Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
27
Adjustments
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital
contribution to relaxed driving that is as
fatigue-free as possible. The sitting posi-
tion plays an important role together with
the safety belts and airbags in providing
occupants with maximum levels of passive
safety in an accident. Therefore, observe
the following instructions, as otherwise the
protective function of the safety systems
may be impaired.
For additional information on transporting
children safely, refer to page 34.
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 cor-
rectly seated, i.e. feet or legs not resting on
the instrument panel, as otherwise leg inju-
ries can result if the knee and front airbag is
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 Ð usually tempo-
rary Ð hearing loss in extremely sensitive
individuals.
For airbag locations and additional infor-
mation on airbags, refer to page 54.
Sitting safely with safety belts
Even though there is an airbag, wear a
safety belt every time you get in the vehi-
cle. Although airbags enhance safety by
providing added protection, they are not a
substitute for safety belts.
Your vehicle has five seats that are all
equipped with a safety belt.
Occupants should sit upright and be
properly restrained at all times:
infants and small children in appropriate
child-restraint systems; larger children and
adults using the safety belts.
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.
Never allow more than one person to wear
a single safety belt. Never allow infants and
small children to ride in a passengers lap.
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 fastening safety belts, refer to page 30.
Seats
Note before adjusting
Never try to adjust your seat while
operating the vehicle. The seat could
respond with unexpected movement, and
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
105
Mounting compact wheel
1.Unscrew the lug bolts and remove the
wheel
2.Remove accumulations of mud or dirt
from the mounting surfaces of the
wheel and hub. Clean the lug bolts
3.Position the new wheel or compact
wheel. Secure the wheel by turning at
least two lug bolts into opposite bolt
holes
4.Screw in the remaining lug bolts.
Tighten all the bolts securely in a diag-
onal pattern
5.Lower the jack and remove it from
beneath the vehicle
6.Tighten the lug bolts in a diagonal pat-
tern
7.Check and correct the tire inflation
pressure at the earliest opportunity.
Protect valve stems and valve stem
seal caps against dirt and contamina-
tion. Dirt in valve stems is a frequent source
of gradual air loss.<
After mounting the compact wheel or cor-
recting the inflation pressure, reinitialize
the Flat Tire Monitor, refer to page 53.
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 safety, always have the lug bolts
checked with a calibrated torque wrench to
ensure that they are tightened to the spec-
ified torque of 101 lb ft/140 Nm as soon as
possible.<
Stow the defective wheel in the luggage
compartment.
When you mount wheels other than Genu-
ine BMW light-alloy wheels, different lug
bolts may also be required.
Replace the defective tire as soon as pos-
sible and have the new wheel/tire bal-
anced.
Driving with the compact wheel
Drive reservedly and do not exceed a
speed of 50 mph/80 km/h. Do not
deactivate DSC, as otherwise unstable
driving conditions may result.<
The driving characteristics change, for
example reduced track stability on braking,
extended braking distance, and altered
self-steering characteristics in the limit
range. In conjunction with winter tires,
these characteristics are more pro-
nounced.
Only one compact wheel may be
mounted. You should re-equipping to
wheels and tires of the original size as
quickly as possible.<
Battery
Battery care
The battery is 100% maintenance-free, i.e.,
the electrolyte will last for the life of the bat-
tery when the vehicle is operated in a tem-
perate climate.
Please contact your BMW Sports
Activity Vehicle Center with any ques-
tions concerning the battery.<
Do not disconnect the battery when
the engine is running. If you do so, the
ensuing voltage surge will damage the
vehicle's onboard electronics.<
Indicator lamp
The battery charge-current indica-
tor lamp lights up:
The battery is no longer being
charged. There is a defect on the alternator
V-belt or charge current circuit of the alter-
nator. Contact the nearest BMW Sports
Activity Vehicle Center.
Do not continue driving if the V-belt is
defective. The engine could be dam-
aged due to overheating.
Moreover, an increased amount of force is
required for steering if the onboard supply
voltage falls dramatically.<
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
109
on page 93. The symbol + is embossed on
the cover.
1.Open the cover of the BMW auxiliary
terminal for jump-starting, refer to
arrow 1
2.Connect one terminal clamp of the pos-
itive/+ jumper cable to the positive ter-
minal of the battery or a auxiliary termi-
nal of the vehicle providing starting
assistance
3.Connect the second terminal clamp of
the positive/+ jumper cable to the posi-
tive terminal of the battery or to a auxil-
iary terminal of the vehicle to be started.
On your BMW, there is a special nut as
body ground or negative terminal on the
suspension strut dome, refer to arrow 2
4.Attach one end of the jumper cable
minus/Ð to the negative terminal of the
battery or to an engine or body ground
of the vehicle providing assistance
5.Connect the second terminal clamp of
the negative/Ð jumper cable to the neg-
ative terminal of the battery or to the
engine or body ground of the vehicle to
be started.
Starting the engine
1.Start the support vehicle's engine and
let it run at an increased idling speed for
a few minutes
2.Start the engine on the other vehicle in
the usual way.
If the first start attempt is not success-
ful, wait a few minutes before another
attempt in order to allow the discharged
battery to recharge
3.Allow the engines to run for several
minutes
4.Disconnect the jumper cables by
reversing the connection sequence.
If necessary, have the battery checked and
recharged at a BMW Sports Activity Vehi-
cle Center.
Never use spray fluids to start the
engine.<
Towing
Always observe all applicable towing
laws and regulations. Do not tow the
BMW X3 with the axle raised, as otherwise
the transfer case can be damaged.<
Towing with a commercial tow truck
>Use only a flatbed carrier
>Do not tow with sling-type equipment
>Do not use a wheel lift.
Never allow passengers to ride on a
towed vehicle for any reasons.<
Tow fitting
The threaded tow fitting is stored in the tool
kit mounted on the inside of the compart-
ment and should always remain in the vehi-
cle. This fitting is designed for installation in
the tow sockets located at the front and
rear of the vehicle.
Access to tow sockets
Front
Use a screwdriver to lever out the cover
upward at the recess.
Everything from A to Z
126 Starting assistance, refer to
Jump-starting 108
Starting difficulties
Ð temperature 38
Starting-off assistance,
DSC 50
Starting the engine 38
Startup difficulties
Ð jump-starting 108
Status of this Owner's
Manual at time of
printing 5
Steering lock 37
Steering wheel 10, 14
Ð adjustment 31
Ð lock 37
Steering wheel heater 31
Steering wheel with
buttons 14
Steptronic 39
Storage compartments 68
Storage package 68
Storage package nets 68
Storage space, refer to
Cargo area 71
Storing seat position, refer
to Seat and mirror
memory 29
Storing the seat
adjustment 29
Straps, refer to Loading 78
Stroke, refer to Engine
data 114
Supply reservoir cleaning
systems 94
Switches, refer to
Cockpit 10
Switching off the engine 38
Symbols 4
T
Table of contents 3
Tachometer 45
Tailgate
Ð closing 21
Ð emergency operation 21
Ð opening from the
outside 21
Ð remote control 19Tailgate lamp
Ð bulb replacement 103
Tail lamps
Ð bulb replacement 102
Ð indicator lamp 57
Tank capacity 117
Technical modifications 6
Telephone, refer to
separate Owner's Manual
Temperature
Ð air conditioner 61
Ð automatic climate
control 64
Temperature, tires 88
Temperature display
Ð ice warning 47
Ð outside temperature 47
Ð setting the units 47
Temperature gauge 45
Thigh support
adjustment 28, 29
Three-point belt 30
Tightening torque 105
Tilt alarm sensor 25
Ð switching off 25
Tilt function, passenger-
side mirror 32
Tire inflation pressures 86
Tire pressure monitoring,
refer to Flat Tire
Monitor 53
Tires
Ð age 88
Ð break-in procedure 76
Ð changing 89
Ð condition 89
Ð DOT Quality Grades 88
Ð flat 103
Ð inflation pressure 86, 87
Ð replacing 89
Ð storage 90
Ð temperature 88
Ð traction 88
Ð treadwear 88
Ð Uniform Tire Quality
Grading 89
Ð wear indicators, refer to
Tire tread/damage 89
Ð wheel change 103
Tools, refer to Onboard tool
kit 99Torque of lug bolts 105
Tow bar 109
Tow fittings 109
Towing 109
Towing the vehicle 109
Tow rope 109
Tow sockets for tow
fitting 109
Tow-starting 109
Track width, refer to
Dimensions 115
Traction 88
Traction control
Ð DSC 50
Trailer loads 116
Transmission 39
Ð automatic transmission
with Steptronic 39
Ð manual transmission 39
Transmission lockout, refer
to P Parking 40
Transmission
malfunction 41
Transporting children 34
Transporting children
safely 34
Tread depth, refer to Tire
tread 89
Treadwear 88
Trip-distance counter, refer
to Trip odometer 45
Trip odometer 45
Trunk, refer to Cargo
area 71
Trunk lid, refer to
Tailgate 21
Turning circle, refer to
Dimensions 115
Turn signal indicators 41
Ð bulb replacement 101
Turn signal indicators, side
Ð bulb replacement 101
U
Underbody protection,
refer to Caring for your
vehicle brochure
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading 89