
Controls
 59Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Starting the engine
Do not run the engine in closed rooms, 
otherwise the inhalation of toxic exhaust 
gases can cause unconsciousness and death. 
The exhaust gases contain carbon monoxide, 
an odorless and colorless, but highly toxic gas. 
Never leave an unattended vehicle with the 
engine running, otherwise such a vehicle repre-
sents a potential safety hazard. 
Before leaving the car with the engine running, 
place the transmission in idle or move the 
selector lever to position P and forcefully apply 
the parking brake to prevent the car from mov-
ing.<
Do not wait for the engine to warm up while the 
vehicle remains stationary. Start driving right 
away, but at moderate engine speeds.
Avoid frequent starting in quick succes-
sion as well as repeated start attempts in 
which the engine does not start. Otherwise, the 
fuel is not burned or incompletely burned and 
there is a danger of overheating and damaging 
the catalytic converter.<
Manual transmission
Remote control in the ignition lock or, with con-
venient access, inside the vehicle, refer to 
page36.
1.Depress the brake.
2.Depress the clutch and shift to idle position.
3.Press the start/stop button.
The starter operates automatically for a certain 
time, and stops automatically as soon as the 
engine has started.
Automatic transmission
Remote control in the ignition lock or, with con-
venient access, inside the vehicle, refer to 
page36.
1.Depress the brake.
2.Move the selector lever to position P.
3.Press the start/stop button.
The starter operates automatically for a certain 
time, and stops automatically as soon as the 
engine has started.
Switching off the engine
Always take the remote control with you 
when you leave the vehicle. 
When parking, apply the parking brake force-
fully, otherwise the vehicle could begin to roll.<
Manual transmission
1.With the car at a standstill, press the start/
stop button.
2.Shift into first gear or reverse.
3.Forcefully apply the parking brake.
4.Removing the remote control from the igni-
tion lock, refer to page58.
Automatic transmission
1.With the car at a standstill, move the selec-
tor lever to position P.
2.Press the start/stop button.
3.Forcefully apply the parking brake.
4.Removing the remote control from the igni-
tion lock, refer to page58.
Parking brake
The parking brake is primarily intended to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling while parked; it 
brakes the rear wheels.
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp is lit, and when you 
drive off a signal sounds in addition. 
The parking brake is still applied. 

Controls
 63Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever as far as the resistance point.
The turn signals flash three times.
You can activate or deactivate this function.
iDrive, for operating 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.
5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller 
until "Lighting" is selected and press the 
controller.
6.Select "Triple turn signal" and press the 
controller.
 Triple turn signaling is activated.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Wiper system
1Switching on wipers
2Switching off wipers or brief wipe3Activating/deactivating intermittent wipe or 
rain sensor
*
4Cleaning windshield and headlamps*
5Setting speed for intermittent wipe, or sen-
sitivity of the rain sensor
Switching on wipers
Press the lever upward, arrow 1.
The lever automatically returns to its initial posi-
tion when released.
Normal wiper speed
Press once.
The system switches to operation in the inter-
mittent mode when the vehicle is stationary.
Fast wiper speed
Press twice or press beyond the resistance 
point. 
The system switches to normal speed when the 
vehicle is stationary.
Intermittent wipe or rain sensor*
If the car is not equipped with a rain sensor, the 
intermittent-wipe time is a preset.
If the car is equipped with a rain sensor, the time 
between wipes is controlled automatically and 
depends on the intensity of the rainfall. The rain 
sensor is mounted on the windshield, directly in 
front of the interior rearview mirror.
Activating intermittent wipe or rain 
sensor
Press the button, arrow3. The LED in the but-
ton lights up. 

Controls
 71Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
until "Units" is selected and press the con-
troller.
6.Select the desired menu item and press the 
controller.
7.Select the desired measurement unit and 
press the controller.
The setting is stored for the remote control 
currently in use.
Service requirements
The remaining driving distance and the date of 
the next scheduled service are displayed briefly 
immediately after you start the engine or switch 
on the ignition.
The extent of service work required can 
be read out from the remote control by 
your BMW Service Advisor.<
For certain maintenance operations, you can 
view the respective distance remaining or due 
date individually in the instrument cluster.1.Switch on the ignition, refer to page58.
2.Push button 1 in the turn indicator lever up 
or down repeatedly until the appropriate 
symbol appears in the display, accompa-
nied by the words "SERVICE-INFO".
3.Press button 2.
4.Use button 1 to scroll through the individual 
service items. 

Everything under control
74
Clock
The settings are stored for the remote control 
currently in use, refer also to Personal Profile on 
page28.
Setting the time
In the instrument cluster
To set the 12h/24h format, refer to Setting the 
12h/24h format.
1.Push button 1 in the turn indicator lever up 
or down repeatedly until the appropriate 
symbol appears in the display, accompa-
nied by the time and the word "SET".
2.Press button 2.
3.Use button 1 to set the hours.
4.Press button 2 to confirm the entry.
5.Use button 1 to set the minutes.
6.Press button 2 to confirm the entry.
7.Press button 2.
The system accepts the new time.
Via iDrive
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the   button once or twice until 
the start menu appears.2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Turn the controller until "Settings" is 
selected and press the controller.
4.Turn the controller until "Time / Date" is 
selected and press the controller.
5.If necessary, move the controller forward 
once to switch to the uppermost field.
6.Turn the controller until "Time" is selected 
and press the controller. 

Controls
 75Reference
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Mobility
7.Turn the controller until "Set time" is 
selected and press the controller.
Adjusting settings
8.Turn the controller to set the hours and 
press the controller.
9.Turn the controller to set the minutes and 
press the controller.
The system accepts the new time.
Switching on the hour signal*
You will hear three tones just before each full 
hour.
Select "Hour memo" and press the controller.
 The hour signal is activated.
Setting the 12h/24h format
1.Select "Time format" and press the control-
ler.
2.Select the desired format and press the 
controller.
Date
The settings are stored for the remote control 
currently in use, refer also to Personal Profile on 
page28.
Setting the date
In the instrument cluster
To set the DD.MM or MM/DD date format, refer 
to Setting the date format.1.Push button 1 in the turn indicator lever up 
or down repeatedly until the appropriate 
symbol appears in the display, accompa-
nied by the date and the word "SET".
2.Press button 2.
3.Use button 1 to set the day of the month.
4.Press button 2 to confirm the entry.
5.Set the month and the year in the same way.
6.Press button 2.
The system stores the new date.
Via iDrive
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Open the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Turn the controller until "Settings" is 
selected and press the controller.
4.Select "Time / Date" and press the control-
ler.
5.Select "Date" and press the controller.
6.Select "Set date" and press the controller. 
The first setting of the date display is now 
highlighted, in this case the day.
7.Turn the controller to make the adjustment. 

Controls
 79Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
All of the remaining functions remain 
available at all times while the stopwatch 
is running. The stopwatch continues operation 
in the background.<
Altering settings
Language on the Control Display
The language of the Control Display can be set. 
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Open the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Language / Units" and press the 
controller.
5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller 
until "Languages" is selected and press the 
controller.
6.Select "Text language" and press the con-
troller. You can switch to another language 
for the display texts and navigation mes-
sages.
7.Select and activate the desired language by 
pressing the controller.
Brightness of the Control Display
The brightness is automatically adapted to the 
ambient lighting conditions. Note, however, 
that you can change the basic setting while the 
low beams are switched on. The setting is 
stored for the remote control currently in use.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.1.Open the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Display settings" and press the 
controller.
5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller 
until "Brightness" is selected and press the 
controller.
6.Turn the controller until the desired setting 
is reached. 

Technology for driving comfort and safety
80
Technology for driving comfort and safety
Park Distance Control PDC*
The concept
The PDC assists you with maneuvering in tight 
parking spaces. Acoustic signals and a visual 
indicator
 warn you of the presence of an object 
behind your vehicle. Four ultrasonic sensors in 
the bumper measure the distance.
These sensors have a range of approx. 6.5 ft/
2 m. However, an acoustic warning does not 
sound until an object is approx. 24 in/60 cm 
from the corner sensors, or approx. 5 ft/1.50 m 
from the center sensors.
PDC is a parking aid that can indicate 
objects when they are approached 
slowly, as is usually the case when parking. 
Avoid approaching an object at high speed, oth-
erwise physical circumstances may lead to the 
system warning being issued too late.<
Switching on automatically
With the engine running or the ignition switched 
on, the system is activated after approx. 1 sec-
ond when you engage reverse gear or move the 
automatic transmission selector lever to 
position R. Wait this short period before driving.
Switching off automatically
After approx. 55 yd/50 m of driving or above 
approx. 20 mph/30 km/h, the system switches 
off and the LED goes out.
Signal tones
When nearing an object, its position is indicated 
correspondingly by an interval tone. As the dis-
tance between vehicle and object decreases, 
the intervals between the tones become 
shorter. If the distance to the nearest object 
falls to below roughly 1 ft/30 cm, then a contin-
uous tone sounds.
An interval tone is interrupted after approx. 
3seconds:>If you remain in front of an object that has 
been detected by only one of the corner 
sensors
>If you are driving parallel to a wall
Malfunction
The indicator lamp in the instrument 
cluster comes on. PDC is malfunc-
tioning. A message appears on the 
Control Display. Have the system checked.
To avoid this problem, keep the sensors clean 
and free of ice or snow in order to ensure that 
they will continue to operate effectively. When 
using a high-pressure cleaner, do not direct the 
jet toward the sensors for lengthy periods and 
only spray from a distance of at least 4 in/10 cm.
PDC with visual warning
You can also have the system show distances 
to objects on the Control Display. The contours 
of distant objects are shown on the Control Dis-
play even before the acoustic signal sounds. 
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
iDrive, for operating 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.
5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller  

Lamps
92 5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller 
until "Lighting" is selected and press the 
controller.
6.Select "Welcome light" and press the con-
troller.
 The welcome lamps are switched on.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Pathway lighting
If you activate the headlamp flasher after park-
ing the car, with the lamps switched off, the low 
beams come on and remain on for a certain 
time.
You can adjust the operating period or deacti-
vate the function.
iDrive, for operating 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.
5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. 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 corre-
sponding duration.
8.Press the controller to apply the setting.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Daytime running lamps*
The daytime running lamps light up in switch 
position 0, 1 and 3. They are less powerful than 
the low beams.
Activating/deactivating daytime 
running lamps
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Open the start menu.
3.Press the controller to open the   menu.
4.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
5.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.
6.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller