1997 MERCEDES-BENZ ML430 ignition

50 Getting startedDriving
Switching on windshield wipers
Make sure the ignition is switched on.

Turn the wiper switch to the desired po-
sition 1,2 or3, depending on the
intensity of the rain.
Single wipe

Press wiper switch briefly in the direc-
tion of arrow2.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.
Wiping with windshield washer fluid

Pull and hold wiper switch in direction
of arrow4.
The windshield wiper operates with
washer fluid.
Information on filling up the washer reser-
voir can be found in the “Operation” sec-
tion (page 224).
!Vehicles with rain sensor*:
Do not leave windshield wipers in inter-
mittent setting when the vehicle is tak-
en to an automatic car wash or during
windshield cleaning. Wipers will oper-
ate in the presence of water sprayed on
the windshield, and wipers may be
damaged as a result.
The switch should not be left in inter-
mittent setting as the wipers will wipe
the windshield once every time the en-
gine is started. Dust that accumulates
on the windshield might scratch the
glass and / or damage the wiper blades
when wiping occurs on a dry wind-
shield.
!If anything blocks the windshield wip-
ers (leaves, snow, etc.), switch them off
immediately.

For safety reasons, withdraw key
from steering lock before attempt-
ing to remove any blockage.


Remove blockage.


Turn the windshield wipers on
again.
If windshield wipers fail to function at
all in switch position1,


set the combination switch to the
next highest wiper speed


have the windshield wipers
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center

51 Getting started
Driving
Rear window wiper
The button is on the upper part on the cen-
ter console.
1Intermittent wiping
2Indicator lamp
3Wiping with washer fluidSwitching on intermittent wiping
Make sure the ignition is switched on.

Press upper half1 of the button.
Switching off intermittent wiping

Press upper half1 of the button
again.
Wiping with washer fluid

Press and hold lower half3 of the but-
ton.
After releasing the button the wiper op-
erates for additional five seconds.
More information on windshield wipers can
be found in the “Controls in detail” section
(
page 129).
Problems while driving
The engine runs erratically and misfires

An ignition cable may be damaged.


The engine electronics may not be
operating properly.


Unburned gasoline may have entered
the catalytic converter and damaged it.

Give very little gas.

Have the problem repaired by an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible.

84 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsDisarming the alarm system
The alarm system is disarmed when you
unlock your vehicle with the remote con-
trol. The turn signal lamps flash once to in-
dicate that the alarm system is
deactivated.Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm:

Switch on the ignition by turning the
key in the steering lock to position2.
or

Press theŒ or ‹button on the
remote control.
The alarm is canceled.
Tow-away alarm, glass breakage
sensor
The tow-away alarm and the glass break-
age sensor are part of the anti-theft alarm
system.Once the tow-away alarm is armed, a visual
and audible alarm will be triggered when
someone:


attempts to raise the vehicle


breaks a window and reaches into the
passenger compartment
iIf the turn signal lamps do not flash
three times, the tow-away - glass
breakage sensor is malfunctioning or
one of the following elements may not
be properly closed:

a door


the liftgate


the hood
Close the respective element and lock
the vehicle again.
iThe alarm system will rearm automati-
cally again after approximately
40 seconds if one of the doors or the
liftgate is not opened.
iThe tow-away protection alarm is trig-
gered, for example, if the vehicle is
lifted on one side.
If the alarm stays on for more than
20 seconds, an emergency call is initi-
ated automatically by the Tele Aid* sys-
tem (
page 171) provided Tele Aid
service was subscribed to and properly
activated, and that necessary cellular
service and GPS coverage are avail-
able.

86 Safety and SecurityAnti-theft systemsVehicles without trip computer
The buttons are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Switching off tow-away alarm and glass
breakage sensor

Turn key in steering lock to position2
(page 33).

Return key to position0 and remove it
from the steering lock.

Within 30 seconds press button1 on
the right or left side.

Exit vehicle and lock vehicle with
remote control (
page 32).
The tow-away alarm and glass breakage
sensor remain switched off until the key is
inserted in steering lock and turned to
position1.Canceling the alarm
To cancel the alarm:

Switch on the ignition by turning the
key in the steering lock to position2.
or

Press theŒ or ‹button on the
remote control.
The alarm is canceled.

91 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the liftgate
Opening the liftgate from outside
A minimum height clearance of 7 ft
(2.15 m) is required to open the liftgate.
The handle is located above the rear
license plate recess.
1Grip molding
2Handle
Pull on handle2.

Swing the liftgate upward by using the
grip molding.Opening the liftgate from inside
A minimum height clearance of 7 ft
(2.15 m) is required to open the liftgate.
The release lever is located on the inside of
the liftgate.
1Handle
2Catch
iIf the vehicle has previously been
locked from the outside with the re-
mote control, opening a door from the
inside will trigger the alarm.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the
following:
Switch on the ignition by turning the
key in the steering lock to position2.
or
Press the‹ or Œbutton on the
remote control.
The alarm is cancelled.
!Always make sure that there is suffi-
cient overhead clearance.iThe vehicle must be unlocked.

93 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Automatic central locking
The doors and the liftgate automatically
lock when the ignition is switched on and
the left front wheel turns at vehicle speeds
of approximately 9mph (15km/h) or
more.
If one of the front doors is then opened
from the inside, the vehicle is unlocked
centrally unless only the driver's door was
previously unlocked.Information on towing the vehicle can be
found in the “Practical hints” section
(
page 241).
The switch is located on the lower center
console.
Central locking switch1Locking
2UnlockingActivating

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
light up.

Press and hold upper part1 of the
central locking button for approximate-
ly six seconds.
The automatic central locking is
activated.
Deactivating

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
light up.

Press and hold lower part2 of the
central locking button for approximate-
ly six seconds.
The automatic central locking is deacti-
vated.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
To prevent the vehicle door locks from
locking, deactivate the automatic cen-
tral locking when the vehicle

is pushed or towed


is on a test stand

106 Controls in detailMemory function*Storing parking position
Stop the vehicle.

Switch on ignition (if not already on).

Press button2.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror is selected.

Adjust the exterior rear view mirror
with button3 so that you see the rear
wheel and the road curb.

Press memory button2 (
page 105).

Within three seconds, press bottom of
adjustment button3.
The parking position is stored if the
mirror does not move.
Storing positions in memory
Adjust the seat (
page 37) and exteri-
or rear view mirrors (page 40) to the
desired position.

Push memory button2 (
page 105).

Release memory button and press one
of the position buttons1 within three
seconds.
All the settings are stored at the select-
ed position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold one of the position
buttons1 until seat and rear view mir-
rors have fully moved to the stored po-
sitions.
iIf the mirror does move, repeat the
above steps. After the setting is stored
you can move the mirror again.
The selected position will be stored rel-
ative to the position button1
(page 105) pressed.
!Do not operate the power seats using
the memory button if the seat backrest
is in an excessively reclined position.
Doing so could cause damage to front
or rear seats.iReleasing the button immediately
stops movement to the stored posi-
tions.

110 Controls in detailLighting
Stop the vehicle.

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
light up.

Turn combination switch to
positionM.

Press upper part1 of switch until the
clock, located in the instrument clus-
ter, displays the actual illumination
time.

Press upper part1 of switch again.
Each time the switch is pressed, the
illumination time increases by
15 seconds. You can set the illumina-
tion time between 0 (off) and
60 seconds.
Approximately five seconds after pressing
the switch, the illumination time is set and
the clock is displayed again.Locator lighting
During darkness, the following lamps will
come on when the vehicle is unlocked by
remote control:


Parking lamps


Tail lamps


License plate lamps


Front fog lamps
The combination switch must be set to
positionU (
page 107).
The locator lighting switches off when the
driver’s door is opened. It switches off au-
tomatically after a period of approximately
40 seconds.Switching on high beams

Turn the combination switch
toõ(
page 107).

Push the combination switch forward.
The high beam indicatorA in the
instrument cluster comes on.
High beam flasher

Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction2.