2006 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 heating

228 Controls in detail3-zone automatic climate control*Deactivating rear air conditioning
For an improved cooling or heating output
in the front passenger compartment, the
rear passenger compartment can be
switched off.
For information on switching on and off the
rear air conditioning from the climate con-
trol panel in the front, see “Rear air condi-
tioning” (
page 218).

Press button´.
The indicator lamp on button´
goes out.
The cooling function switches off after
a short delay.Adjusting air distribution
Use the air distribution controls5 or6
to adjust the air distribution for the rear
passenger compartment.
The following symbols are found on the
controls:
Adjusting manually

Press the desired air distribution con-
trol.
The indicator lamp in the Ubutton
goes out.Adjusting automatically

Press buttonU4.
The indicator lamp in the Ubutton
illuminates. The air distribution is ad-
justed automatically.
Setting the temperature
Use temperature control3 to separately
adjust the air temperature of the rear
passenger compartment. You should raise
or lower the temperature setting in small
increments, preferably starting at 72°F
(22°C).
Symbol
Function
Z
Directs air to the center air
vents
Y
Directs air to the footwells and
the side air vents
iThe rear air conditioning will not cool
the air when A/C mode has been
selected on the front control panel.

277 Controls in detail
Useful features
Cigarette lighter*
1Cigarette lighter
Switch on the ignition (
page 34).

Open the ashtray (
page 275).

Push in cigarette lighter1.
The cigarette lighter will pop out auto-
matically when hot.
12-V sockets
Power outlets are located in the front pas-
senger footwell, the rear passenger foot-
well, and the right-hand side of the cargo
compartment.
Switch on the ignition (
page 34).
Warning!
G
Never touch the heating element or sides of
the cigarette lighter; they are extremely hot.
Hold the knob only.
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.iThe cigarette lighter socket can be
used to accommodate electrical acces-
sories up to a maximum of 180 W.
If the engine is off, and the cigarette
lighter is being used extensively, the
vehicle battery may become
discharged.
iThe power outlets can be used to
accommodate electrical consumers
(e.g. air pump, auxiliary lamps) up to a
maximum of 240 W.
If the engine is off, the battery may be-
come discharged if used for long peri-
ods of time.

300 OperationDriving instructionsBrakesTo help prevent brake disk corrosion after
driving on wet road surfaces (particularly
salted roads), it is advisable to brake the
vehicle with considerable force prior to
parking. The heat generated serves to dry
the brakes.
If your brake system is normally only sub-
jected to moderate loads, you should occa-
sionally test the effectiveness of the
brakes by applying above-normal braking
pressure at higher speeds. This will also
enhance the grip of the brake pads.
If the parking brake is released and the
brake warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter stays on and there is no audible warn-
ing (EBP), the brake fluid level in the
reservoir is too low.Brake pad wear or a leak in the system may
be the reason for low brake fluid in the
reservoir.
Have the brake system inspected immedi-
ately. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
All checks and service work on the brake
system should be carried out by qualified
technicians only. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Only install brake pads and brake fluid
recommended by Mercedes-Benz.Warning!
G
After driving in heavy rain for some time
without applying the brakes or through wa-
ter deep enough to wet brake components,
the first braking action may be somewhat
reduced and increased pedal pressure may
be necessary to obtain expected braking ef-
fect. Maintain a safe distance from vehicles
in front.
Resting your foot on the brake pedal will
cause excessive and premature wear of the
brake pads.
It can also result in the brakes overheating,
thereby significantly reducing their effec-
tiveness. It may not be possible to stop the
vehicle in sufficient time to avoid an acci-
dent.
!Be very careful not to endanger other
road users when you apply the brakes.
Refer to the description of the Brake
Assist System (BAS) (
page 95).
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.

301 Operation
Driving instructions
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
park, so that 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
extended 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.
Parking
!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.
!Simultaneously depressing the
accelerator pedal and applying the
brake reduces engine performance and
causes premature brake and drivetrain
wear.!Set the parking brake whenever park-
ing or leaving the vehicle. In addition,
move gear selector lever to positionP.
When parking on hills, always turn front
wheels towards the curb.
Warning!
G
To reduce the risk of personal injury, or
damage to the vehicle powertrain, as a
result of vehicle/ trailer movement, before
turning off the engine and leaving the vehi-
cle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Shift the automatic transmission to
positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal and let vehi-
cle and trailer roll into chocks until
stopped.


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


Have a second person place wheel
chocks on downhill side of left and right
trailer wheels.


318 OperationDriving instructions

If the transmission hunts between
gears on inclines, manually shift to a
lower gear (select 4, 3, 2 or 1).
A lower gear and reduction of speed re-
duces the chance of engine overload-
ing and/or overheating.


On very steep inclines, not manageable
with automatic transmission in1,
switch on off-road driving program
(page 248).


When going down a long hill, shift into
a lower gear and use the engine’s brak-
ing effect.
Avoid riding the brakes, thus overheat-
ing the vehicle and trailer brakes.


If the engine coolant rises to an ex-
tremely high temperature (coolant tem-
perature needle approaching the red
zone) when the air conditioning is on,
turn off the air conditioning system.
Engine coolant heat can be additionally
vented by opening the windows,
switching the climate control fan speed
to high and setting the temperature
control to the maximum hot position.


Extreme care must be exercised since
your vehicle with a trailer will require
additional passing distance ahead than
when driving without a trailer.
Because your vehicle and trailer is
longer than your vehicle alone, you will
also need to go much farther ahead of
the passed vehicle before you can re-
turn to your lane.Uncoupling the trailer

Start the engine (
page 34).

Make sure the automatic transmission
is set toP.

Set the parking brake for the vehicle
(page 52) and for the trailer.

Close all doors and the tailgate.
Detach the trailer immediately after-
ward as follows:

Disconnect all electrical plug connec-
tors.

Uncouple the trailer.
!If the trailer should begin to sway, re-
duce the vehicle’s speed immediately.
In no case attempt to straighten out the
tow vehicle and trailer by increasing
the speed.

382 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Lamps in instrument clusterGeneral information:
If any of the following lamps in the instru-
ment cluster fails to come on during thebulb self-check when switching on the igni-
tion, have the respective bulb checked and
replaced if necessary.Problem
Possible cause
Suggested solution
-
The yellow ABS indicator lamp
comes on while the engine is
running.
ABS has detected a malfunction and has
switched off. The BAS, ESP
®, and 4-ETS are
also switched off (see messages in multifunc-
tion display).
The brake system is still functioning normally
but without the ABS available.
If the ABS control unit is malfunctioning,
other systems such as the navigation
system* or the automatic transmission may
also be malfunctioning.

Continue driving with added caution.
Wheels may lock during hard braking,
reducing steering capability.

Read and observe messages in the
multifunction display (
page 395).

Have the system checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions
increases the risk of an accident.
The charging voltage has fallen below
ten volts. The ABS has switched off.
The battery might not be charged sufficiently.

Switch off electrical consumers that
are currently not needed, e.g. seat
heating*.

If necessary, have the generator
(alternator) and the battery checked.
When the voltage is above this value
again, the ABS is operational again.

398 Practical hintsWhat to do if …Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
ABS
unavailable
See Operator’s Manual
The ABS was deactivated because of
insufficient power supply. The charg-
ing voltage has fallen below ten
volts.
The brake system is still functioning
normally but without the ABS
available.

Switch off electrical consumers that are
currently not needed, e.g. seat heating*.

If necessary, have the generator
(alternator) and the battery checked.
When the voltage is above this value again, the
ABS is operational again and the message in
the multifunction display should disappear.
Battery
protection
Convenience functs.
Temporarily
Unavailable
The battery has insufficient voltage
and can no longer supply conve-
nience functions such as the rear
window defroster.
As soon as the on-board voltage is sufficient,
the consumers will switch on again.
Please note:
Convenience Functions
Available again
On-board voltage is sufficient; the
consumers will switch on again.
Cruise
control
Drive to workshop
Cruise control is malfunctioning.

Have cruise control checked by an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
DSR
Malfunction
Downhill Speed Regulation is
malfunctioning.

Have the Downhill Speed Regulation
checked by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.

399 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display message
Possible cause
Possible solution
ESP
unavailable
See Operator’s Manual
In addition, the yellow ESP
® warning
lampv comes on.
The ESP
® is deactivated because of
a malfunction or interrupted power
supply.

Continue driving with added caution.

Visit an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center as soon as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions increases
the risk of accident.
If the yellow ESP
® warning
lampv flashes while driving and
this message appears, the electron-
ic traction system has switched off
to prevent overheating of the drive
wheel brakes.
As soon as the brakes have cooled off, the
electronic traction system switches on again.
The message in the multifunction display disap-
pears and the ESP
® warning lampv go out.
The self-diagnosis has not yet been
completed.
The display will clear after driving a short dis-
tance at a vehicle speed of above 12 mph
(20 km/h).
Malfunction
Visit workshop
In addition, the yellow ESP
® warning
lampv comes on.
The ESP
® has detected a malfunc-
tion and switched off.
The ABS may still be operational.

Continue driving with added caution.

Have the system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center as soon
as possible.
Failure to follow these instructions increases
the risk of an accident.