wheel MERCEDES-BENZ G500 2006 W463 Service Manual

123 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. The control 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 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
3Outside temperature
4Clock
1
5Current gear selector lever position
6Transfer case program mode
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
(approximately 14 m) every second.
1See separate operating instructions for the
COMAND system for clock setting.

124 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.1Multifunction display
Operating the control system:
2Selecting a submenu or setting the
volume:
Press button
æup / to increase
çdown / to decrease
3Telephone*:
Press button
sto take a call, or
to dial a call
tto end a call, or
to reject an incoming call
4Menu systems:
Press button
èfor next menu
ÿfor previous menu
5Moving within a menu:
Press button
jfor next display
kfor previous display
i
G55AMG:
The steering wheel in this vehicle may
vary from steering wheel shown.
However, multifunction steering wheel
symbols and feature description apply
to AMG vehicles as well.

125 Controls in detail
Control system
Pressing any of the buttons on the multi-
function 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 op-
erations under
AUDIO, for example). These
functions serve to call up relevant informa-
tion or to customize the settings for your
vehicle.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 func-
tions you will find a number of submenus
for calling up and changing settings. For in-
structions on using these submenus, see
the “Settings menu” section (
page 132).
The number of menus available in the sys-
tem depends on which optional equipment
is installed in your vehicle.
i
The headings used in the menus table
are designed to facilitate navigation
within the system and are not neces-
sarily identical to those shown in the
control system displays.
The first function displayed in each
menu will automatically show you
which part of the system you are in.

143 Controls in detail
Control system
Convenience submenu
Access the
CONVENIENCE submenu via the
SETTINGS menu. Use the CONVENIENCE sub-
menu to change the settings for a number
of convenience features. The following
functions are available:Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature
(
page 100).
Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the
CONVENIENCE submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
EASY-ENTRY FEATURE ACTIVATE.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Pressæ orç to change the
easy-entry/exit setting.
The following settings are available for the
easy-entry/exit feature
FunctionPage
Activate easy-entry/exit feature143
Set key-dependency144
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror144
Warning!G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel when the easy-entry/exit feature is
activated.
To cancel steering wheel movement, do one
of the following:

Move steering column lever
(
page 40).

Press memory position switch
(
page 108).
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door an un-
intentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
OFFThe easy-entry/exit
feature is deactivated
STEERING COLUMNThe easy-entry/exit
feature is activated

144 Controls in detail
Control system
Setting key-dependency
Use this function to set whether the mem-
ory settings for the seats, the steering
wheel and the exterior mirrors should be
stored separately for each SmartKey
(
page 107).
Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the
CONVENIENCE submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
SETTINGS KEY-DEPENDENT.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Pressæ orç to set key depen-
dency to
ON or OFF. Setting parking position for exterior rear
view mirror
Use the
MIRROR SETTING WHEN PARKING
function to select whether the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror should be
turned downward during parking maneu-
vers when reverse gear is engaged. For
more information, see “Activating exterior
rear view mirror parking position”
(
page 164).
Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the
CONVENIENCE submenu.
Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
MIRROR SETTING WHEN PARKING.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Pressæ orç to switch function
ON or OFF.
i
For safety reasons, resetting the
SETTINGS KEY-DEPENDENT submenu to
factory settings will not reset while
driving.
In the display you will then see the mes-
sage:
CONVENIENCE – CANNOT BE
TOTALLY RESET TO FACTORY SETTINGS
WHILE DRIVING
.

147 Controls in detail
Control system
You can use the functions in the TEL menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.
Switch on the telephone and COMAND.
Press buttonÿ orè on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
TEL menu in the display.
Which messages will appear in the display
field depends on whether your telephone is
switched on or off:

If the telephone is off, the message in
the multifunction display is:
TEL OFF.

If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the display is
empty.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network,
READY is indicated in the dis-
play.
1Signal strength
This standby message indicates that your
telephone is ready for use and you can op-
erate it using the control system.Answering a call
When your telephone is ready to receive
calls, you can answer a call at any time. In
the display you will then see the message:
Press buttons.
You have answered the call. In the dis-
play you see the length of the call.
Ending a call
Press buttont.
You have ended the call. In the display
you will again see the standby
message.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.

152 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
!
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 se-
lector lever not fully engaged in positionP is
dangerous. Also, positionP alone is not in-
tended to or capable of preventing your ve-
hicle from moving, possibly hitting people or
objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 57).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
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
SmartKey from the starter switch, 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.

155 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
One-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission, you
can change the gears manually and limit or
extend the gear range for automatic
shifting with the gear selector lever in
positionD.Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in the D–direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear as permitted by
the shift program. This action simulta-
neously limits the gear range of the trans-
mission (
page 154).Upshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in the D+direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next higher gear as permitted
by the shift program. This action simulta-
neously extends the gear range of the
transmission.
Canceling gear range limit
Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D+direction until
Dreappears in
the multifunction display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range
Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D-direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal accelera-
tion and deceleration. This will involve
shifting down one or more gears.
!
Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or parking
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Warning!G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
i
To avoid overrevving the engine when
the gear selector lever is moved to the
D–direction, the transmission will not
shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.

160 Controls in detail
Differential locks
A few words about differentials and
differential locks
When a vehicle negotiates a turn, wheels
on the outside of the curve must travel far-
ther and rotate faster than the inside
wheels. The differential, the operation of a
set of gears that allows the powered
wheels in a vehicle to turn at different
speeds, makes this essential function pos-
sible.
The drawback is that the differential also
sends most of the engine’s power to the
wheel with the least load or strain on it. For
example, if one of a vehicle’s powered
wheels sits on a patch of snow and spins
because there is no traction, all of the en-
gine’s power will go to that wheel because
the power will take the path of least resis-
tance. Meanwhile, the opposite wheel, sit-
ting on dry pavement where it could get
enough grip to start the vehicle moving,
sits idle because it receives no power.The Electronic Traction System (ETS) ad-
dresses this problem and provides for
good control and steering ability by auto-
matically slowing the slipping wheel and
thus increasing the power to the other
non-slipping drive wheels to get the vehicle
moving. The ESP and ETS in this vehicle
feature such intelligent limited-slip differ-
ential technology, ideally suited for
on-road and light off-road driving. Transfer
case position LOW (
page 157) also en-
hances off-road driving capabilities
(
page 227).
More extreme off-road conditions may call
for another solution, engaging a differen-
tial lock or preventing the differential from
operating altogether. As part of its stan-
dard equipment, this vehicle comes with
three differential locks: front, transfer case
(center) and rear. Each can be engaged
simply by pushing dashboard-mounted
buttons in sequential order (center, rear,
front) (
page 161). When the transfer
case (center) differential is locked, half of
the engine’s power is automatically distrib-
uted to the front wheels and half to the rear wheels. When the rear differential is
locked, power going to the rear wheels is
equally distributed, so that both rear
wheels turn at the same speed and torque.
When the front differential is locked, all
four wheels now turn with equal power and
torque. Please be aware that engaging the
differential locks will significantly reduce
the steering ability of the vehicle.
For your safety and the safety of others
and to prevent damage to the vehicle, the
differential locks must not be engaged
when driving on paved roads. It is impor-
tant to understand that during
on-road/paved driving, differentials are
absolutely necessary for providing the es-
sential control and steering ability of the
vehicle. The differential locks, therefore,
must not be engaged when driving on
paved roads and should only be used to
the extent necessary to negotiate off-road
conditions which cannot be handled by the
systems (automatic 4-ETS, the ESP, manu-
al switch position “LOW” of transfer case)
this vehicle comes equipped with.

161 Controls in detail
Differential locks
Switching differential locks on and off
The switch is located in the center console.
1Transfer case (center) differential lock
2Rear axle differential lock
3Front differential lock
4Engagement indicator lamps (yellow)
5Function indicator lamps (red)Switching differential locks on Transfer case differential lock
Press switch1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp4 for the transfer case differen-
tial lock comes on.
The ESP warning lampv comes on.
When the differential lock engagement
operation has been completed, the red
function indicator lamp5 comes on.
The message
ABS NOT AVAILABLE -
DIFFERENTIAL LOCKED
appears in the
multifunction display.
The ESP warning lampv and the
ABS- warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster come on.
i
The differential locks can only be
switched on in the sequence 1,
2,3.
!
To avoid damage to the transfer case
and differential locks:

Engage differential locks only at low
speed (walking speed, not more
than 5 mph).

Do not engage differential locks if
the driving wheels are spinning due
to lack of traction.

Do not engage on paved roads.