61n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Vehicle Memory, Key Memory How the system functions You have probably frequently wished
that you could configure individual
functions of your vehicle meet your own
personal requirements. In developing
your vehicle, BMW has included several
user-defined functions in the vehicle's
design. Your BMW Sports Activity Vehi-
cle center can make these settings for
you.
There are vehicle and person-related
adjustments: Vehicle Memory and Key
Memory. You can have up to four differ-
ent basic positions configured for four
different persons. The only requirement
is that each person uses his or her own
remote control key.
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 master keys with remote control,
color-coded decals are supplied
together with the keys.
What the system can doYour BMW Sports Activity Vehicle cen-
ter can provide you with details on the
capabilities of the Vehicle Memory and
Key Memory systems.
You will see this symbol through-
out the Owner's Manual. It is to
remind you at appropriate places of the
settings that are available to you.<
Following configuration of the
memory functions, vehicle opera-
tion may differ from the description in
the Owner's Manual. Should you want
to sell your BMW some day, please
remember to have the memory func-
tions reset to the default state.<
Examples for Vehicle Memory:
>Various signals that can serve as
acknowledgment for locking and
unlocking the vehicle, refer to
pages31, 33
>Deactivating/activating the Pathway
lighting function, refer to page100.
Examples for Key Memory:
>Automatic adjustment of the driver's
seat, exterior mirror and steering
wheel with settings stored in the
memory for the individual driver when
the vehicle is unlocked, refer to
page51
>Calling up customized settings for
the automatic climate control when
unlocking the vehicle, refer to
page109.
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
69n
Washer/wiper system/rain sensor
*
0 Wipers retracted
1 Intermittent mode or rain sensor
2Normal wipe
3Fast wipe
4Brief wipe
5 Windshield washing
6 Special wash program
*
7 Knurled wheel for control of the wipe
interval or the sensitivity of the rain
sensor530de324
Fold-out positionThe left wiper is partially concealed by
the hood. To bring the wipers to roughly
a vertical position, which is important
when changing the wiper blades or
when folding the wipers out during
frosty weather, for example, proceed as
follows:
>With the lever in position 1, switch off
the ignition as soon as the wipers
come to a stop.
If equipped with a rain sensor:
1. Switch on the wipers with the lever in
position 1, 2 or 4
2. When the wipers are roughly vertical,
switch the ignition off.
For changing the wiper blades, refer to
page160.
Fold the wipers back down onto
the windshield before you turn the
ignition key to position 1 or 2 again. If
you do not, they could be damaged.<
Intermittent mode Not provided in vehicles with rain sen-
sor.
You can set the wipe interval to four
stages with the knurled wheel 7.
In addition, the wipe interval is varied
automatically depending on road
speed. Rain sensor The rain sensor automatically controls
the wiper operation as a function of the
rain intensity. It is located on the wind-
shield, directly in front of the interior
rearview mirror.
To activate the rain sensor:
Move the lever to position 1 as of igni-
tion key position 1. The wipers travel
once across the windshield, regardless
of the weather conditions.
You can leave the lever permanently in
position 1. It is then only necessary to
activate the rain sensor as of ignition
key position 1.
To do this, turn the knurled wheel 7
briefly.
103n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Interior lamps The interior lamps operate automati-
cally. Switching interior lamps on and
off manually Briefly press button 1.
If you want the interior lamps to remain
off all the time, press and hold the but-
ton for approx. 3 seconds.
Briefly press the button to revert to nor-
mal operation.
The button for the interior lamps in the
rear passenger area only switches
these lamps on and off. 530ue263
Reading lamps
*
Reading lamps are located at the front
and in the rear next to the dome light.
They can be switched on and off with
the respective buttons 2 located next to
them.Footwell and cargo area lamps The lamps are controlled in the same
manner as the front interior lamps.Courtesy lighting
*
This lighting system in the two exterior
mirrors illuminates the ground in the
area near the two front doors. It is also
controlled in the same manner as the
front interior lamps, but it does not
function while the vehicle is moving.
In order to prevent battery dis-
charge, all of the lamps in the
vehicle are switched off automatically
approx. 15 minutes after the ignition
key is turned to position 0.<
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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Interior rearview mirror with digital compass
*
1 Adjusting knob for compass zones
2Display
The display indicates the cardinal and/
or intercardinal direction in which you
are currently driving.Setting compass zonesDepending on where you and your vehi-
cle are located, it is necessary to set
the appropriate compass zone, refer to
world map with compass zones,
page118.
To set the compass zone, press the
adjusting button in the mirror frame for
approx. 3-4 seconds with a sharp
object, e.g. a ball-point pen or the like.
The display indicates the number of the
currently set compass zone.530de425
To change the zone setting, press the
adjusting button repeatedly until the
number of the compass zone that
applies to your current position is dis-
played.
The compass will be operational again
after approximately 10 seconds.
For automatic dimming action, refer to
Interior and exterior mirrors, automatic
dimming feature on page138.Calibrating digital compassIn the following situations, the digital
compass must be calibrated:
>C or CAL appears on the display
>The wrong cardinal direction appears
on the display
>The cardinal direction displayed does
not change despite a change in the
direction of travel
>Not all cardinal directions are dis-
played.How to correct this:
1. Make sure that there are no large
metal objects or overhead power
lines in the vicinity of your vehicle
and that you have enough space to
drive in a circle
2. Input the currently applicable com-
pass zone
3. Press the adjustment button to bring
up C or CAL. Then drive in a com-
plete circle at a maximum speed of
4mph/7km/h.
If the calibration was successful, the
displays C or CAL are replaced with
the points of the compass.
118n
Interior rearview mirror with digital compass
*
530de413
137n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
General driving notesClosing liftgate/tailgate
Operate the vehicle only when the
tailgate and liftgate are completely
closed. Otherwise, exhaust fumes
could enter into the passenger com-
partment.<
However, if special circumstances
should make it absolutely necessary to
operate the vehicle with the liftgate/tail-
gate open:
1. Close all windows and the panorama
glass roof
2. Increase the air supply for the air
conditioner or automatic climate
control to a high level, refer to
page105 or109.
Hot exhaust system
Extreme temperatures occur on
the exhaust system on any vehi-
cle. Do not remove the heat shields
installed adjacent to it, and never apply
undercoating to them. When driving,
standing at idle and while parking, take
care to avoid possible contact between
a hot exhaust system and any highly
flammable materials such as hay,
leaves, grass etc. Otherwise, there is a
danger of ignition and fire, with the risk
of serious injuries and damage.<
Mobile communications devices
in vehicle
BMW advises against using
mobile communications devices
such as mobile phones inside the vehi-
cle unless they are directly connected
to the external antenna. Otherwise, it is
impossible to prevent a mutual interfer-
ence of the vehicle electronics with the
mobile phone device. Also, there is no
guarantee that the radiation generated
by the transmission will be conveyed
out from the interior of the vehicle.<
When vehicle is parked Condensation forms in the air condi-
tioner system during operation and then
exits under the vehicle. Traces of water
on the ground are therefore normal.Brakes
Do not drive with your foot resting
on the brake pedal. Even light but
consistent pedal pressure can lead to
excessively high temperatures, brake
wear and possibly even brake failure.<
Road hazards
If road hazards, obstacles or curbs
are unavoidable, only drive over
them very slowly and carefully, other-
wise the wheels and suspension parts,
especially on vehicles fitted with low
profile tires, can be damaged.<
For more information on wheels and
tires, refer to page146.
Before driving into a car washFold in the exterior mirrors, refer to
page53, otherwise they could be dam-
aged due to the width of the vehicle.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 surface. This
state can cause a partial or total loss
of contact with the road surface, of
braking control and of control over the
vehicle.<
138n
General driving notes Driving your X5 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
at the most. Otherwise, the vehicle's
engine, the electrical systems and the
transmission may be damaged. When
equipped with 2-axle self leveling sus-
pension
*, switch the vehicle into the
Off-Road setting before driving through,
refer to page97.<
Using handbrake on slopes
Do not hold the vehicle in place on
slopes by slipping or riding the
clutch; use the handbrake instead. Oth-
erwise, severe clutch wear will result.<
Interior and exterior mirrors,
automatic dimming feature
*
Two photocells serve to control the
automatic dimming of the interior and
exterior rearview mirrors. One photocell
is in the mirror glass, refer to arrow,
while the other is on the back of the
mirror, offset somewhat from the first.
For trouble-free operation, keep the
photocells clean and do not cover the
area between the interior rearview mir-
ror and the windshield. Do not attach
any kind of stickers to the windshield in
front of the mirror either. 530us245
On poor roads When you are driving on poor roads,
there are a few points which you should
strictly observe — for your own safety,
for that of your passengers, and for the
safety of the vehicle:
Driving on unpaved terrain can
cause damage to the vehicle.<
>Always adapt the driving speed to the
road conditions. The rougher or
steeper the road surface is, the lower
the speed should be
>You can operate your vehicle on
uphill and downhill gradients with a
maximum slope of 50 %. If you want
to drive on uphill or downhill gradi-
ents of this kind, make sure before-
hand that the engine oil and coolant
levels are near the max mark, refer to
pages152 and154.
Use the HDC Hill Descent Control
when driving down steep grades,
refer to page94.
It is possible to start off on grades of
up to 33 %.
The permissible body roll is also 50 %
>While driving, watch carefully for
obstacles such as rocks or holes. Try
to avoid these obstacles whenever
possible
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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Changing a wheel Vehicle battery
Only one compact wheel may be
mounted. Wheels and tires of the
original size should be mounted again
as soon as possible.<
Driving with spare wheel
*
Do not exceed a speed of
130 mph/210 km/h, otherwise tire
damage could lead to accidents.<
With certain wheel-and-tire com-
binations the size of the spare
wheel differs from that of the other
wheels. To restore the original state,
the normal wheel should be remounted
as soon as possible.<
Battery posts, terminals and
related accessories contain lead
and lead compounds. Wash hands after
handling.<
Battery care The battery is maintenance-free, that is,
the original electrolyte will normally last
for the service life of the battery under
moderate climatic conditions. Your
BMW Sports Activity Vehicle center will
be glad to advise in all matters con-
cerning the battery.Charging battery Only charge the battery in the vehicle
via the terminals in the engine compart-
ment with the engine off. For correct
connections, refer to Jump starting on
page174. Disposal
Following replacement, have old
batteries disposed of by your
BMW Sports Activity Vehicle center or
turn them over to a recycling center.
Maintain the battery in an upright posi-
tion for transport and storage. Always
restrain the battery to prevent it from
tipping over during transport.<
Power failure Following a temporary power failure,
e.g. in the case of a dead battery, some
equipment is subject to restricted use
and must be reinitialized. Individual set-
tings are also lost and must be updated
again:
>Seat, mirror and steering wheel
memory
The positions must be stored again,
refer to page50
>Time and date
Have to be updated again, refer to
page82
>Activation time for parked car
ventilation
Has to be updated again, refer to
page84.