2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML SUV ECU

Loading and stowing
194
Securing hooks There are two securing hooks on each side of
the luggage compartment. 1
Securing hooks
Only secure lightweight luggage items (max-
imum 4 kg) on the mounting hooks. Enlarging the luggage compartment
The left-hand and right-hand rear seats can
be folded down to increase the luggage com-
partment capacity. G
Risk of injury
Do not carry heavy or hard objects inside
the vehicle or in the luggage compartment
unless they are secured.
Otherwise, you and other vehicle occu-
pants could be injured by objects being
thrown around the vehicle in the event of
sharp braking, a sudden change in direction
or an accident.
When using the luggage compartment
enlargement feature, you must always fully
fold down the respective backrests and
attach the safety net. G
Risk of poisoning
Always drive with the tailgate closed.
Exhaust fumes could otherwise enter the
vehicle interior.
Folding the rear bench seat forwards G
Risk of accident and injury
Do not fold the backrest onto the folded-
down seat cushions. If the seat cushions are folded down, luggage can be thrown
over the backrest into the passenger com-
partment during, for instance, heavy brak-
ing, sudden changes of direction or in the
event of an accident. You could cause an
accident or cause injury to yourself and
others.
1
Seat cushion release loop
2 Seat cushion
! When the rear bench seat is folded for-
wards, the front seats cannot be moved to
their rearmost position, as otherwise, the
seats and the rear seat bench could be
damaged.
i If the driver's or front-passenger seat has
been adjusted for a tall person, it may be Controls
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Loading and stowing
196
Removing the seat cushions* You can achieve a larger loading area by
removing the rear bench seat cushions.
X Make sure that the seat cushions are folded
forward (Y page 194). 1
Release catch
2 Connector for seat heating
! On vehicles with rear seat heating*, the
electrical contact on the bottom of the
cushion must be disconnected before
removing the seat cushion.
X Press the connection together on the upper
part of the lengthways side and pull out
seat heating connector 2from the seat
cushion. i
When refitting the seat cushion, join the
connections for the seat heating, making
sure the connector engages.
X Pull seat cushion release catch 1and
remove the seat cushion upwards.
! Leave the seat cushion hinge in this posi-
tion. If you fold it back, you could damage
the upholstery. X
Fold backrest forward (Y page 195). Luggage compartment cover and
safety net*
Luggage compartment cover* G
Risk of accident and injury
The luggage compartment cover is not a
restraint system. Secure the load under the
luggage compartment cover by suitable
means. Make sure that the luggage com-
partment cover is engaged securely. If lug-
gage is not sufficiently secured, it can be
thrown over the backrest into the
passenger compartment during, for
instance, heavy braking, sudden changes of
direction or in the event of an accident. You
could cause an accident or cause injury to
yourself and others.
The luggage compartment cover is located
behind the rear bench seat backrest.
! When loading the vehicle, make sure that
you do not stack the load in the luggage
compartment higher than the lower edge of
the side windows. Do not place heavy
objects on top of the luggage compartment
cover. Controls
* optional
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Loading and stowing
197
Rolling up the luggage compartment
cover
1
Luggage compartment cover
X Unhook luggage compartment cover 1
from its connections on the left and right.
X Guide luggage compartment cover 1
slowly backwards as far as it will go. Fitting/removing the luggage compart-
ment cover 1
Button
2 Luggage compartment cover
X To remove: roll up luggage compartment
cover 2.
X Push the right-hand side section to the left
until it engages.
X Remove luggage compartment cover 2.
X To fit: with the handle of the luggage com-
partment enlargement pointing to the rear
and button 1facing upwards on the left-
hand side, insert luggage compartment
cover 2into the recess of the side trim. X
Guide luggage compartment cover 2in
front of the recess on the right.
X Press button 1and insert the right-hand
side section into the recess of the side trim.
Safety net G
Risk of injury
You must make sure that the safety net is
correctly secured at the top and bottom.
Do not use a damaged safety net.
The safety net cannot restrain heavy loads.
For this reason, you should always secure
the load.
Otherwise, objects that have not been
secured sufficiently might be thrown
around if you brake suddenly, change direc-
tion suddenly or are involved in an accident,
and could cause you an injury.
You can use the safety net in two different
positions: Controls
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Loading and stowing
199
Releasing the safety net
Seat belt reel holder behind the front seats
1
Belt adjuster
2 Belt hook
3 Lashing eyelet
X Pull belt adjuster 1upwards in the direc-
tion of the arrow to reduce the tension on
the tensioning strap.
X Unhook belt hook 2from lashing eyelet
3.
Detaching and storing the safety net
X Unhook guide rod 2from holder
1 (Ypage 198).
X Press the red button on the upper and lower
guide rods. X
Fold the safety net and roll it up.
X Close the two Velcro fasteners on the
safety net holder. EASY-PACK load-securing kit*
The EASY-PACK load-securing kit supplied
with the accessories enables the luggage
compartment to be used in various ways. You
can keep the load-securing kit in the bag sup-
plied and store it together with the telescopic
rod under the luggage compartment floor. 1
Loading rails Inserting the mounting elements into
the loading rail
1
Loading rail
2 Mounting element
You can slide mounting element 2in loading
rail 1to various detents and secure it. These
detents are marked and positioned at 5-cm
intervals along loading rail 1.
You can turn mounting element 2of loading
rail 1to four positions:
‹ To lock the mounting element
N To release the lashing eyelet, the belt
reel or the telescopic rod
L To remove the mounting element
S To push the mounting element to the
next detent Controls
* optional
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Loading and stowing
200
X
Turn mounting element 2toL.
X Insert mounting element 2into loading
rail 1.
X Turn mounting element 2to‹ until
you feel it clearly engage in loading rail
1.
Inserting the lashing eyelet into the
mounting element 1
Lashing eyelet
2 Mounting element G
Risk of injury
Spread the load evenly between the lashing
eyelets. Observe the loading guidelines. X
Turn mounting element 2in the loading
rail to N.
X Insert lashing eyelet 1into mounting ele-
ment 2.
X Turn mounting element 2to‹ until
you feel it clearly engage in the loading rail.
Belt reel 1
Locking button
2 Mounting element
3 Belt reel
i The belt reel can be used to secure light
loads against the side wall of the luggage
compartment to prevent them from moving
around. X
Insert two mounting elements 2into a
loading rail.
X Turn mounting elements 2in the loading
rail to N.
X Insert belt reel 3into mounting ele-
ments 2.
X Turn mounting element 2to‹ until
you feel it clearly engage in the loading rail.
X Press locking button 1on the belt reel and
pull the safety net out in the direction of the
arrow.
X Place the load between the securing net
and the luggage compartment side wall.
X Press locking button 1on belt reel 3with
one hand.
X With your other hand, slowly extend the net
around the load until it is secure. Controls
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Loading and stowing
201
Telescopic rod
1
Telescopic rod
2 Mounting element
i The telescopic rod can be used to secure
the load against the rear seats to prevent it
from moving around.
X Insert one mounting element 2into each
loading rail.
X Turn mounting elements 2in the loading
rail to N.
X Insert telescopic rod 1into mounting ele-
ments 2.
X Turn mounting element 2to‹ until
you feel it clearly engage in loading rail. Stowage compartments
G
Risk of injury
The stowage compartments must be closed
when items are stored in them. Luggage
nets are not designed to secure heavy
items of luggage.
You or other vehicle occupants could be
injured by objects being thrown around if
you:
R brake sharply
R change direction suddenly
R are involved in an accident
Sharp-edged and fragile objects must not
be placed in the luggage net.
i You will find an overview of the stowage
compartments on (Y page 36).
Glove compartment i
Depending on the vehicle's equipment,
there is an AUX-IN connection installed in
the glove compartment, or a Media Inter-
face*, which is a universal interface for
portable audio equipment, e.g. for an iPod
or USB device. 1
Handle
2 Cover
The glove compartment can be locked and
unlocked using the emergency key element
(Y page 308).
X To open: pull handle 1in the direction of
the arrow and fold down cover 2.
X To close: fold cover 2upwards until it
engages. Controls
* optional
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Features
213
X
Use æ orç on the multi-function
steering wheel to select the Vehiclesub-
menu.
X Keep pressing jork until the Com-
pass setting Zone message appears.
The selection marker highlights the current
setting. X
Use æ orç to set the geographical
location.
Calibrating the compass You will only see this function if Audio 20 is
installed in your vehicle.
In order to calibrate the compass correctly,
observe the following points:
R find a suitable place where you can drive
the vehicle a full circle.
R calibrate the compass in the open and not
in the vicinity of steel constructions or high-
voltage transmission lines. R
switch off electric consumers, e.g.
Thermati c/multi-zone Thermotronic*,
windscreen wipers or rear window heating.
R close all doors and the tailgate.
X Start the engine.
X Use æ orç on the multi-function
steering wheel to select the Vehiclesub-
menu.
X Keep pressing jork until the Com-
pass calibration message appears.
The selection marker highlights switched
off . X
Use æ orç to select Start.
In the multi-function display, you will see
the Compass calibration active
Please drive a full circle message.
X Drive the vehicle a full circle at approxi-
mately 5 – 10 km/h.
When calibration is completed, you will see
the following message in the multi-function display:
Compass calibration Comple-
ted successfully
If you do not see the Compass calibration
Completed successfully message in the
multi-function display, drive another full cir-
cle. If calibration is not successful within
three minutes of it starting, the Compass
calibration message will appear in the
multi-function display again. This means that
compass calibration is impossible because of
external interference. Repeat calibration at
another location. Floormat* on the driver's side
G
Risk of accident
Make sure that there is sufficient clearance
around the pedals when floormats are
used, and that the floormats are properly
secured.
The floormats must be secured at all times
using retainers and studs.
Before you drive off, make sure that the
floormats are secure and rectify if neces-
sary. A floormat which is not properly
secured can slip and thereby interfere with
the movement of the pedals. Controls
* optional
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Off-road driving
236
R
Check that items of luggage and loads are
stowed safely and are well secured
(Y page 193).
R Always keep the engine running and in gear
when driving on a downhill gradient. Acti-
vate DSR.
R Drive slowly and evenly, if necessary at a
walking pace.
R Ensure that the wheels are in contact with
the ground at all times.
R Drive with extreme care on unknown off-
road routes where visibility is poor. For
safety reasons, get out of the vehicle first
and survey the off-road route.
R Check the depth of water before fording
rivers and streams.
R Look out for obstacles such as rocks, holes,
tree stumps and furrows.
R Always keep the side windows and the slid-
ing /tilting sunroof* closed during the jour-
ney.
R Do not stray from marked routes or paths.
i Information about retrofitting special all-
terrain tyres is available from any
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre. Checklist before driving off-road X
Engine oil level: check the engine oil and
top it up if necessary.
X Vehicle toolkit: check that the jack is
working and make sure you have the wheel-
brace, a robust tow cable and a folding
spade in the vehicle.
X Wheels and tyres: check the tyre tread
depth and tyre pressure.
X Check for damage and remove foreign
objects, e.g. small stones, from the
wheels/tyres.
X Replace any missing valve caps.
X Replace dented or damaged wheels.
Checklist after driving off-road Driving over rough terrain places greater
demands on your vehicle than driving on nor-
mal roads. After driving off-road, check the
vehicle. This allows you to detect damage
promptly and reduce the risk of an accident
to yourself and other road users.
X
Deactivate the LOW RANGE* off-road gear
(Y page 141).
X Deactivate DSR (Y page 139).
X Set the differential lock setting to AUTO on
the selector wheel (Y page 143). X
Lower the vehicle level* again to a level
suitable to the road conditions, e.g. to the
highway/high-speed level.*
X Clean the headlamps and rear lights and
check for damage.
X Clean the front and rear licence plates.
X Clean the wheels/tyres with a water jet and
remove any foreign objects.
X Clean the wheels, wheel arches and the
vehicle underside with a water jet; check
for foreign objects and damage.
X Check whether twigs or other parts of
plants have become trapped. These
increase the risk of fire and can damage
fuel pipes, brake hoses or the rubber bel-
lows of the axle joints and propeller shafts.
X After the trip, examine without fail the
entire undercarriage, wheels, tyres, brakes,
bodywork structure, steering, chassis and
exhaust system for damage.
X After driving for extended periods across
sand, mud, gravel, water or in similarly dirty
conditions, have the brake discs, wheels,
brake pads /linings and axle joints checked
and cleaned.
X If you detect strong vibrations after off-road
travel, check for foreign objects in the
wheels and drive train and remove them if Operation
* optional
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