2003 MERCEDES-BENZ ML55AMG ignition

122 Controls in detailGood visibilityWindshield wipers
Information on the windshield wipers
(page 47) is found in the “Getting start-
ed” section. Intermittent wiping
Windshield wipers without rain sensor
At speeds of approximately 105 mph
(170 km/h) the wiper switches automati-
cally to continuous wiping. Always obey lo-
cal speed limits.
Windshield wipers with rain sensor*
The rain sensor controls the windshield
wipers automatically according to the
amount of water on the windshield.

Switch ignition on.

Set the wiper switch to position1
(page 47).
One initial wipe, pauses between wipes
are automatically controlled by the rain
sensor monitoring wetness of wind-
shield.
!If leaves, snow, etc. block the wind-
shield wipers, the wiper motor turns
off.

For safety reasons, withdraw key
from steering lock. Remove block-
age.


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


set the wiper switch to the next
highest wiper speed.


have the windshield wipers
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
iIntermittent wiping is interrupted when
the vehicle is at standstill and a front
door is opened.
!To prevent damage of the windshield
wipers, do not leave the wiper switch in
intermittent setting, when the vehicle
is taken to an automatic car wash or
when cleaning the windshield.
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 when wiping occurs on a dry
windshield!iWhen intermittent wiping is on and the
key is turned from position1 to
position2 in the steering lock
(page 33), and kept in that position
for longer than 2 seconds, the wipe in-
terval will be set to approximately
5seconds.

130 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlActivating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
Press button
°
again.
The indicator lamp on the button
°

goes out.
The air conditioning system uses the refrig-
erant R134A. This refrigerant is free of
CFCs which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.
Activating
Turn the key in the steering lock to
position1.

Press button
°
(page 125).
The indicator lamp on button
°

comes on.Deactivating

Press button
°
.
The indicator lamp on button
°

goes out.
!If the
°
button on the automatic cli-
mate control panel starts to blink, this
indicates that the air conditioning sys-
tem is losing refrigerant. The compres-
sor has turned itself off. The air
conditioning cannot be turned on
again.
Have the air conditioning system
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set in the
climate control. The blower will run at
lower speed regardless of the air vol-
ume control setting.
iThe residual heat is automatically
turned off:

when the ignition is switched on


after about 30 minutes


if the coolant temperature is too
low


if the battery voltage drops

131 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated af-
ter approximately 6 to 17 minutes of oper-
ation depending on the outside
temperature.
Activating
Switch ignition on.

Press button
F
(page 125).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
F
again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Rear passenger compartment ventila-
tion and rear automatic climate control
Deactivating
For an improved cooling or heating output
in the front passenger compartment, you
can switch off the rear passenger compart-
ment ventilation.
Press button
§
(page 125).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
The operation of the rear automatic cli-
mate control and the fresh air supply to
the rear compartment is shut off.
Activating

Press button
§
again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The rear automatic climate control
switches to automatic mode and fresh
air enters the rear compartment.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts blinking, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically turns itself back on.

136 Controls in detailPower windowsSynchronizing power windows
The side power windows must be resyn-
chronized

after the battery has been disconnect-
ed


if the windows cannot be fully opened
or closed

Switch ignition on.

Press switch
j
until the window is
completely closed and hold down for
approximately 1 second. Repeat proce-
dure for each window.
Rear quarter windows*
The switches are on the upper part of the
center console.
1Left side
2Right side
To operate the power windows, turn key to
position2 (
page 33) in the steering lock.Opening the windows

Press and hold the upper part of
switches1 or2.
The window will open.
Closing the windows

Press and hold the lower part of
switches1 or2.
The window will close.Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, 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.

149 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Parktronic system* (Parking assist)
The Parktronic system assists the driver
during parking maneuvers. It visually and
audibly indicates the distance between the
vehicle and an obstacle.
With the ignition on, Parktronic engages
automatically at speeds up to approxi-
mately 10 mph (15 km / h) and deactivates
during higher speeds.Parktronic monitors your vehicle’s environ-
ment by means of six sensors in the front
bumper and four sensors in the rear
bumper.
1Sensors located in front bumperWarning!
G
Parktronic is a supplemental system. It is
not intended to nor does it replace the need
for extreme care. The responsibility during
parking and other critical maneuvers rests
always with the driver.
Make sure that no persons or animals are lo-
cated in the area in which your are maneu-
vering. They could otherwise be injured.
Special attention must be paid to objects
with smooth surfaces or low silhouettes
(e.g. trailer couplings, painted posts, or
street curbs). Such objects may not be de-
tected by the system and can damage the
vehicle.
The operational function of the Parktronic
can be affected by dirty sensors, especially
at times of snow and ice. For notes on clean-
ing the Parktronic system sensors
(page 220).
Interference caused by other ultrasonic sig-
nals (e.g. working jackhammers or the air
brakes of trucks) can cause the system to
send erratic indications, and should be tak-
en into consideration.

151 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The selector lever position determines
which warning indicator is activated.
As soon as the sensors detect an obstacle,
one or more segments light up, depending
on the distance. An intermittent acoustic
warning will also sound as the seventh seg-
ment lights up and a constant acoustic
warning lasting a maximum of 3 seconds
will sound for the eighth segment.Switching Parktronic on/off
You can switch Parktronic off manually.
The switch is located on the lower part of
the center console.
1Switching off
2Indicator lamp
3Switching onSwitching Parktronic off

Press switch on the upper part1.
Indicator lamp2 lights up.
Switching Parktronic on

Press switch on the upper part3.
The indicator lamp2 goes out.
Selector lever
position
Warning indicator
D
Front area activated
R
Rear area activated
N or P
No area activated
!If all red segments light up in the warn-
ing indicators, a dirty sensor or a ultra-
sonic signal could be the reason.

Clean the sensors (
page 220).
After cleaning the sensors, switch
the ignition on.
!If Parktronic is malfunctioning, all red
segments of the warning indicators
light up and an additional warning
sounds.
Contact your Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center as soon as possible.
iIf you switch the ignition on, Parktronic
will be automatically switched on.
The rear Parktronic sensors will not au-
tomatically disengage when towing a
trailer. Therefore switch Parktronic off.

157 Controls in detail
Useful features
Cigarette lighter
Switch on the ignition.

Push in cigarette lighter2
(page 156).
The cigarette lighter will pop out auto-
matically when hot.
Ashtray and cigarette lighter in the rear
center console
1Ashtray
2Cigarette lighter
3Cover plate
Opening the ashtray

Briefly touch cover plate3.
The ashtray opens automatically.
Removing ashtray insert

Grip the insert on the sides and pull it
out upwards.Reinstalling ashtray insert

Install ashtray insert.

Close the ashtray.
Cigarette lighter

Switch on the ignition.

Push in cigarette lighter2.
The cigarette lighter will pop out auto-
matically when hot.
!Close the ashtray in the rear center
console before folding the rear seat
bench.

158 Controls in detailUseful featuresElectrical outletElectrical outletOne outlet is located in the front passen-
ger footwell and another on the right-hand
side of the luggage compartment.
Flip up cover and insert electrical plug
(cigarette lighter type).
Telephone*
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.
The external antenna must be approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Please contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center
for information on the installation of an ap-
proved external antenna. Refer to the radio
transmitter operation instructions regard-
ing use of an external antenna.
iThe outlets function even if the key is
not in the ignition.
The electrical outlet can be used to ac-
commodate electrical consumers (e.g.
air pump, auxiliary lamps) up to a max-
imum of 180 W.
If the engine is off, the battery may be-
come discharged if used for long peri-
ods of time.
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 serious
personal injury.