
Controls
 95Reference
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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. 

Mobility
 199Reference
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Important parts of the engine compartment
1Expansion tank for coolant, refer to 
page201
2Washer fluid reservoir for headlamp clean-
ing system and window washer system, 
refer to page603Jump-starting connection, refer to 
page212
4Filler neck for engine oil, refer to Adding 
engine oil
5Reservoir for brake fluid, under the cover of 
the microfilter
Engine oil
The engine oil consumption is dependent on 
driving style and driving conditions.
Checking oil level
Your car is equipped with an electronic oil-level 
monitor.
For a precise measurement and display of the 
oil level, it is necessary that the engine be at 
operating temperature, e.g. after uninterrupted 
driving for at least approx. 6.5 miles/10 km. You 
can have the oil level displayed while you are 
driving, or while the vehicle is at a standstill on a 
level surface and the engine is running.
Display in the instrument cluster
1.Lightly push button 1 in the turn indicator 
stalk up or down repeatedly until the appro-
priate symbol is shown in the display, 
accompanied by the word "OIL".
2.Press button 2 in the turn indicator stalk. 
The oil level is checked and the reading dis-
played. 

Mobility
 205Reference
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Entertainment
Replacing components
Onboard tool kit
The onboard tool kit is stored in a compartment 
on the right-hand side of the luggage compart-
ment. Remove the cover.
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.<
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 
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-
c e n t  l e n s e s  s e r v e  a s  t h e  l i g h t  s o u r c e  f o r  m a n y  o f  
the controls and displays in your vehicle. These 
light-emitting diodes, which operate using a 
concept similar to that applied in conventional  

Replacing components
206 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:
1.Turn the wheel inwards.
2.Open the flap in the wheel well. To do so, 
turn the fastener counterclockwise using a 
coin, for example.
Changing low-beam and high-beam 
bulbs
1.Remove the relevant cover for the head-
lamp.
2.Disconnect the plug from the lamp. 

Giving and receiving assistance
214 headlamps, tail lamps, turn signal indicators and 
windshield wipers may be unavailable. If the 
electrical system fails, do not attempt to tow-
start or tow away the car. The electric steering 
wheel lock cannot be disengaged and the car is 
not steerable. Jump starting, refer to page212. 
Power steering assistance is not available when 
the engine is not running. Thus, braking and 
steering will require increased effort.<
Switch on the hazard warning flashers, depend-
ing on local regulations.
Manual transmission
Gearshift lever in idle position.
Automatic transmission
Selector lever in position N.
Changing selector lever positions, refer to 
page57.
Do not exceed a towing speed of 45 mph 
or 70 km/h and a towing distance of 
90 miles/150 km, otherwise the automatic 
transmission may be damaged.<
Sequential manual gearbox SMG
With the ignition switched on, engage selector 
lever position N, and then switch the ignition 
back off.
Towing with a tow bar
The towing vehicle must not be lighter 
than the towed vehicle, otherwise it may 
be impossible to maintain control.<
The tow fittings used should be on the same 
side on both vehicles. Should it prove impossi-
ble to avoid mounting the tow bar at an angle, 
please observe the following:
>Clearance and maneuvering capability will 
be sharply limited during cornering.
>The tow bar will generate lateral forces if it is 
attached offset.
Attach the tow bar to the tow fittings only, 
as attaching it to other parts of the vehicle 
could result in damage.<
Towing with a tow rope
When starting off in the towing vehicle, make 
sure that the tow rope is taut.
To avoid jerking and the associated 
stresses on vehicle components when 
towing, always use nylon ropes or nylon straps. 
Attach the tow rope to the tow fittings only, as 
attaching it to other parts of the vehicle could 
result in damage.<
Towing with a tow truck
323i*, 325i, 330i
Have the BMW transported with a tow truck 
with a so-called lift bar or on a flat bed.
Do not lift the vehicle by a tow fitting or 
body and chassis parts, otherwise dam-
age may result.<
325xi, 330xi
Do not tow a BMW with xDrive with just 
the front or rear axle raised, otherwise the 
wheels could lock up and the transfer case 
could be damaged.<
Have the BMW transported on a flatbed surface 
only. 

Reference 221
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Capacities
Notes
Fuel tank US gal/liters approx. 16.1/61 Fuel grade: page187
including reserve of US gal/liters approx. 2.1/8.0
Window washer systemFor more details: page60
including headlamp washers US quarts/liters approx. 6.3/6.0
Engine with oil filter renewal US quarts/liters approx. 6.9/6.5 BMW High Performance
Synthetic Oil
Oil grades: page201 

Reference 227
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Audio device, 
external107,162
"Audio" tone settings145
"Auto. headlamps"94
Automatic
– air distribution98
– air flow rate98
– cruise control60,62
– headlamp control93
– service notification179
– storing of stations149
Automatic climate control97
– automatic air distribution98
– settings via iDrive98
Automatic curb monitor46
"Automatic programs" with 
automatic climate control99
Automatic recirculated-air 
control AUC99
Automatic station search149
Automatic transmission with 
Steptronic57
– interlock57
– overriding selector lever 
lock58
– shiftlock57
– sport program58
"Automatic ventilation"101
AUTO program for automatic 
climate control98
"Autostore"
– on the radio150
AUX-IN162
– port107
Average fuel consumption71
– setting the units73
Average speed70
"Avoid ferries" in 
navigation135
"Avoid highways" in 
navigation135
Avoid highways in 
navigation135
Avoiding unintentional 
alarms35
"Avoid tollroads" in 
navigation135
Axle loads, refer to 
Weights220"A - Z"172
B
Backrests, refer to Seats40
Backrest width adjustment42
Back seats
– refer to Rear seats
Backup lamps
– replacing bulbs208
Backup lamps, refer to Tail 
lamps207
Balance, tone control145
Band-aids, refer to First-aid 
pouch212
Bar, refer to Tow-starting, 
towing away214
Bass, tone control145
Bass sounds, refer to Tone 
control145
Bass sounds, refer to Treble 
and bass145
Battery209
– charging209
– disposal37,209
– jump starting212
– temporary power failure209
Battery renewal
– remote control37
Being towed213
Belts, refer to Safety belts45
Belt tensioner, refer to Safety 
belts45
Beverage holders, refer to 
Cup holders107
Black ice, refer to Outside 
temperature warning69
Blower, refer to Air flow 
rate99
BMW Assist178
– enabling178
– services offered179
"BMW Contact"182
"BMW Contact 
Numbers"182
BMW Homepage4
BMW Maintenance 
System203
"BMW Service"180"BMW Service settings"179
BMW webpage4
Bottle holders, refer to Cup 
holders107
Brake assist, refer to Dynamic 
Brake Control84
Brake fluid202
– level too low202
– warning lamp202
Brake fluid, refer to Service 
requirements74
Brake Force Display90
Brake hydraulics, refer to 
Brakes202
Brake lamps
– Brake Force Display90
– replacing bulbs208
Brake pads, breaking in116
Brake rotors118
– brakes116
– breaking in116
Brakes
– ABS84
– BMW Maintenance 
System203
– brake fluid202
– brake pads202
– breaking in116
– handbrake54
– service requirements74
Brakes, refer to Braking 
safely117
Brake system116
– BMW Maintenance 
System203
– brake fluid202
– brake pads202
– breaking in116
– disc brakes118
Breakdown services, refer to 
Roadside Assistance211
Breaking in
– sequential manual gearbox 
SMG116
Breaking in the clutch116
Breaking in the 
differential116
Break-in period116