key MERCEDES-BENZ SLK CLASS 2003 Owner's Guide

89 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Trip odometer
Press the left knob3 (
page 20) once
with key in steering lock position2
(
page 29) until the trip odometer is
reset
or

Press the left knob3 (
page 20) twice
with key removed or in steering lock
position0 or1 (
page 29) until the
trip odometer is reset.
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer
(page 20) denotes excessive engine
speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly overheat-
ed can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns and can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until it
cools down.
iAvoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

91 Controls in detail
Manual transmission
Manual transmission
Information for driving with a manual
transmission is found in the “Getting start-
ed” section (
page 40).
Gearshift leverDo not exceed the maximum speed in the
individual gears. Refer to tachometer
(page 89) for engine speeds.
Warning!
G
For vehicles equipped with a manual trans-
mission, getting out of your vehicle with the
gearshift lever not engaged in first or re-
verse gear and parking brake engaged is
dangerous. Also, when parked on an incline,
an engaged first or reverse gear alone may
not prevent your vehicle from moving, possi-
bly hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
engaging first or reverse gear (
page 47).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Children could move the gearshift
lever, which could result in an accident
and/or serious injury.iNever hold the vehicle stopped on a hill
by using the clutch pedal. The clutch
may be damaged which is not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.

96 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission*Gear selector lever position
Effect
P
Park position
Selector position when the vehicle
is parked. Only place selector lever
in positionP when vehicle is
stopped. The park position is not in-
tended to serve as a brake when
the vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the park-
ing brake in addition to placing the
selector lever in positionP to se-
cure the vehicle.
The key can only be removed from
the steering lock with the selector
lever in positionP. With the key re-
moved the selector lever is locked
in positionP.
Effect
R
Reverse gear
Place selector lever in positionR only
when vehicle is stopped.
N
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the en-
gine to the drive axle. When the
brakes are released, the vehicle can
be moved freely (pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the transmission,
never engageN while driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or malfunc-
tioning:
Only move selector lever toN if the
vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g.
on icy roads).
D
Drive
The transmission shifts automatical-
ly. All five forward gears are avail-
able.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with selector lever inN
can result in transmission damage that
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the selector
lever not fully engaged in positionP is dan-
gerous. Also, positionP alone is not intend-
ed to or capable of preventing your vehicle
from moving, possibly hitting people or ob-
jects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 47).
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.

97 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission*
Program mode selector switch
1Program mode selector switch
S Standard For regular driving
W Winter For winter driving

Press the program mode selector
switch.
Select
Wfor comfortable driving:


The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.


Traction and driving stability are im-
proved on icy roads.


Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.


The power transmission ratio for se-
lector lever positionR changes de-
pending on the program mode
selected (
W or
S).
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Children could move the selector le-
ver from positionP, which could result in an
accident and/or serious injury.
!Never change the program mode when
the selector lever is out of positionP. It
could result in a change of driving char-
acteristics for which you may not be
prepared.

107 Controls in detail
Climate control
Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
PressAC
OFF
again (
page 102).
The indicator lamp on
theAC
OFF
button goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.
Activating
Turn the key in the steering lock to
position1 or remove it from the steer-
ing lock.

Press button
Ð
(page 102).
The indicator lamp on button
Ð

comes on.
Deactivating

Press button
Ð
(page 102).
The indicator lamp on button
Ð

goes out.The residual heat is automatically turned
off:


when the ignition is switched on


after about 30 minutes


if the battery voltage dropsiHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set by the
operator. The blower will run at speed
setting 1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting.

113 Controls in detail
Audio system
Item
Page
1
Radio mode selector
116
2
Tuning
116
Fast forward / reverse
120, 123
3
CD mode selector*
122
4
Display panel
118
5
Alpha-numeric keypad
for station storage and
frequency entry
117
CD/Track access*
122, 124
Telephone*
124
Item
Page
6
Function button
117, 124
7
Soft keys for radio band
selection
116
Tone controls
115
Scan tuning
117
Cassette eject
118
Cassette track select
119
Dolby
120
CD random/repeat
123
Item
Page
8
Tape mode selector
118
9
Telephone mode
selector
124
10
Seek tuning
117,
119, 123
11
On/off, volume
115

114 Controls in detailAudio systemAnti-theft system
If the power supply to the radio has been
interrupted,
CODE
will appear on the display
when it is next switched on. The radio will
only work after the five-digit code has been
entered using the buttons on the
right-hand control panel.The code number is shown on the Radio
Code Card, supplied with the radio.Entering the code number

Switch on the radio. CODE
will appear on the display.

Using the buttons on the alpha-numer-
ic keypad, enter the five digit code.

Confirm by pressing the
OK
key.
If an incorrect code has been entered and
confirmed,
CODE
will reappear on the dis-
play. The correct code must be entered
once again.
If an incorrect code is entered three times,
WAIT
will appear on the display and the ra-
dio will be locked out for about ten min-
utes.
!Never leave the Radio Code Card in the
vehicle. Keep it in a safe place.
iThe lock out time will only count down
if the radio is left switched on.

115 Controls in detail
Audio system
Button and soft key operation
In these instructions, the alpha-numeric
keypad (right side of radio face) and the
function buttons (left side of radio face)
are referred to as “buttons” and the four
keys under the display are referred to as
“soft keys”.Operation
Switching on and off
Press control knob
a
.
The radio is switched off when you turn the
key in the steering lock to position0 or re-
move it from the steering lock. The radio is
switched on again when you turn the key in
the steering lock to position1 or2.Adjusting the volume

Turn the control knob.
Turning the knob clockwise will in-
crease the volume, counterclockwise
will decrease the volume.
Audio functions
The AUD
key is used to select the BASS,
TREBLE and BALANCE functions. Settings
for bass and treble are stored separately
for the cassette and CD modes. Tone level
settings are identified by the vertical bars.
The center (flat) setting is shown by one
longer bar in the center of the display.Bass

Press the
AUD
key repeatedly until
BASS

appears in the display.
Treble

Press the
AUD
key repeatedly until
TRE-
BLE
appears in the display.

Press the +key to increase or the -key
to decrease the level.
iDo not press directly on the radio dis-
play face.
iThe radio can also be switched on even
if the key is not inserted in the steering
lock, but will switch itself off automati-
cally after one hour to conserve vehicle
battery power.

116 Controls in detailAudio systemBalance
Press the
AUD
key repeatedly until
BALANCE
appears in the display.

Press the
Lkey to move the sound to
the left speaker or the
Rkey to move
the sound to the right speaker.
Centering all audio functions

Push and hold down the
AUD
key.
All audio functions (bass, treble and
balance) are set to center or flat posi-
tions, and the volume is adjusted to a
pre-set level.
Radio mode
Selecting radio mode
Press
b
button.
Selecting the band

Press the key located below the de-
sired band.
The band selected is shown in the top
line of the display.Manual tuning

Press either the
d
or
c
button.
Step-by-step tuning in ascending or de-
scending order of frequency will take
place.
The first three tuning steps will take place
without muting. The radio will then be mut-
ed and high-speed tuning will take place
until the button is released.
The following tuning intervals will be
shown on the display:
Frequency ranges:
FM 87.9 - 107.9 MHz
AM 530 - 1710 kHz
WB approx. 162 MHz
FM 200 kHz
AM 10 kHz
WB Channels 1-7

117 Controls in detail
Audio system
Seek tuning
Press either the
f
or
e
button.
The radio will tune to the next receiv-
able station.
Scan tuning

Press the
SC
key.
Each station with a strong signal on the
band selected will be tuned in for
8 seconds. The first scan will tune only
the stations with a high signal strength.
The second scan will tune every receiv-
able station.
By pressing either the
d
, c
, f
or
e
buttons, or the
SC
key, the scan
mode can be cancelled.Station memory
Ten stations can be stored in the AM and
FM bands via the alpha-numeric keypad.
The “0” button corresponds to location 10.
Weatherband (WB) channels 1 to 7 can be
retrieved via the alpha-numeric keypad
and are preset at the factory.
Storing stations

Hold the number button down for ap-
proximately 2 seconds.
The currently displayed frequency is
stored on the selected station button.
The storage procedure is confirmed by
a short signal tone.
Retrieving a station from memory

Press the desired station button.Direct frequency input (AM and FM
only)

Select the band.

Press the
“
button and enter the
desired frequency using the
alpha-numeric keypad.
Frequencies outside of the frequency
ranges (frequencies specified on
page 116) will not be accepted. The
frequency input mode is cancelled if no
button is pressed within 4 seconds.