MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG 2003 W463 Owner's Manual

101 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch. For exterior lamp
switch, see above.
Automatic headlamp mode
The parking lamps, low beam headlamps
and license plate lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light.
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
U
.
Warning!
G
In automatic headlamp mode, the head-
lamps will not be automatically switched on
under foggy conditions. To minimize risk to
you and to others, activate headlamps by
turning exterior lamp switch to
B
.
The driver is responsible for the operation of
the vehicle’s lights at all times. The automat-
ic headlamp feature is only an aid to the driv-
er. Switch on the vehicle lights manually
when driving or when traffic conditions re-
quire you to do so.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated, the low beam headlamps will
not be switched off automatically.
iFront fog lamps and rear fog lamp can
not be switched on manually with exte-
rior lamp switch in position
U
. To
activate the fog lamps, turn exterior
lamp switch to position
B
.
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country where the vehicle is regis-
tered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.

102 Controls in detailLightingDaytime running lamp mode
Turn exterior lamp switch to
position
M
or
U
.
When the engine is running, the low beam
headlamps are automatically switched on.
In low ambient light conditions the parking
lamps will also switch on.
Canada only
When you shift from a driving position to
positionN orP, the low beam switches off
(three minutes delay).
For nighttime driving, you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to position
B
to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
USA only
The high beam headlamps can also be ac-
tivated when driving with the daytime run-
ning lamp mode activated and exterior
lamp switch in position
M
.To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode” (
page 124).
Locator lighting and night security illu-
mination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the control system
section under “Setting locator lighting”
(
page 125) and “Setting night security il-
lumination” (
page 125).
Exterior rear view mirror lamps
If the vehicle is centrally unlocked in the
darkness, the lamps in the exterior rear
view mirrors light up.If a door is opened, the lamp on this side
goes out. If no doors are opened, the
lamps go out:


when the ignition is switched on


after a maximum of 40 seconds
Switching on front fog lamps

Check that the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The green indicator lamp
‡
in the
lamp switch lights up.
iSee notes on the exterior lamp switch
(page 100).
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps
on. Fog lamps should only be used in
conjunction with low beam headlamps.
Consult your State or Province Motor
Vehicle Regulations regarding allow-
able lamp operation.

103 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching on rear fog lamp
Check that the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp
†
in the
lamp switch lights up.
Combination switch
The combination switch is located on the
left side of the steering column.
1High beam
2High beam flasher
Switching on high beams
Turn exterior lamp switch to
position
B
or to
U

(
page 100).

Push the combination switch in
direction1.
The high beam symbol
A
in the
instrument cluster lights up.High beam flasher

Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction2.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be activat-
ed with the ignition switched on or off. It is
activated automatically when an airbag is
deployed.
The switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1Hazard warning flasher switch

104 Controls in detailLightingSwitching on the hazard warning
flasher
Press the hazard warning flasher
switch.
All the turn signals will blink.
Switching off the hazard warning
flasher

Press hazard warning flasher switch
again.
Interior lighting
1Cargo compartment lamps
2Right reading lamp
3Rocker switch for automatic control
system
4Left reading lampAutomatic control

Move rocker switch 3 to center posi-
tion.
Interior lamps are switched on in dark-
ness, when:

unlocking the vehicle


opening a door


removing the key from the starter
switch
In addition, the entry lamps in the door
trays will come on when you open a
door.
The interior lamps are switched off fol-
lowing an adjustable time delay
(
page 126).
iWith the hazard warning flasher acti-
vated and the combination switch set
for either left or right turn, only the re-
spective left or right turn signals will
operate when the key in the starter
switch is in position1 or2.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lamps switch off automatically after ap-
proximately five minutes.

105 Controls in detail
Lighting
Deactivating
Press the
ñ
symbol on rocker
switch 3.
The interior lighting and the entry
lamps remain switched off in darkness,
even when you


unlock the vehicle


open a door


remove the key from the starter
switchManual control
Switching lamps on

Press the
ð
symbol on rocker
switch 3.
The interior lighting remains on even
when the doors are closed.
Switching lamps off

Move rocker switch 3 to center posi-
tion to activate the automatic control.
Rear interior lamps
The rear interior lamps are located above
the rear seat bench on the left and right
side.
1The lamps are switched on
continuously
2The lamps are switched off
3Automatic function
!To prevent the vehicle battery from be-
ing discharged, all interior lamps
switch off automatically after approxi-
mately 30 minutes with the tailgate
open.
If an interior lamp is switched on man-
ually, it does not go out automatically.
Before leaving the vehicle, make sure
that the interior lamps are switched off.
The rear interior lamps can be switched
on with the SmartKey in starter switch
position0 or key removed from the
starter switch for up to 30 minutes.

106 Controls in detailLightingCargo compartment lamps
Switching on and off
1Switch for cargo compartment lamps
Press button
ò
to switch the cargo
compartment lamps 2 on/off.2Cargo compartment lamps
Switching on and off with the tailgate
open
If the tailgate should remain open for a
longer period of time, the cargo compart-
ment lamps may be switched off separate-
ly.1Door lock
2Lock cylinder
Switching off

Open the tailgate.

Press door lock1 down until it clicks
into place (arrow).!Do not close the tailgate if the lock is
engaged in down position. The lock
could otherwise be damaged.
When locking the tailgate, it is impor-
tant that the door lock be in the same
position as shown in the illustration.

107 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching on
Press lock cylinder2 to activate the
cargo compartment lamps again.
The cargo compartment lamps will
switch on.Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the tail-
gate opening when closing the tailgate. Be
especially careful when small children are
around.
Only drive with the tailgate closed as other-
wise exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.

108 Controls in detailInstrument cluster
Instrument clusterA full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the “At a glance”
section of this manual (
page 24).
1Reset knob
The instrument cluster is activated when
you:


open a door


turn on the ignition


press reset knob1


switch on the exterior lamps
You can change the instrument cluster set-
tings in the Instrument cluster submenu of
the control system (
page 122).
Instrument cluster illumination
Use the reset knob to adjust the illumina-
tion brightness for the instrument cluster.
To brighten illumination
Turn reset knob1 in the instrument
cluster clockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
brighten.To dim illumination

Turn reset knob1 in the instrument
cluster counterclockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
dim.
Coolant temperature display
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to
suit ambient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will
also be adjusted automatically when
you switch on the vehicle’s exterior
lamps.
Warning!
G


Driving when your engine is badly over-
heated can cause some fluids which
may have leaked into the engine com-
partment to catch fire. You could be se-
riously burned


Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the engine hood. Stay away
f r o m t h e e n g i n e i f y o u s e e o r h e a r s t e a m
coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until it
cools down.

109 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or2.

Call up the trip odometer and main
odometer by pressing button
è

or
ÿ
on the multifunction steering
wheel (page 112).

Press button
j
or
k
until the
coolant temperature display appears.During severe operating conditions and
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious en-
gine damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip
odometer and main odometer
(page 111) in the multifunction dis-
play.

Press and hold the reset knob on the in-
strument cluster (
page 108) until the
trip odometer is reset.
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer de-
notes excessive engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
iExcessive coolant temperatures trigger
a warning in the multifunction display
(page 252).
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.

110 Controls in detailInstrument clusterOutside temperature indicatorThe temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. This
means that the accuracy of the displayed
temperature can only be verified by com-
parison to a thermometer placed next to
the sensor, not by comparison to external
displays (e.g. bank signs, etc.).When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.