2005 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 engine

98 Controls in detailSeatsInstalling rear seat head restraints
Insert head restraint and push it down
to the stop.

Push release button1 and adjust
head restraint to the desired position
(page 37).
Stowing rear center head restraint
1Rear center head restraint
2Bar
3Clip

Remove rear center head restraint
(page 97).

If necessary, remove cargo floor plates,
see “Removing cargo floor plates”
(page 165).

Slide rear seats forward, see “Adjusting
rear seat fore and aft” (
page 100).

Fold rear seat backrests down, see
“Folding down the backrest”
(page 100).

From cargo compartment, attach rear
center head restraint1 to underside
of rear center seat.
Make sure front side of head
restraint1 is facing upward.

Press bar2 on both sides into
clips3.
Heated seats*
Both switches for the front seats are loca-
ted in the center console.
1Normal heating
2Rapid heating
Start the engine.
Switching on seat heating

Press upper switch position1.
A red indicator lamp on the switch
lights up.

108 Controls in detailLightingManual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and the parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
combination switch.
Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off au-
tomatically depending on the brightness of
the ambient light.

Low beam headlamps


Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps

Turn the combination switch to
positionU.
With the key in steering lock position1
only the parking lamps will switch on
and off automatically.
With the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the license plate lamps, and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off automatically.
They will be switched on constantly,
when you switch on the front fog
lamps.
iWith the key removed from the steering
lock and the driver’s door open, a warn-
ing sounds if the parking lamps or low
beam headlamps are switched on
(page 107).
Warning!
G
If the combination 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 combination
switch toõ when driving or when traffic
and / or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from positionU toõ with the
vehicle at a standstill. Switching
fromUtoõ will briefly switch off the
headlamps. Doing so while driving in low
ambient lighting conditions may result in an
accident.
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.

109 Controls in detail
Lighting
Daytime running lamp mode
Canada only:
Turn combination switch to
positionD orU.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the fol-
lowing lamps will switch on additional-
ly:

Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamp
For nighttime driving you should turn the
combination switch to positionõ to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
the low beam headlamps will switch off
with a three minutes delay.When the engine is running, and you


turn the combination switch to
positionC, the parking lamps
switch on additionally.


turn the combination switch to
positionõ, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime run-
ning lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 107).Night security illumination
Use this function to set wether and how
long you would like the exterior lamps to il-
luminate during darkness after exiting the
vehicle and all doors closed.
When a time is set for the night security il-
lumination and the combination switch is
set to positionUbefore turning off the
engine, the following lamps will come on
after you have removed the key from the
steering lock:


Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps


Front fog lamps
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
and the combination switch in
positionD, the high beam head-
lamps cannot be switched on.
The high beam flasher is always avail-
able.
iYou can reactivate this function within
ten minutes by opening a door.
If you do not open a door or do not
close an opened door after turning off
the engine, the lamps will automatically
switch off after 60 seconds.

112 Controls in detailLighting1Front fog lamps
2Indicator lamp
3Front fog lamps and rear fog lampFront fog lamps

Switch the low beam headlamps on
(page 107).

Press upper part1 of the fog lamps
switch.
The front fog lamps are switched on.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
instrument cluster comes on.

Press upper part1 of the fog lamps
switch again.
The front fog lamps switch off.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
instrument cluster goes out.Front and rear fog lamps

Switch the low beam headlamps on
(page 107).

Press lower part3 of the fog lamps
switch.
The front and rear fog lamps are
switched on.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
instrument cluster and the yellow indi-
cator lamp2 in the fog lamps switch
come on.

Press lower part3 of the fog lamps
switch again.
The front and rear fog lamps switch off.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
instrument cluster and the yellow indi-
cator lamp2 in the fog lamps switch
go out.
iWhen switching on the front fog lamps,
the low beam headlamps, the tail and
parking lamps, the license plate lamps
and the side marker lamps are also
switched on when

the combination switch is set to
positionU


the ignition is switched on or the
engine is running

118 Controls in detailInstrument clusterCoolant temperature gauge
Under normal driving conditions, the cool-
ant temperature may rise to 248°F
(120°C). The coolant temperature may
climb to the red marking:

at high outside temperatures


during stop-and-go city traffic


when driving on hilly terrain
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature in the red zone.
Doing so may cause serious engine dam-
age which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Display in the speedometer
Changing display
Press the left knob1 in the instru-
ment cluster (
page 117).
The display changes between main
odometer and trip odometer.

Press the left knob1 twice.
The next scheduled service is displayed
(page 237).
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly overheat-
ed can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can cause
serious burns and can occur just by opening
the engine hood. Stay away from the engine
if you see or hear steam coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.

119 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Resetting trip odometer
Press the left knob1 (
page 117) re-
peatedly until you see the trip odome-
ter display.

Press and hold the left knob1 until
the trip odometer is reset.
Tachometer
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
above its specified limit.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is displayed in
the instrument cluster (
page 24).
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
Setting the clock
Hour
Pull out the right knob2 in the instru-
ment cluster (
page 117) and turn it
counterclockwise.
Minutes

Pull out the right knob2 in the instru-
ment cluster (
page 117) and turn it
clockwise.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
s i g n e d t o s e r v e a s a n i c e - w a r n i n g d e v i c e a n d
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.
iTo set the clock by a single hour or a
few minutes, turn knob2 just a few
degrees in the direction indicated for
hours or minutes.

120 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionFor information on driving with an auto-
matic transmission, see the “Getting
started” section (
page 47).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its gear shift program.The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:


the gear selector lever positionD with
gear ranges4, 3, 2, 1 (
page 122)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 124)


the vehicle speed
The current gear selector lever position
appears in the tachometer display
(
page 24).
When the gear selector lever is in
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the
catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperature.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector
lever out ofP orN if the engine speed is
higher than idle speed. If your foot is not
firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate quickly forward or reverse. You
could lose control of the vehicle and hit
someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when
your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.

121 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
One-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission you
can change the gears manually when the
gear selector lever is in positionD.
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in the D–direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear. This action
simultaneously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 122).Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in the D+direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next higher gear as permitted
by the shift program. This action simulta-
neously extends the gear range of the
transmission.Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D+direction until
D reappears in
the tachometer display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D– direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more gears.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the gear selector lever is moved to
the D– direction, the transmission will
not shift to a lower gear if the engine’s
max. speed would be exceeded.