2003 BMW M5 SEDAN height

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For relaxed and fatigue-free driving you
should select a seating position that
reflects your personal requirements.
Correct seating position combines with
safety belts and airbags to enhance
occupant safety in the event of an acci-
dent. To ensure that the vehicle's safety
systems provide you with optimal pro-
tection, we request that you direct your
careful attention to the following sec-
tion.
For additional information on trans-
porting children, refer to page 51.
Sitting safely with airbags
Always maintain an adequate dis-
tance between yourself and
the airbags. Always hold the steering
wheel by the rim with the hands at the
9 and 3-o'clock positions 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 49.Sitting safely with safety belt
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 retension 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 44.
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 pro-
tection 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>BMW M sport seat, refer to page 41
>BMW comfort seat, refer to page 42
>Head restraints, refer to page 43
>BMW active seat, refer to page 43
Sitting safely Seats

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
BMW M sport seat

1 Tilt (driver's seat only)
2 Backward/forward adjustment
3 Cushion height
4 Backrest angle
5 Head restraint height
To adjust the angle of the head restraint
manually, tilt to the desired angle.
Please refer to the adjustment
instructions on page 40 to reduce
the risk of personal injury.<39mde009
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 seating
position.
>Press front/rear of switch: increase/
decrease curvature
>Press the upper/lower end of the
switch: increase the upper/lower cur-
vature.39mde114
Thigh support Press switch: you can adjust the thigh
support for maximum personal comfort.39mde115

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Head restraints BMW active seat
*
Head restraints To adjust the angle of the front head
restraints: tilt the head restraint.
To adjust the height of the rear head
restraints: pull up or push down.
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.<39mde131
Active changes in the seat's cushion
helps to avoid muscle cramps, pain in
the spine's lumbar region and fatigue.
To activate, press the button.39mde121

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Transporting children safelyThis important precaution is intended to
maximize the distance between the
airbag and the child. Older children
should be tightly secured with a safety
belt, after they have outgrown a booster
seat that is appropriate for their age,
height and weight.
Younger children should be secured in
an appropriate forward-facing child-
restraint system that has first been
properly secured with a safety belt.
Never install a rearward-facing child-
restraint system in the front passenger
seat. We strongly urge you to carefully
read and comply with the instructions
for installation and use provided by the
child restraint's manufacturer when-
ever 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.
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 is located in
the immediate vicinity of the buckle
latch of each safety belt.Lock the safety beltExtract the entire length of the belt from
the belt retractor. Allow the reel to
retract the belt somewhat and engage
the buckle, then tighten the belt against
the child-restraint system. The retrac-
tion mechanism is now locked.Unlock the safety beltRelease the buckle, remove the child-
restraint device and allow the belt
retractor to reel the belt completely in.365us146
LATCH child-restraint anchorage
points
*
LATCH: Lower Anchor and Tethers for
CHildren.
Snap the rear center lap belt into the
buckle with the word CENTER and then
pull the belt away from the area where
the child restraint will be mounted.
Vehicles with through-loading
system
*: use the small lock mech-
anism to connect the two sections of
the center belt, refer to page 99.<
390de786

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
To unlockPull the lever located under the left-
hand side of the instrument panel.
Do not attempt to service your
vehicle if you do not have the
required technical background. Failure
to work in an informed, professional
manner when servicing components
and materials constitutes a safety
hazard for vehicle occupants and other
road users. If you are not familiar with
the guidelines, please have the opera-
tions performed by your BMW center.<390de759
To openPull the release handle and open the
hood. 390de760
To closeAllow the hood to fall from a height of
about 4 in (10 cm) so that it audibly
engages.
To avoid injuries, be sure that the
travel path of the hood is clear
when it is closed, observing the same
precautions recommended for all
closing procedures.
If you notice that the hood is not com-
pletely closed while driving, stop imme-
diately and close it securely.<390de761
Hood

Everything from A to ZF
Failure messages66
Filling capacities143
First-aid kit20
Fittings, tow starting and
towing135t
Flashlight96
Flat tire109
Flat Tire Monitor82
Flat tire, repairing128
Fog lamps85
bulb replacement126t
Folding rear backrest99
Follow me home lamps84
Frost protection,
radiator118
Fuel consumption75
average75
Fuel filler door20
manual operation20t
Fuel gauge64
Fuel quality22
Fuel specifications22
Fuel tank capacity143
Fuse replacement132t G
Gasoline gauge64
Gasoline quality22
Glove compartment96
Gross vehicle weight142
H
Handbrake17, 58
Hands-free system97
Hazard warning triangle20
Head protection airbags49
Head restraints43
adjusting43
Headlamp cover,
care125t
Headlamp flasher59
Headlamp washer
system115
Headlamp washers61
Headrests43
Heated seats46
Heating with vehicle
stopped90
Heavy cargo102
Height141
Height adjustment
seats41
steering wheel47
High beams18, 59, 85
High Performance Synthetic
Oil117
High-mount brake lamp127
Holder for canned
beverages97
Hood113
release113t
Horn14 Hydraulic Braking Assistant,
refer to DBC17, 80
Hydroplaning107, 109
I
Ice warning63
Identification, tires111
Ignition key26
Ignition lock56
Imprint4
Independent ventilation
system, refer to Parked-
car ventilation system92
Indicator lamps16
Inflation
pressure22t, 109
INSPECTION65
Instrument cluster15
Instrument lighting85
Intensive cleaning
system115
Interface socket for Onboard
Diagnostics (OBD)121
Interior lamps86
Interior mirrors48
Interior motion sensor36
deactivating29 J
Jump-starting133t
K
Key Memory55
Key with remote control26
Keys26 L
Lamps and bulbs124
Lashing eyes for attaching
cargo straps34, 102
Length141
License plate lamps, bulb
replacement127t
Lighter98
LIGHTS ON warning84
Locking and unlocking the
doors27
Low beams14, 84
Low-fuel warning lamp64
Luggage compartment34
capacity142
manual operation32t
opening from the
inside33
opening separately32
securing separately32