2006 BMW 525I tow

Practical interior accessories
110 transported cargo could enter the vehicle dur-
ing braking or evasive maneuvers and endanger
the vehicle occupants.<
The lashing eyes in the luggage compartment
provide you with a way to attach luggage com-
partment nets
* or flexible straps for securing
suitcases and luggage, refer to page120.
Ski bag*
Designed for safe, clean transport of up to
4 pairs of standard skis or up to 2 snowboards.
With the ski bag you can stow skis with a length
o f u p t o 6 . 9 f t / 2 . 1 0 m . W h e n s k i s o f 6 . 9 f t / 2 . 1 0 m
in length are loaded, the ski bag will tend to con-
tract, reducing its overall capacity.
Loading
1.Fold down the center armrest, press the
button and open the cover.
2.Press the button again; the cover in the lug-
gage compartment opens. If you press the
button firmly the first time, this also opens
the cover in the luggage compartment.
3.Extend the ski bag between the front seats
and fill it. The zipper facilitates access to the
stowed items and drying of the ski bag.4.Insert the latch plate of the ski bag retaining
strap into the center safety belt buckle that
is marked CENTER.
Make sure to load only cleans skis into the ski
bag. Wrap sharp edges to prevent damage.
Securing cargo
After loading, secure the ski bag and its con-
tents. Tighten the retaining strap on the ten-
sioning buckle for this purpose.
Secure the ski bag in this way. If you fail to
do so, it could endanger occupants dur-
ing braking or evasive maneuvers.<
To store the ski bag, perform the above steps in
reverse order.
Removing ski bag
The ski bag can be completely removed, e.g. for
faster drying or to allow you to put it to other
uses.

Controls
111Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1.Pull the handle forward and pull the ski bag
up and out.
2.Close the cover in the luggage compart-
ment.
Your BMW center will be glad to provide
you with more detailed information on the
various items of equipment.<
Sports Wagon: cargo area
Cargo area cover
Pull out the cover and hook it into the brackets.
You can carry light objects such as items of
clothing on the cover.
Do not place heavy or hard objects on the
c o v e r . If y o u d o s o , t h e y m a y a l r ea d y p o s e
a danger to vehicle occupants during braking or
evasive maneuvers.
Do not allow the cover to snap back, otherwise
it may be damaged.<
When opening the rear window or tail-
gate, the cargo area cover is raised.
Before closing the rear window or tailgate,
press down the cover until it engages.<
Increasing cargo area
The rear backrest is divided into one-third/two-
thirds. You can fold over both sides individually
to increase the cargo area.
Grasp into the recess and pull toward the front.
When you fold back into the seating posi-
tion, be sure that the catch engages
securely. The red warning indicator disappears
in the recess when the catch is engaged. If it is
not properly engaged, transported cargo could
enter the passenger compartment during brak-
ing or evasive maneuvers and endanger the
vehicle occupants.<
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
please observe the safety belt information on
page43.<
Separation net
Do not allow the separation net to snap
back, otherwise there is a risk of injury
and the separation net may be damaged.<
With normal cargo area
Pull the separation net out of the case by the
loop. Grasp the rod on both sides and insert it in
the brackets, arrow1. This is best carried out
from the rear seat.

Driving tips
119Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
damage the vehicle and produce unstable
vehicle operating conditions.<
2.Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3.Subtract the combined weight of the driver
and passengers from XXX lbs. or YYY kg.
4.The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load capacity.
For example, if the XXX amount equals
1,400 lbs. and there will be five 150-lb. pas-
sengers in your vehicle, the amount of avail-
able cargo and luggage load capacity is
650 lbs.:
1,400 Ibs. minus 750 Ibs. = 650 lbs.
5.Determine the combined weight of luggage
and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That
weight may not safely exceed the available
cargo and luggage load capacity calculated
in step 4.
6.If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, part of
the load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult the manual for
transporting a trailer to determine how this
may reduce the available cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.
Load
The permissible load is the total of the weight of
occupants and cargo/luggage. The greater the
weight of occupants, the less cargo/luggage
can be transported.
Stowing cargo
>Load heavy cargo as far forward and as low
as possible, placing it directly behind the
seat back.
>Cover sharp edges and corners.
>For very heavy cargo when the rear seat is
not occupied, secure each safety belt in the
opposite buckle.
>Do not pile objects higher than the top edge
of the backrest.
>Sports Wagon:
Pull out the partition net, refer to page111,
and ensure that carried items cannot pass
through the partition net.
Wrap sharp-edged of pointed objects which
could strike the rear window while driving.

Things to remember when driving
120
Securing cargo
>Use the luggage net*, luggage straps, or
securing straps to hold down small and
lightweight luggage and cargo.
>Heavy-duty cargo straps
* for securing
larger and heavier objects are available at
your BMW center. Four lashing eyes
mounted in the luggage compartment or
cargo area are used to secure these heavy-
duty cargo straps, refer to illustration.
>Please observe the special instructions
supplied with the heavy-duty cargo straps.
Always position and secure the load as
described above. If you do not, it can
endanger the passengers during braking or
evasive maneuvers.
Use only the lashing eyes to secure heavy-duty
cargo straps, refer to illustration, otherwise the
cargo straps could become detached or the
vehicle could be damaged.
Never exceed either the approved gross vehicle
weight or either of the approved axle loads, refer
to page221, as excessive loads can pose a
safety hazard, and may also place you in viola-
tion of traffic safety laws.
You should never transport heavy or hard
objects unsecured in the passenger compart-
ment, as they could fly around and pose a safety
hazard to the vehicle's occupants during abrupt
braking or evasive maneuvers.<
Roof-mounted luggage rack*
A special rack system is available as an option
for your BMW. Please comply with the precau-
tions included with the installation instructions.
Mounting points
The mounting points are located in the door
openings or on the roof rails
*.
Loading roof-mounted luggage rack
Because roof racks raise the vehicle's center of
gravity when loaded, they have a major effect on
its handling and steering response.
You should therefore always remember not to
exceed the approved roof load capacity, the
approved gross vehicle weight or the axle loads
when loading the rack.
You can find the specified weights under
Weights on page221 ff.
The load on the roof must be evenly distributed
and must not extend outward beyond the limits
of the loading surface. Always stow the heaviest
pieces at the bottom. Be sure that adequate
clearance is maintained for raising the glass
sunroof, and that objects do not project into the
opening path of the luggage compartment lid/
tailgate.
Secure roof-mounted cargo correctly and
securely to prevent it from shifting or falling off
during the trip.
Drive smoothly. Avoid sudden acceleration and
braking maneuvers. Take corners gently.

Navigation
Driving tips
125Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Destination entry
In entering your destination you can select from
among the following options:
>Entering a destination manually, see below
>Entering destination via voice*, refer to
page128
>Selecting destination using information,
refer to page130
>Selecting destination from a list, refer to
Destination list, page131
>Selecting destination from address book,
refer to page132
>Selecting home address, refer to page134
After selecting your destination you can pro-
ceed to start the destination guidance, refer to
page136.
Operating navigation system
Enter data only when the vehicle is sta-
tionary, and always give priority to the
applicable traffic regulations in the event of any
contradiction between traffic and road condi-
tions and the instructions issued by the naviga-
tion system. If you do not observe this precau-
tion, you may be in violation of the law, and can
endanger vehicle occupants and other road
users.<
iDrive, for principle details, refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller to the right to open
"Navigation".3.Select "Navigation" and press the control-
ler.
Entering a destination
manually
The system's word-matching principle makes it
easier for you to enter the names of streets or
towns, refer to page135. This allows you to
enter different spellings and completes your
entry automatically so that stored names can be
called up quickly.
1.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Navigation" is selected and
press the controller.
"New destination" is selected.
2.Press the controller.
3.Change to the second field from the top if
necessary. Turn the controller until "Enter
address" is selected and press the control-
ler.

Destination entry
126 The system also supports you with the follow-
ing features:
>If you do not enter a street, the system will
guide you to the downtown area of a town or
city.
>You can skip the entry of country and local-
ity if the current entries should be retained
for your new destination.
Selecting country
1.Select "State / Province" or the displayed
country and press the controller.
The list of available countries appears on
the display.
2.Select the country of destination and press
the controller.
In order to be able to start the destination guid-
ance, at least the town/city of the destination or
its zip code must be entered.
Entering destination via town/city
name
1.Select "Town / City" or the displayed town/
city and press the controller.
2.Select the starting letter and press control-
ler.
A list of all towns/cities starting with this let-
ter appears on the Control Display.
3.To delete the letter entered if necessary:
>Delete individual numbers or letters:
Move controller toward the right to
select , and press controller.
>Delete all numbers or letters:
Move controller toward the right to
select , and hold the controller
down.
4.If necessary, input more letters.
The list gradually grows smaller each time
you enter a new letter.
>Enter blank space if necessary:
Select the symbol and press the con-
troller.
5.Change to the third field from the top if nec-
essary. Turn the controller until the town or

Navigation
Driving tips
127Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
city name is selected from the list and press
the controller.
Inputting destination by zip code
1.Select "Town / City" and press the control-
ler.
2.Input the zip code:
Select the desired digits and press the con-
troller.
>Enter blank space if necessary:
Select the symbol and press the con-
troller.
>Delete individual numbers or letters:
Move the controller toward the right to
select , and press the controller.
>Delete all numbers or letters:
Move controller toward the right to
select , and hold the controller
down.
3.Select the zip code and press the controller.
The corresponding destination is displayed.
4.Change into the third field from the top.
Turn the controller until the destination is
selected and press the controller.
Entering street, house number and
intersection
After the street you can also enter the intersec-
tion or the house number.
Entering street and intersection
1.Select "Street" or the displayed street and
press the controller.
2.Enter the street.
The street is entered exactly like the desti-
nation.
The intersection is entered in the same way as
the street.
Entering a street without entering
destination
You can also enter a street without entering a
destination. In this case all streets of the
entered country are offered for selection. The
related town/city is displayed after the street
name.
If a town/city has already been entered, you can
undo this entry. This may be practical if the
desired street does not exist in the entered des-
tination, because, for example, it belongs to
another part of the town/city.

Navigation
Driving tips
129Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Selecting country
Say the country of destination in the language
of the voice command system.
Entering destination
To enter the destination, spell it using the
orthography of the country of destination.
Say the letters smoothly and at normal volume,
avoiding excessive emphasis and pauses.
The system can suggest up to 20 desti-
nations that match your entries. Up to
6 entries are displayed at once on the Con-
trol Display.
The town/city can also be selected from the list
via iDrive:
Turn the controller until the destination is
selected and press the controller.
Entering street and house number
The street is entered in the same way as the
destination.
To enter the house number:
Up to 4-digit house numbers can be entered.
Starting destination guidance
Destination guidance starts immediately.
Saving destination
The destination is added to the destination list
or can be saved in the address book.
Map-guided destination
selection
If you only know the location of the town or
street of the destination, then you can input the
destination by using a map. You can use the
cursor to localize the destination on the map
and then adopt it into the destination guidance.
1.Select "Navigation" and press the control-
ler.
"New destination" is selected.
2.Press the controller. Say country of destination.
1.Spell town/city name:
Say at least the first three letters of the
destination. The more letters you say,
the more exactly the system recognizes
the town/city.
A destination is suggested by the system.
2.Select location:
Select {Yes}
or
Select other town/city:
{No}
Select entry, e.g. {Entry 3}
The following options are available:
{Next page}: additional entries of the
list are displayed.
{Repeat}: the town/city can be
respelled.
Say the house number.
{Start guidance}
{Add to destination list} or
{add to address book}