
 
Contents
 © 2002 Bayerische Motoren Werke 
Aktiengesellschaft
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts, only with the 
written consent of BMW AG, Munich.
Order No. 01 41 0 157 098
US English IX/2002
Printed in Germany
Printed on environmentally friendly paper Ð
bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling. 
Notes
Overview
Controls and features
 
About this Owner's Manual 8
Symbols used 8
The individual vehicle 8
Status at time of printing 9
For your own safety 9
Symbol on vehicle parts 10
Service and Warranty 10
Reporting safety defects 10Cockpit
14 
Instrument cluster 15 
Indicator and warning lamps 19 
Steering wheel with multifunction  buttons 23
Warning triangle 24
First-aid kit 24
Refueling 24
Fuel specifications 26
Tire inflation pressures 26
 
Locks and security systems: 
 
Keys30
Central locking system 30
Opening and closing  Ð via the remote control 31 
Opening and closing  Ð via the door lock 34
Opening and closing  Ð from the inside 35 
Liftgate 36
Tailgate 37
Alarm system 39
Electric power windows 40
Sliding/tilt sunroof with glass  moonroof 42
 
Adjustments: 
 
Safe seating position 44
Seats 44
Mechanical seat 45
Power seat 46
Head restraints 47
Power rear-seat backrest  adjustment 48
Safety belts 49
Seat, mirror and steering wheel 
memory 50
Seat heating 51
Steering wheel 52
Steering wheel heating 53
Mirrors 53
 
Inhalt 

 
5n
 
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
 
Controls and features
 
Passenger safety systems: 
 
Airbags55
Transporting children safely58
Vehicle Memory, Key 
Memory61
 
Driving: 
 
Ignition lock62
Starting the engine62
Switching off the engine63
Parking brake64
Manual transmission64
Automatic transmission with 
Steptronic65
Indicator/Headlamp flasher68
Washer/Wiper system/Rain 
sensor68
Cruise control71
 
Everything under control: 
 
Odometer, outside temperature 
display73
Tachometer74
Energy control74
Temperature gauge75
Fuel gauge75
Coolant temperature gauge76
Service Interval Display76
Check Control77
Computer80
Multi-Information Display 
MID81
Digital clock in the MID82
Computer in the MID85
 
Technology for safety and 
driving convenience: 
 
Park Distance Control PDC90
Dynamic Stability Control 
DSC91
Hill Descent Control HDC93
Self-leveling suspension94
2-axle self-leveling 
suspension94
Tire Pressure Monitor RDC97
Adaptive brake light98
 
Lamps: 
 
Parking lamps/Low beams99
Instrument lighting100
High beams/Standing 
lamps100
Fog lamps100
Interior lamps101
 
Controlling the climate for 
pleasant driving: 
 
Air conditioner102
Automatic climate control105
Roller sun blinds111
Independent ventilation 
system111
 
Cabin convenience: 
 
BMW Universal Transmitter112 
Glove compartment115 
Storage compartments116 
Cellular phone116 
Beverage holder116
Glasses compartment117
Ashtray, front117 
Ashtray, rear118 
Cigarette lighter, rear118
 
Loading and transporting: 
 
Ski bag119 
Cargo area 
Fold the rear backrests 
down120 
Cargo area cover121 
Partition net122 
Cover panels in the cargo 
area123 
Power outlets124 
Pull-out cargo floor124 
Cargo loading126 
Roof-mounted luggage rack127  

32n
Opening and closing Ð via the remote controlTo unlock Press button. 
Press the button once to unlock the 
driver's door and the fuel filler door 
only; press a second time to unlock all 
remaining doors as well as the tailgate/
liftgate. Convenience opening mode Press and hold button. The power 
windows and sliding/tilt sunroof are 
opened. 
To lock and secure Press button. To switch on the interior lamps After locking the vehicle, press button 
again. To switch off the tilt alarm sensor 
and interior motion sensorPress button a second time immedi-
ately after locking. 
For additional information: refer to 
page 40. 
To open the liftgate Press button. 
The luggage compartment lid/liftgate 
will open slightly, regardless of whether 
it was previously locked or unlocked.
Before and after a trip, be sure 
that the tailgate/liftgate was not 
opened unintentionally.< Panic modeBy pressing and holding the button for 
more than two seconds, you can trigger 
an alarm via the alarm system if there is 
an impending danger (the alarm system 
must be armed).
To switch off the alarm 
Press button. 

34n
Opening and closing Ð via the door lockOne turn of the key in the driver's door 
lock unlocks the driver's door only. 
Turning the key a second time unlocks 
all of the remaining doors, the liftgate/
tailgate and the fuel filler door. 
You can have an acknowledgment 
signal set to confirm that the 
vehicle is correctly locked.< 530de244
Convenience operationYou can also operate the windows and 
sliding/tilt sunroof via the door lock.
>To open: with the door closed, turn 
the key to the Unlock position and 
hold it
>To close: with the door closed, turn 
the key to the Lock position and hold 
it.
Watch during the closing process 
to be sure that no one is inadvert-
ently injured. Releasing the key stops 
the operation.< Manual operation In the event of an electrical malfunction, 
turn the key to the extreme left or right 
to unlock/lock the door.  

37n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Liftgate TailgateTo close You can pull the liftgate down by 
placing both hands in the handle 
recesses, refer to arrows.
To avoid injuries, be sure that the 
travel path of the liftgate is clear 
when it is closed, as with all closing 
procedures.< 530us017
Operate the vehicle only when 
both gates are completely closed. 
Otherwise, exhaust fumes could pene-
trate the interior of the vehicle. Should it 
be absolutely necessary to operate the 
vehicle with an open gate:
>Close all windows. Shut the sliding/
tilt sunroof
>Increase the air supply for the air 
conditioner or automatic climate 
control to a high level, refer to 
page 103 or 107.< 
To openPress the button:
You can fold the tailgate down. 
When opened, the tailgate can 
accept loads of up to 440 lbs/
200  kg. When the vehicle is parked, you 
may utilize the tailgate as a seat or as a 
loading platform for luggage or recre-
ation gear, for example.< 530de246 

40n
Alarm system  Electric power windows >If the indicator lamp flashes for 
10 seconds when the system is 
disarmed: an attempted entry has 
been detected in the period since the 
system was armed. 
Following triggering of an alarm, the 
indicator lamp will flash continuously. Avoiding unintentional alarmsThe tilt alarm sensor and interior motion 
sensor may be switched off at the same 
time. To prevent an unintentional alarm 
from being triggered, in garages with 
elevator ramps, for instance, or when 
the vehicle is transported by trailer or 
train: 
Lock the vehicle twice, i. e. arm the 
system. Press button of the remote 
control twice in succession or actuate 
the locks twice with the key.
The indicator lamp lights up briefly and 
then flashes continuously. The tilt alarm 
sensor and the interior motion sensor 
are deactivated as long as the system is 
armed. 
Interior motion sensor In order for the interior motion sensor to 
function properly, the windows and 
sliding/tilt sunroof must be completely 
closed. 
However, be sure to switch off the inte-
rior motion sensor Ð refer to the 
previous column Ð when you
>leave children or animals in the 
vehicle
>intend to leave the windows or 
sliding/tilt sunroof open. 
Open and close windowsFrom ignition key position 1: 
>Press the switch up to the pressure 
point:
The window continues to move as 
long as you continue to hold the 
switch 
>Press the switch beyond the pressure 
point:
The window moves downward auto-
matically. Touch the switch again to 
stop the opening movement. 
You can close the windows in the same 
manner by pulling the switch.530us020 

42n
Sliding/tilt sunroof with glass moonroof
*
To prevent injuries, exercise care 
when closing the sliding/tilt 
sunroof and keep it in your field of 
vision until it is shut.
Before leaving the vehicle, switch off 
the electric sunroof mechanism by 
removing the ignition key. Do not leave 
children unattended in the vehicle with 
access to vehicle keys. Use of the key 
can result in starting of the engine and 
operation of vehicle systems such as 
the power sunroof, etc. Unsupervised 
use of these systems can result in 
serious personal injury.< 
Lifting Ð Opening Ð Closing With the ignition key in position 1 or 
higher, press the switch or slide it in the 
desired direction until you feel resis-
tance. 
The headliner slides back somewhat 
when you raise the sunroof. When the 
sunroof is opened the headliner retracts 
with it. It remains open, and it is possible 
to slide it back and forth as long as the 
sunroof is not completely open.
The headliner insert cannot be 
closed with the sliding/tilt sunroof 
in its raised position.<530de247
After the ignition has been switched off, 
you can still operate the sliding/tilt 
sunroof as long as neither of the front 
doors has been opened. 
For the convenience mode via the 
remote control or the door lock, refer to 
pages 32 and 34. Automatic
* opening and closing 
Press the switch briefly past the pres-
sure point and then release it.
Other automatic operations are:
>With the sunroof open, press the 
switch briefly toward Lift: the sunroof 
automatically extends to its fully 
raised position.
Pressing the switch again briefly stops 
the motion.
>With the sunroof raised, hold the 
switch toward Open until the roof has 
reached the desired position. 

43n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Sliding/tilt sunroof with glass moonroof
* 
Safety featureIf the sliding/tilt sunroof encounters 
resistance when it is
>closing from the raised position
>closing at a point roughly past the 
middle of its travel 
the closing cycle is interrupted and the 
sliding/tilt sunroof will open again 
slightly. 
Despite this safety feature, be 
extremely careful that the closing 
path of the sunroof is not obstructed 
whenever it is closed. Otherwise, trig-
gering the closing-force limitation may 
not be ensured in some situations, with 
very thin objects, for instance. You can 
disable this safety feature by pressing 
the switch beyond the pressure point 
and holding it.< 
Power lossWhen the battery is disconnected, for 
instance, the sunroof may only lift. To 
reinitialize the mechanism: 
1. Raise the sliding/tilt sunroof fully 
2. Press and hold the switch for approx. 
twenty seconds. 530de248
Manual operationIn the event of an electrical malfunction, 
you can operate the sliding/tilt sunroof 
manually: 
1. Open the glasses compartment, refer 
to page 117
2. Insert the Allen wrench from the 
vehicle tool kit, refer to page 150, in 
the opening provided and turn the 
sliding/tilt sunroof in the desired 
direction. 530us124