2005 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG power steering

Contents
Automatic transmission ..................... 148
One-touch gearshifting................. 149
Gear ranges ................................. 150
Gear selector lever position ......... 151
Accelerator position ..................... 153
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 153
Transfer case ..................................... 154
Gear range ................................... 154
Switching transfer case................ 154
Differential locks ............................... 156
A few words about differentials
and differential locks.................... 157
Switching differential locks
on and off..................................... 158
Good visibility .................................... 160
Rear view mirror........................... 160
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 162
Sun visors .................................... 162
Rear window defroster ................. 163Climate control ................................... 164
Setting the temperature................ 166
Adjusting air distribution and
volume .......................................... 167
Defrosting ..................................... 168
Air recirculation ............................ 168
Residual engine heat utilization .... 169
Deactivating the climate control
system .......................................... 169
Air conditioning............................. 170
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents....................... 170
Power windows .................................. 171
Opening and closing the
windows ........................................ 171
Power tilt/sliding sunroof................... 173
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof ........................ 173
Driving systems .................................. 176
Cruise control ............................... 176
Rear Parking Assist* ..................... 179Loading .............................................. 182
Roof rack ...................................... 182
Cargo compartment cover ............ 182
Enlarged cargo compartment ....... 183
Split rear seat bench .................... 183
Partition net* (MB Accessory) ...... 185
Loading instructions ..................... 187
Cargo tie-down rings..................... 189
Useful features ................................... 190
Storage compartments ................. 190
Ashtrays........................................ 194
Cigarette lighter............................ 195
Electrical outlet............................. 196
Floormats ..................................... 196
Telephone* ................................... 197
Tele Aid......................................... 198
Garage door opener ...................... 206
Heated steering wheel .................. 211

31 At a glance
Door control panel
Door control panel
Item
Page
1
Switches for
opening/closing power
window
171
Switch for rear door
window override
78
2
Seat adjustment
37,
100
3
Door handle
96
4
Memory function (for
storing seat, exterior
mirrors and steering wheel
settings)
107

35 Getting started
Unlocking
Starter switch positionsStarter switch0For removing SmartKey
The steering is locked when the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch. If necessary, move steering
wheel slightly to allow the locking
mechanism to engage.
1Power supply to some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position.
All lamps (except high beam headlamp
indicator lamp and turn signal indicator
lamps unless activated) in the instru-
ment cluster come on. If a lamp in the
instrument cluster fails to come on
when the ignition is switched on, have
it checked and replaced if necessary. If
a lamp in the instrument cluster re-
mains on after starting the engine or
comes on while driving, refer to see
“Lamps in instrument cluster”
(
page 288).
3Starting position
iWhen you switch on ignition, the indi-
cator and warning lamps (except high
beam headlamp indicator lamp and
turn signal indicator lamps unless acti-
vated) in the instrument cluster come
on. This indicates that the respective
system is operational. The indicator
and warning lamps (except high beam
headlamp indicator lamp and turn sig-
nal indicator lamps if activated) should
go out when the engine is running.iThe SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in positionP.

37 Getting started
Adjusting
Adjusting
SeatsWarning!
G
All seat, head restraint, steering wheel, and
rear view mirror adjustments, as well as fas-
tening of seat belts, must be done before
the vehicle is put into motion.Warning!
G
Do not adjust the driver’s seat while driving.
Adjusting the seat while driving could cause
the driver to lose control of the vehicle.
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
back in an excessively reclined position as
this can be dangerous. You could slide un-
der the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
fatal injuries.
The seat back and seat belts provide the
best restraint when the wearer is in a nearly
upright position and belts are properly posi-
tioned on the body. Your seat must be ad-
justed so that you can correctly fasten your
seat belt (
page 43).
Never place hands under the seat or near
any moving parts while a seat is being ad-
justed.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle.
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the power seats can be oper-
ated when the respective door is open.
Therefore, do not leave children unattended
i n t h e v e h i c l e , o r w i t h a c c e s s t o a n u n l o c k e d
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!
G
Children 12 years old and under must never
ride in the front seat, except in a
Mercedes-Benz authorized BabySmart
TM1
compatible child seat, which operates with
the BabySmart
TM system installed in the ve-
hicle to deactivate the passenger front
airbag when it is properly installed. Other-
wise they will be struck by the airbag when
it inflates in a crash. If this happens, serious
or fatal injury will result.
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing positions. Infants and small children
must ride in the back seats and be seated in
an appropriate infant or child restraint sys-
tem, which is properly secured with the ve-
hicle’s seat belt and top tether strap, or
secured via lower anchors and top tether
strap, fully in accordance with the child seat
manufacturer’s instructions.
1BabySmart
TM is a trademark of Siemens
Automotive Corp.


57 Getting started
Parking and locking
Parking and locking
You have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake
1Lever
2Button
Pull lever1 up as many notches as
possible.
When the engine is running, the warn-
ing lamp; (USA only) or3
(Canada only) in the instrument cluster
will be illuminated.
Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle.
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.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Pull the parking brake lever up as many
notches as possible.


Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheels towards the road curb.


Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.


Take the SmartKey and lock vehicle
when leaving.

108 Controls in detailMemory function1Memory button
2Stored position buttons
Switch on the ignition (
page 35).
or

Open the respective door and insert
the SmartKey in the starter switch.
Storing positions into memory
Adjust the seats, steering wheel and
exterior rear view mirrors to the de-
sired position (
page 37).

Press memory button1.

Release memory button and push posi-
tion button2 within three seconds.
All the settings are stored at the select-
ed position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold position button2 until
the seat, steering wheel and rear view
mirrors have fully moved to the stored
positions.iReleasing the button immediately
stops movement to the stored posi-
tions.Warning!
G
Do not operate the power seats using the
memory button if the seat backrest is in an
excessively reclined position. Doing so
could cause damage to front or rear seats.
First move seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion.

156 Controls in detailDifferential locksFor more information on off-road driving,
see “Off-road driving” (
page 223).
Differential locks improve the vehicle’s
tractive power off-road. Switch on differen-
tial locks:


for off-road driving


to turn the ABS off during off-road driv-
ing


for driving through water


when driving on deep snow and icy or
fouled surfaces!Do not engage the front axle differen-
tial lock when driving around tight cor-
ners. This restricts steering ability.
!When driving off-road, apply only mod-
erate pressure to the accelerator pedal
if the differential locks are switched on.
When running on a (single-axle) dyna-
mometer – no matter how briefly – you
must:

raise the non-driven axle
or


disconnect its drive shaft
and


engage the transfer differential lock
Otherwise the transfer case can be
damaged, which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Never drive on pavement with differential
locks engaged.
Steering control will be strongly affected
with the differential locks activated.
The ABS, BAS, and ESP are switched off au-
tomatically when the transfer case differen-
tial lock is activated.

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.