2004 Mercedes G-Class Owner's Manual - Page 45

Getting started Driving Release the parking brake by lifting lever 1 up slightly, pressing button 2 on the lever and moving lever 1 down to the stop. The warning lamp ; (USA only) or 3 (Canada only) in the instrument cluster goes out. Driving Depress the brake pedal. Move gear selector lever to position D or R. Warning! ! In order to avoid damaging the transmission, wait for the gear selection process to complete before setting the vehicle in motion. place the gear selector lever in position R only when the vehicle is stopped. Release the brake pedal. Carefully depress the accelerator. Once the vehicle is in motion, the automatic central locking system engages and the locking knobs drop down. After a cold start, the automatic transmission shifts at a higher revolution. This allows the catalytic converter to reach its operating temperature earlier. ! Do not run cold engine at high engine speeds. Running a a cold engine at high engine speeds may shorten the service life of the engine. i You can open the doors from inside at any time. Open doors only when the conditions are safe to do so. You can deactivate the automatic locking using the control system ( page 133). G It is dangerous to shift the gear selector lever out of P or N if the engine speed is higher than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in reverse. You could lose control of the vehicle and hit someone or something. Only shift into gear when the engine is idling normally and when your right foot is firmly on the brake pedal. ! If you hear a warning signal when driving off, you have forgotten to release the parking brake. Release the parking brake. ! Simultaneously depressing the accelerator pedal and applying the brake reduces engine performance and causes premature brake and drivetrain wear. 45