2002 BMW 540I SEDAN seat adjustment

Contents

© 2001 Bayerische Motoren Werke
Aktiengesellschaft
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts, only with the
written consent of BMW AG, Munich.
Order No. 01 41 0 156 213
US English VIII/2001
Printed in Germany
Printed on environmentally friendly paper
(bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling).
Overview
Controls and features

Cockpit14
Instrument cluster15
Indicator and warning lamps19
Steering wheel with multifunction
buttons22
Warning triangle23
First-aid kit23
Refueling24
Fuel specifications25
Tire inflation pressure26

Locks and security systems:

Keys32
Central locking system32
Opening and closing Ð via the
door lock33
Opening and closing Ð via the
remote control34
Opening and closing Ð from the
inside37
Luggage compartment lid/
Tailgate38
Rear window40
Luggage compartment42
Alarm system42
Electric power windows44
Sliding/tilt sunroof46

Adjustments:

Correct sitting posture48
Seats48
Manually-adjusted seat49
Electric power seats50
Head restraints52
BMW actice seat52
Safety belts53
Seat, mirror and steering wheel
memory54
Seat heating55
Adjusting steering wheel56
Heated steering wheel56
Mirrors57

Passenger safety systems:

Airbags58
Transporting children safely61
Vehicle Memory, Key
Memory64

Driving:

Steering/Ignition lock66
Starting the engine66
Switching off the engine68
Parking brake68
Manual transmission69
Automatic transmission70
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic73
Indicator/Headlamp flasher76
Washer/Wiper system/Rain
sensor76
Cruise control78

Everything under control:

Odometer, outside temperature
display80
Tachometer81
Energy control81
Fuel gauge81
Coolant temperature gauge82
Service Interval Display82
Check Control83
Computer86
Multi-Information Display
(MID)87
Digital clock in the MID89
Computer in the MID91

Contents

48n
For relaxed and fatigue-free driving you
should select a sitting position that
reflects your personal requirements.
Correct posture combines with safety
belts and airbags to enhance occupant
safety in the event of an accident. To
ensure that the vehicle's safety systems
provide you with optimal protection, we
request that you direct your careful
attention to the following section.
For additional information on trans-
porting children, refer to page 61.
Sitting correctly with airbags
Always maintain an adequate
distance between yourself and the
airbags. Always hold the steering wheel
by the rim to keep any chance of injury
to hands or arms to an absolute
minimum should the airbag be
deployed. Never allow any objects,
individuals or animals to obstruct the
areas between passengers and airbags.
Never use the front airbag's cover as a
storage tray or support for objects of
any kind. Never allow front passengers
to rest their feet or legs on the airbag
cover.<
For airbag locations and additional
information on airbags refer to page 58.
Safe with safety belts
Never allow more than one person
to wear a single safety belt. Never
allow infants or small children to ride in
a passenger's lap. Avoid twisting the
belt while routing it firmly across the
pelvis and shoulder, wear it as snugly
against your body as possible. 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. Avoid wearing
bulky clothing and pull on the lap belt
periodically to retention it over your
shoulders. In the event of a frontal
impact, a loose lap belt could slide over
the hips, leading to abdominal injury. In
addition, the safety belt's restraint
effectiveness is reduced if it 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 pres-
sure against the abdominal area.<
For information on using the safety
belts refer to page 53.
When adjusting your seat, always
observe the following precautions
Never try to adjust your seat while
operating the vehicle. The seat
could respond with an unexpected
movement, and the ensuing loss of
vehicle control could lead to an acci-
dent. Never ride with the backrest
reclined to an extreme horizontal angle
(important for front passengers to
remember), otherwise, there is a risk
that you will slide under the safety belt
in an accident, thus negating the
protection the safety belt provides.
Do not move the seats to the rear when
the vehicle is at an extreme angle (on
garage ramps or steep slopes, for
example). If you do so, the automatic
safety belt height adjustment can be
disengaged.<
Seat adjustment>Manually-adjusted seat, refer to
page 49
>Electric power seats, refer to page 50
>Head restraints, refer to page 52
>BMW active seat, refer to page 52
Correct sitting posture Seats

49n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Manually-adjusted seatSeat adjustment1 Backward/Forward adjustment
Pull the lever and slide the seat to the
desired position.
After you release the lever, move the
seat forward or backward slightly to
engage the detent
2 Cushion height
Pull the lever and apply weight to
or remove weight from the seat as
required390us731
3 Backrest angle
Pull the lever and apply weight to or
remove weight from the backrest as
required.
Comply with the adjustment
instructions on page 48. Failure to
do so could result in diminished
personal safety.< 390us732

50n
Electric power seats
*
1 Tilt angle (driver's seat only)
2 Backward/Forward adjustment
3 Cushion height
4 Backrest angle
5 Head restraint height
Adjust the tilt angle of the head restraint
manually by rotating it.
Read and comply with the adjust-
ment instructions on page 48.
Failure to do so could result in dimin-
ished personal safety.< 380de023
Adjusting BMW sports seat
*
With this seat, you can also adjust the
thigh support:
Press the front/rear of the switch to
adjust the thigh support for your
maximum personal comfort.390de696
Adjusting BMW comfort seat
*
This seat allows you to make additional
adjustments for
1 Lumbar support
2 Shoulder support
Lumbar support:
You can adjust the backrest's contour
for additional support in the curvature
of your spine's lumbar region.
The upper hips and spinal column
receive supplementary support to help
you maintain a relaxed, upright posture.380de024

51n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Electric power seats
*
>Press the front/rear of the switch:
Increase/decrease curvature
>Press the upper/lower end of the
switch:
Increase the upper/lower curvature.
Shoulder support:
Press the front/rear of the switch: the
support angle of the upper backrest
section is adjusted.
You can use the adjustable upper back-
rest for supplementary support in the
shoulder region. This provides a
relaxed sitting posture and helps relieve
stress on the shoulder muscles.
To obtain the optimal shoulder support
position, we recommend:
Driver and front passenger:
1. Adjust the upper backrest section to
its extreme rear position
2 Adjust for the optimal sitting position
as described on page 48
3. Bring the upper backrest section
forward until your shoulders enjoy
firm support.
530de252
Front passenger's seat adjusted for
relaxed traveling:
1. Adjust the upper backrest section
to its extreme rear position
2. Lower the backrest slightly to
increase the tilt angle
3 Bring the upper backrest section
forward until your shoulders enjoy
firm support.
Make corrections in the forward/
backward adjustment of the seat
to ensure that the safety belt still fits
firmly against your body. Failure to
observe this precaution can reduce the
amount of protection provided by your
safety belt.<

52n
Head restraints BMW active seat*AdjustingTo adjust the height of the front or rear
head restraints, pull up or push down.
For electric height adjustment, refer to
page 50.
To adjust the angle of the front head
restraints, tilt to the desired angle.390de715
Head restraints reduce the risk
of spinal injury in the event of an
accident.
Adjust the head restraint so that its
center is approximately level with your
ears.
Leave the center-rear head restraint in
the fully-lowered position at all times.
Extending it limits its function.<
Active changes in the seat's surface
help to avoid muscle cramps, pain in
the spine's lumbar region and fatigue.
To activate, press the button.390us725

54n
Seat, mirror and steering wheel memoryYou 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 position adjustments.
The adjustment of the lumbar support is
not stored in the memory.390de032
To store1 Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 2
2 Adjust to the desired positions for the
seat, exterior mirror and steering
wheel
3 Press the
M
EMORY button: the indi-
cator lamp in the button comes on
4 Press memory button 1, 2 or 3, as
desired: the indicator lamp goes out.
To select a stored settingConvenience function:
1 Open the driver's door after
unlocking the vehicle or turn the igni-
tion key to position 1
2 Briefly press memory button 1, 2 or 3,
as desired.
Movement stops immediately when
one of the seat-adjustment or
memory buttons is activated during
the adjustment process.
Security function:
1 With the driver's door closed and the
ignition key either removed or in posi-
tion 0 or 2
2 Maintain pressure on the desired
memory button (1, 2 or 3) until the
adjustment process is completed.
If you press the
M
EMORY button
accidentally: press the button a second
time; the indicator lamp goes out.
Do not select a new stored
memory setting while the vehicle
is moving. There is a risk of accident
from unexpected movement of the seat
or steering wheel.<

56n
Adjusting steering wheel Heated steering wheel
*
The 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,
refer to "Seat, mirror and steering
wheel memory" on page 54.390de711
Automatic steering wheel
adjustmentIn order to make it easier to get into and
out of the vehicle, the steering wheel
automatically moves into the top posi-
tion and returns to the driving (memory)
position.
This automatic feature is controlled by
the position of the ignition key and by
the driver's door.
The heated steering wheel feature is
available for operation when the ignition
key is in position 2.
Press the button to switch on and off.
The lamp within the button lights up
when the steering wheel heater is in
operation.
If you have a multifunction steering
wheel without steering wheel heating,
the button for the recirculated-air mode
is in this location (refer to page 22).
390de708