2004 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG Owner's Manual

105 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch, see (
page 104).
Automatic headlamp mode
The parking lamps, low beam headlamps
and license plate lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light.

Turn the exterior lamp switch to U.
iIf you remove the SmartKey and open
the driver’s door while the parking
lamps or low beam headlamps are
switched on:

a warning sounds


$ appears in the multifunction
display


the message
TURN OFF LIGHTS!
ap-
pears in the multifunction display
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the engine running, the
low beam headlamps cannot be
switched off manually.
Warning!
G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU,

the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright am-
bient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.


the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others, acti-
vate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch to
B
when driving or when traffic
and / or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from position
U
to
B
with the
vehicle at a standstill. Switching from U

to
B
will briefly switch off the head-
lamps. Doing so while driving in low ambient
lighting conditions may result in an acci-
dent.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle’s lights at all
times.

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.

108 Controls in detailLightingSwitching on high beams
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionB or toU
(page 104).

Push the combination switch in
direction1.
The high beam headlamp
indicatorA in the instrument clus-
ter comes on.
High beam flasher

Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction2.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be activat-
ed with the ignition switched on or off. It is
activated automatically when an airbag is
deployed.
The switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1Hazard warning flasher switchSwitching on the hazard warning
flasher

Press the hazard warning flasher
switch.
All the turn signals will blink.
Switching off the hazard warning
flasher

Press hazard warning flasher switch
again.iWith the hazard warning flasher acti-
vated and the combination switch set
for either left or right turn, only the re-
spective left or right turn signals will
operate when the SmartKey in the
starter switch is in position1 or2.

109 Controls in detail
Lighting
Interior lighting
1Cargo compartment lamps
2Right reading lamp
3Rocker switch for automatic control
system
4Left reading lampActivating automatic control

Move rocker switch3 to center
position.
Interior lamps are switched on in dark-
ness, when you

unlock the vehicle


open a door


remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch
In addition, the entry lamps in the door
trays will come on when you open a
door.
The interior lamps are switched off fol-
lowing an adjustable time delay
(
page 132).Deactivating automatic control

Press the = symbol on rocker
switch3.
The interior lighting and the entry
lamps remain switched off in darkness,
even when you

unlock the vehicle


open a door


remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch
Manual control
Switching lamps on

Press the W symbol on rocker
switch3.
The interior lighting remains on even
when the doors are closed.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lamps switch off automatically after ap-
proximately five minutes.

110 Controls in detailLightingSwitching lamps off
Move rocker switch3 to center posi-
tion to activate the automatic control.
Rear interior lamps
The rear interior lamps are located above
the rear seat bench on the left and right
side.
1The lamps are switched on
continuously
2The lamps are switched off
3Automatic function
Cargo compartment lamps
Switching on and off
1Switch for cargo compartment lamps
Press button ò to switch the cargo
compartment lamps2 on/off.
!To prevent the vehicle battery from be-
ing discharged, all interior lamps
switch off automatically after approxi-
mately 30 minutes with the tailgate
open.
If an interior lamp is switched on man-
ually, it does not go out automatically.
Before leaving the vehicle, make sure
the interior lamps are switched off.
The rear interior lamps can be switched
on with the SmartKey in starter switch
position0 or SmartKey removed from
the starter switch for up to 30 minutes.

111 Controls in detail
Lighting
2Cargo compartment lamps
Switching on and off with the tailgate
open
If the tailgate should remain open for a
longer period of time, the cargo compart-
ment lamps may be switched off separate-
ly.1Door lock
2Lock cylinder
Switching off

Open the tailgate.

Press door lock1 down until it engag-
es (arrow).Switching on

Press lock cylinder2 to activate the
cargo compartment lamps again.
The cargo compartment lamps will
switch on.
!Do not close the tailgate if the lock is
engaged in down position. The lock
could otherwise be damaged.
When locking the tailgate, it is impor-
tant that the door lock be in the same
position as shown in the illustration.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the tail-
gate opening when closing the tailgate. Be
especially careful when small children are
around.
Only drive with the tailgate closed as other-
wise exhaust fumes may enter the vehicle
interior.

112 Controls in detailInstrument cluster
Instrument clusterA full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the “At a glance”
section of this manual (
page 24).
1Reset button
The instrument cluster is activated when
you:


open a door


turn on the ignition


press reset button1


switch on the exterior lamps
You can change the instrument cluster set-
tings in the Instrument cluster submenu of
the control system (
page 127).
Instrument cluster illumination
Use the reset button to adjust the illumina-
tion brightness for the instrument cluster.
To brighten illumination
Turn reset button1 in the instrument
cluster clockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
brighten.To dim illumination

Turn reset button1 in the instrument
cluster counterclockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
dim.
Coolant temperature display
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to
suit ambient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will
also be adjusted automatically when
you switch on the vehicle’s exterior
lamps.
Warning!
G


Driving when your engine is badly over-
heated can cause some fluids which
may have leaked into the engine com-
partment to catch fire. You could be se-
riously burned.


Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the hood. Stay away from
the engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.