2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 tail lights

68 Getting started
Parking and locking
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button
(
page 52).
Allow the retractor to completely re-
wind the seat belt by guiding the latch
plate.
Locking
Exit the vehicle and close all doors and
the tailgate.
!Make sure the seat belt retracts fully so that
the seat belt and/or latch plate cannot get
caught or pinched in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This can damage the seat belt and
impair the effectiveness of the seat belt, and/or
cause damage to the door and/or door trim
panel. Such damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, make sure there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, and
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised
access to a vehicle could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.
iThe exterior lamps switch off automatically
when you remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch or open the driver’s door.
When the parking lamps or the rear fog lamp are
switched on and you remove the SmartKey from
the starter switch and open the driver’s door, an
acoustic signal sounds.
In addition the message
Switch Off Lights
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the parking lamps or the rear fog
lamp.
!Failure to switch off the parking lamps or the
rear fog lamp when leaving the vehicle may
result in a discharged battery.

135 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
For information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on headlamps” (
page 59)
and “Turn signals” (
page 60).
Exterior lamp switch
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country in
which the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
iVehicles equipped with active Bi-Xenon*
headlamps:
The active Bi-Xenon* headlamps monitor the
vehicles steering angle and vehicle speed, then
automatically shift their beams to either side to
better follow the curvature of the road ahead,
increasing usable illumination over conventional
headlamps.1‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
2ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left
one stop)
3MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 137)
4UAutomatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 137)
5CParking lamps (also side marker
lamps, tail lamps, license plate
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
6BLow beam headlamps or high
beam headlamps
7‡Front fog lamps
8†Rear fog lamp
iThe exterior lamps switch off automatically
when you remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch or open the driver’s door with the ignition
switched off.
When the parking lamps or the rear fog lamp are
switched on and you remove the SmartKey from
the starter switch or open the driver’s door, an
acoustic signal sounds.
In addition the message
Switch Off Lights
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the parking lamps or the rear fog lamp
manually.
!Failure to switch off the parking lamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.

136 Controls in detail
Lighting
Low beam headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once, the
following lamps will switch on:

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position2 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed twice, the
following lamps will switch on addition-
ally:

Low beam headlamps

High beam headlamps (when the
combination switch is pushed for-
ward)Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off au-
tomatically depending on the brightness of
the ambient light:

Low beam headlamps

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
Warning!G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU,
the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others,
activate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch toB when driving or when traffic
and/or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from positionU toB with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching fromUtoB will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle’s lights at all
times.

190 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
Depending on the engine speed the
transmission shifts into a lower gear.
Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.Stopping
When you stop briefly, e.g. at traffic lights:
Leave the transmission in gear.
Hold the vehicle with the brake.
When you stop for a longer period of time
with the engine idling and/or on a hill:
Set the parking brake.
Shift into park positionP.
Maneuvering
When you maneuver in tight areas,
e.g. when pulling into a parking space:
Control the vehicle speed by gradually
releasing the brakes.
Accelerate gently.
Never abruptly step on the accelerator.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Children could shift the
automatic transmission out of park
positionP, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

442 Practical hints
What to do if …
Display symbolDisplay messagePossible cause/consequencePossible solution
. Switch Off LightsYou have removed the SmartKey
from the starter switch and
opened the driver’s door or
removed the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the vehicle
and left the parking lamps or the
rear fog lamp on.Turn the exterior lamp switch toM
(
page 135).
Tail Lamp
LeftThe left tail lamp is malfunction-
ing. A substitute bulb is being
used.Replace the bulb as soon as possible
(
page 471).
Tail Lamp
RightThe right tail lamp is malfunc-
tioning. A substitute bulb is be-
ing used.Replace the bulb as soon as possible
(
page 471).

463 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Replacing bulbs
Bulbs
Safe vehicle operation depends on proper
exterior lighting and signaling. It is there-
fore essential that all bulbs and lamp as-
semblies are in good working order at all
times.
Correct headlamp adjustment is extremely
important. Have headlamps checked and
readjusted at regular intervals and when a
bulb has been replaced. See an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center for
headlamp adjustment.iIf the headlamps or front fog lamps are
fogged up on the inside as a result of high humid-
ity, driving the vehicle a distance with the lights
on should clear up the fogging.iSubstitute bulbs will be brought into use
when the following lamps malfunction:

Turn signal lamps

Brake lamps

Parking lamps

Tail lamps
Read and observe the messages in the multi-
function display (
page 438).