2003 BMW 540I SEDAN Owners Manual

73n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Automatic transmission
*
Before leaving the vehicle when
the engine is running, move the
selector lever to the "Park" or "Neutral"
position and apply the parking brake to
prevent the vehicle from rolling.
Never leave the vehicle unattended
with the engine running. An unattended
vehicle with a running engine repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.
If you should accidentally select
"Neutral" while traveling at high speed,
remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal immediately. Allow the engine
speed to drop to idle before selecting
the desired drive position. Damage
could otherwise occur due to excessive
engine speed.<
P ParkSelect only when the vehicle is com-
pletely stopped. The transmission locks
to prevent the rear wheels from turning.R ReverseSelect only when the vehicle is com-
pletely stopped.
N Neutral (idle)Select only if your journey is interrupted
for a longer period.D Drive
(automatic shift program)This position is designed for driving
under all normal operating conditions.
All forward gears are available.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel
consumption is lowest when driving in
position D.4 Ð Sport ProgramThe Sport Program is designed for per-
formance-oriented driving.
3 and 2 Ð shift limiterSelect this range when you wish to limit
gear changes (on steep uphill or down-
hill slopes, for instance). The transmis-
sion shifts up only as far as the selected
gear limit."Kickdown" In the "kickdown" mode, you achieve
maximum performance.
Depress the accelerator pedal past the
resistance point at the full-throttle posi-
tion.

74n
Automatic transmission
*
Electronic transmission control
module
If the indicator lamp comes on
and/or if the message "TRANS.
FAILSAFE PROG" appears in
the Check Control
* display panel, this
indicates a malfunction in the transmis-
sion control system.
Bring the vehicle to a stop, select the
"Park" position, apply the parking brake
and switch the engine off (ignition key
position 0). Restart the engine after a
few seconds. If the indicator lamp goes
out again after a few seconds, the
normal transmission functions have
been restored. You may continue to
drive as usual.
If the indicator lamp does not go out,
you can move the selector lever to all
positions. However, the vehicle will now
only drive forward with limited gear
selection.
You should respond by avoiding
extreme engine loads and referring the
problem to the nearest BMW center.
Never perform work in the engine
compartment without first
ensuring that the transmission is in
"Park" or "Neutral" as the vehicle could
otherwise start to move off on its own.<
For jump-starting, towing and tow-
starting, refer to pages 164 and 165.

75n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
You can drive as with a normal auto-
matic transmission. In addition, you can
also shift manually.
When you move the selector lever from
the "D" position to the left into the M/S
range, the performance-oriented shift
programs of the automatic transmission
are engaged. Steptronic enters the
manual selection mode and executes
the desired shift whenever you tap the
selector lever in the direction indicated
by "+" or "Ð." When you wish to use the
automatic transmission mode again,
move the selector lever to the right into
the "D" position.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel
consumption is lowest when driving in
position D.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S
Starting the engineThe engine can only be started in
selector lever positions P or N.390us607
Range selectionA detent prevents inadvertent shifts to
the "Reverse" or "Park" selector lever
positions. To disengage the detent,
press the button on the front side of
the selector lever knob (arrow).
While the vehicle is stationary and
before shifting out of "Park" or
"Neutral," depress the footbrake in
order to disengage the selector lever's
lock mechanism (Shiftlock).
Hold the footbrake down until starting
off. The vehicle will otherwise "creep"
when a drive position is engaged.< 390de718

76n
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
To prevent the vehicle from
starting off on its own, always
move the selector lever to position P or
N and engage the parking brake before
leaving your vehicle with the engine
running. Do not leave the vehicle unat-
tended with the engine running. An
unattended vehicle with a running
engine represents a potential safety
hazard.<
P ParkSelect "Park" only when the vehicle is
completely stopped. The transmission
locks to prevent the rear wheels from
turning.R ReverseSelect "Reverse" only when the vehicle
is completely stopped.N Neutral (idle)Select "Neutral" only if your journey is
interrupted for a longer period.
D Drive
(automatic shift program)This position is designed for driving
under all normal operating conditions.
All forward gears are available."Kickdown"In the "kickdown" mode, you achieve
maximum acceleration and top speed
in position D.
Depress the accelerator pedal past the
resistance point at the full-throttle posi-
tion.
M/S Manual mode and
Sport ProgramWhen you change from "D" to "M/S,"
the Sport Program is activated. This is
indicated by "D S" in the transmission
range display. The Sport Program is
designed for performance-oriented
driving.
With the first brief touch, the automatic
transmission shifts from the Sport Pro-
gram to the manual mode. Whenever
you move the selector lever in the "+"
direction, the transmission upshifts, and
when you move it in the "Ð" direction,
the transmission downshifts. M1...M5
will be displayed in the gear indicator.390de721

77n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
ATC executes upshifts and downshifts
only when the new gear will provide a
suitable combination of vehicle and
engine speed, i.e., ATC will not execute
downshifts that would cause the engine
to overrev. The gear selected will
appear briefly in the instrument cluster
followed by the current gear.
If you are driving in the manual
mode and wish to accelerate
rapidly from low road speeds (when
passing, for instance), you must shift
down manually or with the "kickdown"
function.<
You can only change from "M/S" to
selector lever positions "P," "R," and
"N" via the "D" position.
Electronic transmission control
module
If the indicator lamp comes on
or the message "TRANS. FAIL-
SAFE PROG" appears in the
Check Control
*, there is a fault in the
transmission system.
Bring the vehicle to a stop. Move the
transmission selector lever to "P."
Engage the parking brake and turn the
engine off (ignition key to position 0).
Wait a few seconds, then start the
engine.
If the indicator lamp goes out after a
few seconds, normal transmission
performance has been restored. You
may continue to drive as usual. If the
indicator lamp does not go out, you can
place the selector lever in all positions.
However, the vehicle will now only drive
forward with limited gear selection.
If this happens, avoid extreme engine
loads and refer the problem to the
nearest BMW center.
Never perform work in the engine
compartment without first
ensuring that the transmission is in
"Park" or "Neutral" as the vehicle could
otherwise start to move off on its own.<
For jump-starting, towing and tow-
starting, refer to pages 164 and 165.

78n
Indicator/Headlamp flasher
Washer/Wiper system
1 High beams (blue indicator lamp)
2 Headlamp flasher (blue indicator
lamp)
3 Turn signal indicator (green indicator
lamp accompanied by periodic
clicking sound from the relay)To signal brieflyPress the lever up to but not beyond
the pressure point. It then returns to the
center position when released.
If the indicator lamp and the
clicking from the relay are both
faster than normal, one of the turn
signal indicators has failed.<390de722
0 Wipers retracted
1 Intermittent mode or rain sensor
*
2 Normal wipe
3 Fast wipe
4 Brief wipe
5 Clean the windshield
6 Intensive cleaning
*
7 Rotary dial for controlling wipe inter-
vals in the intermittent mode and for
setting the rain sensor's sensitivity
level
*
394de730
Intermittent mode or rain sensor
*
Intermittent mode:
You can set the wipe interval to four
stages with rotary dial 7.
In addition, the wipe interval is varied
automatically depending on road
speed.
Rain sensor:
The rain sensor is positioned on the
windshield, directly ahead of the inte-
rior rearview mirror.
To activate the rain sensor:
Move the lever to position 1 with the
ignition key in position 1 or higher. The
wipers travel once across the wind-
shield, regardless of the weather
conditions.
You can leave the lever permanently in
position 1. Whenever the ignition key is
in position 1 or higher, all you then need
to do to activate the rain sensor is
briefly turn the rotary dial 7.
To adjust the sensitivity of the rain
sensor:
Turn rotary dial 7.
Deactivating the rain sensor:
Move lever to position 0.

79n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Washer/Wiper system
Turn the rain sensor off in auto-
matic car washes. Failure to do so
could result in damage caused by
undesired wiper activation.<
Normal wipeThe system automatically reverts to
operation in the intermittent mode
whenever the vehicle is stationary (not
on vehicles with rain sensor
*).
Fast wipeThe wipers revert to operation at
normal speed when the vehicle stops
(not on vehicles with rain sensor
*).
Clean the windshieldThe system sprays washer fluid against
the windshield and activates the wipers
for a brief period.
Intensive cleaning
*
As in setting 5. In addition, an intensive-
action washer fluid is first sprayed on
the windshield.
For changing the wiper blades, refer to
page 152.Clean the headlamps
*
When the headlamps are on, they are
also cleaned automatically every fifth
time you activate the clean the wind-
shield (5) or intensive cleaning (6)
mode.
Do not use the washers if there is
any danger that the fluid will
freeze on the windshield, as your vision
could be obscured. Always use an anti-
freeze agent. Refer to page 141.
Do not use the washers when the reser-
voir is empty. This could cause damage
to the washer pump.< Windshield washer jetsThe windshield washer jets are warmed
automatically when the ignition key is in
position 2.
Rear window wiper Ð sport wagon0 Retracted (home) position of the rear
window wiper
1 Rear window wiper in intermittent
mode. Automatically switches to con-
tinuos operation when reverse is
engaged
2 Clean the rear window
You can also program the interval:
>Switch briefly from position 0 to posi-
tion 1
>The time until reactivation (from posi-
tion 0 to 1) is the programmed
interval (max. 30 seconds).392de726

80n
Washer/Wiper system Cruise controlThe programmed interval is deleted
>approx. 10 seconds after the lever is
placed in position 0 or
>after the engine is switched off.
When the rear window is opened, the
rear window wiper is switched off. It
must be switched on again after the
window has been closed.
For changing the wiper blade, refer to
page 152.You can store and automatically main-
tain any desired vehicle speed above
approx. 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control is available whenever
the engine is running and the system
has been activated.
To activate the system In ignition key position 1 or 2:
Press the button and the indicator lamp
in the instrument cluster (refer to
page 21) will come on. You can now
use the cruise control.
Do not use cruise control on
twisting roads, when high traffic
density prevents driving at a constant
speed, or when the road surface is slick
(snow, rain, ice) or loose (rocks or
gravel, sand).< To deactivate the systemPress button as often as needed until
the indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Cruise control is also deactivated when
the ignition key is in position 0.
The speed stored in memory is deleted.