13 Introduction
Operator’s Manual
Change of address or ownership
If you change your address, be sure to
send in the “Change of Address Notice”
found in the Service and Warranty Informa-
tion Booklet, or simply call the
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance
Center (in the USA) at
1-800-FOR-MER-Cedes, or Customer Ser-
vice (in Canada) at 1-800-387-0100. It is in
your own interest that we can contact you
should the need arise.
If you sell your Mercedes, please leave all
literature with the vehicle to make it avail-
able to the next operator.
If you bought this vehicle used, be sure to
send in the “Notice of Purchase of Used
Truck” found in the Service and Warranty
Information Booklet, or call the
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance Cen-
ter (in the USA) at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes,
or Customer Service (in Canada) at
1-800-387-0100.Operating your vehicle outside the USA
or Canada
If you plan to operate your vehicle in for-
eign countries, please be aware that:
service facilities or replacement parts
may not be readily available,
unleaded gasoline for vehicles with cat-
alytic converters may not be available;
the use of leaded fuels will damage the
catalysts,
gasoline may have a considerably low-
er octane rating, and improper fuel can
cause engine damage.Certain Mercedes-Benz models are avail-
able for delivery in Europe under our Euro-
pean Delivery Program. For details, consult
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center or
write to:
In the USA:
Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC
European Delivery Department
One Mercedes Drive
Montvale, NJ 07645-0350
In Canada:
Mercedes-Benz Canada, Inc.
European Delivery Department
849 Eglinton Avenue East
Toronto, Ontario M4G 2L5
225 Operation
At the gas station
Check regularly and before a long trip
1Coolant
2Brake fluid
Coolant
For normal replenishing, use water (pota-
ble water quality). For more information,
see “Coolant level” (
page 232) and see
“Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.”
(
page 333).Brake fluid
Windshield/rear window washer sys-
tem and headlamp cleaning system
For more information on refilling the reser-
voir, see “Windshield/rear window washer
system and headlamp cleaning system”
(
page 234).
iUse only premium unleaded gasoline
with a minimum Posted Octane Rating
of 91 (average of 96 RON / 86 MON).
Information on gasoline quality can
normally be found on the fuel pump.
More information on gasoline can be
found in the Factory Approved Service
Products pamphlet. iLeaving the engine running and the fuel
cap open can cause the ? malfunc-
tion indicator lamp to illuminate.
See also “Practical hints” section
(page 256).
iOpening the hood, see (
page 227).
!If you find that the brake fluid in the
brake fluid reservoir has fallen to the
minimum mark or below, have the
brake system checked for brake pad
thickness and leaks immediately. Noti-
fy an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center immediately. Do not add
brake fluid as this will not solve the
problem. For more information, see
“Practical hints” (
page 254) .
333 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Capacities
Vehicle components and their respective
lubricants must match.Therefore use only brands tested and ap-
proved by Mercedes-Benz.Please refer to the Factory Approved Ser-
vice Products pamphlet, or inquire at your
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Model
Capacity
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine with oil filter
G500
G55AMG
8.5 US qt (8.0 l)
8.0 US qt (7.5 l)
Approved engine oils
Automatic transmission
9.0 US qt (8.5 l)
MB Automatic Transmission Oil
Transfer case
2.96 US qt (2.8 l)
MB part no. A 001 989 28 03 10
Differential lock mechanism
0.47 - 0.63 US qt
(0.45 - 0.6 l)
Brake fluid DOT 3+4, SAE J1703
Front axle
1.5 US qt (1.4 l)
Hypoid gear oil SAE 90, 85 W 90
Rear axle
1.9 US qt (1.8 l)
Hypoid gear oil SAE 90, 85 W 90
Power steering
approx. 1.06 US qt (1.0 l)
MB Power Steering Fluid, or
approved Dexron III ATF
Front wheel hubs
approx. 1.5 oz (43 g) each
High temperature roller bearing grease
Fuel tank
including a reserve of
25.4 US gal (96.0 l)
5.3 US gal (20.0 l)
Premium unleaded gasoline:
Posted Octane 91
(average of 96 RON / 86 MON)
335 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine oil additives
Do not blend oil additives with engine oil.
They may damage the engine.
Damage or malfunctions resulting from
blending oil additives are not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Air conditioning refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG
lubricating oil is used in the air condition-
ing system.
Never use R-12 (CFC) or mineral-based lu-
bricating oil. Otherwise damage to the
system will occur.
Brake fluid
During vehicle operation, the boiling point
of the brake fluid is continuously reduced
through the absorption of moisture from
the atmosphere. Under extremely strenu-
ous operating conditions, this moisture
content can lead to the formation of bub-
bles in the system, thus reducing the sys-
tem’s efficiency.
Therefore, the brake fluid must be re-
placed every two years, preferably in the
spring.
Only brake fluid approved by
Mercedes-Benz is recommended. Your au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Cen-
ter will provide you with additional
information.
Premium unleaded gasoline
!To maintain the engine’s durability and
performance, premium unleaded gaso-
line must be used. If premium unleaded
is not available and low octane fuel is
used, follow these precautions:
Have the fuel tank only partially
filled with unleaded regular and fill
up with premium unleaded as soon
as possible.
Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration.
Do not exceed an engine speed of
3000 rpm if the vehicle is loaded
with a light load such as two per-
sons and no luggage.
Do not exceed
2⁄3 of maximum ac-
celerator pedal position if the vehi-
cle is fully loaded or operating in
mountainous terrain.
336 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.Fuel requirements
Use only premium unleaded meeting
ASTM standard D 439:
The octane number (posted at the
pu m p) m us t b e 91 mi n. It is an a vera ge
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number:
(R+M) / 2). This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed
10%; MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional cosolvents.
Using mixtures of ethanol and methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains 10%
ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline, can be
used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among engine manufac-
turers is carbon build-up caused by gaso-
line. Mercedes-Benz recommends only the
use of quality gasoline containing additives
that prevent the build up of carbon depos-
its.
After an extended period of using fuels
without such additives, carbon deposits
can build up especially on the intake valves
and in the combustion area, leading to en-
gine performance problems such as:
Warm-up hesitation
Unstable idle
Knocking/pinging
Misfire
Power loss
Do not blend other specific fuel additives
with fuel. This only results in unnecessary
cost and may be harmful to the engine op-
eration.Damage or malfunctions resulting from
poor fuel quality or from blending specific
fuel additives are not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Coolants
The engine coolant is a mixture of water
and anticorrosion / antifreeze, which pro-
vides:
Corrosion protection
Freeze protection
Boiling protection (by increasing the
boiling point)
The cooling system was filled at the factory
with a coolant providing freeze protection
to approximately -35°F (-37°C) and corro-
sion protection.
If the antifreeze mixture is effective to
-22°F (-30°C), the boiling point of the cool-
ant in the pressurized cooling system is
reached at approximately 266°F (130°C).
345 Technical terms
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.
Memory function*
Used to store three individual seat,
steering wheel and mirror positions for
each key.
Menu
The control system displays are ar-
ranged in menus. Each menu contains
a number of commands for particular
systems. In the Audio menu, for exam-
ple, you will find the commands
Select
radio station
or Operate CD player
.
Using commands, you can directly
change the settings for your vehicle.MON
(M
otor O
ctane N
umber)
The Motor Octane Number for gasoline
as determined by a standardized meth-
od. It is an indication of a gasoline's
ability to resist undesired detonation
(knocking). The average of both the
MON (Motor Octane Number) and
->RON (Research Octane Number) is
posted at the pump, also known as
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Multifunction display
A display field in the instrument cluster
used to present information provided
by the control system.
Overspeed range
Engine speeds within the red marking
of the tachometer dial. Avoid this en-
gine speed range, as it may result in se-
rious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
346 Technical termsPoly-V-belt drive
Drives engine-components (alternator,
AC compressor, etc.) from the engine.
Power train
Collective term designating all compo-
nents used to generate and transmit
motive power to the drive axles, includ-
ing
engine
clutch/torque converter
transmission
transfer case
drive shaft
differential
axle shafts/axles
Rear Parking Assist*
System which uses visual and acoustic
signals to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers.Remote Vehicle Diagnostics
Transmission of vehicle data and cur-
rent location to the Mercedes-Benz
Customer Assistance Center for sub-
scribers to Tele Aid service.
REST
(Residual engine heat utilization)
Feature that uses the engine heat
stored in the coolant to heat the vehi-
cle interior for a short time after the en-
gine has been turned off.
Restraint system
Seat belts, belt tensioner, airbags and
child seat restraint systems. As inde-
pendent systems, their protective func-
tions complement one another.RON
(R
esearch O
ctane N
umber)
The Research Octane Number for gaso-
line as determined by a standardized
method. It is an indication of a gaso-
line’s ability to resist undesired detona-
tion (knocking). The average of both
the ->MON (Motor Octane Number)
and RON (Research Octane Number) is
posted at the pump, also known as
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Shift lock
When the vehicle is parked, this lock
prevents the transmission gear selec-
tor lever from being moved out of
positionP without key turned and
brake pedal depressed.
SRS
(S
upplemental R
estraint S
ystem)
Seat belts, emergency tensioning de-
vice and airbags. Though independent
systems, they are closely interfaced to
provide effective occupant protection.
362 IndexMirrors
Activating exterior rear view mirror
parking position 153
Adjusting 38
Automatic antiglare for rear view
mirror 152
Exterior rear view mirror 38
Exterior rear view mirror parking
positions 135
Interior rear view mirror 38
Storing exterior rear view mirror park-
ing position 103
MON 225
MON (Motor Octane Number) 345
Monitoring reach
Rear Parking Assist* 173
Mph or km/h in speedometer
setting 128
Multicontour seat* 97
Multifunction display 115, 345
Selecting language 128
Standard display 119Multifunction display messages
ABS 261
BAS 261
Battery 265, 266
Brake fluid 266
Brake pads 266
Check engine 256
Coolant 268, 269
Display 282
Doors 271
Engine 256
Engine oil level 271
ESP 263
Fuel reserve tank 273
Hood 273
Key 273
Lamps 274, 276
Parking brake 267
Sunroof 281
Tailgate 282
Tele Aid 281
Telephone* 281
Washer fluid 282
Multifunction steering wheel 26, 116
Buttons 116N
Navigation system
Operating 122
See separate COMAND operating in-
structions
Night security illumination 106
Setting 131
O
Occupant safety 56
Airbags 57
Children in the vehicle 65
Fastening the seat belt 40
Infant and child restraint systems 66
LATCH child seat anchors 70
Seat belts 40, 60
Odometer, main 25
Off-road driving 213
Checklist 215
Crossing obstacles 218
Driving through water 217
Returning 220
Rules 214
Special driving features 214
Steep terrain 216