2008 MERCEDES-BENZ G55AMG Sport

Contents
Practical hints................................. 323
What to do if … .................................. 324 Lamps in instrument cluster ........ 324
Lamp in center console ................ 335
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display .................... 336
Where will I find...? ............................ 364
First aid kit ................................... 364
Vehicle tool kit ............................. 364
Vehicle jack.................................. 365
CD changer .................................. 366
Spare wheel ................................. 366
Unlocking/locking in an emergency .. 368 Unlocking the vehicle ................... 368
Locking the vehicle ...................... 369
Fuel filler flap ............................... 370
Manually unlocking the gear
selector lever ............................... 371
Opening/closing in an emergency..... 372 Tilt/sliding sunroof ...................... 372
Brush guard ....................................... 373 Lowering and raising brush guard 373
Replacing SmartKey batteries ........... 374 Replacing bulbs .................................. 375
Bulbs ............................................. 375
Replacing bulbs for front lamps .... 378
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps ..... 383
Replacing wiper blades....................... 386 Wiper blades ................................. 386
Flat tire ............................................... 388 Preparing the vehicle .................... 388
Mounting the spare wheel ............ 389
Battery................................................ 394 Disconnecting, removing,
reinstalling and reconnecting the
battery .......................................... 396
Charging the battery ..................... 396
Jump starting ...................................... 397
Towing the vehicle .............................. 399 Transporting the vehicle ............... 401
Towing the vehicle -
various problem scenarios ............ 401
Front towing eye ........................... 402
Rear towing eye ............................ 402
Stranded vehicle ........................... 402 Fuses.................................................. 403
Main fuse box in passenger
compartment ................................ 404
Fuse box in front passenger
footwell ......................................... 404
Fuse box in middle tunnel ............. 405
Fuse box in battery box ................ 406
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14 Introduction
Operator’s Manual
Warning!G
This Sport Utility Vehicle is designed for both on-road and off-road use. It can go places and perform tasks for which conventi onal 2-wheel drive
passenger cars are not intended. This vehi cle will handle and maneuver differently from conventional passenger cars in driving conditions which
may occur on streets, highways and off-road use.
This vehicle has a higher ground clearance and a higher center of gravity than many passenger cars. As with other vehicles of t his type, if you
make sharp turns at excessive speeds or abru pt maneuvers, the vehicle may roll over or may go out of control and crash. Utility vehicles have a
significantly higher rollover rate than ot her types of vehicles. Failure to operate th is vehicle safely may result in an accident, rollover of the vehicle,
and severe or fatal injury.
Before you start to drive this vehicle, read the Operator’s Ma nual. Take time to become familiar with the driving characteristi cs of this vehicle. Be
sure you are familiar with all vehicle contro ls. Learn how your vehicle handles on different road surfaces. Do not attempt sharp turns at excessive
speeds or abrupt maneuvers or other unsafe driving actions that ca n cause loss of vehicle control. When driving off-road or working the vehicle
hard, do not overload it. And, a lways wear your seat belts at all times. In a ro llover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely to die than
a person wearing a seat belt.
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82 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Child seat anchors – LATCH type
This vehicle is equipped with two LATCH-
(L
ower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren)
type anchors (at each of the outer rear
seats) for installation of a LATCH-type
child seat with matching mounting fittings.
Warning!G
When using a BabySmartTM compatible child
seat on the front passenger seat, the
passenger front air bag will not deploy only
if the 56 indicator lamp (
page 80)
remains illuminated.
Make sure to check the 56 indicator
lamp every time you use the special system
child seat. Should the 56 indicator
lamp go out while the restraint is installed,
please check installation. If the 56
indicator lamp remains out, do not use the
BabySmart
TM restraint to transport children
on the front passenger seat until the system
has been repaired.
Warning!G
Do not place powered-on laptops, cell
phones, electronic tags such as those used
in ski passes and like electronic devices on
the front passenger seat. Signals from such
devices may interfere with the BabySmart
TM
system. Such signal interference may cause
the 56 indicator lamp (
page 80)
not to come on during self-test or be contin-
uously lit, indicating that the system is not
functioning.
Warning!G
Children too big for ch ild restraint systems
must ride in seats usin g regular seat belts.
Position shoulder belt across chest and
shoulder, not face or neck.
A booster seat may be necessary to achieve
proper seat belt positioning for children
from 41 lbs until they reach a height where
a lap/shoulder belt fits properly without a
booster.
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110 Controls in detail
Seats
Rear seatsHead restraint height
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended for
the size and weight of the child. For addi-
tional information, see “Children in the vehi-
cle” (
page 77).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is no t properly secured in
the child restraint.
Warning!G
Always lock seat backrest in its upright
position when rear seat bench is occupied
by passengers, or cargo is being carried
behind the rear seat bench.
To help avoid personal injury from smaller
objects flying in the occupant area during a
collision or sudden maneuver, always use
partition net when transporting cargo
(
page 210).
Warning!G
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints installed when the rear seat
bench is occupied. 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.
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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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206 Controls in detail
Loading
Roof rack
This vehicle is not intended to carry items
on its roof. Thus roof rails and any
roof-mounted devices must not be used.Expanding cargo compartment
To expand the cargo compartment, you
can fold forward the left and right section

of the rear seat backrest

of the rear seat bench
separately.
For more information, see “Split rear seat
bench” (
page 206).
Split rear seat bench
Warning!G
Do not load items on the roof. It may cause
instability during some maneuvers which
could result in an accident.
Warning!G
Always lock seat backrest in its upright
position when rear seat bench is occupied
by passengers, or cargo is being carried
behind the rear seat bench.
To help avoid personal injury from smaller
objects being thrown around in the occu-
pant compartment during a collision or
sudden maneuver, always use partition net*
when transporting cargo (
page 210).
Always use the cargo tie down rings
(
page 209).
Warning!G
Failure to assure that seat benches and seat
backrests are locked into place could result
in an increased chance of injury in an acci-
dent.
Never place hands under seat or near any
moving parts while a seat is being adjusted.
For safety reasons, the rear seat bench
must only be adjusted when the vehicle is
stationary.
Never drive vehicle with the tailgate open.
Deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gases may
enter vehicle interior resulting in uncon-
sciousness and death.
!Before folding the rear seat backrest and
the rear seat bench forward, be sure that all
containers in the rear cup holder are removed.
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208 Controls in detail
Loading
Loading instructions
Load distribution
The gross vehicle weight which is the
weight of the vehicle including fuel, tools,
spare wheel, installed accessories, pas-
sengers and luggage/cargo must never
exceed the load limit and Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR) for your vehicle as
specified on the certification label located
on the driver’s door B-pillar (
page 410).
In addition, the load must be distributed in
such a way so that the weight on each axle
never exceeds the Gross Axle Weight
Rating (GAWR) for the front and rear axle.
The GVWR and GAWR for your vehicle are
indicated on the certification label which
can be found on the driver’s door B-pillar
(
page 410).
For more information, see “Tire and Load-
ing Information” (
page 281).
Warning!G
Always fasten items being carried as
securely as possible using cargo tie-down
rings and fastening materials appropriate
for the weight and size of the load.
In an accident, during hard braking or
sudden maneuvers, loose items will be
thrown around inside the vehicle, and can
cause injury to vehicl e occupants unless the
items are securely fastened in the vehicle.
To help avoid person al injury during a
collision or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when transporting cargo. Put luggage or
cargo in the cargo compartment if possible.
Do not pile luggage or cargo higher than the
seat backrests.
Never drive vehicle with the tailgate open.
Deadly carbon monoxide (CO) gases may
enter vehicle interior resulting in uncon-
sciousness and death.
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209
Controls in detail
Loading
The handling characteristics of a fully
loaded vehicle depend greatly on the load
distribution. It is therefore recommended
to load the vehicle according to the illustra-
tions shown, with the heaviest items being
placed towards the front of the vehicle.
Please pay attention to and comply with
the following instructions when loading the
vehicle and transporting cargo:

Always place items being carried
against front or rear seat backrests,
and fasten them as securely as
possible.

The heaviest portion of the cargo
should always be kept as low as possi-
ble against front or rear seat backrests.

Always pad off sharp edges.
For additional safety when transporting
cargo while the rear seats are unoccupied,
fasten the outer seat belts crosswise into
the opposite side buckles.
Cargo tie-down rings
iThe cargo compartment is the preferred
place to carry objects. The expanded cargo com-
partment (
page 206) should only be used for
items which do not fit in the cargo compartment
alone.
Warning!G
While the partition net* (page 210) will
help protect you from smaller objects, it
cannot prevent the movement of large,
heavier objects into the passenger compart-
ment in an accident.
Such items must be properly secured using
the cargo tie-down rings in the cargo com-
partment floor.
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