dashboard MERCEDES-BENZ G500 2007 W463 Owner's Manual

56 Getting started
Driving
After a cold start, the transmission shifts at
a higher engine revolution. This allows the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature earlier.
For more information, see “Driving instruc-
tions” (
page 245).
For information on off-road driving, see
“Off-road driving” (
page 253).
Switching on headlamps
Low beam headlamps
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
Exterior lamp switch
1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
The low beam headlamp indicator
lampB in the instrument cluster
comes on (
page 26).
iOnce the vehicle is in motion, the automatic
central locking system engages and the locking
knobs drop down.
The automatic door lock feature can be deacti-
vated (
page 155).
You can open a locked door from the inside.
Open door only when conditions are safe to do
so.
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.
Warning!G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out ofP or N if the engine speed is
higher than idle speed. If your foot is not
firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate quickly forward or in reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
!Do not run cold engine at high engine speed.
Running a cold engine at high engine speed may
shorten the service life of the engine.
!Simultaneously depressing the accelerator
pedal and applying the brakes reduces engine
performance and causes premature brake and
drivetrain wear.

71 Safety and Security
Occupant safety

Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper
operation of vehicle controls. The
distance from the center of the driver’s
breastbone to the center of the air bag
cover on the steering wheel must be at
least 10 inches (25 cm) or more. You
should be able to accomplish this by a
combination of adjustments to the seat
and steering wheel. If you have any
problems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.

Do not lean with your head or chest
close to the steering wheel or dash-
board.

Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms
inside the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.

Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.

Always sit as upright as possible, prop-
erly use the seat belts and appropriate
size infant or child restraint system.

Children 12 years old and under must
never ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized
BabySmart
TM compatible child seat,
which operates with the BabySmartTM
system installed in the vehicle to deacti-
vate the passenger front air bag when it
is properly installed. Otherwise they will
be struck by the air bag when it inflates
in a crash. If this happens, serious or
fatal injury will result.
Failure to follow these instructions can
result in severe injuries to you or other
occupants.
If you sell your vehicle, it is important that
you make the buyer aware of this safety
information. Be sure to give the buyer this
Operator’s Manual.
Warning!G
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in an automobile is in the
rear seat. Should you choose to place a
child 12 years old or under in the front pas-
senger seat of your vehicle, you must prop-
erly use a BabySmart
TM child restraint which
will turn off the passenger front air bag.
To help avoid the possibility of injury, please
follow these guidelines:
(1) Always sit as upright as possible, prop-
erly use the seat belts and use an appro-
priately sized infant or child restraint
system for all children 12 years old or
under.
(2) Always wear seat belts properly.

72 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Safety guidelines for the seat belt,
emergency tensioning device and air
bagiAir bags are designed to deploy only in
certain frontal impacts (front air bags) and in
side impacts (window curtain air bags) which
exceed preset thresholds. Only during these
events will they provide their supplemental
protection.
The driver and passenger should always wear
their seat belts. Otherwise it is not possible for
the air bags to provide their supplemental pro-
tection.
In case of other types of impacts and impacts
below air bag deployment thresholds, air bags
will not deploy. The driver and passenger will
then be protected to the extent possible by a
properly fastened seat belt. A properly fastened
seat belt is also needed to provide the best
possible protection in a rollover.
We caution you not to rely on the presence of the
air bags in order to avoid wearing your seat belt.
It is important to your safety and that of your pas-
senger that you replace deployed air bags and
repair any malfunctioning air bags to make sure
the vehicle will continue to provide supplemental
crash protection for occupants.
Warning!G

Damaged seat belts or seat belts that
were highly stressed in an accident
must be replaced and their anchoring
points must also be checked. Use only
seat belts installed or supplied at an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.

Air bags and Emergency Tensioning
Devices (ETDs) are designed to function
on a one-time-only basis. An air bag or
ETD that has deployed must be
replaced.

Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.

Do not make any modification that could
change the effectiveness of the seat
belts.

Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this
may severely weaken them. In a crash
they may not be able to provide ade-
quate protection.

No modifications of any kind may be
made to any components or wiring of
the SRS. This includes changing or
removing any component or part of the
SRS, the installation of additional trim
material, badges, etc. over the steering
wheel hub, front passenger front air bag
cover, outboard sides of the front seat
backrests, door trim panels, or door
frame trims, and installation of
additional electrical/electronic equip-
ment on or near SRS components and
wiring. Keep area between air bags and
occupants free from objects (e.g. pack-
ages, purses, umbrellas, etc.).

Air bag system components will be hot
after an air bag has inflated. Do not
touch.

Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard, or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.

76 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
USE SEAT BELTS PROPERLY

Seat belts can only work when used
properly. Never wear seat belts in any
other way than as described in this
section, as that could result in serious
injuries in case of an accident.

Each occupant should wear their seat
belt at all times, because seat belts help
reduce the likelihood of and potential
severity of injuries in accidents, includ-
ing rollovers. The integrated restraint
system includes SRS (driver air bag,
passenger front air bag, window curtain
air bags for side windows), and ETD
(seat belt emergency tensioning
device). The system is designed to en-
hance the protection offered to properly
belted occupants in certain frontal (front
air bags and ETD) and side (window
curtain air bags and ETD) impacts which
exceed preset deployment thresholds.

Never wear the shoulder belt under your
arm, against your neck or off your shoul-
der. In a frontal crash, your body would
move too far forward. That would
increase the chance of head and neck
injuries. The shoulder belt would also
apply too much force to the ribs or abdo-
men, which could severely injure inter-
nal organs such as your liver or spleen.

Never wear seat belts over rigid or
breakable objects in or on your clothing,
such as eyeglasses, pens, keys, etc., as
these might cause injuries.

Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips and not across the abdo-
men. If the lap belt is positioned across
your abdomen, it could cause serious
injuries in a crash.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time. Do not fasten a seat
belt around a person and another per-
son or other objects.

Seat belts should not be worn twisted.
In a crash, you wouldn’t have the full
width of the seat belt to manage impact
forces. The twisted seat belt against
your body could cause injuries.

Pregnant women should also always use
a lap-shoulder belt. The lap belt portion
should be positioned as low as possible
on the hips to avoid any possible
pressure on the abdomen.

Never place your feet on the instrument
panel, dashboard or on the seat. Always
keep both feet on the floor in front of the
seat.

When using a seat belt to secure infant
restraints, toddler restraints or children
in booster seats, always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.

116 Controls in detail
Memory function
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position
For easier parking, you can adjust the
passenger-side exterior rear view mirror so
that you can see the rear wheel and the
road curb as soon as you engage reverse
gearR.
For information on activating the parking
position, see “Activating exterior rear view
mirror parking position” (
page 178).
The memory button is located on the
driver’s door. The adjustment button and
exterior rear view mirror buttons are
located on the dashboard to the left of the
steering wheel.1Adjustment button
2Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
3Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror button
4Memory button
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
Press button3.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror is selected.
Adjust the exterior rear view mirror
with adjustment button1 so that you
see the rear wheel and the road curb.
Press memory button4.
Within 3 seconds, press bottom of
adjustment button1.
The parking position is stored if the
mirror does not move.
iIf the mirror does move, repeat the above
steps. After the setting is stored, you can move
the mirror again.

117 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
For information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on headlamps” (
page 56)
and see “Turn signals” (
page 57).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country in
which the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
1‚Standing lamps, left
(turn left two stops)
2ˆStanding lamps, right
(turn left one stop)
3MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 119)
4UAutomatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 119)
5CParking lamps (also tail lamps,
license plate lamps, side mark-
er lamps, instrument panel
lamps)
6BLow beam headlamps or high
beam headlamps
7‡Front fog lamps
8†Rear fog lamp
iIf you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the low beam headlamps or the
parking lamps before opening the driver’s door.
In addition the message
Switch off lights
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the low beam headlamps or the park-
ing lamps.
If the message
Turn off lights or remove
key
appears in the multifunction display remove
the SmartKey from the starter switch or switch
off the automatic headlamp mode.
!Failure to switch off the exterior lamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.

174 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
farther 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
possible.
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
engine’s power will go to that wheel
because the power will take the path of
least resistance. Meanwhile, the opposite
wheel, sitting 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 (4-ETS)
addresses 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 4-ETS in this vehicle
feature such intelligent limited-slip
differential technology, ideally suited for
on-road and light off-road driving. Transfer
case position LOW (
page 170) also
enhances off-road driving capabilities
(
page 253).
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
switches in sequential order (center, rear,
front) (
page 175). When the transfer
case (center) differential is locked, half of
the engine’s power is automatically
distributed 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
important to understand that during
on-road/paved driving, differentials are
absolutely necessary for providing the
essential 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®,
manual switch position “LOW” of transfer
case) this vehicle comes equipped with.

177 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
For information on windshield wipers, see
“Windshield wipers” (
page 58).
Headlamp cleaning system
The button is located on the dashboard to
the left of the steering wheel.
1Headlamp cleaning button
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield/rear window
washer system and headlamp cleaning
system” (
page 275).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 46).
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirrors and the interior rear view
mirror will respond automatically to glare
when

the ignition is switched on
and

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

reverse gearR is engaged

the interior lighting is turned on
iThe headlamps will automatically be
cleaned when you have

switched on the headlamps
and

operated the windshield wipers with
windshield washer fluid fifteen times
When you switch off the ignition, the counter
resets.
Warning!G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at
sensors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirrors do not react, for example,
when transporting cargo which covers the
rear window.
Light hitting the mirror(s) at certain angles
(incident light) could blind you. As a result,
you may not be able to observe traffic
conditions and could cause an accident.

191 Controls in detail
Climate control
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents
The air conditioning for the rear passenger
compartment is controlled via the climate
control panel (
page 183).
The air vents for the rear passenger
compartment are located in the rear
center console.
1Thumbwheel for air volume control for
center air vents
2Left center air vent, adjustable
3Right center air vent, adjustableAdjusting air distribution
Push the slide for the left center
vent2 or right center air vent3 to
the left, right, up, or down.
The air flow is directed in the
corresponding direction.
Adjusting air volume
Turn thumbwheel1 up.
The air volume is increased.
Turn thumbwheel1 down.
The air volume is decreased.iThe temperature at the center air vents2
and3 for the rear passenger compartment is
the same as at the dashboard center air vents.
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the sliders
for the center air vents2 and3 upward.

268 Operation
Engine compartment
The hood lock release lever is located to
the left of the steering wheel under the
dashboard.
1Hood lock release lever
Pull release lever1 upward.
The hood is unlocked.
G500
2Safety hook
Lift hood up slightly.
Pull safety hook2 in direction of
arrow.
The hood is unlocked.
Open the hood.
G55AMG
3Safety hook
Lift hood up slightly.
Push safety hook3 in direction of
arrow.
The hood is unlocked.
Open the hood.
!To avoid damage to the windshield wipers or
hood, open the hood only with wipers in parked
position.