5
Notes
Your individual vehicle
On purchasing your BMW, you have
decided in favor of a model with individ-
ualized equipment and features. This
Owner's Manual describes all models
and equipment that BMW offers within
the same group.
We hope you will understand that
equipment and features are included
that you might not have chosen for your
vehicle. You can easily identify any dif-
ferences with the aid of the asterisk
used to identify all optional equipment
and accessories.
If your BMW features equipment, such
as a car radio or telephone, which is not
described in this Owner's Manual, sup-
plementary Owner's Manuals are
enclosed. We ask you to read these
manuals as well.
Status at time of printing
BMW pursues a policy of continuous,
ongoing development designed to
ensure that our vehicles continue to
embody the highest quality and safety
standards combined with advanced,
state-of-the-art technology. For this
reason, the features described in this
Owner's Manual could differ from those
in your vehicle. Nor can errors and
omissions be entirely ruled out. You are
therefore asked to appreciate that no
claims can be recognized on the basis
of the data, illustrations or descriptions
in this Owner's Manual.
For your own safety
Fuels
Use unleaded gasoline only. Fuels
containing up to and including
10 % ethanol or other oxygenates with
up to 2.8 % oxygen by weight – that is,
15 % MTBE or 3 % methanol plus an
equivalent amount of co-solvent – will
not void the applicable warranties
respecting defects in materials or work-
manship. Field experience has indi-
cated significant differences in fuel
quality – volatility, composition, addi-
tives, etc. – among gasolines offered for
sale in the United States and Canada.
The use of poor-quality fuels may result
in driveability, starting and stalling
problems especially under certain envi-
ronmental conditions, such as high
ambient temperature and high altitude.
Should you encounter driveability prob-
lems which you suspect could be
related to the fuel you are using, we
recommend that you respond by
switching to a recognized high-quality
brand.
Failure to comply with these recom-
mendations may result in unscheduled
maintenance.
Obey all applicable safety rules when
you are handling gasoline.
<
6
Notes
Maintenance and repair
Advanced technology, e.g. the
use of modern materials and high-
performance electronics, requires spe-
cially adapted maintenance and repair
methods. Therefore, only have corre-
sponding work on your BMW carried
out by a BMW center or a workshop
that works according to BMW repair
procedures with correspondingly
trained personnel. If work is carried out
improperly there is a danger of conse-
quential damage and the related safety
risks.
<
Parts and accessories
Important safety information!
For your own safety, use genuine
parts and accessories approved by
BMW.
When you purchase accessories tested
and approved by BMW and Original
BMW Parts, you simultaneously acquire
the assurance that they have been thor-
oughly tested by BMW to ensure opti-
mum performance when installed on
your vehicle.
BMW warrants these parts to be free
from defects in material and workman-
ship.
BMW will not accept any liability for
damage resulting from installation of
parts and accessories not approved by
BMW.
BMW cannot test every product made
by other manufacturers to ascertain
whether it can be used on a BMW
safely and without risk to either the
vehicle, its operation, or its occupants.
Original BMW Parts, BMW Accessories
and other products approved by BMW,
together with professional advice on
using these items, are available from all
BMW centers.
Installation and operation of non-BMW
approved accessories such as alarms,
radios, amplifiers, radar detectors,
wheels, suspension components, brake
dust shields, telephones – including
operation of any portable cellular phone
from within the vehicle without using an
externally mounted antenna – or trans-
ceiver equipment such as a CB, walkie-
talkie, ham radio or similar, may cause
extensive damage to the vehicle, com-
promise its safety, interfere with the
vehicle's electrical system or affect the
validity of the BMW Limited Warranty.
See your BMW center for additional
information.
Do not use key or remote control to
lock doors or cargo area with anyone
inside the vehicle. Refer to the Owner's
Manual for more details.
<
Maintenance, replacement, or
repair of the emission control
devices and systems may be performed
by any automotive repair establishment
or individual using any certified auto-
motive part.
<
Symbol on vehicle parts
Indicates that you should consult
the relevant section of this
Owner's Manual for information on a
particular part or assembly.
7
Notes
Service and warranty
This manual is supplemented by a Ser-
vice and Warranty Information Booklet
for US models or a Warranty and Ser-
vice Guide Booklet for Canadian mod-
els.
We recommend that you read this pub-
lication thoroughly.
Your BMW is covered by the following
warranties:
>
New Vehicle Limited Warranty
> Rust Perforation Limited Warranty >
Federal Emissions System Defect
Warranty
>
Federal Emissions Performance War-
ranty
>
California Emission Control System
Limited Warranty.
Detailed information about these war-
ranties is listed in the Service and War-
ranty Information Booklet for US mod-
els or in the Warranty and Service
Guide Booklet for Canadian models.
Reporting safety defects
The following only applies to vehicles
owned and operated in the US.
If you believe that your vehicle has a
defect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you should
immediately inform the National High-
way Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA in addition to notifying BMW of
North America, LLC, P.O. Box 1227,
Westwood, New Jersey 07675-1227,
telephone toll-free 1-800-831-1117.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it
may open an investigation, and if it
finds that a safety defect exists in a
group of vehicles, it may order a recall
and remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved in indi-
vidual problems between you, your
dealer, or BMW of North America, LLC.
To contact NHTSA, you may either call
the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at
1-800-424-9393 or 366-0123 in the
Washington, D.C. area, or write to:
NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transpor-
tation, Washington, D.C. 20590. You
can also obtain other information about
motor vehicle safety from the Hotline.
Contents
9
Passenger safety systems:
Airbags54
Transporting children safely57
Vehicle Memory, Key
Memory61
Driving:
Ignition lock63
Starting the engine63
Switching off the engine65
Parking brake65
Manual transmission66
Sequential manual gearbox
SMG*67
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic*71
Turn signal indicator/Headlamp
flasher74
Washer/wiper system/Rain
sensor*75
Cruise control*77
Everything under control:
Odometer79
Tachometer79
Energy control79
Fuel gauge80
Engine coolant temperature
gauge80
Service interval display81
Check Control81
Clock82
Computer*83
Technology for safety and
driving convenience:
Park Distance Control (PDC)*85
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)86
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) –
325xi88
Hill Descent Control (HDC)*90
Flat Tire Monitor*91
Brake force display92
Lamps:
Parking lamps/Low beams93
Instrument lighting94
High beams/Standing lamps94
Fog lamps*95
Interior lamps95
Controlling the climate for
pleasant driving:
Air conditioning96
Automatic climate control*100
Interior conveniences:
Premium sound system*105
Glove compartment105
Storage compartments106
Cellular phone*107
Ashtray, front*108
Ashtray, rear*108
Socket109
Loading and transporting:
Ski bag*110
Cargo area111
Cargo loading113
Roof-mounted luggage
rack*116
Controls and features
22
Buttons in steering wheel*
These buttons let you operate the fol-
lowing functions quickly and without
being distracted from traffic conditions:
>
Selected radio functions
>
The cruise control
>
Selected telephone functions
>The voice recognition system.
The controls are active only when
the corresponding systems and
accessories are switched on.<
Press briefly:
Receive a phone call, initiate dialing,
terminate a call.
Extended pressure:
Switch voice recognition on and off.
Switch between phone, radio, cassette
and CD.
Forward:
>Radio
Press briefly: next station in station
memory
Extended pressure: station search
>CD
Press briefly: jump to next track
Extended pressure: search function
in track
>Cassette
Press briefly: jump to next track or
stop fast forward
Extended pressure: fast forward
>Phone
Scan personal phone book.
Rewind/reverse: same functions as for-
ward.
Volume.
Cruise control: select a stored setting.
Cruise control: store and accelerate +
or decelerate and store –.
Cruise control: activate/interrupt/deac-
tivate.
107
Rear center armrestThe rear center armrest includes a stor-
age compartment, a beverage holder
and a litter bag holder.
1Storage compartment: pull up
2Beverage holder: press
Storage package*For your convenience, there are:
>Two flip-out sockets on the rear cen-
ter console
>An eyeglasses compartment*, not
shown, in the front center console.
Cellular phone*Hands-free systemOn vehicles that are wired for a tele-
phone* or equipped with a communica-
tions package*, the cover for the
handsfree microphone is located in the
headliner near the interior lamp.
For further information on using your
cellular phone, refer to the Owner's
Manual for the telephone.
Storage compartments
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
123
Portable phone in the vehicleBMW recommends using mobile com-
munications devices, e.g. portable
phones, inside the vehicle with a suit-
able outside antenna. Otherwise, it can-
not be ruled out that the vehicle elec-
tronics and portable phone may
interfere with each other.Brake system
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
152Giving and receiving assistance
Receiving assistanceThe BMW Group's Mobile Service
offers you 24-hour assistance in the
event of a breakdown, even on week-
ends and holidays.
The telephone numbers of the Mobile
Service control center in your country
are listed in the BMW Dealer Directory.
If your vehicle has the necessary equip-
ment, you can contact the Mobile Ser-
vice or issue an emergency call using
buttons in the interior rearview mirror.
When an emergency call is initiated, a
telephone connection is established
with the general emergency call center.
In vehicles with activated BMW Assist
function, a telephone connection is set
up to the BMW Assist emergency call
center. If the current location of your
vehicle can be determined, this location
is transmitted to the BMW Assist emer-
gency call center.Fold down the cover.
1Emergency call
2Mobile Service
Requirements for initiating an emer-
gency call or contacting Mobile Service:
>The car phone is registered with a
mobile network
>The emergency call system is opera-
tional.
Initiating an emergency call*Press button 1 for at least 2 seconds.
The indicator lamp above the buttons
lights up. As soon as a telephone con-
nection has been set up to the main
emergency call center, the indicator
lamp flashes.
If the indicator lamp is flashing but you
cannot hear the emergency call center,
you may still be heard by the emer-
gency call center.
For technical reasons, the emer-
gency call function cannot be
guaranteed in certain unfavorable con-
ditions.<
If certain requirements are met, an
emergency call is automatically initiated
after a serious accident. The automatic
emergency call will not be hindered by
pressing the button.Mobile Service*To establish contact with the BMW
Group's Mobile Service:
Press button 2 for at least 2 seconds.
The indicator lamp above the buttons
lights up. As soon as a telephone con-
nection has been set up with the Mobile
Service, the indicator lamp flashes.
Depending on the country you are in,
your vehicle's current location will also
be transmitted if your vehicle is
equipped with an activated BMW Assist
function.