Controls
95Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
0Lights off and daytime running lamps*
1Parking lamps and daytime running lamps*
2Low beams
3Automatic headlamp control,
daytime run-
ning lamps
* and Adaptive Head Light*
Parking lamps
In switch position1, the front, rear and side
vehicle lighting is switched on. You can use the
parking lamps for parking.
The parking lamps drain the battery. Do
not leave them switched on for long peri-
ods of time, otherwise it may no longer be pos-
sible to start the engine. It is preferable to
switch on the roadside parking lamps on one
side, refer to page97.<
Low beams
The low beams light up when the light switch is
in position 2 and the ignition is on.
If the light switch remains in position 2, the
exterior lamps are switched off automatically
when the driver's door is opened while the igni-
tion is off.
Switch on the parking lamps if required as
described under Parking lamps.
Automatic headlamp control
In switch position3, the system activates the
low beams and switches them on or off in
response to changes in ambient light condi-
tions, for instance, in a tunnel, at dawn and dusk
and in case of precipitation. Adaptive Head
Light
* is active. The LED next to the symbol is
illuminated when the low beams are on.
A blue sky with the sun low on the horizon can
cause the lights to be switched on.
If desired, the light switch can be left in posi-
tion3. The exterior lighting is automatically
switched off after switching off the vehicle.
The automatic headlamp control cannot
serve as a substitute for your personal
judgment in determining when the lamps
should be switched on in response to ambient
lighting conditions. For example, the sensors
cannot detect fog of hazy weather. To avoid
safety risks, you should always switch on the
low beams manually under these conditions.<
Pathway lighting
When you activate the headlamp flasher after
parking the vehicle and switching off the lamps,
the low beams will come on for a brief period.
You can set the duration or deactivate the func-
tion via iDrive.
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.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.
Lamps
96 5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Lighting" is selected and
press the controller.
6.Select "Pathway lighting" and press the
controller.
7.Turn the controller to select the desired
duration.
8.Press the controller to apply the setting.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Daytime running lamps*
If desired, the light switch can remain in posi-
tions0, 1 or 3.
In positions0 and 3 the exterior lighting is auto-
matically switched off after the vehicle is
switched off. In position1 the parking lamps
light up after the ignition is switched off.
Switch on the parking lamps if required as
described under Parking lamps.
Activating/deactivating daytime
running lamps*
1.Open the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Lighting" is selected and
press the controller.
6.Select "Daytime running lamps" and press
the controller.
The daytime running lamps are
switched on.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Adaptive Head Light*
The concept
Adaptive Head Light is a variable headlamp
control system that enables better illumination
of the road surface. Depending on the steering
angle and other parameters, the light from the
headlamp follows the course of the road.
Activating Adaptive Head Light
In switch position3, the Adaptive Head Light is
active and the automatic headlamp control is
switched on, refer to page95.
To avoid blinding oncoming traffic, the Adaptive
Head Light is not active when driving in reverse
and points toward the passenger side when the
vehicle is stopped.
Malfunction
The LED next to the symbol for automatic head-
lamp control flashes. The Adaptive Head Light
is malfunctioning or has failed. Have the system
checked as soon as possible.
Climate
102 compartment can only be cooled with the
engine running.
Maximum cooling
Maximally cooled air is obtained as
quickly as possible from an outside
temperature above approx. 327/
06 and with the engine running.
The automatic climate control changes over to
the lowest temperature and switches into the
recirculated-air mode. The maximum air vol-
ume only flows out of the vents for the upper
body. It is therefore necessary for these vents to
be open for maximum cooling.
AUC Automatic recirculated-air
control/recirculated-air mode
You can respond to unpleasant
odors or pollutants in the immedi-
ate environment by temporarily
suspending the supply of outside air. The sys-
tem then recirculates the air currently within the
vehicle. In AUC mode, a sensor detects pollut-
ants in the outside air and controls the shut-off
automatically.
Press the button repeatedly to run through the
following control sequence:
>LED off: outside air flows into the vehicle
continuously.
>Right LED on, AUC mode: the system
detects pollutants in the outside air and
responds by blocking the supply of outside
air when required.
>Left LED on, recirculated-air mode: the
supply of outside air into the vehicle is shut
off continuously.
If condensation starts to form on the
inside window surfaces during operation
in the recirculated-air mode, you should switch
it off while also increasing the air volume as
required.
The recirculated-air mode should not be used
over a longer period of time, as the air quality
inside the vehicle deteriorates continuously.<
Residual heat
The heat stored in the engine is
used to heat the passenger com-
partment, e.g. while stopped at a
school to pick up a child.
The function can be switched on when the fol-
lowing conditions are met:
>up to 15 minutes after switching off the
engine
>engine at operating temperature
>sufficient battery voltage
>outside temperature below 777/256
The LED lights up when the function is
switched on.
With the ignition lock at radio readiness or
higher the interior temperature, the air volume
and the air distribution can be set.
Switching automatic climate control on
and off
The air volume, the heater and the
cooling function are all switched
off.
You can restart the automatic cli-
mate control by pressing any of its buttons
except the REST button.
Ventilation
1Knurled wheels for smoothly opening and
closing vent outlets
2Levers for changing the airflow direction
Do not drop any foreign objects into the
vent outlets; otherwise, they could be cat-
apulted outwards and cause injuries.<
Driving tips
115Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Hot exhaust system
As in all vehicles, extremely high temper-
atures are generated in the exhaust sys-
tem. 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 the hot exhaust system and any highly
flammable materials such as hay, leaves, grass,
etc. Such contact could lead to a fire, and with it
the risk of serious property damage as well as
personal injury. Do not touch hot exhaust tail
pipes. Otherwise there is a risk of burns.<
Mobile communications devices in
vehicle
BMW advises against using mobile com-
munications devices, e.g. mobile phones,
inside the vehicle without a direct connection to
an external antenna. Otherwise, the vehicle
electronics and mobile communications device
can interfere with each other. In addition, there
is no assurance that the radiation emitted dur-
ing transmission will be conveyed out of the
vehicle interior.<
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 the tires and
the road surface, ultimately undermining your
ability to steer and brake the vehicle.<
The risk of hydroplaning increases as the tread
depth of the tires decreases, also refer to Mini-
mum tire tread on page199.
Driving through water
Do not drive through water on the road if it
is deeper than 1 ft/30 cm, and then only at
walking speed at the most. Otherwise, the vehi-
cle's engine, the electrical systems and the
transmission may be damaged.<
Starting off
On slopes
The starting assistant enables starting off on
slopes virtually without rolling back.
1.Hold the vehicle with the footbrake.
2.Make sure that the handbrake is released.
3.Release the footbrake and drive off quickly.
The starting assistant holds the vehicle
for approx. 1 second after releasing the
footbrake. Depending on the load, the vehicle
may also roll back slightly during this time.
After releasing the footbrake, drive off quickly,
otherwise the starting assistant no longer holds
the vehicle after approx. 1 second and it begins
to roll back.<
Start off quickly on slopes. Do not hold
the vehicle on a hill by pressing the accel-
erator, but apply the footbrake or handbrake
instead. Otherwise, overheating and heavy
wear can result in the area of the Sequential
Manual Transmission.<
To protect the clutch of the Sequential Manual
Transmission from overheating, the starting-off
behavior is changed under heavy loading, e.g. a
rapid succession of starts on slopes. This can
be noticed from shaking during starting off.
On a slippery surface
1.Select "P 400" program of M Engine
Dynamic Control, refer to page64.
2.Gently press accelerator pedal to prevent
wheels from spinning when starting off.
Clutch protection with manual
transmission
Be sure to avoid riding the clutch for longer peri-
ods.
Your BMW M6 is equipped with an overload
protection for the clutch. Riding the clutch for
longer periods is detected and the engine man-
agement system limits the engine speed to pro-
tect the clutch. This can result in the vehicle fail-
ing to accelerate when the clutch pedal is
partially depressed.
Navigation
Driving tips
125Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Selecting country
1.Select "State / Province" or the displayed
country and press the controller.
A list of available countries appears on the
display.
2.Select the country of destination and press
the controller.
In order to be able to start the destination guid-
ance, at least the town/city of destination or its
zip code must be entered.
Entering town/city of destination via
name
1.Select "Town / City" or the displayed town/
city and press the controller.
2.Select the first letter and press the control-
ler.
A list of all towns/cities starting with this let-
ter appears on the Control Display.
3.To delete the letter entered if necessary:
>Delete individual numbers or letters:
Move the controller toward the right to
select and press the controller.
>Delete all digits or letters:
Move the controller toward the right to
select and press the controller
longer.4.Enter additional letters if necessary.
The list gradually grows smaller each time
you enter a new letter.
>To enter a blank space if necessary:
Select the symbol and press the con-
troller.
5.Change to the third field from the top if nec-
essary. Turn the controller until the town/
city name is selected from the list and press
the controller.
Entering town/city of destination via
zip code
1.Select "Town / City" and press the control-
ler.
2.Enter the zip code:
Select the individual digits and press the
controller.
Navigation
Driving tips
127Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
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 individual digits and press the
controller.
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 destination guidance is not to be started
immediately:
Select "Add to destination list" and press
the controller.
The destination is stored in the destination
list, refer to page131.
Entering destination via
voice*
You can enter a desired destination with the
voice command system. When entering the
destination, it is possible to change between
voice command and iDrive at any time. Reacti-
vate the voice command function for this pur-
pose if necessary.
With {Options} you can have the system
read aloud the possible commands.<1.Press the button on the steering wheel
or in the center console.
Selecting country
1.Wait for the system to ask for the country of
destination.
Say the name of the country of destination in
the language of the voice command system.
Entering town/city of destination
The town/city of destination can be spelled or
entered as an entire word.
Spelling town/city of destination
To enter the town/city of destination, spell it
using the customary spelling of the country of
destination.
Pronounce the letters smoothly and at normal
volume, avoiding excessive emphasis and
pauses.
The system can suggest up to 20 towns/cit-
ies of destination that match your entries.
2.{Enter address}
2.Say the name of the country of destina-
tion.
1.Spell town/city name:
Say at least the first three letters of the
town/city of destination. The more let-
ters you say, the more exactly the sys-
tem recognizes the town/city.
Destination entry
134
Storing home address
You can store your current position or the cur-
rent destination as a home address in the
address book. This entry is in the second posi-
tion in the address book.
1.Select "Address book" and press the con-
troller.
2.Change into the third field from the top.
Turn the controller until "Home address" is
selected and press the controller.
3.Select "Use current location as address", or
"Save current destination" during the desti-
nation guidance, and press the controller.
4.Select "Store in address book" and press
the controller.
Adopting home address as destination
1.Select "Home address" and press the con-
troller.
2.Select "Start guidance" and press the con-
troller.
Changing home address
1.Select "Home address" and press the con-
troller.
2.Select "Edit address" and press the con-
troller. For operation, refer to Entering a
destination manually, page124.
Selecting route
You can influence the calculated route by
choosing certain route criteria. You can change
the route criteria as often as you like when
entering the destination and whenever the des-
tination guidance is active.
The route is planned according to fixed rules,
taking the road type into account, e.g. whether
it involves freeways or winding roads. The road
types are stored on the navigation DVD. As a
result, the routes recommended by the naviga-
tion system may not always be the same ones
that you would choose based on personal expe-
rience.
Changing route criteria
1.Select "Navigation" and press the control-
ler.
2.Change into the third field from the top.
Turn the controller until "Route preference"
is selected and press the controller.
The various criteria are listed on the Control
Display.
3.Select a route criterion for the route:
>"With highways"
Freeways and major traffic arteries are
given priority.
>"Avoid highways"
Freeways are avoided where possible.
>"Fast route"
The short traveling time, being a combi-
nation of the shortest possible route and
the fastest roads
>"Short route"
Short route, regardless of how fast or
slow progress will be
Destination guidance
136
Destination guidance
Starting destination
guidance
1.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Navigation" is selected and
press the controller.
2.Select a destination from the destination list
and press the controller or enter a new des-
tination, refer to page124.
3.Select "Start guidance" and press the con-
troller.
After the route has been calculated, destination
guidance is indicated by arrows or a map dis-
play on the Control Display.
If the route criteria "Avoid highways",
"Avoid tollroads" or "Avoid ferries" are
selected, the calculation time for the route can
increase considerably.<
The destination guidance can also be started in
the arrow or map view:
Select the symbol and press the controller.During destination guidance, you can operate
other equipment via iDrive at any time. You are
notified well in advance of a necessary change
of direction by spoken instructions and the dis-
play of the direction arrows.
Terminating/continuing
destination guidance
In arrow display or map view
Select the symbol and press the controller.
In destination list
This symbol marks the current destination.
1.Select the current destination and press the
controller.