2007 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG ESP

169 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Canceling gear range limit
Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D+direction until
Dreappears in
the multifunction display (
page 164).
The transmission will shift from the
current gear range directly to gear
rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range
Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D-direction.
The transmission will automatically
select the gear range suited for optimal
acceleration and deceleration. This will
involve shifting down one or more
gears.Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode)
If vehicle acceleration becomes less
responsive or sluggish or the transmission
no longer shifts, the transmission is most
likely operating in limp-home (emergency
operation) mode. In this mode only second
gear and reverse gear can be selected.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location.
Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.
Turn off the engine.
Wait at least 10 seconds before
restarting.
Restart the engine.
Move the gear selector lever to
positionD (for second gear) or
positionR.
Have the transmission checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible.

173 Controls in detail
Differential locks
Differential locks
For more information on off-road driving,
see “Off-road driving” (
page 253).
Differential locks improve the vehicle’s
tractive power off-road. Switch on
differential locks:

for off-road driving

to turn the ABS off during off-road
driving

for driving through water

when driving on deep snow and icy or
fouled surfaces
!Do not engage the front axle differential
lock when driving around tight corners. This
restricts steering ability.
!When driving off-road, apply only moderate
pressure to the accelerator pedal if the differen-
tial locks are switched on.
When running on a (single-axle) dynamometer –
no matter how briefly – you must:

raise the non-driven axle
or

disconnect its drive shaft
and

engage the transfer differential lock
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
Never drive on pavement with differential
locks engaged.
Steering control will be strongly affected
with the differential locks activated.
The ABS, BAS, and ESP
® are switched off
automatically when the transfer case
differential lock is activated.

174 Controls in detail
Differential locks
A few words about differentials and
differential locks
When a vehicle negotiates a turn, wheels
on the outside of the curve must travel
farther and rotate faster than the inside
wheels. The differential, the operation of a
set of gears that allows the powered
wheels in a vehicle to turn at different
speeds, makes this essential function
possible.
The drawback is that the differential also
sends most of the engine’s power to the
wheel with the least load or strain on it. For
example, if one of a vehicle’s powered
wheels sits on a patch of snow and spins
because there is no traction, all of the
engine’s power will go to that wheel
because the power will take the path of
least resistance. Meanwhile, the opposite
wheel, sitting on dry pavement where it
could get enough grip to start the vehicle
moving, sits idle because it receives no
power.The Electronic Traction System (4-ETS)
addresses this problem and provides for
good control and steering ability by auto-
matically slowing the slipping wheel and
thus increasing the power to the other
non-slipping drive wheels to get the vehicle
moving. The ESP
® and 4-ETS in this vehicle
feature such intelligent limited-slip
differential technology, ideally suited for
on-road and light off-road driving. Transfer
case position LOW (
page 170) also
enhances off-road driving capabilities
(
page 253).
More extreme off-road conditions may call
for another solution, engaging a differen-
tial lock or preventing the differential from
operating altogether. As part of its stan-
dard equipment, this vehicle comes with
three differential locks: front, transfer case
(center) and rear. Each can be engaged
simply by pushing dashboard-mounted
switches in sequential order (center, rear,
front) (
page 175). When the transfer
case (center) differential is locked, half of
the engine’s power is automatically
distributed to the front wheels and half to the rear wheels. When the rear differential
is locked, power going to the rear wheels is
equally distributed, so that both rear
wheels turn at the same speed and torque.
When the front differential is locked, all
four wheels now turn with equal power and
torque. Please be aware that engaging the
differential locks will significantly reduce
the steering ability of the vehicle.
For your safety and the safety of others
and to prevent damage to the vehicle, the
differential locks must not be engaged
when driving on paved roads. It is
important to understand that during
on-road/paved driving, differentials are
absolutely necessary for providing the
essential control and steering ability of the
vehicle. The differential locks, therefore,
must not be engaged when driving on
paved roads and should only be used to
the extent necessary to negotiate off-road
conditions which cannot be handled by the
systems (automatic 4-ETS, the ESP®,
manual switch position “LOW” of transfer
case) this vehicle comes equipped with.

175 Controls in detail
Differential locks
Switching differential locks on and off
The switches are located on the upper part
of the center console.
1Transfer case (center) differential lock
2Rear axle differential lock
3Front differential lock
4Engagement indicator lamps (yellow)
5Function indicator lamps (red)Switching differential locks on
Transfer case differential lock
Press switch1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp4 for the transfer case
differential lock comes on.
The ESP
® warning lampv comes
on.When the differential lock engagement
operation has been completed, the red
function indicator lamp5 comes on.
The message
ABS not available
differential locked
appears in the
multifunction display.
The ESP
® warning lampv and
the- indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster come on.
Once the transfer case differential lock
is switched on, you can now, if needed,

switch on rear axle differential
lock2
or

switch on rear axle differential
lock2 and front differential
lock3.
iThe differential locks can only be switched
on in the sequence1, 2, 3.
!To avoid damage to the transfer case and
differential locks:

Engage differential locks only at low speed
(walking speed, not more than 5 mph
[8 km/h]).

Do not engage differential locks if the driving
wheels are spinning due to lack of traction.

Do not engage differential locks on paved
roads.

176 Controls in detail
Differential locks
Rear axle differential lock
Press switch2.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp4 comes on first, followed by the
red function indicator lamp5.
The rear axle differential lock is
switched on.
Front differential lock
Press switch 3.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp4 comes on first, followed by the
red function indicator lamp5.
The front differential lock is switched
on.Switching differential locks off
There are two different methods to
disengage differential locks:

You can switch the differential locks off
in reverse order (3, 2, 1).

To switch off all differential locks at the
same time:
Press switch1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamps4 go out first. The red
function indicator lamps5 go out
when the switching process has
been carried out in the differential.
To activate the ESP
®, BAS, and ABS
systems, drive again for 3 seconds using a
constant driving style.All messages in the multifunction display
disappear. The ESP
® warning lampv
and the- indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster go out.
iIf the red function indicator lamps5 do not
go out when the differential locks are disen-
gaged, bring vehicle to a stop and then continue
driving. Changing the vehicle load can help to
disengage locks.
Warning!G
Always remember to disengage the differen-
tial locks when returning to drive on paved
roads, see “A few words about differentials
and differential locks” (
page 174).

177 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
For information on windshield wipers, see
“Windshield wipers” (
page 58).
Headlamp cleaning system
The button is located on the dashboard to
the left of the steering wheel.
1Headlamp cleaning button
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield/rear window
washer system and headlamp cleaning
system” (
page 275).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 46).
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirrors and the interior rear view
mirror will respond automatically to glare
when

the ignition is switched on
and

incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror
The exterior rear view mirrors and the
interior rear view mirror will not react if

reverse gearR is engaged

the interior lighting is turned on
iThe headlamps will automatically be
cleaned when you have

switched on the headlamps
and

operated the windshield wipers with
windshield washer fluid fifteen times
When you switch off the ignition, the counter
resets.
Warning!G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at
sensors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirrors do not react, for example,
when transporting cargo which covers the
rear window.
Light hitting the mirror(s) at certain angles
(incident light) could blind you. As a result,
you may not be able to observe traffic
conditions and could cause an accident.

181 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Activating
Press switch1.
Indicator lamp2 comes on.
Deactivating
Press switch1 once more.
Indicator lamp2 goes out.
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep battery drain to
a minimum, switch off the rear window
defroster as soon as the rear window is
clear.
The rear window defroster switches off
automatically after approximately 6 to
17 minutes of operation depending on the
outside temperature.
Switch on the ignition (
page 39).Activating
Press button1 orF on the
respective climate control panel
(
page 183).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating
Press button1 orF once more.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.!If too many electrical consumers are
operating simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery, indicator lamp2 in
windshield defroster switch1 starts flashing.
After approximately 30 seconds the system
responds automatically by switching the
windshield defroster off.
Warning!G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.
!If the rear window defroster switches off too
soon and the indicator lamp in button1
orF starts flashing, too many electrical
consumers are operating simultaneously and
there is insufficient voltage in the battery. The
system responds automatically by switching the
rear window defroster off.
As soon as the battery has sufficient voltage, the
rear window defroster switches back on auto-
matically.

186 Controls in detail
Climate control
Increasing
Turn temperature control2
and/or3 (
page 183) slightly
clockwise.
The climate control system will
correspondingly adjust the interior air
temperature.
Decreasing
Turn temperature control2
and/or3 (
page 183) slightly
counterclockwise.
The climate control system will
correspondingly adjust the interior air
temperature.
Adjusting air distribution
Use air distribution control4
(
page 183) to adjust the air distribution.
The following symbols are found on the
controls:
Press buttonU (page 183).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The automatic air distribution con-
trol is switched off. The air distribution
is adjusted according to the currently
selected setting.
Turn air distribution control4
(
page 183) to the desired symbol.
Adjusting air volume
Six blower speeds are available.
Press buttonU (page 183).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The automatic air volume control
is switched off. The air volume is
adjusted according to the currently
selected setting.
Turn air volume control1
(
page 183) to the desired blower
speed.
iIf you turn the temperature control fully
clockwise for one side of the vehicle, you are
increasing the temperature for the other side of
the vehicle as well.
iIf you turn the temperature control fully
counterclockwise for one side of the vehicle, you
are decreasing the temperature for the other
side of the vehicle as well.
SymbolFunction
aDirects air through the center,
side, and rear passenger
compartment air vents
ZDirects air to the windshield
and the side defroster air vents
bDirects air into the entire
vehicle interior
YDirects air to the footwells