ESP MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 2005 W163 Service Manual

153 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control, with which the vehicle
can maintain a preset speed.


Parktronic*, with which you can assist
your parking maneuvers.
The driving systems BAS, ABS, ESP, EBB
and 4-ETS, are described in the “Safety
and Security” section (
page 76).
Cruise control
Cruise control automatically maintains the
speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed over 20 mph
(30 km / h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 23).
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must remain at all
times responsible for the vehicle speed and
for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

156 Controls in detailDriving systemsParktronic* system (Parking assist)
The Parktronic system is an electronic and
designed to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers. It visually and audibly indi-
cates the relative distance between the
vehicle and an obstacle.
The Parktronic system is automatically
activated when you switch on the ignition.
The Parktronic system deactivates at
speeds over approximately 10 mph
(15 km / h). At lower speeds the Parktronic
system turns on again.The Parktronic system monitors the sur-
roundings of your vehicle with six sensors
in the front bumper and four sensors in the
rear bumper.
1Sensors located in front bumperWarning!
G
The Parktronic is a supplemental system. It
is not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always rests with the driver.
Special attention must be paid to objects
with smooth surfaces or low silhouettes
(e.g. trailer couplings, painted posts, or road
curbs). Such objects may not be detected by
the system and can damage the vehicle.
The operational function of the Parktronic
system can be affected by dirty sensors, es-
pecially at times of snow and ice. See
“Cleaning the Parktronic system sensors”
(page 243).
Interference caused by other ultrasonic sig-
nals (e.g. working jackhammers, car wash,
or the air brakes of trucks) can cause the
system to send erratic indications, and
should be taken into consideration.
Warning!
G
Make sure that no persons or animals are in
the area in which you are maneuvering. You
could otherwise injure them.

169 Controls in detail
Useful features
Opening the storage compartment in
front of armrest
Slide the cover3 rearward.
The storage compartment below con-
tains a cup holder (
page 170).
Cup holders Cup holder in instrument panel
A cup holder is located on both the right
and left side of the instrument panel.
Opening the cup holder

Briefly touch top of cover.
The cup holder opens automatically.
Closing the cup holder

Fold the cup holder upwards and press
on it until it engages.
Warning!
G
When not in use, keep the cup holder
closed. Place only containers that fit into the
cup holder to prevent spills. Use lids on
open containers and do not fill containers to
a height where the contents, especially hot
liquids, could spill during vehicle maneu-
vers.

174 Controls in detailUseful features
You can take and place telephone calls
using the MCS unit.
See separate instruction manual for infor-
mation on how to operate the telephone.
Tele Aid*
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle. A driver’s
attention to the road must always be
his / her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call.
If you choose to use the telephone
1 while
driving, please use the hands-free device
and only use the telephone when road,
weather and traffic conditions permit. Some
jurisdictions prohibit the driver from using a
cellular telephone while driving a vehicle.
Only operate the MCS (Modular Control Sys-
tem)
1 if road, weather and traffic conditions
permit.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
1Observe all legal requirements
Warning!
G
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle. Whether or not prohibited by law, for
safety reasons, the driver should not use the
cellular telephone while the vehicle is in mo-
tion.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location before an-
swering or placing a call.
!The initial activation of the Tele Aid sys-
tem may only be performed by:

completing the subscriber agree-
ment and


placing an acquaintance call using
the ¡button
Failure to complete either of these
steps will result in a system that is not
activated. If the system is not activat-
ed, the indicator lamp in the
SOS button stays on after switching on
ignition and the message
TELE
AID – NOT ACTIVATED will be shown in
the MCS display for approximately
10 seconds.
If you have any questions regarding ac-
tivation, please call the Response Cen-
ter at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).

175 Controls in detail
Useful features
The Tele Aid system
(Telematic Alarm Identification on
Demand)
The Tele Aid system consists of three
types of response:

automatic and manual emergency


roadside assistance and


information
The Tele Aid system is operational provid-
ing that the vehicle’s battery is charged,
properly connected, not damaged and cel-
lular and GPS coverage is available.
The speaker volume of a Tele Aid call can
be adjusted using the volume control on
the MCS unit.

To activate, press the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button• or
the Information button¡, depend-
ing on the type of response required.Shortly after the completion of your ac-
quaintance call, you will receive a user ID
and password. By visiting
www.mbusa.com and selecting “Tele Aid”
(USA only), you will have access to account
information, remote door unlock, profile
and more.System self-check
Initially, after switching on ignation, mal-
functions are detected and indicated (the
indicator lamps in the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button• and the
Information button¡ stay on longer
than 10 seconds or do not come on). The
message
TELE AID - VISIT WORKSHOP
ap-
pears for approx. 10 seconds in the MCS
display.
iThe SOS button, the Roadside Assis-
tance button• and the Information
button¡ are located in the over-
head control panel.!The Tele Aid system utilizes the cellular
network for communication and the
GPS (G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem) satel-
lites for vehicle location. If either of
these signals are unavailable, the Tele
Aid system may not function and if this
occurs, assistance must be summoned
by other means.

177 Controls in detail
Useful features
Once the emergency call is in progress, the
indicator lamp in the SOS button will begin
to flash. The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CONNECTING CALL
appears in the MCS dis-
play. When the connection is established,
the message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED
appears in the MCS dis-
play. All information relevant to the emer-
gency, such as the location of the vehicle
(determined by the GPS satellite location
system), vehicle model, identification num-
ber and color are generated.
A voice connection between the Response
Center and the occupants of the vehicle
will be established automatically soon af-
ter the emergency call has been initiated.
When a voice connection is established,
the audio system mutes and the message
TELE AID – EMERGENCY CALL ACTIVE

appears in the MCS display. The Response
Center will attempt to determine more pre-
cisely the nature of the accident provided
they can speak to an occupant of the vehi-
cle.The Tele Aid system is available if:


it has been activated and is operation-
al. Activation requires a subscription
for monitoring services, connection
and cellular air time.


the relevant cellular phone network
and GPS signals are available and pass
the information on to the response cen-
ter.iLocation of the vehicle on a map is only
possible if the vehicle is able to receive
signals from the GPS satellite network
and pass the information on to the re-
sponse center.
Warning!
G
If the indicator lamp in the SOS button is
illuminated continuously and there was no
voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could
not initiate an emergency call (e.g. the rele-
vant cellular phone network is not available).
The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL FAILED appears in the MCS display
for approx. ten seconds.
Should this occur, assistance must be sum-
moned by other means.

178 Controls in detailUseful featuresInitiating an emergency call manually
1Cover
2SOS button
Briefly press on cover1.
The cover will open.

Press SOS button2 briefly.
The indicator lamp in SOS button2
will flash until the emergency call is
concluded.

Wait for a voice connection to the Re-
sponse Center.

Close cover1 after the emergency
call is concluded.Roadside Assistance button•
1Cover
2Roadside Assistance button•

Briefly press on cover1.
The cover will open.

Press and hold the button2 (for long-
er than two seconds).
A call to a Mercedes-Benz Roadside As-
sistance dispatcher will be initiated.
The button will flash while the call is in
progress. The message
ROADSIDE
ASSISTANCE – CONNECTING CALL
will
appear in the MCS display.
Warning!
G
If you feel at any way in jeopardy when in the
vehicle (e.g. smoke or fire in the vehicle, ve-
hicle in a dangerous road location), please
do not wait for voice contact after you have
pressed the emergency button. Carefully
leave the vehicle and move to a safe loca-
tion. The Response Center will automatically
contact local emergency officials with the
vehicle’s approximate location if they re-
ceive an automatic SOS signal and cannot
make voice contact with the vehicle occu-
pants.

180 Controls in detailUseful features
Information button¡
1Cover
2Information button¡
Briefly press on cover1.
The cover will open.

Press and hold the button (for longer
than two seconds).
A call to the Customer Assistance Cen-
ter will be initiated. The button will
flash while the call is in progress. The
message
INFO – CONNECTING CALL
will
appear in the MCS display.When the connection is established, the
message
INFO – CALL CONNECTED
appears
in the MCS display. The Tele Aid system
will transmit data generating the vehicle
identification number, model, color and lo-
cation (subject to availability of cellular
and GPS signals).
A voice connection between the Customer
Assistance Center representative and the
occupants of the vehicle will be estab-
lished. When a voice connection is estab-
lished the audio system mutes and the
message
TELE AID – INFO CALL ACTIVE

appears in the MCS display. Information
regarding the operation of your vehicle, the
nearest Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center
or Mercedes-Benz USA products and ser-
vices is available to you. If the indicator lamp in the Roadside
Assistance button• is illuminated
continuously and there was no voice
connection to the Response Center es-
tablished, then the Tele Aid system
could not initiate a Roadside Assis-
tance call (e.g. the relevant cellular
phone network was not available). The
message
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE –
CALL FAILED
appears in the MCS dis-
play.
Roadside Assistance calls can be ter-
minated using the END Button on the
MCS unit.
iWhile the call is connected, you can
change to navigation menu by pressing
NAVI button on the MCS unit.

181 Controls in detail
Useful features
For more details concerning the Tele Aid
system, please visit www.mbusa.com and
use your ID and password (sent to you sep-
arately) to learn more (USA only).Upgrade signals
The Tele Aid system processes calls using
the following priority.


Automatic emergency – First priority


Manual emergency – Second priority


Roadside assistance – Third priority


Information – Fourth priority
Should a higher priority call be initiated
while you are connected, an upgrade (al-
ternating) tone will be heard and the ap-
propriate indicator lamp will flash. If
certain information such as vehicle identi-
fication number or customer information is
not available, the operator may need to re-
transmit.
During this time you will hear a beep and
voice contact will be interrupted. Voice
contact will resume once the retransmis-
sion is completed. Once a call is conclud-
ed, a beep will be heard and the respective
indicator lamp will stop flashing. The MCS
system operation will resume.
iThe indicator lamp in the Information
button¡ remains illuminated in red
for approx. 10 seconds during the sys-
tem self-check after turning key in the
steering lock to position2 (together
with the SOS button and the Roadside
Assistance button•).
See system self-check (
page 175)
when the indicator lamp does not light
up in red or stays on longer than ap-
proximately ten seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Information
button¡ is illuminated continuous-
ly and there was no voice connection to
the Response Center established, then
the Tele Aid system could not initiate
an Information call (e.g. the relevant
cellular phone network is not avail-
able).
The message
INFO CALL FAILED
ap-
pears in the MCS display.
Information calls can be terminated us-
ing the END button on the MCS.
!If the indicator lamps do not start flash-
ing after pressing one of the buttons or
remains illuminated (in red) at any
time, the Tele Aid system has detected
a fault or the service is not currently ac-
tive, and may not initiate a call. Visit
your Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Cen-
ter and have the system checked or
contact the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada) as soon
as possible.

182 Controls in detailUseful features
Remote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. key inside vehicle), and no
other key is available:
Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.

Then return to your vehicle and pull
outside handle of the liftgate for mini-
mum of 20 seconds until the SOS but-
ton is flashing.
The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED appears in the MCS
display.
As an alternative, you may unlock the vehi-
cle via Internet using the ID and password
sent to you shortly after the completion of
your acquaintance call.
!If the indicator lamp continues to flash
or the system does not reset, contact
the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance
at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Cus-
tomer Service at 1-800-387-0100 in
Canada.iThe indicator lamp on the correspond-
ing button flashes until the call is con-
cluded. Calls can only be terminated by
a Response Center or Customer Assis-
tance Center representative, except
Roadside Assistance and Information
calls, which can also be terminated by
using the END button on the MCS unit.
iWhen a Tele Aid call has been initiated,
the MCS system audio is muted and
the selected mode (radio, tape or CD)
pauses. The optional cellular phone (if
installed) switches off. If you must use
this phone, the vehicle must be parked.
Disconnect the coiled cord and place
the call. The navigation system (if en-
gaged) will continue to run. A pop-up
window will appear in the MCS display
to indicate that a Tele Aid call is in
progress.