
At a glance
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Indicator and warning 
lamps 
Technology that monitors itself 
The indicator and warning lamps identified 
by the 
+ symbol are subjected to an oper-
ation check each time you switch on the 
ignition or start the engine. They each light 
up once for different periods of time.
When a malfunction occurs in a monitored 
system, the corresponding lamp will either 
fail to go out when the engine is started, or 
it will come on again during normal driving, 
usually accompanied by a Check Control 
message. You will find more details on the 
specified pages.
Fixed indicator and warning lampsColors The indicator and warning lamps can light 
up in different colors and combinations.
>Red:
Stop immediately 
or 
important reminder
>Red and yellow:
Continue to drive; drive cautiously
>Yellow:
Have the system checked at the earliest 
opportunity
or
for your information
>Green or blue:
For your information.
Variable indicator and warning lamps 
On the display 5 of the instrument cluster, 
other indicator and warning lamps appear 
as necessary. Pay attention to the instruc-
tions of the accompanying Check Control 
messages, also refer to page 66. Turn signals60
Active steering 
+80
Brake system 
+
With handbrake engaged55
With handbrake released78, 173
With other warning lamps78
Brake system for Canadian models
Airbags 
+81
Service Engine Soon 
+176
If the indicator lamp comes on 
either continuously or intermit-
tently, this indicates a malfunction 
the emissions-related electronic 
systems.
Although the vehicle remains oper-
ational, you should have the sys-
tems checked by your BMW center 
at the earliest possible opportunity
Service Engine Soon indicator 
lamp for Canadian models
Front fog lamps86
ABS Antilock Brake System +78
DTC Dynamic Traction Control78
High beams/headlamp flasher86
Please fasten safety belt 
+47
DSC Dynamic Stability 
Control 
+78
Check Gas Cap162
Lamp for US models 

Adjustments
42
Adjustments 
Sitting safely 
The ideal sitting position can make a vital 
contribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. 
The sitting position also plays an important 
role together with the safety belts and air-
bags in providing occupants with maximum 
levels of passive safety in an accident. To 
ensure that the safety systems operate with 
optimal efficiency, we strongly urge you to 
observe the instructions contained in the 
following section.
For additional information on transporting 
children safely, refer to page 51.
Sitting safely with airbags 
Always maintain an adequate dis-
tance between yourself and the air-
bags. Always hold the steering wheel by 
its rim with hands at the 9 o'clock and 
3 o'clock positions, to minimize the risk of 
injuries to your hands and arms in the event 
of airbag deployment.
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. 
Make sure that the front passenger is sit-
ting correctly and does not rest feet or legs 
on the instrument panel, otherwise leg inju-
ries can occur if the knee and front airbags 
are triggered.
Never let an occupant's head rest near or 
on a side airbag because the inflating air-
bag could cause a serious or fatal injury.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions 
injuries resulting from contact with airbags 
cannot be fully excluded, depending on the 
circumstances. The ignition and inflation 
noise may provoke a mild – usually tempo-
rary – hearing loss in extremely sensitive 
individuals.
For airbag locations and additional infor-
mation on airbags, refer to page 81.
Sitting safely with safety belts 
Fasten your safety belt before starting any 
trip. Airbags complement the safety belt as 
an additional safety device, but they do not 
represent a substitute.
Your vehicle has four seats that are all 
equipped with a safety belt.
At all times, occupants should sit 
upright and be properly restrained: 
infants and small children in appropriate 
child-restraint systems; larger children and 
adults using the 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.
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 abdomi-
nal area.
Do not route the belt across your neck, or 
run it across sharp edges. Be sure that the 
belt does not become caught or jammed. 
Avoid twisting the belt while routing it firmly 
across the hips and shoulder. Do not allow 
the belt to rest against hard or fragile 
objects. Otherwise, in the event of a frontal 
impact, a loose lap belt could slide over 
your hips, leading to abdominal injury. 
Avoid wearing clothing that prevents the 
belt from fitting properly and pull the lap 
belt periodically to readjust the tension 
across your shoulder in order to avoid a 
reduction in the retention effect of the 
safety belt.<
For instructions on operating safety belts, 
refer to page 47. 

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Safety belts 
Fasten your safety belt before starting any 
trip. Airbags complement the safety belt as 
an additional safety device, but they do not 
represent a substitute.
Fastening 
Make sure you hear the latch plate engage 
in the belt buckle.
Please fasten safety belt 
warning lamp:
Lights up until the driver and front 
passenger have fastened their safety belts. 
Depending on the model, a signal
* sounds 
or a message
* appears on the Control Dis-
play at the same time.
The warning is also issued when the driver 
or front passenger removes his or her 
safety belt while driving.
The warning can also take place if 
objects are placed on the passenger 
seat.<
Releasing
1.Hold the belt firmly
2.Press the red button in the belt buckle
3.Guide the belt into its reel.
The shoulder strap's anchorage point will 
be in the correct position for adults of every 
build if the seat is correctly adjusted, refer 
to page 43.
Damage to safety belts
If the safety belts are damaged or 
stretched in an accident: have the 
entire belt system, including the tensioning 
mechanisms, replaced at your BMW cen-
ter. Have the belt anchorage points 
inspected for damage at the same time. 
Failure to observe this precaution may pre-
vent the safety belts from effectively pro-
viding optimal protection when needed.<
Heated seats
The system regulates the temperatures of 
the seat cushion and backrest.
The temperature setting progresses one 
step through its control sequence each 
time you press the button.
To switch off:
Maintain pressure on the button for several 
seconds. 

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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. 
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 
secured. We strongly urge you to carefully 
read and comply with the instructions for 
installation and use provided by the child-
restraint's 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 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. Deactivat-
ing the passenger airbags is only possible 
on the Coupe. Your BMW center will be 
glad to advise you.
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 – of 
the kind designed for infants under 1 year 
and 20 Ibs./9 kg – 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.<
Installing child-restraint 
systems
Before installing any child-restraint system 
or child seat, read the following:
Observe the child-restraint system 
manufacturer's instructions for instal-
lation and use. Otherwise the degree of 
protection can be reduced.
After an accident, have all parts of the 
child-restraint system and of the relevant 
vehicle safety belt system checked by a 
BMW center and replaced if necessary.<
Commercially-available child-restraint sys-
tems are designed to be secured with a lap 
belt or with the lap belt portion of a combi-
nation lap/shoulder belt. Improperly or 
inadequately installed restraint systems 
can increase the risk of injury to children. 
Always read and follow the instructions that 
come with the system. 

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Airbags 
The following airbags are located under the 
marked covers:
1Front airbags for driver and front pas-
senger
2Coupe: head airbags
3Front side airbags
4Knee airbag for front passenger
5Knee airbag for driver
Protective effect 
The front airbags help protect the driver 
and front passenger by responding to fron-
tal impacts in which safety belts alone can-
not provide adequate restraint. When 
needed, the head and side airbags help 
provide protection in the event of a side 
impact. The side airbags help restrain the 
side of the occupant's upper torso, and the 
head airbags help support the head while 
also helping provide protection against any 
objects penetrating into the passenger 
compartment.
The airbags are deliberately not triggered 
in every impact situation, e.g. less severe 
accidents, certain rollover conditions, or 
rear-end collisions.
For information on the correct sitting posi-
tion, refer to page 42.
Even if you adhere to all the instructions 
injuries resulting from contact with airbags 
cannot be fully excluded, depending on the 
circumstances. The ignition and inflation 
noise may provoke a mild hearing loss in 
extremely sensitive individuals. This effect 
is usually only temporary.Do not apply adhesive materials to 
the cover panels of the airbags, cover 
them or modify them in any other way.
Do not attempt to remove the airbag reten-
tion system from the vehicle. Never modify 
or tamper with either the wiring or the indi-
vidual components in the airbag system. 
This category includes the upholstery in the 
center of the steering wheel, on the instru-
ment panel, the side trim panels on the 
doors and on the Coupe the roof pillars 
along with the sides of the headliner. 
Do not attempt to remove or dismantle the 
steering wheel.
Do not touch the individual components 
directly after the system has been trig-
gered, because there is a danger of burns.
If you note any indication of system mal-
function, if you desire to have an airbag 
deactivated, or if the airbag retention sys-
tem is triggered in response to an accident, 
you should always entrust all inspection, 
repair and dismantling operations to your 
BMW center. Unprofessional attempts to 
service the system could lead to failure in 
an emergency or undesired airbag activa-
tion, either of which could result in personal 
injury.<
Airbag warning information is also provided 
on the sun visors. 

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
82
Airbag system operational 
The airbag warning 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 warning lamp goes out after a few sec-
onds.
Airbag system malfunction 
Have the airbag system checked 
immediately if a malfunction occurs, 
as otherwise there is a danger of the sys-
tem not responding in the expected man-
ner to an impact occurring within its normal 
response range.<
There is a malfunction in the airbag 
system when:
>The warning lamp does not light up as 
of ignition key position 1
>The warning lamp remains on continu-
ously
>The warning lamp lights up while the 
vehicle is being driven.
Convertible:
Rollover protection system 
The rollover protection system is automati-
cally activated in the event of an accident 
or a critical driving situation, extreme incli-
nation on the longitudinal or transverse 
axis, or loss of ground contact. The rollover 
bars located behind the rear head 
restraints move out within fractions of a 
second.As a supplement to the rollover bar inte-
grated in the windshield frame, the rollover 
protection system ensures that all vehicle 
occupants have the necessary headroom.
Always keep the path of movement of 
the rollover protection system clear.
In less severe accidents, you are protected 
by the fastened safety belt and, depending 
on the severity of the accident, the belt ten-
sioner and the multistage airbag restraint 
system.<
Lowering 
If the protection function was not required 
after automatic activation, the rollover pro-
tection system can be lowered again. 
No tools are necessary for this purpose.
1.Press the release backwards and hold 
in that position
2.Press the rollover bar halfway down 
from above
3.Let go of the release
4.Press the rollover bar down until it 
snaps into place
5.Use the same procedure for the second 
rollover bar.
Have the rollover protection system 
checked after unexpected triggering. 

 197Reference
At a glance
Controls
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Mobility
Everything from A to Z
Index
"..." Indicates texts on the 
Control Display for the 
selection of functions, 
pointing out where these 
are located.
A
ABS Antilock Brake 
System 76
– malfunction 78
– warning lamp 13, 78
Acceleration assistant with 
SMG 60
Accessories, refer to 
Your individual vehicle 5
Activated-charcoal filter 92
"Activation time" for 
independent 
ventilation 93
Activation times 93
– entering 93
Active roll stabilization 78
Active steering 80
– initializing the system 80
– warning lamp 13, 80
Adapting the temperature 
in the upper body 
region 91
Adaptive brake lamps, refer 
to Brake Force Display 80
Adaptive Head Light 86
"Add digits" for portable 
phone 149
"Address book" for 
navigation 114
Address for navigation
– deleting 115
– entering 110
– selecting 115
– storing current 
location 114
"Add to destination 
list" 111Adjusting the temperature 
with automatic climate 
control 89
Adjusting the thigh 
support 43
"After opening door" 44
"After unlocking" 44
Airbags 81
– deactivating, Coupe 51
– indicator lamp 82
– sitting safely 42
Air distribution
– automatic 89
– manual 90
Airing, refer to 
Ventilation 92
Air recirculation, refer to 
Automatic recirculated-
air control 89
"Air recirculation on / 
off" 49
Air vents, refer to 
Ventilation 88
Air volume 89
AKI, refer to Fuel 
specifications 163
Alarm system 32
– avoiding unintentional 
alarms 33
– interior motion sensor 33
– switching off alarm 32
– switching off tilt alarm 
sensor and interior 
motion sensor 33
– tilt alarm sensor 33
All around the center 
console 14
All around the steering 
wheel 10
"All channels" 135
"All doors" 27
All-season tires, refer to 
Winter tires 169
Altering stretch of road 120"AM", reception 
range 127, 130
Antenna for portable 
phone 144
Antifreeze
– coolant 172
– washer fluid 62
Antilock Brake System, 
ABS 76
Anti-theft alarm system, 
refer to Alarm system 32
Anti-theft system 27
Anti-trapping mechanism
– glass roof 36
– power windows 35
Approved axle loads, refer 
to Weights 190
Approved gross vehicle 
weight, refer to 
Weights 190
Armrest, refer to 
Center armrest 96
Arrival time, refer to 
Computer 70
Arrival time, refer to 
Starting destination 
guidance 118
"Arrow display" 119
Ashtray 97
Assistance systems, refer 
to Driving stability control 
systems 76
Assistance window 19
AUC Automatic recircu-
lated-air control 89
"Audio" 128
Audio 126
– adjusting the tone 127
– controls 126
– switching on/off 126
– volume 127 

Everything from A to Z
200 "Communication 
interface" 155
Compact disc
– refer to CD changer 137
– refer to CD player 137
Computer 69
– clock, 12/24 hour 
mode 73
– displays on Control 
Display 69
– hour signal 73
"Concert hall" 128
Condition Based Service, 
CBS 174
"Confirmation" 28
Confirmation signals for 
locking and unlocking 28
"Confirm unlock code" 147
Connecting a vacuum 
cleaner
– refer to Lighter socket 97
– refer to Power socket 97
Consumption display, refer 
to Average fuel 
consumption 69
"Continue guidance to 
dest.?" 119
Control Center 16
– adjusting the 
brightness 72
– assistance window 19
– automatic climate 
control 90
– changing settings 18, 72
– changing the menu 
page 18
– confirming selection or 
entry 18
– controller 16
– display, menus 16
– language selection 73
– menu guidance 17
– menu item selection 18
– operating elements 16
– selecting units of 
measurement and display 
format 72
– setting time and date 73
– start menu 17
– status information 19
– symbols 17Control Display 16
Controller, refer to 
Control Center 16
Controls, refer to 
Cockpit 10
Convenience operation
– convertible top 27, 29
– glass roof 27, 29
– windows 27, 29
Convenience start, refer to 
Starting engine 54, 55
Convertible program for 
automatic climate 
control 91
Convertible top 37
– care, refer to the Caring 
for your vehicle brochure
– convenience operation 29
– emergency closing 39
– manual closing in the 
event of an electrical 
malfunction 39
– opening and closing 38
Coolant 172
– level 172
Cooling, maximum 89
Cornering Brake Control, 
CBC 76
Country of destination for 
navigation 110
Courtesy lamps 87
Cruise control 62
Cruising range 69
Cup holders 97
Curb weight, refer to 
Weights 190
"Current position" 109
Current position
– displaying 109
– entering 114
– storing 114
"Customer Relations" 157
Cylinders, refer to 
Engine data 190
D
Dashboard, refer to 
Cockpit 10
Data 190
– capacities 193
– dimensions 191
– engine 190
– weights 190
"Date" 74
Date 64
– setting 74
"Date format" 74
Daytime driving lamps 85
DBC Dynamic Brake 
Control 78
Deactivating front 
passenger airbag, 
Coupe 51
Decommissioning the 
vehicle, refer to the 
Caring for your vehicle 
brochure
Defect
– convertible top 39
– door lock 29
– fuel filler door 162
– glass roof 36
– luggage compartment 
lid 30, 31
– SMG Sequential manual 
transmission 58
Defrosting windows 89
Defrosting windows and 
removing 
condensation 89
Defrosting windshield, refer 
to Defrosting windows 89
Defrost position, refer to 
Defrosting windows 89
"Delete address book" for 
navigation 116
"Delete address" for 
navigation 115
"Delete all numbers" for 
portable phone 150
"Delete data" for 
navigation 116
"Delete" for portable 
phone 149