2006 BMW 550I SEDAN steering wheel

Adjustments
48
Safety feature
1.Close the driver's door and switch the igni-
tion on or off.
2.Press the desired memory button1 or2
and maintain pressure until the adjustment
process has been completed.
If the button was pressed inadvertently:
press the button again; the LED goes out.
Activating with remote control
The last positions of the driver's seat, the exter-
nal rearview mirrors, and steering wheel are
stored for the remote key currently in use.
You can choose when the position is requested:
>Request when unlocking vehicle
>Request when opening driver's door
iDrive, for explanation of principle, refer to
page16.
1.Open the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the
controller.
4.Select "Door locks" and press the control-
ler.
5.Select "Central locking" and press the con-
troller.
6.Select "Last seat pos." and press the con-
troller.7.Select "After unlocking" or "After door
opened".
8.Press the controller.
To cancel the request:
Select "Deactivated" and press the controller.
When using this feature, always make
sure that the footwell behind the driver's
seat is empty and unobstructed. Failure to do
so could cause injury to persons or damage to
objects behind the seat as a result of a rearward
movement of the seat.<
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.<
Front seats: height adjustment
You can adjust the height of the head restraints
electrically.
Front seats: angle adjustment
Swivel the head restraint.

Controls
51Reference
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 on what you see in the
mirrors, otherwise there is an increased acci-
dent risk.<
1Adjustments
2Switching to the other mirror or to the auto-
matic parking function
Storing the mirror positions, refer to Seat, mir-
ror and steering wheel memory on page47.
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
Below a certain outdoor temperature, both
exterior mirrors are automatically heated when
the motor is running or the ignition is switched
on.

Adjustments
52
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
page125.
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 page47.
Electric steering wheel lock
The steering wheel locks or unlocks automati-
cally when the remote control is removed or
inserted, refer to page58.
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.

Controls
53Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Programmable buttons* on steering
wheel
You can program the buttons individually.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
iDrive, for explanation of principle, refer to
page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the
controller.
4.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Steering wheel buttons" is
selected and press the controller.
A list of different functions appears:
>"Navigation voice instructions"
Voice instructions for the navigation
system
*
>"Air recirculation on / off"
Permanently shutting off outside air,
refer to AUC Automatic recirculated air
control on page108>"Mute on / off"
Mutes the audio sources
>"Monitor on / off"
Switches the Control Display on/off
>"Telephone list"
*
Display/hide phone book or last list of
stored phone numbers
>"HDC on / off"
Switches HDC Hill Descent Control
* on/
off
>"Next entertainment source"
Changes audio source
>"Night Vision on / off"
Switches BMW Night Vision
* on/off
5.Select the desired function and press the
controller.
6.Select the button if necessary and press the
controller.
You can operate the selected function using the
corresponding button.
Operating function
Press the corresponding button on the steering
wheel.
If you have programmed "Navigation voice
instructions" for one of the buttons:
>To switch voice instructions on/off:
Hold the button down.
>To repeat the last voice instruction:
Press the button.

Driving
58
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.
>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:
>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 page39
Ignition on
All current consumers are ready for operation.
The odometer and the trip odometer are dis-
played in the instrument cluster, refer to
page74.
Please switch off the ignition and the cur-
rent consumers which are not required
when the engine is not running to save the bat-
tery.<
Radio readiness and ignition off
All indicator and warning lamps in the instru-
ment cluster go out.

Driving
60
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 incline, apply the
handbrake, as otherwise the vehicle could roll
away.<
Manual transmission
1.Briefly press the Start/Stop button with the
vehicle stopped.
2.Shift into first gear or reverse.
3.Apply the handbrake.
SMG Sequential Manual
Transmission*
1.Apply the handbrake.
2.Engage a driving position.
3.Briefly press the Start/Stop button.
If the position N is engaged when the
engine is switched off, this is pointed out
visually and acoustically.
Automatic transmission*
1.Select the selector lever position P with the
vehicle stopped.
2.Briefly press the Start/Stop button.
Handbrake
The handbrake is primarily intended to prevent
the vehicle from rolling while parked; it brakes
the rear wheels.
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp lights up, and a sig-
nal also sounds when starting off. The
handbrake is applied.
Indicator lamp for Canadian models.
Applying
The lever locks in position automatically.
Releasing
Pull slightly upwards, press the button and
lower the lever.
If exceptional circumstances should
make it necessary to engage the hand-
brake while the vehicle is in motion, do not pull it
too strongly. In doing so, continuously press the
button of the handbrake lever. Otherwise
excessive pressure can lead to the rear wheels
locking up and loss of traction – fishtailing – at
the rear axle.<
To prevent corrosion and one-sided brak-
ing action, occasionally apply the hand-
brake lightly when the vehicle is slowly coming
to a stop if the traffic conditions are suitable.
The brake lamps do not light up when the hand-
brake is applied.<
Manual transmission
While shifting in the 5th/6th gear lane,
press the gearshift lever toward the right,
otherwise accidental shifting into the 3rd or 4th
gear could result in engine damage.<

Controls
61Reference
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.
SMG Sequential Manual
Transmission*
The concept
The SMG Sequential Manual Transmission is
an automated manual transmission in which an
electrohydraulic system handles the clutching
and gear changes.
The SMG is operated with the selector lever
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 page62
>Automatic downshifting and prevention of
incorrect shifting even in Sequential opera-
tion
>Acceleration assistant, refer to page63.
Selector lever positions
>R: Reverse gear
>N: Neutral
>One-touch functions for Sequential mode:
+: manual upshifting
–: manual downshifting
>D: activate/deactivate the Drive modeThe 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 signaled by an acoustic signal and the
flashing display N in the instrument cluster; a
message appears on the Control Display.<
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.
It is also possible to start off in second gear, e. g.
in slippery conditions.

Driving
62 In the following situations, SMG thinks for you:
>Upshifts and downshifts are executed only
when they will result in a plausible combina-
tion of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for
example, a downshift that would cause the
engine to overrev will not be executed by
the system.
>When the vehicle is stationary, the trans-
mission automatically downshifts into first
gear.
>Shortly before dropping below a gear-
dependent minimum speed, the transmis-
sion downshifts automatically even without
your intervention.
D Drive mode
In the Drive mode, all forward gears are shifted
automatically.
Shifting from Sequential mode to Drive mode:
press selector lever to the right toward D.
Kick-down: for rapid acceleration, e. g. when
passing, press the accelerator pedal as far
down as it will go. You achieve maximum accel-
eration.
To switch back into the Sequential mode: press
selector lever to the right again toward D or shift
using the shifting paddles or the selector lever.
Start off quickly on slopes. Do not hold
the vehicle on a hill by pressing the accel-
erator, but apply the handbrake instead. Other-
wise overheating can occur in the transmission
region.<
Gear changes
Using selector lever
>To upshift, pull the selector lever back.
>To downshift, push the selector lever for-
ward.
Using shift paddles on steering wheel
>To upshift, pull one of the shift paddles.
>To downshift, press.
Dynamic Driving Control
The Dynamic Driving Control makes it possible
for your BMW to react in an even more perfor-
mance-oriented manner at the push of a button:
>The engine responds more spontaneously
to accelerator pedal movements.
>Gearshifts are faster.
>The engine speed range is used optimally in
the Drive mode.
>Cruise control
*:
The stored speed is reached more quickly
when it is requested.
Activating system
Press the SPORT button.
The LED in the button lights up and SPORT is
displayed in the instrument cluster.
Deactivating system
Press the SPORT button again.
The LED in the button and SPORT in the instru-
ment cluster go out.