2006 BMW 325I light

Technology for driving comfort and safety
86 The warning lamps come on. xDrive
has failed.
Have the system checked as soon as
possible.
The warning lamps come on. xDrive
and DSC have failed.
Have the system checked as soon as
possible.
Hill Descent Control HDC 325xi, 330xi
HDC is a downhill driving assistant that reduces
your speed on steep downhill gradients and
makes it even easier to control your BMW's
handling under these conditions. The vehicle
then moves slightly faster than double walking
speed without the driver needing to intervene.
HDC can be activated as long as you are driving
under approx. 20 mph or 35 km/h. When driving
downhill at a speed of under approx. 20 mph or
35 km/h, the vehicle's speed is automatically
reduced to slightly more than double walking
speed and maintained.
Increasing or decreasing speed
By accelerating or braking you can change the
speed within a range from approx. 3 to 15 mph,
approx. 5 to 25 km/h.
You can specify a target speed within the same
range using the cruise control stalk.
1To increase speed
2To decrease speed
Activating HDC
Press the button; the indicator lamp lights up.
The indicator lamp flashes when the vehicle is
being braked automatically.
Deactivating HDC
Press the button again; the indicator lamp goes
out.
HDC is deactivated instantly above a speed of
approx. 35 mph or 60 km/h, or approx.
10 seconds after the ignition is switched off.
Using HDC
In cars with manual transmission:
Use HDC in lower gears and in reverse gear.
With automatic transmission:
You can use HDC in any drive position.
Displays in the instrument cluster
1Display for target speed
2HDC display
Malfunction
The HDC display disappears during HDC oper-
ation, or does not appear:
HDC is temporarily unavailable due to exces-
sive brake temperature, or DSC has failed.

Technology for driving comfort and safety
88
Malfunction
The warning lamps for the brake sys-
tem light up in yellow. The drive-off
assistant has failed. The car will not
be held in place after the brake is
released. Have the system checked as soon as
possible.
Canadian models display these warn-
ing lamps.
Flat Tire Monitor FTM
The concept
The Flat Tire Monitor monitors tire pressures
while the car is being driven. The system
reports any significant loss of pressure in one
tire in relation to another.
If a tire loses pressure, its rolling radius
changes, and this in turn alters the speed of
rotation. This change is detected and is
reported as a flat tire.
Functional requirement
In order to assure the reliable reporting of a flat
tire, the system must be initialized for the cor-
rect tire inflation pressure.
The system must be reinitialized each
time a tire inflation pressure has been cor-
rected or a wheel or tire has been changed.<
System limitations
The Flat Tire Monitor is unable to warn
the driver of sudden, severe tire damage
caused by external factors, nor can it identify
the gradual loss of pressure that will inevitably
occur in all four tires over a lengthy period of
time.<
In the following situations, the system could be
delayed or malfunction:
>System has not been initialized
>Driving on snowy or slippery road surface
>Performance-oriented style of driving: slip
in the drive wheels, high lateral acceleration>If snow chains are attached
Initializing the system
The initialization is completed during driv-
ing, which can be interrupted at any time.
When driving resumes, the initialization is con-
tinued automatically.
Do not initialize the system while snow chains
are attached.<
iDrive concept, refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the
controller.
4.If necessary, move the highlight marker to
the uppermost field. Turn the controller
until "FTM" is selected and press the con-
troller.
5.Start the engine, but do not start driving.
6.Select "Set tire pressure" and press the
controller.
7.Select "Yes" and press the controller.
8.Start to drive.
"Status: FTM active" reappears in the Con-

Controls
89Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
trol Display. Initialization is then completed
while the car is in motion.
Indication of a flat tire
The warning lamps come on in yellow
and red. A message appears on the
Control Display. In addition, an
acoustic signal sounds. There is a flat
tire or substantial loss of tire pressure.
1.Cautiously reduce speed to below 50 mph
or 80 km/h. Avoid sudden braking and
steering maneuvers. Do not exceed a speed
of 50 mph or 80 km/h.
If the car is not equipped with Run-
Flat Tires, refer to page196, the stan-
dard equipment by design, do not continue
driving. Otherwise a severe accident could
result after a tire puncture.<
2.At the next opportunity, check the air pres-
sure in all four tires.
If all four tires are inflated to the cor-
rect pressures, the Flat Tire Monitor
might not have been initialized. The system
must then be initialized.<
3.In the event of complete tire pressure loss,
0 psi/0 kPa, you can estimate the possible
distance for continued driving on the basis
of the following guidelines:
>With a light load:
1 to 2 persons without luggage:
approx. 155 miles/250 km
>With a medium load:
2 persons, luggage compartment full, or
4 persons without luggage:
approx. 90 miles/150 km
>With a full load:
4 or more persons, luggage compart-
ment full:
approx. 30 miles/50 km
Drive cautiously and do not exceed a
speed of 50 mph or 80 km/h. In the event
of pressure loss, vehicle handling changes. This
includes reduced tracking stability in braking,
extended braking distance and altered natural
steering characteristics.
If unusual vibration or loud noises occur during the journey, this may be an indication that the
damaged tire has finally failed. Reduce your
speed and pull over to the side of the road at the
earliest opportunity. Otherwise, parts of the tire
could come loose and cause an accident. Do
not continue driving. Contact your BMW Cen-
ter.<
Malfunction
The warning lamps come on in yel-
low. A message appears on the Con-
trol Display. The Flat Tire Monitor has
a malfunction or has failed. Have the
system checked as soon as possible.
Active steering*
The concept
Active steering varies the turning angle of the
front wheels in relation to steering wheel move-
ments. It also varies the steering force required
to turn the wheels depending on the speed at
which you are driving.
When you are driving in the low road-speed
range, e.g. in a town or when parking, the steer-
ing angle increases, i.e. the steering becomes
very direct, and less effort is required to turn the
wheels. In the higher speed range, on the other
hand, the steering angle is reduced more and
more. This improves the handling capability of
your BMW over the entire speed range.
In critical situations, the system can make tar-
geted corrections to the steering angle pro-
vided by the driver and thus stabilize the vehicle
before the driver intervenes. This stabilizing
intervention is simultaneously deactivated
when DSC is switched off, refer to page85.
Malfunction
The warning lamps come on. Active
steering is no longer operational. At
low speeds, greater steering wheel
movements are required, whereas at
higher speeds the vehicle reacts more sensi-
tively to steering wheel movements. Drive cau-

Technology for driving comfort and safety
90 tiously and think well ahead. Have the system
checked.
If the warning lamp lights up during the first
engine starting following a power supply inter-
ruption, the system must be activated by being
initialized.
Brake Force Display*
The brake lamps light up in two stages,
depending on how sharply you apply the
brakes.
>Normal braking:
The brake lamps and the center brake lamp
light up.
>Sharp braking:
The illuminated surface of the brake lamps
is enlarged, as long as the rear fog light is
not switched on.
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Head airbags
3Side airbags
Protective action
Observe the adjustment instructions on
page40 to ensure the best possible per-
sonal protection.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and
front passenger by responding to frontal impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When needed, the
head and side airbags help provide protection in
the event of side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The
head air bag supports the head.
The airbags will purposely not be activated by
every collision, e.g. not by more minor acci-
dents, certain roll-over situations and rear-end
collisions.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or
modify them in any other way. Do not attach

Controls
93Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
0Lamps off and daytime driving lamps
1Parking lamps and daytime driving lamps
2Low beams
3Automatic headlamp control
* and Adaptive
Head Light
*
Parking lamps
In switch position1, the front, rear and side
vehicle lighting is switched on. You can use the
parking lamps for parking. For the additional
option of roadside parking lamps on one side of
the car only, refer to page95.
The parking lamps will discharge the bat-
tery. Therefore, do not leave them on for
unduly long periods of time, otherwise the bat-
tery might not have enough power to start the
engine.<
Low beams
The low beams light up when the light switch is
in position 2 and the ignition is on.
If desired, the light switch can remain in the low-
beam headlamp position. The exterior lamps
are automatically switched off after the vehicle
is parked.
If necessary, switch on the parking lamps as
described in the section about parking lamps.
Automatic headlamp control*
When the switch is in position3, the low beams
are switched on and off automatically depend-ing on ambient light conditions, e.g. in a tunnel,
in twilight, or if there is precipitation. The LED
next to the symbol is illuminated when the low
beams are on.
When driving into tunnels with bright overhead
lights, there may be a delay before the head-
lamps come on.
The headlamps may also come on when the
sun is sitting low on a blue sky.
The low beams remain switched on inde-
pendent of the ambient lighting condi-
tions when you switch on the fog lamps
*.
When the daytime driving lamps are activated,
refer to page94, the low-beam headlamps are
always switched on when the switch is in posi-
tion 3 and the ignition is on.<
If desired, the light switch can remain in position
3. The exterior lamps are automatically
switched off after the vehicle is parked.
The automatic headlamp control cannot
serve as a substitute for your personal
judgment in determining when the lamps
should be switched on in response to ambient
lighting conditions. For example, the system
cannot detect fog or hazy weather. To avoid
safety risks, you should always switch on the
lamps manually under these conditions.<
Adjusting sensitivity
You can program how sensitively the system
reacts to ambient light.
iDrive concept, refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the
controller.

Lamps
94 4.Select "Lighting" and press the controller.
5.Select "Auto. headlamps" and press the
controller.
6.Select a menu item:
>"Sensitive"
>"Normal"
>"Slower"
7.Press the controller.
Pathway lighting
If you activate the headlamp flasher after park-
ing the car, with the lights switched off, the low
beams come on and remain on for a certain
time.
You can adjust the operating period or deacti-
vate the function.
1.Open the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the
controller.4.Select "Lighting" and press the controller.
5.Select "Pathway lighting" and press the
controller.
6.Turn the controller to select the corre-
sponding duration.
7.Press the controller to apply the setting.
Daytime driving lamps
If desired, the light switch can remain in the
Lamps off position or the Parking lamps posi-
tion.
In the Lamps off position, the exterior lamps are
automatically switched off after the vehicle is
parked. In the Parking lamps position, the park-
ing lamps come on after the ignition is switched
off.
If necessary, switch on the parking lamps as
described in the section about parking lamps.
Activating/deactivating daytime
driving lamps*
1.Open the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the
controller.
4.Select "Lighting" and press the controller.

Controls
95Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
5.Select "Daytime running light" and press
the controller.
The daytime driving lamps are switched
on.
Adaptive Head Light*
The concept
Adaptive Head Light is a variable headlamp
control system that enables better illumination
of the road surface. Depending on the steering
angle and other parameters, the light from the
headlamp follows the course of the road.
Activating Adaptive Head Light
With the ignition on, turn the light switch to the
automatic headlamp control position, refer to
page93.
To avoid dazzling the drivers of oncoming vehi-
cles, Adaptive Head Light is not active when the
car is driven in reverse, and directs the light to
the front passenger's side when the vehicle is at
a standstill.
Malfunction
The LED next to the symbol for automatic head-
lamp control flashes. Adaptive Head Light is
malfunctioning or has failed. Have the system
checked as soon as possible.
High beams/roadside parking
lamps
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Roadside parking lamps
*
Roadside parking lamps, left or right*
There is an additional option of switching on the
lamps on the side of the car facing the road
when parked, if permitted in the country of use.
After parking the vehicle, press the lever up or
down beyond the pressure point, arrow 3.
The roadside parking lamps drain the bat-
tery. Therefore, do not leave them on for
unduly long periods of time, otherwise the bat-
tery might not have enough power to start the
engine.<
Fog lamps*
The parking lamps or low beams must
be switched on for the fog lamps to
operate. The green indicator lamp in
the instrument cluster lights up whenever the
fog lamps are on.

Lamps
96 Depending on your vehicle's equipment ver-
sion, the fog lamps are switched off when you
activate the headlamp flasher or switch on the
high beams
*.
If the automatic headlamp control is acti-
vated, the low beams will come on auto-
matically when you switch on the fog lamps.<
Instrument lighting
You can adjust the brightness of the instrument
lighting only when the parking lamps or the low
beams are switched on.
1.Lightly push button 1 up or down repeat-
edly until the appropriate symbol appears in
the display, accompanied by the brightness
and the word "SET".
2.Press button 2.
3.Lightly push button 1 up or down to select
the brightness; the setting is stored imme-
diately.
4.Press button 2 in the turn indicator stalk.
The display again shows the outside tem-
perature and the time.
Interior lamps
The interior lamps, the footwell lamps*, the lug-
gage compartment lamp and the courtesy
lamps
* are controlled automatically.
The LEDs for the courtesy lamps
are set in the
door handles and illuminate the ground in front
of the doors.
To avoid draining the battery, all lamps
inside the car are switched off about
15 minutes after the ignition is switched off,
refer to Start/stop button on page52.<
Switching interior lamps on/off
manually
Interior lamps, front and rear*:
To switch on and off, press the button.
To switch off the lamp permanently, press the
button for the front interior lamp for about
3seconds.
Reading lamps
There are reading lamps at the front and rear*,
next to the interior lamps. To switch on and off,
press the button.