2017 MERCEDES-BENZ G-Class Level

ProblemPossible causes/consequences andMSolutions
The coolant temperature
gage showsavalue
above A
display message may
also appear in the multi-
function display and a
warning tone may sound.The coolant level is too low. The coolant is too hot and the engine is no
longer being cooled sufficiently.
XStop as soon as possible and allow the engine and the coolant to
cool down.
XCheck the coolant level (Ypage 229). Observe the warning notes
as you do so and add coolant if necessary.
If the coolant level is correct,t he radiator fan may be faulty. The cool-
ant is too hot and the engine is no longer being cooled sufficiently.
XAt coolant temperatures below drive to the nearest
qualified specialist workshop.
XAvoid heavy loads on the engin easyou do so, e.g. driving in moun-
tainou sterrai nand stop-and-go traffic.
Adjustabl edamping
General notes
With adjustabl edamping you can choose
between two different suspensions ettings.
Suspensions ettings
COMFcomfortable suspensions etting
Sportsports suspensionsetting
Selecting the suspension setting
iIf you select the sports suspensions etting,
the vehicle wil ldampen more roughly.
XPress button :.
The indicator lamp lights up. SPORTis dis-
played in the multifunction display. The sports
suspensions etting is activated.
iIf you select the comfortable suspension
setting, the vehicle wil ldampen more softly.
XPress button ;.
The indicator lamp lights up. COMFis dis-
played in the multifunction display. The com-
fortabl esuspensions etting is activated.
Automatic transmission
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If the engine speedisa bove the idling speed
and you engag etransmission position Dor R,
the vehicle coul dpulla wa ysuddenly.T here is
ar isk of an accident.
When engaging transmission position Dor R,
always firmlyd epress the brake pedal and do
not simultaneousl yaccelerate.
GWARNING
The automatic transmission switches to neu-
tral position Nwhe nyou switch off the engine.
The vehicle may roll away .There is arisk of an
accident.
After switching off the engine, always switch
to parking position P.Prevent the parke dvehi-
cle from rolling away by applying the parking
brake.
iBear in mind that the power transmission
between the engine and the transmission is
interrupted whe nthe engine is switched off.
Automatic transmission109
Driving and parking
Z
the marking
H
.
the markingH,

Fuelconsumptio nalsoi ncreases whe ndriving in
cold weather, in stop-start traffi cand in hilly ter-
rain.
Drinking and driving
GWARNING
Drinking and driving and/o rtaking drugs and
driving are very dangerous combinations.
Even asmall amount of alcoholord rugs can
affect your reflexes,p erceptions and judg-
ment.
The possibility of aseriousore ven fatalacci-
dent is greatly increased whe nyou drink or
take drugs and drive.
Do not drink or take drugs and drive or allow
anyone to drive who has bee ndrinking or tak-
ing drugs.
Emissionc ontrol
GWARNING
Combustio nengines emitp oisonousexhaust
gases such as carbon monoxide. Inhaling
these exhaust gases leads to poisoning. There
is ar isk of fata linjury. Therefore never leave
the engine running in enclosed spaces with-
outs ufficient ventilation.
Certai nengine systems are designe dtokeep
the level of poisonousc omponents in exhaust
fume swithin legal limits.
These systems only wor katpeakefficiency if
they are serviced exactl yinaccordance with the
manufacturer's specifications. Alway shave
wor kont he engine carried outata qualified
specialist workshop.M ercedes-Benz recom-
mends that yo uuse an authorized Mercedes-
Benz Center for this purpose. In particular, work
relevant to safety or on safety-related systems
mus tbec arried outata qualified specialist
workshop.
The engine setting smustn ot be changed under
any circumstances. Furthermore,a llspecific
service wor kmustb ec arried outatr egular
intervals and in accordance with the Mercedes-
Benz service requirements. You can obtain cur-
rent information concerning the servicing of
your vehicle at any time from aquali fied spe-
cialist workshop.T hiscould be an overvie wof the maintenance wor
korany additional main-
tenance work, for example.
Brakes
Important safety notes
GWARNING
If yo ushift downonaslippery roads urface in
an attemp ttoincrease the engine's braking
effect, the drive wheels could los etheirg rip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift downf or additional engine brak-
ing on aslippery roads urface.
GWARNING
If yo uselect the LOW RANG Eoff-roadg earon
as lippery roads urface,the wheels could lose
traction:
Rif yo uremove your foot from the accelera-
tor pedal whe ndriving
Rif off roadA BS intervenes whe nbraking
If the wheels los etraction. the vehicle can no
longer be steered. There is an increased dan-
ger of skidding and accidents.
Nevers elect the LOW RANG Eoff-roadg ear
whe ndriving on slippery roads urfaces.
Information on the parking brake (
Ypage 121).
Downhillg radients
!On long and steep gradients, yo umust
reduce the loa donthe brakes by shifting to a
lower gearing oodtime. Thisa llow syou to
take advantage of the engine's braking effect.
Thish elps yo utoavoid overheating the
brakes and wearing them oute xcessively.
Wheny outake advantage of engine braking, a
drive wheel may not turn for some time, e.g.
on aslippery roads urface.Thisc ould cause
damag etothe drive train. Thist ypeofd amage
is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz war-
ranty.
Thisa lsoa pplies if cruise control or DISTRONIC
PLUS is activated.
Drivin gtips123
Drivin gand parking
Z

Heavy and light loads
GWARNING
If you rest you rfoot on the brake pedalw hile
driving, the braking system can overheat. This increases the stopping distance and can even
caus ethe braking system to fail .There is a
risk of an accident.
Never use the brake pedalasaf ootrest. Never
depress the brake pedala nd the accelerator
pedalatt he same time.
!Depressing the brake pedalc onstantly
results in excessive and premature weart o
the brake pads.
If the brakes have been subjected to aheavy
load, do not stop the vehiclei mmediately. Drive
on for ashort while. This allows the airflow to
cool the brakes more quickly.
Wet roads
If driving in heavy rain for aprolonged period of
time without braking, there may be adelayed
reactio nfrom the brakes when braking for the
first time. This may als ooccur after the vehicle
has been washed.
You have to depress the brake pedalm ore
firmly.M aintainagreater distance from the
vehicleinf ront.
After driving on awet road or having the vehicle
washed, brake firmly while paying attention to
the traffic conditions. This wil lwarmupt he
brake discs, thereby drying them more quickly
and protecting them against corrosion.
Limited braking performance on salt-
treated roads
If you drive on salted roads, alayer of sal tresi-
due may form on the brake discs and brake
pads. This can result in asignificantly longer
braking distance.
RIn order to prevent any sal tbuild-up, apply the
brakes occasionall ywhile paying attention to
the traffic conditions.
RCarefully depress the brake pedala nd the
beginning and end of ajourney.
RMaintain agreater distance to the vehicle
ahead.
Servicing the brakes
!The brake flui dlevelm ay be too low,i f:
Rif the red brake warning lamp lights up in
the instrument cluste rand
Ryou hearaw arning tone while the engine is
running
Observe additiona lwarning messages in the
multifunction display.
The brake flui dlevelm ay be too low due to
brake pad wearorl eaking brake lines.
Have the brake system checked immediately. Consult aqualified specialist workshopt o
arrange this.
!If the brake warning lamp lights up in the
instrument cluste rand you hearaw arning
tone even though the parking brake has been
released ,the brake flui dlevelm ay be too low.
Observe additionalw arning messages in the
multifunction display.
The brake flui dlevelm ay be too low due to
brake pad wearorl eaking brake lines.
Have the brake system checked immediately.
This work should be carrie dout at aqualified
specialist workshop.
!Af unction or performance test should only
be carrie dout on a2-axle dynamometer. If
you wis htooperate the vehicleons uch a
dynamometer, please consul taqualified spe-
cialist workshopina dvance. You couldoth-
erwise damage the drive train or the brake
system.
!The ESP®system operates automatically.I f
the parking brake is tested on abrake dyna-
mometer (for amaximu moften seconds),t he
engine and the ignitio nmust be switched off.
Braking triggereda utomatically by ESP
®may
otherwise caus esevere damage to the brake
system.
All checks and maintenance work on the brake
system must be carrie dout at aqualified spe-
cialist workshop.
Have brake pad sinstalled and brake fluid
replaced at aqualified specialist workshop.
If the brake system has only been subject to
moderate loads, you shoul
d test the functional-
ity of you rbrakes at regular intervals.
Informatio nonBAS (Brake Assist) (
Ypage5 8).
124Driving tips
Driving and parking

erwise, water may enter the vehicle interior or
the engine compartment.This can damage
the electronic component sinthe engine or
the automatic transmission. Water can also
be drawn in by the engine' sair suction nozzles
and this can cause engine damage.
If you have to drive on stretches of road on which
water has collected, please bear in mind that:
Rin the case of standin gwater, the water level
must be no higher than the lower edge of the
vehicle body
Ryou should drive no faster than walking pace
Off-road fording
!Under no circumstances should you accel-
erate before entering the water. The bow
wave could cause water to enter and damage
the engine and other assemblies.
!Do not open any of the vehicle's doors while
fording. Otherwise, water could get into the
vehicle interior and damage the vehicle's
electronics and interior equipment.
iYou may only drive through fresh water.
RObserve the safety notes (Ypage 127) and
general notes (Ypage 127) on driving off-
road.
REstablish how deep the water is and the char-
acteristics of the body of water before ford-
ing.
RSwitc hoff automatic climate control
RShift the transfer case to the off-road driving
position LOW RANGE (Ypage 145).
REngage the differential locks if necessary
(Ypage 148).
RAvoid high engine speeds.
REnter and exit the water at aflat place and at
as teady walking pace.
RDrive slowly and at an even speed through the
water.
REnsure that abow wave does not form as you
drive.
RDo not stop and do not switch off the engine.
Water offers ahigh degree of resistance, and
the ground is slippery and in some cases
unstable. Therefore, it is difficult and danger-
ous to pull away in water.
RClean any mud from the tire tread after ford-
ing.
RApply the brakes to dry them after fording. Always observe the fordingd
epth values
(
Ypage 283).
Winter driving
GWARNING
If you shift down on aslippery road surface in
an attempt to increase the engine' sbraking
effect, the drive wheels could lose their grip.
There is an increased danger of skidding and
accidents.
Do not shift down for additional engine brak-
ing on aslippery road surface.
GWARNING
If you select the LOW RANGE off-road gear on
as lippery road surface, the wheels could lose
traction:
Rif you remove your foot from the accelera-
tor pedal when driving
Rif off road ABS intervenes when braking
If the wheels lose traction .the vehicle can no
longer be steered. There is an increased dan-
ger of skidding and accidents.
Never select the LOW RANGE off-road gear
when driving on slippery road surfaces.
Have your vehicle winter-proofed at aqualified
specialist workshop at the onset of winter.
Drive particularly carefully on slippery road sur-
faces. Avoid sudden acceleration, steerin gand
braking maneuvers. Do not use cruise control or DISTRONIC PLUS.
If the vehicle threatens to skid or cannot be
stopped when moving at low speed:
XShift the automatic transmission to position
N .
The outside temperature indicator is not
designed to serve as an ice-warning device and is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Changes in the outside temperature are dis-
played after ashort delay.
Indicated temperatures just above the freezing
point do not guarantee that the road surface is
free of ice. The road may still be icy, especially in
wooded areas or on bridges. The vehicle could
skid if you fail to adapt your driving style. Always
126Driving tips
Driving and parking

Familiarize yourself with the characteristics of
your vehicle and the gearshift operation before
driving through difficult terrain.
The following driving systems are specially
adapted to off-roadd riving:
R4ETS (Ypage 59)
ROff-roadABS (Ypage 58)
RTransfer case (Ypage 145)
RDifferentia llocks (Ypage 120)
Observe the following notes:
RStop the vehicle before yo udrive off-roada nd,
if necessary ,shift the transfe rcase to the off-
roadd riving position LOW RANGE
(
Ypage 146).
REngag ethe differential locks if necessary
(Ypage 148).
iABS, 4ETS, ESP®and BAS are deactivated
while the differential locks are engaged.T his
allow sthe front wheels to lock briefly, so that
these can dig into aloose surface .However,
please note that locke dwheels skid and can
no longer steer.
RCheck that items of luggage and loads are
stowed safely and are well secured
(
Ypage 209).
RTo avoid damaging the vehicle, make sure
there is always sufficient ground clearance.
RAlway skeep the engine running and in gear
whe ndriving on adownhil lgradient.
RAlway skeep the engine running and in gear
whe ndriving downani ncline.
RDrive slowlyand evenly, if necessary at a
walking pace.
REnsure that the wheels are in contact with the
ground at al ltimes.
RDrive with extreme care on unfamilia roff-road
routes where visibility is poor. For safety rea-
sons, get ou

tofthe vehicle firs tand survey
the off-roadr oute.
RCheck the depth of water before fording rivers
and streams.
RWatch outfor obstacles.
RAlwayskeep the doors, reard oor, sidewin-
dowsa nd the sliding sunroof closed while the
vehicle is in motion.
RSwitch off cruise control.
RDo not deviate from marke droutes.
RAdap tyou rspeed to the terrain. The rougher,
steeper or more ruts on the terrain, the slower
your speed should be.
RDo not jump with the vehicle. as this will inter-
rup tthe vehicle' spropulsion.
RAvoid hig hengine speeds .Drive at appropri-
ate engine speeds (maximu m3,000 rpm).
RDo not shift the automatic transmission to
position N.
RAlwayscheck the vehicle for damag eafteroff-
roadd riving.
Do not use the HOLD function whe ndriving off-
road, on steep uphil lordownhil lgradients or on
slippery or loose surfaces. The HOLD function
cannot holdt he vehicle on such surfaces.
You can obtain further information aboutr etro-
fitting specia lall-terrain tires from aquali fied
specialist workshop.
Checklist before driving off-road
!If the engine oil warning lamp lights up while
the vehicle is in motion, stop the vehicle in a
saf ep lace as soona spossible. Check the
engine oil level. The engine oil warning lamp
warning mus tnot be ignored.C ontinuing the
journey while the symbol is displaye dcould
lea dtoe ngine damage.
XEngin eoillevel: check the engine oil level
and ad doil if necessary.
Whend riving on steep gradients, the engine
oil level mus tbes ufficiently hig htoensure a
correct oil supply in the vehicle.
XTire-changing too lkit: check that the jack is
working and make sur eyou hav ethe lug
wrench, arobust tow cable and afolding
spade in the vehicle.
XWheels and tires: check the tire treadd epth
and tire pressure.
XCheck for damag eand remove any foreign
objects, e.g. small stones,f rom the wheels/
tires.
XReplace any missing valve caps.
XReplace dente dordamaged wheels .Also
check the spare wheel.
XRims: dentedorbent rims can result in aloss
of tire pressure and damag ethe tire bead.
Befored riving off-road, check the wheels and
replace them if necessary.
128Drivin gtips
Drivin gand parking

!Objects that are not at ground level appear
further awayt han they actually are, e.g.:
Rthe bumper of aparked vehicle
Rthe drawbarofat railer
Rthe rear end ofatruck
Rap ost sticking up at an angle
Use the guide lines for orientation only. Do
not cross the lower guide line when approach-
ing objects.
:Yellowg uide line at adistance of approx-
imately 13 ft (4.0 m) from the rear of the
vehicle
;White guide line without steering input –
vehicle width including the exterior mirrors
(static)
=Yellowg uide line for the vehicle width
including the exterior mirrors, for current
steering wheel angle (dynamic)
?Yellowl anes marking the course the tires
will take for current steering input (dynamic)
AYellowg uide line at adistance of approx-
imately 3ft(1.0 m) from the rear of the vehi-
cle
BVehicle center axle (marker assistance)
CSpare wheel
DRed guide line at adistance of approximately
12 in (0.30 m)from the rear of the vehicle
The guide lines are shownw hen the transmis-
sion is in position R. The distance specifications only apply to
objects that are at ground level.
:Front warning display
;Additional vehiclei
con: PARKTRONIC meas-
urement operational readiness indicator
=Rea rwarning display
Vehicles with PARKTRONIC: when PARKTRONIC
is operational (
Ypag e140), additiona lmeas-
urement operational readiness indicator ;
appears in the multimedias ystem. If the
PARKTRONIC warning display sare active or
light up, warning displays :and =are also
active or light up correspondinglyint he multi-
medias ystem.
"Coupling up atrailer" function
:Trailer drawbar
This function is only available on vehicles with a
trailer tow hitch.
XBefore coupling up atrailer, set the height of
trailer drawbar :so that it is slightly higher
than the bal lcoupling.
XPosition the vehiclec entrallyinfront of trailer
drawbar :.
144Driving systems
Driving and parking

:Red guide lineatadistanceofapproximately
12 in (0.30m)f romt he ball coupling
;Trailer drawbar marker assistant
=Trailer drawbar
?Symbo lfor the "Coupling up atrailer" func-
tion
iThe trailer tow hitch is not visible in the mul-
timedia systemd isplay,asthe spar ewheel
covers the ball coupling of the trailer tow
hitch.
XSelect symbol ?using the controller.
The "Coupling up atrailer" functio niss elec-
ted .The distance specifications now only
appl ytoo bjects thata reat the same level as
the ball coupling.
XReverse carefully, making sure thatt railer
drawbar locating aid ;points approximately
in the direction of trailer drawbar =.
XReverse carefullyuntiltrailer drawbar =rea-
che sred guid eline:. Do no tdriv ea ny fur-
ther.
The distance between trailer drawbar =and
red guid eline : is now approximately 12 in
(0.3 0m).
XCoupl eupthe trailer (Ypage 151).
180° view
:Symbo lfor the 180° vie wfunction
;Ownv ehicle
=PARKTRONICw arning displays
Yo uc an also us ethe rea rviewc amera to select
a1 80° view.
When PARKTRONICi soperational (
Ypage 140),
as ym bolfor your ow nvehicl eappears in the
multimedia system. If the PARKTRONICw arning
displays ar eactive, warning displays =light up
in the multimedia systeminy elloworr ed
accordingly.
Off-roa ddrivin gsystems
Transferc ase
General notes
The vehicl ehaspermanent all-wheel drive. The
front and rea raxles ar econstantl ydriven.
For furtheri nformation on drivin goff-road, see
(
Ypage 127).
Shift ranges
HIGH
RANGEPositio nfor al lnormal on-
roa ddrivin gconditions
LOWR ANGELow-range positio nfor driving
off-road.
Als ofor us eons teep uphill or
downhil lgradients ,especially
when towing atrailer.
The vehicl etravel saround
half the spee dofon-road driv-
ing range HIGH RANGE .The
tractiv epower is correspond-
ingly higher.
Off-roa ddrivin gsystems145
Driving an dparking
Z

Drivingtips
RMaintain agreater distanc efromt hevehicle
in fron ttha nw hen drivin gwithout atrailer .
RAvoid braking abruptly. If possible, brake gen -
tl yatf irst to allow th etrailer to run on .Then,
increase th ebraking forc erapidly.
RThe values given fo rgradient-climbin gcapa-
bilities from astandstill refer to sea level.
Whe ndrivin ginm ountainous areas, note that
th ep owe routput of th eenginea nd,conse -
quently, th evehicle' sgradient-climbin gcapa-
bility, decreases wit hincrea sing altitude.
If th etrailer swings from sid etoside:
XDo no taccelerate.
XDo no tcounter-steer .
XBrakeifn ecessary.
Assemblin gthe ball coupling
GWARNING
The ball couplin gcan be damaged if th enut on
th eb all couplin gistightened usin gthe incor-
rec ttorque. As aresult ,the trailer may
detach .There is ariskofana ccident.
Immediately after installing, hav ethe tighten -
in gt orqu ec hecked ataq ualified specialis t
workshop .
!Mercedes-Ben zrecommends that you only
use ball couplings tested and approved fo r
use on Mercedes-Ben zvehicles .Thish elps to
avoid damage to th evehicle.
Observ ethe manufacturer's installation
instruction sifyou use aball couplin gother
than th eonesupplied .
XSlide ball couplin g: through th eholeinb all
couplin gcarrie rbar; to th estop.
XSlide loc kwasher ?onto th ethrea dofb all
couplin g= to th estop.
XScrew on nut Aas far as it will go.
XUsing atorqu ew rench, tighten nut Bwitha
torqu eof516 lb-ft(700 Nm ).
XCheckthatthe lengt hofo verhangin gthrea d
C beneat hnutB is at leas t0.32 in(8 mm) .
XCheckthatthe assembled ball couplin ghas
bee nassembled correctly.
Also observ ethe height of th etrailer couplin g
and th etrailer manufacturer's instructions.
Dependin gontheheight of th etrailer coupling,
it may be necessary to rotate th eball couplin g
by 180° when assemblin gontheball couplin g
carrie rbar.T he assembly process is identical .
Installing theballc oupling
GWARNING
If th eball couplin gisnotinstalled correctl yor
no tsecure dwitht he bolt provided and th e
correspondin gsprin gcotter ,the trailer may
come loose. There is ariskofana ccident.
152Towingatrailer
Driving an dpark ing