engine MERCEDES-BENZ CLK55AMG 2006 C209 Owner's Guide

59 Getting started
Parking and locking
Turning off the engine with
KEYLESS-GO* 
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton to shut off the engine.
With the driver's door closed, the start-
er switch is now in position1. With the
driver’s door opened, the starter switch
is set to position0, same as SmartKey
removed from starter switch
(page 34).
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button
(page 46).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
Locking
!If you hear a warning signal you have
either tried to turn off the engine while
the gear selector lever is not inP.
Place the gear selector lever inP.
!Make sure the seat belt retracts fully so
that the seat belt and/or latch plate
cannot get caught or pinched in the
door or in the seat mechanism. This
can damage the seat belt and impair
the effectiveness of the seat belt,
and/or cause damage to the door
and/or door trim panel. Such damage
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limit Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.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. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

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.

62 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyIn this section you will learn the most im-
portant facts about the restraint system
components of the vehicle.

Seat belts (
page 69)


Child restraints (
page 75)


Lower anchors and tethers for children
(LATCH) (
page 83)
Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) with


Air bags (
page 63)


Air bag control unit (with crash
sensors)


Emergency tensioning device (ETD) for
seat belts (
page 72)Air bag system components with


Front passenger front air bag off
indicator lamp (
page 81)


Front passenger seat with Occupant
Classification System (OCS)
(page 78)
As independent systems, their protective
functions work in conjunction with each
other.The SRS system conducts a self-test when
the ignition is switched on and in regular
intervals while the engine is running. This
facilitates early detection of malfunctions.
The
1
indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on when the ignition is
switched on and goes out no later than a
few seconds after the engine has been
started.
The SRS components are in operational
readiness if the
1
indicator lamp is not
lit when the engine is running.
A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the
1
indicator lamp:


fails to go out after approximately four
seconds after the engine was started


does not come on at all


comes on after the engine was started
or while driving
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and
restraint systems for infants and chil-
dren, see “Children in the vehicle”
(page 75).

71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Enhanced seat belt reminder system
When the engine is started the seat belt
telltale< illuminates for a maximum of
six seconds and a warning chime sounds
to remind you and your passengers to fas-
ten your seat belts.
If after these six seconds, the driver’s or
the front passenger’s seat belt (with the
front passenger seat occupied) are not fas-
tened with all doors closed,

and the vehicle speed does not exceed
15 mph (25 km/h), the seat belt tell-
tale < remains illuminated for as
long as either the driver’s or front pas-
senger’s seat belt is not fastened.


and the vehicle speed exceeds 15 mph
(25 km/h), the seat belt telltale <
starts flashing and a warning chime
sounds with increasing intensity until
both the driver’s and front passenger’s
seat belt are fastened, or for a maxi-
mum of 60 seconds from the time the vehicle speed exceeded 15 mph
(25 km/h) if either the driver’s or front
passenger’s seat belt remains unfas-
tened.
If the driver’s or front passenger’s seat
belt remains unfastened after 60 sec-
onds, the seat belt telltale< stops
flashing and the warning chime stops
sounding. The seat belt telltale <
then continues to be illuminated for as
long as either the driver’s or front pas-
senger’s seat belt are not fastened.
The seat belt telltale < will only go out
if both the driver and front passenger’s
seat belt (with the front passenger seat oc-
cupied) are fastened, or the vehicle is
standing still and a front door is opened.
For more information on the seat belt
telltale<, see “Practical hints”
(
page 379).


Belts should not be worn twisted. In a
crash, you wouldn’t have the full width
of the belt to distribute impact forces.
The twisted belt against your body could
cause injuries.


Pregnant women should also use a
lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible pres-
sure on the abdomen.


Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.


When using a seat belt to secure infant
or toddler restraints or children in
booster seats, always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.

74 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyRoll bars
The roll bars are integrated into the rear
head restraints.
The roll bars raise automatically in an acci-
dent or in a critical driving situation.You can manually lower the roll bars again
when the soft top is open (
page 424).
With the soft top closed, contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center to have the
roll bars lowered. Do not attempt to lower
the roll bars manually with the soft top
closed. Lowering the roll bars manually
with the soft top closed may impair the
function of the roll bars.
Warning!
G
Make sure nothing is blocking the roll bars’
path of motion. Otherwise someone could
be injured when the roll bars are raised. The
head restraints should therefore always be
in the raised position when the rear seat is
occupied (
page 120).
iWhen the roll bars are raised automati-
cally, you will hear a ratcheting sound
and the rear head restraints will also
rise.
iYou cannot lower the rear head
restraints with the rear head restraint
lowering switch (
page 120) when the
roll bars are in the raised position.
Also, you cannot operate the soft top
using the soft top switch when the roll
bars are in the raised position.


If the soft top is open, you can man-
ually lower the roll bars
(page 424).


If the soft top is closed, contact an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
to have the roll bars lowered.
Warning!
G
If the yellow roll bar warning lamp in
the clock does not go out after starting the
engine, or if it comes on while driving, then
the roll bar system is not operating properly
and may not activate in an accident. In this
case, raise the roll bars manually before
continuing to drive (
page 423).
For safety reasons, drive only with the roll
bars raised until the malfunction is repaired.
Have your vehicle checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.

79 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as being up
to or less than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child in a standard child
restraint, the 56 indicator lamp will
illuminate when the engine is started and
remain illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat is classified as being empty, the
56 indicator lamp will illuminate
when the engine is started and remain
illuminated, indicating that the front
passenger front air bag is deactivated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as being
heavier than the weight of a typical
12-month-old child seated in a standard
child restraint or as being a small individual
(such as a young teenager or a small adult),
the 56 indicator lamp will illuminate
for approximately six seconds when the
engine is started and then, depending on
occupant weight sensor readings from the
seat, remain illuminated or go out. With the
56 indicator lamp illuminated, the
front passenger front air bag is deactivated.
With the 56 indicator lamp out, the
front passenger front air bag is activated.
When the OCS senses that the front passen-
ger seat occupant is classified as an adult or
someone larger than a small individual, the
56 indicator lamp will illuminate for
approximately six seconds when the engine
is started and then go out, indicating that
the front passenger front air bag is
activated.
If the 56 indicator lamp is
illuminated, the front passenger front air
bag is deactivated and will not be deployed.
If the 56 indicator lamp is not
illuminated, the front passenger front air
bag is activated and will be 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*.
If the front passenger front air bag is
deployed, the rate of inflation will be
influenced by:


the rate of relevant vehicle deceleration
as assessed by the air bag control unit


front passenger's weight category as
identified by the Occupant Classification
System (OCS).

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.

89 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(page 373).
ESP
®
The Electronic Stability Program (ESP
®) is
operational as soon as the engine is run-
ning and monitors the vehicle’s traction
(force of adhesive friction between the
tires and the road surface) and handling.
The ESP
® recognizes when a wheel is
spinning or if the vehicle starts to skid. By
applying brakes to the appropriate wheel
and by limiting the engine output, the ESP
®
works to stabilize the vehicle. The ESP
® is
especially useful while driving off and on
wet or slippery road surfaces. The ESP®
also stabilizes the vehicle during braking
maneuvers.
The ESP
® warning lamp v in the instru-
ment cluster flashes when the ESP
® is
engaged.
The warning lamp v in the instrument
cluster comes on when you switch on the
ignition. It goes out when the engine is
running.
Warning!
G
The BAS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking efficiency beyond that
afforded by the condition of the vehicle
brakes and tires or the traction. The BAS
cannot prevent accidents, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns, fol-
lowing another vehicle too closely, or hydro-
planing. Only a safe, attentive, and skillful
driver can prevent accidents. The
capabilities of a BAS equipped vehicle must
never be exploited in a reckless or danger-
ous manner which could jeopardize the
user’s safety or the safety of others.
Warning!
G
Never switch off the ESP
® when you see the
ESP
® warning lamp v flashing in the in-
strument cluster. In this case, proceed as
follows:


While driving off, apply as little throttle
as possible.


While driving, ease upon the accelera-
tor.


Adapt your speed and driving style to
the prevailing road conditions.
Failure to observe these guidelines could
cause the vehicle to skid.
The ESP
® cannot prevent accidents result-
ing from excessive speed.

90 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systems
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(page 373).Switching off the ESP
®
To improve the vehicle's traction, turn off
the ESP
® in driving situations where it
would be advantageous to have the drive
wheels spin and thus cut into surfaces for
better grip such as:


when driving with snow chains


in deep snow


in sand or gravel
Warning!
G
The ESP
® cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase the traction afforded. The ESP
®
cannot prevent accidents, including those
resulting from excessive speed in turns or
hydroplaning. Only a safe, attentive, and
skillful driver can prevent accidents. The
capabilities of an ESP
® equipped vehicle
must never be exploited in a reckless or dan-
gerous manner which could jeopardize the
user’s safety or the safety of others.
!Because of the ESP
®’s automatic
operation, the engine must be shut off
when


the parking brake is being tested on
a brake test dynamometer


the vehicle is being towed with the
front axle raised
Active braking action through the ESP
®
may otherwise seriously damage the
brake system.
iThe ESP
® will only function properly if
you use wheels of the recommended
tire size.
Warning!
G
The ESP
® should not be switched off during
normal driving other than in the circum-
stances described below. Disabling of the
system will reduce vehicle stability in stan-
dard driving maneuvers.
Do not switch off the ESP
® when a Minis-
pare or collapsible tire is mounted.

91 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
When you switch off the ESP
®


the ESP
® does not stabilize the vehicle


the engine output is not limited, which
allows the drive wheels to spin and
thus cut into surfaces for better grip


the traction control will still brake a
spinning wheel


the ESP
® continues to operate when
you are brakingThe switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1ESP
® switch (off/on)

Press switch1.
The ESP
® warning lamp v in the in-
strument cluster comes on.
The ESP® is deactivated.
Switching on the ESP
®

Press switch1 again.
The ESP
® warning lamp v in the in-
strument cluster goes out.
You are now again in normal driving
mode with ESP
® switched on.
!Turn on the ESP
® immediately if the
aforementioned circumstances do not
apply anymore.
iWhen the ESP
® is switched off and one
or more drive wheels are spinning, the
ESP
® warning lampv in the instru-
ment cluster flashes. However, the
ESP® will then not stabilize the vehicle.
Warning!
G
When the ESP
® warning lampv is
illuminated continuously, the ESP
® is
switched off.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP
®.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period with the ESP
®
switched off. This may cause serious
damage to the drivetrain which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.