height MERCEDES-BENZ SLK350 2008 R171 Owner's Manual

40 Getting started
Adjusting
Manual seat adjustment
1Seat fore and aft adjustment
2Seat height
3Seat backrest tilt
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the power seats* can be op-
erated when the respective door is open.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
in the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. A child’s unsupervised access to a
vehicle could result in an accident and/or
serious personal injury.
Warning!G
Children 12 years old and under must be
seated and properly secured in an appropri-
ate infant, or toddler restraint, or booster
seat recommended for the size and weight
of the child. For additional information, see
“Children in the vehicle” (
page 79).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.
!When moving the seats, make sure there are
no items in the footwell or behind the seats;
otherwise you could damage the seats.

41 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat fore and aft adjustment
Pull handle1.
Slide the seat to the desired position.
Allow handle1 to reengage with an
audible click.
Check for proper engagement before
driving.Seat height
Pull or push handle2 up or down and
adjust the seat height until your legs
are slightly supported.
Seat backrest tilt
Pull handle3 and adjust the backrest
until your arms are slightly angled
when holding the steering wheel.
Release handle3 when the desired
backrest tilt is reached.
When you hear an audible click, the
backrest is again fixed into place.
For more information, see “Seats”
(
page 104).Power seat* adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
on the outer side of each seat.
1Seat fore and aft adjustment
2Seat height
3Seat backrest tilt
4Seat cushion tilt
Switch on the ignition (page 37).
or
Open the respective door.

42 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat fore and aft adjustment
Press the horizontal switch forward or
backward in direction of arrows1.
Seat height
Press the horizontal switch up or down
in direction of arrows2 and adjust the
seat height until your legs are slightly
supported.
Seat backrest tilt
Press the vertical switch forward or
backward in direction of arrows3.
Seat cushion tilt
Press the horizontal switch up or down
in direction of arrows4 until your
upper legs are lightly supported.Head restraint height
Head restraint
Adjust the height of head restraints
manually by pulling them upwards or
pushing them downwards.
iThe memory function* (page 107) lets
you store the settings for power seats*, steering
wheel adjustment (electrical)*, and exterior rear
view mirrors.
Warning!G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the head
restraint supports the back of the head at
eye level. This will reduce the potential for
injury to the head and neck in the event of
an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are in-
tended to help reduce injuries during an
accident.
iAdjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible.

82 Safety and Security
Occupant safety

If you place a child in a forward-facing
child restraint on the passenger seat,
move the seat as far back as possible,
use the proper child restraint recom-
mended for the age, size and weight of
the child, and secure child restraint with
the vehicle’s seat belt according to the
child seat manufacturer’s instructions.
For children larger than the typical
12-month-old child, the passenger front
air bag may or may not be activated
(
page 72).
Warning!G
Infants and small children should never
share a seat belt with another occupant.
During an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.
Warning!G
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts.
Position the shoulder belt across chest and
shoulder, not face or neck. A booster seat
may be necessary to achieve proper seat
belt positioning for children over 41 lbs until
they reach a height where a lap/shoulder
belt fits properly without a booster.
When the child restraint is not in use,
remove it from the vehicle or secure it with
the seat belt to prevent the child restraint
from becoming a projectile in the event of
an accident.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system. Unsupervised
children in a child restraint system may use
vehicle equipment and may cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.


99 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the trunk
You can open the trunk if the vehicle is
stationary.
A minimum height clearance of 5.78 ft
(1.76 m) is required to open the trunk lid.Press and hold buttonŠ on the
SmartKey.
The trunk is unlocked and opens
slightly.
Pull on the handle.
Lift the trunk lid and swing it open.
The trunk lid can also be opened from the
inside in an emergency, see “Trunk lid
emergency release” (
page 102).
iIf the vehicle has previously been centrally
locked with the SmartKey, opening a door from
the inside will trigger the anti-theft alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the following:

Press buttonŒor‹on the
SmartKey.

Insert the SmartKey in the starter switch.
Warning!G
Make sure the trunk is closed when the
engine is running and while driving.
Among other dangers, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle
interior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
!Always make sure there is sufficient over-
head clearance.
iThe vehicle or trunk must be unlocked
before the trunk lid can be opened.
The trunk lid can only be opened when the vehi-
cle is not in motion and the retractable hardtop
is fully opened or closed.

107 Controls in detail
Memory function*
Memory function*
Prior to operating the vehicle, the driver
should check and adjust the seat height,
seat position fore and aft, and seat back-
rest angle if necessary, to ensure adequate
control, reach and comfort. The head re-
straint should also be adjusted for proper
height. See also the section on air bags
(
page 66) for proper seat positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, operation
and comfort. Both the interior and exterior
rear view mirrors should be adjusted for
adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small
children should be seated in an appropri-
ate infant or child restraint system which is
properly secured by a lap-shoulder belt
and that complies with U.S. Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 255
and Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 210.2.With the memory function you can store up
to three different configurations.
Each store position on the driver’s side
includes the following settings:

Seat position

Steering wheel position

Exterior rear view mirrors’ position
Each store position on the passenger side
includes the following setting:

Seat positionThe memory button and memory position
switch are located on the outer side of
each seat.
1Memory buttonM
2Memory position switch
Switch on the ignition (page 37).
or
Open the respective door.
Warning!G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.

240 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
Opening and closing the retractable
hardtop
For safety reasons, the retractable hardtop
can only be opened and closed when the
vehicle is standing still.
Warning!G
Before operating the switch for the retract-
able hardtop, make sure no persons are in-
jured by the moving parts (retractable
hardtop, roof frame, and trunk lid).
Hands must never be placed near the roof
frame, upper windshield area, retractable
hardtop, shelf behind roll bars, or trunk lid
while the retractable hardtop is being raised
or lowered. Serious personal injury may
occur.
If potential danger exists, release the re-
tractable hardtop switch. This immediately
interrupts the raising or lowering procedure.
You can then operate the retractable hard-
top switch to raise or lower the retractable
hardtop away from the danger zone.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle.
A child’s unsupervised access to a vehicle
could result in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
!Never sit or place heavy objects on the rear
shelf. Doing so could cause damage to the
retractable hardtop and the rear shelf.
!Please keep in mind that weather conditions
can sometimes change rapidly. Make sure to
close the retractable hardtop when leaving the
vehicle. If water enters the vehicle interior,
vehicle electronics could be damaged which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
!When opening and closing the retractable
hardtop, make sure

there is sufficient clearance for the retract-
able hardtop to move up and the trunk lid to
move back

the luggage cover is extended and closed

the trunk is only loaded to the height of the
luggage cover

the luggage/cargo does not push the closed
luggage cover up

the trunk lid is closed

no roof luggage carrier is installed

the outside temperature is
above +5°F (-15°C)
Otherwise the roof and other parts of the vehicle
could be damaged.

241 Controls in detail
Retractable hardtop
Luggage cover
The luggage cover is located in the trunk.
Luggage cover
Closing
Pull the luggage cover at the handle in
direction of the arrow until it engages
on both sides at the trunk sill.Opening
Press the release handle on the lug-
gage cover.
Guide the luggage cover forward to its
end stop.Retractable hardtop
!To prevent damage to the retractable hard-
top or luggage/cargo when lowering the roof:

Load trunk only to the height of the luggage
cover.

Do not permit luggage/cargo to push up the
closed luggage cover.

Do not place anything on top or in front of
the luggage cover.

Do not place anything on the shelf behind
the roll bars.
Warning!G
To prevent possible accidents, drive the ve-
hicle only with the retractable hardtop either
completely closed and locked, or fully low-
ered into its storage compartment.
iFor safety reasons, the retractable hardtop
cannot be opened or closed while driving.
Make sure the retractable hardtop and the rear
window are dry before you open it. Otherwise
water may enter the interior and/or trunk.
iBefore operating the retractable hardtop via
the retractable hardtop switch, do the following
first:

Engage the parking brake (page 59).

Close the luggage cover.

Close the trunk lid.

Switch on the ignition (page 37).

255 Controls in detail
Useful features
Cup holder
1Cover plate
Press briefly on cover plate1 to open
the cup holder.
The cup holder opens automatically.
Press cover plate1 until the cup
holder engages to close it.
Ashtray
1Cover plate
Press cover plate1 briefly in direction
of the arrow.
The ashtray opens automatically.
To close the ashtray again, press
cover plate1 until the ashtray
engages.
Warning!G
In order to help prevent spilling liquids
on vehicle occupants and/or vehicle
equipment, only use containers that fit into
the cup holder. Use lids on open containers
and do not fill containers to a height where
the contents, especially hot liquids, could
spill during braking, vehicle maneuvers, or in
an accident. Liquids spilled on vehicle
occupants may cause serious personal
injury. Liquids spilled on vehicle equipment
may cause damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
When not in use, keep the cup holder
closed. An open cup holder may cause injury
to you or others when contacted during
braking, vehicle maneuvers, or in an acci-
dent.
Keep in mind that objects placed in the cup
holder may come loose during hard braking,
vehicle maneuvers, or in an accident and be
thrown around in the vehicle interior. Ob-
jects thrown around in the vehicle interior
may cause an accident and/or serious per-
sonal injury.

295 Operation
Engine compartment
Pull hood lock release lever1 in direc-
tion of arrow.
The hood is unlocked.
2Lever for opening the hood
Push lever2 on the hood upward to
release hood.
With the hood released, lift the hood by
lifting it at the front edge.
The hood will be automatically held
open at shoulder height by gas-filled
struts.
ClosingLet the hood drop from a height of
approximately 1 ft (30 cm).
The hood will lock audibly.
Check to make sure the hood is fully
closed.
If you can raise the hood at a point
above the headlamps, then it is not
properly closed. Open it again and let it
drop with somewhat greater force.!To avoid damage to the windshield wipers or
hood, never open the hood if the wiper arms are
folded forward away from the windshield.
Warning!G
When closing the hood, use extreme caution
not to catch hand or fingers. Be careful that
you do not close the hood on anyone.
Make sure the hood is securely engaged
before driving. Do not continue driving if the
hood can no longer engage after an accident
for example. The hood could otherwise
come loose while the vehicle is in motion
and injure you and/or others.