2006 BMW X3 3.0I width

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
77
1.Close all windows and the panorama glass
sunroof.
2.Greatly increase the air supply of the air
conditioning system or automatic climate
control, refer to page60 or63.
Hot exhaust system
High temperatures occur in the exhaust
system of every vehicle. Do not remove
the heat shields installed adjacent to various
sections of the exhaust system, and never apply
undercoating to them. When driving, standing
at idle, and parking, take care to avoid possible
contact between the hot exhaust system and
any highly flammable materials such as hay,
leaves, grass, etc. Such contact could lead to
a fire, resulting in serious personal injury and
property damage.<
Mobile communications devices in
vehicle
BMW does not recommend using mobile
communications devices, e.g. mobile
phones, on the interior of the vehicle without a
direct connection to an outside antenna. Other-
wise, the vehicle electronics and mobile com-
munications device can affect each other. In
addition, there is no assurance that the radia-
tion which results during transmission will be
dissipated from the vehicle interior.<
Interior and exterior mirror,
automatically dimming*
Two photocells are used to control the auto-
matically dimming interior and exterior mirrors.
One is integrated into the mirror glass, the other
is located on the back of the mirror.For trouble-free operation, keep the photocells
clean and do not cover the area between the
interior rearview mirror and the windshield. Do
not attach any kind of sticker to the windshield
in front of the mirror, either.
When the 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 page30;
otherwise, they could be damaged due to the
width of the vehicle.
Deactivate the rain sensor; otherwise, damage
could result from undesired wiper activation,
refer to page40.
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 tires and
road surface, ultimately undermining your abil-
ity to steer and brake the vehicle.<
The danger of hydroplaning increases as tire
tread depth decreases, also refer to Minimum
tread depth on page89.
Driving through water
Do not drive through water on the road if it
is deeper than 20 in/50 cm, and then only
at walking speed. Otherwise, the vehicle's
engine, the electrical system, and the transmis-
sion may be damaged.<
Using handbrake on inclines
Do not hold the vehicle in place on slopes
by slipping or riding the clutch, use the
handbrake instead. Otherwise, greater clutch
wear will result.<

Wheels and tires
88
Tire identification marks
Knowledge of the labeling on the side of the tire
makes it easier to identify and choose the right
tires.
Tire size
Speed code letter
Q = up to 105 mph/160 km/h
T = up to 118 mph/190 km/h
H = up to 131 mph/210 km/h
V = up to 150 mph/240 km/h
W = up to 167 mph/270 km/h
Y = up to 186 mph/300 km/h
Tire Identification Number
Tires with DOT codes meet the guidelines of
the U.S. Department of Transportation.
DOT code:
Tire age
The tire's date of manufacture is indicated on
the sidewall:
DOT ... 0506 indicates that a tire was manufac-
tured in week 5 of the year 2006.BMW recommends that you replace all tires
after 6 years at most, even if some tires may last
for 10 years.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width.
For example:
Tread wear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
DOT Quality Grades
Tread wear
Traction AA A B C
Temperature A B C
All passenger car tires must conform to
Federal Safety Requirements in addition
to these grades.<
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified gov-
ernment test course.
For example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1γ) times as well on the govern-
ment course as a tire graded 100. The relative
performance of tires depends upon the actual
conditions of their use, however, and may devi-
ate significantly from the norm due to variations
in driving habits and service practices as well as
differences in road characteristics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, B, and C.
These grades represent the tire's ability to stop
on wet pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test sur-
faces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked C
may have poor traction performance.
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cor-
nering, hydroplaning, or peak traction charac-
teristics.< e.g. 235/50 R 18 97 V
Nominal width in mm
Cross-sectional
relationship in Ξ
Radial tire code
Rim diameter in inches
Load rating,
not for ZR tires
Speed rating,
before R on ZR tires
e.g. DOT xxxx xxx 0506
Manufacturer code
for tire make
Tire size and tire design
Tire age

Replacing components
104 3.Turn the handle to the left as far as possible,
refer to arrow3.
Turning the handle releases the com-
pact wheel. Its weight of approx.
18 lbs./8 kg is then entirely supported by
the handle.<
4.Slowly lower the handle as far as possible,
refer to arrow4.
5.Pull the compact wheel to the rear so that it
is still securely resting in its compact wheel
receptacle.
6.If need be, turn the wheel in the compact
wheel receptacle so that the attachment of
the retaining strap to the rim points toward
the rear.
7.Rotate the clamp by 180°, refer to arrows 1,
and unhook the retaining strap from the
clamp, refer to arrow 2.
8.Take out the compact wheel toward the
back.
9.Fasten the retaining strap to the compact
wheel receptacle and resecure the compact
wheel receptacle by reversing the above
steps.
The width of the defective wheel prevents
it from fitting into the compact wheel receptacle in place of the compact wheel
itself.<
Inserting compact wheel
The compact wheel is reinserted in the reverse
sequence of its removal.
When attaching the retaining strap to the
compact wheel, make sure the belt is
threaded through 2 rim openings, with one
unoccupied hole between them; otherwise, the
compact wheel could come loose in an acci-
dent.<
Preparing wheel change
1.Observe the safety precautions on
page103.
2.Secure the vehicle to prevent it from rolling:
place the wheel chock behind the front
wheel on the side of the vehicle opposite
the side being raised. If the vehicle is parked
on a downward slope, place the wheel
chock securely in front of the tire. If the
wheel must be changed on a surface with
a more severe slope, take additional pre-
cautions to secure the vehicle from rolling.
3.Loosen the lug bolts by a γ turn.
Jacking up vehicle
1.Position the vehicle jack at the jacking point
closest to the wheel so that the entire sur-
face of the jack base perpendicularly con-
tacts the ground under the jacking point.
The vehicle jack is designed for
changing wheels only. Do not attempt
to raise another vehicle model with it or to
raise any load of any kind. To do so could
cause accidents and personal injury.<

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
127
Tire replacement89
Tires
– age88
– breaking-in76
– changing89
– changing, refer to Wheel
changes103
– coding88
– condition89
– damage89
– DOT Quality Grades88
– flat103
– inflation pressure86
– inflation pressure table87
– size, refer to The right
wheels and tires90
– storage90
– temperature89
– traction88
– tread89
– tread wear88
– Uniform Tire Quality
Grading88
– wear indicators, refer to
Minimum tread depth89
– winter tires90
Tools, refer to Onboard tool
kit99
Torque
– engine114
– lug bolts105
Touch signaling39
Tow bar110
Tow fitting109
Towing109
– with automatic
transmission109
Towing eye109
Towing the vehicle109
Tow rope110
Tow sockets for tow
fitting109
Tow starting109
TPM Tire Pressure
Monitor52
Track width, refer to
Dimensions115
Traction88Traction aid, refer to DSC48
Traction control, refer to DSC
Dynamic Stability
Control48
Transmission
– automatic transmission with
Steptronic38
– manual transmission38
Transmission locking
mechanism, refer to
PPark38
Transmission malfunction,
refer to Malfunction39
Transporting children
safely33
Transport securing device,
refer to Securing cargo79
Traveling on poor roads80
Tread depth, refer to Minimum
tread depth89
Tread wear88
Tread wear indicator in tires,
refer to Minimum tread
depth89
Trip-distance counter, refer to
Trip odometer43
Trip odometer43
Trunk, refer to Cargo area70
Trunk lid, refer to Liftgate21
Turning circle, refer to
Dimensions115
Turn signals39
– indicator lamp12
– replacing bulbs101
– side, replacing bulbs101
U
Units45
– outside temperature45
Universal garage-door
opener, refer to Integrated
universal remote control65
Universal remote control65
Unlocking
– from inside20
– from outside19
– hood92Upholstery care, refer to
Caring for your vehicle
brochure
V
Valve screw caps, refer to
After mounting105
Vehicle
– battery105
– breaking-in76
– care, refer to Caring for your
vehicle brochure
– cargo loading78
– dimensions115
– disposal, refer to Caring for
your vehicle brochure
– locking from inside20
– locking from outside19
– parking37
– washing, refer to Caring for
your vehicle brochure
– weights116
Vehicle battery105
Vehicle jack103
– jacking points104
Vehicle Memory32
Ventilation61,64
– draft-free61,64
Viscosity95
Voice control, refer to
separate Owner's Manual
W
Warning and indicator
lamps12
Warning triangle107
Warranty, refer to Service and
Warranty Information
Booklet for US models,
Warranty and Service Guide
Booklet for Canadian
models97
Warranty and service7
Washer fluid41
Washer fluid reservoir,
capacity, refer to Filling
capacities116

Everything from A to Z
128 Washer reservoir, refer to
Reservoir for washer fluid41
Waste tray, refer to Ashtray68
Weights116
Wheel/tire combination90
Wheelbase, refer to
Dimensions115
Wheel bolt, wrench103
Wheel changes, compact
wheel103
Wheels and tires90
Width, refer to
Dimensions115
Windows22
– convenience operation20
– safety switch22
Windshield
– cleaning41
– defrosting, refer to
Defrosting windows60,63
Windshield washer
reservoir41
– capacity, refer to Filling
capacities116
Windshield washer system
– washer/wiper system40
– washer fluid41
Windshield wiper blade
replacement99
Windshield wipers, refer to
Washer/wiper system40
Winter tires90
– changing103
– condition89
– storage90
Wiper blade replacement99
Wiper system40
Working in the engine
compartment92
Wrench/screwdriver, refer to
Onboard tool kit99
X
xDrive49
Xenon headlamp100
– replacing bulbs100