MERCEDES-BENZ CLK500 CABRIOLET 2004 A209 Service Manual

41 Getting started
Driving
The seat belt presenter for driver and pas-
senger makes it easier to put on the seat
belt.
1Seat belt presenter
The seat belt presenter slides out when the
corresponding door is closed and the
SmartKey in the starter switch or
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button are in
position1 or2.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. Infants and small children
must ride in back seats and be seated in an
appropriate infant or child restraint system,
which is properly secured with the vehicle's
seat belt or lower anchors, fully in accor-
dance with the child seat manufacturer's
instructions.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.Warning!
G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Make
sure everyone riding in the vehicle is cor-
rectly restrained with a separate seat belt.
Warning!
G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest reclined. Sitting in an excessively
reclined position can be dangerous. You
could slide under the seat belt in a collision.
If you slide under it, the belt would apply
force at the abdomen or neck. This could
cause serious or even fatal injuries. The seat
backrest and seat belt provide the best re-
straint when the wearer is in an upright po-
sition and the belt is properly positioned on
the body.Warning!
G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 62).

42 Getting startedDriving1Latch plate
2Release button
3Buckle

With a smooth motion, pull the belt out
of the seat belt presenter.

Place the belt over your shoulder.

Push latch plate1 into buckle3 until
it clicks.

If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
Proper use of seat belts


Do not twist the belt when fastening.


Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck or pass under the
arm).


Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.


Place the seat backrest in a nearly up-
right position.


Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.


Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time.


Check your seat belt during travel to
ensure that it is properly positioned.


Ensure that the seat belt is always fit-
ted snugly. You should avoid wearing
bulky clothing, such as winter coats,
when traveling in the vehicle.

43 Getting started
Driving
The seat belt presenter slides back:

right after you pushed the latch
plate1 into buckle3 and heard it
click.


after approximately 30 seconds if you
did not push latch plate 1 into
buckle3.


if your door is opened.


if you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position 0.


if you release a front seat backrest and
fold it forward.
Starting the engine
Warning!
G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the belts.
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.
Warning!
G
The seat belt presenter must be retracted
while the vehicle is in motion. Only when the
seat belt presenter is retracted can the seat
belt be properly positioned on the body and
protect the occupant as intended.
Warning!
G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide, and inhaling it can cause uncon-
sciousness and lead to death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated. If you think that exhaust gas
fumes are entering the vehicle while driving,
have the cause determined and corrected
immediately. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive with at least one window
fully open.

44 Getting startedDrivingAutomatic transmissionGearshift pattern for automatic
transmissionPPark position with gear selector lever
lock
RReverse gear
NNeutral
DDrive position
For more information, see “Automatic
transmission” (
page 157).Starting with the SmartKey

Make sure the gear selector lever is set
toP.

Do not depress accelerator

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position3 (
page 31) and release it
again immediately ("touch-start").
The engine then starts automatically.

Depress the brake pedal.
The gear selector lever lock is released.
For information on turning off the engine
with the SmartKey, see (
page 54).Starting with KEYLESS-GO*
You can start your vehicle without the
SmartKey in the starter switch using the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button on the
gear selector lever.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
located in the vehicle.
1KEYLESS-GO start/stop button

45 Getting started
Driving

M a k e s u r e t h e g e a r s e l e c t o r l e v e r i s s e t
toP.

Do not depress accelerator

Depress the brake pedal during the
starting procedure.
The gear selector lever lock is released.

Press KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button1 once.
The engine starts automatically if the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is in the
vehicle.
For information on turning off the engine
with KEYLESS-GO, see “Turning off the en-
gine with KEYLESS-GO*” (
page 55).Starting difficulties
If the engine does not start as described,
carry out the following steps:

If you are starting the engine with the
SmartKey, turn SmartKey in starter
switch to position0 and repeat starting
procedure.

If you are starting the engine with
KEYLESS-GO*: Close any doors that
may be open to allow for better detec-
tion of the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.
Or:
Start the engine with the SmartKey as
radio signals from another source may
be interfering with the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.

Repeat the starting procedure
(page 43). Remember that extended
starting attempts can drain the battery.

Get a jump start (
page 388).
If the engine does not start after several
starting attempts, there could be a mal-
function in the engine electronics or in the
fuel supply system.

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

46 Getting startedDrivingParking brake
1Parking brake pedal
2Parking brake release handle
Release the parking brake by pulling on
handle2.
The indicator lamp ; (USA only)
or3 (Canada only) in the clock
goes out.Driving

Depress the brake pedal.

Move gear selector lever in
positionDorR.

Release the brake pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
Once the vehicle is in motion, the automat-
ic central locking system engages and the
locking knobs drop down.After a cold start, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts at a higher engine revolution.
This allows the catalytic converter to reach
its operating temperature earlier.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Children could release the
parking brake, which could result in an acci-
dent and/or serious personal injury.
iYou can open a locked door from the
inside. Open doors only when condi-
tions are safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic lock-
ing using the control system
(page 149).
!If you hear a warning signal when driv-
ing off, you have forgotten to release
the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.iWait for the gear selection process to
complete before setting the vehicle in
motion.

47 Getting started
Driving
Switching on headlampsExterior lamp switch1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn the switch toB.
For more information, see “Exterior lamp
switch” (
page 119).
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector le-
ver out ofPorN if the engine speed is high-
er than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly
on the brake pedal, the vehicle could accel-
erate quickly forward or in reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.!Simultaneously depressing the acceler-
ator pedal and applying the brake re-
duces engine performance and causes
premature brake and drivetrain wear.
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.!Place the gear selector lever in
positionR only when the vehicle is
stopped in order to avoid damaging the
transmission.!Do not run cold engine at high engine
speeds. Running a cold engine at high
engine speeds may shorten the service
life of the engine.

48 Getting startedDrivingTurn signals and high beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press the combination switch up1 or
down2.High beam

Push the combination switch forward.
The high beam headlights are switched
on.
The high beam symbolA in the
tachometer comes on.
For more information, see “High beam
flasher” (
page 123).
Windshield wipers
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Single wipe
2Switching on windshield wipers
Make sure the ignition is switched on.
iTo signal minor directional changes,
move combination switch to point of
resistance only and release. The turn
signal flashes three times.

49 Getting started
Driving
Switching on windshield wipers
Turn the combination switch to the de-
sired position depending on the inten-
sity of the rain.
0Windshield wipers off
IIntermittent wiping
IINormal wiper speed
IIIFast wiper speedSingle wipe

Press combination switch briefly in the
direction of arrow1.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.
iThe intermittent wiping interval is de-
pendent on wetness of windshield.
Wiping will not occur with a door open.
!Do not leave windshield wipers in inter-
mittent setting when the vehicle is tak-
en to an automatic car wash or during
windshield cleaning. Wipers will oper-
ate in the presence of water sprayed on
the windshield, and wipers may be
damaged as a result.
The switch should not be left in inter-
mittent setting as the wipers will wipe
the windshield once every time the en-
gine is started. Dust that accumulates
on the windshield might scratch the
glass and/or damage the wiper blades
when wiping occurs on a dry wind-
shield.

50 Getting startedDrivingWiping with windshield washer fluid
Push combination switch in the direc-
tion of arrow1 past the resistance
point.
The windshield wipers operate with
washer fluid.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system*”
(
page 295).
!If anything blocks the windshield wip-
ers (leaves, snow, etc.), switch them off
immediately.

For safety reasons,

turn off the engine by turning
the SmartKey to position 0 and
withdraw SmartKey from starter
switch
or


turn off the engine by pressing
the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button and open the driver’s
door (with the driver’s door
open, starter switch is in posi-
tion 0, same as with SmartKey
removed from starter switch)
before attempting to remove any
blockage.


Remove blockage.


Turn the windshield wipers on
again.
If windshield wipers fail to function at
all in switch positionI,


set the combination switch to the
next highest wiper speed


have the windshield wipers
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center