
54n
Car Memory, Key Memory How the system functionsYou have probably frequently wished 
that you could configure individual 
functions of your vehicles to reflect your 
own personal requirements. BMW has 
included several user-defined func-
tions in the vehicle's design. Your BMW 
center can make these settings for you 
in accordance with your wishes.
There are settings related to the vehicle 
("Car Memory") and settings related to 
individuals ("Key Memory"). You can 
have up to four different basic settings 
adjusted for four different persons. The 
only requirement is that each person 
uses his or her own remote control key. 463de029
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. 
You will see this symbol through-
out the Owner's Manual. It is to 
remind 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. 

58n
Airbags
For your own safety, please ob-
serve the following precautions 
concerning airbags, as otherwise their 
protective function may be impaired 
and your personal safety endangered. 
The following information pertains to all 
occupants: 
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 this case, the safety belt offers the 
best protection.
Airbags are located under the cover 
panels in the steering wheel, in the in-
strument panel, in the side trim panels 
in the front and rear
*, in the roof panels, 
and in the sides of the inside roof lining.
Select a seat position that is comfort-
able and allows the greatest possible 
distance from each of the applicable 
airbags. Hold the steering wheel at the 
rim (hands at the "9 o'clock and 
3 o'clock" positions) in order to avoid 
injuries to the hands or arms if the air-
bag is triggered. 
Never allow any objects to obstruct the 
area between the airbag and an occu-
pant.
Do not use the cover panel above the 
front passenger airbag as a storage 
area. 
Never tape the airbag cover panels, 
cover them over or alter them in any 
other way.
Never install a rear-facing child restraint 
device on the front passenger seat. 
Children under 13 years of age and 
children who are smaller than 5 feet 
(150 cm), should only travel in the rear 
seat. 
If your vehicle is equipped with side air-
bags in the rear, be sure that child seats 
are installed correctly and with the 
greatest possible distance from the side 
trim panels. Do not allow children to 
lean out of the child's seat in the direc-
tion of the side trim panels. Otherwise, 
serious injuries could occur if the airbag 
is triggered.
At all times, occupants should sit up-
right and be properly restrained (infants 
and small children in appropriate child 
restraint systems; larger children 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 injury. 
Please note that the word "Airbag" im-
printed on the door trim panel indicates 
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 
sitting in the rear seat and not properly 
restrained may place his or her head on 
or near the side 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 
difficult for a driver to ensure that chil-
dren in the rear seat will remain prop-
erly positioned at all times and not 
place their heads on or near the side 
airbag. Therefore, we recommend that 
the rear seat side airbags, if provided, 
be deactivated if you plan to transport 
children in the rear seat.
The rear seat side airbags may already 
have been deactivated, either at the 
time of manufacture or by a BMW cen-
ter. Labels in the rear door opening 
should 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 contact 
your BMW center.< 

61n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Child restraint installationAll of the rear belt retractors and the 
front passenger's safety belt can be 
locked for mounting and securing child 
restraint systems.
A label with the appropriate instructions 
for this is located in the immediate vi-
cinity of the buckle latch of each safety 
belt.Lock the safety beltExtract the entire length of the belt from 
the inertia reel mechanism. Allow the 
reel to retract the belt somewhat and 
engage the buckle, then tighten the belt 
against the child restraint system. The 
retraction mechanism is now locked. 
The belt cannot be extracted further. 
Always observe the installation instruc-
tions provided by the manufacturer of 
the child restraint system.462us014
Release the safety beltRelease the safety belt, remove the 
child's seat and retract the safety belt to 
its end position on the belt retractor. 

62n
0  Steering lock engaged The key can only be inserted and 
removed in this position.
After removing the key, turn the steer-
ing wheel slightly to the left or right until 
you hear the lock engage.
If the key is not removed, an acoustic 
signal chimes after the driver's door has 
been opened.
Vehicles with automatic 
transmission:
Move the selector lever from position P 
only after the engine is running (ignition 
key in position 2).
In order to turn the key back to position 0 
or to remove it, move the selector lever 
into position P first (Interlock).<462de195
1  Steering lock disengaged Turning the steering wheel slightly to 
the right or left often makes it easier to 
turn the key from 0 to 1.
Individual electrical devices are ready 
for operation.2  Ignition onAll electrical equipment and accesso-
ries are available for use.3  Starting the engine
Vehicles with manual 
transmission: 
Step on the clutch when starting the 
vehicle. A lockout prevents the engine 
from starting if the clutch is not de-
pressed.c
Before starting>Engage parking brake
>Ensure that the transmission selector 
is in "Neutral" (or "Park" if vehicle is 
equipped with automatic transmis-
sion)
>Manual transmission: Depress the 
clutch pedal
>Automatic transmission: Depress the 
footbrake.
Never allow the engine to run with 
the vehicle standing in an en-
closed area. The exhaust gases contain 
carbon monoxide, an odorless and col-
orless, but highly toxic gas. Breathing 
the exhaust gases poses an extreme 
health risk, and can lead to uncon-
sciousness and death.
Do not leave the car unattended with 
the engine running. An unattended ve-
hicle with a running engine represents a 
potential safety hazard.<
>Start the engine. Do not press the 
accelerator pedal.
Steering/ignition lock  Starting the engine  

63n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Starting the engine Switching off the engine 
Do not operate the starter too 
briefly, but not longer than 
approx. 20 seconds. Release the igni-
tion key immediately as soon as the 
engine starts.
Do not allow the engine to warm up by 
leaving it running while the vehicle re-
mains stationary. Instead, drive off 
immediately at a moderate engine 
speed.<
Should the engine fail to start on the 
first attempt, e.g. if it is very hot or cold:
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway 
down while engaging the starter.
Cold start at extremely low tempera-
tures, from approx. + 57 (– 156) 
and at elevations above 3300 feet 
(1000 meters):
>On the first start attempt, engage the 
starter for a longer period (approx. 
10 seconds)
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway 
down while engaging the starter.
Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 0.
Do not pull the ignition key out of a 
rolling vehicle, otherwise the igni-
tion switch could lock and it is impossi-
ble to steer the vehicle.
When you leave the vehicle, always 
remove the ignition key and engage the 
steering lock.
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Always engage the parking brake when 
parking on slopes and inclined sur-
faces, as placing the lever in 1st gear or 
reverse may not provide adequate re-
sistance to rolling.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Place the selector lever in "Park".< 

64n
Parking brake To engageThe lock engages automatically when 
you lift the lever, and the indicator lamp 
in the instrument cluster will light up in 
ignition key position 2. See page 21.To releasePull up slightly on the lever, press the 
button (arrow) and lower the lever.
The parking brake is primarily designed 
to prevent the vehicle from rolling while 
parked, and operates against the rear 
wheels.460de024
If, in exceptional circumstances, it 
should be necessary to engage 
the parking brake while the vehicle is in 
motion, do not pull it with excessive 
pressure. Keep your thumb pressed 
against the release button while care-
fully pulling up the lever to apply mod-
erate pressure.
Excessive pressure can lead to over-
braking and loss of traction (fishtailing) 
at the rear.
The brake lamps do not come on when 
the parking brake is engaged.
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Always engage the parking brake when 
parking on slopes and inclined sur-
faces, as placing the lever in 1st gear or 
reverse may not provide adequate re-
sistance to rolling.
Vehicles with automatic transmission: 
Place the selector lever in "Park".<
To avoid corrosion, apply the parking 
brake lightly from time to time when 
coasting to a standstill (at a traffic sig-
nal, for instance), provided that it is safe 
to do so. 

66n
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
You have the option of driving a normal 
automatic transmission or switching to 
manual.
Whenever you shift the selector lever 
out of position D toward the left and 
into the M/S gate, the automatic trans-
mission's sports-emphasized shift pro-
gram activates. As soon as you even 
begin to move the selector lever in the 
direction "+" or "–", Steptronic shifts the 
gear and manual operation becomes 
active. Whenever you want to use auto-
matic again, just shift the selector lever 
toward the right to position D.
The Steptronic automatic transmission 
is equipped with ATC (Adaptive Trans-
mission Control). ATC reacts with preci-
sion to your individual driving style and 
the current driving conditions. This is 
the reason why various shift programs 
are used.
For details concerning ATC, please 
refer to the chapter "Advanced Tech-
nology" on page 160.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Starting the engineThe engine can only be started in 
selector lever positions P ("Park") or 
N ("Neutral").Range selectionA lock prevents inadvertent shifts into 
some selector lever positions. To re-
lease the shift-lock mechanism, press 
the button on the front of the shift knob 
(arrow).462de209
While the vehicle is stationary and 
before shifting out of "Park" or 
"Neutral," depress the footbrake in or-
der to disengage the selector lever's 
lock mechanism (Shiftlock). 
Hold the footbrake down until starting 
off. Otherwise the vehicle will "creep" 
when a drive position is engaged.<
Before leaving the vehicle with the 
engine running, shift the selector 
lever to the "Park" or "Neutral" position 
and apply the parking brake. The vehi-
cle will move if this is not done. Do not 
leave the car unattended with the en-
gine running. An unattended vehicle 
with a running engine represents a po-
tential safety hazard.<
P ParkSelect only with the vehicle stationary. 
Transmission locks to prevent rear 
wheels from turning.R ReverseSelect only with the vehicle stationary.N NeutralSelect only if your journey is interrupted 
for a long period. 

77n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Graphic display
 
The following information and/or condi-
tions are indicated using symbols, start-
ing with the ignition key position 2, until 
the interference has been fixed:
1 Inspect the low-beam and high-beam 
headlamps, as well as the side 
marker lamps 
2 Door open
3 Luggage compartment lid open
4 Check brake and taillamps. 
After the completion of a trip and when 
the driver's door is opened, an acousti-
cal signal is given for "Lamps on" if the 
lamps have not been switched off.462de272
Mode selectionIn ignition key positions 1 and 2, you 
can call up information from the on-
board computer using the button in the 
turn signal lever. By pressing the button 
briefly in the direction of the steering 
column, you can call up a new function 
for display. 
The displays appear in the following 
order:
Time, outside temperature, average fuel 
consumption, cruising range, average 
vehicle speed.
The function that was last selected will 
be indicated when the ignition is 
switched on.462de222
Set the clockIn ignition key position 1 and 2 
To set ahead: Turn the button to the 
right.
To set back: Turn the button to the left.
The adjustment speed will increase the 
longer you continue to hold the button.
To change the display mode: Press the 
knob briefly. 
Every time you press the knob, the 
clock display alternates between the 
12-hour or 24-hour mode.
In ignition key position 0 
The time is displayed for a few seconds 
after you press the left button (refer to 
"odometer", page 74).462us021
Check Control
 
Onboard computer