2003 MERCEDES-BENZ G500 traction control

Contents
Climate control .................................. 150
Setting the temperature ............... 152
Adjusting air distribution and
volume ......................................... 153
Defrosting .................................... 154
Air recirculation............................ 154
Rear window defroster ................. 155
Residual engine heat utilization.... 156
Deactivating the climate control
system ......................................... 156
Air conditioning ............................ 157
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents ...................... 157
Power windows.................................. 158
Opening and closing the windows 158
Sliding/pop-up roof ........................... 160
Opening and closing the
sliding/pop-up roof ...................... 160
Driving systems ................................. 162
Cruise control .............................. 162
Rear Park Assist* ......................... 165
Loading.............................................. 168
Roof rack ..................................... 168
Cargo area cover.......................... 168
Enlarged cargo area ..................... 169
Split rear seat bench .................... 169Partition net* (MB Accessory) ...... 171
Loading instructions ..................... 173
Cargo tie-down rings ..................... 175
Useful features ................................... 176
Interior storage spaces ................. 176
Ashtrays........................................ 179
Cigarette lighter ............................ 181
Electrical outlet ............................. 181
Telephone* ................................... 182
Tele Aid ......................................... 183
Garage door opener ...................... 191
Heated steering wheel .................. 194
Operation.......................................... 195
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) .......... 196
Driving instructions ............................ 197
Drive sensibly – save fuel.............. 197
Drinking and driving ...................... 197
Pedals ........................................... 197
Power assistance .......................... 198
Brakes........................................... 198
Driving off ..................................... 199
Parking.......................................... 199
Tires .............................................. 200
Hydroplaning................................. 200Tire traction .................................. 201
Tire speed rating ........................... 201
Winter driving instructions ............ 202
Standing water ............................. 203
Passenger compartment............... 203
Off-road driving ............................. 203
Control and operation of radio
transmitters .................................. 210
Driving abroad .............................. 211
Catalytic converter ....................... 211
Emission control ........................... 212
Coolant temperature .................... 212
At the gas station ............................... 214
Check regularly and
before a long trip .......................... 215
Engine compartment .......................... 216
Hood ............................................. 216
Engine oil ...................................... 217
Transmission fluid level ................ 220
Coolant level ................................. 220
Windshield/rear window washer
system and headlamp cleaning
system .......................................... 222
Battery ............................................... 223

77 Safety and Security
Driving and safety systems
The ESP control switch is located in the up-
per center console.ESP on/off switch
Press upper half of switch.
ESP is deactivated and the ESP warning
lamp
v
in the speedometer dial
comes on.Even if the ESP has been turned off, it is
still active in the following situations:


when braking


at vehicle speeds up to approximately
37 mph (60 km / h), if one wheel reach-
es the grip limit, e.g. when the street is
icy on one side
The brake is applied until the wheel re-
gains sufficient traction.
If one or more drive wheels are spinning,
the ESP warning lamp
v
in the instru-
ment cluster flashes, regardless of the
speed.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period of time with the ESP
switched off. This may cause serious
damage to the drivetrain which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.iTurn ESP on immediately if the afore-
mentioned circumstances do not apply
anymore.
iIf the ESP is switched off, it will be au-
tomatically activated when exceeding a
vehicle speed of 37 mph (60 km / h) or
exceeding a severity threshold of side
acceleration.

144 Controls in detailDifferential locksA few words about differentials and dif-ferential locks
When a vehicle negotiates a turn, wheels
on the outside of the curve must travel far-
ther and rotate faster than the inside
wheels. The differential, the operation of a
set of gears that allows the powered
wheels in a vehicle to turn at different
speeds, make this essential function possi-
ble.
The drawback is that the differential also
sends most of the engine's power to the
wheel with the least load or strain on it. For
example, if one of a vehicle's powered
wheels sits on a patch of snow and spins
because there is no traction, all of the en-
gine's power will go to that wheel because
the power will take the path of least resis-
tance. Meanwhile, the opposite wheel, sit-
ting on dry pavement where it could get
enough grip to start the vehicle moving,
sits idle because it receives no power.The Electronic Traction System (ETS) ad-
dresses this problem and provides for
good control and steering ability by auto-
matically slowing the slipping wheel and
thus increasing the power to the other
non-slipping drive wheels to get the vehicle
moving. The ESP and ETS in this vehicle
feature such intelligent limited-slip differ-
ential technology, ideally suited for
on-road and light off-road driving. Transfer
case position LOW (
page 141) also en-
hances off-road driving capabilities
(
page 203).
More extreme off-road conditions may call
for another solution, engaging a differen-
tial lock or preventing the differential from
operating altogether. As part of its stan-
dard equipment, this vehicle comes with
three differential locks: front, transfer case
(center) and rear. Each can be engaged
simply by pushing dashboard-mounted
buttons in sequential order (center, rear,
front) (
page 145). When the transfer
case (center) differential is locked, half of
the engine's power is automatically distrib-
uted to the front wheels and half to the rear wheels. When the rear differential is
locked, power going to the rear wheels is
equally distributed, so that both rear
wheels turn at the same speed and torque.
When the front differential is locked, all
four wheels now turn with equal power and
torque. Please be aware that engaging the
differential locks will significantly reduce
the steering ability of the vehicle.
For your safety and the safety of others
and to prevent damage to the vehicle, the
differential locks must not be engaged
when driving on paved roads. It is impor-
tant to understand that during
on-road/paved driving, differentials are
absolutely necessary for providing the es-
sential control and steering ability of the
vehicle. The differential locks, therefore,
must not be engaged when driving on
paved roads and should only be used to
the extent necessary to negotiate off-road
conditions which can not be handled by
the systems (automatic 4-ETS, the ESP,
manual switch position “LOW” of transfer
case) this vehicle comes equipped with.

162 Controls in detailDriving systems
Driving systemsThe driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

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


Rear Park Assist*, with which you can
assist your parking maneuvers.
The BAS, ABS, ESP, 4-ETS and EBB driving
systems are described in the “Safety and
Security” section (
page 71).
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 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 22).
iThe cruise control should not be acti-
vated during-off road driving.
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must always
remain 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.

200 OperationDriving instructionsTiresTread wear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and be-
come visible at a tread depth of approxi-
mately
1⁄16
in (1.5 mm), at which point the
tire is considered worn and should be re-
placed.
The tread wear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
Specified tire pressures must be main-
tained. This applies particularly if the tires
are subject to high loads (e.g. high speeds,
heavy loads, high ambient temperatures).
Hydroplaning
Depending on the depth of the water layer
on the road, hydroplaning may occur even
at low speeds and with new tires. Reduce
vehicle speed, avoid track grooves in the
road and apply brakes cautiously in the
rain.
!Set the parking brake whenever park-
ing or leaving the vehicle. In addition,
move selector lever to positionP. In ad-
dition, when parking on hills, always set
the parking brake and turn front wheel
towards the curb.Warning!
G
If you feel a sudden significant vibration or
ride disturbance, or you suspect that possi-
ble damage to your vehicle has occurred,
you should turn on the hazard warning flash-
ers, carefully slow down, and drive with cau-
ti o n to a n a r ea wh ic h i s a s a fe dis t an c e f ro m
the road.
Inspect the tires and the vehicle underbody
for possible damage. If the vehicle or tires
appear unsafe, have it towed to the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center or tire
dealer for repairs.
Warning!
G
Do not allow your tires to wear down too far.
As tread depth approaches
1⁄16in (1.5 mm),
the adhesion properties on a wet road are
sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.
Warning!
G
Do not drive with a flat tire. A flat tire affects
the ability to steer or brake the vehicle. You
may lose control of the vehicle. Continued
driving with a flat tire or driving at high
speed with a flat tire will cause excessive
heat build-up and possibly a fire.

201 Operation
Driving instructions
Tire traction
The safe speed on a wet, snow covered or
icy road is always lower than on a dry road.
You should pay particular attention to the
condition of the road whenever the outside
temperatures are close to the freezing
point.
Mercedes-Benz recommends M+S rated
radial-ply tires with a minimum tread depth
of approximately
1⁄8in (4 mm) for the win-
ter season for all four wheels to insure nor-
mal balanced handling characteristics. On
packed snow, they can reduce your stop-
ping distance as compared with summer
tires.Stopping distance, however, is still consid-
erably greater than when the road is not
covered with snow or ice. Exercise appro-
priate caution.
Tire speed rating
G500, G55AMG
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“V”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 150 mph (240 km/h).An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding the speed rating.
Despite of the tire speed rating, local
speed limits should be obeyed. Use pru-
dent driving speeds appropriate to prevail-
ing conditions.
Warning!
G
If ice has formed on the road, tire traction
will be substantially reduced. Under such
weather conditions, drive, steer and brake
with extreme caution.
!Avoid spinning of one drive wheel. This
may cause serious damage to the drive
train which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.iAdditional information on winter tires
can be found under “Winter tires”
(page 228).
Warning!
G
Even when permitted by law, never operate
a vehicle at speeds greater than the maxi-
mum speed rating of the tires.
Exceeding the maximum speed for which
tires are rated can lead to sudden tire fail-
ure, causing loss of vehicle control and pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or serious
injury and possible death, for you and for
others.

239 Practical hints
What to do if …
v
The yellow ESP warning lamp
flashes while driving.
The ESP or traction control is operating be-
cause of detected traction loss in at least one
tire.

During take-off apply as little throttle
as possible.

While driving ease up on the accelera-
tor.

Adapt your speed and driving to the
prevailing road and weather condi-
tions.

Do not deactivate the ESP (excep-
tions: (
page 76).
Failure to follow these instructions in-
creases the risk of accidents.
Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution

322 Technical dataConsumer information
Consumer informationThis has been prepared as required of all
manufacturers of passenger cars under Ti-
tle 49, Code of U.S. Federal Regulations,
Part 575 pursuant to the “National Traffic
and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966”.Uniform tire quality grading
Quality grades can be found, where appli-
cable, on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
All passenger car tires must conform to
federal safety requirements in addition to
these grades.Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course. For ex-
ample, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1
1⁄2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly
from the norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest
are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades repre-
sent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pave-
ment as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction perfor-
mance.
Tread wear
Traction
Temperature
200
AA
A
Warning!
G
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.