light MERCEDES-BENZ CLK55AMG 2006 C209 User Guide

52 Getting startedDrivingFor more information on driving, see “Driv-
ing instructions” (
page 307).
Switching on headlamps
For more information on headlamps, see
“Lighting” (
page 127).
Low beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
Exterior lamp switch1Off
2Low beam headlamps on

Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
The low beam headlamp indicator
lampB in the instrument cluster
comes on (
page 24).
High beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.
Combination switch1High beam
2High beam flasher
!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.Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out ofPorN if the engine speed is
higher than idle speed. If your foot is not
firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate 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.

58 Getting startedParking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch toM
(page 52).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 127).
Turning off the engine 
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP.
Turning off the engine with the
SmartKey

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
(page 34) to position0 and remove
it.
The immobilizer is activated.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it 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 and/or move the gear selec-
tor lever from positionP, either of which
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever not fully engaged in positionP is
dangerous. Also, when parked on an incline,
positionP alone may not prevent your vehi-
cle from moving, possibly hitting people or
objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 168).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
iAlways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting to positionP.
On slopes, turn the front wheels to-
wards the curb.iThe SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.

60 Getting startedParking and locking

Exit the vehicle, take the SmartKey or
the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with
you, and close all doors and the trunk
lid.
Locking with the SmartKey

Press lock button‹on the
SmartKey (
page 32).
With the trunk and both doors closed,
all turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “SmartKey”
(
page 96).Locking with KEYLESS-GO*
1Lock button

Press lock button1 on an outside
door handle or on the trunk lid
(page 106).
With the trunk and both doors closed,
all turn signal lamps flash three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*” (
page 100).
iOpening a door causes the windows on
that side of the car to open slightly.
They will return to the up position when
the door is closed.iA warning sounds and the message Turn off lamps
appears in the multi-
function display if the vehicle’s exterior
lamps are not switched off


with the SmartKey removed from
the starter switch and the driver’s
door open


with the engine turned off using the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
and the driver’s door open (same as
SmartKey removed from starter
switch)
Switch off the exterior lamps.

67 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When you sell your vehicle, we strongly
urge you to give notice to the subsequent
owner that it is equipped with an SRS by
alerting them to the applicable section in
the Operator’s Manual.Front air bags
1Driver air bag
2Passenger air bag
Driver and front passenger front air bags
are deployed:


in the event of certain frontal impacts


if impact exceeds a preset deployment
threshold


independently of the head-thorax air
bags and/or rear side impact air bags*The air bags will not deploy in impacts
which do not exceed the system’s deploy-
ment thresholds. You will then be protect-
ed by the fastened seat belts.


Given the considerable deployment
speed, required inflation volume, and
the textile structure of the air bags,
there is the possibility of abrasions or
other more significant injuries resulting
from air bag deployment.
Warning!
G
Only use seat covers which have been
tested and approved by Mercedes-Benz for
your vehicle model. Using other seat covers
may interfere with or prevent the
deployment of the head-thorax air bags.
Contact your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center for availability.
iThe front air bags in this vehicle have
been designed to inflate in two stages.
This allows the air bag to have different
rates of inflation that are based on the
rate of relevant vehicle deceleration as
assessed by the air bag control unit.
On the front passenger side, the front
air bag deployment is additionally influ-
enced by the passenger’s weight cate-
gory as identified by the Occupant
Classification System (OCS)
(page 78).
The lighter the front passenger side oc-
cupant, the higher the vehicle deceler-
ation rate required for the second
stage inflation of the air bag.

87 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems
In this section you will find information on
the following driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


ESP
® (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of ap-
proximately 5 mph (8 km/h) independent
of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will
respond even to light brake pressure.
The - indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 24) comes on when you
switch on the ignition. It goes out when the
engine is running.
iIn winter operation, the maximum ef-
fectiveness of the ABS, the BAS, and
the ESP
® is only achieved with winter
tires (
page 359) or snow chains as
required.
Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of
accidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The ABS, BAS, and ESP
® cannot reduce this
risk.
Always adjust your driving style to the
prevailing road and weather conditions.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

88 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsBraking
At the instant one of the wheels is about to
lock up, a slight pulsation can be felt in the
brake pedal, indicating that the ABS is in
the regulating mode.
Keep firm and steady pressure on the
brake pedal while experiencing the
pulsation.
Continuous, steady brake pedal pressure
yields the advantages provided by the ABS,
namely braking power and the ability to
steer the vehicle.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an
indication of hazardous road conditions
and functions as a reminder to take extra
care while driving.Emergency brake maneuver

Keep continuous full pressure on the
brake pedal.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 373).
BAS
The Brake Assist System (BAS) operates in
emergency situations. If you apply the
brakes very quickly, the BAS automatically
provides full brake boost, thereby poten-
tially reducing the braking distance. Apply
continuous full braking pressure until the
emergency braking situation is over. The
ABS will prevent the wheels from locking.
When you release the brake pedal, the
brakes function again as normal. The BAS
is then deactivated.
Warning!
G
The ABS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking or steering efficiency
beyond that afforded by the condition of the
vehicle brakes and tires or the traction af-
forded. The ABS cannot prevent accidents,
including those resulting from excessive
speed in turns, following another vehicle too
closely, or hydroplaning. Only a safe, atten-
tive, and skillful driver can prevent acci-
dents. The capabilities of an ABS equipped
vehicle must never be exploited in a reck-
less or dangerous manner which could jeop-
ardize the user’s safety or the safety of
others.
Warning!
G
If the BAS is malfunctioning, the brake sys-
tem is still functioning normally, but without
the additional brake boost available that
BAS would normally provide in an emergen-
cy braking maneuver. Therefore, the braking
distance may increase.

95 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Seats
Memory function
Lighting
Instrument cluster
Control system
Automatic transmission
Good visibility
Climate control (CLK 350)
Automatic climate control (CLK 500/CLK 55 AMG)
Audio system
Power windows
Soft top
Driving systems
Loading
Useful features

107 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the doors from the inside
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open doors only when conditions are
safe to do so.
1Locking knob
2Inside door handle
Pull on door handle2.
If door was locked, locking knob1 will
move up.
iIf the vehicle has previously been
locked with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO*, opening a door from the
inside will trigger the anti-theft alarm
system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the
following:

Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.


Press button‹orŒ on the
SmartKey.
In vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:


Pull an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be within 3 ft (1 m) of the ve-
hicle.


Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button (
page 35).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be inside the vehicle.
iIf you open a door, the side windows on
that side of the vehicle will lower slight-
ly. The windows close again when you
close the door.

110 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingClosing the trunk
Closing the trunk from the inside
automatically*
In vehicles with trunk opening/closing sys-
tem* you can close the trunk from the in-
side using the remote trunk closing*
switch.
Press the remote trunk closing*
switch2 (
page 109) until the indi-
cator lamp in the switch goes out and
the trunk lid is closed.
To interrupt the closing procedure:

Release remote trunk closing*
switch2.If the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), in the sequence, the
upper motion the closing procedure is
stopped and the trunk reopens slightly.iYou can also close the trunk by hand
(page 111).
Warning!
G
Maintain sight of trunk area while operating
the door mounted remote trunk closing*
switch. Monitor the closing procedure care-
fully to ensure that no one is in danger of be-
ing injured.
To interrupt the closing procedure, release
the door mounted remote trunk closing
switch.
Even with the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the start-
er switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the remote trunk opening/closing* switch
can be operated. Therefore, do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility,
exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.

112 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingClosing the trunk from outside
(vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicle with trunk opening/closing sys-
tem* you can close the trunk separately
1Trunk closing switch
Press trunk closing switch1 briefly.
The trunk closes.If the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the trunk reopens slightly.iYou can also close the trunk by hand
(page 111).
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
ensure that no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the trunk opening when closing the trunk.
Be especially careful when small children
are around. To stop the closing procedure,
do one of the following:

press trunk closing switch1


press the Š button on the SmartKey


press the remote trunk opening or clos-
ing switch (on driver’s door)
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the trunk closing switch can
be operated. Therefore, do not leave chil-
dren 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
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility,
exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.iDo not place the SmartKey in the open
trunk. You may lock yourself out.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk will lock automatical-
ly after closing it (
page 110). All turn
signal lamps flash three times to con-
firm locking.