2008 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG steering wheel

135
Controls in detail
Control system
Depending on the select
ed menu, pressing
the buttons on the multifunction steering
wheel will alter what is shown in the multi-
function display.
The information available in the multifunc-
tion display is arranged in menus, each
containing a number of functions or sub-
menus.
The individual functions are then found
within the relevant menu (radio or CD
operations under
Audio, for example).
These functions serve to call up relevant
information or to customize the settings
for your vehicle. It is helpful to think of the menus, and the
functions within each menu, as being
arranged in a circular pattern.

If you press button
è orÿ
repeatedly, you will pass through each
menu one after the other.

If you press button k orj
repeatedly, you will pass through each
function display, one after the other, in
the current menu. In the
Settings menu, instead of func-
tions, you will find a number of submenus
for calling up and changing settings. For
instructions on using these submenus, see
“Settings menu” (
page 146).
The number of menus available in the sys-
tem depends on which optional equipment
is installed in your vehicle.
The menus are described on the following
pages.
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156 Controls in detail
Control system
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Press buttonæ orç to switch
the automatic central locking
On or Off. Convenience submenu
Access the
Convenience submenu via the
Settings menu. Use the Convenience
submenu to change the setting for the
convenience feature.
The following function is available: Activating easy-entry/exit feature
Use this function to activate and
deactivate the easy-entry/exit feature
(
page 45).
FunctionPage
Activating easy-entry/exit
feature156
Warning!G
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel when the easy-entry/exit feature is
activated.
To stop steering wheel movement, do one of
the following:

Move the steering wheel adjustment
stalk (
page 44).

Press one of the stored position buttons
or the memory button (
page 115).
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Children coul d open the driver’s
door and unintentionally activate the
easy-entry/exit feature, which could result
in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.

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159
Controls in detail
Control system
TEL menu
You can use the functions in the
TEL menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.
Switch on the telephone and COMAND
system.
Press button ÿ orè on the
multifunction steering wheel repeat-
edly until the message
TEL appears in
the multifunction display. Which messages will appear in the multi-
function display depends on whether your
telephone is switched on or off:

If the telephone is off, the message
TEL off appears in the multifunction
display.

If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the multi-
function display is empty.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network, the message
Ready appears in
the multifunction display.
Warning!G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his/her primary
focus when driving. For your safety and the
safety of others, we recommend that you
pull over to a safe location and stop before
placing or taking a te lephone call. If you
choose to use the telephone while driving,
please use the hands-free device and only
use the telephone when weather, road and
traffic conditions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephon e while driving a ve-
hicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet
(approximately 14 m) every second.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so coul d lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury.
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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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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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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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225
Controls in detail
Useful features
Heated steering wheel
The steering wheel heating warms up the
leather area of the steering wheel.
The stalk is located on the lower left-hand
side of the steering wheel.
1 Switching on
2 Switching off
3 Indicator lamp Switching on
Switch on the ignition (page 39).
Turn switch at the tip of stalk in
direction of arrow
1.
The steering wheel is heated.
Indicator lamp 3 comes on. Switching off
Turn switch at the tip of stalk in
direction of arrow
2.
The heated steering wheel is switched
off.
Indicator lamp 3 goes out.
For information on adjusting the steering
wheel, see “Steering wheel” (
page 44).
iThe steering wheel heating is temporarily
suspended while the indicator lamp 3 remains
on when

the temperature of the vehicle interior is
above 86°F (30°C)

the temperature of the steering wheel is
above 95°F (35°C)
When these conditions do not apply anymore,
steering wheel heating continues.
iIndicator lamp 3 flashes or goes out

in case of power surge or undervoltage

in case of a steering wheel heating
malfunction
iThe steering wheel heating switches off
automatically when you remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch.
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226 Controls in detail
Useful features
Telephone*
Radio transmitters, such as a portable tele-
phone or a citizens band unit, should only
be used inside the vehicle if they are con-
nected to an antenna that is installed on
the outside of the vehicle.
The external antenna must be approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Please contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center
for information on the installation of an
approved external antenna. Refer to the
radio transmitter operation instructions
regarding use of an external antenna.When the mobile phone is inserted in the
cradle, you can operate the telephone
using the following devices:

mobile phone keypad

COMAND system (see separate
operating instructions)

buttons
s andt on the multi-
function steering wheel (
page 134)

Voice Control System* (see separate
operating instructions)
Warning!G
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so coul d lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system,
possibly resulting in an accident and/or
serious personal injury.
Warning!G
Please do not forget that your primary
responsibility is to drive the vehicle.
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we
recommend that you pull over to a safe
location and stop before placing or taking a
telephone call.
If you choose to use the telephone
1 while
driving, please use the hands-free device
and only use the telephone when road,
weather and traffic cond itions permit. Some
jurisdictions prohibit the driver from using a
mobile telephone while driving a vehicle.
Only operate the COMAND system
1 if road,
weather and traffic conditions permit.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just
30 mph (approximately 50 km/h), your
vehicle is covering a distance of 44 feet
(approximately 14 m) every second.
1Observe all legal requirements.
iVarious mobile phone cradles can be
installed in the front center armrest, see
separate installation instructions for the mobile
phone cradle. These mobile phone cradles can
be obtained from an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.
The functions and services available to you while
using the mobile phone depend on your service
provider and the type of mobile phone you are
using. See also separate operating manual for
instructions on how to use the mobile phone.
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