2004 BMW 325CI steering

71 Driving
Ignition lockIgnition key positions0Steering locked
1Steering unlocked
2Ignition on
3Start engineSteering lockedThe key can only be inserted and
removed in this position.
After removing the key, turn the steer-
ing wheel slightly to the left or right until
you hear the lock engage.
If the key is not removed, an acoustic
signal sounds when the driver door is
opened.
Vehicles with automatic transmis-
sion:
Do not move the selector lever from
position P until the engine is running,
ignition key position 2.
Your vehicle is equipped with an inter-
lock. Therefore, the ignition key cannot
be turned to position 0 or removed until
the selector lever is in position P.<
Vehicles with manual transmis-
sion:
Step on the clutch when starting the
vehicle. A lockout prevents the engine
from starting if the clutch is not
depressed.<
Steering unlockedYou will find that it is often easier to turn
the ignition key from position 0 to posi-
tion 1 when you move the steering
wheel slightly to help disengage the
lock.
Individual electrical accessories are
ready for operation.
Starting the engine
Do not allow the engine to warm
up by leaving it running while the
vehicle remains stationary. Instead,
drive off immediately at a moderate
engine speed.<
Do not allow the engine to run in
enclosed spaces. Otherwise,
breathing the exhaust fumes can lead
to unconsciousness and death. The
exhaust gases contain carbon monox-
ide, an odorless and colorless, but
highly toxic gas. Do not leave the vehi-
cle unattended with the engine running.
An unattended vehicle with a running
engine represents a safety hazard.
When driving, standing at idle or park-
ing the vehicle, take care to avoid con-
tact between the hot exhaust system
and flammable materials – grass, hay,
leaves, etc. Such contact could lead to
a fire, resulting in serious personal
injury and property damage.<
Start the engine. Do not press the
accelerator pedal.
Do not actuate the starter for too
short a time, but do not actuate it
for more than approx. 20 seconds.
Release the ignition key immediately
when the engine starts.<
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73
Switching off the engine
You should never remove the igni-
tion key when the vehicle is in
motion, as the steering lock could
engage.
When you leave the vehicle, always
remove the ignition key and engage the
steering lock.
Always engage the parking brake when
parking on slopes and inclined sur-
faces. Engaging a gear may not provide
adequate resistance to rolling.<
Vehicles with manual
transmissionTurn the ignition key to position 1 or 0.Automatic transmissionMove the selector lever into position P,
and turn the ignition key to position 1 or
0.SMG gearboxIf you turn the ignition key to position 1
or 0 with the selector lever in position
R, or in sequential mode, a gear auto-
matically remains engaged.
If you turn the ignition key to position 1
or 0 with the selector lever in neutral
position N, a warning tone and the
flashing gear indicator in the display
remind you that no gear is engaged to
secure the vehicle against rolling.
The warning stops after approx.
9 seconds.
Parking brakeThe parking brake is primarily designed
to prevent the vehicle from rolling while
parked. It operates on the rear wheels.To engageThe detent engages automatically and
the indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on when the ignition key
is in position 2, refer to page 18.To releasePull up slightly on the lever, press the
button and lower the lever.
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75
Sequential manual gearbox SMG*The conceptThe sequential manual gearbox SMG is
an automated manual gearbox with
which clutching and shifting is assumed
by an electro-hydraulic system.
The SMG is operated via the selector
lever in the center console and two shift
paddles on the steering wheel.
It offers the following functions:
>Sequential mode: manual mode
>Drive mode: automatic operation
>Ability to choose between two differ-
ent driving programs: Standard,
Sport
>Operating safety through protection
against misshifting
>Automatic upshifts and downshifts in
the drive mode
>Automatic downshifts at minimum
engine rpm
>Kickdown function in the drive mode.
>Acceleration assistant, refer to
page 78.
Selector lever positionsThe current selector lever position is
indicated by a light-emitting diode in
the center console.
R: Reverse
N: Neutral
Position for forward driving with one-
touch functions:
Sequential mode
+: manual upshifts
—: manual downshifts
D: drive mode.
The SMG is ready for operation in igni-
tion key position 2.
The gearbox is automatically
placed in neutral gear if the
driver's door is opened while the engine
is running and the driver does not actu-
ate the pedals, the shift paddles or the
selector lever.
This is accompanied by an acoustic
signal and the flashing gear indicator.
The gear display N appears in the
instrument cluster.
A driving position can only be engaged
when the driver's door is closed.
When the vehicle is unlocked, a buzzer
in the area of the transmission indicates
that the system is ready for operation.<
ShiftlockWhen the car is at a standstill, a safety
function requires you to depress the
brake pedal if you want to move the
selector lever from the neutral
position N to a driving position.Driving precautions
Use enough acceleration to pull
away speedily when moving off on
an uphill gradient. Never try to prevent
the car from rolling back on an uphill
gradient by depressing the accelerator
pedal; always apply the handbrake.
Otherwise you could overheat the SMG
gearbox.<
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76
RReverseSelect only when the vehicle is station-
ary.NNeutralAlways engage before starting the
engine, refer to Starting the engine on
page 72.Sequential modeEach time the engine is started, the
sequential mode is activated as soon as
you move the selector lever into the for-
ward driving position while the brake is
depressed.
The gears are shifted via the shift pad-
dles or the selector lever.
It is also possible to drive off in second
gear, e.g. on snow-covered roads.DDrive modeIn the drive mode all forward gears are
shifted automatically.
To switch from sequential to drive
mode: tap the selector lever to the right
toward D.
For rapid acceleration, e.g. during
passing, depress the accelerator pedal
completely: kickdown.To switch back to sequential mode: tap
the selector lever again to the right
toward D or change the current gear via
the shift paddles or the selector lever.
KickdownYou can achieve maximum acceleration
using kickdown.
Depress the accelerator pedal past the
increased resistance point at the full-
throttle position.
Shifting gearsWith the selector lever:
>To upshift, tap the selector lever
toward +
>To downshift, tap the lever toward —.
With the shift paddles on the steering
wheel:
>To upshift, pull one of the shift pad-
dles
>To downshift, push the paddle.
You accelerate from higher gears, e.g.
during passing, by manually downshift-
ing.
In the following situations, the SMG in
the sequential mode assists you:
>Upshifts and downshifts are only exe-
cuted at appopriate combinations of
engine rpm and vehicle speed. For
Sequential manual gearbox SMG*

84
0Wipers retracted
1Clean windshield and headlampsCleaning windshield and
headlamps*
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 a wind-
shield washer antifreeze in cold
weather. Refer to page 138.
Do not use the washers when the reser-
voir is empty. This could cause damage
to the washer pump.<
The system sprays washer fluid against
the windshield and activates the wipers
for a brief period.
When the vehicle's lighting system is
switched on, the headlamps will also be
cleaned at reasonable intervals.Windshield washer nozzlesThe windshield washer nozzles are
heated automatically* when the ignition
key is in position 2.
Cruise control*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 systemIn ignition key position 2:
Press the button in the steering wheel.
The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on, refer to page 20. You
can now use the cruise control.
Do not use cruise control on twist-
ing roads, when high traffic den-
sity prevents driving at a constant
speed, or when the road surface is slick
– snow, rain, ice – or loose – rocks or
gravel, sand. until the indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
Cruise control is also deactivated when
the ignition key is in position 0.
Washer/wiper system/Rain sensor*

90
ComputerMode selectionWith the ignition key in position 1 or
higher, you can call up information from
the computer using the button in the
turn signal lever. The information is dis-
played in the instrument cluster. Each
time you press the button briefly toward
the steering column, a new function is
called up in the display.
The displays appear in the following
order:
Time of day, outside temperature, aver-
age fuel consumption, cruising range,
average vehicle speed.
When the ignition key is turned to posi-
tion 1 or higher, the last active setting is
displayed.
Outside temperatureYou can change the units of measure,
6/7, for the outside temperature dis-
play by pressing the right-hand reset
button in the instrument cluster while
the temperature display is active. The
units of measure, 6/7, in the temper-
ature display of the automatic climate
control change automatically, refer to
page 106.Ice warningIf the outside temperature drops to
about 37.57/+36, then the computer
will automatically switch to a display of
the outside temperature. In addition, a
signal sounds as a warning and the dis-
play flashes for a brief period.
After giving an ice warning, the
display returns to the previous
setting.<
The ice warning does not alter the
fact that surface ice can form at
temperatures above 37.57/+36, on
bridges or shaded road surfaces, for
instance.<

95
System limitations
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot pro-
vide you with advance warning of
sudden and severe tire damage caused
by external factors and does not detect
the balanced and very gradual pressure
loss that takes place in all four tires
over an extended period of time.<
On the other hand, the following situa-
tions can lead to a delayed detection of
pressure loss and even to the system
not functioning:
>Driving on snow-covered or slippery
roads
>Performance-oriented driving: slip at
the drive wheels, high levels of lateral
acceleration
>When driving with snow chains, false
warnings and undetected pressure
losses may occur
>When driving with a space-saver
spare tire, the Flat Tire Monitor can-
not function.
Initializing the system
Each time you correct the pres-
sure in a tire, or change a wheel or
tire, reinitialize the system immediately
afterwards. This requires a bit of driv-
ing.<
1. Before driving off, start the engine
but do not start driving
2. Press the button as long as you need
to until the yellow indicator lamp in
the instrument cluster lights up for a
few seconds
3. Drive off.
It takes a few minutes before the Flat
Tire Monitor can detect a flat tire and
issue a warning.
When driving with snow chains or
a space-saver spare tire, do not
initialize the system.<
Flat tire
The indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up red. This
visual alert is accompanied by
an acoustic warning signal.
1. Carefully reduce speed and come to
a stop. Avoid sudden braking and
steering maneuvers
2. Determine which wheel is damaged
If this cannot be determined, con-
tact your BMW center.<
3. Replace the damaged wheel, refer to
Changing a wheel on page 153.
After replacing the damaged tire, initial-
ize the system.
Vehicles with Run Flat tires:
1. Carefully reduce your speed to under
50 mph / 80 km/h. Avoid sudden
braking and steering maneuvers. Do
not exceed a speed of 50 mph /
80 km/h
Flat Tire Monitor*
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98
Adaptive headlights*The conceptAdaptive headlights is a variable head-
lamp control system for dynamically
illuminating the road. Depending on the
steering angle and other factors the
light from the headlamps follows the
course of the road.Activating Adaptive headlights
With the ignition key in position
2, turn the light switch to the
automatic headlamp control
position, refer to page 97.
Adaptive headlights is not active
while reversing, and only in one
direction while at a standstill.<
System malfunctionThe LED above the symbol for the auto-
matic headlamp control flashes, refer to
page 97. Please have the system
inspected at your BMW center.
Instrument lightingTurn the rotary dial with the parking/
low beam lamps on to adjust the illumi-
nation intensity.