2008 MERCEDES-BENZ G500 Owner's Manual

176 Controls in detail
Differential locks
Rear axle differential lock
Press switch2.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp 4 comes on first, followed by the
red function indicator lamp 5.
The rear axle differential lock is
switched on.
Front differential lock
Press switch 3.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp 4 comes on first, followed by the
red function indicator lamp 5.
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 switch 1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamps 4 go out first. The red
function indicator lamps 5 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 lamp
v
and the - indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster go out.
iIf the red function indicator lamps 5 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).
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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.
1 Headlamp cleaning button
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
Press button 1.
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 gear R 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 functi on 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 ca rgo 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.
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178 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Activating exterior rear view mirror
parking position (Canada only)
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror will be
turned downward to the stored position.The exterior rear view mirror buttons are
located above the exterior lamp switch.
1 Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2 Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror button
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
Make sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 116).
Press button 2.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror is selected.
Move the gear selector lever to reverse
gear R.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror will be turned downward to the
stored position.
The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:

10 seconds after moving the gear
selector lever out of position R

immediately once you exceed a vehicle
speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h)

immediately when you press button 1
for driver’s side exterior rear view
mirror
Warning!G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (out wardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your
interior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
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179
Controls in detail
Good visibility
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
1 Sun visor
2 Mounting 3
Vanity mirror cover
4 Vanity mirror lamps
Glare through the windshield
Swing sun visor 1 down.
When you do not experience glare
anymore, swing sun visor 1 up. Vanity mirror
Swing sun visor
1 down.
Flip up vanity mirror cover 3 to access
vanity mirror.
Vanity mirror lamps 4 come on.
After using vanity mirror, flip down
vanity mirror cover 3.
Swing sun visor 1 up.
Warning!G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.
iMake sure the ignition is switched on
(
page 39) and sun visor 1 is properly
engaged in mounting 2.
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180 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Glare to a side window
Swing sun visor1 down.
Disengage sun visor 1 from
mounting 2.
Pivot sun visor 1 to the side.
When you do not experience glare
anymore, pivot sun visor 1 to the
windshield.
Engage sun visor 1 into mounting 2.
Swing sun visor 1 up.
Windshield defroster
The windshield defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep battery drain to
a minimum, switch off the windshield
defroster as soon as the windshield is
clear.
The windshield defroster switches off
automatically after 10 minutes.
If you switch on the windshield defroster
for the fourth time in succession, it will
switch off automatically after 5 minutes.
You cannot switch on the windshield
defroster if the outside temperature is
above 10°C (50°F). The windshield defroster switch is located
on the upper part of the center console.
1 Windshield defroster switch
2 Indicator lamp
Switch on the ignition (
page 39).
!To avoid damage to vanity mirror cover 3,
make sure it is closed before pivoting sun
visor 1 to the side.
Warning!G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the windshi eld before driving.
Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.
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181
Controls in detail
Good visibility
Activating
Press switch
1.
Indicator lamp 2 comes on.
Deactivating
Press switch 1 once more.
Indicator lamp 2 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 button
1 orF on the
respective climate control panel
(
page 183).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating
Press button 1 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 lamp 2 in
windshield defroster switch 1 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 ot herwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.
!If the rear window defroster switches off too
soon and the indicator lamp in button 1
or F 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.
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182 Controls in detail
Climate control
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183
Controls in detail
Climate control
Climate control panel (U.S. vehicles)
Climate control panel (Canada vehicles)
Item
1Left side defroster air vent, fixed
2Left side air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left side air vent
4Left front defroster air vent
5Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
6Left center air vent, adjustable
7Right center air vent, adjustable
8Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
9Right front defroster air vent
aThumbwheel for air volume control
for right side air vent
bRight side air vent, adjustable
cRight side defroster air vent, fixed
dRight footwell air vent
eClimate control panel
fLeft footwell air vent
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the sliders
for the center air vents an d side air vents to the
middle position.Item
1Air volume control
2Left side temperature control
3Right side temperature control
4Air distribution control
5Rear window defroster (page 181)
6AC cooling on/off
Residual heat/ventilation
7Air distribution and air volume
(automatic mode)
8Air recirculation
9Front defroster
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