2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML550 ESP

140 Controls in detail
Lighting
Pull the combination switch in direction
of arrow2 to its original position to
switch off the high beam.
The high beam headlamp indicator
lampA in the instrument cluster
goes out.
High beam flasher
Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction of arrow2.
Corner-illuminating front fog lamps*
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps im-
prove illumination of the area in the direc-
tion into which you are turning.
The corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
operate with the engine running and with

the exterior lamp switch in
positionB (
page 135)
or

the exterior lamp switch in
positionU (
page 135)
or

the daytime running lamp mode
activated (
page 137)Driving forward
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Switch on the left or right turn signal
(
page 60), depending on whether
you are turning left or right.
The respective front fog lamp comes on
and illuminates the area in the direc-
tion into which you are turning.
or
Turn steering wheel in desired direc-
tion.
The front fog lamp on the side of your
steering direction comes on.
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
only come on in low ambient lighting conditions.
iIf you are driving faster than 25 mph
(40 km/h) or have the front fog lamps switched
on, the corner-illuminating function is not avail-
able.
iThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps
temporarily come on on both sides of the vehicle
if you turn the steering wheel in one direction
and then again in the other direction shortly
thereafter.


141 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps if they
were activated by switching on the left or
right turn signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after
making the turn, the turn signal and the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps can be
switched off by returning the combination
switch to its original position.Driving in reverse
Switching on corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Shift the automatic transmission to
reverse gearR (
page 185).
The front fog lamp opposite to your
steering direction comes on.
Switching off corner-illuminating front
fog lamps
Shift the automatic transmission to a
gear other than reverse gearR
(
page 185).
The respective corner-illuminating
front fog lamp goes out.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be
switched on at all times, even with the
SmartKey removed from the starter switch
or with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle.
The hazard warning flasher switches on
automatically when an air bag deploys.
The hazard warning flasher switch is
located on the center console.
1Hazard warning flasher switchiThe corner-illuminating front fog lamps will
come on automatically depending on the steer-
ing angle and vehicle speed, even if you did not
switch on either turn signal. If the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps came on
automatically, they will also go out automatically
depending on the steering angle and vehicle
speed.
iThere may be a brief delay before the
corner-illuminating front fog lamps switch off.

142 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching on hazard warning flasher
Press hazard warning flasher
switch1.
All turn signals are flashing.
Switching off hazard warning flasher
Press hazard warning flasher switch1
again.
Interior lighting
The controls for interior lighting are locat-
ed in the overhead control panel.1Front left reading lamp switch
2Rear interior lighting switch
3Automatic control switch
4Front interior lighting switch
5Front right reading lamp switch
6Front right interior lamp
7Front right reading lamp
8Front left reading lamp
9Front left interior lampAutomatic control
Deactivating
Press switch3.
The switch engages in the recessed
position.
The interior lighting and the locator
lighting (
page 171) remain switched
off even when you

unlock the vehicle

open a door

open the tailgate

remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch
iWith the hazard warning flasher activated
and the combination switch set for either left or
right turn, only the respective turn signals will
operate when the ignition is switched on.
iIf the hazard warning flasher has been
activated automatically, press hazard warning
flasher switch1 once to switch it off.
!An interior lamp switched on manually does
not go out automatically.
Leaving an interior lamp switch in the ON
position for extended periods of time with the
engine turned off could result in a discharged
battery.
iThe interior lighting is factory-set to
automatic mode.

143 Controls in detail
Lighting
Activating
Press switch3.
The switch disengages from its
recessed position back to its original
position.
The interior lighting and the locator
lighting (
page 171) come on when
you

unlock the vehicle

open a door

open the tailgate

remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch
The interior lamps go out following an
adjustable time delay (
page 172).Manual control
Switching front/rear interior lighting on
and off
Press front/rear interior lighting
switch4 or2 to switch on the
respective interior light.
Press front/rear interior lighting
switch4 or2 again to switch off the
respective interior light.
Switching front reading lamps on and off
Press front reading lamp switch1
or5 to switch on the respective front
reading lamp.
Press front reading lamp switch1
or5 again to switch off the respective
front reading lamp.Switching rear interior reading lamps on
and off
The rear interior reading lamps are located
above the side windows.
Passenger side reading lamp
1Rear interior reading lamp
Press on reading lamp1 where indi-
cated by arrow.
The reading lamp comes on.
Press on reading lamp1 once more.
The reading lamp goes out.
iIf a door remains open, the interior lamps
switch off automatically after approximately
5 minutes when the SmartKey is removed or in
starter switch position0.
iAn interior lamp switched on manually does
not go out automatically.

144 Controls in detail
Lighting
Door entry lamps
For better orientation in the dark, the
corresponding door entry lamps comes on
when you open a door and the automatic
control is activated.
The door entry lamps will switch off when
the corresponding door is closed.Cargo compartment lamp
The cargo compartment lamp comes on
when the tailgate is opened.
If you leave the tailgate open for an extend-
ed period of time, the cargo compartment
lamp will switch off automatically after ap-
proximately 5 minutes.
iIf you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 or remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch, the door entry lamps will
remain lit for approximately 5 minutes.

146 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Resetting trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip odome-
ter display (
page 147).
If it is not displayed, press buttonè
orÿ on the multifunction steering
wheel (
page 148) repeatedly until
the trip odometer appears in the multi-
function display.
Press and hold reset button2 in the
instrument cluster (
page 145) until
the trip odometer is reset.
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer
(
page 26) denotes excessive engine
speed.To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is displayed in the
multifunction display (
page 147).The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. This
means that the accuracy of the displayed
temperature can only be verified by com-
parison to a thermometer placed next to
the sensor, not by comparison to external
displays (e.g. bank signs etc.).
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.!Avoid driving at excessive engine speeds, as
it may result in serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Warning!G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.

160 Controls in detail
Control system
AUDIO menu
The functions in the
AUDIO menu operate
the audio equipment which you currently
have turned on.
If no audio equipment is currently turned
on, the message
AUDIO Off appears in the
multifunction display.
The following functions are available:
Selecting radio station
Turn on the COMAND system and
select radio. Refer to separate
COMAND system operating instruc-
tions.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the currently tuned station
appears in the multifunction display.1Waveband setting
2Station frequency
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired station is found.
The station search depends on the se-
lected setting in the
Vehicle submenu
of the control system (
page 175).
Pressing buttonk orj will
either start a frequency scan or select
the next stored radio station.Selecting satellite radio station*
The satellite radio is treated as a radio
application.
Select satellite radio with the
corresponding soft key on the
COMAND system.
1SAT mode
2Channel name or number
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired channel is found.
FunctionPage
Selecting radio station160
Selecting satellite radio station*160
Operating CD player161
iYou can only store new stations using the
corresponding feature on the radio. Refer to
separate COMAND system operating instruc-
tions.
You can also operate the radio in the usual
manner.iAdditional optional satellite radio equipment
and a subscription to satellite radio service pro-
vider are required for satellite radio operation.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light
Truck Center for details and availability for your
vehicle.
For more information, refer to separate
COMAND system operating instructions.

162 Controls in detail
Control system
Please refer to the COMAND system
manual for instructions on how to activate
the route guidance system.
AIRMATIC*/Compass menu
The
AIRMATIC/Compass menu displays the
messages for air suspension* and the
direction into which you are currently
driving.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until one of the following messages ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
Vehicles with steel suspension:
Vehicles with air suspension* or
ML 63 AMG:
Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired setting is found.
For information on air suspension, see “Air
suspension program*” (
page 254).
For information on the compass, see
“Vehicle submenu” (
page 173) and
“Compass” (
page 307).
Vehicle status message memory menu
Use the vehicle status message memory
menu to scan malfunction and warning
messages that may be stored in the
system. Such messages appear in the
multifunction display and are based on
conditions or system status the vehicle’s
system has recorded.The vehicle status message memory menu
only appears, if messages have been
stored.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the vehicle status message
memory appears in the multifunction
display.
Warning!G
Malfunction and warning messages are only
indicated for certain systems and are inten-
tionally not very detailed. The malfunction
and warning messages are simply a remind-
er with respect to the operation of certain
systems and do not replace the owner’s
and/or driver’s responsibility to maintain
the vehicle’s operating safety by having all
required maintenance and safety checks
performed on the vehicle and by bringing
the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center to address the malfunc-
tion and warning messages (
page 413).