merc benz 2000 slk230 the symbol left of the ck engine light please tell me what this means. And where can i get an owners manual?

 

Belive it or not Mercedes gives them away for free!
https://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/servi...owners_manuals

 

Unfortunately, it is an "idiot light" which means Mercedes divides the world between idiots (the owner) and its dealers, who will plug in a very expensive diagnostic reader into your car and get far more information than an idiot light... for a price. Best to pay just for the diagnostics first, so you stay out of their clutches until you can inform yourself based on the readings. Otherwise that work order can lead to thousands of dollars (pounds, Euros, etc.) as the dealer technician decides what is needed. Too often a minor electrical fault is bound up in a very expensive piece of electronics, and too many shops just keep replacing expensive parts until the symptom goes away.

Here is the core problem. In the old days, one owned a typewriter, adding machine and other office machines to run businesses. They worked for decades and only were replaced when the mechanical items wore out. Then we went to computers that cost more and have a life span of a few years. They were so complicated that they became trash when the cost of repair exceeded buying a new one. The same has happened to cars. People ask if the SLK R170 will become a classic one day. Unlikely. Unless an industry arises to know what electronic sensors and circuit boards do and has the ability to affordably repair them, the cars will be junked long before their mechanicals justify it.

So, you have four choices:

1) Take it to the dealer, pay big bucks to hook it up to a computer, and hope you have an honest and well-informed dealer. Just pay them for the analysis first, then educate yourself
2) See if in your area there is an independent shop run by an intelligent and honest technician who used to work for the MB dealer, but became disgusted with their exploitation of customers. Ditto #1
3) research and buy the best (expensive) OBD-II reader you can afford, learn how to use it. Learn how every sensor works, and how it links to every other one. Learn what are cheap repairs (like the brake light switch) you can do yourself vs the repairs that are only done when it is clear that is the problem.
4) Give up on older, electronic-based cars and either buy pre-electronic or give into the consumer ethos and buy new, selling your car each time the extended warranty expires.

The owner's manual is not much help. This forum is more help but it will require hours to look for clues.