2006 BMW 525XI ignition

Controls
43Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Adjustments
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In the
interaction with the safety belts, the head
restraints and the airbags, the seat position
plays an important role in an accident. To
ensure that the safety systems operate with
optimal efficiency, we strongly urge you to
observe the instructions contained in the fol-
lowing section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page52.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance
between yourself and the airbags. Always
hold the steering wheel by its rim with hands at
the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions, to mini-
mize the risk of injuries to your hands and arms
in the event of airbag deployment.
No one and nothing is to come between the air-
bags and the seat occupant.
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the
front passenger side as a storage area. Make
sure that the front passenger is sitting correctly
and does not rest feet or legs on the instrument
panel, otherwise leg injuries can occur if the
front airbag is triggered.
Make sure that occupants do not rest their head
on the side or head airbag, otherwise injuries
can occur if the airbags are triggered.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions, inju-
ries resulting from contact with airbags cannot
be fully excluded, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may
provoke a mild hearing loss in extremely sensi-
tive individuals. This effect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information
on airbags, refer to page90.
Head restraints
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of spinal injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint so that its center
is approx. at ear level. Otherwise there is
increased danger of injury in the event of an
accident.<
Safety belts
Before every drive, make sure that safety belts
are being worn at all of the occupied seats. Air-
bags complement the safety belt as an addi-
tional safety device, but they do not represent a
substitute.
Your vehicle is provided with five seats, which
are all equipped with a safety belt.
Never allow more than one person to
wear a single safety belt. Never allow
infants or small children to ride in a passenger's
lap. Pregnant women should also always wear a
safety belt and make sure that the belt rests low
on the hips in the lap area, and does not press
against the abdomen. Do not route the belt
across your neck, or run it across sharp edges.
Be sure that the belt does not become caught
or jammed. Make sure that the safety belt is
securely fastened across the lap and shoulders,
as close to the body as possible without it being
twisted or tangled. Be sure not to route it over
solid or breakable objects, otherwise the belt
can slip over the hips in the lap area in a frontal
impact and injure the abdomen. Avoid wearing
clothing that prevents the belt from fitting prop-
erly and pull the belt in the upper body area peri-
odically to readjust the tension, in order to avoid
a reduction in the restraint of the safety belt.
Sports Wagon: if the middle safety belt in the
rear is used, the larger seatback half must be
locked, refer to page111, otherwise the middle
safety belt has no restraining action.<
For instructions on operating safety belts, refer
to page47.

Controls
45Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
The upper hips and spinal column receive sup-
plementary support to help you maintain a
relaxed, upright sitting position.
>Increase or decrease curvature: push
switch forward or back.
>Shift curvature up or down: push switch up
or down.
Adjusting active backrest width*
First set a comfortable backrest width, see
above. Based on the backrest width set, the lat-
eral support is automatically adapted to the cur-
rent driving situation.
The adaptation of the backrest width and the
speed of the adjustment vary depending on the
program. You can select from among three pro-
grams from comfort to sport.
Press program button once:
>"Comfort" program: one LED
>"Normal" program: two LEDs
>"Sport" program: three LEDs
To switch off: press button longer.
Easy entry/exit*
To facilitate entry and exit, the backrest width
temporarily opens all the way.
Seat, mirror and steering
wheel memory*
You can store and request two different posi-
tions for the driver's seat and passenger seat
*,
external rearview mirrors, and steering wheel.
The adjustment of the lumbar support is not
stored in the memory.
Storing
1.Switch on radio readiness or ignition, refer
to page56.
2.Set the desired seat, exterior mirror and
steering wheel positions.
3.Press the button:
The LED in the button lights up.
4.Press the desired memory button1 or2:
The LED goes out.
Requesting
Do not request a position from the mem-
ory while the vehicle is moving. There is a
risk of accident from unexpected movement of
the seat or steering wheel.<
Convenience mode
1.Open the driver's door after unlocking or
switch on radio readiness.
2.Briefly press the desired memory button1
or2.
The system immediately cancels the
adjustment procedure when you briefly
press one of the seat adjustment buttons or
one of the memory buttons.

Controls
49Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Active seat ventilation*
The system progresses one step through the
control sequence each time you press the but-
ton.
To switch off: press the button longer.
The highest position with three LEDs is
used for rapid cooling, e.g. when the vehi-
cle has gotten heated up. After a short time, the
system is automatically switched down one
position in order to prevent excessive cooling.<
Active seat*
The seat cushion is actively varied by alter-
nately raising and lowering the right and left half
of the seat cushion. This reduces muscular ten-
sion and fatigue to help prevent lower back
pain.
Press the button to switch on; the LED lights
up.
If you switch off the active seat, it can take up to
1 minute before the two halves of the seat
cushion have returned to their initial position.
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors
The mirror on the passenger's side is
more curved than the driver's mirror.
Objects reflected in the mirror are closer than
they appear. Do not estimate the distance of
following traffic based what you see in the mir-
rors, otherwise there is an increased accident
risk.<
1Adjustments
2Switching to the other mirror or to the auto-
matic parking function, refer to Tilting down
passenger-side exterior mirror on page50
Storing the mirror positions, refer to Seat, mir-
ror and steering wheel memory on page45.
Manual adjustment
You can also adjust the mirrors manually by
pressing against the outer edges of their mirror
glass.
Folding mirrors in and out
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
Both exterior mirrors are automatically heated
with the engine running or the ignition switched
on.

Adjustments
50
Tilting down passenger-side exterior
mirror – automatic parking function*
Activating
1.Slide switch into the driver's side mirror
position, arrow 1.
2.Engage reverse gear or selector lever posi-
tion R.
The mirror glass tilts downward somewhat
on the passenger's side. This allows the
driver to see the area immediately adjacent
to the vehicle – such as a curb – when park-
ing, etc.
Deactivating
Slide switch into the passenger side mirror
position, arrow 2.
Interior rearview mirror
To reduce the dazzle effect of following vehi-
cles at night, turn the knob.
Automatically dimming mirrors
*, refer to
page117.
Steering wheel
Adjustments
Do not adjust the steering wheel while the
vehicle is moving. There is a risk of acci-
dent as the result of unexpected movement.<
The steering wheel can be adjusted in four
directions.
Storing steering wheel positions, refer to Seat,
mirror and steering wheel memory on page45.
Electric steering wheel lock
The steering wheel locks or unlocks automati-
cally when the remote control is removed or
inserted, refer to page56.
Easy entry/exit*
To facilitate entry and exit, the steering wheel
temporarily moves into the uppermost position.
Steering wheel heater*
Press the button with the ignition switched on.
When the steering wheel heater is operating,
the LED in the button lights up.

Driving
56
Driving
Ignition lock
Insert the remote control as far as possible into
the ignition lock.
>Radio readiness switches on.
Some current consumers are ready for
operation.
>The electric steering-wheel lock audibly
unlocks.
Before moving the vehicle, insert the
remote control into the ignition lock,
otherwise the electric steering-wheel lock will
not be unlocked and the vehicle cannot be
steered.<
Removing remote control from ignition
lock
Briefly press in the remote control; it is pushed
out somewhat.
At the same time:
>The ignition is switched off if it was still
switched on.
>The electric steering-wheel lock audibly
locks.
Automatic transmission
The remote control can only be removed when
the selector lever position P is selected: inter-
lock.
Start/Stop button
Briefly pressing the Start/Stop button several
times switches the radio readiness or the igni-
tion on and off.
Briefly pressing the Start/Stop button
with the brake or clutch pedal depressed
starts the engine.<
Radio readiness
Some current consumers are ready for opera-
tion. The time and outside temperature are dis-
played in the instrument cluster.
Radio readiness is automatically switched off:
>immediately when the remote control is
removed from the ignition lock
>with comfort access
* by touching the sen-
sitive surface on the door handle, refer to
Locking on page38
Ignition on
Most indicator and warning lamps in the display
area1 of the instrument cluster, refer to
page13, light up for different periods.
Radio readiness and ignition off
All indicator and warning lamps in the instru-
ment cluster go out.

Controls
57Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Starting 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, as such a vehicle represents a
potential safety hazard.
Before leaving the vehicle with the engine run-
ning, set the selector lever to the idling or the
P position and set the handbrake, otherwise the
vehicle can begin to roll.<
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.
Manual transmission
1.Apply the handbrake.
2.Depress the clutch pedal and select the
idling position.
3.Briefly press Start/Stop button.
The system responds by automatically engag-
ing the starter for a certain period and automat-
ically disengaging it as soon as the engine
starts.
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic*
1.Depress brake pedal.
2.Briefly press the Start/Stop button.
The system responds by automatically engag-
ing the starter for a certain period and automat-ically disengaging it as soon as the engine
starts.
SMG Sequential Manual Gearbox*
1.Depress brake pedal.
2.Engage the selector lever position N and
make sure that this position is also indi-
cated in the instrument cluster.
3.Briefly press Start/Stop button.
The system responds by automatically engag-
ing the starter for a certain period and automat-
ically disengaging it as soon as the engine
starts.
If the engine fails to start, depress the
brake pedal and press the selector lever
to the right then engage the position N. Watch
the display in the instrument cluster while doing
so.<
Special starting conditions
Depress the accelerator pedal half way when
starting the engine in the following situations:
>The engine fails to start on the first attempt,
e.g. if it is very hot or cold.
>The engine is started at very low tempera-
tures, below approx. + 57/– 156, at high
altitudes, over 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 engine
Do not remove the remote control from
the ignition lock while the vehicle is roll-
ing, otherwise the steering wheel lock would
engage while steering.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
remote control with you. When parking on a
downhill slope, apply the handbrake, otherwise
the vehicle could roll.<

Controls
59Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Reverse gear
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
When pressing the gearshift lever to the left,
overcome some resistance.
The backup lamps switch on automatically with
the ignition switched on.
SMG Sequential Manual
Gearbox*
The concept
The SMG Sequential Manual Gearbox is an
automated manual transmission in which an
electrohydraulic system handles the clutching
and gear changes.
You operate SMG with the selector lever in the
center console and two shift paddles on the
steering wheel.
It offers you the following functions:
>Optional manual or automatic operation:
Sequential mode or Drive mode
>You have a choice of two driving programs:
Normal or Sport, refer to Dynamic Driving
Control page60
>Automatic downshifting and prevention of
incorrect shifting even in sequential opera-
tion
>Acceleration assistant, refer to page61.
Selector lever positions
The current selector lever position is displayed
on the center console.
>R: Reverse gear
>N: Neutral>One-touch functions for Sequential mode:
+: manual upshifting
–: manual downshifting
>D: activate/deactivate the Drive mode
The transmission automatically shifts
into N if the driver's door is opened with
the engine running and neither the pedals, the
shift paddles nor the selector lever are oper-
ated.
This is indicated by an acoustic signal and the
flashing display N in the instrument cluster.<
Gear display
R N 1 to 6
The currently engaged gear is displayed, pre-
ceded by a D in Drive mode.
It is only possible to recognize whether
the desired selector lever position is
engaged with this display.<
Shiftlock
Press the brake pedal before shifting out of N;
the shift command will not be executed unless
the brake is applied.
R Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
Sequential mode
After every engine start, as soon as the selector
lever is pushed to the right and the brake pedal
is pressed, the Sequential mode is activated.
You can shift up and down using the shifting
paddles or the selector lever. You do not need
to remove your foot from the accelerator to do
so.

Controls
65Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
One lever for all functions
1Maintaining speed, storing speed, and
accelerating
2Maintaining speed, storing speed, and
decelerating
3Interrupting cruise control
4Resuming stored speed
Maintaining speed, storing speed,
and accelerating
Press lever to resistance point, arrow 1:
The speed currently being driven is maintained
and stored. The display1 in the speedometer,
see below, indicates this regulated speed.
Every time you press the lever, the vehicle's
speed increases by roughly 1 mph/1 km/h.
Press lever to resistance point for a longer time:
The vehicle accelerates without pressure on
the accelerator pedal. The system maintains
and stores your current speed as soon as you
release the lever.
Press the lever beyond the resistance point:
increase speed by 5 mph/10 km/h.
If, on a downhill grade, the engine's braking
effect is not sufficient, the controlled speed can
be exceeded. Speed can drop on uphill grades if
the engine output is insufficient.
Maintaining speed, storing speed, and
decelerating
Pull the lever, arrow2:
Functions are the same as1, only the vehicle
speed is reduced.
Interrupting cruise control
Press the lever up or down, arrow3.
In addition, cruise control is automatically deac-
tivated:
>When the brakes are applied
>When the clutch pedal is depressed or the
automatic transmission/SMG is shifted into
the N position
>When the DSC comes on
Resuming stored speed
Press button4:
The stored speed is resumed and maintained.
Deactivating system
When the ignition is switched off, the system is
deactivated and the stored speed is deleted.
Displays in instrument cluster
1Stored desired speed
2Selected desired speed appears briefly
Active cruise control*
The concept
With active cruise control, you can select a
desired speed which is not only automatically
maintained when driving on open roadways, but
also varied to maintain a selected distance set-
ting as slower traffic is encountered.
Active cruise control is technologically
advanced over the familiar cruise control and is
a welcome relief from the constant adjustment
of speed that can accompany driving in traffic
on freeways or other high-speed thorough-