2006 BMW 325XI SPORTS WAGON heating

Opening and closing
34 1.From the cargo area, swing the cover on the
tailgate upward.
2.Pull the ring upward. The tailgate is
unlocked.
3.Open the tailgate and close the cover again.
The tailgate is locked as soon as it is pressed
shut.
Closing
The handle recesses on the interior trim of the
tailgate make it easier to pull down.
Make sure that the closing path of the tail-
gate is clear, otherwise injuries may
result.<
Opening and closing the rear window
Small items can be loaded and unloaded
quickly when the rear window is opened sepa-
rately.
The cargo area cover is raised when the
rear window is opened. Before closing the
rear window, press the cover downward until it
engages.<
Press the button: the rear window opens
slightly. It can now be swung upwards.
Press the window shut to close it.
Make sure that the corners of any pointed
or sharp-edged cargo are padded if they
could bump against the rear window while the
vehicle is in motion, otherwise the heating ele-
ments of the rear window could be damaged.<
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 the information fur-
ther below
>When the car's inclination changes, for
instance if an attempt is made to jack it up
and steal the wheels or to raise it prior to
towing away
>When there is an interruption in the power
supply from the battery
The alarm system signals unauthorized entry
attempts for a short time by means of:

Adjustments
44
Front seats
Height adjustment
>To raise: pull up.
>To lower: press the button, arrow1, and
slide the head restraint down.
Removing
1.Pull up all the way.
2.Press the button, arrow1, and pull the head
restraint all the way out.
Rear seats
Height adjustment
>To raise: pull up.
>To lower: press the button, arrow1, and
slide the head restraint down.
Removing
1.Pull up all the way.
2.Press the button, arrow1, and pull the head
restraint all the way out.
Fold the rear-seat backrest slightly forward
before pulling out a head restraint.
Folding head restraints down and up
Folding down:
Press the button, arrow1.
Folding up:
Pull the head restraint.
Note that it is an offense to drive with the
rear seats occupied and the rear head
restraints folded down. Fold up the head
restraints before allowing passengers to
occupy the rear seats.<
Heated seats*
Press once for each temperature level.
Three lamps indicate the highest temperature.
To switch off:
Press button longer.
If you continue driving within the next 15 min-
utes, the seat heating is automatically activated
at the previously set temperature.
Seat and mirror memory*
You can store and call up two different combi-
nations of driver's-seat and exterior-mirror
positions.

Controls
47Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Adjustments
2Switching to the other mirror or automatic
curb monitor
*
3Folding mirrors in and out*
The positions of the exterior mirrors are stored
for the remote control currently used
*, refer to
Personal Profile, page29.
Manual adjustment
The mirrors can also be adjusted manually:
press the edge of the glass.
To prevent the exterior mirrors on this
vehicle from being damaged, always fold
them in by hand before entering an automatic
car wash.<
Automatic heating*
At outside temperatures below a certain limit,
both exterior mirrors are automatically heated
while the engine is running or the ignition
switched on.
Passenger-side mirror tilt function –
automatic curb monitor*
Activating
1.Push the switch to the position for the
driver's-side mirror, arrow 1.
2.Engage reverse gear or move the selector
lever to position R.
The glass of the mirror on the passenger
side tilts slightly down. This allows the
driver to see the area immediately adjacent
to the vehicle, such as a curb, when parking,
etc.
Deactivating
Push the switch to the position for the passen-
ger-side mirror, arrow 2.
Interior rearview mirror
Turn the knob to reduce glare from the head-
lamps of cars behind you when driving at night.
Automatically dimming mirrors, refer to
page113.

Driving
54
Starting the engine
Do not run the engine in closed rooms,
otherwise the inhaling of toxic exhaust
gases can cause unconsciousness and death.
The exhaust gases contain carbon monoxide,
an odorless and colorless, but highly toxic gas.
Never leave an unattended vehicle with the
engine running, otherwise such a vehicle repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.
Before leaving the car with the engine running,
place the transmission in idle or move the
selector lever to position P and apply the hand-
brake to prevent the car from moving.<
When starting the engine, do not press the
accelerator pedal.
Do not allow the engine to warm up by leaving it
running while the vehicle remains stationary.
Instead, begin to drive immediately at a moder-
ate engine speed.
Do not depress either the brake or the
clutch until you are ready to start the
engine. The engine is started immediately
when you briefly touch the start/stop button
and depress the brake if the car has automatic
transmission, or the clutch if the car has manual
transmission.<
Manual transmission
1.Apply the handbrake.
2.Depress the clutch and shift to idle position.
3.Briefly press the start/stop button.
The starter operates automatically for a certain
time, and stops automatically as soon as the
engine has started.
Automatic transmission
1.Depress the brake.
2.Move the selector lever to position P.
3.Briefly press the start/stop button.
The starter operates automatically for a certain
time, and stops automatically as soon as the
engine has started.
Special starting conditions
In the following situations, press the accelerator
pedal halfway down when starting the engine:
>If the engine does not start on the first
attempt, for instance when it is extremely
hot or cold.
>If the engine is started at very low tempera-
tures, below approx. + 57/–156, at high
altitudes above approx. 3,300 ft/1,000 m.
Avoid frequent starting in quick succes-
sion or repeated start attempts in which
the engine does not start. Otherwise, the fuel is
not burned or inadequately burned and there is
a danger of overheating and damaging the cat-
alytic converter.<
Switching off the engine
Always take the remote control with you
when you leave the vehicle.
When parking on a downhill incline, apply the
handbrake, otherwise the vehicle could roll
away.<
Manual transmission
1.Apply the handbrake.
2.With the car at a standstill, briefly press the
start/stop button.
3.Shift into first gear or reverse.
Automatic transmission
1.With the car at a standstill, move the selec-
tor lever to position P.
2.Briefly press the start/stop button.
3.Apply the handbrake.

Controls
95Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Automatic climate control
Comfortable interior climate
AUTO program7 offers the ideal air distribution
and air flow rate for almost all conditions, refer
to AUTO program below. All you need to do is
select an interior temperature which is comfort-
able for you.
The following sections inform you in detail
about how to adjust the settings.
Most settings are stored for the remote control
currently in use, refer also to Personal Profile
settings on page29.
Switching manual air distribution on/
off
The emerging air is directed to the
windows, to the upper body area or
to the footwell.
You can switch the automatic air
distribution back on by pressing the AUTO but-
ton.
Fine adjustments to manual air
distribution
You can set the rate of incoming airflow for
manual air distribution.
iDrive concept, refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller to the left to call up "Cli-
mate".
3.Select "Vent settings" and press the con-
troller.
4.Select the desired field.5.Turn the controller to set the air distribution
individually.
1Airflow directed toward the windshield and
side windows
2Air to the upper body area
3Air to the footwell
Temperature
Set the desired temperatures indi-
vidually for the driver's and front
passenger's sides.
The automatic climate control
achieves this temperature as quickly as possi-
ble regardless of the season, using maximum
cooling or heating power if necessary, and then
maintains it.
When you switch between different tem-
perature settings in quick succession, the
automatic climate control does not have
enough time to achieve the set temperature.<
Maximum cooling
At outside temperatures above
327/06 and when the engine is
running, you obtain a maximum
cooling effect as soon as possible.
The automatic climate control switches to the
lowest temperature and operates in recircu-
lated-air mode. Air flows at maximum rate only
from the vents for the upper body area. You
should therefore open them for maximum cool-
ing.
AUTO program
The AUTO program adjusts the air
distribution to the windshield and

Controls
97Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
The function can be switched on when the fol-
lowing conditions are met:
>Up to 15 minutes after the engine has been
switched off
>While the engine is at operating tempera-
ture
>As long as battery voltage is sufficient
>At an outside temperature below 777/
256
The LED is lit when the function is on.
As of radio readiness, you can set the interior
temperature, the air flow rate and the air distri-
bution.
Defrosting windows and removing
condensation
Quickly removes ice and conden-
sation from the windshield and
front side windows.
Switching cooling function on/off
The cooling function cools and
dehumidifies the incoming air
before also reheating it as
required, according to the temperature setting.
Depending on the weather, the windshield may
fog over briefly when the engine is started.
The cooling function is automatically switched
on along with the AUTO program. The passen-
ger compartment can only be cooled while the
engine is running.
Rear window defroster
The defroster switches off auto-
matically after a certain time.
Ventilation
1Use the knurled wheels to smoothly open
and close the air vents
2Use the lever to change the direction of the
airflow
3Knurled wheel for more or less cool air from
the vents for the upper body area
Ventilation for cooling
Adjust the vent outlets to direct the flow of cool
air in your direction, for instance if it has become
too hot in the car.
Draft-free ventilation
Set the vent outlets so that the air flows past
you and not straight at you.
Ventilation in the rear
1Use the knurled wheel to smoothly open
and close the air vents
2Use the knurled wheel to adjust the temper-
ature:
>Turn toward blue: colder
>Turn toward red: warmer
3Use the lever to change the direction of the
airflow

Climate
98
Microfilter/activated-charcoal filter
The microfilter traps dust and pollen in the
incoming air. The activated-charcoal filter pro-
vides additional protection by filtering gaseous
pollutants from the outside air. Your BMW Cen-
ter replaces this combined filter during routine
maintenance.
You can call up further information in the service
requirements display, refer to page72.
Parked car ventilation
Concept
The parked car ventilation/heating provides
ventilation to the passenger compartment and
lowers its temperature, if necessary. It is ready
for use at any outside temperature, as of radio
readiness.
The parked car ventilation/heating remains
switched on for 30 minutes. Two different
switch-on times can be preselected. The sys-
tem can also be switched on and off directly.
Due to its high power consumption, it should
not be switched on twice in a row without driv-
ing in between to allow the battery to recharge.
The air emerges from the air vents for the upper
body area in the instrument panel. The air vents
must therefore be open.
The parked car ventilation system is operated
via iDrive.
Switching on/off directly
iDrive concept, refer to page16.
1.Open the start menu.
2.Move the controller to the left to call up "Cli-
mate".
3.Select "Parked car operation" and press the
controller.
4.Select "Automatic ventilation" and press
the controller.5.Select "Parked car ventilation" and press
the controller.
The parked car ventilation/heating is
switched on.
The symbol on the automatic climate control
display flashes.
Preselecting switch-on times
iDrive concept, refer to page16.
1.Open the start menu.
2.Move the controller to the left to call up "Cli-
mate".
3.Select "Parked car operation" and press the
controller.
4.Select "Activation time" and press the con-
troller.
5.Move the controller to the left or right to
select "Timer 1" or "Timer 2".

Driving tips
113Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
there is no assurance that the radiation which
results from transmission will be dissipated
from the vehicle interior.<
Interior and exterior mirrors, automatic
dimming feature*
The automatic dimming feature of the interior
and exterior mirrors
* is controlled by two photo
cells in the interior rearview mirror. One photo
cell is in the mirror frame, see arrow; the other is
on the back of the mirror.
In order to ensure that the system functions
correctly, keep the photo cells clean, do not
cover the area between the interior rearview
mirror and windshield, and do not affix adhesive
labels or stickers of any kind to the windshield
directly in front of the mirror.
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 situation, known as hydroplaning,
means that the tire can completely lose contact
with the road surface, so that neither the car can
be steered nor the brake be properly applied.<
The risk of hydroplaning increases with declin-
ing tread depth on the tires, refer also to Mini-
mum tread depth on page187.
Driving through water
Drive through water on the road only if it is
not deeper than 1 ft/30 cm, and then only
at walking speed at the most. Otherwise, the
vehicle's engine, the electrical systems and the
transmission may be damaged.<
Use the handbrake on inclines
On inclines, do not hold the vehicle with
the clutch; use the handbrake. Otherwise
greater clutch wear will result.<
Also use the drive-off assistant, refer to
page85.
Braking safely
Your BMW is equipped with ABS as a standard
feature. Applying the brakes fully is the most
effective way of braking in situations in which
this is necessary. Since the vehicle maintains
steering responsiveness, you can still avoid
possible obstacles with a minimum of steering
effort.
Pulsation of the brake pedal, combined with
sounds from the hydraulic circuits, indicate that
ABS is in its active mode.
Driving in wet conditions
When roads are wet or there is heavy rain,
briefly exert gentle pressure on the brake pedal
every few miles. Monitor traffic conditions to
ensure that this maneuver 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 the resulting
reduced efficiency of the brake system,
drive long or steep downhill gradients in the
gear in which the least braking is required. Even
light but consistent brake pressure can lead to
high temperatures, brake wear and possibly
even brake failure.<
You can increase the engine's braking effect by
shifting down, all the way to first gear if neces-
sary. This strategy helps you avoid placing
excessive loads on the brake system. Down-
shifting in manual mode of the automatic trans-
mission, refer to page56.
Never drive with the clutch held down,
with the transmission in idle or with the
engine switched off; otherwise, engine braking
action will not be present or there will be no