2007 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG Owner's Manual

128 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching cargo compartment lamps
off and on with the tailgate open
1Door lock
2Lock cylinderSwitching off
Open the tailgate (page 105).
Press door lock1 down in direction of
arrow until it engages.
Switching on
Press lock cylinder2 to activate the
cargo compartment lamps again.
The cargo compartment lamps will
come on.
!To prevent the vehicle battery from being
discharged, switch off the cargo compartment
lamps if the tailgate should remain open for a
longer period of time.
!Do not close the tailgate if the lock is
engaged in down position. The lock could
otherwise be damaged.
When locking the tailgate, it is important that the
door lock be in the same original position as
shown in the illustration.
To return the door lock1 to its original position,
press lock cylinder2.
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the tail-
gate opening when closing the tailgate. Be
especially careful when small children are
around.
Never drive vehicle with the tailgate open.
Deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gases may
enter vehicle interior resulting in uncon-
sciousness and death.

129 Controls in detail
Lighting
Door entry lamps
For better orientation in the dark, the
corresponding door entry lamp comes on
when you open a door and the automatic
control is activated (
page 125).
The door entry lamp will switch off when
the corresponding door is closed.
iIf you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and switch off the head-
lamps, the door entry lamps will remain lit for
approximately 5 minutes.

130 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
For a full view on the instrument cluster,
see “At a glance” (
page 26).
1Reset button
The instrument cluster is activated when
you

open a door

switch on the ignition (page 39)

press reset button1

switch on the exterior lamps
(
page 117)You can change the instrument cluster set-
tings in the instrument cluster submenu of
the control system (
page 149).Adjusting instrument cluster
illumination
Use reset button1 to adjust the illumina-
tion brightness for the instrument cluster.
To brighten illumination
Turn reset button1 clockwise until
the desired level of illumination is
reached.
To dim illumination
Turn reset button1 counterclockwise
until the desired level of illumination is
reached.
Warning!G
No messages will be displayed if either the
instrument cluster or the multifunction
display is inoperative.
As a result, you will not be able to see infor-
mation about your driving conditions, such
as speed or outside temperature, warn-
ing/indicator lamps, malfunction/warning
messages or the failure of any systems.
Driving characteristics may be impaired.
If you must continue to drive, do so with
added caution. Contact an 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.

131 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Coolant temperature gauge
The coolant temperature gauge is on the
left side in the instrument cluster
(
page 26).
Resetting trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the
standard display (
page 140).
If it is not displayed, press buttonè
orÿ on the multifunction steering
wheel (
page 134) repeatedly until
the standard display appears in the
multifunction display.
Press and hold reset button1
(
page 130) until the trip odometer is
reset.
Warning!G

Driving when your engine is overheated
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 which can occur
just by opening the hood. Stay away
f r o m t h e e n g i n e i f y o u s e e o r h e a r s t e a m
coming from it.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out of
the vehicle and do not stand near the vehicle
until the engine has cooled down.
!Excessive coolant temperature triggers a
warning message in the multifunction display
(
page 348).
The engine should not be operated with the
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 traffic, the coolant temperature may
rise close to 248°F (120°C).

132 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer
(
page 26) 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 displayed in
the multifunction display (
page 133).The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. This
means that the accuracy of the displayed
temperature can only be verified by com-
parison to a thermometer placed next to
the sensor, not by comparison to external
displays (e.g. bank signs, etc.).
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 tem-
peratures rise. This prevents inaccurate
temperature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
!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
designed 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.

133 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. The control system
enables you to

call up information about your vehicle

change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control
system to find out when your vehicle is
next due for maintenance service, to set
the language for messages in the instru-
ment cluster display, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Trip odometer
2Main odometer
3Transfer case indicator
4Current gear selector lever
position/gear range
5Status indicator (clock)
6Status indicator (outside temperature
or digital speedometer)
For more information on menus displayed
in the multifunction display, see “Menus”
(
page 136).
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,
selecting 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
(approximately 14 m) every second.

134 Controls in detail
Control system
Multifunction steering wheel
The displays in the multifunction display
and the settings in the control system are
controlled by the buttons on the multi-
function steering wheel.1Multifunction display
Operating the control system
2Selecting a submenu or setting the
volume:
Press button
æup / to increase
çdown / to decrease
3Telephone*:
Press button
sto take a call
to dial
to redial
tto end a call
to reject an incoming call
4Menu systems:
Press button
èfor next menu
ÿfor previous menu
5Moving within a menu:
Press button
jfor next display
kfor previous display
iCanada vehicles:
The steering wheel in this vehicle may vary from
steering wheel shown. However, multifunction
steering wheel symbols and feature description
apply to Canada vehicles as well.
iG55AMG:
The steering wheel in this vehicle may vary from
steering wheel shown. However, multifunction
steering wheel symbols and feature description
apply to AMG vehicles as well.

135 Controls in detail
Control system
Depending on the selected menu, pressing
the buttons on the multifunction steering
wheel will alter what is shown in the multi-
function 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.It is helpful to think of the menus, and the
functions within each menu, as being
arranged in a circular pattern.

If you press buttonè orÿ
repeatedly, you will pass through each
menu one after the other.

If you press buttonk orj
repeatedly, you will pass through each
function display, one after the other, in
the current menu.In the
Settings menu, instead of func-
tions, you will find a number of submenus
for calling up and changing settings. For
instructions on using these submenus, see
“Settings menu” (
page 146).
The number of menus available in the sys-
tem depends on which optional equipment
is installed in your vehicle.
The menus are described on the following
pages.