ECU MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG 2008 W463 Owner's Manual

Contents
Safety and Security........................... 67
Occupant safety................................... 68 Air bags .......................................... 70
Seat belts ....................................... 74
Children in the vehicle.................... 77
Blocking of rear door window
operation ........................................ 85
Panic alarm .......................................... 86 Activating ....................................... 86
Deactivating ................................... 86
Driving safety systems ... ...................... 87
ABS ................................................ 87
BAS ................................................ 89
4-ETS .............................................. 90
EBB................................................. 91
ESP®.............................................. 91
Anti-theft systems....................... ......... 95
Immobilizer..................................... 95
Anti-theft alarm .............................. 95
Tow-away alarm ............................. 97Controls in detail ............................... 99
Locking and unlocking ....................... 100 SmartKey ..................................... 100
Checking batteries in the
SmartKey ..................................... 103
Loss of the SmartKey ................... 103
Opening the doors from the
inside ........................................... 104
Tailgate ........................................ 105
Automatic central locking ............ 106
Locking and unlocking from the
inside ........................................... 107
Seats ................................................. 108 Removing and installing front
seat head restraints ..................... 108
Multicontour seat* ....................... 109
Rear seats .................................... 110
Seat heating ................................. 112
Memory function ............................... 114 Storing positions into memory ..... 115
Recalling positions from memory . 115
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position (Canada only) ..... 116 Lighting ............................................. 117
Exterior lamp switch .................... 117
Combination switch ..................... 122
Corner-illuminating front fog
lamps ........................................... 122
Hazard warning flasher ................ 124
Interior lighting in the front .......... 125
Rear interior lamps ...................... 126
Cargo compartment lamps .......... 127
Door entry lamps ......................... 129
Instrument cluster ............................. 130 Adjusting instrument cluster
illumination .................................. 130
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 131
Resetting trip odometer ............... 131
Tachometer.................................. 132
Outside temperature indicator ..... 132
Control system ............ ...................... 133
Multifunction display.................... 133
Multifunction steering wheel........ 134
Menus .......................................... 136
Standard display menu ................ 140
Audio menu.................................. 141
NAV menu .................................... 144
Vehicle status message memory
menu............................................ 144
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15
Introduction
Where to find it
 Where to find it
This Operator’s Manual is designed to pro-
vide comprehensive support information
for you, the vehicle operator. Each section
has its own reference color.
At a glance
Here you will find an overview of your vehi-
cle’s interior and exterior main features.
Getting started
Here you will find all the information you
need for your first drive. You should read
this section first if this is your first
Mercedes-Benz vehicle or if you are rent-
ing or borrowing this vehicle.
Safety and Security
Here you will find descriptions of the safety
and security features of your vehicle.
Controls in detail
Here you will find detailed information
about the equipment installed on your
vehicle. This section expands on the “Get-
ting started” section and also describes
technical innovations. If you are already
familiar with the basic functions of your
vehicle, this section will be of particular
interest to you.
Operation
Here you will find all the information you
need for the proper operation of your vehi-
cle.
Practical hints
This section provides fast assistance for
dealing with problems you may encounter.
Technical data
All important technical data for your vehi-
cle can be found in this section.
Indexes
The table of contents and the index are
designed to help you find information
quickly and easily.
The following publicati ons are part of your
vehicle documentation:

this Operator’s Manual

the Maintenance Booklet
Separate operating instructions will be
provided as required depending on the
equipment options installed in your vehi-
cle.
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42 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
on the respective front door.1 Head restraint height
2 Seat backrest tilt
3 Seat fore and aft adjustment
4 Seat cushion tilt
5 Seat height
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
or
Open the respective front door.
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended for
the size and weight of the child. For addi-
tional information, see “Children in the vehi-
cle” (
page 77).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is no t properly secured in
the child restraint.
!When moving the seat, make sure

there are no items in the footwell or behind
the seat

the cup holder next to the armrest is
removed (
page 219)

the cup holder in the front passenger
footwell is folded closed (
page 220)
Otherwise you could damage the seat and/or
cup holders.
iThe memory function (page 114) lets you
store the setting for the seat position together
with the settings for the steering wheel and the
exterior rear view mirrors.
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49
Getting started
Driving
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly
restrained in the
rear seating positions th an in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats.
Regardless of seating position, children
12 years old and under must be seated and
properly secured in an appropriately sized
infant restraint, toddler restraint, or booster
seat recommended for the size and weight
of the child. For additi onal information, see
“Children in the vehicle” (
page 77).
A child’s risk of seriou s or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.
Warning!G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessiv ely reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the seat belt would apply force at
the abdomen or neck. That could cause se-
rious or even fatal injuries. The seat back-
rest and seat belt provide the best restraint
when the wearer is in a nearly upright posi-
tion and the seat belt is properly positioned
on the body.
Warning!G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Make
sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
correctly restrained with a separate seat
belt. Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.
Warning!G
Read and observe the additional warning
notices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 72) and (page 74).
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53
Getting started
Driving
Proper use of seat belts

Do not twist the seat belt when fasten-
ing.

Adjust seat belt so
that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the seat belt under
your arm. For this purpose, you can
adjust the height of the seat belt guide
(
page 52).

Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.

Place the seat backrest on adjustable
seat backrests in a nearly upright
position.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.

Do not fasten a seat belt around a
person and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant restraints, toddler restraints or
children in booster seats, always follow
the child seat manufacturer’s instruc-
tions.

Check your seat belt periodically
during travel to make sure that it is
properly positioned.

Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.
Warning!G
Do not pass seat belts over sharp edges.
They could tear.
Do not allow the seat be lt to get caught in
the door or in the seat adjustment mecha-
nism. This could damage the seat belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness 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 adequate protection.
Damaged seat belts or seat belts that were
highly stressed in an accident must be
replaced. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
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67
Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Panic alarm
Driving safety systems
Anti-theft systems
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68 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
In this section you will learn the most
important facts about the restraint
systems of the vehicle.

Seat belts (page 74)

Child restraints (page 83)

Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CH
ildren (LATCH) (page 82)
Additional protection potential provide

Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
with

Air bags (page 70)

Air bag control unit (with crash
sensors)

Emergency Tensioning Device
(ETD) for seat belts (
page 77)
Air bag system components with

Front passenger front air bag off
indicator lamp (
page 80)

BabySmartTM air bag deactivation
system (
page 80) Although independent systems, their
protective functions work in conjunction
with each other.
The
1 indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 27) comes on:

for about 4 seconds when you turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position 1.

for about 4 seconds when you start the
engine by turning the SmartKey. The SRS components are in operational
readiness if the
1indicator lamp is not
lit when the engine is running.
A malfunction in the system has been
detected if the 1 indicator lamp:

fails to go out after approximately
4 seconds.

does not come on at all.

comes on after the engine was started
or while driving.
For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 332).
iFor information on infants and children
traveling with you in the vehicle and restraint
systems for infants and children, see “Children
in the vehicle” (
page 77).
iThe 1 indicator lamp remains lit if the
SmartKey is turned to position 2 and left there.
The indicator lamp will go out when you start the
engine.
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69
Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Warning!G
Modifications to or work improperly con-
ducted on restraint systems (such as seat
belts and anchors, emergency tensioning
devices, seat belt force limiters or air bags)
or their wiring, as well as tampering with in-
terconnected electronic systems, can lead
to the restraint systems no longer function-
ing as intended.
Air bags or emergency tensioning devices,
for example, could deploy inadvertently or
fail to deploy in accidents although the de-
celeration threshold for air bag deployment
is exceeded. Therefore, never modify the re-
straint systems. Do not tamper with elec-
tronic components or their software.
Warning!G
In the event that the
1indicator lamp
comes on during driving or does not come
on at all, the SRS self-check has detected a
malfunction. For your safety, we strongly
recommend that you visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center immedi-
ately to have the system checked; otherwise
the SRS may not deploy when needed in an
accident, which could re sult in serious or
fatal injury, or it might deploy unexpectedly
and unnecessarily which could also result in
injury.
In addition, improper work on the SRS cre-
ates a risk of rendering the SRS inoperative
or causing unintended air bag deployment.
Work on the SRS must therefore only be
performed by qualified technicians. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
If it is necessary to modify an air bag system
to accommodate a person with disabilities,
contact a local author ized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center or call our Customer
Assistance Center at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) for details.
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70 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Air bags
Warning!G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal
impacts (front air bags), or side impacts
(window curtain air bags). However, no
system available today can completely elim-
inate injuries and fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious
to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in
the vehicle. The dust might cause some tem-
porary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid
this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!G
The service life of the passenger front air
bag extends to the date indicated on the
label located on the driver side B pillar. To
provide continued reliab ility after that date,
they should be inspected at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center at that
time and replaced when necessary.
Warning!G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passen ger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear their
respective seat belts.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in no rmal seated position
with your back against the seat backrest.
Fasten your seat belt and make sure it is
properly positioned on your body
(
page 50).
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:

Sit properly belted in a position that is
as upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.
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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 thes e 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 yo u 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 possib ility 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.
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