Telephoning
192
Telephoning
The concept
Your BMW is equipped with a full mobile phone
preparation package. After pairing a suitable
mobile phone in the vehicle once, you can oper-
ate the mobile phone via iDrive, with the buttons
on the steering wheel and by voice.
A mobile phone that has been paired once is
automatically detected again with the engine
running or the ignition switched on as soon as
it is in the vehicle interior. The logon data of up
to four mobile phones can be stored simulta-
neously. If several mobile phones are detected
simultaneously, the respective last mobile
phone paired can be operated via the vehicle.
Using a phone in your vehicle
Using snap-in adapter*
The so-called snap-in adapter, a mobile phone
cradle, enables the battery to be charged and
the mobile phone to be connected to the exter-
nal antenna of your vehicle. This ensures
improved network reception and a consistent
voice reproduction quality. Ask your BMW cen-
ter which mobile phones snap-in adapters are
offered for.
BMW discourages the use of mobile
phones or other mobile communications
devices inside the vehicle without a direct con-
nection to an outside antenna. Otherwise, the
vehicle electronics and mobile communication
device can influence one another. In addition,
there is no assurance that the radiation which
results from transmission will be dissipated
from the vehicle interior.<
For your safety
A car phone makes life more convenient in
many ways, and can even save lives in an emer-
gency. While you should consult your mobile
phone's separate operating instructions for a
detailed description of safety precautions and information, we request that you direct your
particular attention to the following:
Only make entries when the traffic situa-
tion allows you to do so. Do not hold the
mobile phone in your hand while you are driving;
use the hands-free system instead. If you do
not observe this precaution, your being dis-
tracted can endanger vehicle occupants and
other road users.<
Suitable mobile phones
Ask your BMW center which mobile phones
with a Bluetooth interface are supported by the
mobile phone preparation package or which
mobile phones snap-in adapters are available
for. These mobile phones support the functions
described in this Owner's Manual with a certain
software version. Malfunctions can occur with
other mobile phones.
Care instructions
You can find what you need to know about car-
ing for your mobile phone in the separate Caring
for your vehicle brochure and in the mobile
phone operating instructions.
Operating options
You can operate the mobile phone* using:
>Buttons on steering wheel, refer to
page12 11
>iDrive, refer to page16
>Voice commands, refer to page203
>Programmable memory/direct selection
buttons, refer to page21
Avoid operating a mobile phone detected by
the vehicle with the keypad of the mobile
phone, otherwise malfunctions can occur.
*
195
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Mobility
14.Wait a few seconds until the "Communica-
tion" menu appears.
The next time you use the mobile phone in the
vehicle interior, it will be detected within a max-
imum of 2 minutes with the engine running or
the ignition switched on.
With some mobile phone models it may
be necessary to make certain settings for
a permanent Bluetooth link, e.g. via the menu
item Authorization or Secure connection. Refer
to the operating instructions of your mobile
phone.<
As soon as a mobile phone is detected by the
vehicle, the phone book entries stored on the
SIM card or on your mobile phone are transmit-
ted to your vehicle. This transmission is depen-
dent on your mobile phone, refer to the operat-
ing instructions of your mobile phone if
necessary, and can take several minutes.
If not all phone book entries are displayed:
>Transfer all phone book entries from the
SIM card to the mobile phone if necessary.
>It may not be possible to display phone
book entries with special characters.
Up to four mobile phones can be paired consec-
utively. When you pair a fifth mobile phone, the
pairing data of the mobile phone for which the
pairing data were stored first in the vehicle will
be deleted.
Check if pairing is unsuccessful
>Is the mobile phone supported by the
mobile phone preparation package? Infor-
mation on this subject is also provided on
the Internet at: www.bmw.com.
>Do the Bluetooth passkey on the mobile
phone and the vehicle match? The same
Bluetooth passkey must be entered both on
the mobile phone display and via iDrive.
>Have you required longer than 30 seconds
to enter the Bluetooth passkey?
>Only a limited number of devices can be
connected to the mobile phone. Delete the
connection to other devices if necessary.>The mobile phone no longer reacts? Switch
the mobile phone off and then on again or
disconnect the power supply.
To repeat pairing:
1.Select "Restart pairing" and press the con-
troller.
2.Repeat steps 9 to 14.
If pairing was repeatedly unsuccessful, contact
the BMW Hotline.
To call the BMW Hotline:
Select "Help" and press the controller.
The phone number of the BMW Hotline and
information required for pairing is shown on the
display. With mobile phones already paired, you
can select the phone number of the BMW Hot-
line to establish the connection.
Telephoning
198
Adjusting volume
Turn the knob during a call to select the desired
volume.
This volume for the hands-free system is main-
tained, even if the other audio sources are set to
minimum volume.
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.
Operation via iDrive
You can operate the following functions via
iDrive:
>Accepting/refusing a call
>Dialing phone numbers
>Dialing phone numbers from the phone
book
>Dialing stored phone numbers, e.g. from the
list of accepted calls.
>Ending a call
When the ignition and radio readiness are
switched off, e.g. after removing the remote
control from the ignition lock, you can continue
an ongoing call via the hands-free system for no
more than 25 minutes.
Speech quality
If the person you are talking to cannot under-
stand you well, this may be due to excessively
loud background noises. The full mobile phone
preparation package can compensate for these
noises to a certain degree. To optimize the speech quality during a call, we recommend
that you:
>Reduce background noises, e.g. by closing
the windows, reducing the air volume of the
automatic climate control or pointing the
opened front vent outlets downward
>Reduce volume of hands-free system
Requirements
>The logon data of the mobile phone are
stored in the vehicle and the mobile phone
is ready to operate.
>The engine is running or the ignition is
switched on.
>The mobile phone is detected by the vehi-
cle.
Opening Communication
You operate many of the functions described in
the following via the "Communication" menu.
iDrive, for explanation of principle, refer to
page16.
1.Press the button to open the start
menu.
2.Move the controller forward to open "Com-
munication".
Receiving calls
If you have the phone number of the caller
stored in the phone book and the phone num-
ber has been transmitted, the name of the entry
is displayed.
Accepting a call
Press the button on the steering wheel.
Refueling
216
Refueling
Switch off the engine before refueling,
otherwise no fuel can be filled into the
tank and a message is displayed.<
When handling fuel, always observe all
applicable precautionary measures and
regulations. Never transport reserve fuel con-
tainers in the vehicle. These could become
leaky and cause an explosion or a fire in an acci-
dent.<
Fuel filler door
To open and close: press the rear edge of the
fuel filler door.
Manual release
If an electrical malfunction should occur, you
can unlock the fuel filler door manually.
Sedan
1.In the cargo bay, raise the floor mat and the
cover located beneath it.
2.Open the snap fasteners of the right side
panel and take off the side panel.3.Pull the knob with the gas pump symbol.
Sports Wagon
1.Unhook the retaining strap*, refer to
page126.
2.Open the right-hand side panel in the cargo
bay.
3.Pull the knob with the gas pump symbol.
Observe the following when refueling
When handling fuels always observe any
safety guidelines posted at the service
station.<
Place the fuel filler cap in the bracket attached
to the fuel filler door.
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When refueling, insert the filler nozzle com-
pletely into the filler pipe. Avoid raising the filler
nozzle during refueling, otherwise this leads to
>premature pump shutoff
>a reduced efficiency of the fuel-vapor
recovery system.
The fuel tank is full when the filler nozzle clicks
off the first time.
Fuel tank capacity
Approx. 18.5 US gal/70 liters, including the
reserve capacity of approx. 2.1 US gal/8 liters.
550i: approx. 2.6 US gal/10 liters reserve
capacity.
Refuel as soon as possible once your
cruising range falls below 30 miles/
50 km, otherwise engine functions are not
ensured and damage can occur.<
Fuel filler cap
Closing
Fit the cap and turn it clockwise until you clearly
hear a click.
Do not jam the strap attached to the fuel
filler cap between the fuel filler cap and
the vehicle. A message
* is displayed if the cap
is loose or missing.<
Fuel specifications
Do not use leaded gasoline, otherwise
permanent damage to the catalytic con-
verter will result.
Do not use E85, i.e. fuel that consists of 85%
ethanol, or Flex Fuel. Otherwise permanent
damage to the engine and the fuel supply sys-
tem will result.<
Required fuel
Super Premium Gasoline/AKI 91
This gasoline is highly recommended.
However, you may also use gasoline with less
AKI. The minimum AKI Rating is 87.
If you use gasoline with this minimum AKI Rat-
ing, the engine may produce knocking sounds
when starting at high outside temperatures.
This has no affect on the engine life.
Do not use gasoline below the specified
minimum quality, otherwise engine dam-
age can result.<
Use high-quality brands
Field experience has indicated significant dif-
ferences in fuel quality: volatility, composition,
additives, etc., among gasolines offered for sale
in the United States and Canada. Fuels contain-
ing up to and including 10 % ethanol or other
oxygenates with up to 2.8 % oxygen by weight,
that is, 15 % MTBE or 3 % methanol plus an
equivalent amount of co-solvent, will not void
the applicable warranties with respect to
defects in materials or workmanship.
The use of poor-quality fuels may result in
drivability, starting and stalling problems
especially under certain environmental condi-
tions such as high ambient temperature and
high altitude.
Should you encounter drivability problems
which you suspect could be related to the fuel
you are using, we recommend that you respond
by switching to a recognized high-quality brand
such as gasoline that is advertised as Top Tier
Detergent Gasoline.
Failure to comply with these recommendations
may also result in unscheduled maintenance.<
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Engine compartment
1Filler neck for engine oil, refer to
Adding engine oil
2Starting-aid terminal, refer to page2463Filler neck for washer fluid of the headlamp
and windshield cleaning systems, refer to
page68
4Expansion tank for coolant, refer to
page231
Engine oil
The engine oil consumption is dependent on
driving style and driving conditions.
Checking engine oil level
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronic oil
level check.
The condition for the most accurate indication
of the oil level possible is measurement with the
engine at operating temperature, i.e. following
an uninterrupted drive of at least 6 miles/10 km.
You can display the oil level on the Control Dis-
play while driving or when stopped on a level
surface with the engine running.
iDrive, for explanation of principle, refer to
page16.1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Turn the controller until "Info sources" is
selected and press the controller.
4.Turn the controller until "Service" is
selected and press the controller.
Under the hood
230 5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Service requirements" is
selected and press the controller.
6.Change to the second field from the top if
necessary. Turn the controller until "Engine
oil level" is selected and press the control-
ler. The oil level is displayed.
Possible messages
>"Engine oil level O.K."
>"No measurement available: Updating
engine oil level measurement...":
Engine oil level is being measured. This
process can take approx. 3 minutes when
stopped on a level surface and approx.
5 minutes while driving.
>"Oil level at the minimum! Refill with 1 quart
of engine oil.":
Add 1 US quart/liter of engine oil at the next
opportunity.
>"Engine oil level too high"
*:
Have the vehicle checked immedi-
ately, otherwise engine damage may
result if too much oil has been added.<
>"Please observe recalculated service inter-
val for engine oil":
Do not add engine oil. Continued driving is
possible. To do this, observe the recalcu-
lated remaining mileage until the next oil
change service, refer to page232. Have the
system checked as soon as possible.
Adding engine oil
Do not add 1 US quart/1 liter of oil until a corre-
sponding message is shown on the Control Dis-
play.
Add oil within the next 125 miles/200 km,
otherwise the engine could be dam-
aged.<
Continuous exposure to used oil has
caused cancer in laboratory testing.
For this reason, any skin areas that come into
contact with oil should be thoroughly washed
with soap and water.
Keep oil, grease etc. out of reach of children and
observe the warnings on the containers to pre-
vent health risks.<
Oil change
Have oil changed only at your BMW center or
at a workshop that works according to BMW
repair procedures with correspondingly trained
personnel.
Approved engine oils
The quality of the engine oil selected has critical
significance for the operation and service life of
an engine. BMW continuously approves spe-
cific oils after confirming their suitability for use
in its vehicles with extensive testing.
Do not use oil additives, as these may
result in engine damage.<
Only use approved BMW High Performance
Synthetic Oil.
If BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil is
unavailable, you can add small quantities of
other synthetic oils between oil changes. Only
use oils of the specification API SH or higher.
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231Reference
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Your BMW center will be happy to answer
detailed questions on BMW High Perfor-
mance Synthetic Oil or approved synthetic
oils.<
You can also call BMW of North America at
1-800-831-1117 or visit the website at
www.bmwusa.com to obtain this information.
Viscosity grades
Viscosity is a measure of an oil's flow rating and
is specified in SAE grades.
The choice of the right SAE grade is based on
the climatic conditions in the region in which
you normally drive your BMW.
Approved oils belong to the SAE grades
5W-40 and 5W-30.<
These oils can be used for driving at all outside
temperatures.
Coolant
Do not add coolant to the cooling system
when the engine is hot. Escaping coolant
can cause burns.<
Coolant is comprised of water and coolant addi-
tive. Not all commercially available additives are
suitable for your BMW. Ask your BMW center
for suitable additives.
Only use suitable additives, otherwise
engine damage may result. The additives
present a health hazard; observe the instruc-
tions on the containers.<
Comply with the appropriate environ-
mental protection regulations when dis-
posing of coolant additives.<
Checking coolant level
1.Allow the engine to cool.
2.Turn the cap of the expansion tank counter-
clockwise to allow any accumulated pres-
sure to escape, then continue turning to
open.
3.The coolant level is correct when the cool-
ant level is between the MIN and MAX
marks, refer to the diagram adjacent to the
filler neck.
4.If the coolant is low, slowly add coolant up to
the specified level – do not overfill.
5.Turn the cap until there is an audible click.
6.Have the reason for the coolant loss elimi-
nated as soon as possible.