
26n
Fuel specifications Tire inflation pressures The engine uses lead-free gasoline
only.
Required fuel:
>Premium Unleaded Gasoline,
min. 91 AKI.
AKI = Anti Knock Index
Do not use leaded fuels. The use
of leaded fuels will cause perma-
nent damage to the system's oxygen
sensor and the catalytic converter.<
Check tire pressures All pressure specifications are indicated
in psi/kilopascal for tires at ambient
temperature, refer also to the table on
the next page.
Vehicles with Tire Pressure Monitor
RDC:
After correcting the inflation pressures,
reactivate the system, refer to page 97.530de225
Check tire inflation pressures
regularly Ñ at least every two
weeks and before beginning a longer
trip. Incorrect tire pressure can other-
wise lead to poor handling, tire damage
and accidents.
Check the tire inflation pressure of the
spare tire. Inflate the spare tire to
the highest inflation pressure of any tire
on your vehicle.<
Comply with tire approval
specificationsThe inflation pressures in the table
apply to tire sizes and tires from BMW-
approved manufacturers. Your
BMW Sports Activity Vehicle center is
familiar with these pressures. A
different inflation pressure may be
required for tire makes not approved by
BMW.
Your vehicle is equipped with tires that
not only meet US standards, but also
European standards. We recommend
the exclusive use of BMW-approved
tires.

98n
Tire Pressure Monitor RDC
*
Adaptive brake light
Flat tireIf there is a tire failure with a loss of
inflation pressure, the red indicator
lamp comes on or the message Ð TIRE
LOW/FLAT Ð appears in the Check
Control. In addition, an acoustic signal
sounds.
If this occurs, reduce vehicle speed
immediately and stop the vehicle in a
safe location. Avoid hard brake applica-
tions. Do not oversteer. Replace the flat
tire.
The spare tire which is available in
your vehicle as standard equip-
ment is equipped with the electronics
required for RDC and, following activa-
tion of the system, is also monitored
after it is mounted.<
RDC cannot alert you to severe
and sudden tire damage caused
by external factors.<
Have the tires changed at your
BMW Sports Activity Vehicle
center.
Your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle
center has the information needed for
working with RDC and is equipped with
the necessary special tools.<
System malfunctionDuring the period of the malfunction,
the yellow indicator lamp comes on or
the message Ð TIRECONTROL INAC-
TIVE Ð appears in the Check Control.
You will also see the same message
>in the event of a system malfunction
>if a wheel is mounted without the
RDC electronics
>if, in addition to the spare tire, addi-
tional wheels with RDC electronics
are on board
>after installation of one or several
wheels with an electronics system
still unknown to the system.
It takes a few minutes to learn the
new wheel electronics ID numbers
after system activation. Only then can
RDC detect and report a flat tire.
Please contact your BMW Sports
Activity Vehicle center for additional
information.The adaptive brake light provides
drivers of following vehicles with an
indication of the intensity with which
the brakes are being applied in your
own vehicle.
The display occurs in two stages:
>Normal braking:
The brake light units within the tail
lamps and the high-mount brake
lamp integrated within the rear
spoiler both light up with normal
intensity
>Hard braking or braking with ABS
active:
The tail lamps also come on, lighting
up with the same intensity as the
brake lamps to provide a more con-
spicuous warning.

125n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Cargo areaWhen it is extended, you can load the
cargo floor:
>With up to 990 Ibs/450 kg, distrib-
uted evenly across the entire surface
>With up to 330 Ibs/150 kg on the rear
edge.
Do not overload the cargo floor
when it is extended. If you do so,
it could cause damage.
When you slide the cargo floor back in,
do not grasp it on the bottom. If you do
so, there is a risk of personal injury.<
Raise the cargo floor For access to the spare wheel or other
stored items:
Swing the cargo floor up and secure it
with the rod, see detail.
If your vehicle has a partition net:
Take the bag with the partition net
out of the retainer, refer to page 122,
before you raise the cargo floor panel.
Otherwise, the bag could slide down-
ward.< 530de240

134n
Information for your safety The factory-approved radial tires are
matched to the vehicle and have been
selected to provide optimum safety and
driving comfort on your vehicle when
used correctly.
It is not merely the tire's service life, but
also driving comfort and Ð above all else
Ð driving safety which depend on the
condition of the tires and the mainte-
nance of the specified tire pressure.
Incorrect inflation pressure is a
frequent cause of tire damage. It
also significantly influences the road-
holding ability of your BMW. Check tire
inflation pressures Ð including the spare
wheel Ð regularly, refer to page 26, at
least every two weeks and before
beginning a longer trip. If this is not
done, incorrect tire pressures can
cause driving instability and tire
damage, ultimately resulting in an
accident.<
Tire tread Ð Tire damage Inspect your tires frequently for tread
wear, signs of damage and for foreign
objects lodged in the tread. Check the
tread pattern depth.
Tread depth should not be allowed to
go below 0.12 in/3 mm, even though,
the legally specified minimum tread
depth, for example in Europe, is only
0.063 in/1.6 mm. Below a tread depth
of 0.12 in/3 mm there is an increased
risk of hydroplaning, even at relatively
moderate speeds and with only small
amounts of water on the road.
Tread wear indicators, refer to arrow,
are embedded around the tire circum-
ference in the base of the tire tread.
Their locations are indicated on the tire
sidewall with TWI Ð Tread Wear Indi-390de331
cator. At a tread depth of 0.063 in/
1.6 mm these indicators, signal that the
tires have reached the legally permis-
sible wear limit.
Do not drive on a deflated Ð flat Ð
tire. A flat tire greatly impairs
steering and braking response, and can
lead to complete loss of control over
the vehicle.
Avoid overloading the vehicle so that
the permitted load on the tires is not
exceeded. Overloading leads to over-
heating and causes damage inside the
tires. The ultimate result can assume
the form of a sudden air loss.
Unusual vibrations encountered during
normal vehicle operation, e.g. caused
by contact with curbs, etc., can indicate
a flat tire or some other vehicle mal-
function. This is also true for irregulari-
ties in the vehicle's handling character-
istics, such as a pronounced tendency
to pull to the left or right. Should this
occur, respond by immediately
reducing your speed.
Tire inflation pressures Tire condition

136n
Tire replacement TemperatureThe temperature grades are A, the
highest, B, and C, representing the
tire's resistance to the generation of
heat and its ability to dissipate heat
when tested under controlled condi-
tions on a specified indoor laboratory
test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause
the material of the tire to degenerate
and reduce tire life, and excessive tem-
perature can lead to a sudden flat tire.
The grade C corresponds to a level of
performance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal
Motor Car Safety Standard No. 109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels
of performance on the laboratory test
wheel than the minimum required by
law.
The temperature grade for this tire
is established for a tire that is
properly inflated and not overloaded.
Excessive speed, underinflation, or
excessive loading, either separately or
in combination, can cause heat buildup
and possible a tire failure.<
Uniform Tire Quality Grading Quality grades can be found where
applicable on the tire sidewall between
tread shoulder and maximum section
width. For example:
Tread wear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A
Tire age BMW recommends the replacement of
all tires Ð i.e. also of the spare tire, inde-
pendently of actual wear Ð when the
tires are no more than 6 years old, even
if a tire life of 10 years is possible.
The date on which the tire was manu-
factured is indicated by the code on the
sidewall:
DOT ... 2602 indicates that the tire was
manufactured in week 26 of 2002.

158n
Changing a wheel 6. Insert the support rod in the tailgate
lock and press down until it engages,
refer to arrow 1; then lock hook of
rod in striker, refer to arrow 2
Be sure that the support rod is
locked firmly in place. If you fail to
do so, it could retract sharply upward
and cause personal injury and vehicle
damage.<
7. You can now release the locked tail-
gate and take the spare wheel down
from the tailgate. It is recommended
that you leave the tailgate locked into
place until you have completed the
wheel change and placed the wheel
with the defective tire into the
removal aid. 530de314
Procedure1. Read carefully and comply with the
safety precautions on page 154
2. Secure the vehicle to prevent it from
rolling:
Place the wedges (chocks) behind
the wheels on the side opposite the
side you are lifting. If the vehicle is
parked on a downward slope, place
the wedges securely in front of the
wheels. If the wheel must be
changed on a surface with a more
severe slope, take additional precau-
tions to secure the vehicle from
rolling
3. Loosen the lug bolts 1/2-turn
4. Insert the jack handle into the jack,
refer to the illustration in the next
column5. Position the jack at the jacking point
closest to the flat tire so that the jack
base is vertically below the jacking
point and the entire surface of the
head of the jack will move into the
square recess of the jacking point,
refer to the illustration detail, when
the jack is cranked
6. Jack the vehicle up until the wheel
you are changing is raised from the
ground
7. Unscrew the lug bolts and remove
the wheel
8. Remove accumulations of mud or
dirt from the mounting surfaces of
the wheel and hub. Clean the lug
bolts
530de236

159n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Changing a wheel9. Position the spare wheel. Secure
the wheel by turning at least two
lug bolts into opposite bolt holes
10. Screw in the remaining lug bolts.
Tighten all the bolts securely
11. Lower the jack and remove it from
beneath the vehicle
12. Tighten the lug bolts in a diagonal
pattern
13. Check and correct the tire inflation
pressure at the earliest opportunity.
Vehicles with Tire Pressure Monitor
RDC
*:
After mounting the spare wheel or
correcting the tire inflation pres-
sure, reactivate the system, refer to
page 97.
Protect valve stems and valves from dirt
using screw-on valve stem caps. Dirt in
the valve stems frequently leads to slow
leaks.The vehicle jack is designed for
changing wheels only. Do not
attempt to raise another vehicle model
with it or to raise any load of any kind.
To do so could cause accidents and
personal injury.
To ensure continued safety, have the
tightness of the lug bolts checked with
a calibrated lug wrench Ð torque speci-
fication: 101 lb-ft/140 Nm Ð at the
earliest opportunity.<
Store the wheel and the tools in the
order opposite that for removal.
Before removing the support rod,
be sure that the tailgate is held
down firmly. If you fail to do so, it could
retract sharply upward and cause per-
sonal injury and vehicle damage.
After you remove the rod, close the tail-
gate carefully. Continue to hold it firmly
until it is completely closed.<
If light-alloy wheels other than original
BMW light-alloy wheels have been
mounted, it may be necessary to use
different lug bolts for those wheels.
Replace the defective tire as soon as
possible and have the new wheel/tire
balanced. Driving with spare wheel
With certain wheel-and-tire com-
binations the size of the spare
wheel differs from that of the other
wheels. The spare wheel is equivalent
to these in all speed and load ranges.
However, to restore the original state,
the normal wheel should be remounted
as soon as possible.
When the spare wheel is mounted, the
maximum speed rating is 130 mph/
210 km/h.<

Everything from A to Z
175n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Central locking system30
button35
Changing a wheel155
CHECK button77
Check Control77
Check tire pressures26
Checking
engine oil level142
Child-safety locks60
Cigarette lighter
front117
rear118
socket118
Clean the windshield69
Climate control in the rear
passenger area109
Clock82
refer also to the Owner's
Manual for the Onboard
Computer
Cockpit14
Code88
activating88
deactivating88
selecting88
Comfort seat46
Compartments116
Computer80, 81, 85
refer also to the Owner's
Manual for the Onboard
Computer
remote control89Configuring individual
settings via Vehicle and
Key Memory61
Consumption, fuel87
Convenience operation of
windows and sliding/tilt
sunroof34
Convenience starting
feature63
Coolant143
temperature gauge76
Copyright notice4
Correct sitting posture44
seat adjustment44
Cruise control71
Cruising range80, 87
Cup holder116
Curb weight170
DData link connector for On-
board Diagnostics147
Date
calling up82
changing82
refer also to the Owner's
Manual for the Onboard
Computer
Daytime driving lamp99
DBC Dynamic Brake
Control21, 92Deactivating the interior
motion sensor32, 40
Deep water131
Defrosting the
windows104, 107
Digital clock82
refer also to the Owner's
Manual for the Onboard
Computer
Dimensions169
Dipstick, engine oil142
Disc brakes133
Displacement168
Display lighting100
Displays15, 16, 17, 18
Disposal
used batteries160
used oil142
Disposal of battery160
Distance from
destination86
Distance warning90
Divided rear backrest120
Door keys30
Doors
convenience operation34
manual operation34
remote control32
unlocking and locking34
DOT Quality Grades135Drink holder, refer to
beverage holder116
Driving notes132
Driving through water131
Driving with spare
wheel159
Driving your BMW X5131
DSC Dynamic Stability
Control21, 91
Dynamic Brake Control
DBC21, 92
Dynamic Stability Control
DSC21, 91
EElectric power windows40
Electrical malfunction
liftgate36
sliding/tilt sunroof43
tailgate38
Elements of operation14
Emergency operation
doors34
liftgate36
sliding/tilt sunroof43
tailgate38
Energy control74
Engine
output168
power rating168
specifications168