2007 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG light

166 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
Depending on the engine speed the
transmission shifts into a lower gear.
Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Stopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:
Leave the transmission in gear.
Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop for a longer period of time
with the engine idling and/or on a hill:
Set the parking brake.
Move the gear selector lever to park
positionP.Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:
Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.
Accelerate gently.
Never abruptly step on the accelerator.
Working on the vehicle
Warning!G
When working on the vehicle, set the
parking brake and move gear selector lever
to park positionP. Otherwise the vehicle
could roll away.

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.

172 Controls in detail
Transfer case
Messages in the multifunction display
If a shift was not completed and one of the
following messages appears in the multi-
function display:

TC shift conditions not fulfilled
The shift did not take place. At least
one shift condition was not met.
Repeat the shift procedure.

TC in neutral
The shift did not take place. The
transfer case is in neutral. Gear
position
N appears in transfer case
indicator1.
Repeat the shift procedure.

TC shift procedure canceled
The shift did not take place.
Repeat the shift procedure.

Transfer case Visit workshop
There may be a malfunction in the
system.
Repeat the shift procedure.
If the shift procedure still does not take
place, have the vehicle checked at an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center as soon as possible.For more information, see “Practical hints”
section (
page 363).
Warning!G
If the transfer case is in neutral, transmis-
sion positionP will not hold vehicle. The
parking brake must be applied to hold
vehicle in place.
iIf the SmartKey is in starter switch
position0 or1, an alarm will sound if the
transfer case is in neutral and the driver’s door is
opened.
Engage the transfer case to gear positionHIGH
orLOW.

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.

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.

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

190 Controls in detail
Climate control
Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
Press button9 (page 183) once
more.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.Activating
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 or1 (
page 39).
or
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Press button9 (page 183).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating
Press button9 (page 183) once
more.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.!If the air conditioning cannot be turned on
again, this indicates that the air conditioning is
losing refrigerant. The compressor has turned
itself off.
Have the air conditioning checked at the nearest
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
iHow long the system will provide heating
depends on

the coolant temperature

the battery voltage
Regardless of the temperature and air volume
set on the climate control panel, an interior
temperature is aimed at by 72°F (22°C) and the
blower runs on low speed to protect the vehicle
battery.
iThe residual heat is automatically turned off:

when the ignition is switched on

after about 30 minutes

if the coolant temperature is too low

if the battery voltage drops

196 Controls in detail
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Switch on the ignition (page 39).Opening and closing the tilt/sliding
sunroof
To open, close, raise, or lower the
tilt/sliding sunroof, move the sunroof
switch to the resistance point in the
required direction of arrows1 to4
(
page 195).
Release the sunroof switch when the
tilt/sliding sunroof has reached the
desired position.
Fully opening the tilt/sliding sunroof
(Express-open)
Move the sunroof switch past the
resistance point in direction of
arrow4 (
page 195) and release.
The tilt/sliding sunroof opens
completely.Stopping the tilt/sliding sunroof during
Express-operation
Move the sunroof switch in any
direction.
The movement of the tilt/sliding
sunroof stops.
!Please keep in mind that weather conditions
can sometime change rapidly. Make sure to
close the tilt/sliding sunroof when leaving the
vehicle. If water enters the vehicle interior,
vehicle electronics could be damaged which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
iWhen the tilt/sliding sunroof is open,
resonance noises may result in addition to the
usual wind noises. They are caused by minimal
pressure changes in the passenger compart-
ment. To reduce or eliminate these noises,
change the position of the tilt/sliding sunroof or
open a side window slightly.
iYou can also open or close the tilt/sliding
sunroof using the SmartKey, see “Summer open-
ing feature” (
page 193) and see “Convenience
closing feature” (
page 194).
Warning!G
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.