2005 BMW X3 2.5I Side mirror

Opening and closing
22
Manual operation
In the event of an electrical malfunction, you can
operate the panorama glass sunroof manually.
1.Pull off the cover firmly downward.
2.Insert the Allen wrench from the compart-
ment beneath the cargo area floor, refer to
page99, into the proper opening and turn
the panorama glass sunroof in the desired
direction. Direction of rotation for closing,
refer to arrow.
Alarm system*
The concept
The vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood, or the tailgate is
opened.
>To movements inside the vehicle: interior
motion sensor, refer to Tilt alarm sensor
and interior motion sensor.
>To changes in the vehicle tilt angle such as
occur during attempts to steal the wheels or
tow the vehicle.
>To interruptions in battery voltage.The system responds to unauthorized vehicle
entry and attempted theft by simultaneously
activating:
>The acoustic alarm for approx. 30 seconds.
>The hazard warning flashers for approx.
5minutes.
>The high beams, which flash on and off in
the same rhythm.
Arming and disarming alarm system
When you lock or unlock the vehicle, either with
the remote control or at the door lock, the alarm
system is armed or disarmed at the same time.
If the alarm system has been properly armed,
the hazard warning flashers light up once.
You can have different acknowledgment
signals set to confirm arming and disarm-
ing.<
You can also open the tailgate with the system
armed using the button on the remote con-
trol, refer to page17. When you close the tail-
gate, the system is rearmed.
Switching off alarm
>Unlock the vehicle using the remote control,
refer to page17.
or
>Turn the ignition key to position 1.
Indicator lamp displays
>The indicator lamp below the interior rear-
view mirror flashes continuously: the sys-
tem is armed.

Adjustments
28 3.Guide the belt back into its reel.
The upper shoulder strap's anchorage point will
be in the correct position for seat occupants of
every build if the seat is correctly adjusted, refer
to page24.
The two rear safety belt buckles integrated into
the rear seat are for passengers sitting on the
left and right. The belt buckle embossed with
the word CENTER is intended exclusively for
use by passengers riding in the center posi-
tion.<
Safety belt reminder for front seats
The indicator lamp flashes or lights up.
In addition, a signal sounds. Please
make sure that the safety belts are
being worn correctly.
The safety belt reminder is activated if the
safety belt on the driver's side has not yet been
fastened.
At speeds greater than 5 mph/8 km/h, the
safety belt reminder is also activated if the pas-
senger side safety belt has not yet been fas-
tened, if heavy objects are placed on the pas-
senger's seat, or if the front passenger's safety
belt is released.
Damage to safety belts
If the safety belts are damaged or
stretched in an accident: have the entire
belt system, including the tensioning mecha-
nisms, replaced at your BMW Sports Activity
Vehicle Center or at a workshop that works
according to BMW repair procedures with cor-
respondingly trained personnel. Have the belt
anchorage points inspected for damage at the
same time. Failure to observe this precaution
may prevent the safety belts from effectively
providing optimal protection when needed. If a
child-restraint system was in the vehicle during
an accident, consult the manufacturer's
instructions regarding replacement.<
Steering wheel
Adjustments
Do not adjust the steering wheel while the
vehicle is moving. There is a risk of acci-
dent from unexpected movement.<
1.Fold the clamping lever downward.
2.Adapt the steering wheel in the longitudinal
direction and height of the seat position.
3.Fold the clamping lever back up.
Steering wheel heater*
The button for steering wheel heater is located
on the steering wheel, refer to page12.
Steering wheel heater: switching on/off
The steering wheel heater operates as of igni-
tion key position 2.
Press the button to activate or deactivate this
system.
The indicator lamp within the button lights up
when the steering wheel heater is in operation.
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors
The mirror on the passenger side fea-
tures a lens with a more convex surface
than the mirror installed on the driver's side.
When estimating the distance between yourself
and other traffic, bear in mind that the objects
reflected in the mirror are closer than they
appear. This means that estimations of the

Reference
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Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
29
distance to following traffic should not be
regarded as precise.<
1Adjustments
2Switching over to the other mirror or to the
automatic parking function
*
Storing the mirror positions, refer to Seat and
mirror memory on page26.
To prevent the exterior mirrors on this
vehicle from being damaged, always fold
them in by hand before entering an automatic
car wash.<
Manual adjustments
You can also adjust the mirrors manually if need
be: by pressing the edges of the mirror glass.
Automatic heating
When the outside temperature falls below a
specified temperature, both outside mirrors are
automatically heated whenever the engine is
running or the ignition is switched on.
Tilting down passenger's mirror,
automatic parking function*
Activating
1.Select the driver's exterior mirror with
switch 1.
2.When you shift into reverse or move the
selector-lever into position R, the exterior
mirror glass on the front passenger side tilts
downward slightly. This allows the driver to
see the area immediately adjacent to the
vehicle – such as a curb – when parking, etc.
You can have the angle of downward tilt
set to depend on the key used.<
Deactivating
Select the front passenger's exterior mirror with
switch 1.
Interior rearview mirror
To reduce the dazzle effect of following vehi-
cles at night, turn the knob.

Adjustments
30
Vehicle Memory, Key Memory
How the system functions
You have probably frequently wished that you
could configure individual functions of your
vehicle to reflect your own personal require-
ments. In developing your vehicle, BMW has
incorporated a number of options for personal
adjustment. You can have these programmed
at your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center.
There are vehicle-related and person-related
adjustments: Vehicle Memory and Key Mem-
ory. You can configure up to four different basic
adjustments for four different persons. The only
requirement is that each person uses his or her
own master key with remote control.
When your vehicle is unlocked with the remote
control, the vehicle recognizes the individual
user by means of a data exchange with the key,
and makes adjustments accordingly.
In order for you to distinguish between the mas-
ter keys with remote control, color-coded
decals are supplied together with the keys.
What the system can do
Your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center can
provide you with details on the capabilities of
the Vehicle Memory and Key Memory systems.
You will see this symbol throughout the
Owner's Manual. It is to remind you at
appropriate places of the settings that are avail-
able to you.<
Following configuration of memory func-
tions, vehicle operation may differ from
the description in the Owner's Manual. Should
you want to sell your BMW some day, please
remember to have the memory functions reset
to the factory default settings.<
Examples of Vehicle Memory functions
>Different acknowledgment signals to con-
firm locking/unlocking of the vehicle, refer
to page16.
>Activating/deactivating function for path-
way lighting, refer to page53.
>Activating/deactivating daytime driving
lamps, refer to page53.
>Setting measurement units for displays in
the instrument cluster for time, outside
temperature, distance driven and fuel con-
sumption, refer to page44.
>Active PDC Park Distance Control is indi-
cated by an acoustic sound signal when
reverse gear or selector lever position R is
engaged, refer to page46.
>The rear window defroster switches on
automatically, refer to page57.
>Different acknowledgment signals to con-
firm arming/disarming the alarm system,
refer to page22.
>After an ice warning has been issued, the
computer display returns to the previous
adjustment, refer to page44.
>Acoustic warning if the ignition key remains
in the ignition lock after the driver's door has
been opened, refer to page19.
Examples of Key Memory functions
>When unlocking, first unlock the driver's
door, then the entire vehicle, refer to
page17.
>Locking the vehicle after moving off, refer to
page18.
>Automatic adjustment of the driver's seat
and exterior mirror position for each person
when unlocking the vehicle, refer to
page27.
>Angle of downward tilt of mirror on passen-
ger side, refer to page29.

Reference
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Mobility
31
Transporting children safely
The right place for children
Children always in the rear
Accident research shows that the safest place
for children in a vehicle is in the rear seat.
Older children should be tightly secured with a
safety belt, after they have outgrown a booster
seat that is appropriate for their age, height and
weight.
If your vehicle is equipped with rear side
airbags, do not allow children to lean
toward the door trim, as serious injuries could
occur if the side airbags are deployed and chil-
dren are too close to the airbags.<
Deactivating side airbags in the rear
Labels in the rear door opening 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 Sports Activity Vehicle Center.
Child-restraint system in rear
Children under 13 years of age and chil-
dren less than 5 ft/150 cm tall should
always ride in the rear and the restraint systems
should be properly secured.<
Younger children should be secured in an
appropriate child restraint system that has been
first properly secured to the vehicle.
All rear seating positions in your vehicle meet
the recommendations of SAE J1819, an indus-
try-recommended practice for securing child-
restraint systems in motor vehicles.
Exception for the front passenger seat
Should it become necessary to use a
child-restraint system on the front pas-
senger seat, the airbags on the passenger side
must be deactivated. The passenger airbag
indicator lamp above the interior rearview mirror
must light up continuously. Otherwise, the front
passenger airbags remain active and there is considerable risk of injury to children if the air-
bags are triggered, even with a child-restraint
system. In this case, children should be seated
in the rear and the system should be checked at
your BMW Sport Activity Vehicle Center.<
Never install a rearward-facing child-
restraint system in the front passenger
seat of this vehicle if the passenger airbag is not
deactivated. If you do so, the child could be
severely injured when the airbag is triggered.
Your vehicle is equipped with an airbag supple-
mental restraint system for the front passenger.
Because the backrest on any rearward-facing
child-restraint system – of the kind designed for
infants under 1 year and 20 Ibs./9 kg – would be
within the airbag's deployment range, you
should never mount such a system in the front
passenger seat, since the impact of the airbag
against the child restraint's backrest could lead
to serious or fatal injuries.<
More information on automatic deactivation of
the front passenger airbags, refer to page52.
Installing child-restraint
systems
Before installing any child-restraint system or
child seat, read the following:
Observe the child-restraint system man-
ufacturer's instructions for selection,
installation and use of the child-restraint sys-
tem. Otherwise the degree of protection can be
reduced.
After an accident, have all parts of the relevant
vehicle safety belt system checked by a BMW
Sports Activity Vehicle Center and replaced if
necessary.<
Commercially-available child-restraint systems
are designed to be secured with a lap belt or
with the lap belt portion of a combination lap/
shoulder belt. Improperly or inadequately
installed restraint systems can increase the risk

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39
Rain sensor*
The rain sensor automatically controls wiper
operation as a function of the rain intensity. It is
positioned on the windshield, directly in front of
the inside rearview mirror.
Deactivate the rain sensor when passing
through an automatic car wash. Failure to
do so could result in damage caused by undes-
ired wiper activation.<
Activating
As of ignition key position 1 move the lever to
position1. The wipers travel once across the
windshield, regardless of the weather condi-
tions.
You can leave the lever permanently in posi-
tion 1 and then only need to activate the rain
sensor as of ignition key position 1. To do so:
>Briefly turn the serrated dial 5 or
>clean the windshield 1, refer to next section
Adjusting sensitivity
Turn the serrated dial 5.
Deactivating
Switch lever to position 0.
Normal wiper speed
The system switches automatically to intermit-
tent mode when the vehicle is not moving, not
on vehicles with rain sensor.
Fast wipe
The wipers operate at normal speed when the
vehicle is not moving, not on vehicles with rain
sensor.
Cleaning windshield, rear window and
headlamps*
0Wipers retracted
1Cleaning windshield and headlamps
2Rear window wiper intermittent mode
3Cleaning rear window
Do not use the washers if there is any
danger that the fluid will freeze on the
windshield. If you do so, your vision could be
obscured. To avoid freezing, use a washer fluid
antifreeze, refer to page90. Do not use the
washers when the reservoir is empty. This
could cause damage to the washer pump.<
Cleaning windshield
The system sprays washer fluid against the
windshield and activates the wipers for a brief
period.
The windshield washer nozzles are automati-
cally heated as of ignition key position 2.
Cleaning headlamps*
When the vehicle lighting system is switched
on, the headlamps are cleaned at regular and
appropriate intervals.
Rear window wiper
Rear window wiper in intermittent mode. When
reverse gear is engaged, the wiper operates
continuously.
You can also program the interval:
1.Briefly move the wiper lever from position 0
to position 2.
2.Wait for desired interval; maximum of
30 seconds.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
52
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 whether
or not the seat is occupied by a child in the
child-restraint system or an adult.
>When a child is seated in the child-restraint
system or with an empty seat, the front and
side airbags are deactivated on the passen-
ger side.
>When an adult is traveling in the front seat,
the front and side airbags remain active on
the passenger side.
Although not desired, it can occur in the
case of heavier children that the front
passenger airbags remain active or in the case
of very light adults or young persons that the
front passenger airbags are deactivated. In
these cases, have the person ride in the rear
seat, refer to Passenger airbag status lamp
below. Do not load the passenger seat with any
items in addition to the person to be trans-
ported. Do not fit seat covers, seat cushion pad-
ding, ball mats or other items onto the front pas-
senger seat unless they are specifically
r e c o m m e n d e d b y B M W . D o n o t p l a c e a n y i t e m s
under the seat. Otherwise, the function of the
seat occupation detection could be impaired.<
Operational readiness of airbag system
As of ignition key position 1, the warning lamp
lights up briefly, thus indicating the operational
readiness of the entire airbag system and the
safety belt tensioners.
Airbag system malfunction
>The warning lamp does not light up as of
ignition key position 1.
>The warning lamp lights up continuously.
Have the airbag system checked immedi-
ately if a malfunction occurs, as otherwise
there is a danger of the system failing to
respond in the expected manner to an impact
occurring within its normal response range.<
Passenger airbag status lamp
One of the illustrated indicator lamps is located
above the interior rearview mirror.
The indicator lamp indicates whether the front
passenger airbag system is active or not active/
OFF.
The indicator lamp is used only for the
front passenger airbag system. The indi-
cator lamp illuminates to show that the front
passenger airbag system is OFF/not active.<
>The indicator lamp goes out after a few sec-
onds.
The front passenger airbags are active, e.g.
when transporting an adult.
>The indicator lamp lights up continuously.
The front passenger airbags are deacti-
vated, e.g. when a child is traveling in the
vehicle in the child-restraint system or
when the seat is empty.
Find more information about passenger airbag
system and seat occupancy detection in sec-
tion Automatic deactivation of front passenger
airbags above.

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73
Hot exhaust system
As in all vehicles equipped with a catalytic
converter, extremely high temperatures
are generated in this vehicle. Do not remove the
heat shields installed adjacent to various sec-
tions of the exhaust system, and never apply
undercoating to them. When driving, standing
at idle and while parking take care to avoid pos-
sible contact between the hot exhaust system
and any highly flammable materials such as hay,
leaves, grass, etc. Such contact could lead to
a fire, resulting in serious personal injury and
property damage.<
Mobile communications devices in
vehicle
BMW does not recommend using mobile
communications devices, e.g. portable
phones, in the interior of the vehicle without a
direct connection to an outside antenna. Other-
wise the vehicle electronics and mobile com-
munications device can affect each other. In
addition, there is no assurance that the radia-
tion which results during transmission will be
dissipated from the vehicle interior.<
Inside rearview mirror, automatically
dimming*

The inside rearview mirror contains two photo-
cells that control the automatic dimming func-
tion. One is integrated into the mirror glass, the
other is located on the back of the mirror.
For trouble-free operation, keep the photocells
clean and do not cover the area between the
interior rearview mirror and the windshield. Do
not attach any kind of stickers on the windshield
in front of the mirror, either.
When the vehicle is parked
Condensation forms in the air conditioner sys-
tem during operation, and then exits under the
vehicle. Traces of condensed water under the
vehicle are thus normal.
Before driving into a car wash
Fold in the exterior mirrors, refer to page28, as
otherwise they could be damaged due to the
width of the vehicle.
Deactivate the rain sensor as otherwise dam-
age could result from undesired wiper activa-
tion, refer to page39.
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 sur-
face. This phenomenon is referred to as hydro-
planing, and is characterized by a partial or
complete loss of contact between tires and
road surface, ultimately undermining your abil-
ity to steer and brake the vehicle.<
Driving through water
Do not drive through water on the road if it
is deeper than 20 in/50 cm, and then only
at walking speed. Otherwise, the vehicle's
engine, the electrical systems and the trans-
mission may be damaged.<
Use handbrake on inclines
Do not hold the vehicle in place on slopes
by slipping or riding the clutch, use the
handbrake instead. Otherwise greater clutch
wear will result.<
Safe braking
Your BMW is equipped with ABS as standard
equipment. The best way to brake is to apply
maximum pressure to the brake pedal during
emergency: panic braking. Since the vehicle
maintains steering responsiveness, you can
nevertheless avoid possible obstacles with a
minimum of steering effort.