
Under the hood
232
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 operating 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 Info" is 
selected and press the controller.
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. 1 minute when 
stopped on a level surface with the engine 
running and approx. 5 minutes while driv-
ing.
If the engine oil has been topped off, the 
measurement of the oil level can take up to 
30 minutes.
>"Oil level at the minimum! Refill with 1 quart 
of engine oil.": 
Add a maximum of 1 US quart/1 liter of 
engine oil at the next opportunity, refer to 
Adding engine oil below. Add at least 
0.5 US quart/0.5 liter. Otherwise the oil 
level control may not display the new value 
correctly.
If the oil level displayed is below minimum, 
add engine oil immediately. Failure to do so 
may lead to engine damage.
>"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. Before continuing to 
drive, note the recalculated remaining mile-
age until the next oil change service, refer to 
Service requirements on page81. Have the 
system checked as soon as possible. 

Mobility
 233Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
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 SM or higher.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 composed of equal parts water and a 
coolant additive. 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.Do not open the hood until the engine has 
cooled down.
2.Turn the cap of the expansion tank counter-
clockwise to allow any accumulated pres-
sure to escape, then continue turning to 
open. 

Everything from A to Z
270 Electric steering wheel 
adjustment54
Electronic brake-force 
distribution91
Electronic oil level check232
Emergency operation, refer to 
Manual operation
– door lock32
– driver's door32
– fuel filler door218
– luggage compartment lid34
– tailgate35
– transmission lock, automatic 
transmission65
Emergency operation, refer to 
Moving manually
– glass sunroof42
– panorama glass sunroof44
Emergency release for 
luggage compartment lid in 
cargo bay34
Emergency request247
Emergency services, refer to 
Roadside Assistance248
"Enabled services"215
"Enable services"215
"End call"202
Energy-conscious driving, 
refer to Energy Control79
Energy Control79
Engine
– breaking-in134
– data254
– overheated, refer to Coolant 
temperature78
– speed254
– starting62
– starting, with comfort 
access38
– switching off62
Engine compartment231
Engine coolant233Engine oil
– adding233
– additives, refer to Approved 
engine oils233
– approved engine oil233
– checking oil level232
– electronic oil level check232
– interval between changes, 
refer to Service 
requirements81
– oil change233
– oil grades, refer to Approved 
engine oils233
"Engine oil level"232
Engine output, refer to Engine 
data254
Engine overheating, refer to 
Coolant temperature78
Engine speed, refer to Engine 
data
254
Engine starting, refer to 
Starting engine62
"Enter address"144,151
Entering destination via town/
city name145
Entering intersection, 
navigation146
Entering the 
address144,147
Entering town/city for 
navigation145
Entering zip code for 
navigation145
"Entertainment"168
Entertainment sound output 
on/off169
Entry map for destination148
Environmentally friendly 
driving, refer to Energy 
Control79
"Equalizer", refer to Tone 
control171
Equalizer, refer to Tone 
control171
"ESN"179ESP Electronic Stability 
Program, refer to DSC 
Dynamic Stability 
Control92
Event Data Recorders236
Exhaust system, refer to Hot 
exhaust system135
Exterior mirrors53
– adjusting53
– automatic dimming 
feature54
– automatic heating53
– folding in and out53
– tilting down passenger-side 
exterior mirror53
External audio device124
Eye for tow-starting and 
towing, refer to Tow 
fitting249
F
"Fader", refer to Tone 
control170
Fader, refer to Tone 
control170
Failure messages, refer to 
Check Control83
False alarm
– refer to Avoiding 
unintentional alarms38
– refer to Switching off 
alarm37
Fastening safety belts, refer to 
Safety belts50
– warning lamp50
Fastest route for 
navigation154
"Fast route" for 
navigation154
"Favorites", calling up with 
radio176
Filler neck for washer fluid69
Filter, refer to Microfilter/
activated-charcoal filter118
Fine wood, refer to Caring for 
your vehicle brochure