2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML SUV brake light

Driving and pa
rking 104
The KEYLESS GO button can be used to start
the vehicle without inserting the key in the
ignition lock. 1
KEYLESS GO button
X Depress the brake pedal.
The selector lever lock is released.
X Petrol engine: press KEYLESS GO button
1 once.
The engine starts automatically.
X Diesel engine: press KEYLESS GO button
1 once.
Preglow is activated and the engine starts
automatically.
i You can start the engine without preglow
if the engine is warm: X
Press and hold KEYLESS GO button
1 until the engine is running. Pulling away
! Warm up the engine quickly. Do not use
the engine's full performance until it has
reached operating temperature.
Only shift into reverse gear when the vehi-
cle is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads. You could otherwise damage the
drive train.
! AMG vehicles: at low engine tempera-
tures (below +20 °C), the maximum engine
speed is limited in order to protect the
engine. Avoid driving at full throttle when
the engine is cold in order to protect the
engine and maintain smooth engine oper-
ation.
i The vehicle locks centrally once you have
pulled away. The locking knobs in the doors
drop down.
You can open the doors from the inside at
any time. You can also deactivate the automatic lock-
ing feature (Y page 132).
i It is only possible to move the selector
lever to the desired position if you depress
the brake pedal. Only then is the selector
lever lock released.
X Depress the brake pedal and hold it down.
X Pull the parking brake release handle to
release the parking brake.
X Move the selector lever to position Dor R.
i Wait until the shift process is completed
before pulling away.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Carefully depress the accelerator pedal.
i Upshifts take place at higher engine
speeds after a cold start. This helps the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature more quickly. Controls
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Driving and pa
rking 105Hill start assist
Hill start assist helps you when pulling away
on uphill gradients of more than 5°. G
Risk of accident
Hill start assist is not a parking brake. It
does not prevent the vehicle from rolling
away.
When parking, always depress the parking
brake and set the automatic transmission
to P.
X To pull away on an uphill slope, release the
brake and depress the accelerator pedal.
The hill start assist continues to hold the
braking pressure for up to one second. This
allows you to pull away evenly without the
vehicle rolling back.
i The brake pedal remains in the depressed
position until the hill start assist releases
the braking pressure.
Hill start assist will not function if:
R you are pulling away on a downhill gradient
R the automatic transmission is in neutral N
R the parking brake is applied
R ESP ®
is deactivated due to a malfunction Parking
G
Risk of accident
Only remove the key from the ignition lock
when the vehicle is stationary as you can-
not steer the vehicle with the key removed.
Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. They could release the parking
brake. This could lead to a serious or fatal
accident. G
Risk of fire
Make sure that the exhaust system does
not under any circumstances come into
contact with easily ignitable material such
as dry grass or petrol. The material could
otherwise ignite and set the vehicle on fire. Parking brake 1
Release handle
2 Parking brake
X To apply: depress parking brake 2firmly.
The 3 warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up if the engine is running.
i On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the kerb.
X To release: depress the brake pedal and
keep it depressed.
The selector lever lock is released.
X Pull release handle 1.
The 3 warning lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out. Controls
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Transmission
106 Switching off the engine
G
Risk of accident
If the engine is not running, there is no
power assistance for the steering and
brakes. Steering and braking then takes
much more effort.
As a result, you might lose control of the
vehicle, cause an accident and injure your-
self and others.
Do not switch off the engine while driving.
X Move the selector lever to P.
Using the key
X Turn the key to position 0(Y page 75) in
the ignition lock and remove it.
The immobiliser is activated.
i If you switch off the engine using the key
and then remove the key or open one of the
front doors, the automatic transmission will
shift to park position P. Using KEYLESS GO*
X
Press and hold the KEYLESS GO button
(Y page 75).
The engine stops and all the indicator
lamps in the instrument cluster go out
(Y page 26).
i If you use the KEYLESS GO button to
switch off the engine, the automatic trans-
mission shifts to N. If you then open the
driver's or front-passenger door, the auto-
matic transmission shifts to P. Transmission
Notes on the transmission
G
Risk of accident
The movement of the pedals must not be
impaired in any way. Do not keep any
objects in the driver's footwell. Make sure
that floormats or carpets are correctly
secured and that there is sufficient clear-
ance for the pedals. G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This
could cause the drive wheels to lose their
grip and the vehicle could skid. This could
cause you to lose control of your vehicle
and cause an accident. Controls
* optional
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Transmission
107Automatic transmission
! Warm up the engine quickly. Do not use
the engine's full performance until it has
reached operating temperature.
Only shift the automatic transmission to R
or Pwhen the vehicle is stationary.
Where possible, avoid spinning the drive
wheels when pulling away on slippery
roads. You could otherwise damage the
drive train.
The DIRECT SELECT selector lever is on the
right of the steering column. Gearshift pattern
P
Park position with selector lever lock
N To select neutral
R To select reverse gear
D To select drive i
The DIRECT SELECT selector lever always
returns to its original position. The current
transmission position P,N, R, or Dappears
in the transmission position display
(Y page 108).
Shifting to neutral N X
Push the DIRECT SELECT selector lever up
or down to the first point of resistance.
Engaging reverse gear R X
Push the DIRECT SELECT selector lever up
past the first point of resistance.
Shifting to transmission position D X
Push the DIRECT SELECT selector lever
down past the first point of resistance.
Engaging park position P X
Push the DIRECT SELECT selector lever in
the direction of the arrow P.
i Depress the brake and push the DIRECT
SELECT selector lever up or down to disen-
gage park position.
If you want to switch from the park position
directly to reverse gear, depress the brake and push the DIRECT SELECT selector lever
up past the first point of resistance.
If you want to switch from the park position
directly to the transmission position,
depress the brake and push the DIRECT
SELECT selector lever down past the first
point of resistance.
! If the engine speed is too high, do not shift
the automatic transmission directly from
D to R, from Rto Dor directly to P. The
automatic transmission could otherwise be
damaged.
Changing gears The automatic transmission shifts into indi-
vidual gears automatically. This automatic
gearshifting behaviour is determined by:
R
the transmission position D(Y page 108)
with shift ranges 6,5,4,3,2and
1 (Y page 108)
R the selected drive program
(S/M)* (Ypage 111), on the ML 63 AMG
(C/S/M) (Ypage 112)
R the position of the accelerator pedal
(Y page 109)
R the road speed Controls
* optional
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Transmission
112
X
Depress the accelerator pedal beyond the
pressure point.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear
depending on the engine speed.
X Shift back up once the desired speed is
reached.
i If you apply full throttle, the automatic
transmission shifts up to the next gear
when the maximum engine speed is
reached. This prevents the engine from
overrevving.
i If you brake or bring the vehicle to a halt,
the automatic transmission shifts down to
a gear in which you can accelerate or pull
away most easily. Gearshift program (only ML 63 AMG)
You can choose between gearshift programs
C, Sand M. The program selector button is located on the
centre console. 1
Program selector button C
Comfort For comfort mode
S
Sport For all normal driving con-
ditions
M
Manual For manual gearshifting The selected gearshift program is shown in
the multi-function display.
1
Current gearshift program
X To activate:
Press the program selector button repeat-
edly until Mappears in the display.
The automatic transmission changes to
manual gearshift program M. Automatic
gearshifting is deactivated.
If you have selected drive position D, you can
activate the manual gearshift program and
shift up or down through the individual gears.
The gear currently selected and engaged is
shown in the display.
i In manual gearshift program M, the auto-
matic transmission does not shift down
automatically, even if kickdown is used. Controls
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Off-road driving
138
X
Press the èor· button to select the
Telephone menu.
X Press the sbutton to call up the most
recently dialled number in the redial mem-
ory.
X Press the jork button to select the
desired name or number.
X Press the sbutton to start dialling. Off-road driving
Overview of off-road driving systems
The systems which are relevant for off-road
driving are explained on the following pages:
R 4MATIC (permanent four-wheel drive), for
optimum traction
R DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation), which
assists you when driving downhill
R Off-road drive program, which assists you
when driving off-road
R LOW RANGE* off-road gear for better trac-
tion off-road
R Differential locks for increased traction off-
road
You will find further information about driving
off-road in the "Operation" section
(Y page 235). 4MATIC (permanent four-wheel drive)
4MATIC ensures that all four wheels are per-
manently driven. Together with ESP ®
and
4ETS, it improves the traction of your vehicle
whenever a drive wheel spins due to insuffi-
cient grip. G
Risk of accident
4MATIC cannot reduce the risk of an acci-
dent if you drive too fast.
If a drive wheel spins due to insufficient
grip:
R Only depress the accelerator pedal as far
as necessary when pulling away.
R Accelerate less when driving.
R Adapt your driving style to suit road and
traffic conditions.
i In wintry driving conditions, the maximum
effect of 4MATIC can only be achieved if
you use winter tyres (M+S tyres), with snow
chains if necessary.
! When testing the parking brake, operate
the vehicle only briefly (for a maximum of
ten seconds) on a brake dynamometer.
When doing this, turn the key to position
0 or 1in the ignition. Failure to do this can Controls
* optional
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Off-road driving
139
cause damage to the drive train or the
brake system.
! A function or performance test should
only be carried out on a twin-axle dyna-
mometer. If you wish to operate the vehicle
on such a dynamometer, please consult a
Mercedes-Benz Service Centre in advance.
You could otherwise damage the drive train
or the brake system. DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation)
You will find information about driving off-
road in the "Operation" section
(Y page 235).
DSR is an aid to assist you when driving down-
hill. It keeps the speed of travel at the speed
set on the on-board computer (Y page 134).
The steeper the downhill gradient, the greater
the DSR braking effect on the vehicle. When
driving on flat stretches of road or on an uphill
gradient, the DSR braking effect is minimal or
non-existent. G
Risk of accident
DSR is only an aid designed to assist you
when driving downhill. You are responsible
for keeping control of the vehicle and for assessing whether the downhill gradient
can be managed.
When activating DSR the vehicle may brake
suddenly due to DSR intervening. This is
dependent on the downhill gradient and the
difference between the current speed and
the speed set. DSR may not always be able
to keep to the set speed, depending on road
surface and tyre conditions. You could lose
control of the vehicle and cause an acci-
dent.
Select a set speed suitable for the prevail-
ing conditions and when necessary, apply
the brakes manually.
DSR controls the vehicle's speed when
DIRECT SELECT selector lever positions D,
R and Nare selected. You can drive at a
higher or a lower speed than that set on the
on-board computer at any time by braking or
accelerating. G
Risk of accident
If you depress the accelerator pedal with
DSR activated, then the set speed can be
exceeded. Drive downhill with special care
and always keep in mind that DSR brakes
the vehicle as soon as you remove your foot
from the accelerator pedal. The vehicle may
be heavily braked by DSR depending on the gradient and the difference between the
vehicle's road speed and the set speed. You
could lose control of the vehicle and cause
an accident.
The speed is set to 6 km/h at the factory.
Activating/deactivating DSR Activating
You can only activate DSR when driving at a
speeds below 30 km/h.
Vehicle with AIRMATIC package*
1
To activate/deactivate DSR
2 Indicator lamp
X Press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2lights up. Controls
* optional
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Off-road driving
143
X
Move the DIRECT SELECT selector
lever to Nto carry out the gear change
process.
R Shifting process cancelled Reacti-
vate
The gear change process was not carried
out.
XMaintain all gear change conditions
and carry out the gear change process
again.
R Stop vehicle. Apply parking brake
An acoustic warning will also sound. The
gear change process has not been comple-
ted. LOW RANGE is in the neutral position.
There is no connection between the engine
and the drive wheels.
! Do not drive any further, otherwise you
could damage the vehicle's drive train. X
Stop the vehicle. Take into account the
road and traffic conditions when doing
this.
X Depress the parking brake.
X Carry out the gear change process
again.
If the gear change process has been
carried out, the Stop vehicle. Apply
parking brake message disappears. Differential locks
Differential locks improve the vehicle’s trac-
tion.
If your vehicle is equipped with the Off-Road
Pro engineering package*, it is fitted with:
R A differential lock for the transfer box: this
controls the balance between the front and
rear axles.
R A differential lock for the rear axle: this
controls the balance between the wheels
and the rear axle.
4ETS (Y page 60) controls the compensation
between the wheels and the front axle. Engaging the differential locks
1
Selector wheel
2 AUTO mode
3 To engage the differential lock for the
transfer case
4 To engage the differential lock for the
transfer case and rear axle
AUTO mode
Use AUTO mode 2for all driving situations,
including driving off-road or when fording.
In AUTO mode, the differential locks are
engaged and disengaged according to driving
requirements. This guarantees sufficient trac-
tion for most driving situations with unrestric-
ted vehicle steerability. Controls
* optional
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