2005 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 ESP

181 Controls in detail
Useful features
For more details concerning the Tele Aid
system, please visit www.mbusa.com and
use your ID and password (sent to you sep-
arately) to learn more (USA only).Upgrade signals
The Tele Aid system processes calls using
the following priority.


Automatic emergency – First priority


Manual emergency – Second priority


Roadside assistance – Third priority


Information – Fourth priority
Should a higher priority call be initiated
while you are connected, an upgrade (al-
ternating) tone will be heard and the ap-
propriate indicator lamp will flash. If
certain information such as vehicle identi-
fication number or customer information is
not available, the operator may need to re-
transmit.
During this time you will hear a beep and
voice contact will be interrupted. Voice
contact will resume once the retransmis-
sion is completed. Once a call is conclud-
ed, a beep will be heard and the respective
indicator lamp will stop flashing. The MCS
system operation will resume.
iThe indicator lamp in the Information
button¡ remains illuminated in red
for approx. 10 seconds during the sys-
tem self-check after turning key in the
steering lock to position2 (together
with the SOS button and the Roadside
Assistance button•).
See system self-check (
page 175)
when the indicator lamp does not light
up in red or stays on longer than ap-
proximately ten seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Information
button¡ is illuminated continuous-
ly and there was no voice connection to
the Response Center established, then
the Tele Aid system could not initiate
an Information call (e.g. the relevant
cellular phone network is not avail-
able).
The message
INFO CALL FAILED
ap-
pears in the MCS display.
Information calls can be terminated us-
ing the END button on the MCS.
!If the indicator lamps do not start flash-
ing after pressing one of the buttons or
remains illuminated (in red) at any
time, the Tele Aid system has detected
a fault or the service is not currently ac-
tive, and may not initiate a call. Visit
your Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Cen-
ter and have the system checked or
contact the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada) as soon
as possible.

182 Controls in detailUseful features
Remote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. key inside vehicle), and no
other key is available:
Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.

Then return to your vehicle and pull
outside handle of the liftgate for mini-
mum of 20 seconds until the SOS but-
ton is flashing.
The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED appears in the MCS
display.
As an alternative, you may unlock the vehi-
cle via Internet using the ID and password
sent to you shortly after the completion of
your acquaintance call.
!If the indicator lamp continues to flash
or the system does not reset, contact
the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance
at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Cus-
tomer Service at 1-800-387-0100 in
Canada.iThe indicator lamp on the correspond-
ing button flashes until the call is con-
cluded. Calls can only be terminated by
a Response Center or Customer Assis-
tance Center representative, except
Roadside Assistance and Information
calls, which can also be terminated by
using the END button on the MCS unit.
iWhen a Tele Aid call has been initiated,
the MCS system audio is muted and
the selected mode (radio, tape or CD)
pauses. The optional cellular phone (if
installed) switches off. If you must use
this phone, the vehicle must be parked.
Disconnect the coiled cord and place
the call. The navigation system (if en-
gaged) will continue to run. A pop-up
window will appear in the MCS display
to indicate that a Tele Aid call is in
progress.

183 Controls in detail
Useful features
The Response Center will then unlock your
vehicle with the remote door unlocking
feature.Stolen Vehicle Recovery services
In the event your vehicle was stolen:

Report the incident to the police.
The police will issue a numbered
incident report.

Pass this number on to the
Mercedes-Benz Response Center along
with your password issued to you when
you subscribed to the service.
The Response Center will then attempt
to covertly contact the vehicle’s
Tele Aid system. Once the vehicle is
located, the Response Center will
contact the local law enforcement and
you. The vehicle’s location will only be
provided to law enforcement.
Garage door opener
The built-in remote control is capable of
operating up to three separately controlled
devices, for example garage door openers,
gate openers, or other devices compatible
with HomeLink
® or some other systems.
You can program the signal transmitter
buttons.
iThe remote door unlock feature is avail-
able if the relevant cellular phone net-
work is available.
The SOS button will flash and the mes-
sage
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED
w i l l a p p e a r i n t h e M C S
display to indicate receipt of the door
unlock command.
Once the vehicle is unlocked, a
Response Center specialist will
attempt to establish voice contact with
the vehicle occupants.
If the outside liftgate handle was pulled
for more than 20 seconds before door
unlock authorization was received by
the Response Center, you must wait
15 minutes before pressing the outside
liftgate handle again.
iWhen the anti-theft alarm or the
tow-away alarm stays on for more than
30 seconds, a call is initiated automat-
ically to the Response Center. See
anti-theft alarm system (
page 83)
and tow-away alarm (
page 84).

193 Controls in detail
Useful features
Country
Press MODE2 (
page 189) repeat-
edly until the country display appears
in the trip computer display3.

Press and hold RESET1 a minimum of
five seconds to change the country unit
system.
Canada units system selection
You can choose between CAN-English or
CAN-French.Setting CAN-English

Press RESET1 repeatedly until CAN is
displayed.

Press MODE2 to select
–ENG
.

Press MODE2 again to set CAN-En-
glish.Setting CAN-French

Press RESET1 repeatedly until CAN is
displayed.

Press MODE2.–ENG
is displayed.

Press RESET1 to select
–Fr
.

Press MODE2 to set CAN-French.
The language selected determines how the
various displays are presented, see table.
Display
Language
Date
Cardinal points
Fuel consumption
Distance remaining
GEr
German
DD.MM
Süd, Nord, Ost, West
l / 100 km
Kilometer
Gb
English
MM.DD
South, North, East, West
mi / gal (Imperial)
Miles
ESP
Spain
DD.MM
Sur, Norte, Este, Oeste
l / 100 km
Kilometer
Fr
French
DD.MM
Sud, Nord, Est, Ouest
l / 100 km
Kilometer
USA
American
MM.DD
South, North, East, West
mi / gal (US)
Miles
CAN-ENG
American
MM.DD
South, North, East, West
l / 100 km
Kilometer
CAN-Fr
French
DD.MM
Sud, Nord, Est, Ouest
l / 100 km
Kilometer

199 Operation
Driving instructions
Only install brake pads and brake fluid
recommended by Mercedes-Benz.
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
parking, so the air stream will cool down
the brakes faster.
Driving off
Apply the brakes to test them briefly after
driving off. Perform this procedure only
when the road is clear of other traffic.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached.
When starting off on a slippery surface, do
not allow a drive wheel to spin for an ex-
tended period with the ESP switched off.
Doing so may cause serious damage to the
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake
fluid is used, the braking properties of the
vehicle can be degraded to an extent that
safe braking is substantially impaired. This
could result in an accident.
!When driving down long and steep
grades, relieve the load on the brakes
by shifting into a lower gear to use the
engine’s braking power. This helps
prevent overheating of the brakes and
reduces brake pad wear.

205 Operation
Driving instructions
Special driving features for off-road
driving
The following driving features are available
for specific kind of operation:

LOW RANGE mode (
page 127)


LOW RANGE – ABS (
page 77)


LOW RANGE – 4-ETS (
page 80)


LOW RANGE – ESP (
page 81)
Off-road driving rules
Engage the LOW RANGE mode before driv-
ing under off-road conditions
(
page 127).
Fasten items being carried as securely as
possible (
page 160).Checklist before off-road driving
Engine oil level


Check the engine oil level
(page 224). The display
OIL i.O

must appear via display in the speed-
ometer.
Only then can the vehicle obtain a trou-
ble-free oil supply, even on steep gradi-
ents.
iWe recommend keeping doors, liftgate,
windows, and tilt / sliding sunroof*
closed whenever driving in off-road
mode.
!Observe the following during off-road
driving:

Adjust vehicle speed to condition of
terrain. The more uneven, rutty and
steeper the terrain, the lower the
speed should be.


Watch out for obstacles, such as
rocks, holes, tree stumps and ruts.


Be especially careful when driving
in unknown territory. It may be nec-
essary to get out of the vehicle and
scout the path you intend to take.


Before driving through water, deter-
mine is depth.


Do not stop vehicle while immersed
in water, and do not shut off the
engine.


In sandy soil, please drive at a
steady speed as allowed by condi-
tions. This helps overcome the vehi-
cle rolling resistance and reduces
the likelihood of the vehicle sinking
into the ground.


Do not initiate jumps with the vehi-
cle. It interrupts the forward mo-
mentum of the vehicle.


Always drive onto slopes with the
the engine running and the vehicle
in gear.

209 Operation
Driving instructions
Crossing obstacles


Check the vehicle clearance before
crossing obstacles.


Select gear range1 on the automatic
transmission (
page 122).


Cross obstacles (e.g. tree stumps or
big rocks) very slowly by aiming one of
the front wheels at the center of the ob-
stacle, and repeat same with the rear
wheel.
!Obstacles can damage the vehicle
undercarriage or suspension compo-
nents. If possible use the assistance of
a second person outside the vehicle to
scout the path you intend to take and
check for adequate ground clearance
when you cross obstacles with your ve-
hicle. The person assisting you outside
the vehicle should always be a safe dis-
tance away from the vehicle and posi-
tioned so that he or she cannot get hurt
in case of any unexpected vehicle
movement.
After off-road driving or crossing obsta-
cles, inspect vehicle for any damage,
especially vehicle undercarriage and
suspension components. Failure to do
so can adversely affect the vehicle's fu-
ture performance, including increased
chance of an accident.
!Special attention is needed when you
cross obstacles on a steep incline.
The vehicle could slide sideways as a
result of its possible slanted position
which in turn may result in the vehicle
tipping or rolling over.

216 OperationDriving instructionsDriving abroad
Abroad, there is an extensive
Mercedes-Benz service network at your
disposal. If you plan to drive into areas
which are not listed in the index of your
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center directo-
ry, you should request pertinent informa-
tion from an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.Control and operation of radio trans-
mitters
MCS, radio and telephone*Telephones and two-way radios
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.
Refer to the radio transmitter operation in-
structions regarding use of an external an-
tenna.Warning!
G
Do not forget that your primary responsibili-
ty is to drive the vehicle. Only operate the
MCS, radio or telephone
1 if road, weather
and traffic 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 (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
1Observe all legal requirements.
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.