2006 BMW X3 3.0I Page 94

Adjustments
26
Adjustments
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed driving that is as fatigue-free
as possible. Together with safety belts, head
restraints, and airbags, sitting position plays an
important role in an accident. Compliance with
the following instructions is important; failure to
do so could impair the protective function of the
safety systems.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page33.
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 passenger sits correctly, e.g. does
not rest his feet or legs on the dashboard. Oth-
erwise, a triggering of the front airbag could
result in leg injuries. Make sure that passengers
do not lean their heads against side or head air-
bags. Otherwise, a triggering of the airbag could
result in injuries.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions, inju-
ries resulting from contact with airbags cannot
be entirely ruled out, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may
provoke a mild – usually temporary – hearing
loss in extremely sensitive individuals.
For airbag locations and additional information
on airbags, refer to page53.
Head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of damage to the cervical vertebrae in acci-
dents.
Adjust the head restraint so that its mid-
dle lies approximately at the height of
your ears. Otherwise, there is an increased risk
of injury in the event of an accident.<
Safety belts
Make sure the safety belts are worn in all occu-
pied seats every time you drive. Although air-
bags enhance safety by providing added pro-
tection, they are not a substitute for safety
belts.
Your vehicle has five seats that are each
equipped with a safety belt.
Never allow more than one person to
wear a single safety belt. Infants and chil-
dren must not ride on a lap. Make sure that the
belt in the lap area sits low against the hips and
does not press against the abdomen. The
safety belt must never rest against the throat,
rub against sharp edges, pass over hard o r frag-
ile objects or be pinched. Fasten the safety belt
around your body snugly, making sure that it is
pulled taut across your lap and shoulder and
that it is not twisted; otherwise, the belt can
slide over the hips in the event of a frontal colli-
sion and injure your abdomen. Avoid wearing
clothing that prevents the belt from fitting prop-
erly and pull the shoulder belt upward periodi-
cally to readjust the tension across your lap in
order to avoid a reduction in the restraining
action of the safety belt.<
If the middle safety belt in the rear is used, then
the wider backrest must be secured, refer to
page70, otherwise, the safety belt cannot exert
any restraining action.
Safety belts, refer to page29.

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27
Seats
Note before adjusting
Never try to adjust your seat while operat-
ing the vehicle. The seat could respond
with unexpected movement, and the ensuing
loss of vehicle control could lead to an accident.
On the passenger seat as well, do not incline
the backrest too far to the rear while the vehicle
is being driven; otherwise, there is a danger in
the event of an accident of sliding under the
safety belt, eliminating the protection normally
provided by the belt.<
Also follow the instructions regarding the
height of head restraints on page28 and
regarding safety belt damage on page30.
Adjusting manually
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection, fol-
low the adjustment instructions above.<
Longitudinal direction
Pull the lever 1 and slide the seat into the
desired position.
After you release the lever, move the seat for-
ward or backward slightly so that it engages
fully.
Height
Pull the lever 2 and apply weight to or remove
weight from the seat as needed.
Backrest
Pull the lever 3 and apply weight to or remove
weight from the backrest as needed.
Adjusting electrically*
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection, fol-
low the adjustment instructions above.<
1Tilt
2Longitudinal direction
3Height
4Backrest
Manually adjusting head restraint, refer to Head
restraints on page28.

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29
Heated seats*
Press once for each temperature level. Highest
preselected temperature when three LEDs are
illuminated.
To switch off:
Press the button and hold it longer.
Seat and mirror memory*
You can store and select three different adjust-
ment settings for the driver's seat and exterior
mirrors.
The adjustment of the lumbar support is not
stored in the memory.
Storing
1.Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 2.
2.Set the desired seat and exterior mirror
position.
3.Press the
MEMORY button:
The LED in the button lights up.
4.Press the desired memory button 1, 2 or3:
The LED goes out.
Requesting a stored setting
Do not request a position from the mem-
ory while the vehicle is moving; otherwise,
there is a risk of accident from unexpected seat
movement.<
Convenience mode
1.Open the driver's door after unlocking or
turn the ignition key to position 1.
2.Briefly press the desired memory button 1,
2 or3.
The system immediately cancels the adjust-
ment procedure when you press one of the seat
adjustment buttons or use one of the memory
buttons.
Safety feature
1.Close the driver's door and turn the ignition
key to position 0 or 2.
2.Press the desired memory button 1, 2 or3
and maintain pressure until the adjustment
process has been completed.
If you press the
MEMORY button accidentally:
Press the button again, the LED goes out.
You can have your vehicle programmed
to automatically recall your own individual
stored adjustment settings for the seat and
exterior mirror position whenever you use your
personal remote control to unlock the vehicle.<
If you make use of this setting, be sure
that the footwell behind the driver's seat
is unobstructed before unlocking the vehicle.
If you fail to do so, any persons, animals or
objects behind the seat could be injured or
damaged by a rearward movement of the
seat.<
Safety belts
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimal protection,
please follow the instructions on page26.<
Make sure the safety belts are worn in all occu-
pied seats every time you drive. Although air-
bags enhance safety by providing added pro-

Adjustments
30 tection, they are not a substitute for safety
belts.
In the rear, the middle belt buckle embossed
with the word CENTER is intended exclusively
for use by passengers riding in the center posi-
tion.
Fastening
Make sure you hear the latch plate engage in
the belt buckle.
The upper shoulder strap's anchorage point will
be in the correct position for seat occupants of
every build if the seat is correctly adjusted, refer
to page26.
Releasing
1.Hold the belt firmly.
2.Press the red button in the buckle.
3.Guide the belt back into its reel.
Safety belt reminder for front seats
The indicator lamp flashes or lights up.
In addition, a signal sounds. Please
make sure that the safety belts are
being worn correctly.
The safety belt reminder is activated if the
safety belt on the driver's side has not yet been
fastened.
At speeds greater than 5 mph/8 km/h, the
safety belt reminder is also activated if the
passenger side safety belt has not yet been
fastened, if heavy objects are placed on the
passenger's seat, or if the driver or front pas-
senger's safety belt is released.
Damage to safety belts
When strained by an accident or when
damaged: have the safety belt system,
including the belt tensioners, replaced and have
belt anchorage points inspected. Have this
work done only by your BMW Sports Activity
Vehicle Center or by a workshop that works
according to BMW repair procedures with cor-
respondingly trained personnel. Otherwise,
there can be no guarantee that the safety
devices will function properly.<
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors
The passenger side mirror is more curved
than the driver's mirror. Objects in the
mirrors are closer than they appear. Do not esti-
mate the distance to following traffic based on
the view in the mirrors; otherwise, there is an
increased risk of accident.<
1Adjustments
2Switching over to the other mirror or to the
automatic parking function
*
Storing the mirror positions, refer to Seat and
mirror memory on page29.
Manual adjustments
The mirrors can also be manually adjusted by
pressing at the edges of the mirror glass.
To prevent the exterior mirrors on this
vehicle from being damaged, always fold
them in by hand before entering an automatic
car wash.<

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Automatic heating*
When the outside temperature falls below a
specified temperature, both outside mirrors are
automatically heated whenever the engine is
running or the ignition is switched on.
Tilting down passenger's mirror,
automatic parking function*
Activating
1.Select the driver's exterior mirror with
switch 1.
2.When you shift into reverse or move the
selector-lever into position R, the exterior
mirror glass on the front passenger side tilts
downward slightly. This allows the driver to
see the area immediately adjacent to the
vehicle – such as a curb – when parking, etc.
You can have the angle of downward tilt
adjusted.<
Deactivating
Select the passenger side mirror with switch1.
Interior rearview mirror
To reduce glare from vehicle headlights behind
you when driving at night, turn the knob.In vehicles without an alarm system: tilt the
small lever forward.
Automatically dimming mirrors, refer to
page77.
Steering wheel
Adjustments
Do not adjust the steering wheel while the
vehicle is moving. There is a risk of acci-
dent from unexpected movement.<
1.Fold the lever down.
2.Adapt the longitudinal position and height
of the steering wheel to the seat position.
3.Fold the lever back up.
Steering wheel heater*
The button for steering wheel heater is located
on the steering wheel, refer to page13.
Steering wheel heater: switching on/off
The steering wheel heater operates as of igni-
tion key position 2.
Press the button to activate or deactivate this
system.
When the heater is switched on, the LED in the
button lights up.

Adjustments
32
Vehicle Memory, Key Memory
How the system functions
You have probably frequently wished that you
could configure individual functions of your
vehicle to reflect your own personal require-
ments. In developing your vehicle, BMW has
incorporated a number of options for personal
adjustment. You can have these programmed
at your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center.
There are vehicle-related and person-related
adjustments: Vehicle Memory and Key Mem-
ory. You can configure up to four different basic
adjustments for four different persons. The only
requirement is that each person use his or her
own master key with remote control.
When your vehicle is unlocked with the remote
control, the vehicle recognizes the individual
user by means of a data exchange with the key,
and makes adjustments accordingly.
In order for you to distinguish between the mas-
ter keys with remote control, color-coded
decals are supplied together with the keys.
What the system can do
Ask your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center
about the possibilities of Vehicle Memory and
Key Memory.
You will see this symbol throughout the
Owner's Manual. It is to remind you at
appropriate places of the settings that are avail-
able to you.<
Following configuration of memory func-
tions, vehicle operation may differ from
the description in the Owner's Manual. Should
you wish to sell your BMW some day, please
remember to have the memory functions reset
to the factory default settings.<
Examples of Vehicle Memory
>Different acknowledgment signals to con-
firm locking/unlocking of the vehicle, refer
to page19.
>Activating/deactivating function for path-
way lighting, refer to page56.
>Activating/deactivating daytime running
lamps, refer to page56.
>Active PDC Park Distance Control is acous-
tically indicated by a signal tone when you
shift into reverse or move the selector lever
into position R, refer to page47.
>Different acknowledgment signals to con-
firm arming/disarming the alarm system,
refer to page24.
>After an outside temperature warning has
been issued, the computer display returns
to the previous setting, refer to page45.
>Acoustic warning if the ignition key remains
in the ignition lock after the driver's door has
been opened, refer to page18.
Examples of Key Memory functions
>Locking the vehicle after starting to drive,
refer to page20.
>Automatic adjustment of the driver's seat
and exterior mirror position for each person
when unlocking the vehicle, refer to
page29.
>Angle of downward tilt of passenger side
mirror, refer to page31.
>Setting units of measure for displays in the
instrument cluster for time, outside temper-
ature, distance driven and fuel consump-
tion, refer to page45.

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Transporting children safely
The right place for children
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle; otherwise, they could endanger
themselves and/or others, for example by open-
ing the doors.<
Children always in the rear
Accident research has demonstrated that the
safest place for children is in the rear seat.
Children younger than 13 or smaller than
5 ft/150 cm should only ride in the rear, in
child restraint systems provided in accordance
with their age, weight, and height. Otherwise,
there is an increased risk of injury in the event of
an accident.<
Children older than 13 must be secured with a
safety belt as soon as they have outgrown a
suitable child restraint system due to their age,
height, and weight.
All seats in your BMW, except for the driver's
seat, correspond to the recommendations of
the norm SAE J1819 for safely securing child
restraint systems in motor vehicles.
Exception for the front passenger seat
If it should be necessary to use a child
restraint system on the front passenger
seat, the front and side airbags must be deacti-
vated. Otherwise, there is an increased risk of
injury to the child if the airbag is triggered, even
with a child restraint system. Your BMW Sports
Activity Vehicle Center will be happy to advise
you.<
For more information on automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags, refer to page54.
Installing child restraint
systems
Follow the child restraint system manu-
facturer's instructions for selection,
installation and use of the child restraint sys-
tem. Otherwise, the degree of protection can be
reduced.<
On the passenger's seat
Before installing a child restraint system
in the passenger seat, make sure that the
front and side airbag on the passenger seat
have been deactivated. Otherwise, there is an
increased risk of injury when the airbag is trig-
gered.<
Child seat security
All rear seat safety belts and the safety belt for
the front passenger can be locked to prevent
their being pulled out in order to fasten child
restraint systems.
Locking safety belt
1.Secure child restraint system with the belt.
2.Pull safety belt strap all the way out.
3.Allow safety belt to retract and pull it snugly
against the child restraint system.
The safety belt is locked.

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Access to anchorage points
The picture shows the right rear seat as an
example. The anchorage points for the LATCH
child-restraint fixing system are located behind
the cover caps.
Remove the cover caps toward the front.
Press into place to reinstall.
Before attachment of the LATCH child-restraint
fixing system, remove the cover caps and pull
the belt out of the region of the child-restraint
fixing system.
For driving
With rear side airbags, make sure that
children do not lean out of the child's seat
toward the door panel; otherwise, injuries can
result if the side airbags are triggered.<
Child-safety lock of rear doors
Slide down the safety levers on the rear doors:
The door can now be opened from the outside
only.
Safety switch for power windows
Press the safety switch for the power windows,
refer to page22, when children are in the rear of
the vehicle.