2004 BMW Z4 2.5I tires

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Contents
The fastest way to find information on spe-
cial topics is by using the index, refer to
page 104.

Using this Owner's Manual

4Notes
7Reporting safety defects

At a glance

10Cockpit

Controls

16Opening and closing
27Adjustments
33Transporting children safely
36Driving
46Lamps
48Everything under control
52Technology for safety and driving
convenience
58Controlling the climate for pleasant
driving
64Interior conveniences

Driving tips

68Special operating instructions

Mobility

74Refueling
75Wheels and tires
81In the engine compartment
86Maintenance
87Laws and regulations
88Replacement procedures
93Giving and receiving assistance

Reference

100Technical data
104Everything from A to Z

Technology for safety and driving convenience
54 The display has two levels:
>Normal braking:
Brake lamp 1 lights up on both sides of
the vehicle together with the center
brake lamp
>Forceful braking and braking with ABS:
Brake lamps 1 and 2 light up on both
vehicle sides together with the center
brake lamp.
Antilock Brake System ABS
The concept
ABS keeps the wheels from locking during
braking, thereby enhancing active driving
safety.
Malfunctions
If the yellow indicator lamp for the
Antilock Brake System ABS comes
on together with the brake warning
lamp and the indicator lamp for the
Dynamic Stability Control DSC:
The entire ABS and DSC control
system has failed. Continue driving
cautiously and defensively. Avoid
hard brake applications. Please have the
system checked by your BMW center as
soon as possible.
Indicator lamp for the Antilock
Brake System ABS with the brake
warning lamp and the indicator
lamp for the Dynamic Stability Con-
trol DSC for Canadian models.
Braking with ABS
If you are in a situation which requires full
braking, you will exploit the full benefits of
the ABS system if you apply maximum
brake pressure: panic stop.
Pulsation at the brake pedal combines with
sounds from the hydraulic circuits to indi-
cate to the driver that ABS is in its active
mode.
Flat Tire Monitor
The concept
As you drive, the Flat Tire Monitor keeps
track of pressure levels in all four tires. The
system alerts you whenever the inflation
pressure of a tire falls significantly below
the pressure of another tire.
The system actually detects pressure loss
by monitoring differences in the relative
speeds of the four wheels. It interprets vari-
ations outside specified limits as severe
pressure loss, and then responds by gen-
erating a warning.
System requirements
In order for the Flat Tire Monitor to learn the
correct tire inflation pressure, please do the
following:
1.Check the tire inflation pressures in all
tires
2.Compare to the inflation pressure table,
refer to page 76, and correct if neces-
sary
3.Initialize the system.
If the system is not initialized,
undetected losses in pressure or
false warnings that indicate a non-exis-
tent flat tire are possible.<
System limitations
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot provide
you with advance warning of sudden
and severe tire damage caused by external
factors and does not detect the balanced
and very gradual pressure loss that takes

Reference
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55
place in all four tires over an extended
period of time.<
On the other hand, the following situations
can lead to false warning, a delayed detec-
tion of pressure loss and even to the sys-
tem not functioning:
>Driving on snow-covered or slippery
roads
>Performance-oriented driving: slip at
the drive wheels, high levels of lateral
acceleration
>When driving with snow chains, false
warnings and undetected pressure
losses may occur
>If the Flat Tire Monitor was not initial-
ized after the last time the tire inflation
pressures were corrected, undetected
losses in pressure or false warnings
that indicate a non-existent flat tire are
possible.
Initializing the system
Each time you correct the pressure in
a tire, or change a wheel or tire, reini-
tialize the system immediately afterwards.
This requires driving.<
1.Start the engine, but do not drive off
2.Press the button as long as you need to
until the yellow indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up for a few
seconds
3.Drive off.
It takes a few minutes before the Flat Tire
Monitor can detect a flat tire and issue a
warning.
When driving with snow chains, do
not initialize the system.<
Flat tire warning
The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up in red. This visual
alert is accompanied by an acoustic
warning signal. There is a flat tire or a sign-
ficant loss of tire pressure.
1.Carefully reduce your speed to under
50 mph / 80 km/h. Avoid strong braking
and steering maneuvers. Do not exceed
a maximum speed of 50 mph / 80 km/h.
2.Check the inflation pressure in all four
tires as soon as possible.
Because the sides of Run Flat
tires are reinforced, a drop in infla-
tion pressure usually cannot be
detected from the outside, refer to Run
Flat tires on page 80.<
3.Before continuing to drive, refer to the
notes on page 80.
If the vehicle is not equipped with Run
Flat tires, refer to page 80, the stan-
dard equipment by design, continuing to
drive with a flat tire can result in serious
accidents.<
System malfunction
The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up yellow. The Flat
Tire Monitor is malfunctioning or out
of order. Please refer the problem to your
BMW center.

Special operating instructions
68
Special operating instructions
Break-in procedures
To ensure that your vehicle provides maxi-
mum economy throughout a long service
life, we request that you observe the fol-
lowing:
Engine and differential
Up to 1,200 miles / 2,000 km:
Drive at varying engine and road speeds,
but do not exceed the following engine or
road speed:
4,500 rpm / 4,500/min or
100 mph / 160 km/h.
Obey your local and state maximum speed
limits.
Refrain from using full throttle and avoid
pressing the accelerator beyond the kick-
down point.
After you have driven 1,200 miles /
2,000 km, you can gradually increase the
engine or road speeds.
You should also comply with these break-in
procedures if the engine or differential is
replaced later in the course of the vehicle's
service life.
Sequential manual gearbox SMG
Up to 1,200 miles / 2,000 km:
Avoid using the acceleration assistant dur-
ing the vehicle's break-in period.
Tires
Due to technical factors associated with
their manufacture, tires do not achieve their
full traction potential until an initial break-in
period has elapsed. You should therefore
drive with extra caution during the first
200 miles / 300 km.
Obey your local and state maximum speed
limits.
When the vehicle is operated on wet
or slushy roads, a wedge of water
may form between the tire and the road surface. This phenomenon is referred to as
hydroplaning and can lead to partial or
complete loss of traction, vehicle control
and braking effectiveness. Reduce your
speed on wet roads.<
Brake system
Approx. 300 miles / 500 km must elapse
before the brake pads and rotors achieve
their optimal surface and wear pattern.
To break in the separate parking brake
drums, apply the parking brake lightly when
coasting to a standstill – at a traffic signal,
for instance; use caution to avoid posing a
danger to other road users.
To avoid corrosion, repeat this procedure
from time to time.
The brake lamps do not come on when the
parking brake is set.
Vacuum for the brake system servo
unit on your BMW is available only
when the engine is running. When you
move the car with the engine off, e.g. by
towing, substantially higher levels of pedal
force will be required to brake the vehicle.<
Clutch
The clutch will achieve its optimal function-
ality after approx. 300 miles / 500 km. Shift
gears carefully during the break-in period.

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69
Driving notes
Parking the vehicle
Condensation forms in the air conditioner
system during operation, which then exits
under the vehicle. Traces of condensed
water on the ground underneath the vehi-
cle are thus normal.
Brakes
Do not drive with your foot resting on
the brake pedal. Even light but con-
sistent pedal pressure can lead to high
temperatures, brake wear and possibly
even brake failure.
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce vehicle speed. If you do not, a
wedge of water may form between the tires
and the road surface. This phenomenon
can lead to partial or complete loss of trac-
tion, vehicle control and braking effective-
ness.<
Driving through water
Do not drive through water on the
road if it is deeper than 1 ft / 30 cm,
and then only at walking speed. Otherwise,
the vehicle's engine, the electrical systems
and the transmission may be damaged.<
High temperatures
High temperatures occur with every
vehicle equipped with a catalytic con-
verter. Heat shields are installed adjacent
to some sections of the exhaust system.
Never remove these shields; do not apply
undercoating to their surfaces. When driv-
ing, standing at idle and parking the vehi-
cle, take care to avoid contact between the
hot exhaust system and flammable materi-
als, e.g. hay, leaves, grass, etc. Such con-
tact could lead to a fire, resulting in serious
personal injury and property damage.<
Brake system
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp lights up
although the parking brake is not
engaged:
Check the brake fluid level. It is very impor-
tant that you follow the instructions on
page 85 before driving on.
Disc brakes
Corrosion
Limited vehicle use, extended periods with
the vehicle parked or in storage, and oper-
ating conditions in which braking is
restricted to gentle, low-pressure applica-
tions will all increase the tendency for cor-
rosion to form on the rotors and contamina-
tion to accumulate on the brake pads. This
occurs because the minimal pressure
which must be exerted by the pads to clean
the rotors by brake applications is not
reached.
If the brake rotors are corroded, they will
tend to respond to braking with a pulsating
effect which even extended application will
fail to cure.
Wet roads
When driving in heavy rain and on wet
roads, it is useful to apply light pressure
to the brake pedal every few miles. Watch
traffic conditions to ensure that this maneu-
ver does not endanger other road users.
The resulting heat dries the brake rotors
and brake pads. Immediate braking control
is then available if necessary.
Inclines
Extended or steep mountain descents
should be driven in the gear or drive posi-
tion in which only minimal periodic brake
application is required. This helps avoid
placing excessive loads on the brake sys-
tem. Observe the maximum allowable
engine speed when doing so; refer to
page 48.

Special operating instructions
70 Do not coast with the clutch
depressed or with the transmission or
selector lever in Neutral. Do not coast with
the engine switched off. Otherwise the
engine provides no braking effect and there
is no power-assist for braking or steering
when the engine is off.<
Brake pads
The yellow indicator lamp for the
brake pads lights up:
Have the condition of the brake
pads inspected.
For your own safety: use brake pads
which the manufacturer has approved
for your specific vehicle model. The manu-
facturer cannot evaluate non-approved
brake pads to determine if they are suitable
for use, and therefore cannot ensure the
operating safety of the vehicle in the event
of their use.<
Cargo loading
Avoid overloading the vehicle so that
the permitted load on the tires is not
exceeded. Otherwise, overheating and
inner damage to the tires may result. The
ultimate result can assume the form of a
sudden air loss.<
Determining the maximum load
1.Locate the following statement on your
vehicle's placard
*:
The combined weight of occu-
pants and cargo should never
exceed XXX kg or YYY lbs; otherwise
damage to the vehicle and unstable
driving conditions could result.<2.Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passenger that will be riding
in your vehicle
3.Substract the combined weight of the
driver and passenger from XXX kilo-
grams or YYY pounds
4.The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity.
For example, if the XXX amount equals
551 lbs. and there will be two 150 lbs.
passengers in your vehicle, the amount
of available cargo and luggage load
capacity is 251 lbs.
551 lbs. minus 300 lbs. = 251 lbs.
5.Determine the combined weight of lug-
gage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in Step 4.
Load
The permissible load is the sum of the
occupants' weights and the weight of the
cargo. The greater the weight of the occu-
pants, the less cargo can be transported.
Stowing cargo
>Load heavy cargo as far forward as
possible, directly behind the luggage
compartment partition, and as low as
possible
>Cover sharp edges and corners.
To avoid damaging the rear of the
backrest or the rear interior trim
panel, do not stow heavy cargo or cargo
with sharp edges and corners behind the
seats.
In addition, large and bulky cargo stowed

Mobility
To ensure that you stay mobile,
the following chapter provides you with
important information on fuels and fluids,
tires and wheels, maintenance procedures
and steps to take in the event of a break-
down.

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75
Wheels and tires
Tire inflation pressure
Information for your safety
It is not merely the tire's service life, but
also driving comfort and driving safety that
largely depend on the condition of the tires
and the maintenance of the specified tire
pressure.
Check tire inflation pressures regu-
larly and correct them if necessary: at
least every two weeks and before every
extended journey. If this is not done, incor-
rect tire pressures can cause driving insta-
bility or tire damage, ultimately resulting in
accidents.
Do not drive with a deflated, i.e. flat, tire
unless your vehicle is equipped with Run
Flat tires. A flat tire greatly impairs steering
and braking response, and can lead to
complete loss of control over the vehicle.<
Checking tire pressures
Check the tire inflation pressures only
when the tires are cold. This means after a
maximum driving distance of 1.25 miles/
2 km or if the vehicle has been parked for at
least 2 hours. Warm tires have higher infla-
tion pressures.
Reinitialize the Flat Tire Monitor after cor-
recting the tire inflation pressure. Refer to
page 55.
Inflation pressures for original tires
The specified inflation pressures for tires at
ambient temperature are provided on the
placard on the B-pillar and are visible when
the driver's door is open.
Inflation pressures for other tire
sizes
The following tire inflation pressure tables
show the inflation pressures for the speci-
fied tire sizes at ambient temperature.
Reinitialize the Flat Tire Monitor after
correcting the tire inflation pressure.
Refer to page 55.<
Tire size
The inflation pressures in the table apply to
BMW-approved tire sizes and brands. Your
BMW center will be glad to supply this
information.