Giving and receiving assistance
194 you to have a first-aid kit and a warning triangle
in the car.<
Warning triangle*
The warning triangle is on the left-hand side of
the luggage compartment. Press the tab to take
it out.
Jump starting
If the car's own battery is flat, your BMW's
engine can be started by connecting two
jumper cables to another vehicle's battery. You
can also use the same method to help start
another vehicle. Use only jumper cables with
fully-insulated clamp handles.
Do not touch any electrically live parts
when the engine is running, or a fatal acci-
dent may occur. Carefully adhere to the follow-
ing sequence, both to prevent damage to one or
both vehicles, and to guard against possible
personal injuries.<
Preparation
1.Check whether the battery of the other
vehicle has a voltage of 12 volts and
approximately the same capacitance in Ah.
This information can be found on the bat-
tery.
2.Switch off the engine of the assisting vehi-
cle.
3.Switch off any consumers in both vehicles.
There must not be any contact between
the bodies of the two vehicles, as other-
wise there is a danger of shorting.<
Connecting jumper cables
Always connect the jumper cables in the
correct order, so that no sparks which
could cause injury occur at the battery.<
Your BMW has a jump-starting connection in
the engine compartment which acts as the bat-
tery's positive terminal, refer also to the Engine
compartment overview on page181. The cap is
marked with +.
1.Pull the cap of the BMW jump-starting con-
nection up to remove.
2.Attach one terminal clamp of the plus⁄+
jumper cable to the positive terminal of the
battery or a starting-aid terminal of the vehi-
cle providing assistance.
3.Attach the second terminal clamp of the
plus⁄+ jumper cable to the positive terminal
of the battery or a starting-aid terminal of
the vehicle to be started.
4.Attach one terminal clamp of the minus⁄–
jumper cable to the negative terminal of the
battery or to an engine or body ground of
the assisting vehicle.
Your BMW has a special nut as body ground
or negative pole.
5.Attach the second terminal clamp of the
minus⁄– jumper cable to the negative termi-
Mobility
195Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
nal of the battery or to the engine or body
ground of the vehicle to be started.
Starting the engine
1.Start the engine of the donor vehicle and
allow it to run for a few minutes at an
increased idle speed.
2.Start the engine on the other vehicle in the
usual way.
If the first start attempt is not successful,
wait a few minutes before another attempt
in order to allow the discharged battery to
recharge.
3.Let the engines run for a few minutes.
4.Disconnect the jumper cables by reversing
the above connecting sequence.
If necessary, have your BMW center check and
recharge the battery.
Never use spray fluids to start the
engine.<
Tow-starting, towing away
Always observe all applicable towing laws
and regulations.<
Never allow passengers to ride in a towed
vehicle for any reason.<
Using a tow fitting
The screw-in tow fitting must always be carried
on the car. It can be screwed in at the front or
rear of the BMW.
It is stored in the onboard tool kit underneath
the cover on the right-hand side of the luggage
compartment, refer to page187.
In order to avoid damaging the tow fitting and
the vehicle, please follow these instructions:
use only the tow fitting provided with the vehi-
cle and screw it all the way in. Use the tow fitting
for towing only on roads. Avoid lateral loading of
the tow fitting, e.g. do not lift the vehicle by the
tow fitting.
Access to screw thread
Rectangular cover panel in bumper:
Press on the upper edges of the cover panel.
Front
Rear
Being towed
Make sure that the ignition is switched on,
refer to page49, as the low beams, tail
lamps, turn signals and windshield wipers
would no longer be available. If the electrical
system fails, do not attempt to tow away or tow-
start the vehicle. The electric steering wheel
lock cannot be disengaged and the car is not
steerable. Jump starting, refer to page194.
Power steering assistance is not available when
the engine is not running. Thus, braking and
steering will require increased effort.<
Switch on the hazard warning flashers, depend-
ing on local regulations.
Vehicles with manual transmission
Gearshift lever in neutral position.
