2012 MERCEDES-BENZ G-Class light

Differential locks
General information Differential locks improve the traction of the
vehicle.
G
WARNING
Never drive on firm road surfaces with
differential locks engaged. Never drive on
narrow bends
with front-axle differential locks
engaged. With differential locks engaged, the
vehicle's ability to steer is severely restricted
and the danger of accidents is therefore
higher.
Do not engage or disengage differential locks
while driving on a bend. The vehicle may
otherwise make a jerking movement. You
could thus lose control of the vehicle and
cause an accident.
If you select a differential lock, ABS, 4ETS,
ESP ®
and BAS will be deactivated.
Your vehicle is equipped with a differential
lock for:
R the transfer case: this controls the balance
between the front and rear axles.
R the rear axle: this controls the balance
between the wheels on the rear axle.
R the front axle: this controls the balance
between the wheels on the front axle.
! In order to avoid damage to the transfer
case, you must operate the vehicle on a
dynamometer (1-axle dynamometer) only
if:
R the axle not driven on is jacked up
or
R the corresponding propeller shaft is
disconnected
and
R the differential lock of the transfer case
is engaged.
Otherwise, the transfer case can be
damaged. Information about differentials and
differential locks When
the vehicle drives around a corner, the
wheels on

the outside of the bend must cover
a greater distance. Therefore, the wheels turn
more rapidly than on the inside. The
differential, a transmission in the drivetrain,
balances out the different rotational speeds
and therefore enables driving through bends.
The disadvantage of a differential is that more
power is transferred to the wheels that have
the least grip. Example: a wheel on a driven
axle stands on snow-covered ground and thus
has no traction. This wheel receives the
strongest driving power from the differential,
as the force progression takes the path of
least resistance. The opposite wheel on this
axle, however, which stands on firm ground
and could therefore allow propulsion,
receives no driving power. 4ETS eliminates
this disadvantage. It provides good
steerability by automatically braking the
spinning wheel. As a result, 4ETS directs
more driving power to the wheel standing on
firm ground, which is therefore able to
provide propulsion.
ESP® and 4ETS are traction systems that are
ideal for road driving and suitable for light off-
road driving. Off-road gear LOW likewise
improves off-road capabilities.
Moreover, the more difficult conditions in off-
road driving require further measures such as
locking one or several differentials. Your
vehicle is equipped with three differential
locks:
R a central differential lock for the transfer
case,
R a differential lock for the front axle and
R a differential lock for the rear axle.
Each differential lock can be engaged with the
respective switch on the center console.
When the central differential lock for the
transfer case is locked, the speed of the front
wheels is equal to that of the rear wheels.
When the differential for the rear axle is
locked, both rear wheels turn equally fast, 148
Off-road driving systems
Driving and parking

independent of their respective torques.
Keep
in
mind that by engaging the differential
locks, vehicle steerability is severely
restricted.
For your own safety, the safety of others and
to prevent damage to your vehicle, the
differential locks must not be activated on
paved roads. Keep in mind that when driving
on firm road surfaces, the function of the
differentials is necessary and therefore they
must never be locked on firm road surfaces.
The steerability of the vehicle would
otherwise be lost and steering would no
longer be possible. For this reason, the
differential locks must be engaged
exclusively during off-road driving, and only
when activating the other driving systems
(4ETS, ESP ®
and LOW range off-road gear) is
no longer sufficient.
Activating the differential lock General information
G
WARNING
Never drive on firm road surfaces with
differential locks engaged. Never drive on
narrow bends

with front-axle differential locks
engaged. With differential locks engaged, the
vehicle's ability to steer is severely restricted
and the danger of accidents is therefore
higher.
Do not engage or disengage differential locks
while driving on a bend. The vehicle may
otherwise make a jerking movement. You
could thus lose control of the vehicle and
cause an accident.
If you select a differential lock, ABS, 4ETS,
ESP ®
and BAS will be deactivated.
Activate the differential locks:
R off-road
R to deactivate ABS, 4ETS, ESP ®
and BAS
while off-road
R when fording
For further information on driving off-road,
see ( Y page 134). The switches are located on the center
console.
:
Function indicator lamps (red)
;
Differential lock for the front axle
=
Differential lock for the transfer case
?
Differential lock for the rear axle
A
Activation indicator lamps (yellow)
!
Only activate the differential locks when:
R you are driving at walking pace.
R the driven wheels are not spinning.
R you are

not driving on a firm road surface.
i You can only engage the differential locks
when the transfer case is in LOW range off-
road gear (Y page 145).
i You can activate the differential locks in
the following order =, ?, ;.
Differential lock for the transfer case
X To engage: switch the transfer case to off-
road gear LOW

(Y page 145).
X Press switch =.
The yellow activation indicator lamp under
switch = lights

up when the transfer case
is in off-road gear LOW.
The å warning lamp in the instrument
panel lights up.
The red function indicator lamp above
switch = lights up when the differential is
locked.
In the multifunction display you see the: Off-road driving systems
149
Driving and parking Z

ABS not available Differential
Locked message.
The
å!÷ warning
lamps light up
in the instrument cluster.
The differential lock for the transfer case is
engaged.
4ETS, ESP ®
, BAS and ABS are deactivated.
The vehicle's ability to steer is severely
restricted. Drive carefully and accelerate
gently for optimum traction.
i You can now engage differential lock for
the rear

axle ? and differential lock for the
front axle ; as desired.
Differential lock for the rear axle
X To engage: press switch ?.
First, the yellow activation indicator lamp
lights up, followed by the red function
indicator lamp.
The differential lock for the rear axle is
engaged.
Differential lock for the front axle
X To engage: press switch ;.
First, the yellow activation indicator lamp
lights up, followed by the red function
indicator lamp.
The differential lock for the front axle is
engaged.
Deactivating the differential lock You can deactivate the differential locks in
the reverse order: ;, ?, =.
X
To simultaneously deactivate all
differential locks: press switch =.
Yellow activation indicator lamps A go
out. Red

function indicator lamps : go out
once the differential locks have
disengaged.
After approximately three seconds of
normal driving, ABS, 4ETS, ESP ®
and BAS
are activated.
The ABS not available Differential
Locked message disappears from the multifunction display and the
å, !
and ÷ warning

lamps in the instrument
cluster go out.
X Switch the transfer case to road gear
HIGH(Y page 145).
i If red function indicator lamps : do not
go out

when you disengage the differential
locks, bring the vehicle to a stop, while
paying attention to road and traffic
conditions, then begin driving again. The
load change can disengage the differential
locks. G
WARNING
Always remember to disengage the
differential locks when returning to drive on
paved roads, see "A few words about
differentials and differential locks". 150
Off-road driving systems
Driving and parking

A
&*
Press briefly:
Scrolls
back
and forth within a menu
In the Audio menu: selects a stored
station, an audio track or a video
scene
In the Telephone menu: switches to
the phone book and selects a name
or a telephone number &*
Press and hold:
In the
Audio menu: selects the
previous/next station or selects an
audio track using rapid scrolling
In the Telephone menu: starts rapid
scrolling through the phone book Multifunction display
To activate the multifunction display:
R switch on the ignition.
R switch on the lights.
R open the door.
R press the reset button on the instrument
cluster.
The multifunction display shows you values
and settings as well as possible messages. :
Display area for menus or submenus
; Status bar with outside temperature or
speed ( Y page 159)
= Transfer case position
? Selector lever position/shift range For further information on displaying the
transmission position, see (
Y page 120).154
Displays and operation
On-board computer and displays

X
Press the & or * button to select a
scene. Navigation system menu
Displaying navigation instructions In the
Navigation menu: the instructions
from the navigation system appear in the
multifunction display. For more information,
see the separate operating instructions.
X Switch on COMAND (see the separate
operating instructions).
X Press the V or U button on the
steering wheel to select the Navigation
menu.
Route guidance inactive The direction of travel appears in the
multifunction display. If the name of the
street is part of the navigation system data,
this will also be displayed.
Route guidance active
The multifunction display shows navigation
instructions, for example: Settings menu
Introduction In the
Settings menu, you have the following
options:
R restoring the factory settings
R changing the instrument cluster settings
R changing the light settings
R changing the vehicle settings
R changing the convenience settings
Resetting to factory settings For safety reasons, not all functions are reset:
the Headlamp mode function in the
Lighting
submenu

is only reset if the vehicle
is stationary. 158
Menus and submenus
On-board computer and displays

X
Press the V or U button on the
steering wheel to select the Settings
menu.
X Press and hold the reset button on the left
of the
instrument cluster for approximately
three seconds.
A prompt appears in the multifunction
display asking you to confirm by pressing
the reset button again.
X Press the reset button again.
The settings

of most functions are restored
to the factory settings.
or
X If you want to retain the settings, do not
press the reset button a second time.
The Settings menu appears again after
approximately five seconds.
X Press the V or U button to select a
different menu.
Instrument cluster Selecting the unit of measurement for
distance
The selected unit of measurement for
distance applies to:
R
the odometer and the trip odometer
R the trip computer
R the digital speedometer
X Press the V or U button on the
steering wheel to select the Settings
menu.
X Press the & button
to select submenus.
X Press the W or X
button to select the
Inst. Cluster submenu.
X Press the & button to select Disp.
Unit Speed-/Odom.
X Press the W or X button to select
Km (kilometers) or Miles as the unit of
measurement for distance.
X Press the &, V or U button to
select a different display. Selecting the language
The Language function allows you to select
the language for the instrument cluster.
X
Press the V or U button on the
steering wheel to select the Settings
menu.
X Press the & button
to select submenus.
X Press the W or X
button to select the
Inst. cluster submenu.
X Press the & button
to select Language.
X Press the W or X
button to select the
desired language.
X Press the &, V or U button to
select a different display.
Selecting the status line display
X Press the V or U button on the
steering wheel to select the Settings
menu.
X Press the &
button
to select submenus.
X Press the W or X
button to select the
Inst. cluster submenu.
X Press the & button to select Status
line display.
X Press the W or X
button to select the
status line display: speed ( Speed) or
outside temperature ( Outside temp.).
The selected display now appears
constantly in the lower multifunction
display. When you scroll through the
Standard display menu (Y page 156), you
will see the display you have not selected.
X Press the &, V or U button to
select a different display.
Lights Adjusting the instrument cluster lighting
The instrument cluster lighting automatically
adjusts to the ambient light.
X
To brighten or to dim: turn reset button
(Y page 25) clockwise or
counterclockwise. Menus and submenus
159
On-board computer and displays Z

Switching the daytime running lamps on/
off
This function is not available in Canada.
If you have activated the daytime running
lamps function and the light switch is in the
$ or à position, the low-beam
headlamps are switched on automatically
when the engine is running.
In the dark, the following also light up:
R
the low-beam headlamps
R the standing lamps
R the tail lamps
R the license plate lamp
R the side marker lamp
In countries
where daytime running lamps are
legally required, Constant is the factory
setting.
X Press the V or U button on the
steering wheel to select the Settings
menu.
X Press the & button

to select submenus.
X Press the W or X
button to select the
Lighting submenu.
X Press the & button
to select Headlamp
mode.
X Press the W or X button to set the
mode for the headlamps to Manual or
Constant (daytime running lamps).
X Press the &, V or U button to
select a different display.
Switching the surround lighting on or off
If you activate the surround lighting function
and the light switch is set to Ã, the
following will light up if it is dark and you
unlock the vehicle using the SmartKey:
R the standing lamps
R the license plate lamp
R the tail lamps
R the fog lamps
R the side marker lamp The surround lighting switches off
automatically after 40 seconds or when the
driver's door is opened.
X
Press the V or U button on the
steering wheel to select the Settings
menu.
X Press the & button
to select submenus.
X Press the W or X
button to select the
Lighting submenu.
X Press the & button
to select Surround
lighting.
X Press the W or X button to switch
the Surround lighting on or off.
X When leaving the vehicle, turn the light
switch to position Ã.
The surround lighting is activated.
X Press the &, V or U button to
select a different display.
Activating/deactivating the exterior
lighting delayed switch-off
If you have activated the delayed switch-off
function, the light switch is set to à and
you switch off the engine, the following
remain lit:
R the standing lamps
R the license plate lamp
R the tail lamps
R the fog lamps
R the side marker lamp
If the

engine is switched off and then none of
the doors are opened, or if an open door is
not closed, the exterior lighting goes out after
60 seconds.
X Press the V or U button on the
steering wheel to select the Settings
menu.
X Press the & button
to select submenus.
X Press the W or X
button to select the
Lighting submenu.
X Press the & button to select Headl.
Delayed Switch Off. 160
Menus and submenus
On-board computer and displays

X
Press the W or X button to activate
or deactivate the Headl. Delayed
Switch Off function.
X Before switching off the engine, turn the
light switch to position Ã.
The exterior lighting delayed switch-off is
activated.
X Press the &, V or U button to
select a different display.
Deactivating the delayed switch-off
temporarily:
X Before leaving the vehicle, turn the
SmartKey to
position 0 in the ignition lock.
X Turn the SmartKey to position 2 in the
ignition lock and back to position 0.
The delayed switch-off is deactivated.
Delayed switch-off is reactivated the next
time you start the engine.
Activating/deactivating the interior
lighting delayed switch-off
If the Interior Light. Delay. Sw. Off:
function is activated and you pull the
SmartKey out

of the ignition lock, the interior
lighting remains on for around 10 seconds.
X Press the V or U button on the
steering wheel to select the Settings
menu.
X Press the & button
to select submenus.
X Press the W or X
button to select the
Lighting submenu.
X Press the & button
to select Interior
Light. Delay Sw. Off.
X Press the W or X button to activate
or deactivate Interior Light. Delay.
Sw. Off.
X Press the &, V or U button to
select a different display. Vehicle Activating/deactivating the automatic
door locking feature
If you select the Automatic Locking
function,
the

vehicle is centrally locked above
a speed of around 9 mph (15 km/h).
i For more information on the automatic
locking feature, see ( Y page 66).
X Press the V or U button on the
steering wheel to select the Settings
menu.
X Press the & button
to select submenus.
X Press the W or X
button to select the
Vehicle submenu.
X Press the & button to select
Automatic Door Lock.
X Press the W or X button to switch
the Automatic Door Lock feature on or
off.
X Press the &, V or U button to
select a different display.
Convenience Activating/deactivating the EASY-
ENTRY/EXIT feature
You can use the
Easy-entry Function to
activate or deactivate the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT
feature ( Y page 83). G
WARNING
You must make sure no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel when the easy-entry/exit feature is
activated.
To stop steering wheel movement do one of
the following:
R Move steering wheel adjustment stalk.
R Press one

of the memory position buttons.
R Press the memory button.
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver's door and Menus and submenus
161
On-board computer and displays
Z