2005 BMW 745Li steering

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Have the system checked as soon as pos-
sible.
Display of the previously described
malfunction on Canadian models.
Dynamic Drive
The concept
Dynamic Drive minimizes body roll and
optimizes vehicle stability during cornering
and evasive maneuvers.
Active stabilizers at the front and rear axles
form the basis for Dynamic Drive. Suspen-
sion compliance adapts to suit driving con-
ditions, varying from performance-oriented
during cornering to smooth and comfort-
oriented when the vehicle is proceeding in
a straight line.
The system assumes operational status
each time you start the engine.
Driving with Dynamic Drive
During vehicle operation, the system con-
tinuously runs through closed-loop control
cycles lasting only fractions of a second.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up, accom-
panied by a status message in the
Check Control. Please take note of
the additional information on the Control
Display. A malfunction has occurred in the
system. Have the system checked as soon
as possible.
If the Dynamic Drive system switches
off in response to malfunction, please
remember to adapt your speed accord-
ingly, especially in curves.
The suspension will be noticeably softer
and the vehicle will display a greater ten-
dency to tilt during cornering and in cross-
winds.
If a Check Control message stating that you
should stop appears in addition to the red
symbol, stop immediately and switch off
the engine. In this case the oil level in the
reservoir may have dropped below the min-imum, possibly owing to a leak in the
hydraulic system.
Please observe the additional instructions
provided on the Control Display.<
EDC Electronic Damping
Control*
The suspension responds to changes in
factors such as road surface, or operating
conditions such as steering and braking, by
adapting to the new conditions within frac-
tions of a second.
Two programs are available; they can be
selected in the "Settings" menu.
Comfort mode
The Comfort mode is suitable for use
throughout the vehicle's entire speed range
and regardless of load.
Sport program
You should select the Sport program for
consistently performance-oriented
response from shock absorbers and steer-
ing.
Flat Tire Monitor
The concept
The Flat Tire Monitor keeps track of the
inflation pressures in the four fitted tires as
you drive. The system provides an alert
whenever the inflation pressure drops sig-
nificantly in relation to the pressure another
tire.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
96 The check of the tire inflation pressure is
based on monitoring the relative speeds of
the wheels. A flat tire is detected and
reported on the basis of a deviation in cer-
tain speed ratios.
Functional requirements
So that the Flat Tire Monitor can learn the
correct inflation pressure, please perform
the following:
1.Check the inflation pressures in all tires
2.Compare with the inflation pressure
table on page189 and correct if neces-
sary
3.Initialize the system.
System limits
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot indicate
sudden severe tire damage caused by
outside factors and does not detect a natu-
ral, even pressure drop in all four tires.<
In the following situations, on the other
hand, there can be delays in detecting tire
pressure losses, and even system failure:
>When you are driving on snow-covered
or slippery road surfaces
>In the case of performance-oriented
driving: slip on the drive wheels, high
lateral acceleration
>False alarms and undetected loss of
pressure may occur when you are driv-
ing with snow chains fitted.
Initializing system
Perform the initialization immediately
after correcting the inflation pressure,
changing a tire or changing a wheel or all
wheels. A drive is necessary for this pur-
pose.<
1.Start the engine, but do not drive off
2.Select "RPA" from the "Settings" menu
and confirm your selection. The initial-
ization menu appears 3.Select "SET" and confirm your selection
4.Drive off.
"FTM is being initialized" is displayed as the
status.
It takes at least 10 minutes before the Flat
Tire Monitor can detect and report a flat
tire.
When driving with snow chains, do
not initialize the system.<
Select and confirm to exit from the
menu.
Indication of a flat tire
The warning lamp lights up red,
accompanied by a status message
in the Check Control. In addition, an
acoustic signal sounds. A flat tire or a major
air loss has occurred.
1.Reduce speed and stop the vehicle
carefully. Avoid sudden braking and
steering maneuvers
2.Identify damaged tire
If identification is not possible,
contact your BMW center.<
3.Replace the damaged tire, refer to
Changing wheels on page204.

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Vehicles with run-flat tires:
1.Cautiously reduce the vehicle speed to
below 50 mph/80 km/h. Avoid sudden
braking and steering maneuvers. Do not
exceed a vehicle speed of 50 mph/80
km/h
Due to the reinforcement on the
side walls of the run-flat tires,
inflation pressure loss can not usually
be recognized from the outside, refer to
Run-flat tires on page206.<
2.To continue driving, comply with the
instructions for driving with damaged
tires on page206.
Malfunction
The indicator lamp lights up yellow,
accompanied by a status message
in the Check Control. The Flat Tire
Monitor has malfunctioned or failed. Have
the system checked as soon as possible.
Self-leveling suspension*
Malfunction
A Check Control message appear-
ing together with this symbol indi-
cates a malfunction in the self-level-
ing suspension. Please take note of the
additional information on the Control Dis-
play.
Stop and inspect the vehicle. If the rear of
the vehicle is visibly lower than the front,
possibly accompanied by a tilt noticeable
when you compare the left rear with the
right rear, please respond by immediately
proceeding to the nearest BMW center.
Drive with appropriate caution in the mean-
time. The vehicle has reduced ground
clearance and driving comfort may be
noticeably reduced. Even if the attitude of
the vehicle is normal, you should consult
the nearest BMW center if the warning
lamp indicates a system fault.
Brake Force Display
The Brake Force Display indicates the
intensity with which you are applying your
brakes to drivers of following vehicles.
The display consists of two stages:
>Normal braking:
The brake lamps in the tail lamp assem-
blies and the high-mount brake lamp on
the rear tray light up during braking
>Heavy braking and braking with ABS:
The rear lamps also light up with the
same intensity as the standard brake
lamp units to enhance the warning
effect of the brake lamps.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
98
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags for driver and front pas-
senger
2Head airbags in front and rear
3Side airbags in front and rear
*
4Knee airbags for driver and front pas-
senger
Protective effect
The front airbags help protect the driver
and front passenger by responding to fron-
tal impacts in which safety belts alone can-
not provide adequate restraint. When
needed, the head and side airbags help
provide protection in the event of side
impact. The side airbags help restrain the
side of the occupant's upper torso, and the
head airbags help support the head while
also helping provide protection against any
objects penetrating into the passenger
compartment. The knee airbags help pro-
tect the legs against impact against the
cockpit.
The airbags are deliberately not triggered in
every impact situation, e.g. less severe
accidents, certain roll-over conditions, or
rear-end collisions.
The rear seat side airbags may
already have been deactivated by a
BMW center. Labels in the rear door open-
ing should indicate the status of your rear
seat side airbags. If you are uncertain of
their status, or wish to have the airbags
activated or deactivated, please contact
your BMW center. tion, refer to page46.
Do not apply adhesive materials to
the cover panels of the airbags, cover
them or modify them in any other way.
Do not attempt to remove the airbag reten-
tion system from the vehicle. Never modify
or tamper with either the wiring or the indi-
vidual components in the airbag system.
This category includes the upholstery in the
center of the steering wheel, on the instru-
ment panel, the doors and the roof pillars
along with the sides of the headliner. Do
not attempt to remove or dismantle the
steering wheel.
Do not touch the individual components
directly after the system has been trig-
gered, because there is a danger of burns.
In case of malfunctions, storage or after the
airbag restraint system has been triggered,
only have checking, repair or dismantling
and the scrapping of the airbag generators
carried out by a BMW center or a workshop
that uses personnel trained in accordance
with BMW requirements and equipped with
the required explosives permits. Unprofes-
sional attempts to service the system could
lead to failure in an emergency or undes-
ired airbag activation, either of which could
result in personal injury.<
Airbag warning information is also provided
on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of front
passenger airbags
Your BMW has a seat occupation detection
system. By evaluating the weight on the
front passenger‘s seat, the system detects

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Adaptive Head Light*
The concept
Adaptive Head Light is a variable headlamp
control system that enables dynamic illumi-
nation of the road surface. Depending on
the steering angle and other assumptions,
the light from the headlamp follows the
course of the road.
Activating Adaptive Head Light
With the ignition on, refer to
page62, turn the light switch to the
position 'Automatic headlamp con-
trol', refer to page100.
To avoid blinding oncoming traffic, the
Adaptive Head Light:
>Is not active when driving in reverse
>Is only active toward the passenger's
side with the vehicle stationary.
Malfunction
The LED above the symbol for automatic
headlamp control flashes. Adaptive Head
Light is faulty or has failed. Have the system
checked as soon as possible.
High beams/standing lamps
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Standing lamps
Standing lamps, left and right*
You also enjoy the option of lighting up just
one side of your vehicle when parking:
With the ignition off, press the lever in the
desired direction3, beyond the resistance
point.
Front fog lamps
Briefly press the button once again to
switch on/off.
The parking lamps or low beams
must be switched on for the fog
lamps to operate. The green indica-
tor lamp in the Info Display lights up when-
ever the fog lamps are on.
If the automatic headlamp control is
activated, the low beams will come on
automatically when you switch on the fog
lamps.<
Instrument lighting
Turn the serrated dial to adjust the illumina-
tion intensity.

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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

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Securing cargo
>Use the luggage net* or securing straps
to hold down small and lightweight lug-
gage and cargo, refer to page42
>Heavy-duty straps
* for securing larger
and heavier objects are available at
your BMW center. Anchorages for
attaching these heavy-duty straps have
been provided in your vehicle's luggage
compartment, refer to the illustration
>Please observe the special instructions
supplied with the anchorage fittings.
Always position and secure the load
beforehand as described above. If
you do not, it can even endanger the pas-
sengers during braking or evasive maneu-
vers.
Never exceed either the approved gross
vehicle weight or either of the approved
axle loads, refer to page216, as excessive
loads can pose a safety hazard, and may
also place you in violation of freeway safety
laws.
You should never transport heavy or hard
objects unsecured in the passenger com-
partment, as they could fly around and
pose a safety hazard to the vehicle's occu-
pants during abrupt braking or evasive
maneuvers .<
Roof-mounted luggage
rack*
Anchorage points
The anchorage points are located within
the door openings.
A special rack system is available as an
option for your BMW. Please comply with
the precautions included with the installa-
tion instructions.
Because roof racks raise the vehicle's cen-
ter of gravity when loaded, they have a
major effect on its handling and steering
response.
You should therefore always remember not
to exceed the approved roof weight, the
approved gross vehicle weight or the axle
loads when loading the rack.
You can find the specified weights in the
Technical data section on page216.
Make sure that the load is distributed
evenly, and that it does not extend outward
to beyond the limits of the loading surface.
Always load the heaviest pieces first – on
the bottom. Be sure that adequate clear-
ance is maintained for raising the glass
roof, and that objects do not project into
the opening path of the luggage compart-
ment lid.
Secure roof-mounted cargo correctly and
securely to prevent it from shifting or being
lost during the trip.
Drive smoothly. Avoid sudden acceleration
and braking maneuvers. Take corners gen-
tly.

On/off, tone
148
On/off, tone
Controls
Operation using buttons
The illustration shows a CD player as an
example.
1Operating audio and video sources
>Press: switching on/off
>Turn: adjusting volume
2CD slot
3Eject CD
4Change station/track
>Change the station
>Fast forward/reverse
>Music track change for CD, change
chapter for DVD changer
>Change program for TV
Operation using Control Center
The following control options are available
in the "Entertainment" menu.
>"FM..." and "AM..."
Select waveband>"WB"
Select Weather Band
If your vehicle is equipped with satellite
radio, "SAT...", select satellite radio, is
located at this position
>"CD" and
Change audio source
>"Tone"
Set tone, e.g. treble, bass
>"Video" and "Audio"
Change to video or audio sources
>"TV" and "DVD"
Change video source
>"Picture"
Adjust picture
Select standard
Select picture format
>"Tone"
Set tone, e.g. treble, bass.
You can also control the radio, CD player,
CD changer and the TV using the buttons
on the steering wheel, refer to page16, as
well as via the voice command system,
refer to page26.
Operating temperatures
The system is configured for operat-
ing temperatures of 57/–156 to
1407/+606. Outside this temperature
range, malfunctions can occur.<