2004 BMW 525I SEDAN rear view mirror

Voice command system
22
Notes
Do not use the voice command sys-
tem in emergency situations. In stress
situations, voice and pitch can change.
Instead, use the emergency call button
near the interior rearview mirror.<
At the time of going to press, the
voice command system was available
in English. Other languages are currently
not available.
The telephone can also be operated using
voice control, refer to page 157.<
Important for voice commands
Issue the commands fluently and at normal
volume, avoiding excessing emphasis and
pauses.
The voice command system uses a special
hands-free microphone located in the front
of your vehicle's headliner. On vehicles
with telephone, two vehicle microphones
are fitted. Although the system is designed
to filter out ambient noise, you can help
ensure that your commands will be under-
stood by observing the following instruc-
tions:
>Keep the doors, windows and glass
roof closed to prevent interference from
ambient noise
>Avoid other sources of noise in the
vehicle while speaking, and ask other
vehicle occupants to refrain from talk-
ing while you are using the system
>Without a telephone, the vehicle micro-
phone is directed at the driver. This
means that the system might not be
able to register the voices of other vehi-
cle occupants properly.

Controls
43Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
You can also adjust the mirrors manually by
pressing against the outer edges of their
lenses.
Storing the mirror positions, refer to Seat,
mirror and steering wheel memory on
page 38.
The mirror on the passenger's side
features a lens with a more convex
surface than the mirror installed on the
driver's side. When estimating the distance
between yourself and other traffic, bear in
mind that the objects reflected in the mirror
are closer than they appear. This means
that estimations of the distance to following
traffic should not be regarded as precise.<
Self-defrosting mirrors
Both exterior mirrors are automatically
heated in ignition key position 2.
Interior rearview mirror
To reduce the dazzle effect of following
vehicles at night, turn the knob beneath the
mirror.
Interior and exterior mirrors,
automatic dimming feature*
These mirrors automatically respond to
ambient light and headlamp glare from fol-lowing vehicles by automatically dimming
through an infinitely-variable range.There
are two photocells located in the interior
rearview mirror for this purpose. One is
integrated within the mirror's lens, while
the other is located at an offset position on
the rear of the mirror housing.
The mirrors automatically revert to their
clear, undimmed mode whenever you
engage reverse gear or place the selector
lever into position R.
For trouble-free operation, keep the
photocells clean and do not cover the
area between the interior rearview mirror
and the windshield. Do not attach any kind
of stickers on the windshield in front of the
mirror.<
Steering wheel adjustment
Do not adjust the steering wheel while
the vehicle is moving. There is a risk
of accident from unexpected movement.<
The steering wheel can be adjusted in any
of four directions by pressing the appropri-
ate end of the button.
Storing steering wheel positions, refer to
Seat, mirror and steering wheel memory on
page 38.
Automatic steering wheel
adjustment
In conjunction with seat, mirror and steer-
ing wheel memory.
The steering wheel automatically moves as
high up and far forward as possible to ease
driver entry and exit before then returning

Controls
45Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Transporting children safely
The right place for children
Children always in the rear
Accident research shows that the safest
place for children in a vehicle is in the rear
seat.
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.
A child sitting in the rear seat and not
properly restrained may place his or
her head on or near the airbag, if so
equipped. For example, a child Ñ even
though belted Ñ may fall asleep with his or
her head against the side airbag. It may be
difficult for a driver to ensure that children
in the rear seat will remain properly posi-
tioned at all times and do not place their
heads on or near the side airbag. There-
fore, we recommend that the rear side air-
bags, if provided, be deactivated if you plan
to transport children in the rear seat.<
Deactivating the rear seat side
airbags
The rear seat side airbags may already
have been deactivated by a BMW center.
Labels in the rear door opening should indi-
cate the status of your rear seat side air-
bags. If you are uncertain of their status, or
wish to have the airbags activated or deac-
tivated, please contact your BMW center.
Child-restraint system in the rear
Children under 13 years of age and
children less than 5 ft/150 cm tall
should always ride in the rear and the
restraint systems should be secured with
the vehicle's safety belts.<
Younger children should be secured in an
appropriate forward-facing child-restraint
system that has first been properly
restrained. We strongly urge you to care-
fully read and comply with the instructions for installation and use provided by the
child restraintÕs manufacturer whenever
you use such a device.
All rear sitting positions in your vehicle
meet the recommendations of SAE J1819,
an industry-recommended practice for
securing child-restraint systems in motor
vehicles.
Exception for the front passenger
seat
Should it become necessary to use a
child-restraint system on the front
passenger seat, the airbags on the passen-
ger's side must be deactivated. The pas-
senger airbag indicator lamp above the
interior rearview mirror must light up con-
tinuously. Otherwise, the front passenger
airbags remain active and there is consid-
erable risk of injury to children if the airbags
are triggered, even with a child-restraint
system. In this case, children should be
seated in the rear and the system should be
checked at your BMW center.<
Never install a rearward-facing child-
restraint system in the front passen-
ger seat of this vehicle if the passenger air-
bag is not deactivated. If you do so, the
child could be severely injured when the
airbag is triggered.
Your vehicle is equipped with an airbag
supplemental restraint system for the front
passenger. Because the backrest on any
rearward-facing child-restraint system Ð of
the kind designed for infants under 1 year
and 20 Ibs./9 kg Ð would be within the air-
bag's deployment range, you should never
mount such a system in the front passenger
seat, since the impact of the airbag against
the child restraint's backrest could lead to
serious or fatal injuries.<
More information on automatic deactiva-
tion of the front passenger airbags, refer to
page 83.

Controls
57Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Wiper system
1Normal wiper speed: briefly press once.
The system automatically reverts to
operation in the intermittent mode
whenever the vehicle stops.
Fast wiper speed: briefly press twice or
press beyond the resistance point.
The system automatically reverts to
operation in the standard wipe mode
whenever the vehicle stops
2To switch off wipers or for brief wipe
3To activate/deactivate rain sensor
4To clean windshield and headlamps
5To adjust rain sensor sensitivity level
The lever automatically returns to its initial
position when released.
Cleaning the windshield and
headlamps*
The system sprays washer fluid against the
windshield and activates the wipers for a
brief period.
When the vehicle lighting system is
switched on, the headlamps are also
cleaned at regular and appropriate inter-
vals.
Do not use the washers if there is any
danger that the fluid will freeze on the
windshield. If you do so, your vision could
be obscured. To avoid freezing, use a
washer fluid antifreeze, refer to Washer
fluid.
Avoid activating the washer when the
reservoir is empty, as damage to the pump
could result.<
Windshield washer nozzles
The windshield washer nozzles are auto-
matically heated in ignition key position 2.
Rain sensor
The rain sensor controls windshield wipe
operation depending on the amount of rain.
The rain sensor is located on the wind-
shield, directly in front of the interior rear-
view mirror.
Activating the rain sensor
As of ignition key position 1, briefly press
the button. The indicator lamp in the button
lights up. The wipers will always respond
by completing at least one sweep of the
windshield.
Adjusting rain sensor sensitivity level
Turn the serrated dial 5.
Deactivating the rain sensor
Briefly press the button again. The indica-
tor lamp goes out.
The rain sensor is automatically deacti-
vated when you switch off the ignition.
Deactivate the rain sensor when
passing through an automatic car
wash. Failure to do so could result in dam-
age caused by undesired wiper activa-
tion.<
Washer fluid
Washer fluid antifreeze is flammable.
Always keep it well away from sparks
and open flames, and store it in tightly
closed containers well out of the reach of

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
84 >When a child is seated in the child-
restraint system or with an empty seat,
the front and side airbags are automat-
ically deactivated on the passenger's
side
>When an adult is traveling in the front
seat, the front and side airbags remain
active on the passenger side.
Although not desired, it can occur in
the case of heavier children that the
front passenger airbags remain active or in
the case of very light adults or young per-
sons that the front passenger airbags are
deactivated.
The state of the front passenger airbags is
shown with the telltale lamp, refer to Indi-
cator lamps in the following. In this case
transport the corresponding persons on
the rear seat.
Except when persons to be transported, do
not increase the load on the front passen-
ger seat with additional items. Do not fit
seat covers, seat cushion padding, ball
mats or other items to the front passenger
seat unless they are specifically recom-
mended by BMW. Do not place any items
under the seat. Otherwise, the function of
the seat occupation detection could be
impaired.<
Indicator lamps
Operational readiness of airbag
system
The airbag indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster indicates the operational readiness
of the entire airbag system and the safety
belt tensioners as of ignition key position 1.
The indicator lamp goes out after a few
seconds.The telltale lamp above the interior rear-
view mirror indicates whether the front-
passenger airbag system is activated or
deactivated as of ignition key position 1.
The telltale lamp refers exclusively to
the front-passenger airbag system.<
>The telltale lamp goes out after a few
seconds.
The front passenger airbags are active,
e.g. when transporting an adult
>The telltale lamp lights up continuously.
The front passenger airbags are deacti-
vated, e.g. when transporting a child in
the child-restraint system or when the
seat is unoccupied.
For more information on the operating prin-
ciple of the front passenger airbag system
and seat occupation detection, refer to
Automatic deactivation of the front passen-
ger airbags.
Airbag system malfunction
A system malfunction could prevent
the system from responding in the
expected manner to an impact occurring
within its normal response range.
Please have the airbag system inspected
immediately at a BMW center.<
There is a fault in the airbag system
if the airbag indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster behaves as fol-
lows:
>Indicator lamp does not light up as of
ignition key position 1
>It remains on continuously
>Indicator lamp lights up while the vehi-
cle is being driven.

Telephoning
160
Notes
The voice commands were available
in English on going to print. Other lan-
guages are currently not available.<
Important for voice input
Issue the commands fluently and at normal
volume, avoiding excessive emphasis and
pauses.
On vehicles with a phone, two micro-
phones are installed near the interior rear-
view mirror of your vehicle. Although the
system is designed to filter out ambient
noise, you can help ensure that your com-
mands will be understood by observing the
following instructions:
>Keep the doors, windows and glass
roof closed to prevent interference from
ambient noise
>Avoid other sources of noise in the
vehicle while speaking, and ask other
vehicle occupants to refrain from talk-
ing while you are using the system.

Everything from A to Z
208 Heating 90
Ð mirrors 43
Ð steering wheel 44
Heating while stopped 92
Heavy cargo, refer to
Stowing cargo 109
Height, refer to
Dimensions 199
Height adjustment
Ð head restraints 39
Ð seats 37
Ð steering wheel 43
High beams 88
Ð headlight flasher 88
Ð indicator lamp 13
Ð replacing the bulbs 185
Hills 107
Holder for beverages 99
"Horn" 44
Horn 10
"Hour memo" 75
"House number" for
destination entry 117
Hydraulic brake assistant,
refer to DBC 79
Hydroplaning 106, 174
I
Ice warning 65
iDrive, refer to Control
Center 16
Ignition key 26
Ignition key positions, refer
to Ignition lock 49
Ignition lock 49
Independent ventilation
Ð switching on and off
directly 94
Independent ventilation/
heating
Ð entering switch-on
times 95
Ð preselecting switch-on
times 95Indicator/warning lamp
Ð active steering 82
Ð airbags 84
Ð Flat Tire Monitor 81
Ð front fog lamps 11
Ð overview 13
Ð safety belt warning 40
Individual air distribution 93
Individual button
assignment options on
steering wheel 44
Individual settings, refer to
Key Memory 26
Inflation pressure, refer to
Tire inflation
pressure 170
"Information" for
navigation 118
Information for navigation
Ð on a different city 118
Ð on city of destination 118
Ð on current position 118
"Information on
destination" 119
"Input map" 118
Installation location
Ð CD changer 144
Ð navigation computer 114
Ð portable phone 151
Instructions for navigation
system, refer to Voice
instructions 124
Instrument cluster 12
Instrument combination,
refer to Instrument
cluster 12
Instrument lighting 88
Instrument panel, refer to
Instrument cluster 10
Integrated universal remote
control 96
Interesting destination 118
"Interim time" 73
Interior lamps 89
Ð remote control 28
Interior mirror, refer to
Interior rearview mirror 43
Interior motion sensor 33
Ð switching off 28Interior rearview mirror 43
Ð automatic dimming
feature 43
Interlock, refer to Steering
locked 49
Intermittent mode of the
wipers 57
J
Jacking points 188
Joystick, refer to Control
Center 16
Jump-starting 192
K
Key Memory 26
"Keypad" 156
Keys 26
Key set, refer Central keys
with remote control 26
Kickdown 55
Knock control 169
L
Lamps and bulbs 184
"Languages" 74
"Languages" for
navigation 124
Lashing eyes, refer to
Securing the load 109
"Last seat position" 38
LATCH child-restraint
fixing 47
LEDs light-emitting
diodes 89
Length, refer to
Dimensions 199
Letter symbol on portable
phone 156
License plate light
Ð replacing the bulbs 186
Light-emitting diodes
LEDs 89
Lighter 100
Ð socket 100
"Lighting" 56, 87

Reference 211
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Pathway lighting 87
"PDC" 77
PDC Park Distance
Control 76
"Phone" 152
Phone book 152
Phone numbers
Ð deleting in the phone
book 155
Ð dialing 153
Ð most recent numbers 154
Ð selecting in the phone
book 154
Ð Top-8 154
Please fasten safety belt
warning lamp 41
Portable phone
Ð accepted calls 154
Ð adjusting volume 152
Ð calling 153
Ð call termination 154
Ð controlling with the
buttons on the steering
wheel 11
Ð entering unlock code 152
Ð hands-free system 151
Ð installation location, refer
to Center armrest 98
Ð missed calls 154
Ð phone book 154
Ð redialing 154
Ð refer to separate Owner's
Manual
Ð SMS 156
Ð Top-8 154
Ð touch tone redialing 156
Portable phone, refer to
separate Owner's Manual
Portable phone battery 151
Portable phone codes 152
Portable phone in
vehicle 108
Portable phones, use in the
interior, refer to Mobile
communications in the
vehicle 108
Position
Ð displaying 115
"Presets" on the
radio 134, 138
Pressure, tires 170Pressure monitoring,
tires 80
"Profile" 165
Programming button
function 44
Programming buttons on
steering wheel 44
R
Radio
Ð adjusting the tone 131
Ð autostore 135
Ð controls 130
Ð play station 135
Ð satellite radio 138
Ð selecting the
waveband 130, 134
Ð station search 136
Ð station selection 134
Ð station with the best
reception 135
Ð store station 136
Ð switching on/off 130
Ð volume 131
Ð Weather Band 137
Radio-control key, refer to
Central key with remote
control 26
Rain sensor 57
"RandomÒ, random
sequence
generator 142, 146
Random play
Ð CD changer 146
Ð CD player 142
Reading lamps 89
Rear armrest 101
Rear center armrest 101
Rear head restraints 40
Rear lamps
Ð replacing the bulbs 186
Rear seat back, folding 101
Rear seats
Ð folding backrests 101
Ð head restraint
adjustment 40
Ð heating 41
Rear ventilation 94
Rearview mirror 42Rear window blind, refer to
Roller sun blinds 97
Rear window safety
switch 34
"Received calls" 155
Receiving level of portable
phone, refer to Status
information 18
Recent destinations 119
Recent portable phone
numbers 154
Reception
Ð quality 137
Ð radio stations 137
Ð regional
program 135
Recirculated air 91
Reclining seat, refer to
Backrest 37
Recording times, refer to
Stopwatch 73
"Redial" for portable
phone 155
Redialing with portable
phone 154
Refueling 168
"Relock door if not
opened" 30
Remaining distance 71
Remote control 26
Ð garage-door opener 96
Ð luggage compartment
lid 28
Ð malfunctions 29
"Repeat" on the
radio 142, 145
Replacement fuses 189
Replacement keys 29
Replacement of
wheels 174
Replacing bulbs, refer to
Lamps and bulbs 184
Replacing wheels/tires 174
Reporting an accident,
refer to Starting an
emergency call 190
Reporting safety defects 7
Reserve warning, refer to
Fuel gauge 66
"Reset" for stopwatch 73
Residual heat 92