
 
Contents
 
Overview
Controls and features
 
Cockpit16
Instrument cluster18
Indicator and warning lamps20
Multifunction steering wheel 
(MFL)24
Hazard warning flashers25
Warning triangle25
First-aid kit25
Refueling26
Fuel specifications27
Tire inflation pressure27
 
Opening and closing:
 
Keys32
Electronic vehicle 
immobilizer33
Central locking system34
Opening and closing – from 
outside34
Opening and closing – from 
inside38
Luggage compartment lid39
Luggage compartment40
Alarm system42
Electric power windows44
Manual convertible top45
The fully automatic convertible 
top49
Wind deflector51
 
Adjustments:
 
Seats53
Seat and mirror memory57
Steering wheel58
Mirrors58
Car Memory, Key Memory60
 
Passenger safety systems:
 
Safety belts61
ISOFIX Attachment of the 
child seat62
Airbags63
Child restraints66
Installing a child restraint 
system67
Rollover protection system68
 
Driving:
 
Steering/Ignition lock70
Starting the engine70
Switch off the engine71
Parking brake72
Manual transmission73
Automatic transmission with 
Steptronic74
Turn signal indicator/
Headlamp flasher77
Washer/Wiper system/
Rain sensor77
Rear window defroster79
Cruise control80
 
Everything under control:
 
Odometer82
Tachometer82
Energy Control82
Fuel gauge83
Coolant temperature gauge83
Service Interval Display83
Check Control84
Clock84
Onboard computer85
 
Technology for safety and 
driving convenience:
 
Park Distance Control (PDC)87
Dynamic Stability Control 
(DSC)88
Tire Pressure Control (RDC)89
 
Contents 

30n
Opening and closing:
Keys32
Electronic vehicle immobilizer33
Central locking system34
Opening and closing – from 
outside34
Opening and closing – from 
inside38
Luggage compartment lid39
Luggage compartment40
Alarm system42
Electric power windows44
Manual convertible top45
The fully automatic 
convertible top49
Wind deflector51
Adjustments:
Seats53
Seat and mirror memory57
Steering wheel58
Mirrors58
Car Memory, Key Memory60
Passenger safety systems:
Safety belts61
ISOFIX Attachment of 
the child seat62
Airbags63
Child restraints66
Installing a child restraint 
system67
Rollover protection system68
Controls 

61n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Fasten your safety belt at the beginning 
of every trip.
To fasten: make sure you hear the lock 
engage in the belt buckle.
To release: press the red button in the 
buckle. Hold the belt and guide it back 
into its reel.
Before using the rear safety belts, 
take them out of their holder.<46cde050
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. The following in-
formation also applies to your passen-
gers: 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 your hips and shoulder. 
Do not allow the belt to rest against 
hard or fragile objects in your pockets. 
Do not route the belt across your neck, 
or run it across sharp edges and ensure 
that the belt does not become caught 
or jammed.
Be sure that the safety belt fits snugly 
against your body at all times, and 
avoid wearing clothing that prevents 
the belt from fitting properly. Pull on the 
belt periodically to readjust the tension 
over your shoulder. In the event of a 
frontal impact, a loose lap belt could 
slide over your hips, leading to abdomi-
nal 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.
To prevent undesired belt movements 
at high speeds, leave the safety belts 
for the back seat in their holders when 
they are not required.<
For child restraint system installation, 
refer to page 66.
For care instructions, refer to "Car care" 
on page 142.
If the safety belt system has been 
subjected to the stresses involved 
in an accident or otherwise damaged: 
Have the entire safety belt mechanism 
replaced by your BMW center, including 
the safety belt tensioner. In addition, 
have your BMW center inspect the 
safety belt anchors. If a child restraint 
system was in the vehicle during an 
accident, consult the manufacturer's 
instructions regarding replacement.cChild restraint systems
*
Never install a rear-facing child re-
straint system in the front passen-
ger seat. If you do so, the child could 
be injured in an accident when the 
airbag is triggered. Do not modify the 
child restraint system in any way. If you 
do so, it will not provide your child with 
maximum protection.<
Safety belts  

62n
ISOFIX Attachment of the child seat
*
The mounts for the ISOFIX child re-
straint system are not visible from the 
outside, but are marked by 2 colored 
spots.
The illustration shows the left rear seat 
by way of example.
Please observe manufacturer service- 
and safety precautions when attaching 
the ISOFIX child restraint system. 
Carefully press the brackets through 
the separating lines in the upholstery at 
the marked points.46cus028
To prevent undesired belt move-
ments at high speeds, leave the 
safety belts for the back seat in their 
holders when they are not required.< 

64n
AirbagsSitting correctly with airbags
For your safety, comply with the 
following instructions for the air-
bags. If you do not, the airbags may not 
be able to provide their maximum pro-
tection. All passengers in the vehicle 
should be aware of and comply with 
this information: 
The airbags are supplemental restraint 
devices designed to provide extra pro-
tection; they are not a substitute for 
safety belts. Wear your safety belt at all 
times. The airbags will not be triggered 
in the event of a minor accident, a vehi-
cle roll-over, or collisions from the rear. 
In these instances, the safety belt pro-
vides optimal protection. 
Airbags are located under cover panels 
in the steering wheel, in the dashboard 
and in the side trim panels in the front.
Adjust your seat to a position that pro-
vides maximum distance between you 
and the steering wheel, the instrument 
panel and the door while still allowing 
comfortable and safe access to all 
vehicle controls.
To avoid sustaining hand and arm inju-
ries, always grasp the steering wheel 
on the rim with the hands at the 9 and 
3 o'clock positions. Do not place your 
hands on the center pad.
Never allow any objects to obstruct the 
area between the airbag and an occu-
pant.
Do not use the cover panel above the 
passenger-side airbag as a storage 
area.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the 
cover panels of the airbags, cover them 
or modify them in any other way.
Do not install a rear-facing child re-
straint system in the front passenger 
seat of this car. 
Children under 13 years of age and 
children less than 5 feet (150 cm) tall 
should ride only in the rear seat.
Infants or small children should never 
be held on the lap of a passenger.
If your car is equipped with side airbags 
in the rear passenger area, be sure that 
child restraints are mounted correctly 
and provided with the greatest-possible 
distance between the airbags in the 
side trim panels. Do not allow children 
to lean out of the child's seat in the di-
rection of the side trim panels. If they 
do so, serious injuries can occur if the 
airbag is triggered.
(infants and small children in appropri-
ate child restraint systems; larger chil-
dren and adults using the safety belts). 
Never let an occupant's head rest near 
or on a side airbag because the inflating 
airbag could cause a serious or fatal in-
jury. Please note that the word "Airbag" 
imprinted on the door trim panel indi-
cates the airbag's location.
Accident research shows that the saf-
est place for children in an automobile 
is in the rear seat. However, a child sit-
ting in the rear seat and not properly re-
strained may place his or her head on 
or near the airbag, if so equipped. For 
example, a child — even though belted 
— may fall asleep with his or her head 
against the side airbag. It may be diffi-
cult for a driver to ensure that children 
in the rear seat will remain properly po-
sitioned at all times and not place their 
heads on or near the side airbag. 
Therefore, we recommend that the rear 
seat side airbags, if so equipped, be 
deactivated if children will travel in the 
rear seat.
The rear seat side airbags may already 
have been deactivated, either at the 
time of manufacture or by a BMW 
center. Labels in the rear door opening  

65n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Airbagsshould indicate the status of your rear 
seat side airbags. If you are uncertain of 
their status, or wish to have the airbags 
activated or deactivated, please con-
tact your BMW center.< 
Even when all these guidelines are ob-
served, there is still a small residual risk 
of injuries to the face, hands and arms 
occurring from airbag deployment in 
isolated instances. The ignition and 
inflation noise may provoke a mild 
temporary hearing loss in extremely 
sensitive individuals.
Airbag warning information is also 
provided on the sun visors.
For additional information concerning 
the airbag system, refer to pages 146 
and 173.This is the right way a child should sit in 
a child restraint when rear side airbags 
(arrow) are provided.
46cus025
This is the right way a larger child 
should sit wearing the safety belt when 
rear side airbags (arrow) are provided.46cus026 

66n
Child restraints
*
Commercially-available child restraint 
systems are designed to be secured 
with a lap belt or with the lap belt por-
tion of a combination lap/shoulder belt. 
Improperly or inadequately installed 
restraint systems can increase the risk 
of injury to children. Always read and 
follow the instructions that come with 
the system.
If you use a child restraint system with 
a tether strap, two additional tether an-
chorage points (refer to the arrows in 
the illustration) have been provided. 
Depending on the location selected for 
seating in the rear passenger area, at-
tach the tether strap to the correspond-
ing anchorage point to secure the child 
restraint system.46cus001
If the respective seating position is fit-
ted with a headrest lift the headrest and 
pass the tether strap between the 
headrest and the seat back.
Adjust the tether strap according to the 
child restraint manufacturer's instruc-
tions.
Before installing any child restraint 
device or child seat, please read 
the following:
Never install a rear-facing child restraint 
system in the front passenger seat of 
this vehicle.
Your vehicle is equipped with an airbag 
supplemental restraint system for the 
front passenger. Because the backrest 
on any rear-facing child restraint sys-
tem (of the kind designed for infants 
under 1  year and 20  Ibs./9 kg) would be 
within the airbag's deployment range, 
you should never mount such a device 
in the front passenger seat, since the 
impact of the airbag against the child 
restraint's backrest could lead to seri-
ous or fatal injuries.
If it is necessary for a child (not an in-
fant) to ride in the front seat, certain 
precautions should be taken. First, 
move the passenger seat as far away 
from the dashboard as possible. This 
important precaution is intended to 
maximize the distance between the 
airbag and the child. Older children 
should be tightly secured with a safety 
belt. Younger children should be se-
cured in an appropriate forward-facing 
child restraint system that has first been 
properly secured with a safety belt. 
Never install a rear-facing child restraint 
system in the front passenger seat.
We strongly urge you to carefully read 
and comply with the instructions for in-
stallation and use provided by the child 
restraint's manufacturer whenever you 
use such a device.
Be sure that all occupants (of all ages) 
remain properly and securely restrained 
at all times.< 
All rear seating positions in your vehicle 
meet the recommendations of SAE 
J1819, an industry-recommended prac-
tice for securing child restraint systems 
in motor vehicles. 

Everything from A to ZAABS (Antilock Brake 
System)22, 114
Accessories6
Activated charcoal filter98
Adaptive Transmission 
Control (ATC)74, 172
Adding engine oil133
Adding washer 
fluid132, 185
Adjust seats53
Adjust the temperature96
Adjusting the steering 
wheel58
Air distribution96
Air outlets94
Air pressure123
Air supply97
Airbags21, 63, 146, 173
sitting properly with64
Alarm system42
Antenna120
Antenna, Diversity174
Antifreeze135
Antifreeze, radiator118
Antilock Brake System 
(ABS)22, 114
Anti-theft alarm system42
Aquaplaning113, 123
Armrest102
Ashtray
front103
rear104Assisted rear entry56
ATC (Adaptive Transmission 
Control)74, 172
Attaching vehicle vacuum 
cleaner104
AUC (Automatic recirculated 
air control)97
Automatic car washes139
Automatic climate 
control94
remove window 
condensation97
Automatic cruise control80
Automatic dimming, interior 
rearview mirror59
Automatic recirculated air 
control (AUC)97
Automatic transmission with 
Steptronic22, 74
Automatic windshield 
washer78
Average consumption86
Average speed86
Avoiding unwanted 
alarm43
Axle loads184
BBackrest
release56
Backup lamps73
bulb replacement155Battery162, 186
capacity186
charge164
charge current20
drained168
removal and 
installation164
Belts61
Blower97
BMW High Performance 
Synthetic Oils134
BMW Sports Seat55
BMW Universal 
Transmitter100
Bore182
Brake fluid136
Brake hydraulic system20
Brake lamps
bulb replacement155
Brake pads22
Brakes116
malfunctions117
Break-in procedure112
Breaking in the vehicle112
Bulb replacement152
CCapacities185
Car Memory60
Car radio120
refer also to the separate 
Owner's ManualCar radio 
reception120, 174
Car wash139
Care
convertible top144
exterior140
interior141
Care of upholstery142
Cargo loading106
Caring for the vehicle 
finish140
Caring for wool velour142
Cassette operation, refer to 
the Radio Owner's Manual
Catalytic converter113
CBC (Cornering Brake 
Control)21, 115
CD operation, refer to the 
Radio Owner's Manual
Cellular phone103, 120
refer also to the separate 
Owner's Manual
Center armrest102
Center brake lamp157
Central locking system34
key38
Changing tires159
Check Control84
Child restraint 
systems61, 66, 67
installation67
Child's seat61, 66
Everything from A to Z