MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG 2008 W463 Owner's Manual

170 Controls in detail
Transfer case
For more information on off-road driving,
see “Off-road driving” (
page 253).
Transfer case position
Switching transfer case
The transfer case switch is located on the
lower part of the center console.
Transfer case switch
The current gear position of the transfer
case appears in the multifunction display.
1 Transfer case indicator
HHIGH
Road position
LLOW
Off-road position
This position is intended for driv-
ing off-road and step gradients.
The transmission will not upshift
automatically to the next higher
gear range when driving at the
rpm limit.
The transfer case supports the
engine’s driving force
(approximately
1/2 speed).
Output is therefore increased.
NNeutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle.
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171
Controls in detail
Transfer case
Switching from HIGH to LOW
Press upper half (“LOW”) of the
transfer case switch.
Once the shift is complete, gear
position
L appears in the transfer case
indicator 1 (
page 170).
Move the gear selector lever to drive
position D. Switching from LOW to HIGH
Press lower half (“HIGH”) of the
transfer case switch.
Once the shift is complete, gear
position
H appears in the transfer case
indicator 1 (
page 170).
Move the gear selector lever to drive
position D.
Warning!G
Always wait until the procedure of shifting
from HIGH to LOW – and from LOW to HIGH
– has been entirely completed. During this
procedure do not:

switch off the engine

shift the automatic transmission into
another gear
If you do not wait until the shifting proce-
dure has been entirely completed then it
might not be correctly performed. The
transfer case might be in neutral, thus inter-
rupting the transfer of power between the
engine and the drive axle.
The vehicle is then freel y movable, even if a
gear has been selected, and could uninten-
tionally be set into mo tion – particularly on
up – or downhill grades. This could lead to
an accident and cause injury to yourself and
others.
Please observe related messages appearing
in the multifunction display (
page 172).
!The shift procedure can only be performed
when:

the engine is running

the gear selector lever for the automatic
transmission is in neutral position N

the vehicle is not at standstill

the vehicle speed does not exceed 25 mph
(40 km/h)
iIf the shift procedure does not take place
press upper half (“LOW”) of the transfer case
switch once more.
!The shift procedure can only be performed
when:

the engine is running

the gear selector lever for the automatic
transmission is in neutral position N

the vehicle is not at standstill

the vehicle speed does not exceed 40 mph
(70 km/h)
iIf the shift procedure does not take place
press lower half (“HIGH”) of the transfer case
switch once more.
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172 Controls in detail
Transfer case
Messages in the multifunction display
If a shift was not completed and one of the
following messages appears in the multi-
function display:

TC shift conditions not fulfilled
The shift did not take place. At least
one shift condition was not met.
Repeat the shift procedure.

TC in neutral
The shift did not take place. The
transfer case is in neutral. Gear
position
N appears in transfer case
indicator 1.
Repeat the shift procedure.

TC shift procedure canceled
The shift did not take place.
Repeat the shift procedure.

Transfer case Visit workshop
There may be a malfunction in the
system.
Repeat the shift procedure.
If the shift procedure still does not take
place, have the vehicle checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible. For more information, see “Practical hints”
section (
page 361).
Warning!G
If the transfer case is
in neutral, transmis-
sion position P will not hold vehicle. The
parking brake must be applied to hold
vehicle in place.
iIf the SmartKey is in starter switch
position 0 or 1, an alarm will sound if the
transfer case is in neutra l and the driver’s door is
opened.
Engage the transfer case to gear position HIGH
or LOW.
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173
Controls in detail
Differential locks
 Differential locks
For more information on off-road driving,
see “Off-road driving” (
page 253).
Differential locks improve the vehicle’s
tractive power off-road. Switch on
differential locks:

for off-road driving

to turn the ABS off during off-road
driving

for driving through water

when driving on deep snow and icy or
fouled surfaces
!Do not engage the front axle differential
lock when driving around tight corners. This
restricts steering ability.
!When driving off-road, apply only moderate
pressure to the accelerator pedal if the differen-
tial locks are switched on.
When running on a (single-axle) dynamometer –
no matter how briefly – you must:

raise the non-driven axle
or

disconnect its drive shaft
and

engage the transfer differential lock
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
Never drive on pavement with differential
locks engaged.
Steering control will be strongly affected
with the differential locks activated.
The ABS, BAS, and ESP
® are switched off
automatically when the transfer case
differential lock is activated.
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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 steer
ing 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-ro ad 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 positi on “LOW” of transfer
case) this vehicle comes equipped with.
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175
Controls in detail
Differential locks
Switching differential locks on and off
The switches are located on the upper part
of the center console.
1 Transfer case (center) differential lock
2 Rear axle differential lock
3 Front differential lock
4 Engagement indicator lamps (yellow)
5 Function indicator lamps (red) Switching differential locks on
Transfer case differential lock
Press switch
1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp 4 for the transfer case
differential lock comes on.
The ESP
® warning lamp v comes
on. When the differential lock engagement
operation has been completed, the red
function indicator lamp
5 comes on.
The message
ABS not available
differential locked
appears in the
multifunction display.
The ESP
® warning lamp v and
the - indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster come on.
Once the transfer case differential lock
is switched on, you can now, if needed,

switch on rear axle differential
lock 2
or

switch on rear axle differential
lock 2 and front differential
lock 3.
iThe 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
[8 km/h]).

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

Do not engage differential locks on paved
roads.
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176 Controls in detail
Differential locks
Rear axle differential lock
Press switch2.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp 4 comes on first, followed by the
red function indicator lamp 5.
The rear axle differential lock is
switched on.
Front differential lock
Press switch 3.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp 4 comes on first, followed by the
red function indicator lamp 5.
The front differential lock is switched
on. Switching differential locks off
There are two different methods to
disengage 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 switch 1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamps 4 go out first. The red
function indicator lamps 5 go out
when the switching process has
been carried out in the differential.
To activate the ESP
®, BAS, and ABS
systems, drive again for 3 seconds using a
constant driving style. All messages in the multifunction display
disappear. The ESP
® warning lamp
v
and the - indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster go out.
iIf the red function indicator lamps 5 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 174).
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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.
1 Headlamp cleaning button
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
Press button 1.
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 gear R 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 functi on 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 ca rgo 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.
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178 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Activating exterior rear view mirror
parking position (Canada only)
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 exterior rear view mirror buttons are
located above the exterior lamp switch.
1 Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2 Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror button
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
Make sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 116).
Press button 2.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror is selected.
Move the gear selector lever to reverse
gear R.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror will be turned downward to the
stored position.
The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:

10 seconds after moving the gear
selector lever out of position R

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

immediately when you press button 1
for driver’s side exterior rear view
mirror
Warning!G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (out wardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your
interior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
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179
Controls in detail
Good visibility
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
1 Sun visor
2 Mounting 3
Vanity mirror cover
4 Vanity mirror lamps
Glare through the windshield
Swing sun visor 1 down.
When you do not experience glare
anymore, swing sun visor 1 up. Vanity mirror
Swing sun visor
1 down.
Flip up vanity mirror cover 3 to access
vanity mirror.
Vanity mirror lamps 4 come on.
After using vanity mirror, flip down
vanity mirror cover 3.
Swing sun visor 1 up.
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.
iMake sure the ignition is switched on
(
page 39) and sun visor 1 is properly
engaged in mounting 2.
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