MERCEDES-BENZ ML55AMG 2003 W163 Owner's Manual

131 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated af-
ter approximately 6 to 17 minutes of oper-
ation depending on the outside
temperature.
Activating
Switch ignition on.

Press button
F
(page 125).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
F
again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Rear passenger compartment ventila-
tion and rear automatic climate control
Deactivating
For an improved cooling or heating output
in the front passenger compartment, you
can switch off the rear passenger compart-
ment ventilation.
Press button
§
(page 125).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
The operation of the rear automatic cli-
mate control and the fresh air supply to
the rear compartment is shut off.
Activating

Press button
§
again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The rear automatic climate control
switches to automatic mode and fresh
air enters the rear compartment.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts blinking, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically turns itself back on.

132 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAutomatic mode
The automatic climate control panel for the
rear is located on the rear center console.
1Air volume control
2Air distribution control
3Automatic control (air distribution, air
volume)
Press button
U
.
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
The automatic climate control cools or
heats the interior depending on the
temperature selected on the front cli-
mate control unit.Adjusting air volume and air distribu-
tion manually
Adjusting air volume

Press upper part of button
R
.
The blower setting is increased each
time the button is pressed.

Press lower part of button
R
.
The blower setting is decreased each
time the button is pressed.Adjusting air distribution

Press
Ô
, upper part of button2.
Air is directed upwards.

Press
Ó
, lower part of button2.
Air is directed to the footwell.
Front and rear air outlets
iWhen the air volume or air distribution
control is pressed, the automatic mode
is switched off. The indicator lamp in
button
U
is turned off. Temperature
setting remains in automatic mode.
iFor draft-free ventilation, adjust the air
outlets upwards
To allow unrestricted operation of the
automatic climate control, the air out-
lets should remain open.

133 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Adjusting side air outlets
Turn thumbwheel4 (
page 125), to
one of the following positions:Center air outlets
Opening

Turn thumbwheel center air outlet 1
(page 125) upward to position
h
.
Closing

Turn thumbwheel center air outlet 1
downward to position
M
.
Use the left thumbwheel to adjust the cen-
ter air outlets on the left and in the center.
Use the right thumbwheel to adjust the
right center air outlet.Rear passenger compartment air out-
lets
1Adjustable center air outlet, left
2Adjustable center air outlet, right
Symbol
Function
h
Open
l

Ventilation of side win-
dows in area of exterior
mirror
M
Closed
iThe temperature at the air outlets for
the rear passenger compartment is the
same as at the dashboard center air
outlets.

134 Controls in detailPower windows
Power windowsOpening and closing the side windows
The power window switches are on the
front center console.
1Left front
2Right front
3Switch for rear door window override
(
page 69)
4Left rear
5Right rear Additional switches for the rear windows
are located on the rear center console.
6Left rear
7Right rear
To operate the power windows, turn key to
position2 (
page 33) in the steering lock.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from steering lock and lock your vehicle.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.

135 Controls in detail
Power windows
Opening the windows
Press switch
k
to resistance point.
The window will move downwards until
you release the switch.
Closing the windows

Press switch
j
to resistance point.
The window will move upwards until
you release the switch.
Fully opening the windows

Press switch
k
past the point of re-
sistance and release.Fully closing the windows

Press switch
j
past the point of re-
sistance and release.
Stopping the windows

Briefly press switch
k
or
j
.
!If the side window is blocked in the up-
per area, the closing process is inter-
rupted and the window reopens
slightly.
Remove the obstruction, press switch j
past the point of resistance again
and release.
If the window still does not close
without an object having been trapped,
then hold the
j
switch down. The
side window will then close without the
obstruction sensor function.
iIf the driver’s window cannot be auto-
matically closed without an object
having been trapped, press the
j

switch past the point of resistance
again within five seconds and release.
The side windows will now close with-
out the obstruction sensor function.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.

136 Controls in detailPower windowsSynchronizing power windows
The side power windows must be resyn-
chronized

after the battery has been disconnect-
ed


if the windows cannot be fully opened
or closed

Switch ignition on.

Press switch
j
until the window is
completely closed and hold down for
approximately 1 second. Repeat proce-
dure for each window.
Rear quarter windows*
The switches are on the upper part of the
center console.
1Left side
2Right side
To operate the power windows, turn key to
position2 (
page 33) in the steering lock.Opening the windows

Press and hold the upper part of
switches1 or2.
The window will open.
Closing the windows

Press and hold the lower part of
switches1 or2.
The window will close.Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

137 Controls in detail
Sliding/pop-up roof*
Sliding/pop-up roof*
Opening and closing the sliding/pop-up roof
1raise roof at rear
2slide roof open
3lower roof at rear
4slide roof closed
With the roof closed or tilted open, a
screen can be slid into the roof opening to
guard against sun rays. When sliding the
roof open, the screen will also retract.
To operate the sliding/pop-up roof, turn
key to position1 or 2 (
page 33) in the
steering lock. Opening the roof

Press and hold the switch in
direction2.
The sliding/pop-up roof slides open un-
til the switch is released.Closing the roof

Press and hold the switch in
direction4.
The sliding/pop-up roof closes until the
switch is released.
Stopping the roof

Briefly press the switch in any direc-
tion.
The movement of the roof will stop.
Raising the roof

Press and hold the switch in
direction1.
The roof is raised at rear.
Lowering the roof

Pull and hold the switch in direction3.
The sliding/pop-up roof is lowered and
closed.
Warning!
G
When closing the sliding/pop-up roof, make
sure that there is no danger of anyone being
harmed by the closing procedure.
The closing procedure can be immediately
reversed by moving the switch in direction1
or2.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from steering lock and lock your vehicle.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.

138 Controls in detailSliding/pop-up roof*Opening the roof automatically
Briefly press the switch in direction2.
The roof will not open to the fully open
position.
To open the roof fully, press switch
again in direction2.Synchronizing the sliding / pop-up roof
The power sliding/pop-up roof must be re-
synchronized each time after the battery
has been disconnected, the slid-
ing/pop-up roof has been closed manually
or the sliding/pop-up roof does not open
smoothly or malfunctions (
page 246).
iTo interrupt procedure, briefly move
switch in any direction.
!To avoid damaging the seals, do not
transport any objects with sharp edges
which can stick out of the slid-
ing/pop-up roof.
The sliding/pop-up roof can be opened
or closed manually should an electrical
malfunction occur (
page 246).

139 Controls in detail
Loading
Loading
Loading instructions
The total load weight including vehicle oc-
cupants and luggage / cargo should not ex-
ceed the vehicle capacity weight indicated
on the certification label which can be
found on the left door pillar.
The handling characteristics of a fully load-
ed vehicle depend greatly on the load dis-
tribution. It is therefore recommended to
load the vehicle according to the illustra-
tions shown, with the heaviest items being
placed towards the front of the vehicle.Please pay attention to and comply with
the following instructions when loading the
vehicle and transporting cargo:


Always place items being carried
against front or rear seat backrests,
and fasten them as securely as possi-
ble.


The heaviest portion of the cargo
should always be kept as low as possi-
ble against front or rear seat backrests.
For additional safety when transporting
cargo while the rear seats are unoccupied,
fasten the outer seat belts crosswise into
the opposite side buckles.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible using cargo tie-down rings and
fastening materials appropriate for the
weight and size of the load.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and can cause in-
jury to vehicle occupants unless the items
are securely fastened in the vehicle.
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, always use parti-
tion net when transporting cargo.
Never drive vehicle with the liftgate open.
Deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gases may
enter vehicle interior resulting in uncon-
sciousness and death.

140 Controls in detailLoadingCargo tie-down rings
The cargo area is provided with four
tie-down rings. Additional two rings are lo-
cated at the rear of front seats.Cargo tie-down ring
Carefully secure cargo by applying even
load on all rings with rope of sufficient
strength to hold down the cargo.Hooks
Four hooks located on the rear compart-
ment trim panels, two on each side.
HooksUse the hooks to secure light weight items.
The maximum permissible weight per hook
is 9lbs.(4kg).
iThe trunk is the preferred place to carry
objects. The enlarged cargo area
should only be used for items which do
not fit in the trunk alone.
iWhile the partition net (
page 141)
will help protect you from smaller ob-
jects, it cannot prevent the movement
of large, heavier objects into the pas-
senger area in an accident. Such items
must be properly secured using the
cargo tie-down rings in the cargo area
floor.