Contents
© 2004 Bayerische Motoren Werke
Aktiengesellschaft
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts,
only with the written consent of
BMW AG, Munich.
Order No. 01 41 0 158 286
US English III/04
Printed in Germany
Printed on environmentally friendly paper,
bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling.
Notes
Overview
Controls and features
About this Owner's Manual8
Symbols used8
Your individual vehicle8
Status at time of printing9
For your own safety9
Symbol on vehicle parts10
Service and Warranty10
Reporting safety defects10Cockpit14
Instrument cluster15
Indicator and warning lamps19
Buttons on steering wheel23
Warning triangle24
First-aid kit24
Refueling24
Fuel specifications26
Locks and security systems:
Keys30
Central locking system30
Opening and closing:
from outside31
Opening and closing:
from inside34
Liftgate35
Tailgate36
Alarm system38
Windows39
Panorama glass roof41
Adjustments:
Sitting safely43
Seats44
Mechanical seat adjustment45
Power seat adjustment46
Head restraints47
Power rear-seat backrest
adjustment48
Safety belts49
Seat, mirror and steering wheel
memory50
Heated seats52
Steering wheel52
Steering wheel heater53
Mirrors54
Contents
38n
Alarm system The concept The vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood, or the liftgate
is opened
>To movement in the vehicle interior:
interior motion sensor
>To variations in the vehicle tilt angle
such as occur during attempts to
steal the wheels or tow the vehicle
>To interruption of battery voltage.
The system responds to unauthorized
vehicle entry and attempted theft by
simultaneously activating the following:
>Sounding an acoustical alarm for
30 seconds
>The hazard warning flashers are acti-
vated for approx. five minutes
>The high beams flash on and off in
the same rhythm.
Arming and disarming alarm
system When you lock or unlock the vehicle,
either with the remote control or at the
door lock, the alarm system is armed or
disarmed at the same time.
You can have different acknowl-
edgment signals set to confirm
arming and disarming.<
The liftgate can also be opened with the
system armed using the button on the
remote control, refer to page 31. The
liftgate is locked again when closed.
Pressing the button longer triggers the
alarm: panic mode, refer to page 32.
Indicator lamp displays >The indicator lamp below the interior
rearview mirror flashes continuously:
the system is armed
>The indicator lamp flashes when the
vehicle is locked: door(s) or liftgate
are not completely closed. Even if
you do not close the alerted area, the
system begins to monitor the remain-
ing areas, and the indicator lamp
flashes continuously after 10 sec-
onds. However, the interior motion
sensor is not activated
>The indicator lamp goes out when the
vehicle is unlocked: no manipulation
or attempted intrusions have been
detected in the period since the sys-
tem was armed530us241
51n
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
54n
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
55n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
MirrorsInterior and exterior mirrors,
automatic dimming feature
*
These mirrors dim steplessly during for-
ward driving when struck by light. There
are two photocells located in the inte-
rior rearview mirror for this purpose.
One photocell is in the mirror glass,
refer to arrow, while the other is offset
somewhat on the back of the mirror.
For trouble-free operation, keep the
photocells clean and do not cover the
area between the interior rearview mir-
ror and the windshield. Do not attach
any kind of stickers on the windshield in
front of the mirror, either. 530us245
Compass interior mirror
* with
automatic dimming feature
1Setting button
2Display
The direction in which you are currently
driving is indicated.
The respective compass zone must be
set depending on where you are with
your vehicle. To do this, press the set-
ting button on the lower edge of the
interior mirror approx. 3 – 4 seconds.
The number of the current compass
zone appears in the display.530de409
To change the zone setting, press the
setting button repeatedly until the num-
ber of the compass zone which corre-
sponds to your location is displayed.
Refer to the following world map with
compass zones.
The compass is ready for use again
after approx. 10 seconds.
For instructions on the automatic anti-
glare control, refer to Interior and exte-
rior mirrors, automatic dimming feature.
71n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Washer/wiper system/rain sensor
*
0Wipers retracted
1Intermittent mode or rain sensor
2Normal wipe
3Fast wipe
4Brief wipe
5Cleaning the windshield
6Special wash program
*
7Serrated dial for control of the wipe
interval or the sensitivity of the rain
sensor530de324
Retracted positionThe left wiper is partially concealed by
the hood. In order to bring the wipers to
roughly a vertical position, this is impor-
tant for changing the wiper blades or to
fold the wipers out during frosty
weather, for example:
>With the lever in position 1, switch off
the ignition as soon as the wipers
come to a stop.
If equipped with a rain sensor:
1. Switch on the wipers with the lever in
position 1, 2 or 4
2. When the wipers are approx. vertical,
switch the ignition off.
For changing the wiper blades, refer to
page 158.
Fold the wipers back down onto
the windshield before you turn the
ignition key to position 1 or 2 again. If
you do not, they could be damaged.<
Intermittent mode Not on vehicles with rain sensor.
You can set the wipe interval to four
stages with serrated dial 7.
In addition, the wipe interval is varied
automatically depending on road
speed. Rain sensor The rain sensor is positioned on the
windshield, directly in front of the inte-
rior rearview mirror.
To activate the rain sensor:
Move the lever to position 1 as of igni-
tion key position 1. The wipers travel
once across the windshield, regardless
of the weather conditions.
You can leave the lever permanently in
position 1. It is then only necessary to
activate the rain sensor as of ignition
key position 1.
To do this, turn serrated dial 7 briefly.
To adjust the sensitivity of the rain sen-
sor:
Turn serrated dial 7.
Deactivating the rain sensor:
Move lever to position 0.
105n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Interior lampsRear reading lamps
*
Switched on and off with the button
next to each lamp, refer to arrows.Footwell and cargo area lamps The lamps are controlled in the same
manner as the front interior lamps.530us057
Front area lighting
*
This lighting system in the two exterior
mirrors illuminates the ground in the
area near the two front doors. It is also
controlled in the same manner as the
front interior lamps, but it does not
function while the vehicle is moving.
In order to prevent battery dis-
charge, all of the lamps in the
vehicle are switched off automatically
approx. 15 minutes after the ignition
key is turned to position 0.<
Everything from A to Z
189n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Gear display 67
Gearshift lever
automatic transmission
with Steptronic 67
manual transmission 66
General driving notes 138
Glove compartment 119
Grills, refer to
Ventilation 108, 113
Gross weight, refer to
Weights 180
Ground clearance 137
H
Hand lamp, refer to Rechar-
geable flashlight 119
Handbrake 66
indicator lamp 19, 21
Hands-free microphone,
refer to Portable
phone 118
Hands-free system 118
Having vehicle towed 173
Hazard warning flashers 14
HDC Hill Descent Control 96
Head airbags 57
Head restraints 47
Headlamp control,
automatic 102
Headlamp cover, care, refer
to Caring for your vehicle
brochureHeadlamp flasher 70
indicator lamp 22
Headlamp washer fluid
tank 148
capacity, refer to Filling
capacities 181
Headlamp washer system
cleaning headlamps 72
washer fluid 148
Headlamps
bulb replacement 159
care, refer to Caring for
your vehicle brochure
Heated mirrors 54
Heated rear window
air conditioner 107
automatic climate
control 112
Heated seats 52
Heated steering wheel 53
Heating
exterior mirror 54
rear window 107, 112
seats 52
steering wheel 53
Heating and
ventilation 106, 109
Heating while stopped 113
Heavy cargo 131
Height adjustment
seats 45, 46
steering wheel 52Height, refer to
Dimensions 179
High beams 103
bulb replacement 160
headlight flasher 70
indicator lamp 22
Hills 137, 139
Holder for cups 120
Horn 14
Hydroplaning 138, 143
I
Ice warning 75
Ignition 64
Ignition key 30
Ignition lock 64
Immobilizer function 90
Imprint 4
Independent ventilation 115
entering switch-on
times 86
switching on and off 86
switching on and off, also
refer to Owner's Manual
for Onboard Computer
Indicating
elements 15, 17, 18
Indicator and warning lamps,
overview 19Indicator/warning lamp
airbags 59
alarm system 38
coolant temperature 78
DSC 94
engine temperature 78
fasten safety belts 49
Flat Tire Monitor 101
front fog lamps 104
reserve 77
self-leveling
suspension 97
Individual air distribution 111
Individual settings, refer to
Vehicle Memory, Key
Memory 63
Inflation pressure
monitoring, refer to Flat
Tire Monitor 100
INSPECTION 78
Instrument cluster 15, 17, 18
Instrument illumination, refer
to Instrument lighting 104
Instrument lighting 104
Instrument panel lighting,
refer to Instrument
lighting 104
Instrument panel, refer to
Instrument
cluster 15, 17, 18
Integrated universal remote
control 116