buttons MERCEDES-BENZ R500 2006 W251 User Guide

120 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingUnlocking and opening the tailgate
You can unlock and open the tailgate sep-
arately.
A minimum height clearance of 7.2 ft
(2.20 m) is required to open the tailgate.
The handle is located above the rear
license plate recess.
Pull on the handle.
or

Press and hold buttonŠ on the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO until the
tailgate unlocks and opens.Locking the vehicle
1Lock button at tailgate

Press lock button on tailgate1.
or

Press the lock button on an outside
door handle (
page 68).
or

Vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system*: Press the KEYLESS-GO
locking/closing switch in the tailgate
(page 129).
The vehicle locks. The turn signals flash
three times to confirm locking.
!The tailgate swings open upwards auto-
matically. Always make sure there is
sufficient overhead clearance.
Vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system*:
To stop the opening procedure, press
buttonŠ on the SmartKey. The tail-
gate stops moving.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked with the SmartKey or
KEYLESS-GO, the tailgate will lock au-
tomatically when closed (
page 124).
The turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.

122 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Opening the tailgate
Opening the tailgate from the outside
A minimum height clearance of 7.2 ft
(2.20 m) is required to open the tailgate.
The handle is located above the rear
license plate recess.
Vehicles without KEYLESS-GO*:
The vehicle must be unlocked (
page 37).

Pull on the handle.
The tailgate opens slightly.

Pull tailgate upwards to open.The tailgate can also be opened using the
SmartKey (
page 114).
iIf the vehicle has previously been
locked from the outside with the
SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*, opening a
door from the inside will trigger the
anti-theft alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the
following:
With the SmartKey

Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.


Press theŒ or ‹button on
the SmartKey.
With KEYLESS-GO*


Grasp an outside door handle.


Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 40).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be inside the vehicle.
!Vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system*:
To stop the opening procedure, press
buttonŠ on the SmartKey. The tail-
gate stops moving.
The tailgate swings open upwards auto-
matically. Always make sure there is
sufficient overhead clearance.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the tailgate will lock automati-
cally after closing it (
page 124). The
turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.

145 Controls in detail
Memory function*
The memory button and stored position
buttons are located on the entry side of
each front seat base.
MMemory button
1, 2, 3Stored positions
Switch on the ignition (
page 38).
or

Open the respective door.
Storing positions into memory
Adjust the seats, steering wheel and
exterior rear view mirrors to the de-
sired position (
page 42).

Press memory buttonM.

Release memory button M and press
stored position 1, 2 or 3 within
3 seconds.
All settings are stored to the selected
position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold memory position
button1,2 or3 until the seat, steering
wheel and exterior rear view mirrors
have fully moved to the stored posi-
tions.!Do not operate the power seats using
memory button M if the seat backrest
is in an excessively reclined position.
Doing so could cause damage to front
or rear seats.
First move seat backrest to an upright
position.iReleasing the memory position button
stops movement to the stored posi-
tions immediately.

162 Controls in detailControl systemMultifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled by the buttons on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.Pressing any of the buttons, except for the
telephone buttons, on the multifunction
steering wheel will alter what is shown in
the multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or
CD operations under
AUDIO
, for example).
These functions serve to call up relevant
information or to customize the settings
for your vehicle.
1
Multifunction displayOperating the control system
2
Telephone*:
Press buttonsto take a calltto end a call
3
Selecting the submenu or setting
the volume:
Press buttonæup/to increaseçdown/to decrease
4
Moving within a menu:
Press buttonjfor next displaykfor previous display
5
Menu systems:
Press buttonèfor next menuÿfor previous menu

195 Controls in detail
Control system
Answering a call
When your telephone is ready to receive
calls, you can answer a call at any time. In
the multifunction display you will then see
the message:
Press buttons.
You have answered the call. The
duration of the call appears in the
multifunction display.Ending a call

Press buttont.
You have ended the call. The standby
message appears in the multifunction
display.
Dialing a number from the phone book
If your telephone is ready to receive calls,
you may select and dial a number from the
phone book at any time.

Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly
until the message
TEL
appears in the
multifunction display.

Press buttonj ork.
The control system reads the phone
book which is stored in the telephone.
This may take up to 30 seconds. The
message
Please wait
appears in the
multifunction display.
When the message
Please wait

disappears, the phone book has been
loaded.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the desired name appears in the
multifunction display.
The stored names are displayed in
ascending or descending alphabetical
order.
1Name from the phone book
iIf you do not wish to accept a call,
press buttont.
iIf you press and holdj ork for
longer than 1 second, the system
scrolls rapidly through the list of names
until you release the button again.
Cancel the quick search mode by
pressing buttont.


196 Controls in detailControl system
Press buttons.
The system dials the selected phone
number.

If the connection is successful, the
name of the party you called and
the duration of the call will appear
in the multifunction display.


If no connection is made, the
control system stores the dialed
number in the redial memory.Redialing
The control system stores the most
recently dialed phone numbers. This
eliminates the need to search through your
entire phone book.

Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly
until the message
TEL
appears in the
multifunction display.

Press buttons.
The first number in the redial memory
appears in the multifunction display.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the desired name appears in the
multifunction display.

Press buttons.
The control system dials the selected
phone number.


200 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionWith drive positionD selected, you can use
the steering wheel gearshift control
buttons (
page 206) to influence trans-
mission shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
Transmission positions
!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.
Effect
ì
Park position
Shift into park positionP only
when vehicle is stopped. The
park position is not intended to
serve as a brake when the vehi-
cle is parked. Rather, the driver
should always set the parking
brake in addition to shifting into
park positionP to secure the
vehicle.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the automatic
transmission could remain
locked in park positionP. 
Have the vehicle checked as
soon as possible by an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center.
!SmartKey:
If you turn off the engine using the
SmartKey and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch, the transmis-
sion will shift to park positionP auto-
matically. Keep in mind that turning off
the engine with the SmartKey alone will
not automatically shift the transmis-
sion to P. Only when the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch, will
the transmission automatically shift
toP.
KEYLESS-GO*:
If you turn off the engine using the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button and
open the driver’s door, the transmis-
sion will shift to park positionP
automatically. Keep in mind that
turning off the engine using the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button alone
will not automatically shift the trans-
mission to P. Only when the driver’s
door is opened, will the transmission
automatically shift to P.

205 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
The current gear range/transmission
position (
page 199) and the selected
program mode (
C/S) are indicated in the
multifunction display.
1Current program mode

Press program mode selector switch
repeatedly until the letter of the de-
sired program mode appears in the
multifunction display.
SelectCfor comfort driving:

The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.


Traction and driving stability are
improved on icy roads.


Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.
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.
!Never change the program mode when
the automatic transmission is out of
park positionP. This could result in a
change of driving characteristics for
which you may not be prepared.iThe last selected program
mode (CorS) is switched on when the
engine is restarted.
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.

206 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
The steering wheel gearshift buttons are
located to the left and right of the steering
wheel.
1Button, inside: downshift
2Button, outside: upshiftDownshifting

Briefly press the inside1 of one of the
buttons on the steering wheel.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously limits
the gear range of the transmission
(
page 202).
Upshifting

Briefly press the outside2 of one of
the buttons on the steering wheel.
!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.
iYou cannot shift with the steering
wheel gearshift buttons when the
transmission in positionP,N orR.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.

207 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear range of the
transmission.
Canceling gear range limit
Press and hold the outside2 of one of
the buttons on the steering wheel
until
Dreappears in the multifunction
display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the inside1 of one of
the buttons on the steering wheel.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more gears.Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode)
If vehicle acceleration becomes less re-
sponsive or sluggish or the transmission
no longer shifts, the transmission is most
likely operating in limp home (emergency
operation) mode. In this mode only second
gear and reverse gear can be selected.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location.

Shift to park positionP.

Turn off the engine.

Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.

Restart the engine.

Shift to drive positionD (for second
gear) or reverse gearR.

Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible.