2008 MERCEDES-BENZ G500 ESP

96 Safety and Security
Anti-theft systems
Arming the alarm system
The alarm system is armed after you have
locked the vehicle with the SmartKey.
The alarm system indicator lamp is located
in the tow-away alarm switch on the upper
part of the center console.
1 Alarm system indicator lampMake sure all doors and the tailgate are
closed.
Lock the vehicle with the SmartKey
(
page 65).
The turn signal lamps flash three times
to indicate that the vehicle is locked.
The alarm system is armed within
approximately 15 seconds. Alarm
system indicator lamp 1 flashes. Disarming the alarm system
Unlock the vehicle with the SmartKey
(
page 38).
The turn signal lamps flash once to
indicate that the alarm system is
disarmed. Alarm system indicator
lamp 1 goes out.
Canceling the alarm
Insert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
or
Press button Œ or‹ on the
SmartKey.
iIf the turn signal lamps do not blink three
times, one of the followi ng elements may not be
properly closed:

a door

the tailgate
Close the respective element and lock the
vehicle again.
iThe alarm system will rearm automatically
after approximately 40 seconds if neither a door
nor the tailgate is opened.
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100 Controls in detail
In the “Controls in detail” section you will
find detailed information on how to oper-
ate the equipment installed in your vehicle.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions of your vehicle, this section will
be of particular interest to you.
To quickly familiarize yourself with the
basic functions of the vehicle, refer to the
“Getting started” section of this manual.
The corresponding page numbers are
given at the beginning of each segment.
For more information on locking and
unlocking, see the “Getting started”
section (
page 38) and (page 65).
Locking and unlocking
SmartKey
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys, each with remote control and
a removable mechanical key.
The locking tabs for the mechanical key
portion of the two SmartKeys are a
different color to help distinguish each
SmartKey unit.
The SmartKey provides an extended oper-
ating range. To prevent theft, however, it is
advisable to only unlock the vehicle when
you are in close proximity to it.
The SmartKey centrally locks and unlocks:

the doors

the tailgate

the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with remote control
1 ‹ Lock button
2 Locking tab for mechanical key
3 Mechanical key (
page 368)
4 ΠUnlock button
5 Battery check lamp
6 Â Panic button (
page 86)
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104 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening the doors from the inside
You can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.1 Locking knob
2 Inside door handle Front doors
Pull on inside door handle
2 on the
respective front door to open door.
If the door was locked, locking knob 1
will move up.
Rear doors
Pull up locking knob 1 on the
respective rear door to unlock door.
Pull on inside door handle 2 on the
respective rear door to open door.
iIf the vehicle has previously been locked
with the SmartKey, opening a door or the tailgate
from the inside will trigger the anti-theft alarm
system.
To cancel the alarm, do one the following:

Insert the SmartKey in the starter switch.

Press button Œ or‹ on the
SmartKey.iIf you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the headlamps before opening
the driver’s door.
In addition the message
Switch off lights
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps.
!Failure to switch off the headlamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.
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106 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Closing the tailgateAutomatic central locking
The doors and the tailgate lock automati-
cally when the ignition is switched on and
the wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
You can open a locked door from the
inside. Open door only when conditions
are safe to do so.
For information on towing the vehicle, see
“Towing the vehicle” (
page 399).
You can deactivate the automatic locking
mode using the control system
(
page 155).
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the cargo
compartment opening when closing the
tailgate. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
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 may cause
an accident and/or se rious personal injury.
Warning!G
Never drive vehicle with the tailgate open.
Deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gases may
enter vehicle interior resulting in uncon-
sciousness and death.
iTo prevent an inadvertent lockout, do not
place the SmartKey in the cargo compartment.
iThe doors and the tailgate unlock auto-
matically after an accident if the force of the
impact exceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle automatically locks when the ignition
is switched on and the wheels are turning at
vehicle speeds of approximately 9 mph
(15 km/h) or more. You could therefore lock
yourself out when the vehicle

is pushed or towed

is on a test stand
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108 Controls in detail
Seats
For information on seat adjustment, see
the “Getting started” section (
page 41).
For more information on seats, see “Load-
ing” (
page 206).
Removing and instal ling front seat
head restraints
For information on head restraint
adjustment, see the “Getting started”
section (
page 43).
The switch for the front seat head restraint
is located on the respective front door. 1
Switch
Removing front seat head restraint
Press switch 1 upwards and hold until
the head restraint is fully extended.
Pull out the head restraint with both
hands.
Warning!G
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are
intended to help reduce injuries during an
accident.
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible and the
center of the head restraint supports the
back of the head at eye level. This will
reduce the potential fo r injury to the head
and neck in the event of an accident or
similar situation.
Do not interchange he ad restraints from
front and rear seat.
iTilt the seat backrest rearward for easier
removal and installation of the head restraints
(
page 43).
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115
Controls in detail
Memory function
The memory button and memory position
button are located on each front door.
1
Memory button
1, 2, 3 Memory position button
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
or
Open the respective door.
Storing positions into memory
Adjust the seats (page 42).
On the driver’s side, additionally adjust
the steering wheel (
page 44) and
exterior rear view mirrors (
page 46)
to the desired positions.
Press memory button 1.
Release memory button 1 and press
memory position button 1, 2 , or 3 with-
in 3 seconds.
All settings are stored to the selected
position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold memory position
button 1, 2 , or 3 until the seat, steering
wheel and exterior rear view mirrors
have fully moved to the stored posi-
tions.
!Do not operate the power seats using
memory button 1 if the seat backrest is in an
excessively reclined position. Doing so could
cause damage to front or rear seats.
Move seat backrest to an upright position first.
iReleasing the memory position button stops
movement to the stored positions immediately.
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118 Controls in detail
Lighting
Low beam headlamps
The low beam headlamps can be switched
on and off with the exterior lamp switch us-
ing the manual headlamp mode.
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
position B.
The following lamps switch on:

Low beam headlamps

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light:

Low beam headlamps

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
Warning!G
If the exterior lamp switch is set to
U,
the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others,
activate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch to B when driving or when traffic
and/or ambient lightin g conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from position U toB with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from U toB will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambien t lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle’s lights at all
times.
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120 Controls in detail
Lighting
When the engine is running, and you

turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the low beam head-
lamps, the tail and parking lamps, the
license plate lamps and the side mark-
er lamps switch on.

turn the exterior lamp switch to
position B, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime
running lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 117). USA only:
When the engine is running, and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to position
C
or B , the manual headlamp mode has
priority over the daytime running lamp
mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (
page 117). Locator lighting and night security
illumination
The locator lighting and the night security
illumination are described in the “Control
system” section, see “Setting locator light-
ing” (
page 152) and “Setting night secu-
rity illumination” (
page 153).
Locator lighting lamps in exterior rear
view mirrors
If the vehicle is centrally unlocked in the
darkness, the locator lighting lamps in the
exterior rear view mirrors come on.
If a door is opened, the lamp on the
corresponding side goes out. If no doors
are opened, the lamps will go out:

after a maximum of 40 seconds

immediately, when you switch on the
ignition
iWith the exterior lamp switch in
position M, you cannot switch on the high
beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving turn the exterior lamp
switch to position B orU to permit
activation of the high beam headlamps.
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