auto MERCEDES-BENZ CLK350 2008 C209 Owner's Manual

Our company and staff congratulate you
on the purchase of your new
Mercedes-Benz.
Your selection of our product is a demon-
stration of your trust in our company
name. Furthermore, it exemplifies your
desire to own an automobile that will be as
easy as possible to operate and provide
years of service.
Your Mercedes-Benz represents the ef-
forts of many skilled engineers and crafts-
men. To help assure your driving pleasure,
and also the safety of you and your passen-
gers, we ask you to make a small invest-
ment of time:
Please read this manual carefully, then
return it to your vehicle where it will be
handy for your reference.

Please follow the recommendations
contained in this manual. They are de-
signed to acquaint you with the opera-
tion of your Mercedes-Benz.

Please pay attention to the warnings
and cautions contained in this manual.
They are designed to help improve the
safety of the vehicle operator and
occupants.
We extend our best wishes for many miles
of safe, pleasurable driving.
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
A DaimlerChrysler Company

Contents
Introduction.......................................... 9
Product information ................................ 9
Operator’s Manual ............................... 10
Service and warranty information .. 10
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 11
Maintenance .................................. 12
Roadside Assistance ...................... 12
Change of address or ownership.... 12
Operating your vehicle
outside the USA or Canada ............ 13
Where to find it .................................... 14
Symbols ............................................... 15
Operating safety .................................. 16
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 16
Problems with your vehicle .................. 17
Reporting safety defects...................... 18
Reporting safety defects ................ 18
Vehicle data recording......................... 19
Information regarding electronic
recording devices........................... 19At a glance.......................................... 21
Exterior view (Coupe) ........................... 22
Exterior view (Cabriolet) ....................... 24
Cockpit ................................................. 26
Instrument cluster ................................ 28
Multifunction steering wheel ................ 30
Center console ..................................... 31
Upper part ...................................... 31
Lower part ...................................... 32
Overhead control panel ........................ 33
Door control panel................................ 34Getting started................................... 35
Unlocking ............................................. 36
Unlocking with the SmartKey ......... 36
Unlocking with KEYLESS-GO*......... 37
Starter switch positions .................. 38
Adjusting .............................................. 41
Seats .............................................. 41
Steering wheel ................................ 44
Mirrors ............................................ 47
Driving .................................................. 48
Fastening the seat belts ................. 48
Starting the engine ......................... 51
Parking brake ................................. 53
Driving ............................................ 54
Switching on headlamps ................. 55
Turn signals .................................... 56
Windshield wipers ........................... 56
Problems while driving.................... 58
Parking and locking .............................. 59
Parking brake ................................. 59
Switching off headlamps................. 60
Turning off the engine ..................... 60
Releasing seat belts........................ 61
Locking ........................................... 61

Contents
Safety and Security........................... 63
Occupant safety................................... 64
Air bags .......................................... 65
Occupant Classification System ..... 72
Seat belts ....................................... 77
Active head restraints .................... 81
Roll bars (only CLK cabriolet) ......... 82
Children in the vehicle .................... 83
Blocking of rear
side window operation ................... 88
Panic alarm .......................................... 89
Activating ....................................... 89
Deactivating ................................... 89
Driving safety systems ......................... 90
ABS ................................................ 90
BAS ................................................ 92
ESP
®............................................... 92
Anti-theft systems................................ 97
Immobilizer..................................... 97
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 97
Controls in detail............................... 99
Locking and unlocking ....................... 100
SmartKey ..................................... 100
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 103
Checking the batteries in the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* .............................. 108
Loss of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 109
Opening the doors from the inside 109
Opening the trunk ........................ 110
Closing the trunk.......................... 112
Trunk emergency release ............. 117
Valet locking ................................ 118
Automatic central locking ............ 118
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 119
Seats ................................................. 120
Front seat active head restraints . 120
Rear seat head restraints
(CLK coupe) ................................. 120
Rear seat head restraints
(CLK cabriolet) ............................. 123
Multicontour seat* ....................... 124
Seat heating* ............................... 125Seat ventilation* .......................... 126
Memory function ............................... 127
Storing positions into memory ..... 128
Recalling positions from memory . 128
Lighting ............................................. 129
Exterior lamp switch .................... 129
Combination switch ..................... 133
Corner-illuminating
front fog lamps* (With Bi-Xenon*
headlamps only)........................... 133
Hazard warning flasher ................ 135
Interior lighting ............................ 136
Door entry lamps ......................... 137
Trunk lamp ................................... 137
Instrument cluster ............................. 138
Adjusting instrument cluster
illumination .................................. 138
Coolant temperature indicator ..... 139
Resetting trip odometer ............... 139
Tachometer .................................. 140
Clock............................................ 140
Outside temperature indicator ..... 140
Control system .................................. 141
Multifunction display.................... 141
Multifunction steering wheel........ 142
Menus .......................................... 144

Contents
Standard display menu ................ 147
AMG menu ................................... 148
AUDIO menu ................................ 151
Navi* menu .................................. 153
Vehicle status
message memory menu ............... 154
Settings menu .............................. 155
Trip computer menu..................... 167
TEL* menu ................................... 169
Automatic transmission ..................... 172
Gear selector lever ....................... 172
Shifting procedure ....................... 173
Gear selector lever positions ....... 174
Driving tips ................................... 176
Gear ranges ................................. 177
Automatic shift program .............. 178
Gear selector lever
one-touch gearshifting ................. 179
Steering wheel gearshift
control one-touch gearshifting* ... 180
Manual shift program
CLK 63 AMG ................................ 182
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 184Good visibility ..................................... 185
Headlamp cleaning system* ......... 185
Rear view mirrors.......................... 185
Sun visors ..................................... 187
Rear window sunshade*
(CLK coupe: Canada only) ............. 188
Rear window defroster .................. 189
Climate control ................................... 190
Deactivating the climate control
system .......................................... 193
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode............ 193
Setting the temperature................ 194
Adjusting air distribution............... 194
Adjusting air volume ..................... 195
Front defroster.............................. 195
Air recirculation mode .................. 196
Air conditioning............................. 198
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 199
Automatic climate control .................. 200
Deactivating the automatic
climate control system ................. 203
Operating the automatic climate
control system
in automatic mode ........................ 203Setting the temperature ............... 204
Adjusting air distribution .............. 205
Adjusting air volume ..................... 206
Front defroster ............................. 206
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 207
Air recirculation mode .................. 207
Charcoal filter ............................... 209
Air conditioning ............................ 210
Residual heat and ventilation*
(Canada only)................................ 211
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents ...................... 212
Audio system...................................... 213
Audio and telephone*, operation .. 213
Operating safety ........................... 213
Sound system* ............................. 213
Operating and display elements ... 214
Button and soft key operation ...... 216
Operation...................................... 216
Radio operation ............................ 221
Satellite radio* ............................. 225
CD mode....................................... 229
GSM network phones ................... 236
TDMA or CDMA network phones .. 242
Emergency calls “911” ................. 248

11 Introduction
Operator’s Manual
Important notice for California retail
buyers and lessees of Mercedes-Benz
automobiles
Under California law you may be entitled to
a replacement of your vehicle or a refund
of the purchase price or lease price, if
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC and/or its au-
thorized repair or service facilities fail to fix
one or more substantial defects or mal-
functions in the vehicle that are covered by
its express warranty after a reasonable
number of repair attempts. During the pe-
riod of 18 months from original delivery of
the vehicle or the accumulation of
18 000 miles (approximately 29 000 km)
on the odometer of the vehicle, whichever
occurs first, a reasonable number of repair
attempts is presumed for a retail buyer or
lessee if one or more of the following
occurs:(1) the same substantial defect or mal-
function results in a condition that is
likely to cause death or serious bodily
injury if the vehicle is driven, that de-
fect or malfunction has been subject to
repair two or more times, and you have
directly notified Mercedes-Benz USA,
LLC in writing of the need for its repair,
(2) the same substantial defect or mal-
function of a less serious nature than
category (1) has been subject to repair
four or more times and you have direct-
ly notified us in writing of the need for
its repair, or(3) the vehicle is out of service by reason
of repair of the same or different sub-
stantial defects or malfunctions for a
cumulative total of more than
30 calendar days.
Written notification should not be sent to a
dealer, it should be addressed to
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
Customer Assistance Center
One Mercedes Drive
Montvale, NJ 07645-0350

23 At a glance
Exterior view (Coupe)
ItemPage
1Trunk
Unlocking
Opening and closing
Minispare wheel
Vehicle tool kit
36
110,
112
425
423
2Rear lamps444
3Rear window, defrosting189
4Fuel filler flap
Refueling
Gasoline320
320
492
5Doors
Locking and unlocking
Opening
Locking/unlocking in an
emergency
36, 62,
100
109
427
ItemPage
6Exterior rear view mirror
Adjusting
Auto-dimming rear view
mirrors
47
186
7Tires and wheels
Checking tire inflation pres-
sure
Run Flat Indicator
(Canada only)
Tire Pressure Monitoring
(USA only)
General information
Vehicle tool kit
Minispare wheel
Flat tire331
341
342
344
331
422
425
452
8Towing
Installing towing eye bolt469
470
9Front lamps446
ItemPage
aHood, opening
Engine oil
Coolant
Battery323
325
328
329
bWindshield wipers
Wiper blades, replacing
Wiper blades, cleaning56
450
373
cWindshield
Front window, defrosting
Cleaning with wiper fluid
Cleaning
191,
201
57
373
dPower tilt/sliding sunroof
Opening and closing
Opening and closing in an
emergency
257
430

25 At a glance
Exterior view (Cabriolet)
ItemPage
1Trunk
Unlocking
Opening and closing
TIREFIT Kit (CLK 63 AMG)
Minispare wheel
Vehicle tool kit
103
110, 112
422
425
422
2Rear lamps448
3Rear window, defrosting189
4Fuel filler flap
Refueling
Gasoline320
320
492
5Doors
Locking and unlocking
Locking/unlocking in an
emergency
36, 62,
100
427
ItemPage
6Exterior rear view mirror
Adjusting
Auto-dimming rear view
mirrors
47
186
7Tires and wheels
Checking tire inflation
pressure
Run Flat Indicator
(Canada only)
Tire Pressure Monitoring
(USA only)
General information
TIREFIT Kit (CLK 63 AMG)
Vehicle tool kit
Minispare wheel
Flat tire331
341
342
344
331
452
422
458
452
8Towing
Installing towing eye bolt469
470
9Front lamps446
ItemPage
aHood, opening
Engine oil
Coolant
Battery323
325
328
329
bWindshield wipers
Wiper blades, replacing
Wiper blades, cleaning56
450
373
cWindshield
Front window, defrosting
Cleaning with wiper fluid
Cleaning
191, 201
57
373
dSoft top
Opening and closing
Opening and closing in
an emergency
Roll bars
Cleaning
260
420
82
370

31 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part
CLK coupe
ItemPage
1Seat heater*, driver’s side
Seat ventilation*, driver’s
side125
126
2Parktronic system* deacti-
vation switch (Canada all
vehicles, USA only CLK 63
AMG cabriolet)274
3Rear window sunshade*
switch (CLK coupe Canada
only)188
4ESP® control switch92
5Hazard warning flasher
on/off switch135
6Central unlocking switch
Central locking switch119
119
7Switch for folding
(CLK coupe) or lowering
(CLK cabriolet) rear seat
head restraints121
ItemPage
8Anti-theft alarm system
indicator lamp97
9Seat heater*,
passenger side
Seat ventilation*,
passenger side125
126
aFront passenger front air
bag off indicator lamp 76,
390
bAudio system,
or
COMAND* (see separate
operating instructions)151
cClimate control
Automatic climate control
Rear window defroster 190
200
189

32 At a glance
Center console
Lower part
CLK cabriolet
ItemPage
1Ashtray
Cigarette lighter289
290
2KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button39
3Cup holder287
4Storage compartment
with cup holder
and
telephone* compartment
in center armrest.287
288
287
5Soft top switch
(CLK cabriolet)260
6Program mode selector
switch for automatic trans-
mission

Automatic shift program

Manual shift program
(CLK 63 AMG cabriolet)
178
182
7Gear selector lever for
automatic transmission172

39 Getting started
Unlocking
For more information, see “SmartKey”
(
page 100).
For information on starting the engine us-
ing the SmartKey, see “Starting with the
SmartKey” (
page 52).SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Pressing the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton on the gear selector lever corresponds
to turning the SmartKey to the various
starter positions.
If you firmly depress the brake pedal dur-
ing pressing the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button, the engine starts automatically.
You can also use the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO like a normal SmartKey.
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
1USA only
2Canada only
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
located in the vehicle.
Make sure the gear selector lever is set
toP.
Do not depress the brake pedal.
!If the SmartKey cannot be turned in the
starter switch, the battery may not be sufficient-
ly charged.

Check the battery and charge it if necessary
(
page 464).

Get a jump start (page 467).
To prevent accelerated battery discharge or a
completely discharged battery, always remove
the SmartKey from the starter switch when the
engine is not in operation.
iThe function of the SmartKey overrules the
KEYLESS-GO function.