1998 BMW 740I Owners Manual

48n
BMW contour seat
* BMW active seat
* Rear power seat
*
In addition to the adjustments offered
by the electric power seat, there are ad-
justments for thigh support, shoulder
support and lumbar support.Thigh supportPress the switch (arrow) to make ad-
justments.Shoulder supportRefer to BMW comfort seat on the pre-
vious page.Lumbar supportRefer to BMW comfort seat on page 47.380de066
Actively changing the surface of the
seat helps to prevent muscle tension,
back pain in the lumbar region, and
symptoms of fatigue.
To activate this feature, press the but-
ton (arrow).
For more details, please refer to the
section headed "Advanced technol-
ogy" on page 186.380de627
1 Backrest angle
2 Head restraint height
3 Lumbar support
The head restraint extends automati-
cally whenever a passenger fastens the
safety belt at one of the rear seating po-
sitions.
Correct head restraint height with
switch 2.
For information on the lumbar support,
refer to the BMW comfort seat on
page 47.380de025

49n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Adjusting the steering wheelThe steering wheel can be moved in
any of four directions. Adjust by moving
the control lever in the desired direc-
tion.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. There
is a risk of accident from unexpected
movement.<
To store the steering wheel setting, re-
fer to "Seat, mirror and steering wheel
memory" on page 51.380de028
Electric steering wheel
adjustmentIn order to make it easier to get into and
out of the car, the steering wheel auto-
matically moves into the top position
and returns to the driving (memory) po-
sition.
This automatic feature is controlled by
the position of the ignition key and by
the driver's door.
You can make the settings of your
vehicle in such a manner that,
when you unlock the car with your per-
sonalized remote control, your own per-
sonalized steering wheel adjustment is
initiated.<

50n
MirrorsExterior mirrors1 Switch for 4-way adjustment
2 Left/right selection switch.
You can also adjust the mirrors manu-
ally by pressing against the outer edges
of their lenses.
To store the mirror angles: Refer to
"Seat, mirror and steering wheel
memory" on page 51.380us029
The mirror on the passenger's
side features a lens with a more
convex surface than the mirror installed
on the driver's side. When estimating
the distance between yourself and
other traffic, bear in mind that the ob-
jects reflected in the mirror are closer
than they appear. This means that esti-
mations of the distance to following
traffic should not be regarded as pre-
cise.<
You can make the settings of your
vehicle in such a manner that,
when you unlock the car with your per-
sonalized remote control, your own per-
sonalized mirror adjustment is initi-
ated.<
Electric heatersDepending on the outside temperature,
both mirrors are automatically defrosted
when the ignition key is in position 2.
Inside rearview mirror with
automatic dimming featureThis mirror automatically responds to
light (ambient light and headlamp glare)
by dimming through an infinitely vari-
able range.
The mirror automatically reverts to its
clear, undimmed setting whenever you
move the selector lever to Reverse.
To ensure that the mirror continues to
operate properly, keep the two photo-
cells clean and unobstructed. One pho-
tocell is integrated in the mirror glass,
the other somewhat offset on the back
of the mirror.
For an explanation of the electro-chro-
mic technology used in this mirror, refer
to page 188.380us031

51n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Mirrors Seat, mirror and steering wheel memoryLighted vanity mirrorFold down the sun visor and slide the
cover panel to the side as required.
The mirror lamps operate in ignition key
positions 1 and 2.Sun visorsThese can be folded down toward the
windshield or swiveled out against the
side windows.380de670
You can store and call up three different
seat, exterior mirror and steering wheel
positions.
The illustration shows the buttons on
the driver's door, for making these posi-
tion adjustments.
The adjustment for the lumbar
support is not in the stored in the
memory.< To store1 Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 2
2 Adjust for the preferred seat, exterior
mirror and steering wheel positions
3 Press the
M
EMORY button: The indi-
cator lamp in the button lights up
4 Press memory button 1, 2 or 3, as de-
sired: The indicator lamp goes out.
380de032
To select a stored settingDriver's door open after unlocking or
ignition key in position 1:
>Briefly press memory button 1, 2 or 3,
as desired.
Movement stops immediately when
one of the seat-adjustment or mem-
ory buttons is activated during the
adjustment process.
With driver's door closed and ignition
key either removed or in position 0 or 2:
>Maintain pressure on desired mem-
ory button 1, 2 or 3 until the adjust-
ment process is completed.
If you press the
M
EMORY button acci-
dentally: Press the button a second
time, the indicator lamp goes out.
Do not call up a position from the
memory while the vehicle is mov-
ing. There is a risk of accident from un-
expected movement of the seat or
steering wheel.<

52n
Seat, mirror and steering wheel memory
You can make the settings of your
vehicle in such a manner that,
when you unlock the car with your per-
sonalized remote control, your own per-
sonalized settings for the seat position
and the mirror and steering wheel ad-
justments are initiated.<
When you make use of this fea-
ture, be sure that the footwell be-
hind the driver's seat is not obstructed
before unlocking the car. Otherwise,
any objects which are behind the seat
might be damaged by any rearward
movement of the seat.<
Passenger side exterior mirror tilt
function(automatic curb monitor)
1 Move the mirror selector switch (ar-
row) to the "driver's mirror" position
2 When the selector lever is placed in
"Reverse," the passenger-side mirror
tilts downward to help the driver
monitor the area directly adjacent to
the car during parking (curbs, etc.).
You can deactivate this automatic fea-
ture: Set the mirror selector switch to
the passenger's mirror position.380us610

53n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Car Memory, Key MemoryHow the system functionsYou have probably frequently wished
that you could configure individual
functions of your vehicles to reflect your
own personal requirements. In engi-
neering your vehicle, BMW has in-
cluded several user-defined functions
in the vehicle's design. Your authorized
BMW center can make these settings
for you.
There are settings related to the vehicle
("Car Memory") and settings related to
individuals ("Key Memory"). You can
have two different basic settings ad-
justed for two different persons. The
only requirement is that each person
uses his or her own remote control key.380de626
When your vehicle is unlocked with the
remote control, the vehicle recognizes
the individual user by means of a data
exchange with the key, and makes ad-
justments accordingly.
In order for you to distinguish between
different keys, colored decals are sup-
plied together with the keys.What the system can doYour authorized BMW center can pro-
vide you with details on the capabilities
of the Car Memory and Key Memory
systems.
Memory functions are available for
>driver's seat
>steering wheel
>exterior mirrors
>automatic climate control.
You will see this symbol through-
out the Owner's Manual. It is to re-
mind you at appropriate places of the
settings that are available to you.<
An example of Key Memory is the auto-
matic adjustment of the power driver's
seat with stored settings for the individ-
ual person when the vehicle is un-
locked.

54n
Safety beltsFasten your safety belt before starting
off.
To fasten: Make sure you hear the catch
engage in the belt buckle.
To release: Press the red button in the
buckle. Hold the belt and guide it back
into its reel.
The shoulder belt anchor automatically
adjusts to continue providing an opti-
mum fit when you move the seat for-
ward or back.380de033
For your safety, comply with the
following instructions for wearing
safety belts. If you do not, the safety
belts may not be able to provide their
maximum protection. All passengers in
the vehicle should be aware of and
comply with this information:
Never allow more than one person to
wear a single safety belt. Never allow
infants or small children to ride in a pas-
senger's lap.
Avoid twisting the belt while routing it
firmly across the hips and shoulder. Do
not allow the belt to rest against hard or
fragile objects in your pockets. Never
route the belt across your neck, do not
run it across sharp edges. Be sure that
the belt does not become caught or
jammed.
Wear the safety belt as firmly as possi-
ble against your body at all times. For
this reason, avoid wearing bulky cloth-
ing which will prevent proper belt fit.
Pull the safety belt across your shoul-
ders frequently to re-tension it. In the
event of a frontal impact, a loose lap
belt could slide over your hips, leading
to abdominal injury. In addition, the
safety belt's restraint effectiveness is
reduced if the belt is worn loosely.
Expectant mothers should always wear
their safety belts, taking care to position
the lap belt against the lower hips,
where it will not exert pressure against
the abdominal area.<
For securing child restraints, refer to the
next page.
For care instructions, refer to page 154.
If the safety belt system has been
subjected to the stresses involved
in an accident or damaged in any other
way, have the belt system, including the
safety belt tensioner replaced by an au-
thorized BMW center. Have the safety
belt anchorages checked also.< Child restraint systems
*
Never install a rear-facing child re-
straint device on the front passen-
ger seat. Otherwise, injuries could oc-
cur when the airbag is triggered in the
event of an accident. Children should
always ride in the rear.
Do not attempt to modify child restraint
systems. If you do this, the protection
provided by these systems could be im-
paired.<

55n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Airbags1 Front airbags for driver and
front passenger
2 Side impact head protection system
(front and rear
*)
3 Side airbags (front and rear side
*)
Protective effectThe front airbags supplement the three-
point safety belts by helping to provide
additional protection for the front-seat
occupants in the event of a severe fron-
tal collision in which the protection af-
forded by the belts alone may no longer
be sufficient. The head protection and
side airbags help provide protection in
the event of a severe collision from the
side. Each of the side airbags is de-
signed to help support the upper body.380de643
The illustration depicts schematically
the primary directions of vehicle impact
which initiate an airbag deployment.380de674
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp indicates the
operational readiness of the air-
bag system from ignition key
positions 1 and 2.
System operational:
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
then goes out.
System malfunction:
>The indicator lamp fails to come on
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
before going out and then lighting up
again.
A system malfunction could prevent the
system from responding to an impact
occurring within its normal response
range.
Please have your authorized BMW cen-
ter inspect and repair the system as
soon as possible.