2008 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG Abs

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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162 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
For more information on driving with an
automatic transmission, see “Automatic
transmission” (
page 54).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its shift program.
Gear selector lever
The gear selector lever is located on the
lower part of the center console.
Gearshift pattern for automatic
transmission
P Park position
R Reverse gear
N Neutral position
D Drive position
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the catalytic
converter to heat up more quickly to operating
temperature.
Warning!G
Make sure that absolutely no objects are
obstructing the pedal’s range of movement.
Keep the driver’s footwell clear of all obsta-
cles. If there are any floormats or carpets in
the footwell, make sure that the pedals still
have sufficient clearance.
During sudden driving or braking maneuvers
the objects could get caught between the
pedals. You could then no longer brake or
accelerate. This could lead to accidents and
injury.
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168 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
One-touch gearshifting
With the gear selector lever in drive
positionD, you can limit or extend the gear
range. Limiting gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in the
D–direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
lower gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
limits the gear range of the transmis-
sion (
page 167). Extending gear range
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in the
D+direction.
The transmission will shift to the next
higher gear as permitted by the shift
program. This action simultaneously
extends the gear rang e of the transmis-
sion.
!Allow engine to warm up under low load use.
Do not place full load on the engine until the
operating temperature has been reached.
Shift into reverse gear R or park position P only
when the vehicle is stopped.
Warning!G
On slippery road surf aces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive whee l slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when down-
shifting, the transmission will not shift to a lower
gear if the engine’s max. speed would be
exceeded.
iIf you press on the accelerator when the en-
gine has reached its rpm limit, the transmission
will upshift beyond any gear range limit selected.
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173
Controls in detail
Differential locks
 Differential locks
For more information on off-road driving,
see “Off-road driving” (
page 253).
Differential locks improve the vehicle’s
tractive power off-road. Switch on
differential locks:

for off-road driving

to turn the ABS off during off-road
driving

for driving through water

when driving on deep snow and icy or
fouled surfaces
!Do not engage the front axle differential
lock when driving around tight corners. This
restricts steering ability.
!When driving off-road, apply only moderate
pressure to the accelerator pedal if the differen-
tial locks are switched on.
When running on a (single-axle) dynamometer –
no matter how briefly – you must:

raise the non-driven axle
or

disconnect its drive shaft
and

engage the transfer differential lock
Otherwise the transfer case can be damaged,
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!G
Never drive on pavement with differential
locks engaged.
Steering control will be strongly affected
with the differential locks activated.
The ABS, BAS, and ESP
® are switched off
automatically when the transfer case
differential lock is activated.
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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 steer
ing 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-ro ad 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 positi on “LOW” of transfer
case) this vehicle comes equipped with.
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175
Controls in detail
Differential locks
Switching differential locks on and off
The switches are located on the upper part
of the center console.
1 Transfer case (center) differential lock
2 Rear axle differential lock
3 Front differential lock
4 Engagement indicator lamps (yellow)
5 Function indicator lamps (red) Switching differential locks on
Transfer case differential lock
Press switch
1.
The yellow engagement indicator
lamp 4 for the transfer case
differential lock comes on.
The ESP
® warning lamp v comes
on. When the differential lock engagement
operation has been completed, the red
function indicator lamp
5 comes on.
The message
ABS not available
differential locked
appears in the
multifunction display.
The ESP
® warning lamp v 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
lock 2
or

switch on rear axle differential
lock 2 and front differential
lock 3.
iThe differential locks can only be switched
on in the sequence 1, 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.
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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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197
Controls in detail
Driving systems
 Driving systems
The driving systems of your vehicle are
described on the following pages:

Cruise control (page 197), with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed.

Rear Parking Assist (page 200) and
rear view camera (
page 203), which
serve as parking aid.
For information on the ABS, BAS, ESP
®,
4-ETS, and EBB driving systems, see “Driv-
ing safety systems” (
page 87).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
The use of the cruise control is recom-
mended for driving at a constant speed for
extended periods of time. You can set or
resume the cruise control at any speed
over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 24).
iThe cruise control should not be activated
during-off road driving.
Warning!G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle’s speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise cont rol if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of the cruise control can be
dangerous on winding roads or in heavy
traffic because conditions do not allow
safe driving at a steady speed.

The use of the cruise control can be
dangerous on slippery roads. Rapid
changes in tire traction can result in
wheel spin and loss of control.

Deactivate the cruise control when
driving in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be
operated if the driver is fully aware of the
previously set speed and wishes to resume
this particular preset speed.
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