MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 2004 W163 Owner's Manual

121 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear ranges
With the gear selector lever in positionD,
you can limit the transmission’s gear range
by pressing the gear selector lever to the
left (D-), and reverse the gear range limit
by pressing the gear selector lever to the
right (D+).
The selected gear range appears in the
tachometer display. If you press on the
accelerator when the engine has reached
its rpm limit, the transmission will upshift
beyond any gear range limit selected.
Effect
é
The transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
è
The transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
Effect
ç
The transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving:

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.

122 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe key can only be removed
from the steering lock with the
gear selector lever in positionP.
With the key removed, the gear
selector lever is locked in
positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP
(page 264).
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All five forward
gears are available.

123 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with gear 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 gear
selector lever not fully engaged in positionP
is dangerous. Also, positionP alone is not
intended to or capable of preventing your
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 53).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, take it with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Children could move
the gear selector lever from positionP,
which could result in an accident and / or
serious personal injury.

124 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionTowing a trailer
If you tow a trailer, note the following
points:

Manually shift to a lower gear range
(4,3, 2, 1), if the transmission hunts
between gears on inclines
(page 121).
A lower gear range and reduction of
speed reduces the change to overload
or overheat the engine.


At very steep inclines switch transfer
case to LOW RANGE mode
(page 125).
For more information on trailer towing, see
the “Operation” section (
page 206).Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode)
If vehicle acceleration worsens or the
transmission no longer shifts, the trans-
mission is most likely operating in limp
home (emergency operation) mode. In this
mode only second gear and reverse gear
can be activated.
Stop the vehicle.

Move gear selector lever to positionP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least ten seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Move selector lever to positionD
(for second gear) orR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible.

125 Controls in detail
Transmission control – LOW RANGE mode
Transmission control – LOW RANGE mode
In the following situations you should
switch to LOW RANGE mode:

during off-road driving


when crossing water


when towing up or down on steep
gradients
Switching on LOW RANGE modeLOW RANGE mode switch
Stop the vehicle.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionN.

Press on the upper part of the switch.
During the changeover the indicator
lamp (
page 25) flashes three times.
Once the changeover is complete, the
indicator lamp comes on continuously.
Switching off LOW RANGE mode
Stop the vehicle.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionN.

Press on the upper part of the switch.
During the changeover the indicator
lamp (
page 25) flashes three times.
Once the changeover is complete, the
indicator lamp goes out.
For information on driving safety systems
during LOW RANGE mode see the “Safety
and Security” section (
page 76).
!Only switch the LOW RANGE mode on
or off, when the vehicle is

at a complete standstill


the engine speed is less than
1500 rpm
Failure to do so may result in transmis-
sion or engine damage which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
!You should only operate the vehicle on
a single axle dynamometer for briefly
testing the brakes.
The key must be in steering lock
position1 (
page 33).

126 Controls in detailGood visibility
Good visibilityInformation on the windshield wipers
(page 49) and for setting the rear view
mirrors (
page 40) is found in the
“Getting started” section.
Rear view mirror
Interior rear view mirror, antiglare
position
1Lever
Tilt the mirror to the antiglare night po-
sition by moving lever1 towards the
windshield.
The interior rear view mirror is dimmed.Automatic antiglare rear view mirror*
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when:


the automatic antiglare function is acti-
vated (
page 127)


the ignition is switched on


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror
The rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gear is engaged


the interior light is turned on
Warning!
G
The automatic antiglare function does not
react if incoming light is not aimed directly
at sensors in the inside rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the cargo area is fully
loaded.
Glare can endanger you and others.Warning!
G
In the case of an accident, liquid electrolyte
may escape the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or the respiratory sys-
tem. In case it does, immediately flush af-
fected area with water, and seek medical
help if necessary.

127 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Activating
1Button
2Indicator lamp
Press button1.
Indicator lamp2 comes on.
Deactivating

Press button1 again.
Indicator lamp2 goes out.Activating exterior rear view mirror
parking position
The buttons are on the lower part of the
center console.
1Deactivating parking position
2Activating parking position
3Adjustment button

Make sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 106).

Switch on ignition (if not already on).

Press button2.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror is selected.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
terior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can only be
completely removed while in their liq-
uid state and by applying plenty of wa-
ter.


128 Controls in detailGood visibility
Engage reverse gearR.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror moves automatically to the
stored parking position.
The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
stored driving position:


ten seconds after you put the gear
selector lever in positionD


immediately once your vehicle exceeds
a speed of approx. 6 mph (10 km / h)


immediately when you press the
button1 for driver’s side mirrorElectrically folding exterior rear view
mirrors
Folding exterior mirrors in and out
manually*
The exterior rear view mirrors can vibrate if
they are not completely folded out.The buttons are located on the upper cen-
ter console.
1Folds the exterior mirrors in
2Folds the exterior mirrors out

Check that the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
come on.
iIf the button1 is pressed, the auto-
matic passenger-side exterior rear view
parking position is deactivated.
!Before driving the vehicle through an
automatic car wash, fold the exterior
mirrors in. Otherwise they may get
damaged.
iWith the front doors closed, the exteri-
or mirrors can still be folded in and out
approximately 30 minutes after the ig-
nition has been turned off.


129 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Folding in
Briefly press button1 (
page 127).
The mirrors fold in.Folding out

Briefly press button2.
The mirrors fold out.
Windshield wipers
Information on the windshield wipers is
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 49).
!Before you drive the vehicle through an
automatic car wash, fold the exterior
mirrors in, otherwise they may get
damaged.iIf you are driving at more than approxi-
mately 9 mph (15 km / h), you will not
able to fold the exterior mirrors in.
!If an exterior rear view mirror housing
is forcibly pushed forward (hit from the
rear), reposition it manually by applying
firm pressure until it snaps back into
place.
If an exterior rear view mirror is forcibly
pushed rearward (hit from the front)
press button1 to fold mirrors in, then
press button2 to fold mirrors out. Do
not force mirrors by hand as this may
damage the adjustment mechanism.
The mirror housing is now properly po-
sitioned and you can adjust the mirror
normally.
!If leaves, snow, etc. block the wind-
shield wipers, the wiper motor turns
off.

For safety reasons, withdraw key
from steering lock. Remove block-
age.


Turn the windshield wipers on
again.
If windshield wipers fail to function at
all in switch position1,


set the wiper switch to the next
highest wiper speed.


have the windshield wipers
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.

130 Controls in detailGood visibilityIntermittent wiping
Windshield wipers without rain sensor*
At speeds of approximately 105 mph
(170 km / h) the wiper switches automati-
cally to continuous wiping. Always obey lo-
cal speed limits.Windshield wipers with rain sensor*
A rain sensor automatically controls the
windshield wipers depending on how wet
the windshield is.

Switch on ignition.

Set the wiper switch to position1
(page 49).
After the initial wipe, pauses between
wipes are automatically controlled by the
rain sensor which monitors the wetness of
windshield.
iIntermittent wiping is interrupted when
the vehicle is at a standstill and a front
door is opened.
iWhen intermittent wiping is on and the
key is turned from position1 to
position2 in the steering lock
(page 33), and kept in that position
for longer than two seconds, the wipe
interval will be set to approximately
five seconds.
!Do not leave windshield wipers in inter-
mittent setting when the vehicle is tak-
en to an automatic car wash or during
windshield cleaning. Wipers will oper-
ate in the presence of water sprayed on
the windshield, and wipers may be
damaged as a result.
The switch should not be left in inter-
mittent setting as the wipers will wipe
the windshield once every time the en-
gine is started. Dust that accumulates
on the windshield might scratch the
glass and / or damage the wiper blades
when wiping occurs on a dry wind-
shield.