2004 MERCEDES-BENZ G500 ESP

121 Controls in detail
Control system
Select radio station
Turn on the radio. Refer to separate op-
erating instructions.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see the currently tuned sta-
tion in the display.
1Station
2Waveband setting
3Setting for station selection using
memory

Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired station is found.
The type of search depends on the set-
ting for the station tuning:

The next stored station is selected
(SP)


Station searchOperate the CD player

Turn on the radio and select the CD
player. Refer to separate operating in-
structions.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the settings for the CD currently
being played are shown in the display.
1Current track
2Current CD (for CD changer)

Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired track is selected.
iYou can only store new stations by us-
ing the corresponding feature on the
radio. Refer to separate operating in-
structions.
You can also operate the radio in the
usual manner.
iTo select a CD from the magazine,
press a number on the COMAND sys-
tem key pad located in the center dash-
board.

122 Controls in detailControl systemNAVI menu
The
NAVI
menu contains the functions
needed to operate your navigation system.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see the message
NAVI
in the
display.


If the navigation system is off, the mes-
sage
NAVI OFF
is shown in the display.


If the navigation system is on, the mes-
sage
NAVI ACTIVE
is shown in the dis-
play.
Please refer to the COMAND manual for in-
structions on how to activate the route
guidance system*.
Malfunction memory menu
Use the malfunction memory menu to scan
malfunction and warning messages that
may be stored in the system. The informa-
tion shown in the display depends on
whether malfunctions have actually oc-
curred.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see the malfunction message
memory in the display.
No malfunction messages
If no malfunctions have occurred, the mes-
sage in the display is:
NO MALFUNCTIONMalfunctions have occurred
If malfunctions have occurred, you will see
the number of malfunctions in the display:
1Number of malfunctions
Press buttonk orj.
The stored messages will now be dis-
played in order. See the “Practical
hints” section for malfunction and
warning messages (
page 260).
Warning!
G
Malfunction and warning messages are only
indicated for certain systems and are inten-
tionally not very detailed. The malfunction
and warning messages are simply a remind-
er with respect to the operation of certain
systems and do not replace the owner’s
and/or driver’s responsibility to maintain
the vehicle’s operating safety by having all
required maintenance and safety checks
performed on the vehicle and by bringing
the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center to address the malfunc-
tion and warning messages (
page 260).

130 Controls in detailControl system
Setting locator lighting
During darkness, the following lamps will
come on when the exterior lamp switch is
in position U, the locator lighting fea-
ture is activated, and the vehicle is un-
locked by SmartKey:

parking lamps


tail lamps


license plate lamps


front fog lamps
The locator lighting switches off when the
driver’s door is opened. It switches off au-
tomatically after a period of approximately
40 seconds.

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the LIGHTING
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
LOCATOR LIGHTING
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to select the de-
sired setting.
The locator lighting will be switched on
or off.
iIf you turn the exterior lamp switch to
another position, the corresponding
lamp(s) will switch on.
For safety reasons, resetting the LIGHTING
submenu to factory settings
(
page 123) will not reset the daytime
running lamp mode.
In the display you will then see the mes-
sage:
LIGHTING – CANNOT BE TOTALLY
RESET TO FACTORY SETTINGS WHILE
DRIVING.


143 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
EffectThe SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP. With the SmartKey
removed, the gear selector lever
is locked in positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP
(page 290).
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
Do not engageN while driving
except:

to coast when vehicle is in
danger of skidding (e.g. on
icy roads) when the ESP is
deactivated or malfunction-
ing


when you have to shift the
transfer case
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All five forward
gears are available.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with gear selector lever
inN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever not fully engaged in positionP is
dangerous. Also, positionP alone is not in-
tended to or capable of preventing your ve-
hicle from moving, possibly hitting people or
objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 51).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.

148 Controls in detailDifferential locks
Differential locksFor more information on off-road driving,
see “Off-road driving” (
page 213).
Differential locks improve the vehicle’s
tractive power off-road. Switch on differen-
tial locks:


for off-road driving


to turn the ABS off during off-road driv-
ing


for driving through water


when driving on deep snow and icy or
fouled surfaces!Do not engage the front axle differen-
tial lock when driving around tight cor-
ners. This restricts steering ability.
!When driving off-road, apply only mod-
erate pressure to the accelerator pedal
if the differential locks are switched on.
When running on a (single-axle) dyna-
mometer – no matter how briefly – you
must:

raise the non-driven axle
or


disconnect its drive shaft
and


engage the transfer differential lock
Otherwise the transfer case can be
damaged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Never drive on pavement with differential
locks engaged.
Steering control will be strongly affected
with the differential locks activated.
The ABS, BAS and ESP are switched off au-
tomatically when the transfer case differen-
tial lock is activated.

149 Controls in detail
Differential locks
A few words about differentials and differential 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, makes this essential function pos-
sible.
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 145) also en-
hances off-road driving capabilities
(
page 213).
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 150). 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 cannot be handled by the
systems (automatic 4-ETS, the ESP, manu-
al switch position “LOW” of transfer case)
this vehicle comes equipped with.

150 Controls in detailDifferential locksSwitching differential locks on and off
The switch is located in the center console.
1Transfer case (center) differential lock
2Rear axle differential lock
3Front differential lock
4Engagement indicator lamps (yellow)
5Function indicator lamps (red)Switching differential locks on
Transfer case differential lock

Press switch1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp4 for the transfer case differen-
tial lock comes on.
The ESP warning lampv comes on.
When the differential lock engagement
operation has been completed, the red
function indicator lamp5 comes on.The message
ABS NOT AVAILABLE –
DIFFERENTIAL LOCKED
appears in the
multifunction display.
The ESP warning lampv and the
ABS- warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster come on.
Once the transfer case differential lock
is switched on, you can now, if needed,


switch on rear axle differential
lock2
or


switch on rear axle differential lock
and front differential lock2
and3.
iThe differential locks can only be
switched on in the sequence 1,
2,3.
!To avoid damage to the transfer case
and differential locks:

Engage differential locks only at low
speed (walking speed, not more
than 5 mph).


Do not engage differential locks if
the driving wheels are spinning due
to lack of traction.


Do not engage on paved roads.

151 Controls in detail
Differential locks
Rear axle differential lock
Press switch2.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp4 comes on first, followed by the
red function indicator lamp5.
The rear axle differential lock is
switched on.
Front differential lock

Press switch 3.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp4 comes on first, followed by the
red function indicator lamp5.
The front differential lock is switched
on. Switching differential locks off
There are two different methods to disen-
gage differential locks:


You can switch the differential locks off
in reverse order (3, 2,1).


To switch off all differential locks at the
same time:
Press switch1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamps4 go out first. The red func-
tion indicator lamps5 go out
when the switching process has
been carried out in the differential.To activate the ESP, BAS and ABS systems,
drive again for three seconds using a con-
stant driving style.
All messages in the multifunction display
disappear. The ESP warning lampv
and the ABS- warning lamp in the in-
strument cluster go out.
iIf the function lamps do not go out
when the differential locks are disen-
gaged, bring vehicle to a stop and then
continue driving. Changing the vehicle
load can help to disengage locks. Warning!
G
Always remember to disengage the differen-
tial locks when returning to drive on paved
roads, see “A few words about differentials
and differential locks” (
page 149).