Things to remember when driving
106
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.
The pulsing of he brake pedal indicates that the
ABS is controlling braking.
In certain braking situations the perforated
brake rotors can cause operating noises which,
however, have not effect on the performance
and operating safety of the brake system.
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 roads are wet or there is heavy rain,
briefly exert gentle pressure on the brake pedal
every few miles. Monitor traffic conditions to
ensure that this maneuver does not endanger
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 the resulting
reduced efficiency of the brake system,
drive long or steep downhill gradients in the
gear in which the least braking is required. Even
light but consistent pressure on the brake pedal
can lead to high temperatures, brake wear and
possibly even brake failure.<
Do not drive in idle or with the engine
switched off, otherwise there will be no
engine braking action or support of the braking
force 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 air conditioner sys-
tem during operation, and then exits under the
vehicle. Traces of condensed water under the
vehicle are therefore normal.
Before driving into a car wash
Fold in the exterior mirrors, refer to page46,
otherwise they could be damaged due to the
width of the vehicle.
General information on the care and mainte-
nance of your BMW is contained in the Caring
for your vehicle brochure.
Ground clearance
Ensure that sufficient ground clearance
is available. To drive down curbs, select
the "Sport" program of the EDC Electronic
Damping Control, refer to page76, to keep the
ground clearance as uniform as possible.
Otherwise the vehicle may be damaged.<
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.<
Things to remember when driving
108
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 page204 ff., 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.
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 page204 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.
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.
Destination entry
116 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.
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
All house numbers stored for the street on the
navigation DVD can be entered.
1.Select "House number" and press the con-
troller.
2.Enter the house number:
Select the desired digits and press the con-
troller.
3.Change into the third field from the top.
Turn the controller until the house number
is selected and press the controller.
Starting destination guidance with
manual destination entry
>Select "Start guidance" and press the con-
troller.
Destination guidance starts immediately.
>If the destination guidance does not need to
be started immediately:
Select "Add to destination list" and press
the controller.
The destination is saved in the destination
list, refer to page119.
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 possible
commands read aloud.<
1.Press the button on the steering wheel
or in the center console.
2.{Enter address}
Navigation
Driving tips
127Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
1.Select "Navigation" and press the control-
ler.
2.Change into the third field from the top.
Turn the controller until "Route list" is
selected and press the controller.
To exit the menu:
Select the arrow and press the controller.
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:
Select the symbol and press the controller.
To switch the voice instructions on and off at
any time:
1.Open the 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.Select "Navigation voice instructions on"
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 button on the steering
wheel you can also make the following settings,
refer to page47:
>Repeat the voice instruction:
Press button.
>Switch voice instructions on/off:
Hold the button down.
Setting volume of voice instructions
The volume can only be adjusted while a voice
instruction is being output.
On/off and tone
132
On/off and tone
The following audio sources have shared con-
trols and setting options:
>Professional radio
* or
Business radio
>CD player
>CD changer
*
Controls
The audio sources can be operated using:
>Buttons in the area of the CD player
>iDrive
>Buttons on steering wheel, refer to page11
Buttons in area of CD player
The layout of the buttons can vary depending
on your vehicle's equipment.
Single drive:
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 explanation of principle, 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
>"Audio Aux": external audio device
>"Set": depending on the audio source,
other adjustments can be made, e.g. with
the radio: update station with strongest
reception, save station, tone control, sam-
ple stations.
Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
133Reference
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
and off:
Press knob1 next to the CD player.
This symbol on the Control Display indi-
cates that sound output is switched off.
For a single drive, the sound output is available
for approx. 20 minutes with the ignition
switched off.
Switch on the sound output again for this pur-
pose.
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 tone settings are set for all audio sources at
once.
The settings are stored for the remote key cur-
rently 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
137Reference
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.
The stations are sampled.To end sampling:
1.Press the controller.
2.Select "Scan" and press the controller.
This cancels sampling of the stations, and the
radio remains on the current station.
Buttons next to CD player
To sample the stations, press and hold
the button for the corresponding direction.
To stop scanning, press the button again.
Selecting 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
For Professional radio with "AM" and with Busi-
ness radio:
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
146 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 until you reach the desired
track.
The CD will start 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.