Things to remember when driving
124 Should corrosion form on the brake rotors, the
brakes will tend to respond with a pulsating
effect that even extended application will fail to
cure.
When vehicle is parked
Condensation forms in the automatic climate
control system 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 page48,
otherwise they could be damaged due to the
width of the vehicle.
General information on the care and mainte-
nance of your BMW is contained in the Caring
for your vehicle brochure.
Rear window wiper
The rear window wiper can be damaged in car
washes. Take appropriate protective measures;
ask the car wash operator if necessary.
With comfort access*
Insert the remote control into the ignition lock.
The engine can be switched off in transmission
position N. Also refer to page36.
Loading
To avoid loading the tires beyond their
approved carrying capacity, never over-
load the vehicle. Overloading can lead to over-
heating and increases the rate at which damage
develops inside the tires. The ultimate result
can assume the form of a sudden blow-out.<
Determining loading limit
1.Locate the following statement on your
vehicle's placard
*:
The combined weight of occupants
and cargo should never exceed
YYY lbs. or XXX kg. Otherwise, this could
damage the vehicle and produce unstable
vehicle operating conditions.<
2.Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3.Subtract the combined weight of the driver
and passengers from YYY lbs. or XXX kg.
4.The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load capacity.
For example, if the YYY amount equals
1,400 lbs. and there will be five 150-lb. pas-
sengers in your vehicle, the amount of avail-
able cargo and luggage load capacity is
650 lbs.:
1,400 lbs. minus 750 lbs. = 650 lbs.
5.Determine the combined weight of luggage
and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That
weight may not safely exceed the available
cargo and luggage load capacity calculated
in step 4.
6.If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, part of
the load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult the manual for
transporting a trailer to determine how this
may reduce the available cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.
Things to remember when driving
126
Roof-mounted luggage rack*
A special rack system is available as an option
for your BMW. Please comply with the precau-
tions included with the installation instructions.
Loading roof-mounted luggage rack
Because roof racks raise the vehicle's center of
gravity when loaded, they have a major effect on
its handling and steering response. You should
therefore always remember not to exceed the
approved roof load capacity, the approved
gross vehicle weight or the axle loads when
loading the rack.
You can find the specified weights under
Weights on page244.
The load on the roof must be evenly distributed
and must not extend outward beyond the limits
of the loading surface. Always stow the heaviest
pieces on the bottom. Be sure that adequate
clearance is maintained for raising the pan-
orama glass sunroof, and that objects do not
project into the opening path of the liftgate.
Secure roof-mounted cargo correctly and
securely to prevent it from shifting or falling off
during the trip.
Drive smoothly. Avoid sudden acceleration and
braking maneuvers. Take corners gently.
Driving on poor roads
Your X5 is at home on all roads and surfaces.
It combines a 4-wheel drive system with the
advantages of a normal passenger car.
Driving on unpaved terrain can cause
damage to the vehicle.<
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:
>Familiarize yourself with the vehicle before
driving off and avoid taking risks at all costs.
>Adapt your driving speed to the road condi-
tions. The steeper and rougher 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 down-
hill gradients of this kind, make sure before-
hand that the engine oil and coolant levels
are near the MAX mark, refer to page225.
>Use the HDC Hill Descent Control when
driving down extremely steep grades, refer
to page85. It is possible to start off on
grades of up to 33 %.
The permissible body roll is 50 %.
>While driving, watch carefully for obstacles
such as rocks or holes. Try to avoid these
obstacles whenever possible.
>Please make sure that the undercarriage
does not touch the ground, for example on
crests and bumpy roads. The ground clear-
ance of the vehicle is a maximum of approx.
8.0 in/20 cm. Please note that the ground
clearance can vary depending on loading
and the driving conditions of the vehicle.
>Only drive through water on roads up to a
maximum depth of 20 in/50 cm and only at
walking speed, making sure not to stop in
the process.
>After driving through water at low speed,
lightly press the brake pedal several times
to dry the brakes and to prevent the braking
effect from being reduced by wetness.
>Depending on the condition of the surface,
it may be practical to briefly activate DTC,
refer to DTC Dynamic Traction Control on
page85.
>If the drive wheels spin on one side, depress
the accelerator pedal sufficiently so that the
driving stability control systems can distrib-
ute the drive forces to the individual wheels.
Please note the following points after driving on
poor roads to maintain the driving safety of your
BMW:
>Clean the coarsest dirt from the body.
>Clean mud, snow, ice etc. from the wheels
and tires and check the tires for damage.
Everything from A to Z
252 BMW homepage4
BMW maintenance
system226
"BMW Services"206,208
BMW website4
Bottle holder, refer to Cup
holders114
Brackets, adaptive fixing
system118
Brake Assistant, refer to DBC
Dynamic Brake Control84
Brake force display92
Brake lamps
– brake force display92
– replacing bulbs230
Brake pads, breaking-in122
Brake rotors123
Brakes
– ABS Antilock Brake
System84
– brake force display92
– breaking-in122
– CBC Cornering Brake
Control84
– DBC Dynamic Brake
Control84
– electronic brake-force
distribution84
– parking brake57
– refer to Braking safely123
– warning lamp13
Brake system122
– brake pads122
– breaking-in122
– disc brakes123
Braking safely123
Breakdown assistance203
Breakdown services, refer to
Roadside Assistance237
Breaking-in the
differential122
Break-in period122
"Brightness"78,95
– for DVD system in rear176
Brightness of Control
Display78
Button for starting engine56Buttons on steering wheel11
Bypassing traffic
congestion149
C
Calibrating driver's seat46
California Proposition 65
Warning6
"Call"195,206
Call
– accepting193
– displaying accepted195
– ending194
– in absence195
– starting193
Calling
– from phone book194
– from Top 8 list195
– redialing195
– refer to telephone operating
instructions
Can holder, refer to Cup
holders114
Capacities244
Capacity of cargo bay244
Car battery, refer to Vehicle
battery234
Car care, refer to Caring for
your vehicle brochure
Car-care products, refer to
Caring for your vehicle
brochure
"Car data"69
Care227
– refer to Caring for your
vehicle brochure
Cargo
– refer to Loading124
– securing125
– securing with ski bag119
Cargo area, refer to Cargo
bay116
Cargo area cover, refer to Roll-
up cover116Cargo bay
– capacity244
– dividing up118
– emergency operation, refer
to Opening manually33
– expanding117
– opening/closing, refer to
Liftgate33
– opening/closing, refer to
Tailgate34
– opening from inside33
– opening from outside33
– opening with remote
control30
Cargo bay cover, refer to Roll-
up cover116
Caring for artificial leather,
refer to Caring for your
vehicle brochure
Caring for leather, refer to
Caring for your vehicle
brochure
Caring for light-alloy wheels,
refer to Caring for your
vehicle brochure
Caring for the carpet, refer to
Caring for your vehicle
brochure
Caring for the vehicle finish,
refer to Caring for your
vehicle brochure
Car key, refer to Keys/remote
control28
Car phone188
– installation location, refer to
Center armrest113
– refer to Mobile phone188
– refer to separate operating
instructions
Car radio, refer to Radio158
Car wash124
– also refer to Caring for your
vehicle brochure
– with comfort access36
Catalytic converter, refer to
Hot exhaust system122