2003 MERCEDES-BENZ G500 central

ContentsDriving and safety systems .................. 71
ABS ................................................ 71
BAS ................................................ 73
4-ETS .............................................. 74
EBB................................................. 75
ESP ................................................. 75
Anti-theft systems................................ 79
Immobilizer..................................... 79
Anti-theft alarm .............................. 79
Tow-away alarm ............................. 80Controls in detail............................... 83
Locking and unlocking ......................... 84
Keys ............................................... 84
Opening the doors from the inside . 87
Tailgate........................................... 87
Automatic central locking .............. 89
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................... 89
Seats.................................................... 91
Easy-entry/exit feature .................. 91
Removing and installing head
restraints ........................................ 92
Synchronizing head restraints and
the seat adjustment fore and aft .... 93Multicontour seat* ......................... 94
Heated seats .................................. 95
Memory function ................................. 97
Storing positions into memory ....... 98
Recalling positions from memory ... 98
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ............................. 99
Lighting.............................................. 100
Exterior lamp switch..................... 100
Combination switch ..................... 103
Hazard warning flasher ................ 103
Interior lighting............................. 104
Rear interior lamps....................... 105
Cargo compartment lamps........... 106
Instrument cluster ............................. 108
Instrument cluster illumination .... 108
Coolant temperature display ........ 108
Trip odometer .............................. 109
Tachometer .................................. 109
Outside temperature indicator ..... 110
Control system .................................. 111
Multifunction display .................... 111
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 112
Menus .......................................... 114
Standard display menu ................ 116
AUDIO menu ................................ 116NAVI menu ................................... 118
Malfunction memory menu .......... 118
Settings menu .............................. 119
Trip computer menu..................... 130
TEL menu ..................................... 132
Automatic transmission ..................... 135
One-touch gearshifting ................ 136
Gear ranges ................................. 137
Gear selector lever position ......... 138
Accelerator position ..................... 139
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 140
Transfer case ..................................... 141
Gear range ................................... 141
Switching transfer case ............... 141
Differential locks ............................... 143
A few words about differentials
and differential locks ................... 144
Switching differential locks on
and off ......................................... 145
Good visibility .................................... 147
Rear view mirror .......................... 147
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 148
Sun visors .................................... 149

27 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part
Item
Page
1
Left front seat heater
switch
95
2
Switch for rear window
wiper/washer
48
3
ESP control switch
76
4
Differential lock switches
145
5
Central locking switch
89
6
Anti-theft alarm system in-
dicator lamp
79
Tow-away alarm switch
80
7
Right front seat heater
switch
95
Item
Page
8
Hazard warning flasher
switch
103
9
COMAND system, see sep-
arate operating instructions
10
Ashtray with lighter
179,
181
11
Climate control
150
12
7
indicator lamp
65,
244

45 Getting started
Driving

Release the parking brake by lifting
lever1 up slightly, pressing button2
on the lever and moving lever1 down
to the stop.
The indicator lamp
;
(USA only) or
3
(Canada only) in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Driving

Depress the brake pedal.
The selector lever lock is released.

Move selector lever to positionD orR.

Release the brake pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator.
Once the vehicle is in motion, the auto-
matic central locking system engages
and the locking knobs drop down.After a cold start, the automatic transmis-
sion engages at a higher revolution. This al-
lows the catalytic converter to reach its
operating temperature earlier.
More information on driving can be found
in “Operation” section (
page 197).
For information on off-road driving, see
“Driving instructions” (
page 203).
iWait for the gear selection process to
complete before setting the vehicle in
motion.
iYou can open the doors from inside at
any time. Open doors only when the
conditions are safe to do so.!If you hear a warning signal when driv-
ing off, you have forgotten to release
the parking brake.
Release the parking brake.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the selector lever out
ofP or N if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or in reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the en-
gine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.

84 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingIn the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed in your vehicle.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions of your vehicle, this section will
be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the ba-
sic functions of the vehicle, refer to the
“Getting started” section of this manual.
The corresponding page numbers are giv-
en at the beginning of each segment.
Locking and unlockingKeys
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys with remote controls and a re-
movable mechanical key. The locking tabs
for the mechanical key portion of the two
keys are a different color to help distin-
guish each key unit.
The remote control key provides an ex-
tended operating range. To prevent theft,
however, it is advisable to only unlock the
vehicle when you are in close proximity to
it.
The key centrally locks and unlocks:

the doors


the tailgate


the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with remote controls1‹
Lock button
2Locking tab for mechanical key
3
Œ
Unlock button
4Battery check lamp
5
Â
Panic button (
page 70)
iYou can also open and close the power
windows (
page 159) and slid-
ing/pop-up roof (
page 161) using
the SmartKey.

85 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Factory setting
Global unlocking
Press button
Œ
.
All turn signal lamps blink once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.
The vehicle will lock again automatically
within approximately 40 seconds of un-
locking if neither door nor tailgate is
opened, the SmartKey is not inserted in
the starter switch, or the central locking
switch is not activated.
Global locking

Press button
‹
.
All turn signal lamps blink three times.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down.Selective setting
If you frequently travel alone, you may wish
to reprogram the key so that
pressing
Œ
only unlocks the driver’s
door and the fuel filler flap.

Press and hold buttons
Œ
and
‹

simultaneously for about five seconds
until battery check lamp6 blinks twice.
The key will then function as follows:
Unlocking driver’s door and fuel filler
flap

Press button
Œ
once.
Global unlocking

Press button
Œ
twice.
Global locking

Press button
‹
.Restoring to factory setting

Press and hold buttons
Œ
and
‹

simultaneously for about six seconds
until the battery check lamp6 blinks
twice.
!To prevent possible malfunction, avoid
exposing the key to high levels of elec-
tromagnetic radiation.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. It is possible for children to open a
locked door from the inside, which could re-
sult in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.

87 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the doors from the inside
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
1Locking knob
2Inside door handle
Pull on door handle 2.
If the door was locked, the locking
knob1 will move up.
TailgateOpening the tailgate from the outside
1Door handle
2Lock cylinder

Press lock cylinder 2 and pull on tail-
gate handle 1.

Open the tailgate to the side.
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. Warning!
G
The tailgate swings open to one side. Always
make sure there is sufficient clearance for
tailgate.
Only drive with the liftgate closed as, among
other dangers such as visibility blockage,
exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle interi-
or.iThe tailgate can only be opened if the
vehicle has already been centrally un-
locked.

88 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingOpening the tailgate from inside
1Locking knob
2Inside door handle
Pull on door handle 2.
If door was locked, the locking knob 1
will move up.Separately locking the tailgate
1Locked
2Unlocked

Close the tailgate

Pull the mechanical key out of the
SmartKey (
page 272).

Turn the mechanical key completely to
the right to position1.
The tailgate will remain locked, even if
the vehicle is centrally unlocked.Separately unlocking the tailgate

Turn the mechanical key completely to
the left to position2.
Closing the tailgate
Warning!
G
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the tail-
gate opening when closing the tailgate. Be
especially careful when small children are
around.
Only drive with the tailgate closed as other-
wise exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.

89 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Automatic central locking
The doors and the tailgate automatically
lock when the ignition is switched on and
the wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the control system (
page 127).
Locking and unlocking from the inside
You can lock or unlock the vehicle from in-
side using the central locking switches.
This can be useful, for example, if you want
to unlock the passenger door from the in-
side or want to lock the vehicle before
starting to drive.
The fuel filler flap cannot be locked or un-
locked with the central locking switch.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle automatically locks when
the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning. You could therefore
lock yourself out when the vehicle

is pushed


is on a test stand
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the starter switch, and lock the ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.