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89
Reactivating the DSCPress the button again; the indicator
lamp goes out.
The laws of physics cannot be
repealed, even with DSC. It will
always be the driver's responsibility to
drive in a manner that matches road
conditions. This is why you should not
use the additional safety margin the
system provides as an excuse to take
risks.
The system does not intervene to
enhance vehicle stability when
switched off.
Do not make any modifications to the
DSC system. Allow only authorized
technicians to perform service proce-
dures on the DSC.
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90
Hill Descent Control (HDC)*The conceptBy reducing the vehicle's speed on
steep downhill stretches, HDC main-
tains predictable vehicle handling
response to provide you with control of
your BMW during extreme descents.
The vehicle slows to a pace just slightly
faster than walking speed.
HDC is available for activation at vehi-
cle speeds below approx. 22 mph /
35 km/h. When driving down steep
hills, the vehicle reduces speed auto-
matically down to about double walking
speed – approx. 7.5 mph / 12 km/h –
and then maintains this speed at a con-
stant.
You can use the accelerator or brakes
to vary this speed within a range from
approx. 3 mph / 5 km/h to approx.
15 mph / 25 km/h.
In conjunction with the multifunction
steering wheel you can use the +/–
button to set the cruise control to a tar-
get speed in the range from approx.
3 mph / 5 km/h to approx. 15 mph /
25 km/h.
HDC is automatically deactivated once
vehicle speed again exceeds approx.
37 mph / 60 km/h.
To activate the systemPress the HDC button; the green indi-
cator lamp integrated within the button
comes on.
The indicator lamp flashes whenever
the system is actively intervening to
control your speed with automatic
brake applications.To deactivate the systemPress the button again, the indicator
lamp goes out.
HDC is automatically deactivated once
the vehicle accelerates to more than
37 mph / 60 km/h, as well as whenever
you switch off the ignition.
To use HDCWith manual transmission:
You should always ensure that either
reverse or first gear is engaged before
using HDC, as the engine's braking
effect is most pronounced in these
gears, and only reduced engine braking
is available in higher gears.
With automatic transmission: HDC is
available for use in all ranges.System malfunctionsSignaled by the indicator lamp, which
responds to problems by going out
while HDC is in operation or by failing
to come on when you activate the sys-
tem:
HDC is temporarily not available if
brake temperature is too high.
If the DSC indicator lamp comes
on at the same time:
There is a fault in the HDC and
DSC systems. Have your BMW center
inspect this system as soon as possi-
ble.
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91
Flat Tire Monitor*The conceptAs 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 sig-
nificantly 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 variations outside specified
limits as severe pressure loss, and then
responds by generating a warning.Functional requirementsIn 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 them with the tire inflation
pressure table on page 26 and cor-
rect them, if necessary
3. Initialize the system.
System limitations
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot pro-
vide 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 place in all four tires
over an extended period of time.<
On the other hand, the following situa-
tions can lead to a delayed detection of
pressure loss and even to the system
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
>When driving with a space-saver
spare tire, the Flat Tire Monitor can-
not function.
Initializing the system
Each time you correct the pres-
sure in a tire, or change a wheel or
tire, reinitialize the system immediately
afterwards. This requires a bit of driv-
ing.<
1. Before driving off, start the engine
but do not start driving
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.
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92
When driving with snow chains or
a space-saver spare tire, do not
initialize the system.<
Flat tire
The indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up red. This
visual alert is accompanied by
an acoustic warning signal.
1. Carefully reduce speed and come to
a stop. Avoid sudden braking and
steering maneuvers
2. Determine which wheel is damaged
If this cannot be determined, con-
tact your BMW center.<
3. Replace the damaged wheel, refer to
Changing a wheel on page 147.
After replacing the damaged tire, initial-
ize the system.
Vehicles with Run Flat tires:
1. Carefully reduce your speed to under
50 mph / 80 km/h. Avoid strong
braking and steering maneuvers. Do
not exceed a speed of 50 mph /
80 km/h.
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, page 150.<
2. To continue driving, follow the
instructions under Driving with a
damaged tire on page 151.
System malfunction
The indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up yellow.
The Flat Tire Monitor is malfunc-
tioning or out of order. Please refer the
problem to your BMW center.
Brake force displayThe brake force display indicates to the
driver of the vehicle behind you how
hard you are braking your vehicle.
The display has two levels:
>Normal braking: the brake lamps
among the rear lamps and the center
brake lamp light up
>Hard braking or use of ABS: the tail
lamps light up with the same bright-
ness as the brake lamps and thereby
intensify the visual effect of the brake
lamps.
Flat Tire Monitor*
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93 Lamps
Parking lamps/Low beamsParking lamps
The front, rear and side vehicle
lighting is switched on. You can
use the parking lamps to signal
the position of the vehicle when it is
parked. For lighting on one side for
parking as an additional feature, refer to
page 94.
Low beams
When the ignition is switched off
while the low beams are on, the
headlamps go out and only the
parking lamps remain on.
Follow me home lampsWhen you activate the headlamp
flasher after parking the vehicle with the
lamps turned off, the low-beam head-
lamps will come on for a short time.
You can also have this function
deactivated.
having turned the ignition key to posi-
tion 0, you will hear an acoustic signal
for a few seconds to remind you that
the lamps have not been switched off.Daytime driving lamps*If you desire, the lamp switch can be
left in the second position: when the
ignition is switched off, the external
lighting is also switched off.
You can have the activation set-
tings for the daytime driving lamps
programmed on your vehicle.<
Automatic headlight control*
When the switch is set to this
position the system automati-
cally activates and cancels the
low beams in response to changes in
ambient light – in tunnels, at dusk, etc. –
and in the event of rain and snow.
The vehicle's external lights
remain on constantly when you
switch on the front fog lamps after the
headlights have come on automati-
cally.<
Automatic headlight control can-
not serve as a substitute for the
driver's judgement in determining when
the vehicle lights should be switched
on. For example, the sensors are not
able to detect fog. To avoid safety risks,
you should respond to these kinds of
low-visibility situations by switching the
headlights on manually.<
You can have the sensitivity of
your vehicle's automatic head-
light control adjusted.<
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Page 94 of 178
94
Instrument lightingTurn the rotary dial to adjust the illumi-
nation intensity.
High beams/Standing lamps1High beams – blue indicator lamp
2Headlamp flasher – blue indicator
lamp
3Standing lampsStanding lamps, left or rightAs an additional feature, you can illumi-
nate your vehicle on either side for
parking:
In ignition key position 0, engage the
lever in the appropriate turn-signal
position.
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95
Fog lamps*Front fog lamps
The green indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up to
indicate that the front fog lamps
are on.
If the automatic headlight control
is on, the low beams will come on
automatically whenever you activate
the front fog lamps.<
Interior lampsThe interior lamps operate automati-
cally.To switch the interior lamps on
and off manuallyPress button 1 briefly:
If you want the interior lamps to remain
off all the times, press and hold the but-
ton for approx. 3 seconds.
Press the button briefly to revert to nor-
mal operation.Front reading lamps*Switch on and off with the button 2
adjacent to each lamp.
Rear reading lampsSwitch on and off with the button adja-
cent to each lamp.
In order to prevent battery dis-
charge, all of the lamps in the
vehicle are automatically switched off
approx. 15 minutes after you turn the
ignition key to position 0.
behind translucent lenses serve as the
light sources for many of the controls
and displays in your vehicle. These
light-emitting diodes are related to con-
ventional lasers, and legislation defines
them as light-emitting diodes, Class 1.
Do not remove the protective lens
and avoid staring directly at the
unfiltered beam for several hours, as
inflammation of the retina could
result.<
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Page 96 of 178
96Controlling the climate for pleasant driving
Air conditioning