Wheels and tires
110
Tire age
For various reasons, such as the development
of brittleness, BMW recommends tire replace-
ment after no more than 6 years, regardless of
the actual wear of the tires.
The manufacturing date of tires is contained in
the tire coding:
DOT ... 0705 means that the tire was manufac-
tured in week 07 of 2005.
Run-Flat Tires
The symbol identifying Run-Flat Tires is a circle
with the letters RSC on the sidewall.
Run-Flat Tires comprise a conditionally self-
supporting tire and a special rim. The reinforce-
ment in the sidewalls ensures that the tire can
continue to be used subject to certain restric-
tions, even if depressurized.
For information on continuing to drive with a flat
tire, refer to Indication of a flat tire, page70.
New wheels and tires
Have new wheels and tires installed only
by your BMW Center or tire shop that
works according to BMW repair procedures
with correspondingly trained personnel. If this
work is not carried out properly, there is a dan-
ger of subsequent damage and related safety
hazards. Make sure that the new wheels are bal-
anced.<
Retreaded tires
BMW recommends that you do not use
retreaded tires, since driving safety may be impaired. The causes for this include poten-
tially different tire casing structures and often
wide variations in tire age, which can result in a
limited service life.<
Correct wheels and tires
BMW recommends that you use only
wheel and tire combinations that BMW
has tested and approved for your particular
vehicle. Variations in factors such as manufac-
turing tolerances mean that even wheels and
tires with identical official size ratings could
actually have different dimensions, which could
lead to body contact and thus to severe acci-
dents. If non-approved wheels and tires are
used, BMW cannot evaluate their suitability,
and therefore cannot guarantee their driving
safety.<
You can inquire about the right wheel/tire com-
bination at your BMW Center.
The correct combination of wheels and tires is
also necessary to ensure reliable operation of
various vehicle systems such as ABS and DSC.
To maintain good handling and vehicle
response, use only tires of a single brand and
tread configuration. After a tire has been dam-
aged, mount the previous wheel and tire combi-
nation again as soon as possible.
Recommended tire brands
Certain makes of tire are recommended by
BMW for each tire size. They are marked with a
clearly visible BMW designation on the sidewall
of the tire.
When properly used, these tires meet the high-
est standards in terms of safety and handling
characteristics.
Under the hood
114
Possible displays
1Oil level OK
2Oil level is being checked.
This can take about 3 minutes if the car is at
a standstill on a level surface, or about
5 minutes while the car is on the move.
3Oil level down to minimum:
Add 1 US quart/1 liter of engine oil as soon
as possible, refer also to Adding engine oil.
4Oil level is too high.
Too much oil will harm the engine.
Have the vehicle checked without
delay.<
5The oil level sensor is defective.
Do not add engine oil. You can continue
your journey. Note the newly calculated dis-
tance remaining to the next oil service, refer
to page117. Have the system checked as
soon as possible.
Adding engine oil
Do not add the maximum amount of 1 US quart/
1 liter of engine oil until the following warning
lamp lights up in the instrument cluster, or in
cars with gasoline engines until the oil level
monitor shows "+1qts" or "+1l".
Add oil within the next 125 miles/200 km,
otherwise the engine could be dam-
aged.<
Keep oils, greases, etc. out of the reach of
children and comply with the warnings on
the containers. Otherwise, health hazards may
result.<
Oil change
Have oil changed only at your BMW Center or at
a workshop that works according to BMW
repair procedures with correspondingly trained
personnel.
Specified engine oils
The quality of the engine oil selected has critical
significance for the operation and service life of
an engine. BMW continuously approves spe-
cific oils after confirming their suitability for use
in its vehicles with extensive testing.
Only use approved BMW High Performance
Synthetic Oil.
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
117
Maintenance
BMW Maintenance System
The BMW Maintenance System supports the
preservation of the traffic and operating safety
of your BMW. The service schedule also
includes operations related to the vehicle's
comfort and convenience features, such as
replacement of the filters for the inside air. The
objective is to optimize efforts with respect to
minimal vehicle maintenance costs.
If and when you come to sell your BMW, a com-
prehensive record of servicing will prove a sig-
nificant benefit.
CBS Condition Based Service
Sensors and special algorithms take the differ-
ent driving conditions of your BMW into
account. Condition Based Service uses this to
determine the current and future service
requirements. By letting you define a service
and maintenance regimen that reflects your
own individual requirements, the system builds
the basis for trouble-free driving.
In the instrument cluster, you can have the
remaining times or distances for selected main-
tenance tasks and any legally prescribed dates
displayed, refer to page61:
>Engine oil
>Brakes: separately for front and rear
>Microfilter/activated-charcoal filter
for auto-
matic climate control
>Microfilter
for air conditioner
>Brake fluid>Spark plugs
>Vehicle check
>Legally mandated inspections depending
on local regulations
Service data in the remote control
Your vehicle continuously stores service-
requirement information in the remote control
while you are driving. Your BMW Service Advi-
sor can read out this data from the remote con-
trol unit, and propose an optimized mainte-
nance approach. Whenever you take your car in
for servicing you should therefore hand your
BMW Service Advisor the remote control unit
that you last used.
Make sure that the date in the instrument
cluster is always set correctly, refer to
page63; otherwise the effectiveness of Condi-
tion Based Service CBS is not assured.<
Service and Warranty Information
Booklet for US models and Warranty
and Service Guide Booklet for
Canadian models
Please consult your Service and Warranty Infor-
mation Booklet for US models and Warranty
and Service Guide Booklet for Canadian models
for additional information on service require-
ments.
BMW recommends that you have service
and repair operations performed at your
BMW Center.
Take the time to ensure that these service pro-
cedures are confirmed by entries in your vehi-
cle's Service and Warranty Information Booklet
for US models and Warranty and Service Guide
Booklet for Canadian models. These entries
verify that your vehicle has received the speci-
fied regular maintenance.<
Maintenance
118
Socket for On-Board
Diagnosis OBD
Primary components that make up exhaust
emissions can be checked by a device via the
OBD socket.
This socket is located on the driver's side to the
left, on the bottom of the instrument panel
underneath a cover.
Exhaust emission values
The warning lamps come on. The
exhaust emission values have wors-
ened. Have the car checked as soon
as possible.
Canadian models display these warn-
ing lamps.
The lamps flash under certain condi-
tions. This indicates excessive misfiring in the
engine. If this happens, you should reduce your
speed and visit your nearest BMW Center as
soon as possible. Severe engine misfiring can
quickly lead to serious damage of emissions-
related components, especially the catalytic
converter.
If the gas cap is not properly tightened, the OBD
system will assume that fuel vapor is escaping.
An indicator will then light up. If the gas cap is
then tightened, the indicator will go out within a
few days.
Event data recorders
Your vehicle may be equipped with one or sev-
eral measuring or diagnostic modules or a
device for recording or sending certain vehicle data or information. In addition, if you have
signed a subscription contract for BMW Assist,
certain vehicle data may be transmitted or
recorded in order to facilitate the corresponding
services.
Care
Important information on the care and mainte-
nance of your BMW is contained in the Caring
for your vehicle brochure.
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
119
Replacing components
Onboard tool kit
The onboard tool kit is stored in a compartment
on the left-hand side underneath the cargo area
floor panel.
Wiper blades
Changing front wiper blades
1.Fold up the wiper arm.
2.Remove the cover. To do so, press the hook
on the bottom, see arrow.
3.Fold the wiper blade upwards.4.Remove the wiper blade in the direction of
the windshield, see arrow.
In order to avoid damage, make sure that
the wiper arms are against the windshield
before you open the engine compartment.<
Changing rear wiper blade
1.Fold up the wiper arm.
2.Pull off the wiper blade, see arrow.
3.Insert the new wiper blade and press it on
until it audibly engages.
Lamps and bulbs
Lamps and bulbs make an essential contribu-
tion to vehicle safety. They should, therefore,
be handled carefully. BMW recommends hav-
ing your BMW Center perform any work that
you do not feel competent to perform yourself
or that is not described here.
Never touch the glass of new bulbs with
your bare fingers, as even minute
amounts of contamination will burn into the
bulb's surface and reduce its service life. Use a
clean tissue, cloth or something similar, or hold
the bulb by its base.<
You can obtain a selection of replacement bulbs
at your BMW Center.
When working on electrical systems,
always begin by switching off the con-
sumer in question, otherwise short-circuits
could result. To avoid possible injury or equip-
ment damage when replacing bulbs, observe
Replacing components
120 any instructions provided by the bulb manufac-
turer.<
For care and maintenance of the headlamps,
please follow the instructions in the separate
Caring for your vehicle brochure.
If the routine for changing a particular
bulb is not described here, please contact
your BMW Center or a workshop that works
according to BMW repair procedures with cor-
respondingly trained personnel.<
Light-emitting diodes LEDs
Light-emitting diodes installed behind translu-
cent lenses serve as the light source for many of
the controls and displays in your vehicle. These
light-emitting diodes, which operate using a
concept similar to that applied in conventional
lasers, are officially designated as Class 1 light-
emitting diodes.
Do not remove the covers or expose the
eyes directly to the unfiltered light source
for several hours at a time, otherwise this could
cause irritation to the retina.<
Xenon lamps*
The service life of these bulbs is very long and
the probability of a failure is very low, provided
that they are not switched on and off an unusual
number of times. If a xenon lamp fails neverthe-
less, switch on the fog lamps and continue the
journey with great care, provided that local leg-
islation does not prohibit this.
Have work on the xenon lighting system
performed only by your BMW Center or a
workshop that works according to BMW repair
procedures with correspondingly trained per-
sonnel. Due to the high electrical voltages
present, there is a risk of potentially fatal acci-
dents if work is performed inappropriate.<
Parking lamps, roadside parking lamps
In the event of a malfunction, please contact
your BMW Center or a workshop that works
according to BMW repair procedures with cor-
respondingly trained personnel.
Halogen lamps
H7 bulb, 55 watts
Always wear gloves and eye protection;
the atmosphere within the H7 bulb is
pressurized. Otherwise there is a risk of injury if
the bulb is damaged.<
There are separate headlamp covers for low-
beam headlamps and high-beam headlamps.
Be careful when installing the covers, oth-
erwise leaks could occur and cause dam-
age to the headlamp system.<
For checking and adjusting headlamp
aim, please contact your BMW Center.<
Access to the lamps
The high-beam headlamp can be accessed
from the engine compartment, whereas the
low-beam headlamp is accessed through a flap
in the wheel well.
1Cover for high-beam headlamp
2Cover for low-beam headlamp
3Turn signal bulb socket
To remove the covers:
1.Fold the respective wire bracket to the side,
see arrows.
2.Flip open the cover and take it out of the
guide.
Follow the same steps in reverse order to reat-
tach the covers.
Access through the wheel well
Only for low-beam headlamps and turn signals:
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
125
Giving and receiving assistance
Emergency calling*
Conditions for an emergency call:
>Full preparation package mobile phone
>BMW Assist is enabled. Enabling
BMW Assist, refer to separate Owner's
Manual.
>Radio readiness is on.
>The car phone is logged on to a mobile tele-
phone network.
>The emergency call system is operable.
If your subscription contract with BMW Assist
expires, the car phone can be deactivated by a
BMW Center without having to schedule an
appointment at a workshop. Once the car
phone has been deactivated, emergency calls
are not possible. The car phone can be reacti-
vated by a BMW Center after signing a new
contract.
Initiating an emergency call
1.Briefly press the cover flap to open.
2.Press the button for at least 2 seconds.
The LED in the button lights up. As soon as the
voice connection to the BMW Assist response
center has been established, the LED flashes.
If the circumstances allow this, remain in the
vehicle until the connection has been estab-
lished. You will then be able to provide a
detailed description of the situation.If the current location of your vehicle can be
determined, it will be transmitted to the BMW
Assist response center.
If the LED is flashing but the emergency
response center cannot be heard over the
hands-free system, it is possible that the
hands-free system is malfunctioning. The
emergency response center may still be able to
hear you, however.
Under certain conditions, an emergency call is
automatically initiated immediately after a
severe accident. The automatic emergency call
is not affected by the button being pressed.
For technical reasons, the emergency call
cannot be guaranteed under unfavorable
conditions.<
Roadside Assistance
The BMW Group's Roadside Assistance ser-
vice is there to assist you around the clock in
the event of a breakdown, including on week-
ends and public holidays.
The phone numbers of the Roadside Assis-
tance in your home country can be found in the
Contact brochure.
First aid pouch*
The first aid pouch is located on the left-hand
side of the cargo area.
Some of the articles contained in the first aid
pouch have a limited service life. Therefore,
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
131
Engine compartment lid open
Tailgate or rear window open
Window washer fluid level too low Add washer fluid as soon as possible,
refer to page48.
Lights up in red:
Service is due Schedule a service appointment
Check service requirements, refer to
page61.
Lights up in yellow:
The engine will start the next time the
start/stop button is touched, possibly
without the brake or clutch being
depressed
Remote control malfunctioning or, in
cars with convenient access, not
detectedThe engine cannot be started. Have the
remote control checked, if necessary.
Battery in remote control discharged Use the remote control for a longer jour-
ney or, in cars with convenient access,
replace the battery.
Lights up in red:
Driver's and/or front passenger's air-
bags malfunctioningHave the system checked immediately.
Lights up in yellow:
Belt tensioners and/or airbag system
for rear-seat passengers malfunction-
ingHave the system checked as soon as
possible.
Belt tensioners and/or airbag system
failedHave the system checked immediately.
Active steering defective You can continue your journey.
Steering characteristics are modified
and steering wheel could be off-center.
Steer carefully.
Have the system checked as soon as
possible.
Lights up:
Emergency call system has failed or is
malfunctioningHave the system checked as soon as
possible.
12Cause What to do