Page 4 of 183

 
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 
     
        
        Page 14 of 183
 
14n
1 Parking lamps/Low beams99
2 Fog lamps100
3
 
>
 
Turn signal indicators68
 
>
 
Standing lamps100
 
>
 
High beams100
 
>
 
Headlamp flasher68
 
>
 
Computer804 Washer/Wiper system/Rain 
sensor68
5 Rear window defroster103, 108
6 Central locking system307 Hazard warning flashers
8 Horn, the entire surface
9 Adjusting steering wheel52
 
Cockpit 
530de328 
     
        
        Page 22 of 183
22n
Indicator and warning lamps Green: for your information
Turn signal indicators 
Flashes when the turn signal 
indicators are operated. Rapid 
flashing indicates a system malfunction.
For additional information: refer to 
page 68.
Cruise control
* 
Comes on when the cruise 
control is activated: available for 
operation via the steering wheel with 
multifunction buttons. 
For additional information: refer to 
page 71.
Fog lamps 
Lights up whenever you switch 
on the fog lamps. 
For additional information: refer to 
page 100. 
Blue: for your information
High beams
Lights up when the high beams 
are on or the headlamp flasher 
is actuated. 
For additional information: refer to 
pages 68 and 100.  
     
        
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23n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Steering wheel with multifunction buttons
*
The buttons integrated in the steering 
wheel are provided so that you can 
operate a number of accessories 
quickly and without being distracted 
from traffic conditions. You may 
operate: 
>selected control functions for the 
radio along with CD and cassette 
player 
>the recirculated-air mode of the air 
conditioner
* or the steering-wheel 
heating
*
>the cruise control
>selected phone functions and
>the voice entry 
In order to operate a system, the 
corresponding system must be 
switched on.< 
Press briefly:
Accept incoming call, start dialing, 
terminate call.
Extended pressure:
Activate/deactivate voice entry.
Switch between phone and radio, 
cassette and CD.
Forward:
>Radio
Press briefly: next stored station
Extended pressure: station search 
function
>CD
Press briefly: jump to next track
Extended pressure: fast forward in 
track
>Cassette
Press briefly: stop track scan or fast 
forward
Extended pressure: fast forward
>Phone
Scan personal phone book.
Reverse: functions as for fast forward.
Volume
Cruise control: calling up.
Cruise control: store and accelerate 
+ 
or decelerate and store 
Ð.
Cruise control: activate/interrupt/deac-
tivate.
Recirculated-air mode and automatic 
recirculated-air control AUC or steering 
wheel heating: switch on/off. 
     
        
        Page 44 of 183

44n
The condition for relaxed, fatigue-free 
driving is a seating position adjusted to 
your needs. Together with the safety 
belts and the airbags, the seating posi-
tion is very important for the passive 
safety of the occupants in the case of 
an accident. Therefore, observe the 
following instructions, as otherwise the 
protective function of the safety 
systems may be impaired.
For additional information on trans-
porting children safely, refer to 
page 58.
Sitting safely with airbags
Maintain a distance to 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 abso-
lute minimum, should the airbag be 
deployed. No one and nothing is to 
come between the airbags and the seat 
occupant. Do not use the cover of the 
front airbag on the front passenger side 
as a storage area for objects, or as a 
rest for feet or legs.<
For the location of the airbags and 
additional information, refer to page 55.
Sitting safely 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. Never 
route the belt across your neck, do not 
run it across sharp edges and ensure 
that the belt does not become caught 
or jammed. Avoid wearing bulky 
clothing and pull on the lap belt periodi-
cally to retension it over your shoulders. 
In the event of a frontal impact, a loose 
lap belt could slide over your hips, 
leading to abdominal injury. In addition, 
the safety belt's restraint effectiveness 
is reduced if the belt 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 pressure against 
the abdominal area.<
For instructions on operating the safety 
belts, refer to page 49.
Observe the following before 
adjusting
Never try to adjust your seat while 
operating the vehicle. The seat 
could respond with unexpected move-
ment, and the ensuing loss of vehicle 
control could lead to an accident. Never 
ride with the backrest reclined to an 
extreme horizontal angle Ð especially 
important for front passengers to 
remember. 
If you do so there is a risk that you will 
slide under the safety belt in an acci-
dent, thus reducing the protection 
provided by the safety belt
.< 
Seat adjustment>Mechanical seat adjustment, refer to 
page 45
>Power seat adjustment, refer to 
page 46
>Head restraints, refer to page 47
>Power rear-seat backrest adjustment, 
refer to page 48
Safe seating position Seats 
     
        
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50n
Seat, mirror and steering wheel memory
* 
You can store and call up three different 
seat, exterior mirror and steering wheel 
positions. The illustration shows the 
buttons on the seat for making these 
position adjustments. 
The adjustment of the lumbar 
support is not stored in the 
memory.<530us032
To store 1. Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 2
2. Adjust the desired positions for the 
seat, exterior mirror and steering 
wheel
3. Press the 
MEMORY 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 call up a stored setting
Do not call up a position from the 
memory while the vehicle is 
moving. There is a risk of accident from 
unexpected movement of the seat or 
steering wheel.< 
Convenience function: 
1. Open the driver's door after 
unlocking the vehicle or place the 
ignition key in 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 
position 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 
MEMORY button 
accidentally: press the button a 
second time Ñ the indicator lamp goes 
out.< 
     
        
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51n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Seat, mirror and steering wheel memory
*
Seat heating
* 
Your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle 
center can adjust your vehicle's 
systems in such a manner that your 
personalized settings are automatically 
called up for the seat, mirror and 
steering wheel positions when you 
unlock the vehicle with your personal 
remote control key.< 
If you make use of this adjustment
, 
be sure that the footwell behind 
the driver's seat is unobstructed before 
unlocking the vehicle. If you fail to do 
so, persons or objects could be injured 
or damaged if the seat should move 
backward.< 
Passenger side exterior mirror tilt 
functionAutomatic curb monitor 
1. Select the driver's mirror via the 
switch
2. When the gearshift lever or the 
selector lever is placed in Reverse, 
the passenger-side mirror tilts down-
ward to help the driver monitor the 
area directly adjacent to the vehicle 
during parking Ð curbs, etc.
You can deactivate this automatic fea-
ture by setting the mirror selector 
switch to the passenger side position.530us214
Front The seat cushion and backrest can be 
heated when the ignition key is in posi-
tion 2. 
You can call up different heating modes 
by repeatedly pressing the button. 
You can also switch the higher heating 
modes off directly:
Press the button and hold it slightly 
longer.530de233 
     
        
        Page 52 of 183
52n
Seat heating
*
Steering wheel
Rear The function is the same as for front 
seat heating. You can select between 
two heating modes.530de234
AdjustmentThe steering wheel can be moved in 
any of four directions. Adjust the 
steering wheel by moving the control 
lever in the desired direction. 
Do not adjust the steering wheel 
while the vehicle is moving. If you 
do so, 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 50. 530de255
Automatic steering wheel 
adjustmentonly in conjunction with seat, mirror and 
steering wheel memory 
In 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 or 
memory position.
This automatic feature is controlled by 
the position of the ignition key and by 
the driver's door.