2006 MERCEDES-BENZ R350 Multifunction Display

107 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Arming the tow-away alarm
Make sure all doors and the tailgate are
closed.

Lock your vehicle.
The tow-away alarm is automatically
armed after about 10 seconds.
Disarming the tow-away alarm

Unlock your vehicle.Switching off the tow-away alarm
To prevent triggering the tow-away alarm
feature, switch off the tow-away alarm be-
fore towing the vehicle, or when parking on
a surface subject to movement, such as a
ferry or auto train.
If the tow-away alarm is set to default en-
abled (
on) in the control system and you
wish to retain the default setting, you can
switch off the tow-away alarm temporarily
on a one-time basis as follows:

Switch off the ignition (
page 38).
With the tow-away alarm set to default
enabled (
on) in the control system, the
following message appears in the mul-
tifunction display.

If you now wish to deactivate the
tow-away alarm on a one-time basis,
press button + or - on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel.
The tow-away alarm is switched off.
The following message appears in the
multifunction display.
iWhen you unlock your vehicle, the
tow-away protection disarms automati-
cally.
The tow-away alarm remains disarmed
until you lock your vehicle again.
iThe tow-away alarm feature can be set
to default enabled (
on) or disabled (
off
)
using the control system (
page 191).


117 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking


If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is
positioned farther away from the vehi-
cle, the system may no longer recog-
nize the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO.
The vehicle then cannot be locked or
the engine started via the KEYLESS-GO
system.


If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is re-
moved from the vehicle while starter
switch position1(e.g. if a passenger
exits the vehicle with the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO), the message
Key
not detected
will appear in the multi-
function display while driving off.
Find the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO or
change its present location immediate-
ly (e.g. place it on the front passenger
seat or insert it in shirt pocket).


If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is re-
moved from the vehicle with the engine
running (e.g. if a passenger exits the
vehicle with the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO), the message
Key not
detected
will appear in the multifunc-
tion display while driving off.
Find the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO or
change its present location immediate-
ly (e.g. place it on the front passenger
seat or insert it in shirt pocket).


Remember that the engine can be
started by anyone with a SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO that is left inside the
vehicle.
Possibility 1: (One SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO in the vehicle, one
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO outside
the vehicle):
If you leave the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO behind when exiting and
locking the vehicle, no message
appears in the multifunction display.Possibility 2: (One SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO in the vehicle, no
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO outside
the vehicle):
When exiting and trying to lock the ve-
hicle, the message
Key detected in
vehicle
will appear in the multifunc-
tion display. The vehicle will not be
locked.

148 Controls in detailLighting
Manual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and the parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp 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
iWith the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch and the driver’s door
open, a warning sounds if the parking
lamps or low beam headlamps are
switched on.
The message
Switch off lights

appears in the multifunction display.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the engine running, the
low beam headlamps cannot be
switched off manually.
For information on how to activate the
daytime running lamp mode, see “Day-
time running lamp mode”
(page 149).
Warning!
G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU,

the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright
ambient 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,
activate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch toB when driving or when traffic
and/or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from positionU toB with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching fromUtoB 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.

158 Controls in detailInstrument clusterFor a full view illustration of the instrument
cluster, see “Instrument cluster”
(page 24).
1Dimming instrument cluster illumina-
tion
2Reset button
3Brightening instrument cluster illumi-
nationThe instrument cluster is activated when
you


open a door


switch on the ignition (
page 38)


press reset button 2


switch on the exterior lamps
(page 147)
You can modify the instrument cluster set-
tings in the instrument cluster submenu of
the control system (
page 178).
Instrument cluster illumination
Use button 1 or 3 to adjust the illumina-
tion brightness for the instrument cluster.
To brighten illumination
Press and hold button 3 until the
desired level of illumination is reached.
To dim illumination

Press and hold button 1 until the
desired level of illumination is reached.
Warning!
G
If the instrument cluster or the multifunction
display, or both, are inoperative or malfunc-
tioning, warning messages will not be re-
layed when potential danger exists. This
may cause you and others to be unaware of
certain risks, which may result in an acci-
dent and/or personal injury.
Contact the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center as soon
as possible.
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to
suit ambient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will
also be adjusted automatically when
you switch on the vehicle’s exterior
lamps.

159 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip odome-
ter display (
page 161).

If it is not displayed, press buttonè
orÿ on the multifunction steering
wheel (
page 162) repeatedly until
the trip odometer appears in the multi-
function display.

Press and hold reset button 2
(page 158) until the trip odometer is
reset.
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer
(page 24) denotes excessive engine
speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is indicated in the
multifunction display (
page 161).
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious
engine damage that is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
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.

161 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 (
page 38) or as
soon as the KEYLESS-GO start / stop but-
ton* is in position1 (page 39). The con-
trol system enables you to


call up information about your vehicle


change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for maintenance service, to set the
language for messages in the instrument
cluster display, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Trip odometer
2Main odometer
3Gear position indicator
4Current transmission program mode
5Status indicator (outside temperature
or digital speedometer)
For more information on menus displayed
in the multifunction display, see “Menus”
(page 164).
iThe displays for the audio systems
(radio, CD player) will appear in English,
regardless of the language selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his/her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
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.

162 Controls in detailControl systemMultifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled by the buttons on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.Pressing any of the buttons, except for the
telephone buttons, on the multifunction
steering wheel will alter what is shown in
the multifunction display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or
CD operations under
AUDIO
, for example).
These functions serve to call up relevant
information or to customize the settings
for your vehicle.
1
Multifunction displayOperating the control system
2
Telephone*:
Press buttonsto take a calltto end a call
3
Selecting the submenu or setting
the volume:
Press buttonæup/to increaseçdown/to decrease
4
Moving within a menu:
Press buttonjfor next displaykfor previous display
5
Menu systems:
Press buttonèfor next menuÿfor previous menu

169 Controls in detail
Control system

Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the coolant temperature appears
in the multifunction display.Calling up digital speedometer or
outside temperature

Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the digital speedometer or the
outside temperature appears in the
multifunction display.
Digital speedometer
Outside temperature
!The engine should not be operated with
a coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious
engine damage which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.iDuring severe operating conditions,
e.g. stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant
temperature may rise close to 248°F
(120°C).
Excessive coolant temperature triggers
a warning message in the multifunction
display (
page 434).
iYou can select whether the digital
speedometer or the outside tempera-
ture is to be displayed.
You can change the setting in the
submenu
Instr. cluster
via the
function
Status line display
, see
“Selecting display (digital speedometer
or outside temperature) for status
indicator” (
page 179).