2004 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 Steering lock

122 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe key can only be removed
from the steering lock with the
gear selector lever in positionP.
With the key 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 264).
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).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All five forward
gears are available.

123 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.
!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
selector lever not fully engaged in positionP
is dangerous. Also, positionP alone is not
intended to or capable of preventing your
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 53).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Warning!
G
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.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, take it with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Children could move
the gear selector lever from positionP,
which could result in an accident and / or
serious personal injury.

125 Controls in detail
Transmission control – LOW RANGE mode
Transmission control – LOW RANGE mode
In the following situations you should
switch to LOW RANGE mode:

during off-road driving


when crossing water


when towing up or down on steep
gradients
Switching on LOW RANGE modeLOW RANGE mode switch
Stop the vehicle.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionN.

Press on the upper part of the switch.
During the changeover the indicator
lamp (
page 25) flashes three times.
Once the changeover is complete, the
indicator lamp comes on continuously.
Switching off LOW RANGE mode
Stop the vehicle.

Move the gear selector lever to
positionN.

Press on the upper part of the switch.
During the changeover the indicator
lamp (
page 25) flashes three times.
Once the changeover is complete, the
indicator lamp goes out.
For information on driving safety systems
during LOW RANGE mode see the “Safety
and Security” section (
page 76).
!Only switch the LOW RANGE mode on
or off, when the vehicle is

at a complete standstill


the engine speed is less than
1500 rpm
Failure to do so may result in transmis-
sion or engine damage which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
!You should only operate the vehicle on
a single axle dynamometer for briefly
testing the brakes.
The key must be in steering lock
position1 (
page 33).

129 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Folding in
Briefly press button1 (
page 127).
The mirrors fold in.Folding out

Briefly press button2.
The mirrors fold out.
Windshield wipers
Information on the windshield wipers is
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 49).
!Before you drive the vehicle through an
automatic car wash, fold the exterior
mirrors in, otherwise they may get
damaged.iIf you are driving at more than approxi-
mately 9 mph (15 km / h), you will not
able to fold the exterior mirrors in.
!If an exterior rear view mirror housing
is forcibly pushed forward (hit from the
rear), reposition it manually by applying
firm pressure until it snaps back into
place.
If an exterior rear view mirror is forcibly
pushed rearward (hit from the front)
press button1 to fold mirrors in, then
press button2 to fold mirrors out. Do
not force mirrors by hand as this may
damage the adjustment mechanism.
The mirror housing is now properly po-
sitioned and you can adjust the mirror
normally.
!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.

130 Controls in detailGood visibilityIntermittent 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*
A rain sensor automatically controls the
windshield wipers depending on how wet
the windshield is.

Switch on ignition.

Set the wiper switch to position1
(page 49).
After the initial wipe, pauses between
wipes are automatically controlled by the
rain sensor which monitors the wetness of
windshield.
iIntermittent wiping is interrupted when
the vehicle is at a standstill and a front
door is opened.
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 two seconds, the wipe
interval will be set to approximately
five seconds.
!Do not leave windshield wipers in inter-
mittent setting when the vehicle is tak-
en to an automatic car wash or during
windshield cleaning. Wipers will oper-
ate in the presence of water sprayed on
the windshield, and wipers may be
damaged as a result.
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 and / or damage the wiper blades
when wiping occurs on a dry wind-
shield.

132 Controls in detailGood visibilitySun visor
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
1Mirror cover
2Mounting

Swing sun visors down when you expe-
rience glare.

To use mirror, lift cover1 up.Illuminated vanity mirrors

Turn the key in steering lock to
position1 (
page 33).

Lift cover up.
The lamp switches on.
Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.
iIf sunlight enters through a side win-
dow, disengage sun visor from
mounting2 and pivot to the side.

140 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control
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
position0 or1 (
page 33).

Press button° (
page 135).
The indicator lamp on button°
comes on.Deactivating

Press button°.
The indicator lamp on button°
goes out.
!If the °button on the automatic
climate control panel starts to flash,
this indicates that the air conditioning
system is losing refrigerant. The com-
pressor 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

144 Controls in detailPower windows
Power windowsOpening and closing the side windows
The side windows can be opened and
closed electrically. The switches for all the
side windows are on the driver’s door. The
switches for the respective windows are
on the passenger door and on the rear cen-
ter console.
1Left front window
2Right front window
3Right rear window
4Left rear window
5Rear window override switch
(
page 73).
Additional switches for the rear windows
are located on the rear center console.6Left rear window
7Right rear window

Turn key in the steering lock to
position1 or2.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if switch was pressed past the resistance
point and released, by pressing the respec-
tive switch.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you pressed the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the window,
the automatic reversal function will stop the
window and open it slightly.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the window by pressing the
switch and holding it there, the automatic
reversal function will not operate.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from the steering lock, and lock your ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment can cause an accident and / or serious
personal injury.