2007 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG lock

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).

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

192 Controls in detail
Power windows
Opening and closing
The side windows are opened and closed
electrically. The switches for all side
windows are located on the driver’s door
control panel. The switches for the respec-
tive side windows are located on the front
passenger door and the rear doors.
1Override switch (
page 86)
2Left front window
3Right front window
4Right rear window
5Left rear window
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
Opening the windows
Press switch2, 3, 4 or5 to the
resistance point.
The corresponding window will move
downwards until you release the
switch.
Closing the windows
Pull switch2, 3, 4 or5 to the
resistance point.
The corresponding window will move
upwards until you release the switch.
Warning!G
When closing the windows, make sure there
is no danger of anyone being harmed by the
closing procedure.
Activate the override switch (
page 86)
when children are riding in the back seats of
the vehicle. The children could otherwise
injure themselves, e.g. by becoming trapped
in the window opening.
The closing procedure can be immediately
halted by releasing the switch or by releas-
ing button‹ on the SmartKey.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from starter switch, take it with
you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment can cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
iYou can also open or close the windows
using the SmartKey, see “Summer opening fea-
ture” (
page 193) and see “Convenience clos-
ing feature” (
page 194).

194 Controls in detail
Power windows
Convenience closing feature
When locking the vehicle, you can close
the windows and the tilt/sliding sunroof
simultaneously.Aim transmitter eye of the SmartKey at
the driver’s outside door handle
(
page 193).
The SmartKey must be in close
proximity to the driver’s outside door
handle.
Press and hold button‹ on the
SmartKey until the windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof are completely
closed.
Release button‹ on the SmartKey
to interrupt the closing procedure.
Warning!G
When closing the windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof, make sure that there is
no danger of anyone being harmed by the
closing procedure.
If potential danger exists, proceed as
follows:

Release button‹ to stop the closing
procedure. To open, press and hold
buttonŒ. To continue the closing
procedure after making sure that there
is no danger of anyone being harmed by
the closing procedure, press and hold
button‹.

195 Controls in detail
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Opening and closing
The tilt/sliding sunroof is opened and
closed electrically. The switch for the
tilt/sliding sunroof is located on the
overhead control panel.
Sunroof switch
1Push up to raise sunroof at rear
2Pull down to lower sunroof at rear
3Push forward to slide sunroof closed
4Push back to slide sunroof open
Warning!G
When closing the tilt/sliding sunroof, make
sure there is no danger of anyone being
harmed by the closing procedure.
The opening procedure of the tilt/sliding
sunroof can be immediately halted by
releasing the switch or, if the switch was
moved past the resistance point and
released, by moving the switch in any
direction.
The closing procedure of the tilt/sliding sun-
roof can be immediately halted by releasing
the switch.
The closing procedure of the tilt/sliding sun-
roof can be immediately reversed by moving
the switch in direction1 or4.
In a vehicle rollover, occupants not wearing
their seat belts or not wearing them properly
may be thrown out of the opening. Such an
opening also presents a potential for injury
for occupants wearing their seat belts prop-
erly as entire body parts or portions of them
may protrude from the passenger compart-
ment.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take it
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment can cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
!To avoid damaging the seals, do not trans-
port any objects with sharp edges which can
stick out of the tilt/sliding sunroof.
Do not open the tilt/sliding sunroof if there is
snow or ice on the roof, as this could result in
malfunctions.
The tilt/sliding sunroof can be opened or closed
manually should an electrical malfunction occur
(
page 374).

206 Controls in detail
Loading
Roof rack
This vehicle is not intended to carry items
on its roof. Thus roof rails and any
roof-mounted devices must not be used.Expanding cargo compartment
To expand the cargo compartment, you
can fold forward the left and right section

of the rear seat backrest

of the rear seat bench
separately.
For more information, see “Split rear seat
bench” (
page 206).
Split rear seat bench
Warning!G
Do not load items on the roof. It may cause
instability during some maneuvers which
could result in an accident.
Warning!G
Always lock seat backrest in its upright
position when rear seat bench is occupied
by passengers, or cargo is being carried
behind the rear seat bench.
To help avoid personal injury from smaller
objects being thrown around in the occu-
pant compartment during a collision or
sudden maneuver, always use partition net*
when transporting cargo (
page 210).
Always use the cargo tie down rings
(
page 209).
Warning!G
Failure to assure that seat benches and seat
backrests are locked into place could result
in an increased chance of injury in an acci-
dent.
Never place hands under seat or near any
moving parts while a seat is being adjusted.
For safety reasons, the rear seat bench
must only be adjusted when the vehicle is
stationary.
Never drive vehicle with the tailgate open.
Deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gases may
enter vehicle interior resulting in uncon-
sciousness and death.
!Before folding the rear seat backrest and
the rear seat bench forward, be sure that all
containers in the rear cup holder are removed.