manual transmission MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 2006 W163 Owner's Manual

23 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Cruise control lever
238
2
Instrument cluster
24
3
Multifunction steering
wheel
26
4
Horn
5
Steering wheel gearshift
buttons
189
6
Gear selector lever for
automatic transmission
49
7
Front Parktronic* warning
indicators
256
8
Overhead control panel
29
9
Glove box lid release,
glove box lock
270
Item
Page
a
Glove box
270
b
Power outlet
278
c
Center console
27
d
Starter switch
34
e
Steering wheel adjustment,
manual
41
f
Hood lock release
326
g
Parking brake release
52
h
Parking brake pedal
52
j
Door control panel
30
Item
Page
k
Headlamp washer switch*
194
l
Exterior lamp switch
54
138
m
Steering wheel adjustment,
electrical*
42
n
Combination switch

Turn signals


Windshield wipers


High beam
142
54
55
54

184 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionShifting from D, R, or N to P
If you want to select park positionP with
the transmission being in drive positionD,
reverse positionR or neutral positionN:
Depress the brake pedal and keep it
pressed.

Step firmly on parking brake pedal
(page 52).

Press button at the end of the gear
selector lever in direction of arrow
(page 182) to select park positionP.

Release the brake.
Shifting procedure
The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual drive gears automatically, depend-
ing on:

drive positionD with gear ranges
(page 187)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 190)


the vehicle speed
The current transmission gear selection
appears in the multifunction display.
With gear positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control but-
tons (
page 189) to influence transmis-
sion shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
!Shift the automatic transmission
directly from positionD toR, fromR
toD or dire c tly to pos itionP only when
the vehicle is stopped. Otherwise the
automatic transmission could be
damaged.
When trying to free a vehicle stuck in
mud or snow, see “Rocking the vehicle”
(page 191).
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

188 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Steering wheel gearshift control
With drive positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control but-
tons to manually shift the gears. When
doing so, you are also limiting or extending
the gear range.
Effect
ç
The transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving:

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
downshifting with steering wheel
gearshift buttons, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.
!Allow engine to warm up under low
load use. Do not place full load on the
engine until the operating temperature
has been reached.
Shift into reverse gearR or park
positionP only when the vehicle is
stopped.
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period when driving off on
slippery road surfaces. This may cause
serious damage to the drivetrain which
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

191 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Rocking the vehicle
Rocking the vehicle by shifting betweenD
andR can help free a vehicle stuck in mud
or snow. The engine control system of this
vehicle electronically limits shifting
betweenD andR to very low speeds
(i.e. approx. 2 mph). To shift betweenD
andR, move the gear selector lever past
the resistance point up or down.
Hill start assist system
On uphill grades, the hill start assist
system maintains the pressure in the
brake system for approximately
one second after you have released the
brake pedal. Therefore, you can start off
smoothly without the vehicle moving im-
mediately after releasing the brake pedal.
The hill start assist system is inactive

on driving downhill


in positionN


with the parking brake setWorking on the vehicle
Towing a trailer
If you tow a trailer, note the following
points:

Manually shift to a lower gear range
(page 187) if the transmission hunts
between gears on inclines.
A lower gear range and reduction of
speed reduces the chance to overload
or overheat the engine.
For more information on trailer towing, see
the “Operation” section (
page 314).
Warning!
G
The hill start assist system is not designed
to function as a parking brake and does not
prevent the vehicle from moving when
parked on an incline.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to park position
P.
iIf the ESP
® has switched off due to a
malfunction, the hill start assist system
is also unavailable.
Warning!
G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and shift to park positionP.
Otherwise the vehicle could roll away.

293 Controls in detail
Useful features
Rolling code programming
To train a garage door opener (or other
rolling code devices) with the rolling code
feature, follow these instructions after
completing the “Programming” portion
(steps 1 through 6) of this text. (A second
person may make the following training
procedures quicker and easier.)
Step 8:
Locate “training” button on the garage
door opener motor head unit.
Exact location and color of the button
may vary by garage door opener brand.
Depending on manufacturer, the
“training” button may also be referred
to as “learn” or “smart” button. If there
is difficulty locating the transmitting
button, refer to the garage door opener
operator’s manual.Step 9:

Press “training” button on the garage
door opener motor head unit.
The “training light” is activated.
You have 30 seconds to initiate the
following step.
Step 10:

Firmly press, hold for two seconds and
release the programmed integrated
signal transmitter button (1, 2
or3).
Step 11:

Press, hold for two seconds and
release same button a second time to
complete the training process.
Some garage door openers (or other rolling
code equipped devices) may require you to
perform this procedure a third time to
complete the training.Step 12:

Confirm the garage door operation by
pressing the programmed integrated
signal transmitter button (1, 2
or3).
Step 13:

To program the remaining two buttons,
repeat the steps above starting with
step 3.
Gate operator/Canadian programming
Canadian radio-frequency laws require
transmitter signals to “time-out” (or quit)
after several seconds of transmission
which may not be long enough for the
integrated signal transmitter to pick up the
signal during programming. Similar to this
Canadian law, some U.S. gate operators
are designed to “time-out” in the same
manner.

318 OperationDriving instructions

If the transmission hunts between
gears on inclines, manually shift to a
lower gear (select 4, 3, 2 or 1).
A lower gear and reduction of speed re-
duces the chance of engine overload-
ing and/or overheating.


On very steep inclines, not manageable
with automatic transmission in1,
switch on off-road driving program
(page 248).


When going down a long hill, shift into
a lower gear and use the engine’s brak-
ing effect.
Avoid riding the brakes, thus overheat-
ing the vehicle and trailer brakes.


If the engine coolant rises to an ex-
tremely high temperature (coolant tem-
perature needle approaching the red
zone) when the air conditioning is on,
turn off the air conditioning system.
Engine coolant heat can be additionally
vented by opening the windows,
switching the climate control fan speed
to high and setting the temperature
control to the maximum hot position.


Extreme care must be exercised since
your vehicle with a trailer will require
additional passing distance ahead than
when driving without a trailer.
Because your vehicle and trailer is
longer than your vehicle alone, you will
also need to go much farther ahead of
the passed vehicle before you can re-
turn to your lane.Uncoupling the trailer

Start the engine (
page 34).

Make sure the automatic transmission
is set toP.

Set the parking brake for the vehicle
(page 52) and for the trailer.

Close all doors and the tailgate.
Detach the trailer immediately after-
ward as follows:

Disconnect all electrical plug connec-
tors.

Uncouple the trailer.
!If the trailer should begin to sway, re-
duce the vehicle’s speed immediately.
In no case attempt to straighten out the
tow vehicle and trailer by increasing
the speed.

506 Technical termsTIN
(Tire I
dentification N
umber)
(
page 367)
Tire load rating
(page 367)
Tire ply composition and material used
(page 367)
Tire speed rating
Part of tire designation; indicates the
speed range for which a tire is ap-
proved.
Traction
Force exerted by the vehicle on the
road via the tires.Transfer case
Speed of rotation/torque converter
that works together with the ->auto-
matic transmission.
Tread
(
page 367)
Treadwear indicators
(page 367)
TWR
(Tongue W
eight R
ating)
The TWR is the maximum permissible
weight on the trailer tongue.Uniform Tire Quality Grading Standards
(
page 367)
Vehicle capacity weight
(page 367)
Vehicle level control*
The ground clearance of the vehicle is
automatically controlled according to a
selected setting and speed.The driver
can set the ground clearance manually
for example on very rough roads.
Vehicle maximum load on the tire
(page 368)
VIN
(Vehicle I
dentification N
umber)
The number set by the manufacturer
and placed on the body to uniquely
identify each vehicle produced.