
Lamps
100
Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
Parking lamps
With the switch in this position, the
front, rear and side vehicle lighting
is switched on. You can use the
parking lamps for parking. For lighting on
one side for parking as an additional fea-
ture, refer to page101.
Low beams
When you switch off the ignition
with the headlamps on, the head-
lamps go out, and only the parking
lamps remain on.
Pathway lighting
After parking the vehicle and switch-
ing off the headlamps, you can use
the headlamp flasher control to activate
the low beams for a period of roughly
40 seconds. Pressing the button 4 on the
remote control, refer to page 36, also
switches on the low beams for approx.
40 seconds. In addition, the door handle
and interior lamps are switched on for
approx. 10 seconds.
You can have the lighting up of the low
beams extended or the function deacti-
vated.<
Lights on warning
If you switch off the ignition while the head-
lamps are on, when you subsequently open
the driver's door a gong will sound for sev-
eral seconds, while the Check Control will
provide you with a message
.
Daytime driving lamps*
If you wish, you can leave the light switch in
the low-beam position.
Always observe all applicable laws govern-
ing the use of daytime driving lamps.
You can switch on the parking lamps when
needed using the standard procedure
described under Parking lamps.
You can have the daytime driving
lamps on your vehicle programmed
to operate as desired.<
Automatic headlamp control
When you set the switch to this
position, the system activates and
switches on and off the low beams
in response to changes in ambient light
conditions, for instance, in tunnels, at dawn
and dusk, and in rain and snow. The green
indicator lamp next to the symbol is illumi-
nated when the low beams are on.
The low beams remain switched on
regardless of the ambient light when
you switch on the front fog lamps.<
The automatic headlamp control can-
not serve as a substitute for your per-
sonal judgment in determining when the
lamps should be switched on in response
to ambient lighting conditions. For exam-
ple, the system cannot detect fog. To avoid
safety risks, you should always switch on
the lamps manually under these condi-
tions.<
You can have the sensitivity of the
headlamp control system adjusted on
your vehicle.<

Driving tips
123Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce road speed. If you do not, a
wedge of water can form between tires and
road surface. This phenomenon is referred
to as hydroplaning, and is characterized by
a partial or complete loss of contact
between tires and road surface, ultimately
undermining your ability to steer and brake
the vehicle.<
Driving through water
Only drive through water with a maxi-
mum depth of 1 ft/30 cm, and then
only at walking speed at the most. Other-
wise, the vehicle's engine, the electrical
systems and the transmission may be dam-
aged.<
Safe braking
Your BMW is equipped with ABS as stan-
dard equipment. The best way to brake is
to apply maximum pressure to the brake
pedal during emergency: full brake applica-
tion. Since the vehicle maintains steering
responsiveness, you can nevertheless
avoid possible obstacles with a minimum
of steering effort.
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.
Driving in wet conditions
While driving in wet conditions and in heavy
rain, it is a good idea to apply light pressure
to the brake pedal every few miles. Monitor
traffic conditions to ensure that this maneu-
ver does not endanger other road users.
The heat generated in this process helps
dry the pads and rotors to ensure that full
braking efficiency will then be available
when you need it.
Hills
To prevent overheating and reduced
efficiency of the brake system, drive
long or steep downhill gradients in the gear
in which the least braking is required. Otherwise, even light but consistent pedal
pressure can lead to high temperatures,
brake wear and possibly even brake fail-
ure.<
You can further enhance the engine's brak-
ing effect by selecting a lower gear in the
automatic transmission's manual mode,
downshifting as far as first gear on
extremely steep stretches, refer to
page70. This strategy helps you avoid
placing excessive loads on the brake sys-
tem.
Never allow the vehicle to coast with
the transmission in Neutral – or with
the engine switched off – as there is no
engine braking when the transmission is in
Neutral, and no power-assist for brakes
and steering when the engine is not run-
ning.
Never allow floor mats, carpets or any other
objects to protrude into the area around the
accelerator and brake pedals and obstruct
their movement.<
Corrosion on brake rotors
When the vehicle is driven only occasion-
ally, during extended periods when the
vehicle is not used at all, and in operating
conditions where brake applications are
less frequent, there is an increased ten-
dency for corrosion to form on rotors, while
contaminants accumulate on the brake
pads. This occurs because the minimal
pressure which must be exerted by the
pads during brake applications to clean the
rotors is not reached.
Should corrosion form on the brake rotors,
the brakes will tend to respond with a pul-
sating effect that even extended applica-
tion will fail to cure.
Mobile communications devices in
vehicle
BMW does not recommend using
mobile communications devices, e.g.
portable phones, in the interior of the vehi-
cle without a direct connection to an out-
side antenna. Otherwise the vehicle elec-
tronics and mobile communications device
can affect each other. In addition, it is not

Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
149Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
Care instructions
You can find everything you need to know
on this topic by consulting the separate
Caring for your vehicle brochure.
Switching on/off
Press the button.
The system returns to the most recently
selected audio or video source, radio, CD,
DVD or TV.
Using with ignition off
Switching the ignition off simultaneously
deactivates the sound system.
To switch on again: press the button.
The audio and video functions remain avail-
able for use for a period of approx.
20 minutes after you switch off the ignition.
Volume adjustment
Adjusting volume
Turn the button to the desired volume level.The sound system automatically
reverts to its mute mode automati-
cally whenever you use your portable
phone.<
The system automatically selects your
individual volume setting each time
you unlock the vehicle using your personal
remote control.<
Tone control
Playing audio recordings
You can choose from the following tone
settings:
>Treble:
To amplify or reduce high frequencies
>Bass:
To amplify or reduce low frequencies
>Right/left volume balance, balance:
Left or right, high/low volume
>Front-to-rear volume balance, fader:
Front or rear, high/low volume
>Default settings, RESET:
This feature resets the tone settings to
their standard default settings
>Speed-dependent volume adjustment,
Speed Volume
>Spatial sound effect Professional
LOGIC7
*
>Equalizer*.
The speakers and headphones can
be adjusted separately. The tone set-
tings of the headphones are made in the
rear screen with the headphones con-
nected. Only treble, bass and balance can
be adjusted.<
The system automatically selects your
individual tone setting each time you
unlock the vehicle using your personal
remote control.< {Radio} or {Audio off}.

Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
155Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
Weather Band
Weather Radio is a service of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
NOAA, of the U.S. Department of Com-
merce. Weather messages are repeated
every four to six minutes and are routinely
revised every one to three hours, or more
frequently if needed. Most of the stations
operate 24 hours daily. During severe
weather, National Weather Service fore-
casters can interrupt the routine weather
broadcasts and substitute special warning
messages. If you have a question concern-
ing NOAA Weather Radio, please contact
your nearest National Weather Service
Office, or write to National Weather Ser-
vice, Attn: W/OM11, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, 1325 East-
West Highway Silver Spring, MD. 20910.
Selecting Weather Band
1.Select "WB" and confirm your selection
2.Select channels and confirm your
selection.
With satellite radio:
1.Select "AM" and confirm your selection
2.Each time you confirm "AM", the sys-
tem alternately switches between the
"AM" and "Weather" mode
3.Select channels and confirm your
selection.In some regions, only one or two
channels can be received or Weather
Band channels are unavailable.<
Satellite radio*
You can receive approx. 100 different
channels with high sound quality.
You can listen to one of these channels free
of charge at any time to obtain a first
impression. The channel is marked
with .
To listen to additional channels of your
choice, you must have these channels
enabled.
You may experience signal drops and
muting events related to this new
technology.<
Enabling channels
1.Select "SAT" and confirm your selec-
tion.
The channels that can be received are
shown in the list
2.Select a channel and confirm your
selection
3.Dial the displayed telephone number
to have the system enabled.

CD changer
162
Fast forward/reverse
1.Select the direction.
Press and hold the button. The tracks
can be heard, but the sound is distorted
2.To interrupt the fast forward/reverse
function, release the button.
The system will continue play at the
point on the CD at which the button was
released.
Selecting music track
Malfunctions
The BMW CD changer is a 'Class 1'
laser product. Never remove the
cover from the housing. Do not operate the
unit if the cover is damaged. Operation
without the cover can lead to serious eye
injury from invisible laser beams.
Always refer all repair and maintenance
operations to qualified technicians.
With self-recorded CDs, labels applied
later can become detached during play-
back due to the development of heat, caus-
ing irreparable damage to the device.<
To prevent CDs from being copied
illegally, they are often provided with
copy protection by the manufacturer.
Under certain circumstances, this can pre-
vent or restrict the playing of CDs on your
CD changer. In this case please contact the
CD dealer or manufacturer.<
If you play self-recorded audio CDs, faults,
e.g. drop-outs, can occur, or the CD is not
played at all.
High levels of humidity inside the
player can condense on the laser's
scan lens and temporarily prevent it from
reading the CD.
Do not use combined CD/DVD, e.g. DVD+,
as otherwise the CD/DVD can jam, prevent-
ing it from being ejected.< 1.{CD changer}
2.{Track 1 ..30}.

DVD changer
170
Malfunctions/notes
The BMW DVD changer is a 'Class 1'
laser product. Never remove the
cover from the housing. Do not operate the
unit if the cover is damaged. Operation
without the cover can lead to serious eye
injury from invisible laser beams.
Always refer all repair and maintenance
operations to qualified technicians.
With self-recorded CDs or DVDs, labels
applied later can become detached during
playback due to the development of heat,
causing irreparable damage to the
device.<
Macrovision copy protection:
This product incorporates copyright
protection technology that is protected by
method claims of certain U.S. patents and
other intellectual property rights owned by
Macrovision Corporation and other rights
owners. Use of this copyright protection
technology must be authorized by Macrovi-
sion Corporation, and is intended for home
and other limited viewing uses only unless
otherwise authorized by Macrovision Cor-
poration. Reverse engineering or disas-
sembly is prohibited.<
To prevent CDs from being copied
illegally, they are often provided with
copy protection by the manufacturer.
Under certain circumstances this can pre-
vent or restrict the playing of CDs on the
DVD changer. In this case please contact
the CD dealer or manufacturer.<
If you play self-recorded audio CDs, faults,
e.g. drop-outs, can occur, or the CD is not
played at all.
The DVD changer can play the following
formats:
>Video DVD
>CD-DA, Audio CD
>CD-R.The DVD Audio format is not sup-
ported by the DVD changer. However,
many audio DVDs available in stores also
contain a video track in the DVD Video for-
mat in addition to the audio track. These
DVDs can be played back by the DVD
changer. Please refer to the information on
your DVD to determine whether your audio
DVD contains an additional video track.
DVDs are usually divided into tracks and
chapters and can contain different subti-
tles, camera angles or sound tracks, lan-
guages and sound formats. Depending on
the version of the DVD, these functions can
be selected either directly with the DVD
control system or only via the DVD-specific
menu. Refer to the information on your DVD
for possible selections.
High levels of humidity inside the player
can condense on the laser's scan lens and
prevent it from reading the DVD.
Do not use combined CD/DVD, e.g. DVD+,
as otherwise the CD/DVD can jam, prevent-
ing it from being ejected.<