2008 MERCEDES-BENZ GL550 side window

Contents
Introduction.......................................... 9
Product information ................................ 9
Operator’s Manual ............................... 10
Service and warranty information .. 10
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 11
Maintenance .................................. 12
Roadside Assistance ...................... 12
Change of address or ownership.... 13
Operating your vehicle
outside the USA or Canada ............ 13
Where to find it .................................... 15
Symbols ............................................... 16
Operating safety .................................. 17
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 17
Problems with your vehicle .................. 18
Reporting safety defects...................... 19
Reporting safety defects ................ 19
Vehicle data recording ......................... 20
Information regarding electronic
recording devices ........................... 20At a glance.......................................... 21
Exterior view ......................................... 22
Cockpit ................................................. 24
Instrument cluster ................................ 26
Instrument cluster ................................ 28
Multifunction steering wheel ................ 30
Center console ..................................... 31
Upper part (Vehicles without
enhanced off-road package*) ......... 31
Upper part (Vehicles with
enhanced off-road package*) ......... 32
Lower part ...................................... 33
Overhead control panel ........................ 34
Door control panel................................ 35
Storage compartments ......................... 36Getting started................................... 39
Unlocking ............................................. 40
Unlocking with the SmartKey ......... 40
Unlocking with KEYLESS-GO*......... 41
Starter switch positions .................. 41
Adjusting .............................................. 45
Seats .............................................. 45
Steering wheel ................................ 48
Mirrors ............................................ 51
Driving .................................................. 53
Fastening the seat belts ................. 53
Starting the engine ......................... 56
Parking brake ................................. 59
Driving off ....................................... 60
Switching on headlamps ................. 61
Turn signals .................................... 62
Windshield wipers ........................... 62
Rear window wiper/washer ............ 64
Problems while driving.................... 65
Parking and locking .............................. 67
Parking brake ................................. 67
Switching off headlamps................. 68
Turning off the engine..................... 68
Releasing seat belts........................ 70
Locking ........................................... 70
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Contents
Safety and Security........................... 73
Occupant safety................................... 74
Air bags .......................................... 76
Occupant Classification System ..... 81
Seat belts ....................................... 86
Active head restraint ...................... 90
Rear head restraints ....................... 91
Children in the vehicle .................... 91
Blocking of rear door
window operation ........................... 98
Panic alarm ........................................ 100
Activating ..................................... 100
Deactivating ................................. 100
Driving safety systems ....................... 101
ABS .............................................. 101
BAS .............................................. 103
ESP
®............................................. 103
EBP............................................... 107
4-ETS ............................................ 107
Anti-theft systems.............................. 109
Immobilizer................................... 109
Anti-theft alarm system ................ 109
Controls in detail............................. 111
Locking and unlocking ....................... 112
SmartKey ..................................... 112
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 115
Checking the batteries in the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* .............................. 120
Loss of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 120
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................. 120
Tailgate/Power tailgate*.............. 121
Automatic central locking ............ 128
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 128
Seats ................................................. 130
Easy-entry/exit feature for
third-row seats ............................. 130
Front seat active head restraints . 133
Rear seats .................................... 133
Lumbar support............................ 137
Multicontour seat* ....................... 138
Seat heating* ............................... 138
Seat ventilation* .......................... 140Memory function* ............................. 141
Storing positions into memory ..... 142
Recalling positions from memory. 142
Lighting ............................................. 143
Exterior lamp switch .................... 143
Combination switch ..................... 147
Corner-illuminating
front fog lamps*........................... 147
Hazard warning flasher ................ 149
Interior lighting ............................ 149
Door entry lamps ......................... 151
Cargo compartment lamp ............ 151
Instrument cluster ............................. 152
Adjusting instrument
cluster illumination ...................... 153
Resetting trip odometer ............... 153
Tachometer.................................. 153
Outside temperature indicator ..... 153
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Contents
Control system .................................. 155
Multifunction display .................... 155
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 156
Menus .......................................... 158
Standard display menu ................ 162
AUDIO menu ................................ 164
NAV* menu .................................. 166
Off-road menu .............................. 166
DISTRONIC* menu
(Canada only) ............................... 167
Vehicle status message
memory menu .............................. 167
Settings menu .............................. 168
Vehicle configuration ................... 182
Trip computer menu..................... 184
TEL* menu ................................... 186
Automatic transmission ..................... 189
Gear selector lever ....................... 189
Shifting procedure ....................... 192
Transmission positions................. 192
Driving tips ................................... 195
Gear ranges ................................. 197
Steering wheel gearshift control .. 198
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 200Transfer case ...................................... 201
LOW RANGE mode* ...................... 201
Differential locks* .............................. 204
A few words about differentials
and differential locks* .................. 204
Switching differential locks* ......... 205
Good visibility ..................................... 208
Headlamp cleaning system* ......... 208
Rear view mirrors .......................... 208
Power folding exterior
rear view mirrors* ......................... 209
Sun visors ..................................... 210
Rear panorama roof sunshade ...... 212
Rear window defroster .................. 212
Climate control ................................... 214
Deactivating the
climate control system ................. 218
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode............ 218
Setting the temperature................ 219
Adjusting air distribution............... 219
Adjusting air volume ..................... 220
Air vents in the roof liner
over the second-row seats* .......... 220
Front defroster.............................. 221
Air recirculation mode .................. 222Air conditioning ............................ 224
Residual heat and ventilation........ 225
Rear climate control* ................... 226
3-zone automatic climate control* ..... 228
Deactivating the automatic
climate control system ................. 232
Operating the automatic
climate control system
in automatic mode ........................ 233
Setting the temperature ............... 234
Adjusting air distribution .............. 234
Adjusting air volume ..................... 235
Front defroster ............................. 235
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 237
Air recirculation mode .................. 237
Air conditioning ............................ 239
Using driver-side settings
for all temperature zones.............. 240
Residual heat and ventilation........ 241
Rear automatic climate control..... 241
Power windows .................................. 246
Door windows ............................... 247
Hinged quarter windows* ............. 248
Synchronizing the door windows .. 249
Summer opening feature .............. 249
Convenience closing feature......... 250
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29 At a glance
Instrument cluster
ItemPage
8Multifunction display with:

Trip odometer153

Main odometer155
9Tachometer with:
442
qPreglow indicator
lamp1
1Vehicles with Diesel engine only.
57
1Supplemental
Restraint System
(SRS) indicator lamp74,
446
?Engine malfunction
indicator lamp,
USA only439
±Engine malfunction
indicator lamp,
Canada only439
AHigh beam headlamp
indicator61,
147
ItemPage
aFuel gauge with:
Fuel tank reserve warning
lamp446
4Fuel filler flap indica-
tor: The fuel filler flap
is located on the rear
right-hand side.374
bMultifunction display
with:

Outside temperature
indicator or digital speed-
ometer (depending on
selected setting in the
control system)155,
173

Transmission position
indicator192

Gear range indicator197
ItemPage

Distance warning func-
tion* indicator
(Canada only)183

LOW RANGE mode*
indicator202

Downhill Speed Regula-
tion (DSR) indicator275

Off-road driving program
indicator278

Rear window wiper
indicator64

Set speed for

Cruise control

Distronic*
(Canada only)
257
266
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31 At a glance
Center console
Center console
Upper part (Vehicles without enhanced
off-road package*)ItemPage
1COMAND system, see sepa-
rate operating instructions
2Climate control214
3-zone automatic climate
control*228
Rear window defroster212
3Seat heating*,
front passenger side138
4Seat ventilation*,
front passenger side140
5Parktronic system*
deactivation switch291
6Vehicle level control switch281
7Front passenger front air
bag off indicator lamp85,
447,
448
ItemPage
8Storage compartment317
9Alarm system indicator
lamp110
aElectronic Stability Program
(ESP®) switch
105
bAdaptive damping system
(ADS)* switch (USA only)278
cSeat ventilation*,
driver’s side140
dSeat heating*, driver’s side138
eSwitch for Downhill Speed
Regulation (DSR)274
fHazard warning flasher149
gSwitch for Off-road driving
program278
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32 At a glance
Center console
Upper part (Vehicles with enhanced
off-road package*)ItemPage
1COMAND system, see sepa-
rate operating instructions
2Climate control214
3-zone automatic climate
control*228
Rear window defroster212
3Seat heating*,
front passenger side138
4Seat ventilation*,
front passenger side140
5Rotary switch for differential
locks*205
6Switch for LOW RANGE
mode*202
7Switch for Downhill Speed
Regulation (DSR)274
8Rotary switch for vehicle
level control283
ItemPage
9Alarm system indicator
lamp110
aSeat ventilation*,
driver’s side140
bSeat heating*, driver’s side138
cAdaptive damping system
(ADS)* switch278
dElectronic Stability Program
(ESP®) switch
105
eParktronic system*
deactivation switch291
fHazard warning flasher149
gFront passenger front air
bag off indicator lamp85,
447,
448
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35 At a glance
Door control panel
Door control panel
ItemPage
1Inside door handle120
2Central unlocking switch
Central locking switch129
129
3Exterior rear view mirror
adjustment51
4Selection buttons for exteri-
or rear view mirror adjust-
ment
Power-folding exterior rear
view mirrors*51
209
5Switches for opening/clos-
ing front and rear door
windows246
6Rear door window override
switch98
7Hinged quarter window
switch*248
8Remote tailgate release
switch, power tailgate*124
123
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76 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Air bags
Warning!G
Air bags are designed to reduce the poten-
tial of injury and fatality in certain frontal
impacts (front air bags), side impacts (side
impact air bags and window curtain air bags)
or rollovers (window curtain air bags).
However, no system available today can
completely eliminate injuries and fatalities.
The deployment of the air bags temporarily
releases a small amount of dust from the air
bags. This dust, however, is neither injurious
to your health, nor does it indicate a fire in
the vehicle. The dust might cause some tem-
porary breathing difficulty for people with
asthma or other breathing trouble. To avoid
this, you may wish to get out of the vehicle
as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any
breathing difficulty but cannot get out of the
vehicle after the air bag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or door.
Warning!G
To reduce the risk of injury when the front
air bags inflate, it is very important for the
driver and front passenger to always be in a
properly seated position and to wear their
respective seat belt.
For maximum protection in the event of a
collision always be in normal seated position
with your back against the seat backrest.
Fasten your seat belt and make sure it is
properly positioned on your body
(
page 53).
Since the air bag inflates with considerable
speed and force, a proper seating and hands
on steering wheel position will help to keep
you at a safe distance from the air bag.
Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the air bag can be seriously
injured or killed by an air bag as it inflates
with great force in the blink of an eye:

Sit properly belted in a position that is as
upright as possible with your back
against the seat backrest.

Adjust the driver’s seat as far as possi-
ble rearward, still permitting proper op-
eration of vehicle controls. The distance
from the center of the driver’s breast-
bone to the center of the air bag cover
on the steering wheel must be at least
10 inches (25 cm) or more. You should
be able to accomplish this by a combina-
tion of adjustments to the seat and
steering wheel. If you have any
problems, please see an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.

Do not lean your head or chest close to
the steering wheel or dashboard.

Keep hands on the outside of steering
wheel rim. Placing hands and arms in-
side the rim can increase the risk and
potential severity of hand/arm injury
when driver’s front air bag inflates.

Adjust the front passenger seat as far as
possible rearward from the dashboard
when the seat is occupied.
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