLESS-GO* (if so equipped) with
you and lock the vehicle. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Children could
move the selector lever from positionP,
which could result in an accident and/or se-
rious personal injury.
!Never change the program mode when
the selector lever is out of positionP. It
could result in a change of driving char-
acteristics for which you may not be
prepared.

146 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionAccelerator position
Your driving style influences the transmis-
sion’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
home (emergency operation) mode. In this
mode, only 2nd gear and reverse gear can
be activated.
Stop the vehicle.

Move selector lever toP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least ten seconds before re-
starting.

Move selector lever to positionD (for
2nd gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center as
soon as possible.Steering wheel gearshift control
(Speedshift) and manual shift program
CLK 55 AMG
The CLK 55 AMG can be driven in both the
automatic and manual shift program
modes. In the manual shift program mode,
you can change the gears yourself on the
steering wheel or by using the selector le-
ver.
1Shift button
2Left button: downshift
3Right button: upshift

147 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
To do so, you must first select the manual
shift program M on the program mode se-
lector switch.
1Program mode selector switch
S SPORT For regular driving
C COMFORT For comfortable driving
M MANUAL For manual gear shifting
The selected shift program (
S/C/M) is indi-
cated in the speedometer display field
(
page 114).Activating steering wheel gearshift
control

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the
M for manual
shift program appears in the speedom-
eter display field.
Automatic gear shifting is deactivated.Upshifting

Press button 3 located on the right side
of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the selector lever to the
right in the D+direction.
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.
Warm up the engine gently. Do not place
full load on the engine until the operating
temperature has been reached. Shift into
reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped.
!Never change the program mode when
the selector lever is out of positionP. It
could result in a change of driving char-
acteristics for which you may not be
prepared.
!When driving off on slippery road sur-
faces, avoid spinning a drive wheel for
longer periods. This may cause damage
to the drivetrain.

148 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionDownshifting
Press button 2 located on the left side
of the steering wheel.
or

Briefly press the selector lever to the
left in the D-direction.
The transmission shifts to the next low-
er gear.
Warm up the engine gently. Do not place
full load on the engine until the operating
temperature has been reached. Shift into
reverse gear only when the vehicle is
stopped.Deactivating steering wheel gearshift
control

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the
S or
C for au-
tomatic shift program appears in the
speedometer display field.
Automatic gear shifting is activated.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
iAt each engine start, the transmission
will go into the last automatic shift pro-
gram mode selected (
S or
C). Program
mode
M is not stored and will not be re-
called when the engine is restarted.

155 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Automatic climate control panel
Item
1
Left side air vent, adjustable
2
Left center air vent, adjustable
3
Air volume control for center air
vents
4
Right center air vent, adjustable
5
Right side air vent, adjustable
6
Automatic climate control panel
7
Air volume control for far right air
vent
8
Thumbwheel for lowering tempera-
ture, center and side air vents
9
Air volume control for far left air
ventiFor draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents to the mid-
dle position.
Item
1
Temperature control, left, lowering
2
Temperature control, left, raising
3
Left-side air distribution (automatic
or manual operation)
4
Activated charcoal filter
5
Display
6
Right-side air distribution (automat-
ic or manual operation)
7
Temperature control, right, raising
8
Temperature control, right,
lowering
9
Rear window defroster
10
AC cooling on/offResidual heat/ventilation
11
Air volume control
12
Automatic climate control on/off
(complete system)
13
Air recirculation
14
Defrosting

157 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls (
page 155)1
and2 for the left side or7 and8 for the
right side to separately adjust the air tem-
perature on each side of the passenger
compartment. You should raise or lower
the temperature setting in small incre-
ments, preferably starting at 72°F (22°C).Increasing

Push temperature control2 and/or7.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Decreasing

Push temperature control1 and/or8.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.Adding outside air

Turn thumbwheel8 in dashboard
(page 154) to increase flow of out-
side air through air vents for center, left
and right sides, as well as dashboard
top center and rear passenger com-
partment.
iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.

164 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDeactivating
Press button
T
(page 155).
The indicator lamp on button
T

goes off.
The residual heat is automatically turned
off:


when the ignition is switched on


after about 30 minutes


if the battery voltage dropsRear passenger compartment adjust-
able air vents
1Thumbwheel for center air vents with
adjustable booster blower
2Left center air vent
3Right center air vent
To open center air vents and to adjust the
booster blower:
Turn thumbwheel1.
iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set by the
operator. The blower will run at speed
setting1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting.
iThe booster blower allows airflow
speed to the rear passenger compart-
ment to be increased at four different
levels.
The temperature at the air vents for
rear passenger compartment2 and3
is the same as at the dashboard center
air vents.

182 Controls in detailAudio systemTelephone* operation
Various car telephone functions and oper-
ating steps for the car telephone can be
performed and displayed via the audio sys-
tem.
Further operating instructions not covered
here can be found in the operating instruc-
tions for the multifunction steering wheel,
voice control system* and car telephone.
Switching on the telephone
Press the
h
button.

If you have programmed an unlock
code for the telephone, you must input
the code now.

Press the
OK key.
The telephone is unlocked. If you enter
the wrong code, you must re-enter the
correct code.Switching off the telephone

Press the
h
button repeatedly until
PHONE OFF
appears in the display.
The receiving symbol in the display dis-
appears.
Adjusting the volume

Turn control knob
a
during tele-
phone operation.
The volume increases or decreases de-
pending on the direction in which the
knob is turned.Placing a call
Entering a telephone number and start-
ing the dialing process

Enter the desired telephone number
using buttons 1 to 0.
The number can have up to 32 digits,
but only 17 of these are visible on the
display.

If necessary, correct the number en-
tered with the
CLR
key. Press the key
briefly to delete the last digit entered,
press the key and hold to delete the
complete number.

After the correct telephone number
has been entered, press the
SND
key.
iThe volume can be adjusted separately
for the telephone, voice control sys-
tem* and radio.

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

Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed


Parktronic*, which serves as a parking
assistant.
The BAS, ABS and ESP driving systems are
described in the “Safety and Security” sec-
tion (page 74).
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 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 found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 20).
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must remain at all
times responsible for the vehicle 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.

197 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Warning!
G
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account. Only use Distronic if
the road, traffic and weather conditions
make it advisable to travel at a steady
speed.Warning!
G
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on slip-
pery roads. Rapid changes in tire traction
can result in wheel spin and loss of control.
Distronic does not act upon adverse sight
distance conditions. Do not use Distronic
during conditions of fog and heavy rain,
snow or sleet.
Warning!
G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not Distronic is activated.
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on wind-
ing roads or in heavy traffic because condi-
tions do not allow safe driving at a steady
speed.
Distronic will not react to stationary objects
in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehicle in a
traffic jam or a disabled vehicle). Distronic
will also not respond to oncoming vehicles.
Switch off Distronic:

when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly
in the left lane


when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp


in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, Distronic will continue to
maintain the set speed unless deactivated.
Distronic is designed and intended only to
maintain a set speed and keep a set dis-
tance from moving objects in front of it.Warning!
G
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.