Contents© 2004 Bayerische Motoren Werke
Aktiengesellschaft
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts,
only with the written consent of
BMW AG, Munich.
Order No. 01 41 0 158 701
US English IX/04
Printed in Germany
Printed on environmentally friendly paper,
bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling.Notes
Overview
Controls and features
About this Owner's Manual8
Symbols used8
Your individual vehicle8
Status at time of printing9
For your own safety9
Symbol on vehicle parts10
Service and Warranty10
Reporting safety defects11Cockpit14
Instrument cluster15
Indicator and warning lamps19
Buttons on steering wheel23
Warning triangle24
First-aid kit24
Refueling24
Fuel specifications26Locks and security systems:
Keys30
Central locking system30
Opening and closing:
from outside31
Opening and closing:
from inside34
Liftgate35
Tailgate36
Alarm system38
Windows39
Panorama glass sunroof41
Adjustments:
Sitting safely43
Seats44
Mechanical seat adjustment45
Power seat adjustment46
Head restraints47
Power rear-seat backrest
adjustment48
Safety belts49
Seat, mirror and steering wheel
memory50
Heated seats52
Steering wheel52
Steering wheel heater53
Mirrors54
21n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Indicator and warning lamps Red: an important reminder
Handbrake
*
Lights up with handbrake
engaged.
For additional information, refer to
page66
Handbrake warning lamp
* for
Canadian models
Please fasten safety belts +
Indicator lamp flashes or lights
up. In addition, a signal sounds
and, depending on the equipment, a
message* appears in the Check Con-
trol. Please check safety belts for cor-
rect placement.
The belt memory is activated when the
safety belt on the driver's side has not
yet been fastened.
The belt memory is also active from a
speed of approx. 5 mph/8 km/h when
the passenger belt has not yet been
fastened, heavy objects are placed on
the front passenger seat or passengers
sitting in the front remove their safety
belts.
For additional information on safety
belts, refer to page49
Airbags
+
Malfunction in airbag system.
Have the system checked as
soon as possible.
For additional information, refer to
page57
Yellow: check as soon as possible
DBC Dynamic Brake Control
+
Malfunction in the DBC system.
Please have the system
checked as soon as possible.
For details on DBC, refer to page94
Indication of the above-
described malfunction in Cana-
dian models.
Engine oil level
Comes on while driving: the oil
level is at the absolute minimum;
refill as soon as possible. Do not drive
more than approx. 30 miles/50 km until
you do.
For additional information, refer to
page150
Engine oil level
Comes on after the engine has
been switched off: add engine
oil at your earliest opportunity, e.g.
when you stop to refuel.
For additional information, refer to
page150
Automatic transmission
*
The automatic transmission
switches into the emergency
program due to a fault. Have the system
checked as soon as possible.
For additional information, refer to
page69
Brake pads
* +
Have the condition of the brake
pads checked.
For additional information, refer to
page140
Self-leveling suspension
* +
The self-leveling suspension is
inactive. Have the system
checked as soon as possible.
For additional information, refer to
page98
49n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Safety belts
Comply with the instructions on
page43. Failure to do so could
result in diminished personal safety.<
For every trip, use the safety belts on all
occupied seats. Airbags complement
the safety belt as an additional safety
device, but they do not represent a sub-
stitute.
Closing Make sure you hear the latch plate
engage in the belt buckle.Unlocking1. Press the red button in the belt
buckle
2. Hold the belt firmly
3. Guide the belt back into its reel.530us034
In the back, the middle safety belt
buckle is provided for use exclu-
sively by the middle passenger.
If it is not possible to extract the center
belt, this indicates that the larger back-
rest is not securely locked, refer to
page126.<
Safety belt memory for front seat
Indicator lamp flashes or lights
up. In addition, a signal sounds
and, depending on the equip-
ment, a message
* appears in the
Check Control. Please check safety
belts for correct placement.
The belt memory is activated when the
safety belt on the driver's side has not
yet been fastened.
The belt memory is also active from a
speed of approx. 5 mph/8 km/h when
the passenger belt has not yet been
fastened, heavy objects are placed on
the front passenger seat or passengers
sitting in the front remove their safety
belts.
Safety belt height adjustment You can adjust the safety belts to fit
your own physical dimensions by using
the safety belt height adjustment:
Slide the button up or down as
required.
Also observe the instructions on adjust-
ing the seats on page43.530de259
50n
Safety belts Seat, mirror and steering wheel memory
*
Damage to safety belts
If the safety belts are damaged or
stretched in an accident: have the
entire belt system, including the ten-
sioning mechanisms, replaced at your
BMW Sports Activity Vehicle center or
at a workshop that works according to
BMW repair procedures with corre-
sponding 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 provid-
ing optimal protection when needed.
If a child-restraint system was in the
vehicle during an accident, consult the
manufacturer's instructions regarding
replacement.<
You can store and call up three different
seat, exterior mirror and steering wheel
positions. The illustration shows the
buttons on the seat for making these
position adjustments.
The adjustment of the lumbar sup-
port is not stored in the memory.<530us032
Storing 1. Turn the ignition key to position 1
or 2
2. Adjust the desired positions for the
seat, exterior mirror and steering
wheel
3. Press the
M
EMORY button: the indi-
cator lamp in the button comes on
4. Press memory button 1, 2 or 3, as
desired: the indicator lamp goes out.
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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Seat, mirror and steering wheel memory
*
Calling up a stored setting
Do not call up a position from the
memory while the vehicle is mov-
ing. There is a risk of accident from
unexpected movement of the seat or
steering wheel.<
Convenience function:
1. Open the driver's door after unlock-
ing the vehicle or place the ignition
key in position 1
2. Briefly press memory button 1, 2
or 3, as desired.
Movement stops immediately when
one of the seat-adjustment or mem-
ory buttons is activated during the
adjustment process.
Security function:
1. With the driver's door closed and the
ignition key either removed or in
position 0 or 2
2. Maintain pressure on the desired
memory button 1, 2 or 3 until the
adjustment process is completed.
If you press the
M
EMORY button
accidentally: press the button a
second time – the indicator lamp goes
out.<
You can have your vehicle pro-
grammed to automatically dial in
your own individual adjustment settings
for the seat, mirrors and steering wheel
whenever you use your personal
remote control to unlock the vehicle.<
If you make use of this adjust-
ment, be sure that the footwell
behind the driver's seat is unobstructed
before unlocking the vehicle. If you fail
to do so, any persons or objects behind
the seat could be injured or damaged
by a rearward movement of the seat.<
Passenger-side exterior mirror
tilt function Automatic curb monitor
Activating:
1. Select the driver's mirror with the
mirror selection switch
2. When you engage reverse gear or
selector-lever 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.
Deactivating:
Slide the mirror selection switch to the
passenger's side position.530us214
52n
Heated seats
*
Steering wheel
Front The seat cushion and backrest can be
heated when the ignition key is in posi-
tion 2.
You can call up different heating modes
by repeatedly pressing the button.
You can also switch the higher heating
modes off directly:
Press the button and hold it slightly
longer.530de417
Rear The operating concept is the same as
for the front heated seats. You can
select between two heating modes.530de234
Adjustments The steering wheel can be moved in
any of four directions. Adjust the steer-
ing wheel by moving the control lever in
the desired direction.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. There
is a risk of accident from unexpected
movement.<
To store the steering wheel setting,
refer to Seat, mirror and steering wheel
memory on page50. 530de255
53n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Steering wheel Steering wheel heater
*
Automatic steering wheel
adjustmentonly in conjunction with seat, mirror and
steering wheel memory
In or der to m a ke it e asie r t o get in to an d
out of the vehicle, the steering wheel
automatically moves into the top posi-
tion and returns to the driving or mem-
ory position.
This automatic feature is controlled by
the position of the ignition key and by
the driver's door.
Steering wheel heater functions in igni-
tion key position 2.
Press the button to activate or deacti-
vate this system.
The indicator lamp within the button
lights up when the steering wheel
heater is in operation.
If your vehicle is not equipped with
steering wheel heater, the button for
the recirculated-air mode is located
here, refer to page23.
530de235
54n
Mirrors Exterior mirrors
The mirror on the passenger's
side is more curved than the
driver's mirror. Objects reflected in the
mirror are closer than they appear.
This means that estimations of the dis-
tance to following traffic should not be
regarded as precise. The same is true
for the outer part of both mirrors.<
1Adjustments
2 Switching to the other mirror or to the
automatic parking function
*
3 Folding mirrors in and out
*
To store the mirror settings, refer to
Seat, mirror and steering wheel memory
on page50.Adjusting manuallyThe mirrors can also be adjusted manu-
ally if need be: press at the outer edges
of the mirror glass.530us226
Folding mirrors in and out Pressing button 3 allows you to fold
mirrors in and out up to a speed of
6 mph/10 km/h. This is advantageous,
for example, in narrow streets or for
bringing mirrors that have been manu-
ally folded-in back into the correct posi-
tion.
Before going through a car wash,
manually, or with button 3 fold the
exterior mirrors inward, otherwise they
could be damaged, depending on the
width of the car wash system.
heated when the motor is running or the
ignition is switched on.