MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG 2006 W463 Owner's Manual

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.


162 Controls in detail
Differential locks
Once the transfer case differential lock
is switched on, you can now, if needed,

switch on rear axle differential
lock2
or

switch on rear axle differential
lock2 and front differential
lock3.
Rear axle differential lock
Press switch2.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp4 comes on first, followed by the
red function indicator lamp5.
The rear axle differential lock is
switched on.Front differential lock
Press switch 3.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp4 comes on first, followed by the
red function indicator lamp5.
The front differential lock is switched
on.
Switching differential locks off
There are two different methods to disen-
gage differential locks:

You can switch the differential locks off
in reverse order (3, 2,1).

To switch off all differential locks at the
same time:
Press switch1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamps4 go out first. The red func-
tion indicator lamps5 go out
when the switching process has
been carried out in the differential.To activate the ESP, BAS, and ABS sys-
tems, drive again for three seconds using a
constant driving style.
All messages in the multifunction display
disappear. The ESP warning lampv
and the ABS- warning lamp in the in-
strument cluster go out.
i
If the function lamps do not go out
when the differential locks are disen-
gaged, bring vehicle to a stop and then
continue driving. Changing the vehicle
load can help to disengage locks.
Warning!G
Always remember to disengage the differen-
tial locks when returning to drive on paved
roads, see “A few words about differentials
and differential locks” (
page 160).


163 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
For information on windshield wipers, see
“Windshield wipers” (
page 53) and for
setting the exterior rear view mirrors, see
“Mirrors” (
page 41).
Rear view mirrors
Auto-dimming mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirrors and the interior rear view
mirror will respond automatically to glare
when

ignition is switched on, and

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

reverse gear is engaged

the interior lighting is turned on
Warning!G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at sen-
sors 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.
Glare can endanger you and others.
Warning!G
In case of an accident, liquid electrolyte may
escape from 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.
!
Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can be
completely removed only while in the
liquid state by applying plenty of water.

164 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Activating exterior rear view mirror
parking position
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror will be
turned downward to the stored position.
The buttons are located above the exterior
lamp switch.
1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror buttonMake sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 109).
Make sure the MIRROR SETTING WHEN
PARKING
function in the CONVENIENCE
submenu of the control system is
switched to
ON (page 144).
Switch on the ignition (page 35).
Press button2 for the passenger-side
exterior rear view mirror.
Place the gear selector lever in reverse
gear R.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror will be turned downward to the
stored position.
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-
side rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.

165 Controls in detail
Good visibility
The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:

ten seconds after you put the gear se-
lector lever out of position R

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

immediately when you press button1
for driver’s side exterior rear view
mirror
Headlamp cleaning system
The switch is located to the left of the
steering column.
1Headlamp washer switch
Switch on the ignition (page 35).
Press switch1.
The headlamps will be cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.
Sun visors
The sun visors help protect you from sun
glare while driving.
Warning!G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.

166 Controls in detail
Good visibility
1Sun visor
2Mounting
Swing sun visors1 down to protect
against sun glare.
If sunlight enters through a side win-
dow, disengage visor1 from inner
mounting2 and pivot it to the side.3Mirror cover
4Mirror lamp
Make sure the ignition is switched on
and that the sun visor is engaged in
mounting2.
Open mirror cover3.
Mirror lamps4 switch on.
Rear window defroster
Switch on the ignition (
page 35).
Activating
Press button F in the control panel
of the climate control.
The indicator lamp in the button comes
on.

167 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Deactivating
Press button F in the control panel
of the climate control.
The indicator lamp in the button goes
out.
i
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, turn off the de-
froster as soon as the rear window is
clear.
!
Heavy accumulation of snow and ice
should be removed before activating
the defroster.
The defroster is automatically turned
off after approximately 6-17 minutes of
operation depending on the outside
temperature and vehicle speed.
If several power consumers are turned
on simultaneously, or the battery is
only partially charged, it is possible that
the defroster will automatically turn it-
self off.
When this happens, the indicator lamp
inside the switch starts blinking.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the defroster turns itself back
on.

168 Controls in detail
Climate control

169 Controls in detail
Climate control
Climate control panel
1Windshield defroster air vents
2Center air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for center air vent
4Side air vent, adjustable
5Side defroster air vent, fixed
6Thumbwheel for side air vent
7Footwell air vents
8Climate control panel
i
For draft-free ventilation, move the
sliders for the center air vents to the
middle position.
1Air volume
2Temperature control, left
(driver side)
3Temperature control, right
(passenger side)
4Air distribution control
5Rear window defroster (page 166)
6AC cooling on / off (ACOFF)
Residual engine heat utilization
(REST)
7Air distribution and air volume
(automatic mode)
8Air recirculation
9Defrosting