2004 BMW Z4 2.5I steering

At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility Reference

11

8

Buttons in steering wheel

*
Volume
Press briefly:
Accept incoming call, start dialing, termi-
nate call
Extended pressure:
Activate and deactivate voice entry
Switch between telephone and radio or CD
Fast forward/rewind

>

Radio
Press briefly: next station in station
memory
Extended pressure: station search

>

CD
Press briefly: jump to next track
Extended pressure: fast forward/rewind

>

Telephone
Scan personal phone book

9

Cruise control45

10

Hood release81

11

Luggage compartment lid release19

At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility Reference
13
Colors
The indicator and warning lamps can light
up in various colors and combinations.
The following section explains the signifi-
cance of the individual colors as well as
how you should respond.
>Red:
Stop the vehicle immediately
or
an important reminder
>Red and yellow:
Continue driving cautiously
>Yellow:
Have the system checked soon
or
for your information
>Green:
For your information
>Blue:
For your information. Please fasten safety belts
+30
Airbags
+56
Battery charge current
+91
Engine oil pressure/Engine oil
level/Engine oil sensor
+83
Parking brake/Chassis control sys-
tems/Dynamic Brake Control/
Brake fluid
+38/ 52/ 53/ 85
Parking brake/Chassis control sys-
tems/Dynamic Brake Control/
Brake fluid for Canadian models
+38/ 52/ 53/ 85
Antilock Brake System ABS/Chas-
sis control systems
+54/ 52
Antilock Brake System ABS/Chas-
sis control systems for Canadian
models
+54/ 52
Dynamic Stability Control
DSC
+52
Dynamic Traction Control
DTC
+52
Flat Tire Monitor
+54
Automatic transmission/
Sequential manual gearbox
SMG
+40/ 42
Brake pads
+70
Add coolant84
CHECK GAS CAP
+74
Service Engine Soon +87
Service Engine Soon warning lamp
for Canadian models
+87
Defective bulbs46
Turn signal indicators43
Fog lamps47
Headlamp flasher/
High beams43/ 47
Electric Power Steering EPS
+43
Engine electronics
+
Engine electronics malfunction.
You can continue to drive with
reduced engine output or engine
speed. Please have the system
inspected by your BMW center.

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
27
Adjustments
Safe seating position
For relaxed driving with as little fatigue as
possible, you should select a seating posi-
tion that reflects your personal require-
ments. In combination with the safety belts
and airbags, the correct seating position
also plays an important role in enhancing
occupant safety in the event of an accident.
To ensure that the vehicle's safety systems
provide you with optimal protection, we
request that you direct your careful atten-
tion to the following section.
For supplementary information on trans-
porting children refer to page 33.
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 and 3 o'clock posi-
tions to minimize the risk of injuries to your
hands or arms in the event of airbag
deployment.
Never allow any objects, individuals or ani-
mals to obstruct the areas between pas-
sengers and airbags.
Never use the front airbag's cover as a
storage tray or support for objects of any
kind. Ensure that the passenger is correctly
seated, i.e. that no feet or legs are propped
against the dashboard. Otherwise, leg
injury could result if the knee airbag and
front airbag suddenly deployed.
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 when all these guidelines are
observed, the risk of injury as a result of
contact with the airbags cannot entirely be
ruled out in some situations. In sensitive
individuals, the ignition and inflation noise
may induce a mild hearing loss that is tem-
porary in most cases.
For airbag locations and additional infor-
mation on airbags, refer to page 56.
Sitting safely with safety belts
Always fasten your safety belt before start-
ing off. As supplemental restraint devices,
the airbags are designed to enhance the
effectiveness of the safety belts, and not to
replace them.
Your vehicle offers two sitting positions,
each of which is 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.
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 or
small children to ride in a passenger's 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; wear it as
snugly against your body as possible. Do
not allow the belt to rest against hard or
fragile objects. Otherwise, the lap belt
could slide over the hips in the event of a
frontal impact, leading to abdominal injury.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing and pull on
the lap belt periodically to retension it over
your shoulders. Otherwise, the restraining
effect of the safety belt could be dimin-
ished.<
For information on using the safety belts,
refer to page 30.

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
29
Seat adjustment: M Sports seat*
You can also adjust the tilt and the thigh
support.
1 Tilt upward
Pull the lever repeatedly until the desired
tilt has been reached.
2 Tilt downward
Push the lever repeatedly until the desired
tilt has been reached.
3 Thigh support
Pull the lever and adjust the position of the
cushion for thigh support as desired.
Power seat adjustment*
1Tilt angle
2Backward/forward adjustment
3Height
4Backrest angle
The head restraints are adjusted manually.
Refer to page 28.
With the M Sports seat, you can also adjust
the thigh support manually, refer to the pre-
ceding section.
Read and comply with the adjustment
instructions on page 28. Failure to do so can result in diminished personal
safety.<
Seat memory*
You can store and recall three different
driver's seat positions.
To store
Ignition key in position 1 or higher
1.Adjust seat to desired position
2.Press the
MEMORY button: the indica-
tor lamp in the button lights up
3.Press memory button 1, 2 or 3: the indi-
cator lamp goes out.
To select a stored setting
Do not select a memory position while
the vehicle is moving. If you do so,
there is a risk of accident from an unex-
pected movement of the seat or steering
wheel.<
Convenience function
1.Unlock and open the driver's door or
turn the ignition key to position 1
2.Press memory button 1, 2 or 3 briefly.
Movement stops immediately when one
of the seat adjustment or memory but-
tons is operated during the adjustment
process.

Adjustments
30
Safety function
1.Close the driver's door and turn the
ignition key to position 0 or 2
2.Press and hold the desired memory
button 1, 2 or 3 until the adjustment
process is completed.
If you press the
MEMORY button acciden-
tally:
Press the button again; the indicator lamp
goes out.
Seat heating*
The seat cushion and backrest can be
heated with the ignition key in position 2.
You can call up different heating modes by
repeatedly pressing the buttons.
The seat heating can also be switched off
from the higher heating modes:
Press the button and hold it slightly longer.
Safety belts
To close
Make sure you hear the lock engage in the
belt buckle.The warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up for a few seconds
or until the safety belts have been
fastened. Depending on the vehicle ver-
sion, an acoustic signal
* sounds at the
same time.
To unlock the safety belt
1.Press the red button in the belt buckle
2.Hold the belt
3.Guide the belt back into its reel.
The upper belt attachment point is suitable
for all body sizes provided that the person
is sitting correctly, refer to page 28.
Damaged 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.<
Steering wheel
Adjustments
Never attempt to adjust the steering
wheel while driving the vehicle. It
could respond with unexpected move-
ment, posing a potential accident hazard.<
1.Push the locking lever downward
2.Adjust the steering column's reach and
height to suit your seat position
3.Pull the lever back in.

Driving
36
Driving
Ignition lock
0 Steering locked
This is the only position in which the igni-
tion key can be inserted or removed.
After removing the key, turn the steering
wheel slightly to the left or right until the
lock engages.
If the key is not removed, an acoustic signal
sounds when the driver's door is opened.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
do not move the selector lever from
position P until the engine is running.<
Interlock
In order to turn the key back to position 0 or
to remove it, move the selector level into
position P first.
1 Steering unlocked
You will find that it is often easier to turn the
ignition key from position 0 to 1 if you move
the steering wheel slightly to help disen-
gage the detent.
Individual electrical equipment and acces-
sories are available for use.
2 Ignition switched on
All systems are operational.
3 Engine started
Engine
Do not allow the engine to warm up while
the vehicle is stationary. Instead, begin
driving immediately at a moderate engine
speed.
Engine idle speed is controlled by the
engine computer system. Increased
speeds at start-up are normal and should
decrease as the engine warms up. If engine
speed does not decrease, service is
required.
To prevent the battery from discharging,
always deactivate electrical devices that
are not in use. Switch the ignition off when
the vehicle is not being driven.
Do not allow the engine to run in
enclosed spaces. The exhaust gases
contain carbon monoxide, an odorless and
colorless, but highly toxic gas. Breathing
the exhaust gases poses an extreme health
risk, and can lead to unconsciousness and
death.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended with
the engine running. An unattended vehicle
with a running engine poses a safety haz-
ard.
When driving, standing at idle and parking
the vehicle, take care to avoid contact
between the hot exhaust system and flam-
mable materials, e.g. hay, leaves, grass,
etc. Such contact could lead to a fire,
resulting in serious personal injury and
property damage.<
Starting the engine
Do not press the accelerator pedal while
starting the engine.
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Step on the clutch when starting the
vehicle. A lockout prevents the engine from
starting if the clutch is not depressed.<
Do not actuate the starter for too
short a time, but do not actuate it for
more than approx. 20 seconds. Release

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
37
the ignition key immediately when the
engine starts.<
Extended starting attempts, charac-
terized by excessively frequent or
long periods with the starter engaged, can
damage the catalytic converter.<
If the engine fails to start on the first
attempt, for instance if it is very hot or cold:
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway
down.
Cold starts at very low temperatures, start-
ing at approx. 57/–156:
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway
down.
>On the first start attempt, engage the
starter for a longer period, approx.
10 seconds.
Manual transmission
1.Engage the parking brake
2.Gearshift lever in idling position
3.Depress clutch pedal
4.Start the engine.
Automatic transmission
1.Depress footbrake
2.Place selector lever in position P or N
3.Start the engine.
Before leaving the vehicle with the
engine running, place the selector
lever in position P and pull the parking
brake.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended with
the engine running. An unattended vehicle
with a running engine poses a safety haz-
ard.<
Sequential manual gearbox SMG
1.Depress footbrake
2.Move selector lever to neutral
position N
3.Start the engine.
If the engine does not start, re-
engage the gear last selected, refer to
the display in the instrument cluster, and move the selector lever to neutral position
N again.<
Before leaving the vehicle with the
engine running, place the selector
lever in position N and pull the parking
brake.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended with
the engine running. An unattended vehicle
with a running engine poses a safety haz-
ard.<
Switching off the engine
Do not remove the ignition key while
the vehicle is still moving. If you did
so, the steering lock would engage when
the steering wheel is turned.
When you leave the vehicle, always remove
the ignition key and engage the steering
lock.
Always engage the parking brake when
parking on downhill roads.<
You can have an acoustic signal set
as a reminder that the ignition key is
still in the ignition switch after the driver's
door has been opened.<
Manual transmission
Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 0.
Automatic transmission
Place the selector lever in position P and
turn the ignition key to position 1 or 0.
Sequential manual gearbox SMG
If you turn the ignition key to position 1 or 0
with the selector lever in position R, or in
sequential mode, a gear automatically
remains engaged.
If you turn the ignition key to position 1 or 0
with the selector lever in neutral position N,
a warning tone and the flashing gear indi-
cator in the display remind you that the
vehicle is not secured against rolling.
The warning stops after approx. 9 seconds.
Always engage the parking brake
when parking on downhill roads.
Engaging a gear may not sufficiently secure
the vehicle against rolling.<

Driving
40 direction, the transmission shifts up. When
the lever is tapped in the – direction, the
transmission shifts down. M1 to M 5 appear
in the gear indicator.
The Adaptive Transmission Control ATC
executes upshifts or downshifts only when
the new gear will provide a suitable combi-
nation of engine and road speed, e.g. ATC
will not execute downshifts if the engine
speed is too high. The desired gear will
appear briefly in the instrument cluster, fol-
lowed by the actual gear.
If you are driving in the manual mode
and wish to accelerate rapidly, e.g. to
pass another vehicle, shift down manually
or with the kickdown function.<
Shifting from M/S to selector lever posi-
tions P, R and N is possible only by going
through position D.
Available indicators
P R N D SD M1 M2 M3 M4 M5
Malfunction
If the indicator lamp comes on,
there is a malfunction in the trans-
mission system.
All of the selector lever positions can con-
tinue to be engaged; in the forward drive
positions, however, the vehicle will be
operating in the fourth gear only.
If this happens, avoid extreme engine loads
and consult the nearest BMW center.
Never work in the engine compart-
ment when a drive gear – forward or
reverse – is engaged. If you do so, the vehi-
cle could move. information beginning on page 94.
Sequential manual gearbox
SMG*
The concept
The sequential manual gearbox SMG is an
automated manual gearbox with which
clutching and shifting is assumed by an
electro-hydraulic system.
The SMG is operated via two shift paddles
on the steering wheel and the selector lever
in the center console.
It offers the following functions:
>Sequential mode: manual mode
>Drive mode: automated mode
>Ability to choose between two different
driving programs: Standard, Sport,
refer to Dynamic Driving Control
>Operating safety through protection
against misshifting
>Automatic upshifts and downshifts in
the drive mode
>Automatic downshifts at minimum
engine rpm
>Kickdown function in the drive mode
>Acceleration assistant.
Selector lever positions
The current selector lever position is shown
by a light-emitting diode on the center con-
sole.
R: Reverse
N: Neutral