MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 2008 W164 Owner's Manual

140 Controls in detail
Lighting
Pull the combination switch in direction
of arrow2 to its original position to
switch off the high beam.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
goes out.
High beam flasher
Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow2.
Corner-illuminating front fog lamps*
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps im-
prove illumination of the area in the direc-
tion into which you are turning.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
operate with the engine running and with

the exterior lamp switch in
positionB (
page 135)
or

the exterior lamp switch in
positionU (
page 135)
or

the daytime running lamp mode
activated (
page 137)Driving forward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Switch on the left or right turn signal
(
page 60), depending on whether
you are turning left or right.
The respective front fog lamp comes on
and illuminates the area in the direc-
tion into which you are turning.
or
Turn steering wheel in desired direc-
tion.
The front fog lamp on the side of your
steering direction comes on.
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
only come on in low ambient lighting conditions.
iIf you are driving faster than 25 mph
(40 km/h) or have the front fog lamps switched
on, the corner-illuminating function is not avail-
able.
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps
temporarily come on on both sides of the vehicle
if you turn the steering wheel in one direction
and then again in the other direction shortly
thereafter.


141 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps if they
were activated by switching on the left or
right turn signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after
making the turn, the turn signal and the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps can be
switched off by returning the combination
switch to its original position.Driving in reverse
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Shift the automatic transmission to
reverse gearR (
page 185).
The front fog lamp opposite to your
steering direction comes on.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Shift the automatic transmission to a
gear other than reverse gearR
(
page 185).
The respective corner-illuminating
front fog lamp goes out.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be
switched on at all times, even with the
SmartKey removed from the starter switch
or with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle.
The hazard warning flasher switches on
automatically when an air bag deploys.
The hazard warning flasher switch is
located on the center console.
1Hazard warning flasher switchiThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
come on automatically depending on the steer-
ing angle and vehicle speed, even if you did not
switch on either turn signal. If the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps came on
automatically, they will also go out automatically
depending on the steering angle and vehicle
speed.
iThere may be a brief delay before the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps switch off.

142 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching on hazard warning flasher
Press hazard warning flasher
switch1.
All turn signals are flashing.
Switching off hazard warning flasher
Press hazard warning flasher switch1
again.
Interior lighting
The controls for interior lighting are locat-
ed in the overhead control panel.1Front left reading lamp switch
2Rear interior lighting switch
3Automatic control switch
4Front interior lighting switch
5Front right reading lamp switch
6Front right interior lamp
7Front right reading lamp
8Front left reading lamp
9Front left interior lampAutomatic control
Deactivating
Press switch3.
The switch engages in the recessed
position.
The interior lighting and the locator
lighting (
page 171) remain switched
off even when you

unlock the vehicle

open a door

open the tailgate

remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch
iWith the hazard warning flasher activated
and the combination switch set for either left or
right turn, only the respective turn signals will
operate when the ignition is switched on.
iIf the hazard warning flasher has been
activated automatically, press hazard warning
flasher switch1 once to switch it off.
!An interior lamp switched on manually does
not go out automatically.
Leaving an interior lamp switch in the ON
position for extended periods of time with the
engine turned off could result in a discharged
battery.
iThe interior lighting is factory-set to
automatic mode.

143 Controls in detail
Lighting
Activating
Press switch3.
The switch disengages from its
recessed position back to its original
position.
The interior lighting and the locator
lighting (
page 171) come on when
you

unlock the vehicle

open a door

open the tailgate

remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch
The interior lamps go out following an
adjustable time delay (
page 172).Manual control
Switching front/rear interior lighting on
and off
Press front/rear interior lighting
switch4 or2 to switch on the
respective interior light.
Press front/rear interior lighting
switch4 or2 again to switch off the
respective interior light.
Switching front reading lamps on and off
Press front reading lamp switch1
or5 to switch on the respective front
reading lamp.
Press front reading lamp switch1
or5 again to switch off the respective
front reading lamp.Switching rear interior reading lamps on
and off
The rear interior reading lamps are located
above the side windows.
Passenger side reading lamp
1Rear interior reading lamp
Press on reading lamp1 where indi-
cated by arrow.
The reading lamp comes on.
Press on reading lamp1 once more.
The reading lamp goes out.
iIf a door remains open, the interior lamps
switch off automatically after approximately
5 minutes when the SmartKey is removed or in
starter switch position0.
iAn interior lamp switched on manually does
not go out automatically.

144 Controls in detail
Lighting
Door entry lamps
For better orientation in the dark, the
corresponding door entry lamps comes on
when you open a door and the automatic
control is activated.
The door entry lamps will switch off when
the corresponding door is closed.Cargo compartment lamp
The cargo compartment lamp comes on
when the tailgate is opened.
If you leave the tailgate open for an extend-
ed period of time, the cargo compartment
lamp will switch off automatically after ap-
proximately 5 minutes.
iIf you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 or remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch, the door entry lamps will
remain lit for approximately 5 minutes.

145 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster
For a full view illustration of the instrument
cluster, see “Instrument cluster”
(
page 26).
1To dim instrument cluster illumination
2Reset button
3To brighten instrument cluster
illumination
The instrument cluster is activated when
you

open a door

switch on the ignition (page 40)

press reset button2

switch on the exterior lamps
(
page 135)For information on changing the instru-
ment cluster settings, e.g. the language,
see “Instrument cluster submenu”
(
page 167).Adjusting instrument cluster illumina-
tion
Use button1 or3 to adjust the illumina-
tion brightness for the instrument cluster.
To brighten illumination
Press and hold button3 until the
desired level of illumination is reached.
To dim illumination
Press and hold button1 until the
desired level of illumination is reached.
iOpening a front door or pressing the reset
button without switching on the ignition or the
exterior lighting activates the multifunction
display illumination only for 30 seconds.
Warning!G
No messages will be displayed if either the
instrument cluster or the multifunction
display is inoperative.
As a result, you will not be able to see infor-
mation about your driving conditions, such
as speed or outside temperature, warn-
ing/indicator lamps, malfunction/warning
messages or the failure of any systems.
Driving characteristics may be impaired.
If you must continue to drive, do so with
added caution. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center as soon
as possible.
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to suit am-
bient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will also be
adjusted automatically when you switch on the
vehicle’s exterior lamps.
iWith the exterior lighting switched on, the
brightness of the switches in the center console
will also be adjusted when using button
1 or3.

146 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Resetting trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip odome-
ter display (
page 147).
If it is not displayed, press buttonè
orÿ on the multifunction steering
wheel (
page 148) repeatedly until
the trip odometer appears in the multi-
function display.
Press and hold reset button2 in the
instrument cluster (
page 145) until
the trip odometer is reset.
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer
(
page 26) denotes excessive engine
speed.To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is displayed in the
multifunction display (
page 147).The 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.!Avoid driving at excessive engine speeds, as
it may result in serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
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.

147 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 (
page 40) or as
soon as the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton* is in position1 (
page 42). The con-
trol system enables you to

call up information about your vehicle

change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for maintenance service, to set the
language for messages in the instrument
cluster display, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Trip odometer
2Main odometer
3Transmission position indicator
4Current transmission program mode
1
5Status indicator (outside temperature
or digital speedometer)
For more information on menus displayed
in the multifunction display, see “Menus”
(
page 150).
Warning!G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his/her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
1AMG vehicles only.

148 Controls in detail
Control system
Multifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled by the buttons on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.
Depending on the selected menu
(
page 150), pressing the buttons on the
multifunction steering wheel will alter what
is shown in the multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or
CD operations under
AUDIO, for example).
These functions serve to call up relevant
information or to customize the settings
for your vehicle.
1Multifunction display
Operating the control system
2Telephone*:
Press button
sto take a call
to dial
to redial
tto end a call
to reject an incoming call
3Selecting the submenu or setting
the volume:
Press button
æup/to increase
çdown/to decrease
4! Voice Control System* on1,
see separate operating instructions
1Vehicles without Voice Control System*: Button
without function.
5Moving within a menu:
Press button
jfor next display
kfor previous display
60 Voice Control System* off1,
see separate operating instructions
7Menu systems:
Press button
èfor next menu
ÿfor previous menu

149 Controls in detail
Control system
It is helpful to think of the menus, and the
functions within each menu, as being ar-
ranged in a circular pattern.

If you press buttonè orÿ
repeatedly, you will pass through each
menu one after the other.

If you press buttonk orj
repeatedly, you will pass through each
function display, one after the other, in
the current menu.In the
Settings menu, instead of
functions, you will find a number of
submenus for calling up and changing
settings. For instructions on using these
submenus, see “Settings menu”
(
page 163).
The number of menus available in the sys-
tem depends on which optional equipment
is installed in your vehicle.The menus are described on the following
pages.