2008 BMW 535I SEDAN rear view mirror

At a glance
23Reference
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Voice command system
The concept
The voice command system allows you to con-
trol operation of various vehicle systems with-
out taking your hands off the steering wheel.
Individual menu items on the Control Display
can be spoken as commands. This frees you of
having to use the controller.
The voice command system transforms your
oral commands into control signals for the
selected systems and provides support in the
form of instructions or questions.
The voice command system uses a special
microphone located in the area of the interior
rearview mirror, refer to page14.
Precondition
Via iDrive, set the language that applies for the
voice command system in order to enable iden-
tification of the spoken commands. To set the
language of iDrive, refer to page88.
Symbols in Owner's Manual
Voice commands
Activating voice command system
1.Press the button.
This symbol on the Control Display and
an acoustic signal tell you that the voice
command system can respond to com-
mands.
2.Say the command.
The command is displayed on the Control
Display.
This symbol is shown on the Control Display
when you can input additional commands.
*
{...} Say the specified commands word for
word.
{{...}} Indicates responses of the voice
command system.

Controls
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Closing tailgate
Make sure that the closing path of the tail-
gate is clear, otherwise injuries may
result.<
The tailgate closes automatically when the but-
ton on the inside of the tailgate is pressed.
To interrupt the opening or closing process:
>Press the button on the inside of the tail-
gate.
>Press the button on the outside of the tail-
gate.
Closing is not canceled when you put the
vehicle into motion.<
Alarm system
The concept
The vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood or the luggage com-
partment lid/tailgate or rear window are
opened
>To movements in the vehicle: interior
motion sensor, refer to page38
>To changes in the vehicle's tilt if someone
attempts to steal the wheels or tow the
vehicle
>To interruptions in battery voltage
Unauthorized operations are briefly signaled by
the alarm system:
>with an acoustic alarm
>by switching on
the hazard warning flashers
>by flashing the high beams
Arming and disarming alarm system
When you lock or unlock the vehicle, either with
the remote control or at the door lock, the alarm
system is armed or disarmed at the same time.
The luggage compartment lid/tailgate can also
be opened with the system armed with the
button on the remote control, refer to page33.
When the luggage compartment lid/tailgate is
closed, it is locked and monitored again.
Switching off alarm
>Unlock the vehicle using the remote control,
refer to page30.
>Insert the remote control all the way into the
ignition lock.
Indicator lamp displays
>The indicator lamp under the interior rear-
view mirror flashes continuously: the sys-
tem is armed.
>The indicator lamp flashes after locking:
doors, hood, luggage compartment lid/tail-
gate or rear window
are not properly closed.
Even if you do not close the alerted area, the
system begins to monitor the remaining
areas, and the indicator lamp flashes con-
tinuously after approx. 10 seconds. How-
ever, the interior motion sensor is not acti-
vated.
>The indicator lamp goes out after unlocking:
your vehicle has not been disturbed while
you were away.
>The indicator lamp flashes after unlocking
until the remote control is inserted into the
ignition lock, however for a maximum of
approx. 5 minutes: your vehicle has been
disturbed while you were away.

Controls
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Lumbar support*
You can also adjust the contour of the backrest
to obtain additional support in the lumbar
region.
The upper hips and spinal column receive sup-
plementary support to help you maintain a
relaxed, upright sitting position.
>Increase or decrease curvature: press front
or rear section of switch.
>Shift curvature up or down: press upper or
lowers section of switch.
Adjusting active backrest width*
First set a comfortable backrest width, see
above. Based on the backrest width set, the lat-
eral support is automatically adapted to the cur-
rent driving situation.
The adaptation of the backrest width and the
speed of the adjustment vary depending on the
program. You can select from among three pro-
grams from comfort to sport.
Button with three LEDs
Press button once per program:
>"Comfort": one LED
>"Normal": two LEDs
>"Sport": three LEDsTo deactivate: press button longer.
Button with one LED
Press the button repeatedly until the desired
program is shown on the Control Display.
The LED in the button lights up.
To deactivate: press button longer.
Easy entry/exit*
To facilitate entry and exit, the backrest width
temporarily opens all the way.
Seat, mirror and steering
wheel memory*
You can store and request two different posi-
tions for the driver's seat and passenger seat
*,
exterior rearview mirrors, and steering wheel.

Adjusting
48 The adjustment of the lumbar support is not
stored in the memory.
Storing
1.Switch on radio readiness or ignition, refer
to page61.
2.Set the desired seat, exterior mirror and
steering wheel positions.
3.Press the button:
The LED in the button lights up.
4.Press the desired memory button1 or2:
The LED goes out.
Requesting
Do not request a position from the mem-
ory while the vehicle is moving. There is a
risk of accident from unexpected movement of
the seat or steering wheel.<
Comfort mode
1.Open the driver's door after unlocking or
switch on radio readiness.
2.Briefly press the desired memory button1
or2.
The system cancels the adjustment procedure
when you briefly press one of the seat adjust-
ment switches or one of the memory buttons.
Safety feature
1.Close the driver's door and switch the igni-
tion on or off.
2.Press the desired memory button1 or2
and maintain pressure until the adjustment
process has been completed.
If the button was pressed inadvertently:
press the button again; the LED goes out.
Requesting with remote control
The last positions of the driver's seat, the exte-
rior rearview mirrors, and steering wheel are
stored for the remote control currently in use.
You can choose when the position is requested:
>Request when unlocking vehicle
>Request when opening driver's doorWhen using this feature, always make
sure that the footwell behind the driver's
seat is empty and unobstructed. Failure to do
so could cause injury to persons or damage to
objects behind the seat as a result of a rearward
movement of the seat.<
The system cancels the adjustment procedure
when you briefly press one of the seat adjust-
ment switches or one of the memory buttons.
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 "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.
5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Door locks" is selected and
press the controller.
6.Select "Central locking" and press the con-
troller.
7.Select "Last seat pos." and press the con-
troller.
8.Select "After unlocking" or "After door
opened".
9.Press the controller.

Controls
53Reference
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Mirrors
Exterior mirrors
The mirror on the passenger's side is
more curved than the driver's mirror.
Objects reflected in the mirror are closer than
they appear. Do not estimate the distance of
following traffic based on what you see in the
mirrors, otherwise there is an increased acci-
dent risk.<
1Adjusting
2Switching to the other mirror or to the
automatic curb monitor
3Folding mirrors in and out
*
Storing the mirror positions, refer to Seat, mir-
ror and steering wheel memory on page47.
Adjusting manually
You can also adjust the mirrors manually by
pressing against the outer edges of their mirror
glass.
Folding mirrors in and out*
Pressing button3 allows you to fold mirrors
in and out up to a speed of approx. 20 mph/
30 km/h. This is advantageous, for example, in
car washes, narrow streets or for bringing mir-
r o rs t h a t h a v e b e e n m a n u a l ly f o l d e d in b a c k i n t o
the correct position. Mirrors that were folded in
are folded out automatically at a speed of
approx. 25 mph/40 km/h.
Before going through a car wash, fold the
mirrors in manually, or with button 3, oth-
erwise they could be damaged, depending on
the width of the car wash system.<
Automatic heating
Below a certain outdoor temperature, both
exterior mirrors are heated whenever the
engine is running or the ignition is switched on.
Tilting down passenger-side exterior
mirror – automatic curb monitor*
Activating
1.Slide switch into the driver's side mirror
position, arrow 1.
2.Shift into reverse or move selector lever into
position R.
The mirror glass tilts downward somewhat
on the passenger's side. This allows the
driver to see the area immediately adjacent
to the vehicle – such as a curb – when park-
ing, etc.
Deactivating
Slide switch into the passenger side mirror
position, arrow 2.
Interior rearview mirror
To reduce the dazzle effect of following vehi-
cles at night, turn the knob.

Adjusting
54
Interior and exterior mirrors,
automatic dimming feature*
This feature is controlled by two photocells in
the interior rearview mirror. One is integrated
into the glass of the mirror, while the other is
located at an offset position on the rear of the
mirror housing.
For trouble-free operation, keep the photocells
clean and do not cover the area between the
interior rearview mirror and the windshield. Do
not attach stickers of any kind to the windshield
in front of the mirror, either.
Steering wheel
Adjusting
Do not adjust the steering wheel while the
vehicle is moving. There is a risk of acci-
dent as the result of unexpected movement.<
The steering wheel can be adjusted in four
directions.
Storing steering wheel positions, refer to Seat,
mirror and steering wheel memory on page47.
Easy entry/exit*
To facilitate entry and exit, the steering wheel
temporarily moves into the uppermost position.
Steering wheel heating*
Press the button.
When the steering wheel heater is operating,
the LED in the button lights up.
Programmable buttons* on steering
wheel
You can program the buttons individually.
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.

Driving
68
Wiper system
1Switching on wipers
2Switching off wipers or brief wipe
3Activating/deactivating rain sensor
4Cleaning windshield, headlamps and
BMW Night Vision camera
*
5Adjusting rain sensor sensitivity level
Switching on wipers
Pull the lever upward, arrow1.
The lever automatically returns to its initial posi-
tion when released.
Normal wiper speed
Press once.
The system reverts to operation in the intermit-
tent mode when the vehicle is stationary.
Fast wiper speed
Press twice or press beyond the resistance
point.
The system reverts to normal speed when the
vehicle is stationary.
Rain sensor
The wiper operation is controlled automatically
as a function of the rain intensity. The rain sen-
sor is located on the windshield, directly in front
of the interior rearview mirror.
Activating rain sensor
Press the button, arrow3. The LED in the but-
ton lights up.
Adjusting rain sensor sensitivity level
Turn the knurled wheel5.
Deactivating rain sensor
Press the button again, arrow3. The LED goes
out.
Deactivate the rain sensor when passing
through an automatic car wash. Failure to
do so could result in damage caused by undes-
ired wiper activation.<
Cleaning windshield, headlamps* and
BMW Night Vision camera*
Pull the lever, arrow4.
The system sprays washer fluid against the
windshield and activates the wipers for a brief
period.
With the vehicle lighting switched on, the head-
lamps and the BMW Night Vision camera are
also cleaned simultaneously at suitable inter-
vals.
Do not use the washing mechanisms if
there is any danger that the fluid will
freeze on the windshield. If you do so, your
vision could be obscured. To avoid freezing,
use a washer fluid antifreeze, refer to Washer
fluid. Do not use washing mechanisms when
the washer fluid reservoir is empty, otherwise
you will damage the washer pump.<

Controls
101Reference
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wheel. Do not touch the individual components
immediately after the system has been trig-
gered, because there is a danger of burns.
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation, or
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have
the testing, repair, removal, and disposal of air-
bag generators executed only by a BMW center
or a workshop that works according to BMW
repair procedures with correspondingly trained
personnel and has the required explosives
licenses. Otherwise unprofessional attempts to
service the system could lead to failure in an
emergency or undesired airbag triggering,
either of which could result in personal injury.<
Warnings and information on the airbags is also
provided on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of front
passenger airbags
The occupation of the seat is detected by eval-
uating the impression on the occupied seat sur-
face of the front passenger seat. The front and
side airbags on the front passenger side are
activated or deactivated accordingly by the sys-
tem.
The current status of the front passenger
airbag, i.e. deactivated or activated, is
indicated by the indicator lamp over the interior
rearview mirror, refer to Operating state of front
passenger airbags in the following.<
Before transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, observe the safety infor-
mation and handling instructions under Trans-
porting children safely refer to page56.
The front and side airbags on the front passen-
ger side can be deactivated for teenagers and
adults in certain sitting positions; then the indi-
cator lamp for the front passenger airbags lights
up. In these cases, change the sitting position
so that the front passenger airbags are acti-
vated and the indicator lamp goes out. If the
desired status cannot be produced by changing
the sitting position, transport the correspond-
ing person on the rear seat. Do not fit seat cov-
ers, seat cushion padding, ball mats or other
items onto the front passenger seat unless they
are specifically recommended by BMW. Do not
lay objects under the seat which could press against the seat from below. Otherwise a cor-
rect evaluation of the occupied seat surface
cannot be ensured.<
Operating state of front passenger
airbags
Depending on the vehicle's equipment, the
arrangement of the switches and indicator
lamps may differ somewhat.
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags indicates the operating status of the front
and side airbags on the front passenger side
depending on the seat occupation. The indica-
tor lamp shows whether the front passenger
airbags are activated or deactivated.
>The indicator lamp lights up when a child in
a child restraint system intended for the
purpose is properly detected on the seat.
The front and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side are not activated.
Most child's seats are detected by the
system. Especially the child's seats
required by the NHTSA at the time the vehicle is
manufactured. After installing a child's seat,
make sure that the indicator lamp for the front
passenger airbags lights up. This indicates that
the child's seat has been detected and the front
passenger airbags are not activated.<
>The indicator lamp does not light up when,
for example, a correctly seated person of
sufficient height is detected on the seat.
The front and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side are activated.
>The indicator lamp does not light up when
the seat is empty.
However, the front and side airbags on the
front passenger side are not activated.