steering wheel adjustment MERCEDES-BENZ CLK500 COUPE 2004 C209 Owner's Manual

21 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Headlamp washer switch*
166
2
Combination switch

Turn signals


Windshield wipers


High beam
48
48
48
3
Cruise control lever

Cruise control


Distronic*
218
221
4
Multifunction steering
wheel
24,
130
5
Instrument cluster
22,
126
6
Lever for voice control
system*, see separate op-
erating instructions
7
Starter switch
31
Item
Page
8
Front Parktronic* warning
indicator
235
9
Overhead control panel
27
a
Glove box
244
b
Center console
25, 26
c
Hood lock release
281
d
Horn
e
Steering wheel adjustment
stalk
38
f
Parking brake pedal
46
g
Door control panel
28
h
Parking brake release
46
j
Exterior lamp switch
47,
119
k
Exterior rear view mirror
adjustment
39

28 At a glanceDoor control panel
Door control panel
Item
Page
1
Door handle
95
2
Seat adjustment
35,
107
3
Memory function (for stor-
ing seat, exterior mirror
and steering wheel set-
tings)
116
4
Switches for opening/clos-
ing front door windows
212
5
Rear window override
switch
74
6
Switches for opening/clos-
ing rear windows
212
7
Remote trunk lid release
switch
Trunk lid opening/closing
system switch*
97
98

34 Getting startedAdjusting
AdjustingSeatsWarning!
G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.Warning!
G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back reclined. Sitting in an excessively re-
clined 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. That could cause se-
rious or fatal injuries. The seat back and seat
belts provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in an upright position and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
Your seat must be adjusted so that you can
correctly fasten your seat belt (
page 40).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being
adjusted.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, and
lock your vehicle.
The power seats can also be operated with
the driver’s or passenger door open. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Warning!
G
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM1
compatible child seat, which operates with
the BabySmart
TM system installed in the ve-
hicle to deactivate the passenger front air-
bag when it is properly installed. Otherwise
they will be struck by the airbag when it in-
flates in a crash. If this happens, serious or
fatal injury will result.
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 and top tether strap, or secured via
lower anchors and top tether strap, fully in
accordance with the child seat manufactur-
er's instructions.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.

35 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
in each door.
1Head restraint height
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat fore and aft adjustment
5Backrest tilt

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or2(
page 31).
or

Press the KEYLESS GO* start/stop
button once or twice (
page 33).
or

Open the driver’s or passenger door.Seat fore and aft adjustment

Press the switch forward or backward
in the direction of arrow4.
Adjust seat to a comfortable seating
position that still allows you to reach
the accelerator / brake pedal safely.
The position should be as far to the rear
as possible, consistent with ability to
properly operate controls.
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.
iWhen moving the seat, be sure that
there are no items in the footwell or be-
hind the seats. Otherwise you could
damage the seats.
The memory function (
page 116) lets
you store the setting for the seat posi-
tion together with the setting for the
steering wheel and the exterior rear
view mirrors.

37 Getting started
Adjusting
Folding front seat backrests forward
1Release leverFolding backrests forward

Pull release lever1 forward and fold
the backrest forward.
The head restraint will automatically
move down.
Folding backrests back

Fold and press the backrest rearward
until it engages in driving position.
The head restraint returns to its previ-
ous position.
For more information, see “Easy-entry/ex-
it feature” (
page 107).
Steering wheel
iIn addition to the front seat backrests,
the front seat cushions can also be
shifted forward to permit easy access
to the rear whenever the seat is located
in the rear half of its adjustment range.
Swivel backrest forward by pulling the
release lever until the seat moves in a
combined forward and upward move-
ment.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
* with you and
lock your vehicle.
The steering wheel adjustment feature can
also be operated with the driver’s door
open. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

38 Getting startedAdjustingSteering wheel adjustment
The stalk for steering wheel adjustment is
located on the steering column (lower left).
1Adjusting steering column, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1or2 (
page 31).
or

Press the KEYLESS GO* start/stop
button once or twice (
page 33).
or

Open the driver’s door.Adjusting steering column in or out

Move stalk forward or back in the direc-
tion of arrow 1 until a comfortable
steering wheel position is reached with
your arms slightly bent at the elbow.
Adjusting steering column up or down

Move stalk up or down in the direction
of arrow 2.
Make sure your legs can move freely
and all the displays (incl. malfunction
and indicator lamps) on the instrument
cluster are clearly visible.
Mirrors
Adjust the interior and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.
Interior rear view mirror
Manually adjust the interior rear view
mirror.
For more information, see “Rear view mir-
ror” (page 167)
iThe memory function (
page 116) lets
you store the setting for the steering
wheel together with the setting for the
seat position and exterior rear view
mirrors.
Warning!
G
In the case of an accident, liquid electrolyte
may escape the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.

39 Getting started
Adjusting
Exterior rear view mirror
The buttons are located above the exterior
lamp switch.1Adjustment button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view mir-
ror button
3Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
come on.

Press button3 for the left mirror or
button2 for the right mirror.

Push adjustment button1 up, down,
left or right according to the desired
setting.For more information, see “Activating exte-
rior rear view mirror parking position”
(
page 168).
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passenger
side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
terior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can only be
completely removed while in their liq-
uid state and by applying plenty of wa-
ter
!If an exterior rear view mirror was forc-
ibly pushed forward (hit from the rear)
or forcibly pushed rearward (hit from
the front), reposition it by applying firm
pressure until it snaps into place. The
mirror housing is now properly posi-
tioned and you can adjust the mirror
normally.iThe memory function (
page 116) lets
you store the setting for the exterior
rear view mirrors together with the set-
tings for the steering wheel and seat
position.
iAt low ambient temperatures, the mir-
rors will be heated automatically.

60 Safety and SecurityOccupant safety

Adjust the driver seat as far as possible
rearward, still permitting proper opera-
tion of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the airbag cover on
the steering wheel must be at least ten
inches (25 cm) or more. You should be
able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any prob-
lems, please see your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.


Do not lean with your head or chest
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.


Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver front airbag inflates.


Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.


Occupants, especially children, should
never lean their heads in the area of the
door or the side where the side airbag
inflates. This could result in serious inju-
ries or death should the airbag be trig-
gered. Always sit upright, properly use
the seat belts and appropriate size in-
fant or child restraint system.


Children 12 years old and under must
never ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized
BabySmart
TM1 compatible child seat,
which operates with the BabySmart
TM
system installed in the vehicle to deacti-
vate the passenger front airbag when it
is properly installed. Otherwise they will
be struck by the airbag when it inflates
in a crash. If this happens, serious or fa-
tal injury will result.
Failure to follow these instructions can re-
sult in severe injuries to you or other occu-
pants.
If you sell your vehicle you are responsible
to make the buyer aware of these points. Be
sure to give the buyer this Operator’s Manu-
al.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.
Warning!
G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat. Should you choose to place a child
12 years old or under in the passenger front
seat of your vehicle, you must properly use
a BabySmart
TM child restraint which will
turn off the passenger front airbag.
BabySmart
TM will not, however, turn off any
side impact airbag.
It should be noted that with respect to both
front and rear side impact airbags there is a
possibility for a side airbag related injury if
occupants, especially children, are not prop-
erly seated or restrained when next to a side
airbag which needs to deploy rapidly in a
side impact in order to do its job.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Occupants, especially children, should
never place their bodies or lean their
heads in the area of the door or the side
where the side airbag inflates.


107 Controls in detailSeats
Seats
Information on seat adjustment can be
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 34).
Easy-entry/exit feature
With the easy-entry/exit feature activated,
the steering wheel tilts upwards and the
driver’s seat moves to the rear.
This allows easier entry into and exit from
the vehicle when the driver’s door is
opened. However, the engine must be
turned off.
When the SmartKey is inserted in the start-
er switch or you have pressed the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button once and
the driver’s door is closed, the steering
wheel and the driver’s seat return to their
last set positions.You can activate the following functions:


Steering column:
Only the steering column is adjusted.


Steering column and seat:
Both the steering column and the seat
are adjusted.
The easy-entry/exit feature can be
switched on or off in the convenience sub-
menu of the control system (
page 150).
Warning!
G
You must ensure that no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and driver’s seat when the
easy-entry / exit feature is activated, the
driver’s door is being opened, and the en-
gine is turned off or the SmartKey removed
from the starter switch. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Children could
open the driver's door and unintentionally
activate the easy-entry/exit feature, which
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
iTo cancel seat /steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(page 34).


Move the steering column stalk
(page 38).


Press the memory button
(page 116)

150 Controls in detailControl systemActivating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature. When the
feature is activated, the steering wheel and
driver’s seat will move back to facilitate ex-
iting when you

remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch


open the driver’s door
However, the engine must be turned off.After entering the vehicle, the steering
wheel and seat will move into the position
stored in memory when


the driver’s door is closed.


you put the SmartKey in the starter
switch or press the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button.


press the appropriate stored position
button on the memory switch
(page 116).
Warning!
G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and the driver’s seat when the
easy-entry/exit feature is in operation and
the driver’s door is being opened or the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(page 35)


Move the steering column stalk
(page 38)


Press the memory switch
(page 116)