2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML SUV engine

Lights
92 a result of the seat moving. This could
cause an accident. G
Risk of accident
Only adjust the steering wheel when the
vehicle is stationary and do not pull away
until the steering wheel adjustment mech-
anism is locked in position. You might oth-
erwise drive without the steering wheel
adjustment mechanism being locked in
position. As a result you could be distracted
from road and traffic conditions by an unex-
pected movement of the steering wheel
and thereby cause an accident.
The steerability of the vehicle is however
not affected.
X Check whether seat 3and the head
restraint are adjusted properly
(Y page 76).
Make sure that:
R you are as far away from the driver's front
airbag as possible
R you are sitting in a normal upright posi-
tion
R you can fasten the seat belt properly
R you have moved the backrest to an
almost vertical position R
you have set the seat angle so that your
thighs are gently supported
R you can depress the pedals properly
R you have adjusted the head restraint so
that the back of your head is supported
at eye level by the central area of the
head restraint
X Check whether steering wheel 1is adjus-
ted properly (Y page 83).
Make sure that:
R you can hold the steering wheel with your
arms slightly bent
R you can move your legs freely
R you can see all the displays in the instru-
ment cluster clearly
X Check whether you have fastened seat belt
2 properly (Y page 89).
It should:
R fit snugly across your body
R be routed across the middle of your
shoulder
R routed in your pelvic area across the hip
joints Lights
Light switch
For safety reasons, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you drive with the lights switched
on even during the daytime. In some coun-
tries, daytime operation of headlamps varies
due to legal and voluntary requirements. In
these countries, the dipped-beam headlamps
are automatically switched on when the
engine is started.
i If you drive in countries in which traffic
drives on the opposite side of the road to
the country where the vehicle is registered,
oncoming traffic may be dazzled by the
asymmetrical dipped-beam headlamps.
Have the headlamps changed to symmet-
rical dipped beam when driving in these
countries. You can obtain information
about this from any Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre. Controls
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Lights
93$
a
Left-hand parking lamp
% g
Right-hand parking lamp
& M
Lights off/constant headlamp mode
( U
Automatic headlamp mode/con-
stant headlamp mode
) C
Side lamps, licence plate and instru-
ment lighting
* B
Dipped-beam headlamps or main-
beam headlamps
, ¥
Fog lamps
. †
Rear fog lamp
i The exterior lighting (except for side
lamps and parking lamps) automatically
switches off when you remove the key from
the ignition lock or open the driver's door
while the ignition is switched off (ignition
key in position 0). !
Switch off the side lamps and parking
lamp when you leave the vehicle. This pre-
vents the battery from discharging.
Dipped-beam headlamps X
Turn the ignition key to position 2in the
ignition lock or start the engine.
X To switch on: turn the light switch to
B.
The dipped-beam headlamps, parking
lamps and licence plate lamps are switched
on. The parking lamp indicator lamp next to
the light switch lights up.
Constant headlamp mode In countries in which constant headlamp
mode is not a legal requirement, you can
make this a setting using the on-board com-
puter.
You can activate or deactivate "constant
headlamp mode" using the on-board com-
puter (Y page 130).
X To switch on: turn the light switch to
M orU.
The dipped-beam headlamps, side lamps
and licence plate lamp are switched on
when the engine is running. i
When you turn the light switch to any
position other than MorU, the cor-
responding light goes on.
Automatic headlamp mode The side lamps, dipped-beam headlamps and
licence plate lamp are switched on or off
automatically, depending on the brightness of
the ambient light.
G
Risk of accident
If the light switch is set to the Uposi-
tion, the light will not come on automati-
cally in foggy conditions. This could endan-
ger you and others. Therefore, turn the light
switch to Bin the dark or in fog.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid. The driver is responsible for the vehi-
cle's lighting at all times. G
Risk of accident
When it is dark or foggy, turn the light
switch from UtoB in good time.
Otherwise, the headlamps could switch off
temporarily and you could cause an acci-
dent. Controls
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Lights
94
X
To switch on: turn the light switch to
U.
The side lamps are switched on and off
automatically when the key is in position
1 in the ignition lock.
The dipped-beam headlamps, side lamps
and licence plate lamp are switched on
automatically when the engine is running.
When the parking lamp or dipped-beam
headlamps are switched on, the indicator
lamp next to the light switch lights up.
Front fog lamps/Rear fog lamp G
Risk of accident
If you suspect that driving conditions will be
foggy, turn the light switch to Bbefore
you start your journey. Otherwise, your
vehicle may not be visible and you could
endanger yourself and others. G
Risk of accident
When it is dark or foggy, turn the light
switch from UtoB in good time.
Otherwise, the headlamps could switch off
temporarily and you could cause an acci-
dent.
When the light switch is set to Uyou can-
not switch on the front or rear fog lamps. X
Turn the key to position 2in the ignition
lock.
X To switch on the front fog lamps: turn
the light switch to the BorC posi-
tion.
X Pull the light switch out to the first stop.
The ¥ green indicator lamp next to the
light switch lights up.
X To switch on the rear fog lamp: turn the
light switch to BorC.
X Pull the light switch out to the second
detent.
The † yellow indicator lamp next to the
light switch lights up.
X To switch off the front foglamps/rear
foglamp: push in the light switch to the
stop.
The corresponding indicator lamp goes out. Combination switch (turn signals,
main-beam headlamps and headlamp
flasher)
Turn signal Combination switch
1
Right-hand turn signal
2 Left-hand turn signal
X To switch on: press the combination
switch in the direction of arrow 1or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lamp K orL in the instrument clus-
ter flashes.
i If you only wish to indicate a minor change
of direction, press the combination switch Controls
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Lights
95
briefly in the appropriate direction. The cor-
responding turn signal flashes three times.
Main-beam headlamps/headlamp flas-
her Combination switch
1
Main-beam headlamps
2 Headlamp flasher
Main-beam headlamps
X Turn the ignition key to position 2in the
ignition lock or start the engine.
X Turn the light switch to BorU 14
.
X To switch on: press the combination
switch in the direction of arrow 1.
The main-beam indicator lamp Ain the
instrument cluster lights up. X
To switch off: move the combination
switch back to its normal position.
The main-beam indicator lamp Ain the
instrument cluster goes out.
Headlamp flasher
X To switch on: briefly pull the combination
switch in the direction of arrow 2. Hazard warning lamps
Centre console
1 Hazard warning lamp button
The hazard warning lamps still operate if the
ignition is switched off. They switch on auto-
matically if an airbag is deployed or if you
brake sharply and bring the vehicle to a halt
from a speed of more than 70 km/h. X
To switch on: press button1.
All turn signals flash. If you now switch on
a turn signal using the combination switch
(Y page 94), only the turn signal lamp on
the corresponding side of the vehicle will
flash.
X To deactivate: press button1. Adjusting the headlamp range (vehi-
cles with halogen headlamps)
The headlamp range control allows you to
adjust the cone of light from the headlamps
according to how your vehicle is laden.
You can only adjust the headlamp range while
the engine is running. 1
Headlamp range control
14 In the Uposition, the main-beam headlamps are only switched on when it is dark. Controls
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Lights
96 Position Load
0 Front seats occupied
1 Front and rear seats occupied
2 All seats occupied and lug-
gage compartment loaded
with approximately 100 kg
3 All seats occupied and the
maximum permissible rear
axle load has been reached
due to trailer towing or load-
ing
X
Turn thumbwheel 1to the position which
corresponds to the load in your vehicle. Headlamp cleaning system*
The headlamps are cleaned automatically if
the "Wipe with windscreen washer fluid" func-
tion is operated five times while the lights are
on and the engine is running. When you
switch off the ignition, the automatic head-
lamp cleaning system is reset and counting is
resumed from 0. Cornering light function* (vehicles
with bi-xenon headlamps*)
Specially designed headlamps light up the
area into which you are driving when turning
corners.
If you are driving at speeds below 40 km/h,
the cornering light function is activated either
by the turn signals or when the steering wheel
is turned. If you are driving at speeds above
40 km/h the cornering light function is deac-
tivated.
Activating X
Start the engine.
X Switch on the dipped-beam headlamps. X
Switch off the foglamps.
X Switch on the turn signal.
The cornering lamp on the same side as the
turn signal comes on, even if you turn the
steering wheel in the opposite direction
after indicating.
or
X Turn the steering wheel in the desired
direction.
When in a forwards gear: the cornering
lamp on the inside of the bend comes on.
When in reverse gear: the cornering lamp
on the outside of the bend comes on.
Deactivating X
Turn the steering wheel back to the straight
ahead position.
The turn signal goes off. The cornering lamp
may remain lit for a short time.
or
X Switch off the turn signal.
The cornering lamp may remain lit for a
short time.
The cornering light will go out after a maxi-
mum of three minutes. Controls
* optional
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Driving and pa
rking 103Driving and parking
Starting the engine
G
Risk of accident
Do not keep any objects in the driver's foot-
well. If you use a floormat or carpet in the
driver's footwell, make sure that they are
correctly secured and that there is suffi-
cient clearance for the pedals.
Objects could otherwise get between the
pedals in the event of sudden braking or
acceleration. You may then no longer be
able to brake, change gear or accelerate as
intended. This may result in an accident and
injury. G
Risk of poisoning
Never leave the engine running in enclosed
spaces. The exhaust gases contain carbon
monoxide. Inhaling exhaust fumes consti-
tutes a health hazard and could lead to loss
of consciousness or even death.
! Do not depress the accelerator pedal
when starting the engine. i
If you depress the brake when starting the
engine, pedal travel will be unusually long
and there will be less pedal resistance.
Automatic transmission P
Park position with parking lock
N To select neutral
R To select reverse gear
D To select drive
X Before starting, make sure Pis selected.
i The engine can also be started when the
DIRECT SELECT selector lever is in position
N.
Further information about the automatic
transmission (Y page 107). Starting the engine with the key X
To start a petrol engine: turn the key to
position 3in the ignition lock (Y page 75)
and release it.
The engine starts automatically.
X To start a diesel engine: turn the key to
position 2in the ignition lock (Y page 75).
The q preglow indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X When the qpreglow indicator lamp
goes out, turn the key to position
3 (Y page 75) and release it.
The engine starts automatically.
i You can start the engine without preglow
if the engine is warm.
Starting the engine with KEYLESS GO* G
Risk of injury
Your vehicle can be started using a valid
KEYLESS GO key*. For this reason, children
should never be left unsupervised in the
vehicle. Always take the KEYLESS GO
key* with you when leaving the vehicle,
even if you are only leaving it for a short
time. Cont
rols
* optional
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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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