2003 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 MCS

166 Controls in detailUseful featuresFor more details concerning the Tele Aid
system, please visit www.mbusa.com and
use your ID and password (sent to you sep-
arately) to learn more (USA only).Upgrade signals
The Tele Aid system processes calls using
the following priority.


Automatic emergency – First priority


Manual emergency – Second priority


Roadside assistance – Third priority


Information – Fourth priority
Should a higher priority call be initiated
while you are connected, an upgrade (al-
ternating) tone will be heard and the ap-
propriate indicator lamp will flash. If
certain information such as vehicle identi-
fication number or customer information is
not available, the operator may need to re-
transmit.
During this time you will hear a beep and
voice contact will be interrupted. Voice
contact will resume once the retransmis-
sion is completed. Once a call is conclud-
ed, a beep will be heard and the
appropriate indicator lamp will stop flash-
ing. The MCS system operation will re-
sume.
iThe indicator lamp in the Information
button
¡
remains illuminated in red
for approx. 10 seconds during the sys-
tem self-check after turning key in the
steering lock to position2 (together
with the SOS button and the Roadside
Assistance button
•
).
See system self-check (page 160)
when the indicator lamp does not light
up in red or stays on longer than ap-
proximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Information
button
¡
is illuminated continuous-
ly and there was no voice connection to
the Response Center established, then
the Tele Aid system could not initiate
an Information call (e.g. the relevant
cellular phone network is not avail-
able).
The message
INFO CALL FAILED
ap-
pears in the MCS display.
Information calls can be terminated us-
ing the END button on the MCS.
!If the indicator lamps do not start flash-
ing after pressing one of the buttons or
remains illuminated (in red) at any
time, the Tele Aid system has detected
a fault or the service is not currently ac-
tive, and may not initiate a call. Visit
your Mercedes-Benz Center and have
the system checked or contact the Re-
sponse Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in
the USA) or 1-888-923-8367 (in Cana-
da) as soon as possible.

167 Controls in detail
Useful features
Remote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. key inside vehicle), and no
other key is available:
Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.

Then return to your vehicle and pull
outside handle of the liftgate for mini-
mum of 20 seconds until the SOS but-
ton is flashing.
The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED appears in the MCS
display.
As an alternative, you may unlock the vehi-
cle via Internet using the ID and password
sent to you shortly after the completion of
your acquaintance call.
!If the indicator lamp continues to flash
or the system does not reset, contact
the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or Mer-
cedes-Benz Customer Assistance at
1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Cus-
tomer Service at 1-800-387-0100 in
Canada.iThe indicator lamp in the respective
button flashes until the call is conclud-
ed. Calls can only be terminated by a
Response Center or Customer Assis-
tance Center representative, except
Roadside Assistance and Information
calls, which can also be terminated by
using the END button on the MCS unit.
iWhen a Tele Aid call has been initiated,
the MCS system audio is muted and
the selected mode (radio, tape or CD)
pauses. The optional cellular phone (if
installed) switches off. If you must use
this phone, the vehicle must be parked.
Disconnect the coiled cord and place
the call. The navigation system (if en-
gaged) will continue to run. A pop-up
window will appear in the MCS display
to indicate that a Tele Aid call is in
progress.

168 Controls in detailUseful featuresThe Response Center will then unlock your
vehicle with the remote door unlocking
feature.Stolen vehicle tracking services
In the event your vehicle was stolen:

Report the incident to the police
The police will issue a numbered inci-
dent report.

Pass this number on to the
Mercedes-Benz Response Center along
with your password issued to you when
you subscribed to the service.
The Response Center will then attempt
to covertly contact the vehicle’s Tele
Aid system. Once the vehicle is locat-
ed, the Response Center will contact
the local law enforcement and you. The
vehicle’s location will only be provided
to law enforcement.
Garage door opener
The built-in remote control is capable of
operating up to three separately controlled
objects.
1Hand-held remote control trans-
mitter
2, 3, 4Signal transmitter key
5Indicator lamp
iThe remote door unlock feature is avail-
able if the relevant cellular phone net-
work is available.
The SOS button will flash and the mes-
sage
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED
will appear in the MCS
display to indicate receipt of the door
unlock command.
Once the vehicle is unlocked, a Re-
sponse Center specialist will attempt
to establish voice contact with the ve-
hicle occupants.
If the outside liftgate handle was pulled
for more than 20 seconds before door
unlock authorization was received by
the Response Center, you must wait
15 minutes before pressing the outside
liftgate handle again.

197 Operation
Driving instructions
Driving abroad
Abroad, there is a widely-spread
Mercedes-Benz service network at your
disposal. If you plan to drive into areas
which are not listed in the index of your
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center directo-
ry, you should request pertinent informa-
tion from your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.Control and operation of radio trans-
mitters
MCS, radio and telephone*Telephones and two-way radios
Radio transmitters, such as a portable tele-
phone or a citizens band unit should only
be used inside the vehicle if they are con-
nected to an antenna that is installed on
the outside of the vehicle.
Refer to the radio transmitter operation in-
structions regarding use of an external an-
tenna.Warning!
G
Do not forget that your primary responsibili-
ty is to drive the vehicle. Only operate the
MCS, radio or telephone
1 if road, weather
and traffic conditions permit.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of approximately
44 feet (approximately 13.5 m) every sec-
ond.
1Observe all legal requirements.
Warning!
G
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.

294 Technical termsEngine oil viscosity
Measurement for the inner friction (vis-
cosity) of the oil at different tempera-
tures. The higher the temperature an
oil can tolerate without becoming thin,
or the lower the temperature it can tol-
erate without becoming viscous, the
better the viscosity.
ESP
(E
lectronic S
tability Pr
ogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.
ETD
(E
mergency T
ensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem's threshold to tighten the seat
belts.
->SRSFSS
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem)
Service indicator in the speedometer
display that informs the driver when
the next vehicle maintenance service is
due.
Gear range
Number of gears which are available to
the automatic transmission for shifting.
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the selector lever.
GPS
(G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem)
Satellite-based system for relaying
geographic location information to and
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers. Employs CD digital maps for
navigation.
Instrument cluster
The displays and indicator/warning
lamps in the driver’s field of vision, in-
cluding the tachometer, speedometer,
engine temperature and fuel gauge.Kickdown
Depressing the accelerator past the
point of resistance shifts the transmis-
sion down to the lowest possible gear.
This very quickly accelerates the vehi-
cle and should not be used for normal
acceleration needs.
Line of fall
The direct line that an object moves
downhill when influenced by the force
of gravity alone.
Lock button
Button on the door which indicates
whether the door is locked or un-
locked. Pushing the lock button down
on an individual door from inside will
lock that door.
MCS
(M
odular C
ontrol S
ystem)
Information and operating center for
vehicle sound and communications
systems, including the radio and the ra-
dio and navigation system, as well as
for other optional equipment (CD
changer, telephone, etc.).

310 IndexMB Tex upholstery
Cleaning 222
MCS
Modular Control System 294
Mechanical key 242
Memory function 99, 295
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking positions 100
Memory function* 100
Recalling positions from memory 100
Mirror
Inside rear view mirror 38
Mirrors
Activating exterior mirror parking posi-
tion 101
Adjusting 38
Automatic antiglare for rear view
mirror 119
Exterior rear view mirror 38
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position 101
MON 200
MON (Motor Octane Number) 295
Monitoring reach
Parktronic* 150
Multifunction display 295N
Night security illumination 104
Deactivation temporarily 104
Setting time 104
O
Occupant safety 54
Children and airbags 56
Children in the vehicle 63
Fastening the seat belt 40
Infant and child restraint systems 63
LATCH child seat mounts 68
Seat belts 40, 57
Odometer display 111
Odometer, main 25
Off-road driving
Checklist 187, 191
Crossing obstacles 190
Driving instructions off-road
driving 186
Driving through water 189
Returning 191
Rules 186
Special driving features 186
Steep terrain 187Oil
Adding 204, 205
Checking level 203
Consumption 203
Dipstick 203, 205
Filler neck 205
Viscosity 294
Oil dipstick 205
Oil level
Checking 201
One-touch gearshifting 113
Canceling gear range limit 114
Downshifting 113
Upshifting 114
Opening
Doors from the inside 86
Fuel filler flap 200
Fuel filler flap manually 244
Glove box 152
Hood 202
Liftgate 85, 87
Liftgate from inside 87
Liftgate from outside 87
Rear quarter windows 136
Side windows 135
Sliding/pop-up roof 246