2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML SUV warning

Instrument cluster
113
Upshifting !
In manual gearshift program M, the auto-
matic transmission does not shift up auto-
matically even when the limiting speed for
the current gear is reached. When the lim-
iting speed is reached, the fuel supply is cut
to prevent the engine from overrevving.
You must make sure that the engine speed
does not reach the red area of the rev coun-
ter. There is otherwise a risk of engine
damage.
If the engine speed reaches the red area, an
upshift indicator will be shown in the display
if the AMG display is switched on. 1
Gear indicator
2 Upshift indicator
X Press the right-hand button on the steering
wheel.
The automatic transmission shifts up to the
next gear. Downshifting 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.
X Press the left-hand button on the steering
wheel.
The automatic transmission shifts down to
the next gear. Instrument cluster
Points to remember
You will find an illustration of the instrument
cluster in the "At a glance" section
(Y page 26). G
Risk of accident
If the instrument cluster or the multi-func-
tion display fails, no messages can be dis-
played.
This means that you will not see information
about the driving situation, such as the
speed, outside temperature, warning/indi-
cator lamps, display messages or system
failures. The handling characteristics may
be affected. Adapt your driving style and
speed accordingly.
Immediately consult a qualified specialist
workshop which has the necessary special-
ist knowledge and tools to carry out the
work required. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you use a Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre for this purpose. In particu-
lar, work relevant to safety or on safety-
related systems must be carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. Cont
rols
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On-board computer
119Function
1 Basic display
menu (Ypage 120)
R Tyre pressure loss warning system
(Y page 227) or tyre pressure mon-
itor* (Y page 228)
R Coolant temperature (Y page 120)
R Digital speedometer 16
or outside
temperature (Y page 120).
R ASSYST PLUS service interval dis-
play (Y page 246)
R Checking engine oil
level* (Y page 220) 2
AMG*
menu (Y page 121) 3
Off-road mode*
menu (Ypage 123) 4
Audio/TV*/DVD*
menu
(Y page 124)
R Radio station ( Ypage 124)
R Audio drive or media*
(Y page 124)
R TV* (Y page 125)
R DVD video* (Y page 125) Function
5
Navigation*
menu (Ypage 125) 6
Off-road*
menu (Ypage 126)
R AIRMATIC* (Y page 156)
R Compass display* ( Ypage 210)
R Differential locks (status indicator)
(Y page 143) 7
Distronic
* menu (distance display)
(Y page 126) 8
Message memory
menu17
(fault and
warning messages) (Y page 126) 9 Settings
menu (Ypage 127)
R Resetting to factory settings
(Y page 127)
R Selecting a submenu (Y page 127) Function
a
Additional functions*
menu
(Y page 134)
R Parktronic* (Y page 134)
R Distance warning sys-
tem* (Y page 134)
R DSR (Downhill Speed Regulation)
(Y page 134)
R Tow-away protec-
tion* (Y page 135)
R Interior motion sen-
sor* (Y page 135) b Trip computer
menu (Ypage 135)
R Consumption statistics
(Y page 135)
R Range (Y page 136) c Telephone
menu (Ypage 136) This is what the displays look like when you
scroll through the menus.
The generic terms in the table overview are
intended to help you navigate through the
16 Vehicles for the United Kingdom: the outside temperature is always displayed. Controls
* optional
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On-board computer
120
menus. The terms themselves are not always
displayed in the multi-function display.
Depending on the audio system fitted, the
Audio, Navigation* and Telephonemenus
are slightly different. The examples given in
this Owner's Manual apply to vehicles equip-
ped with COMAND APS*. Standard display menu
i Menu overview: (Y page 118).
Use the buttons on the multi-function steer-
ing wheel.
X Press the èor· button to select the
standard display. Standard display
1
Trip meter
2 Total distance recorder You can select the following functions in the
Basic display menu by pressing the jor
k button:
R tyre pressure loss warning system
(Y page 227) or tyre pressure moni-
tor* (Y page 228)
R coolant temperature (Y page 120)
R digital speedometer or outside tempera-
ture (Y page 129)
R ASSYST PLUS service interval display
(Y page 246)
R engine oil level* (Y page 220)
Displaying the coolant temperature X
Press the èor· button to select the
standard display.
X Press the jork button to select the
coolant temperature. Under normal driving conditions, with the cor-
rect anti-corrosion and antifreeze additive
concentration, the reading may rise to
120 †.
Displaying the digital speedometer or
outside temperature
If you have selected the digital speedometer
for Status line (Y
page 129), you can switch
the display to the outside temperature
here 18
.
X Press the èor· button to select the
standard display.
X Press the jork button to select the
digital speedometer or the outside temper-
ature.
17 This menu is only visible if there is a display message available.
18 Vehicles for the United Kingdom: the outside temperature is always displayed. Controls
* optional
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On-board computer
126
Route guidance inactive The multi-function display shows the direc-
tion of travel and the road name if it is known
to the navigation system. Route guidance active
The following may appear in the multi-func-
tion display: Off-road menu*
Depending on your vehicle's optional equip-
ment, you can set the following current set-
tings to be shown in the Off-roadmenu:
R AIRMATIC* (Y page 156)
R Compass* (Y page 210)
R Differential locks* (Y page 143)
i Large buildings, power cables or powerful
transmission masts as well as metallic
objects on or in the vehicle may interfere
with the compass display.
Use the buttons on the multi-function steer-
ing wheel.
X Press the èor· button to select the
Off-road menu. Example display for vehicles with the Off-Road Pro
engineering package* Distronic* menu
You can see the current Distronic settings in
the Distronic menu (Ypage 148).
i Menu overview: (Y page 118). Message memory menu
Previous display messages can be called up
in the Message memory menu. You will only
see the Message memory menu if there are
any display messages. G
Risk of accident
The on-board computer only records and
displays messages and warnings from cer-
tain systems. For this reason, you should
always make sure that your vehicle is safe
to drive. You could otherwise cause an acci-
dent by driving an unsafe vehicle.
i All possible display messages are
explained in the "Practical advice" section
(Y page 259).
Switching off the ignition clears the Message
memory except for the highest priority dis-
play messages. The on-board computer will
only delete these display messages after the
cause of the message has been rectified. Controls
* optional
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On-board computer
134
X
Press èor· to select the Set-
tings menu.
X Press the jbutton to call up the selec-
tion of submenus.
X Press æorç to select the Conve-
nience submenu.
X Press jto select Fold in mirrors
when locking .
X Press the æorç button to activate
or deactivate the Fold in mirrors when
locking feature.
X Press the j,èorÿ button to
select a different display. Additional functions menu
The following table shows the settings you
can make in the Additional functions menu.
You will find additional information on the
pages shown. The number of functions
depends on your vehicle's optional equip-
ment. Function
R
Activates/deactivates Park-
tronic* (Y page 134)
R Activates/deactivates the distance
warning system* (Y page 134)
R Setting DSR (Y page 134)
R Primes/deactivates tow-away protec-
tion* (Y page 135)
R Primes/deactivates the interior motion
sensor* (Y page 135) Use the buttons on the multi-function steer-
ing wheel.
Activating/deactivating Parktronic*
Only vehicles without a PTS switch on the
centre console (Y
page 166) feature this
function.
X Press the èor· button to select the
Additional functions menu.
X If the PARKTRONIC function is not dis-
played, press the jork button to
select PARKTRONIC. X
Press the æorç button to activate
or deactivate PARKTRONIC.
X Press the j,èor· button to
select a different display.
Activating/deactivating the distance
warning system* This function is only available with Dis-
tronic* (Y
page 148).
X Press the èor· button to select the
Additional functions menu.
X If the Distance warning function is not
displayed, press the jork button
to select the Distance warning system.
X Press the æorç button to activate
or deactivate the Distance warning sys-
tem.
When the distance warning system is acti-
vated, the :symbol will be shown in the
lower multi-function display.
X Press the j,èor· button to
select a different display.
Setting DSR The
DSR Speed function allows you to set the
threshold speed (vehicle speed for driving
downhill) of the DSR (Y page 139) to a valueControls
* optional
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Off-road driving
140
The DSR symbol and a message such as the
following appear in the multi-function display: If the current vehicle speed is too high, the
DSR symbol appears on the multi-function
display with the max. speed 30 km/h mes-
sage.
Deactivating
X Press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2goes out.
The DSR symbol appears in the multi-func-
tion display with the Offmessage
DSR switches off automatically if you drive
faster than 35 km/h. The DSR symbol
appears in the multi-function display with the
Off message. You also hear a warning tone.
Changing the set speed while the vehi-
cle is in motion When DSR is activated, you can change the
set speed to a value between 4 km/h and
18 km/h while the vehicle is in motion. 1
To increase set speed
2 To reduce set speed
X To increase or reduce the set speed by
1 km/h increments: briefly press the
cruise control lever to the pressure point
up 1 for a higher set speed or down 2for
a lower set speed.
The set value appears in the multi-function
display.
X To increase or reduce the set speed in
10 km/h increments: briefly press cruise
control beyond the pressure point up 1for
a higher set speed or down 2for a lower
set speed.
The set value appears in the multi-function
display. Off-road drive program
Only vehicles without the Off-Road Pro engi-
neering package* feature the off-road drive
program.
The off-road drive program assists you in driv-
ing off-road and when fording. The engine's
performance characteristics and the gear-
shifting characteristics of the automatic
transmission are adapted for this purpose.
ABS, ESP ®
and 4 ETS programs especially
adapted to off-road driving are also activated.
Do not use the off-road drive program on
roads that are snowy or icy or if you have fit-
ted your vehicle with snow chains.
ML 63 AMG You can activate and deactivate the off-road
drive program using the on-board computer
(Y
page 126). 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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Driving sys
tems 145Driving systems
Overview of driving systems
The vehicle's driving systems are described
on the following pages:
R Cruise control, Distronic* and Speedtronic,
which are used to control the speed of the
vehicle
R AIRMATIC package*, consisting of level
control* for individual adjustment of
ground clearance and ADS* (Adaptive
Damping System), for individual adjust-
ment of suspension tuning
R Parktronic*, which assists you in parking
and manoeuvring
R Reversing camera*, which assists you
when parking and manoeuvring
The ABS, BAS, ESP ®
, EBV and 4-ETS vehicle
safety systems and the distance warning sys-
tem* are described in the "Safety" section
(Y page 57). Cruise control
Cruise control maintains a constant road
speed for you. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer, you must
select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so you will make use of the braking
effect of the engine, which relieves the load
on the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. 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.
Use cruise control only if road and traffic con-
ditions make it appropriate to maintain a
steady speed for a prolonged period. You can
store any road speed above 30 km/h. G
Risk of accident
Cruise control cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when cruise control is activated.
Cruise control is only an aid designed to
assist driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's speed and for braking in good
time.
G
Risk of accident
Do not use cruise control:
R in road and traffic conditions which do
not allow you to maintain a constant
speed (e.g. heavy traffic or winding
roads). You could otherwise cause an
accident.
R on slippery roads. Braking or accelerat-
ing could cause the drive wheels to lose
traction and the vehicle could then skid.
R when there is poor visibility, e.g. due to
fog, heavy rain or snow
Cruise control lever You can operate cruise control and variable
Speedtronic with the cruise control lever.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R
LIM indicator lamp off:
Cruise control is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtronic is selected. Controls
* optional
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