2004 BMW X5 4.4I wheel

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
The ideal sitting position can make a
vital contribution to relaxed driving that
is as fatigue-free as possible. The sit-
ting position also plays an important
role together with the safety belts and
airbags in providing occupants with
maximum levels of passive safety in an
accident. To ensure that the safety sys-
tems operate with optimized efficiency,
we strongly urge you to observe the
instructions contained in the following
section.
For additional information on transport-
ing children safely, refer to page 59.Sitting safely with airbags
Always maintain an adequate dis-
tance between yourself and the
airbags. 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 passen-
ger is correctly seated and does not
rest feet or legs on the instrument clus-
ter, otherwise leg injuries can occur if
the knee and front airbag are triggered.
Never let an occupant's head rest near
or on a side airbag because the inflating
airbag could cause a serious or fatal
injury.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions
injuries resulting from contact with air-
bags cannot be fully excluded, depend-
ing on the circumstances. The ignition
and inflation noise may provoke a mild –
usually temporary – hearing loss in
extremely sensitive individuals.
For airbag locations and additional
information on airbags, refer to
page 57.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 five 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 appropri-
ate child-restraint systems; larger chil-
dren and adults using the safety belts.
Even pregnant women should also
always wear the safety belt and espe-
cially ensure that the lap belt is posi-
tioned low on the hip and does not
press on the lower body.
Only one person should ever wear a
safety belt, and infants and children
may not be seated on the lap of another
passenger.
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. Other-
wise, 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 the safety
belt, refer to page 49.
Sitting safely

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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 sup-
port is not stored in the memory.<530us032
Storing 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
M
EMORY 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.
Calling up a stored setting
Do not call up a position from the
memory while the vehicle is mov-
ing. There is a risk of accident from
unexpected movement of the seat or
steering wheel.<
Convenience function:
1. Open the driver's door after unlock-
ing 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 mem-
ory 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
M
EMORY button
accidentally: press the button a
second time – the indicator lamp goes
out.<

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Seat, mirror and steering wheel memory
*
You can have your vehicle pro-
grammed to automatically dial in
your own individual adjustment settings
for the seat, mirrors and steering wheel
whenever you use your personal
remote control to unlock the vehicle.<
If you make use of this adjust-
ment, be sure that the footwell
behind the driver's seat is unobstructed
before unlocking the vehicle. If you fail
to do so, any persons or objects behind
the seat could be injured or damaged
by a rearward movement of the seat.<
Passenger-side exterior mirror
tilt function Automatic curb monitor
Activating:
1. Select the driver's mirror with the
mirror selection switch
2. When you engage reverse gear or
selector-lever position R, the exterior
mirror glass on the front passenger
side tilts downward slightly. This
allows the driver to see the area
immediately adjacent to the vehicle –
such as a curb – when parking, etc.
Deactivating:
Slide the mirror selection switch to the
passenger's side position.530us214

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Heated seats
*
Steering wheel
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
Rear The operating concept is the same as
for the front heated seats. You can
select between two heating modes.530de234
Adjustments The steering wheel can be moved in
any of four directions. Adjust the steer-
ing wheel by moving the control lever in
the desired direction.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. 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

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Steering wheel Steering wheel heater
*
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 mem-
ory position.
This automatic feature is controlled by
the position of the ignition key and by
the driver's door.
Steering wheel heater functions in igni-
tion key position 2.
Press the button to activate or deacti-
vate this system.
The indicator lamp within the button
lights up when the steering wheel
heater is in operation.
If your vehicle is not equipped with
steering wheel heater, the switch for
the recirculated-air mode is located
here, refer to page 23.
530de235

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Mirrors Adjusting exterior mirrors 1Mirror switch for 4-way adjustment
2Left/right selector switch
3Button
* for folding mirrors in and out
By pressing button 3 repeatedly, you
can fold the mirrors in and out. This is,
for example, advantageous in car
washes, narrow streets or for bringing a
mirror folded forward into the proper
position again.
Folding in is possible up to a
speed of approx. 6 mph/
10 km/h.<
530us226
Before going through a car wash,
manually, or with button 3 fold the
exterior mirrors inward, otherwise they
could be damaged, depending on the
width of the car wash system.<
Adjusting manuallyYou can also adjust the mirrors manu-
ally:
Press on the outer edges of their
lenses.
To store the mirror settings, refer to
Seat, mirror and steering wheel mem-
ory on page 50. Convex mirror
The passenger-side mirror fea-
tures a convex lens. When esti-
mating 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 esti-
mations of the distance to following
traffic should not be regarded as pre-
cise.<
Self-defrosting mirrors Both mirrors are defrosted automati-
cally when the ignition key is in posi-
tion 2.
Interior rearview mirror To reduce glare from vehicles behind
you when you are driving at night, tilt
the mirror by turning the button. 530us244

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Airbags1Front airbag for driver and front pas-
senger
2Side Impact Head Protection System
for front and rear
3Side airbags for front and rear
*
Protective effect The front airbags supplement the safety
belts by helping to provide additional
protection for the front-seat occupants
in the event of a severe frontal impact in
which the protection afforded by the
safety belts alone may no longer be suf-
ficient. The Side Impact Head Protec-
tion System and the side airbags help
provide protection in the event of a side
impact. Each of the side airbags is
designed to help support the upper
body. The respective head airbag sup-
ports the head.530us035
For information on the correct sitting
position, refer to page 43.
The airbags do not deploy in
response to minor accidents or
rear collisions, nor do they respond to
certain kinds of vehicle rollover.<
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 air-
bag restraint system from the vehicle. If
you note any indication of system mal-
function, if you desire to have an airbag
deactivated, or if the airbag retention
system is triggered in response to an
accident, you should always entrust all
inspection, repair and dismantling oper-
ations to your BMW Sports Activity
Vehicle center. Do not modify or tamper
with either the wiring or the individual
components in the airbag system.
These include the padded steering
wheel hub, the instrument cluster, the
side trim panels of the front or rear
doors and the roof pillars or the sides of
the headliner. Do not remove or dis-
mantle the steering wheel yourself.
To ensure compliance with official
safety regulations, entrust disposal of
airbag generators to a BMW Sports
Activity Vehicle center. Unprofessional
attempts to service the system could
lead to failure in an emergency or
undesired airbag activation, either of
which could result in personal injury.
Do not touch the individual components
directly after the system has been trig-
gered, as otherwise there is a danger of
burns.<
At all times, occupants should sit
upright and be properly restrained
– infants and small children in appropri-
ate child-restraint systems; larger chil-
dren and adults using the safety belts.
Never let an occupant's head rest near
or on a side airbag because the inflating
airbag could cause a serious or fatal
injury. Please note that the word Airbag
imprinted on the door trim panel indi-
cates the airbag's location.
Accident research shows that the saf-
est place for children in an automobile
is in the rear seat. However, a child sit-
ting 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 – even though belted –
may fall asleep with his or her head
against the side airbag. It may be diffi-
cult for a driver to ensure that children
in the rear seat will remain properly

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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Vehicle Memory, Key Memory How the system functions You have probably frequently wished
that you could configure individual
functions of your vehicle to reflect your
own personal requirements. In engi-
neering your vehicle, BMW has
included several user-defined func-
tions in the vehicle's design. Your
BMW Sports Activity Vehicle center can
make these settings for you.
There are vehicle and person-related
adjustments: Vehicle Memory and Key
Memory. You can configure up to four
different basic positions for four differ-
ent persons. The only requirement is
that each person uses his or her own
remote control key.
When your vehicle is unlocked with the
remote control, the vehicle recognizes
the individual user by means of a data
exchange with the key, and makes
adjustments accordingly.
In order for you to distinguish between
the master keys with remote control,
color-coded decals are supplied
together with the keys.
What the system can doYour BMW Sports Activity Vehicle cen-
ter can provide you with details on the
capabilities of the Vehicle Memory and
Key Memory systems.
You will see this symbol through-
out the Owner's Manual. It is to
remind you at appropriate places of the
settings that are available to you.<
Following configuration of the
memory functions, vehicle opera-
tion may differ from the description in
the Owner's Manual. Should you want
to sell your BMW some day, please
remember to have the memory func-
tions reset to the default state.<
Examples for Vehicle Memory:
>Various signals that can serve as
acknowledgment for locking and
unlocking the vehicle, refer to
pages 31, 33
>Deactivating/activating the pathway
lighting function, refer to page 102.
Examples for Key Memory:
>Automatic adjustment of the driver's
seat, exterior mirror and steering
wheel with settings stored in the
memory for the individual driver when
the vehicle is unlocked, refer to
page 51
>Calling up customized settings for
the automatic climate control when
unlocking the vehicle, refer to
page 111.