2006 BMW 650I COUPE steering

Driving tips
115Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Mobile communications devices in
vehicle
BMW advises against using mobile com-
munications devices, e.g. mobile phones,
inside the vehicle without a direct connection
to an external antenna. Otherwise, the vehicle
electronics and mobile communications device
can interfere with one another. In addition, there
is no assurance that the radiation emitted dur-
ing transmission will be conveyed out of the
vehicle interior.<
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce road speed. If you do not, a wedge
of water can form between tires and road sur-
face. This phenomenon is referred to as hydro-
planing, and is characterized by a partial or
complete loss of contact between the tires and
the road surface, ultimately undermining your
ability to steer and brake the vehicle.<
The risk of hydroplaning increases as the tread
depth of the tires decreases, also refer to Mini-
mum tire tread on page187.
Driving through water
Do not drive through water on the road if
it is deeper than 1 ft/30 cm, and then only
at walking speed at the most. Otherwise, the
vehicle's engine, electrical systems and trans-
mission may be damaged.<
Using handbrake on inclines
On inclines, do not hold the vehicle with
the clutch; use the handbrake. Otherwise
greater clutch wear will result.<
SMG Sequential Manual Gearbox
Start off quickly on slopes. Do not hold
the vehicle on a hill by applying the throt-
tle, but engage the handbrake instead. Other-
wise overheating can occur in the transmission
region.<
Starting assistant
The starting assistant enables you to start off
conveniently on slopes. The parking brake is
not required for this purpose.
1.Hold the vehicle with the footbrake.
2.Release the footbrake and immediately
drive off quickly.
The starting assistant holds the vehicle
for approx. 2 seconds after releasing the
footbrake. Depending on the load, the vehicle
may also roll back slightly during this time.
After releasing the footbrake, immediately start
quickly; otherwise, the starting assistant no
longer holds the vehicle after approx. 2 seconds
and it begins to roll back.<
Braking safely
Your BMW is equipped with ABS as a standard
feature. In situations that require it, it is best to
brake with full force. Since the vehicle maintains
steering responsiveness, you can still avoid
possible obstacles with a minimum of steering
effort.
Pulsation at the brake pedal combines with
sounds from the hydraulic circuits to indicate to
the driver that ABS is in its active mode.
Do not drive with your foot resting on the
brake pedal. Even light but consistent
pedal pressure can lead to high temperatures,
brake wear and possibly even brake failure.<
Driving in wet conditions
When driving on wet roads or in heavy rain, it is
a good idea to apply light pressure to the brake
pedal every few miles. Monitor traffic conditions
to ensure that this maneuver does not endan-
ger other road users. The heat generated in this
process helps dry the pads and rotors to ensure
that full braking efficiency will then be available
when you need it.
Hills
To prevent overheating and thus reduced
efficiency of the brake system, downshift
to a gear in which only minimal brake applica-
tions are needed when descending long or

Things to remember when driving
116 steep downhill stretches. Even light but consis-
tent pedal pressure can lead to high tempera-
tures, brake wear and possibly even brake fail-
ure.<
The braking action of the engine can be further
increased by downshifting in the manual mode
of the automatic transmission, possibly as far as
first gear, refer to page63. This prevents an
excessive load on the brakes.
Do not drive with the clutch depressed, in
idle or with the engine switched off; other-
wise, there will be no engine braking action or
power-assisted braking and steering.
Never allow floor mats, carpets or any other
objects to protrude into the area of movement
of the pedals and impair their operation.<
Corrosion on brake rotors
When the vehicle is driven only occasionally,
during extended periods when the vehicle is not
used at all, and in operating conditions where
brake applications are less frequent, there is an
increased tendency for corrosion to form on
rotors, while contaminants accumulate on the
brake pads. This occurs because the minimum
pressure which must be exerted by the pads
during brake applications to clean the rotors is
not reached.
Should corrosion form on the brake rotors, the
brakes will tend to respond with a pulsating
effect that even extended application will fail to
cure.
When vehicle is parked
Condensation forms in the automatic climate
control during operation, and then exits under
the vehicle. Traces of condensed water under
the vehicle are therefore normal.
Before driving into a car wash
To prevent the exterior mirrors on this vehicle
from being damaged, always fold them in by
hand before entering an automatic car wash.
With comfort access and automatic
transmission
Insert the remote control into the ignition lock.
The engine can be switched off in the selector
lever position N. Also refer to page37.
Cargo loading
To avoid loading the tires beyond their
approved carrying capacity, never over-
load the vehicle. Overloading can lead to over-
heating and increases the rate at which damage
develops inside the tires. The ultimate result
can assume the form of a sudden blow-out.<
Determining loading limit
1.Locate the following statement on your
vehicle's placard
*:
The combined weight of occupants
and cargo should never exceed
XXX lbs. or YYY kg, otherwise the vehicle
may be damaged and unstable driving con-
ditions may result.<
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
800 lbs. and there will be four 150-lb. pas-
sengers in your vehicle, the amount of avail-
able cargo and luggage load capacity is
200 lbs.:
800 lbs. minus 600 lbs. = 200 lbs.

Destination entry
124 1.Change to upper field.
The arrow is selected.
2.Turn the controller to the right until the
request for the entry of a street in the coun-
try appears and press the controller.
3.Change to the second field from the top and
enter the street.
Entering house number
1.Select "House number" and press the con-
troller.
2.Enter the house number:
Select the individual digits and press the
controller.
3.Change into the third field from the top.
Turn the controller until the house number
is selected and press the controller.
Only house numbers stored for the street
on the navigation DVD can be entered.
Starting destination guidance with
manual destination entry
Select "Start guidance" and press the control-
ler.
Destination guidance starts immediately.
If destination guidance is not to be started
immediately:
Select "Add to destination list" and press the
controller.
The destination is stored in the destination list,
refer to page127.
Entering destination via
voice*
In conjunction with the Professional navigation
system, you can enter the desired destination
via the voice input system. When entering the
destination, it is possible to change between
speech input and iDrive at any time. Reactivate
the speech input function for this purpose if
necessary.
With {Options} you can have the system
read aloud the possible commands.<
1.Press the button on the steering wheel
or in the center console.
2.{Enter address}

Navigation
Driving tips
135Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Destination guidance
through voice instructions
Switching voice instructions on/off
Voice instructions can be switched on or off
during the destination guidance in the arrow or
map view:
1.In the map view:
Move the controller to the left to change the
field.
2.In the arrow and map display:
Turn the controller until the symbol is
selected and press the controller.
To switch the voice instructions on/off at any
time:
1.Open start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Turn the controller until "Display settings"
is selected and press the controller.
4.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Languages" is selected and
press the controller.5.Turn the controller until "Navigation voice
instructions on" is selected and press the
controller.
The voice instructions are switched on.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use
*.
Repeating and canceling voice
instructions
With the programmable buttons on the steering
wheel you can also make the following settings,
refer to page54:
>To repeat the voice instruction:
Press the button.
>To switch voice instructions on/off:
Maintain pressure on the button for several
seconds.
Setting volume of voice instructions
The volume can only be adjusted during a voice
instruction.
1.Repeat the last voice instruction, if required.
2.Turn the knob during the voice instruction
to select the desired volume.
This volume is independent of the volume of the
audio sources.

On/off and tone
140
On/off and tone
The following audio sources have shared
controls and setting options:
>Radio Professional
* or
Radio Business
>CD player
>CD changer
*
Controls
The audio sources can be operated using:
>Buttons near CD player
>iDrive
>Buttons on steering wheel, refer to page11
Buttons near CD player
The layout of the buttons can vary depending
on your vehicle's equipment.
Equipment with a single drive:
Equipment with two drives:1Entertainment sound output on/off, volume
>Press: switch on/off.
When you switch on, the last set radio
station or CD track is played.
>Turn: adjust volume.
2Drive for audio CDs
3 Eject CD
4 Station scan/track search
>Change radio station.
>Select track for CD player and
CD changer.
5Drive for navigation DVDs
Operation via iDrive
iDrive, for principle details, refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller backwards to open
"Entertainment".
You have the following choices:
>"FM" and "AM": radio reception
>"WB": Weather Band station
>"SAT": satellite radio
>"CD": CD player or CD changer
>"Set": depending on the audio source,
other adjustments can be made, e.g. with
the radio: update station with strongest
reception, store station, tone control,
sample stations.

Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
141Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
From another menu, you can switch
directly to the screen last displayed,
refer to Comfort opening of menu items on
page18.<
The selected audio source is stored for the
remote control currently in use.
Switching on/off
To switch the Entertainment sound output
on/off:
Press knob1 next to the CD player.
This symbol on the Control Display indi-
cates that sound output is switched off.
For equipment with an individual drive, the
sound output is available for approx. 20 minutes
with the ignition switched off.
To do so, switch the sound output on again.
Adjusting volume
Turn knob1 next to the CD player until the
desired volume is set.
You can also adjust the volume with buttons on
the steering wheel, refer to page11.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Tone control
You can alter various tone settings, e. g. treble
and bass, or the speed-dependent volume
increase.
The sound settings are globally adjusted for all
audio sources.
The settings are stored for the remote control
currently in use.
Changing tone settings
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Entertainment settings" and press
the controller.
4.Select "Audio" and press the controller.
The tone settings can also be selected when
you have opened "Entertainment" in the start
menu:
Select "Set" and then "Tone", and press the
controller.
Treble and bass
1.Select "Treble / Bass" and press the con-
troller.

Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
145Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
Changing selection criteria
1.Change into the second field from the top.
2.Turn the controller until the desired selec-
tion criterion is selected and press the con-
troller.
Buttons next to CD player
Press the button for the corresponding
direction.
The system switches to the next displayed sta-
tion.
You can also change stations with buttons on
the steering wheel, refer to page11.
Sampling stations, scan
The system automatically plays a brief sample
from each of the stations on the current wave-
band.
1.Select "FM" or "AM" and press the control-
ler.
"Set" is selected.
2.Press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
3.Select "Scan" and press the controller.
Scan starts.To stop the scan:
1.Press the controller.
2.Select "Scan" and press the controller.
This cancels the scan search, and the radio
remains on the current station.
Buttons next to CD player
To start scan, hold down the button for
the corresponding direction.
To stop scan, press the button again.
Selecting the frequency manually
With "Manual" you can select stations that are
received in addition to those displayed.
1.Select "FM" or "AM" and press the control-
ler.
2.Change into the second field from the top.
3.Select "Manual" and press the controller.
4.Turn the controller to set a certain fre-
quency.
Updating stations with best reception
If you are on a longer journey and leave the
transmission range of the stations originally set,
you can update the list of stations with the best
reception.
1.Select "FM" or "AM" and press the control-
ler.
2.Change into the second field from the top.

CD player and CD changer
154 5.Change to the second field from the top if
necessary. Turn the controller until the
desired CD, CD 1 - 6, is selected and press
the controller.
At the end of the last track, the next CD will be
selected.
If new CDs have been placed in the CD maga-
zine, playback starts with the lowest CD, e.g.
CD 1, track 1.
The CD magazine's load status is indicated on
the Control Display.
Selecting a track
Buttons next to CD player
Press the button for the corresponding
direction repeatedly, continuing until you reach
the desired track on the current CD.
The CD will start to play at the start of the track.
The track is displayed on the Control Display.
You can also change the track with buttons on
the steering wheel, refer to page11.
Via iDrive
Select a track by turning the controller.
Compressed audio files*
1.Select the directory if necessary and press
the controller.
2.Select the track and press the controller.
3.Select "Play" and press the controller.
To change the directory:
Select the directory and press the controller.