
Controls
 47Reference
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 
optimum efficiency, we strongly urge you to fol-
low the instructions contained in the following 
section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page56.
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 
knee and front airbags are 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, the 
occurrence of injuries resulting from contact 
with airbags cannot be entirely ruled out, 
depending on the circumstances. The ignition 
and inflation noise may provoke a mild hearing 
loss in extremely sensitive individuals. This 
effect is usually only temporary.
For airbag locations and additional information 
on airbags, refer to page90.
Head restraints
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the 
risk of injury to cervical vertebrae in 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.<
Head restraints, refer to page50.
Safety belt
Before every drive, make sure that safety belts
are being worn at all of the occupied seats. 
Airbags complement the safety belt as an addi-
tional safety device, but they do not represent a 
substitute.
Your vehicle has four seats that are each 
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.
Expectant mothers should always wear their 
safety belts, taking care to position the lap belt 
against the lower hips, where it will not exert 
pressure against the abdominal area.
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 pos-
sible 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 abdo-
men. Avoid wearing clothing that prevents the 
belt from fitting properly and pull the shoulder 
belt upward periodically to readjust the tension 
across your lap in order to avoid a reduction in 
the retention effect of the safety belt.<
For instructions on operating safety belts, refer 
to page51. 

Transporting children safely
56
Transporting children safely
The right place for children
Do not leave children unattended in the 
vehicle; otherwise, they could endanger 
themselves and other persons, e.g. by opening 
the doors.<
In principle, all seats in your BMW are suitable, 
with the exception of the driver's seat, for 
mounting universal child restraint systems for 
all age classes approved for the respective age 
group.
Children always in back
Accident research shows that the safest place 
for children is in the back.
Children younger than 13 years of age or 
under 5 ft/150 cm in height must be trans-
ported in back, seated in child restraint systems 
which correspond to the age, weight and height 
of the child. Otherwise there is an increased 
danger of injury in an accident.<
Children 13 years of age or older must wear a 
safety belt as soon as a suitable child restraint 
system can no longer be used due to their age, 
size and weight.
All rear seat positions in your vehicle comply 
with the recommendations of the standard 
SAE J1819 for the safe securing of child 
restraint systems in motor vehicles.
Exception for front passenger seat
Should it be necessary to use a child-
restraint system on the front passenger 
seat, the front, knee and side airbag on the pas-
senger side must be deactivated. Otherwise, 
there is an increased risk of injury for the child 
if the airbags are triggered, even with a child-
restraint system. Your BMW center will be glad 
to advise you.<
For more information on automatic deactivation 
of the front passenger airbags, refer to page91.
Installing child-restraint 
systems
Follow child-restraint system manufac-
turer's instructions for the selection, 
installation and use of child restraint systems. 
Otherwise the degree of protection they offer 
may be reduced.<
Commercially available child restraint systems 
are designed to be secured with a lap belt or 
with the lap belt section of a three-point belt. 
Incorrectly or improperly installed child restraint 
systems can increase the risk of injury for chil-
dren. Always follow the instructions for install-
ing the system exactly.
On front passenger seat
Before installing a child restraint system 
in the front passenger seat, make sure 
that the front, knee and side airbag on the front 
passenger side are deactivated. Otherwise 
there is an increased risk of injury if the airbags 
are triggered.<
Seat height
Before mounting a universal child-restraint sys-
tem, move the front passenger seat into the 
highest position to achieve the best possible 
belt routing. Do not change this seat height.
Child seat security
All rear safety belts and the safety belt for the 
front passenger can be locked against pulling 
out to secure child restraint systems. 

Controls
 57Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Locking safety belt
1.Secure the child restraint system with the 
belt.
2.Pull out the belt webbing completely.
3.Allow the belt webbing to be pulled in and 
pull taut against the child restraint system. 
The safety belt is locked.
Unlocking safety belt
1.Open the belt buckle.
2.Remove the child restraint system.
3.Allow the belt webbing to be pulled in com-
pletely.
Coupe: child restraint system with 
tether strap
There are two additional mounting points for 
child restraint systems with a tether strap, refer 
to arrows.
Placement of tether strap
1.Fold anchor fitting into upright position.
2.Push head restraint downward.
3.Guide tether strap over head restraint and 
hook onto anchor fitting.
LATCH child-restraint fixing system
LATCH: Lower Anchor and Tethers for CHil-
dren.
To attach a LATCH child's seat, follow the 
operating and safety instructions of the 
child's seat manufacturer.<
Rear seats
The anchorage points for the LATCH child-
restraint fixing system are located underneath 
the identifying symbol. They are not visible from 
the outside.
Before attaching the LATCH child's seat, pull 
the belt away from the region of the child-
restraint fixing system. 

Controls
 91Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Protective action
 To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection, 
please follow the adjustment instructions on 
page47.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and 
front passenger by responding to frontal 
impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When needed, the 
head and side airbags help provide protection in 
the event of a side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The 
head airbag supports the head. The knee airbag 
protects the legs from colliding with the cockpit.
The airbags are deliberately not triggered in 
every impact situation, e. g. less severe acci-
dents or rear-end collisions.
For details on the correct seat position, refer to 
page47.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the 
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or 
modify them in any other way.
Do not attempt to remove the airbag retention 
system from the vehicle. Do not modify or 
tamper with either the wiring or the individual 
components in the airbag system.This category 
includes the upholstery in the center of the 
steering wheel, on the instrument panel, the 
side trim panels on the doors and on the Coupe, 
the roof pillars along with the sides of the head-
liner. Do not attempt to remove or dismantle the 
steering wheel.
Do not touch the individual components 
directly after the system has been triggered, 
because there is a danger of burns.
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation, or 
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have 
the testing, repair, removal, and disposal of air-
bag generators carried out only by a BMW cen-
ter or a workshop that works according to BMW 
repair procedures with appropriately trained 
personnel and has the required explosives 
licenses. Unprofessional attempts to service 
the system could lead to failure in an emer-
gency or undesired airbag activation, either of 
which could result in personal injury.
Automatic deactivation of front 
passenger airbags
The occupation of the seat is detected by eval-
uating the impression on the occupied seat sur-
face of the front passenger seat. The system 
correspondingly activates or deactivates the 
front, knee and side airbag on the front passen-
ger side.
The current status of the front passenger 
airbag, i.e. deactivated or activated, is 
indicated by the indicator lamp over the interior 
rearview mirror, refer to Operating state of front 
passenger airbags below.<
Before transporting a child in the front 
passenger seat, read the safety informa-
tion and follow the instructions under Trans-
porting children safely, refer to page56.
The front, knee and side airbag on the front pas-
senger side can be deactivated for teenagers 
and adults in certain seat positions; the indica-
tor lamp for the front passenger airbags lights 
up when this occurs. In these cases, change the 
seat position so that the front passenger air-
bags are activated and the indicator lamp goes 
out. If the desired status cannot be produced by 
changing the seat position, transport the corre-
sponding person in the rear seat. 
Do not fit seat covers, seat cushion padding, 
beaded mats or other items onto the front pas-
senger seat unless they are specifically recom-
mended by BMW. Do not place objects under 
the seat which could press against the seat 
from below. Otherwise a correct evaluation of 
the occupied seat surface cannot be ensured.< 

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
92
Operating state of front passenger 
airbags
The illustration here shows a possible arrange-
ment in the Coupe. With some vehicle equip-
ment packages or in the Convertible, the 
arrangement of the switches and indicator 
lamps may differ somewhat.
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags indicates the operating status of the front, 
knee and side airbag on the front passenger 
side depending on whether the seat is occu-
pied. The indicator lamp shows whether the 
front passenger airbags are activated or deacti-
vated.
>The indicator lamp lights up when a child in 
a child restraint system intended for the 
purpose is properly detected on the seat.
The front, knee and side airbag on the front 
passenger side are deactivated.
>The indicator lamp does not light up when, 
for example, a correctly seated person of 
sufficient height is detected on the seat. 
The front, knee and side airbag on the front 
passenger side are activated.
>The indicator lamp does not light up when 
the seat is empty.
But the front, knee and side airbag on the 
front passenger side are still deactivated.
Operational readiness of airbag system
With the ignition lock at radio readiness or 
higher, refer to page58, the warning lamp lights 
up briefly, indicating the operational readiness 
of the entire airbag system and the safety belt 
tensioners.
Airbag system malfunction
>Warning lamp does not light up as of radio 
readiness.
>Warning lamp lights up continuously.
Have the airbag system checked immedi-
ately in case of a malfunction; otherwise, 
there is a danger that the airbag system may not 
respond in the expected manner in an accident 
despite an impact of corresponding intensity.<
Convertible: rollover 
protection system
The rollover protection system is automatically 
activated in the event of an accident or a critical 
driving situation, extreme inclination on the lon-
gitudinal or transverse axis, or loss of ground 
contact. The rollover bars located behind the 
rear head restraints are deployed within frac-
tions of a second.
As a supplement to the rollover bar integrated 
into the windshield frame, the rollover protec-
tion system ensures that all vehicle occupants 
have the necessary headroom.
Always keep the path of movement of the 
rollover protection system clear.
In less severe accidents, you are protected by 
the fastened safety belt and, depending on the 
severity of the accident, the belt tensioner and 
the multistage airbag restraint system.< 

Everything from A to Z
220 Center console14
"Central locking"30
Central locking system29
– comfort access36
– from inside vehicle32
Changes, technical, refer to 
For your own safety6
Changing a wheel200
Changing language on 
Control Display84
Changing units of measure on 
Control Display83
Changing wheels188
CHECK button80
Check Control79
"Check Control 
messages"80
Check Gas Cap182
Checking air pressure, refer to 
Tire inflation pressure184
Children's seats, refer to 
Child-restraint systems56
Child-restraint fixing system 
LATCH57
Child-restraint systems56
Chrome parts, care, refer to 
the Caring for your vehicle 
brochure
Cigarette lighter110
Cigarette lighter socket, refer 
to Connecting electrical 
devices110
Cleaning, refer to the Caring 
for your vehicle brochure
"Climate"101
Clock74
– 12h/24h mode83
– setting time and date82
Closing
– from inside32
– from outside30
Closing fuel filler cap182
Clothes hooks, Coupe109
Cockpit10
Cold start, refer to Starting 
engine59Comfort access36
– observing in car wash37
– replacing battery38
Comfort operation
– windows with comfort 
access37
– with comfort access37
"Communication"166,176
"Communication 
settings"174
Compact disc
– refer to CD changer153
– refer to CD player153
Compartment for remote 
control, refer to Ignition 
lock58
Compartments, refer to 
Storage compartments108
Compressed audio files153
Computer75
– displays on Control 
Display76
– hour signal83
"Concert hall", refer to Tone 
control142
Condition Based Service 
CBS195
"Confirmation"31
Connecting car vacuum 
cleaner, refer to Connecting 
electrical devices110
Consumption display, refer to 
Average fuel 
consumption75
Consumption statistics, refer 
to Average fuel 
consumption75
"Continue guidance to 
destination?"132
Control Center, refer to 
iDrive16
Control Display, refer to 
iDrive16
– setting brightness83
Controller, refer to iDrive16
Controls, refer to Cockpit10Convenience operation
– convertible top31,32
– glass sunroof30,32
– windows30,32
Convertible
– convertible program for 
automatic climate 
control101
– opening and closing 
windows38
– rollover protection 
system92
– top41
– wind deflector45
Convertible top
– care, refer to the Caring for 
your vehicle brochure
– convenience operation32
– emergency closing43
– manual closing43
– opening and closing42
Coolant193
– checking level193
– temperature74
Cooling, maximum103
Cornering Brake Control 
CBC86
Country of destination for 
navigation
122
Courtesy lamps, refer to 
Interior lamps99
Cruise control66,67
– active cruise control67
Cup holders109
Curb weight, refer to 
Weights210
"Current position"136
Current position
– displaying136
– entering128
– storing128
"Customer 
Relations"176,178
Cylinders, refer to Engine 
data210 

Reference 225
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Instrument panel, refer to 
Instrument cluster12
Integrated key28
Integrated universal remote 
control106
Interesting destination for 
navigation126
"Interim time"82
Interior lamps99
– switching on with remote 
control31
Interior motion sensor36
– switching off36
Interior rearview mirror53
– automatically dimming, refer 
to Automatic functions53
Interlock on automatic 
transmission62
Intermittent wiper mode65
J
Jacking points200
Joystick, refer to iDrive16
Jump starting203
K
Keyless-Go, refer to Comfort 
access36
Keyless opening and closing, 
refer to Comfort access36
Key Memory, refer to Personal 
Profile29
"Keypad"169
Keys28
– key-related settings, refer to 
Personal Profile29
Kick-down
– automatic transmission with 
Steptronic63
– SMG Sequential Manual 
Gearbox62
Knock control183
L
Lamps, refer to Parking lamps/
low beams96
Lamps and bulbs197
"Languages"84
"Languages" for 
navigation135
Lashing eyes, refer to 
Securing cargo117
Last destinations, refer to 
Destination list127
"Last seat pos."49
LATCH child-restraint fixing 
system57
Length, refer to 
Dimensions211
License plate lamps, replacing 
bulbs200
Light-emitting diodes 
LEDs200
Lighter110
"Lighting"65,96
Lighting
– instruments99
– of the vehicle, refer to 
Lamps96
– refer to High-beam 
assistant97
Light switch96
"Limit"81
Loading, refer to Cargo 
loading116
"Lock after driving"32
Lock buttons in the doors, 
refer to Locking33
Locking
– from inside33
– from outside31
– without key, refer to Comfort 
access36
Locking and unlocking doors
– from inside32
– from outside30
Locking out, refer to 
Unlocking36
Locking without key, refer to 
Comfort access36"LOGIC7", refer to Tone 
control142
Low beams96
– automatic96
– replacing bulbs197
Lower back support, refer to 
Lumbar support48
Luggage compartment
– capacity210
– emergency release34
– hotel function33
– increasing capacity, 
Convertible35
– opening/closing, refer to 
Luggage compartment 
lid34
– opening from inside34
– opening from outside34
– opening with remote 
control31
Luggage compartment lid34
– emergency operation34
– emergency release34
– opening from inside34
– opening from outside34
– opening with remote 
control31,34
– unlocking manually34
Lumbar support48
LW, waveband144
M
M+S tires, refer to Winter 
tires189
Maintenance
– refer to Service 
requirements77
– refer to the Service and 
Warranty Information 
Booklet for US models195
– refer to Warranty and 
Service Guide Booklet for 
Canadian models195
Maintenance system195 

Everything from A to Z
228 Programmable buttons on 
steering wheel54
Protective function, refer to 
Anti-trapping mechanism
– glass sunroof40
– windows39
R
Radio
– Autostore145
– controls140
– High Definition Radio148
– playing stations145
– satellite radio149
– selecting frequency 
manually145
– selecting 
waveband140,144
– station search145
– station selection144
– station with best 
reception145
– storing stations146
– switching on/off140
– tone control141
– volume141
– Weather Band, refer to 
Weather news flashes147
Radio key, refer to Keys/
remote control28
Radio position, refer to Radio 
readiness58
Radio readiness58
– switched off58
– switched on58
– with comfort access37
Rain sensor, windshield 
washer system65
"Random", random play 
sequence, selecting156
"Random all" in audio 
mode156
"Random directory" in audio 
mode156
Random play sequence
– CD changer156
– CD player156"RDS"147
Reading lamps99
Rear lamps, refer to Tail 
lamps199
Rearview mirrors, refer to 
Mirrors52
Rear window
– heating102
– opening and closing39
"Received calls"168
Reception
– quality147
– radio stations147
– regional station145
Reception quality of mobile 
phone, refer to Status 
information20
Rechargeable flashlight107
Recirculated-air mode, refer 
to AUC Automatic recircu-
lated-air control103
Recirculation of air, refer to 
AUC Automatic recircu-
lated-air control103
Reclining seat, refer to 
Backrest48
Recording times, refer to 
Stopwatch81
"Redial" for mobile phone168
Reflectors, refer to Tail 
lamps199
Refueling182
Releasing, hood190
"Relock door if not 
opened"32
Remaining distance, refer to 
Remaining range75
Remaining distance to desti-
nation, refer to Computer76
Remaining range75
Remote control28
– battery replacement38
– comfort access36
– garage-door opener106
– luggage compartment lid31
– malfunction31,37
Removing condensation from 
windows102"Repeat directory" in audio 
mode156
"Repeat" in audio mode156
"Repeat track" in audio 
mode156
Replacement fuses201
Replacing bulbs, refer to 
Lamps and bulbs197
Replacing tires
– changing a wheel200
– new wheels and tires188
Reporting an accident, refer to 
Initiating emergency 
call202
Reporting safety defects7
Required fuel183
Reserve warning, refer to Fuel 
gauge75
Reset, refer to Resetting tone 
settings143
"Reset" for stopwatch81
"Reset" tone settings143
Residual heat103
Restraint systems
– for children56
– refer to Safety belts51
Retreaded tires188
Reverse, fast
– CD changer157
– CD player157
Reverse gear
– automatic transmission with 
Steptronic63
– manual transmission
61
– SMG Sequential Manual 
Gearbox61
Road map133
"Roadside 
Assistance"176,178
Roadside Assistance203
Roadside parking lamps97
– replacing bulbs, refer to 
Parking lamps198
Rollover protection system on 
Convertible92
– lowering93
Rope, refer to Tow-starting 
and towing204