2006 MERCEDES-BENZ R350 warning light

128 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingClosing the tailgate from the outside
(vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system* you can close the tailgate sepa-
rately from the outside using the tailgate
closing switch or the Šbutton on the
SmartKey.
1Tailgate closing switch
Make sure you have the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you.

Press tailgate closing switch 1 briefly.
The tailgate closes.If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens slight-
ly.
iYou can also close the tailgate manual-
ly (
page 125).
iTo prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the tailgate will open automatically
if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is
recognized inside the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the cargo compartment opening when clos-
ing the tailgate. Be especially careful when
small children are around. To stop the clos-
ing procedure, do one of the following:

Press the tailgate closing switch1.


Press the KEYLESS-GO locking/closing
switch.


Press the Šbutton on the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO.


Press or pull the remote tailgate switch
(on the driver’s door).

129 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Closing the tailgate and locking the
vehicle from the outside (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with tailgate opening/closing
system* and KEYLESS-GO*, you can close
the tailgate and lock the vehicle simulta-
neously from the outside using the
KEYLESS-GO* locking/closing switch or
the Šbutton on the SmartKey.
1KEYLESS-GO* locking/closing switch
Make sure you have the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you.

Press switch1 briefly.
The vehicle is locked and the tailgate
closes automatically. The turn signals
flash three times to confirm locking.
The locking knobs in the doors move
down. The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
If the tailgate comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the tailgate reopens
slightly.
Even with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the tailgate
closing switch can be operated. Therefore,
do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.Warning!
G
Only drive with the tailgate closed as,
among other dangers such as blocked
visibility, exhaust fumes may enter the vehi-
cle interior.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the tailgate will lock automati-
cally after closing it. The turn signals
will flash three times to confirm lock-
ing.
iYou can also close the tailgate manual-
ly (
page 125).
iTo prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the tailgate will open automatically
if a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is
recognized inside the vehicle.

139 Controls in detailSeats

To move seat backrest back, lean
lightly against backrest.

To move seat backrest forward, lean
forward with handle 1 pulled.
The seat backrest will move forward
against your back.

Release handle 1 when the seat back-
rest has reached the desired position.
To make sure the seat backrest has en-
gaged, lean firmly against the backrest.Head restraint height
Second-row seat head restraint1Head restraint
2Release buttonRaising:

Manually adjust the height of head
restraint 1 by pulling it upward to the
desired position.
Lowering:

To lower head restraint 1, push
release button2 and press down on
head restraint 1.
Warning!
G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust head restraint so that the center of
the head restraint supports the back of the
head at eye level. This will reduce the poten-
tial for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
iThe third-row seat head restraints are
adjusted in the same manner.iThe tilt of the second-row head re-
straints is adjusted in the same manner
as the front-seat head restraints, see
“Head restraint tilt” (
page 45).
The tilt of the third-row head restraints
cannot be adjusted.

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.

150 Controls in detailLightingUSA only
By default, the daytime running lamp mode
is deactivated. Activate the daytime
running lamp mode using the control
system, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)” (
page 182).
When the engine is running, and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to positionC
orB, the manual headlamp mode has
priority over the daytime running lamp
mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (
page 58).
Locator lighting and night security
illumination
The locator lighting and the night security
illumination are described in the “Control
system” section, see “Setting locator light-
ing” (page 183) and “Setting night secu-
rity illumination” (
page 184).Fog lamps
Warning!
G
In low ambient lighting or foggy conditions,
only switch from positionU toB with
the vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching fromU toB will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps
on. Fog lamps should only be used in
conjunction with low beam headlamps.
Consult your State or Province Motor
Vehicle Regulations regarding permis-
sible lamp operation.
iFog lamps cannot be switched on with
the exterior lamp switch in
positionU. For switching on the fog
lamps, turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB first.

153 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps if they
were activated by switching on the left or
right turn signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after mak-
ing the turn, the turn signal and
corner-illuminating front fog lamps can be
switched off by returning the combination
switch to its original position.Driving rearward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps

Shift the automatic transmission to
reverse gearR (
page 198).
The inverse front fog lamp comes on
automatically depending on the
steering direction and steering angle.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps

Shift the automatic transmission to a
gear other than reverse gearR
(page 197).
The respective front fog lamp goes out.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be
switched on at all times, even with the
SmartKey removed from the starter
switch.
The hazard warning flasher switches on
automatically when an air bag deploys.
The hazard warning flasher switch is
located on the upper part of the center
console.
1Hazard warning flasher switch

154 Controls in detailLightingSwitching on hazard warning flasher
Press hazard warning flasher
switch1.
All turn signals are flashing.
Switching off hazard warning flasher

Press hazard warning flasher switch1
again.
Interior lighting
The controls for interior lighting are locat-
ed in the overhead control panel.
1Front left reading lamp, on/off
2Rear interior lighting, on/off
3Automatic interior lighting
4Front interior lighting, on/off
5Front right reading lamp, on/off
6Front right interior lamp lens
7Reading lamps
8Front left interior lamp lens
iWith the hazard warning flasher
activated and the combination switch
set for either left or right turn, only the
respective turn signals will operate
when the ignition is switched on.iIf the hazard warning flasher has been
activated automatically, press hazard
warning flasher switch1 once to
switch it off.
iThe interior lighting is factory-set to au-
tomatic mode (
page 155).

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.