2004 MERCEDES-BENZ G500 high beam

Contents
Introduction.......................................... 9
Product information ................................ 9
Operator’s Manual ............................... 10
Service and warranty information .. 10
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 11
Maintenance .................................. 12
Roadside Assistance ...................... 12
Change of address or ownership.... 13
Operating your vehicle outside the
USA or Canada............................... 13
Where to find it .................................... 15
Symbols ............................................... 16
Operating safety .................................. 17
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 17
Problems with your vehicle .................. 18
Reporting safety defects...................... 19
Reporting safety defects ................ 19
At a glance.......................................... 21
Cockpit ................................................. 22
Instrument cluster ................................ 24
Multifunction steering wheel ................ 26
Center console ..................................... 27
Upper part ...................................... 27
Lower part ...................................... 28
Overhead control panel ........................ 29
Door control panel................................ 30Getting started................................... 31
Unlocking ............................................. 32
Unlocking with the SmartKey.......... 32
Adjusting .............................................. 34
Seats............................................... 34
Steering wheel ................................ 37
Mirrors ............................................ 38Driving .................................................. 40
Fastening the seat belt ................... 40
Starting the engine ......................... 43
Switching on headlamps ................. 46
Turn signals and high beam ............ 46
Windshield wipers ........................... 47
Rear window wiper/washer ............ 49
Problems while driving.................... 50
Parking and locking .............................. 51
Parking brake ................................. 51
Switching off headlamps................. 52
Turning off engine ........................... 52
Safety and Security........................... 55
Occupant safety ................................... 56
Airbags ........................................... 57
Seat belts ....................................... 62
Children in the vehicle .................... 65
Blocking rear door window
operation ........................................ 71
Panic alarm .......................................... 73

23 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Combination switch

Turn signals
46


Windshield wipers
47


High beam
46
2
Headlamp cleaning system
153
3
Cruise control lever
169
4
Instrument cluster
24
5
Lever for voice control sys-
tem*, see separate operat-
ing instructions
Item
Page
6
Starter switch
33
7
Glove box
183
8
Multifunction steering
wheel
26,
116,
203
9
Horn
a
Steering wheel adjustment
stalk
37,
203
b
Exterior lamp switch
46,
104
c
Exterior rear view mirror
adjustment
38

25 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
Reset button for:

Resetting trip odometer
113


Resetting individual or
all settings
123,
125,
137,
243


Instrument cluster illu-
mination
112
2
LLeft turn signal indi-
cator lamp
24
3
?Engine malfunction
indicator lamp
256
vElectronic Stability
Program (ESP) warn-
ing lamp
78,
257
AHigh beam head-
lamp indicator
47,
108
Item
Page
4
KRight turn signal in-
dicator lamp
24
5
Fuel gauge with:Fuel reserve warning lamp
24
1Supplemental Re-
straint System (SRS)
indicator lamp
60,
258
warning lamp
62,
258
6
Multifunction display
with:
115
Trip odometer
24
Main odometer
24
Transfer case program
mode
145
Gear selector lever position
140
Outside temperature indi-
cator
114
Clock (see COMAND oper-
ating instructions)
115
Item
Page
7
Speedometer
8
Tachometer with:;Brake warning lamp
(USA only)
44,
254
3Brake warning lamp
(Canada only)
44,
254
-ABS indicator lamp
74,
252

46 Getting startedDrivingFor more information, see “Driving instruc-
tions” (
page 207).
For information on off-road driving, see
“Off-road driving” (
page 213).
Switching on headlampsExterior lamp switch1Off
2Low beam headlamps on
Turn the switch to B.
For more information, see “Exterior lamp
switch” (
page 104).
Turn signals and high beam
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Turn signals, right
2Turn signals, left
Press combination switch up1 or
down2.
The switch is automatically canceled
when the steering wheel is turned a
sufficient degree.
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.

47 Getting started
Driving
High beam
Push the combination switch forward.
The high beam headlamp
indicatorA in the instrument clus-
ter comes on.
For more information, see “High beam
flasher” (
page 108).
Windshield wipers
The combination switch is located on the
left of the steering column.Combination switch1Single wipe
2Switching on windshield wipers 
Make sure the ignition is switched on.Switching on windshield wipers

Turn the combination switch to the de-
sired position depending on the inten-
sity of the rain.
0Windshield wipers off
IIntermittent wiping
IINormal wiper speed
IIIFast wiper speed
iTo signal minor directional changes,
move combination switch to point of
resistance only and release. The turn
signal blinks three times.
iThe intermittent wiping interval de-
pends on the wetness of the wind-
shield. Wiping will not occur with a
front door open.

104 Controls in detailLighting
LightingFor notes on how to switch on the head-
lamps and use the turn signals, see the
“Getting started” section (
page 46).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.MOff
UAutomatic headlamp mode
CParking lamps (also side marker
lamps, tail lamps, license plate
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
Canada only: When engine is run-
ning, the low beam is additionally
switched on.
BParking lamps plus low beam or
high beam headlamps (combination
switch pushed forward).
ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left one
stop)
‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country where the vehicle is regis-
tered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.

106 Controls in detailLighting
Daytime running lamp mode
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionM orU.
When the engine is running, the low beam
headlamps are automatically switched on.
In low ambient light conditions the parking
lamps will also switch on.
Canada only
When you shift from a driving position to
positionN orP, the low beam switches off
(three minutes delay).
For nighttime driving, you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to positionB to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
USA only
The high beam headlamps can also be ac-
tivated when driving with the daytime run-
ning lamp mode activated and exterior
lamp switch in positionM.To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode” (
page 129).
Locator lighting and night security illu-
mination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the control system
section under “Setting locator lighting”
(
page 130) and “Setting night security il-
lumination” (
page 131).
Exterior rear view mirror lamps
If the vehicle is centrally unlocked in the
darkness, the lamps in the exterior rear
view mirrors come on.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated, the low beam headlamps will
not be switched off automatically.iFront fog lamps and rear fog lamp can
not be switched on manually with exte-
rior lamp switch in positionU. To
activate the fog lamps, turn exterior
lamp switch to positionB.
iSee notes on the exterior lamp switch
(page 104).

107 Controls in detail
Lighting
If a door is opened, the lamp on this side
goes out. If no doors are opened, the
lamps go out:

when the ignition is switched on


after a maximum of 40 seconds
Switching on front fog lamps

Make sure the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
lamp switch comes on.Switching on rear fog lamp

Check that the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp† in the
lamp switch comes on.
Combination switch
The combination switch is located on the
left side of the steering column.
1High beam
2High beam flasher
Warning!
G
In low ambient lighting or foggy conditions,
only switch from position
U
to
B

with the vehicle at a standstill. Switching
from
U
to
B
will briefly switch off
the headlamps. Doing so while driving in low
ambient lighting conditions may result in an
accident.
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps
on. Fog lamps should only be used in
conjunction with low beam headlamps.
Consult your State or Province Motor
Vehicle Regulations regarding allow-
able lamp operation.