2005 MERCEDES-BENZ G500 wheel

152 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
!
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 57).
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.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, 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.

157 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 154) also en-
hances off-road driving capabilities
(
page 223).
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 158). 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.

158 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.
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.

165 Controls in detail
Climate control
Climate control panel
1
Windshield defroster air vents
2
Center air vent, adjustable
3
Thumbwheel for center air vent
4
Side air vent, adjustable
5
Side defroster air vent, fixed
6
Thumbwheel for side air vent
7
Footwell air vents
8
Climate control paneliFor draft-free ventilation, move the
sliders for the center air vents to the
middle position.
1
Air volume
2
Temperature control, left
(driver side)
3
Temperature control, right
(passenger side)
4
Air distribution control
5
Rear window defroster (
page 163)
6
AC cooling on / off (AC
OFF
)
Residual engine heat utilization
(REST)
7
Air distribution and air volume
(automatic mode)
8
Air recirculation
9
Defrosting

176 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control, with which the vehicle
can maintain a preset speed.


Rear Parking Assist*, which assists
your parking maneuvers.
For information on the BAS, ABS, ESP,
4-ETS and EBB driving systems, see “Driv-
ing and safety systems” (
page 80).
Cruise control
Cruise control automatically maintains the
speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed over 20 mph
(30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 23).
iThe cruise control should not be acti-
vated during-off road driving.
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

187 Controls in detail
Loading
3Lift tensioner
4Tie down
5Hook
6Ring
Lift tensioner3 must point in the direc-
tion of the cargo compartment.
Set the length of tie downs4 and lift
tensioner3 to the rings6.

Insert tie down hooks5 in rings6.

Pull loose ends of tie downs4 until
net is tight.
After driving a short-distance, check the
tension of the partition net, retighten if
necessary.Removing partition net

Lift tensioner upward to a horizontal
position to release tensioning of strap.

Disengage tie down hooks from rings.

Remove partition net from holders.
Storing partition net

Roll up partition net and secure it.

Store partition net behind rear seat
bench.
Loading instructions
The gross vehicle weight which is the
weight of the vehicle including fuel, tools,
spare wheel, installed accessories, pas-
sengers and luggage / cargo must never
exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR) for your vehicle. In addition, the
load must be distributed in such a way so
that the weight on each axle never exceeds
the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) for
the front and rear axle. The GVWR and
GAWR for your vehicle are indicated on the
certification label which can be found on
the left door pillar (
page 366).

197 Controls in detail
Useful features
Telephone*
Radio transmitters, such as a portable tele-
phone or a citizens band unit, should only
be used inside the vehicle if they are con-
nected to an antenna that is installed on
the outside of the vehicle.
The external antenna must be approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Please contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center
for information on the installation of an ap-
proved external antenna. Refer to the radio
transmitter operation instructions regard-
ing use of an external antenna.You can take and place telephone calls
using thes andt buttons on the
multifunction steering wheel. Use the con-
trol system for performing other telephone
functions (
page 145).
See separate instruction manual for infor-
mation on how to operate the telephone.
Warning!
G
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle. A driver’s
attention to the road must always be
his /her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call.
If you choose to use the telephone
1 while
driving, please use the hands-free device
and only use the telephone when road, traf-
fic and weather conditions permit. Some ju-
risdictions prohibit the driver from using a
cellular telephone while driving a vehicle.
Only operate the COMAND (Cockpit
Management and Data System)
1 if road,
traffic and weather conditions permit.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet
(approximately 14 m) every second.
1Observe all legal requirements

198 Controls in detailUseful featuresTele Aid The Tele Aid system
(Telematic Alarm Identification on
Demand)
The Tele Aid system consists of three
types of response:


Automatic and manual emergency


Roadside Assistance and


Information
The Tele Aid system is operational provid-
ing that the vehicle’s battery is charged,
properly connected, not damaged and cel-
lular and GPS coverage is available.
The speaker volume of a Tele Aid call can
be adjusted when using the volume control
on the multifunction steering wheel. To
raise, press buttonæ and to lower,
press buttonç.

To activate, press the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button• or
the Information button¡, depend-
ing on the type of response required.Shortly after the completion of your ac-
quaintance call, you will receive a user ID
and password.
By visiting www.mbusa.com and selecting
“Tele Aid” (USA only), you will have access
to account information, remote door un-
lock, profile and more.
!The initial activation of the Tele Aid sys-
tem may only be performed by com-
pleting the subscriber agreement and
placing an acquaintance call using the
SOS button. Failure to complete either
of these steps will result in a system
that is not activated. If the system is
not activated, the indicator lamp in the
SOS button stays on after switching on
ignition and the message
TELE AID
EMERG. CALL – NOT ACTIVATED
will be
shown in the multifunction display for
approx. 10 seconds.
If you have any questions regarding ac-
tivation, please call the Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
iThe SOS button is located above the in-
terior rear view mirror.
The Roadside Assistance button•
and the Information button¡ are
located below the center armrest
cover.!The Tele Aid system utilizes the cellular
network for communication and the
GPS (Global Positioning System) satel-
lites for vehicle location. If either of
these signals are unavailable, the
Tele Aid system may not function and if
this occurs, assistance must be sum-
moned by other means.