311 Controls in detail
Useful features
The Tele Aid system is available if
it has been activated and is operation-
al. Activation requires a subscription
for monitoring services, connection
and cellular air time
vehicle battery power is available
the relevant cellular phone network
and GPS signals are available and pass
the information on to the Response
CenterInitiating an emergency call manually
1Cover
2SOS button
Briefly press on cover1.
The cover opens.
Press SOS button2 briefly.
The indicator lamp in SOS button2
will flash until the emergency call is
concluded.
Wait for a voice connection to the
Response Center.
Close cover1 after the emergency
call is concluded.
i
Location of the vehicle on a map is only pos-
sible if the vehicle is able to receive signals from
the GPS satellite network and pass the informa-
tion on to the Response Center.
Warning!
G
If the indicator lamp in the SOS button is
flashing continuously and there was no
voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could
not initiate an emergency call (e.g. the rele-
vant cellular phone network is not available).
The message
Call failed
appears in the
multifunction display for approximately
10 seconds.
Should this occur, assistance must be sum-
moned by other means.
312 Controls in detailUseful features
Roadside Assistance button•
The Roadside Assistance button• is
located below the center armrest cover.
1Roadside Assistance button•
Open the storage tray (
page 297).
Press and hold button1 (for longer
than 2 seconds).
A call to a Mercedes-Benz Roadside
Assistance dispatcher will be initiated.
The button will flash while the call is in
progress. The message Connecting call
will appear in the
multifunction display.When the connection is established, the
message
Call connected
appears in the
multifunction display. The Tele Aid system
will transmit data generating the vehicle
identification number, model, color and
location (subject to availability of cellular
and GPS signals).
A voice connection between the Roadside
Assistance dispatcher and the occupants
of the vehicle will be established.
Describe the nature of the need for as-
sistance.
Warning!
G
If you feel at any way in jeopardy when in the
vehicle (e.g. smoke or fire in the vehicle,
vehicle in a dangerous road location), please
do not wait for voice contact after you have
pressed the emergency button. Carefully
leave the vehicle and move to a safe loca-
tion. The Response Center will automatically
contact local emergency officials with the
vehicle’s approximate location if they re-
ceive an automatic SOS signal and cannot
make voice contact with the vehicle occu-
pants.
i
While the call is connected you can change
to the navigation menu by pressing the NAV
button on the COMAND system unit.
313 Controls in detail
Useful features
The Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance
dispatcher will either dispatch a qualified
Mercedes-Benz technician or arrange to
tow your vehicle to the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center. For
services such as labor and/or towing,
charges may apply. Refer to the Roadside
Assistance Manual for more information.
The following is only available in the USA:
Sign and Drive services: Services such
as jump start, a few gallons of fuel or
the replacement of a flat tire with the
vehicle spare tire are obtainable.Information button¡
The Information button¡ is located
below the center armrest cover.
1Information button¡
Open the storage tray (
page 296).
Press and hold button1 (for longer
than 2 seconds).
A call to the Customer Assistance
Center will be initiated. The button will
flash while the call is in progress. The
message
Connecting call
will appear
in the multifunction display.
i
The indicator lamp on the Roadside
Assistance button• remains illuminated in
red for approximately 10 seconds during the
system self-check after switching on the ignition
(together with the SOS button and the Informa-
tion button¡).
See system self-check (
page 309) if the indi-
cator lamp does not come on in red or stays on
longer than approximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp on the Roadside Assistance
button• is flashing continuously and there
was no voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could not
initiate a Roadside Assistance call (e.g. the rele-
vant cellular phone network was not available).
The message
Call failed
appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
Roadside Assistance calls can be terminated us-
ing thet button on the multifunction steer-
ing wheel or the END Button on the COMAND
system.
314 Controls in detailUseful featuresWhen the connection is established, the
message
Call connected
appears in the
multifunction display. The Tele Aid system
will transmit data generating the vehicle
identification number, model, color and lo-
cation (subject to availability of cellular
and GPS signals).
A voice connection between the Customer
Assistance Center representative and the
occupants of the vehicle will be estab-
lished. Information regarding the operation
of your vehicle, the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center or
Mercedes-Benz USA products and servic-
es is available to you.
For more details concerning the Tele Aid
system, please visit www.mbusa.com and
use your ID and password (sent to you sep-
arately) to learn more (USA only).Call priority
If other service calls such as a Roadside
Assistance call or Information call are
active, an Emergency call is still possible.
In this case, the Emergency call will take
priority and override all other active calls.
i
While the call is connected, you can change
to the navigation menu by pressing the NAV
button on the COMAND system.
i
The indicator lamp in the Information
button¡ remains illuminated in red for
approximately 10 seconds during the system
self-check after switching on the ignition (togeth-
er with the SOS button and the Roadside
Assistance button•).
See system self-check (
page 309) if the indi-
cator lamp does not come on in red or stays on
longer than approximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Information
button¡ is flashing continuously and there
was no voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could not
initiate an Information call (e.g. the relevant cel-
lular phone network is not available). The mes-
sage
Call failed
appears in the multifunction
display.
Information calls can be terminated using
thet button on the multifunction steering
wheel or the END button on the COMAND sys-
tem.
!
If the indicator lamps do not start flashing
after pressing one of the buttons or remain illu-
minated (in red) at any time, the Tele Aid system
has detected a malfunction or the service is not
currently active, and may not initiate a call. Visit
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center and have the system checked or contact
the Response Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the
USA) or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada) as soon as
possible.
i
The indicator lamp in the respective button
flashes until the call is concluded. Emergency
calls can only be terminated by a Response
Center or Customer Assistance Center repre-
sentative, whereas Roadside Assistance and
Information calls can also be terminated by
pressing buttont on the multifunction
steering wheel or using the END button on the
COMAND system.
315 Controls in detail
Useful features
Remote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. SmartKey inside vehicle),
and the reserve SmartKey is not handy:
Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.
Then return to your vehicle and pull the
tailgate recessed handle for minimum
of 20 seconds until the SOS button is
flashing.
The message
Connecting call
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.As an alternative, you may unlock the vehi-
cle via Internet using the ID and password
sent to you shortly after the completion of
your acquaintance call.
The Response Center will then unlock your
vehicle with the remote door unlocking
feature.Stolen Vehicle Recovery services
In the event your vehicle was stolen:
Report the incident to the police.
The police will issue a numbered
incident report.
Pass this number on to the
Mercedes-Benz Response Center along
with your password issued to you when
you subscribed to the service.
The Response Center will then attempt
to covertly contact the vehicle’s
Tele Aid system. Once the vehicle is
located, the Response Center will
contact the local law enforcement and
you. The vehicle’s location will only be
provided to law enforcement.
!
If the indicator lamp continues to flash or
the system does not reset, contact the Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or Mercedes-Benz
Customer Assistance at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Customer
Service at 1-800-387-0100 in Canada.
i
The remote door unlock feature is available
if the relevant cellular phone network is avail-
able.
The SOS button will flash and the message
Connecting call
will appear in the multifunc-
tion display to indicate receipt of the door unlock
command.
Once the vehicle is unlocked, a Response Center
specialist may attempt to establish voice contact
with the vehicle occupants.
If the tailgate recessed handle was pulled for
more than 20 seconds before door unlock autho-
rization was received by the Response Center,
you must wait 15 minutes before pulling the tail-
gate recessed handle again.
321 Controls in detail
Useful features
Compass
Calling up the compass
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the
AIRMATIC/Compass
menu
appears in the multifunction display.
The compass displays the direction
into which the vehicle is currently trav-
eling:
N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, or
NW.To make sure the display is correct, the
compass must be set to the proper geo-
graphic zone (
page 174). It may also be
necessary to calibrate the compass
(
page 175).
i
USA only:
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interfer-
ence, and
(2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
i
Canada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
i
If your vehicle is not equipped with the air
suspension package*, the multifunction display
will show the compass only.
i
The presence of buildings, bridges, power
lines and large antenna masts can influence the
displayed values. Metallic or magnetic objects in
or on the vehicle can influence the accuracy of
the compass.
i
If the compass is not calibrated or its
function is impaired by outside influences, the
message
Compass - - -
appears in the
multifunction display.
327 Operation
Driving instructions
To help prevent brake disk corrosion after
driving on wet road surfaces (particularly
salted roads), it is advisable to brake the
vehicle with considerable force prior to
parking. The heat generated serves to dry
the brakes.
If your brake system is normally only sub-
jected to moderate loads, you should occa-
sionally test the effectiveness of the
brakes by applying above-normal braking
pressure at higher speeds. This will also
enhance the grip of the brake pads.
Refer to the description of the Brake Assist
System (BAS) (
page 97).Brake pad wear or a leak in the system may
be the reason for low brake fluid in the
reservoir.
The brake fluid level in the reservoir may
be too low if the brake warning lamp in the
instrument cluster comes on and an
acoustic warning sounds although the
parking brake is released (
page 415).
Observe additional messages in the multi-
function display that may appear
(
page 449).
Have the brake system inspected
immediately. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
All checks and service work on the brake
system should be carried out by qualified
technicians only. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.
Only install brake pads and brake fluid
recommended by Mercedes-Benz.
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
park, so that the air stream will cool down
the brakes faster.
Warning!
G
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when carrying out these braking
maneuvers.
Warning!
G
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake
fluid is used, the braking properties of the
vehicle can be degraded to an extent that
safe braking is substantially impaired. This
could result in an accident.!
When driving down long and steep grades,
relieve the load on the brakes by shifting into a
lower gear to use the engine’s braking power.
This helps prevent overheating of the brakes and
reduces brake pad wear.
When using the engine’s braking power, a drive
wheel may not spin for an extended period of
time, e.g. on slippery road surfaces. This may
cause serious damage to the drivetrain which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
328 OperationDriving instructionsHigh-performance brake system
(ML 63 AMG only)
The high-performance brake system is de-
signed to operate under the extremely high
operating demands required to accommo-
date the performance capabilities of the
vehicle. The brakes may produce a squeak-
ing-type noise depending on the
vehicle speed
brake force applied
ambient conditions, e.g. temperature
and humidity
As with any brake system, the wear of indi-
vidual brake system components such as
brake pads or disks strongly depends on
your driving style and the conditions under
which you operate the vehicle. Thus, a driv-
ing style calling for high demand braking
will cause your vehicle’s brakes to wear
more quickly.Parking brake
When driving on wet roads or dirt covered
surfaces, road salt and/or dirt can get into
the parking brake. To prevent corrosion
and a reduction in the braking power of the
parking brake, observe the following:
From time to time, lightly engage the
parking brake before driving off.
Drive a distance of approximately
110 yds (100 m) at a maximum speed
of 12 mph (20 km/h).
Warning!
G
New vehicle brake pads and discs, and
replacement brake pads and discs may take
several hundred miles of driving until they
provide optimum braking efficiency. Until
that time, you may need to use increased
brake pedal pressure while braking. Please
be aware of this and adjust your driving and
braking accordingly during this break-in
period.
Excessive high demand braking will cause
correspondingly high brake wear. Please be
attentive to the brake warning lamp in the
instrument cluster and brake condition mes-
sages in the multifunction display. Especial-
ly for high performance driving, it is
important to maintain and have the brake
system checked regularly.
Warning!
G
While performing this procedure please
assure that the vehicle is stopped before
applying the parking brake. Otherwise the
rear wheels could lock up. You could lose
control of the vehicle and cause an accident.
In addition, the vehicle’s brake lights do not
light up when the parking brake is engaged.
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when you engage the parking brake.