2008 BMW 535XI SEDAN airbag

At a glance
15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Microphone for hands-free mode for
telephone
*
and for voice command system*23
2Reading lamps113
3SOS: initiating
an emergency request247
4Interior lamps112
5Glass sunroof
*, electric41
Panorama glass sunroof43
6Passenger airbag status lamp101
7Control Display16
Displays for menu navigation
8Hazard warning flashers
9Central locking system32
10Automatic climate control114
11Changing
>radio station168
>track168
12Ejecting
>navigation DVD
*142
>audio CD168
13Programmable memory/direct selection
buttons2114Drive for navigation DVDs
*142
15Drive for audio CDs168
16Switching Entertainment sound output
on/off and adjusting volume168
18Controller16
Turn, press or move horizontally in four
directions
19Opening start menu on Control Display17 Temperature setting,
left/right115
Automatic air distribution and
volume115
Cooling function117
AUC Automatic recirculated-air
control117
Recirculated-air mode117
Maximum cooling117
Air volume116
Defrosting windows and removing
condensation116
Rear window defroster114
17
Heated seats*51
Active seat ventilation
*52
Adjusting active backrest
width
*47
Active seat
*52
PDC Park Distance Control
*90
DTC Dynamic Traction Control92
Opening luggage compartment lid/
tailgate
*33,35

Controls
45Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Adjusting
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In the
interaction with the safety belts, the head
restraints and the airbags, the sitting position
plays an important role in an accident. To
ensure that the safety systems operate with
optimal efficiency, we strongly urge you to
observe the instructions contained in the fol-
lowing section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page56.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance
between yourself and the airbags. Always
hold the steering wheel by its rim with hands at
the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions, to mini-
mize the risk of injuries to your hands and arms
in the event of airbag deployment.
No one and nothing is to come between the air-
bags and the seat occupant.
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the
front passenger side as a storage area. Make
sure that the front passenger is sitting correctly
and does not rest feet or legs on the instrument
panel, otherwise leg injuries can occur if the
front airbags are triggered.
Make sure that occupants do not rest their head
on the side or head airbags, otherwise injuries
can occur if the airbags are triggered.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions, inju-
ries resulting from contact with airbags cannot
be fully excluded, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may
provoke a mild hearing loss in extremely sensi-
tive individuals. This effect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information
on airbags, refer to page100.
Head restraints
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of spinal injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint so that its center
is approx. at ear level. Otherwise there is
increased danger of injury in the event of an
accident.<
Head restraints, refer to page49.
Safety belts
Before every drive, make sure that safety belts
are being worn at all of the occupied seats. Air-
bags complement the safety belt as an addi-
tional safety device, but they do not represent a
substitute.
Your vehicle is provided with five seats, which
are all equipped with a safety belt.
Never allow more than one person to
wear a single safety belt. Never allow
infants or small children to ride in a passenger's
lap. Make sure that the belt lies low around the
hips in the lap area and does not press on the
abdomen. The safety belt must not lie across
the neck, rub against sharp edges, be routed
over solid or breakable objects or be pinched.
Wear the safety belt without twisting, snugly
across the lap and shoulders, as close to the
body as possible. Otherwise the belt can slip
over the hips in the lap area in a frontal impact
and injure the abdomen. Avoid wearing clothing
that prevents the belt from fitting properly and
pull the belt in the upper body area periodically
to readjust the tension, in order to avoid a
reduction in the restraint of the safety belt.
Sports Wagon: if the center safety belt in the
rear is used, the larger backrest half must be
locked, refer to page128, otherwise the middle
safety belt has no restraining action.<
Safety belts, refer to page50.

Transporting children safely
56
Transporting children safely
The right place for children
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, otherwise they could endanger
themselves and other persons, e.g. by opening
the doors.<
Children always in the rear
Accident research shows that the safest place
for children is on the rear seat.
Children younger than 13 years of age or
with a height under 5 ft/150 cm may only
be transported in the rear in child restraint sys-
tems which correspond to the age, weight and
height of the child. Otherwise there is an
increased danger of injury in an accident.<
Children 13 years of age or older must wear a
safety belt as soon as a suitable child restraint
system can no longer be used due to their age,
size and weight.
Exception for front passenger seat
Should it ever be necessary to use a child
restraint system on the front passenger
seat, the front and side airbags on the passen-
ger side must first be deactivated. Otherwise,
there is an increased risk of injury for the child if
the airbags are triggered, even with a child
restraint system.<
For more information on automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags, refer to
page101.
Installing child restraint
systems
Observe the child restraint system manu-
facturer's instructions for selection,
installation and use of the child restraint sys-
tems. Otherwise the degree of protection may
be reduced.<
Backrest width* on front passenger
seat
Open the backrest width setting of the
front passenger seat all the way. After
mounting the child's seat, deactivate the active
backrest width adjustment and do not call up
any memory position. Otherwise this limits the
stability of the child's seat on the front passen-
ger seat.<
1.After unlocking the vehicle, sit on the front
passenger seat and close the door to call up
the memory position.
2.Completely open the backrest width adjust-
ment, refer to page46.
3.Deactivate active backrest width adjust-
ment, refer to page47.
4.Install child's seat.
Child seat security
All rear safety belts and the safety belt for the
front passenger can be locked against pulling
out to secure child restraint systems.

Controls
59Reference
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Fold upward or remove co vers befo re using the
mounting points.
1.Slide the head restraint upward.
2.Thread the upper retaining strap between
the head restraint supports.
3.Sports Wagon: thread the retaining strap
between the backrest and the roll-up cover.
M a k e s u r e t h a t t h e r e a r b a c k r e s t i s l o c k e d i n
position.
4.Attach the retaining strap hook to the
mounting point.
5.Slide the head restraint into the bottom
position.
6.Pull the retaining strap taut.
Center rear seat
1.Fold the center armrest somewhat toward
the front.
2.Guide retaining strap through the opening.
3.Fold back the center armrest.
4.Sports Wagon: thread the retaining strap
between the backrest and the roll-up cover.
M a k e s u r e t h a t t h e r e a r b a c k r e s t i s l o c k e d i n
position.5.Attach the retaining strap hook to the
mounting point.
6.Pull the retaining strap taut.
On trips
If the vehicle is equipped with rear side
airbags, make sure that children do not
lean out of the child's seat towards the door
panels. Otherwise injuries can be caused if the
side airbags are triggered.<
Child-safety locks for rear doors
Slide down the safety lever on the rear doors:
the door can now be opened from the outside
only.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
100 In critical situations, the system can make tar-
geted corrections to the steering angle pro-
vided by the driver and thus stabilize the vehicle
before the driver intervenes. This stabilizing
intervention is simultaneously deactivated
when DSC is switched off, refer to page92.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up yellow and
a message is shown on the Control
Display. The active steering is no
longer operational. At low speeds, greater
steering wheel movements are required,
whereas at higher speeds, the vehicle reacts
more sensitively to steering wheel movements.
The stability-promoting intervention can also
be deactivated. Proceed cautiously and drive
defensively. Have the system checked.
Brake force display
On the left: normal braking.
On the right: heavy braking.
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Head airbags
3Side airbags in front and rear
Protective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
please observe the adjustment instructions on
page45.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and
front passenger by responding to frontal
impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When needed, the
head and side airbags help provide protection in the event of side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The
head air bag supports the head.
The airbags are deliberately not triggered in
every impact situation, e. g. less severe acci-
dents or rear-end collisions.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or
modify them in any other way. Do not attempt to
remove the airbag restraint system from the
vehicle. Do not modify or tamper with either the
wiring or the individual components in the air-
bag system. This category includes the uphol-
stery in the center of the steering wheel, on the
instrument panel, the doors and the roof pillars
along with the sides of the headliner. Do not
attempt to remove or dismantle the steering

Controls
101Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
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Mobility
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.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
102
Operational readiness of airbag system
From radio readiness, refer to page61, the
warning lamp lights up briefly, indicating the
operational readiness of the entire airbag sys-
tem and the safety belt tensioners.
Airbag system malfunction
>Warning lamp does not light up from radio
readiness.
>Warning lamp lights up continuously.
Have the airbag system checked immedi-
ately in case of a malfunction, otherwise
there is a danger that the airbag system may not
respond in the expected manner in an accident
despite an impact of corresponding intensity.<
Head-Up Display*
The concept
With the Head-Up Display important informa-
tion is projected into the driver's field of view,
e.g. navigation instructions. This enables you to
take in this information without looking away
from the road.
Switching on/off
Press the button.
1Navigation instructions
2Display
>Cruise control
>Active cruise control
>Leaving lane warning
3Speed
Selecting displays
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.

Everything from A to Z
264
Everything from A to Z
Index
"..." Identifies Control Display
texts used to select
individual functions, and
indicates where to find them
in the text.
A
ABS Antilock Brake
System91
– indicator lamp94
ACC, refer to Active cruise
control70
Accepted calls202
Accessories6
Accident, refer to Emergency
request247
Acoustic signal, refer to Check
Control83
Activated-charcoal filter for
automatic climate
control118
"Activation time" for parked-
car ventilation119
Active cruise control70
– indicator lamp74
– radar sensors74
– selecting distance72
– warning lamps74
Active front head restraints49
Active seat52
Active seat ventilation52
Active steering99
– warning lamp100
Adapter for spare key28
Adaptive brake assistant92
Adaptive brake lamps, refer to
Brake force display100
Adaptive Head Light110
"Add digits" for mobile
phone202Additives
– coolant233
– engine oil, refer to Approved
engine oils233
"Address book" for navigation
system151
Address for navigation
– deleting153
– entering144,147
– selecting152
– storing151
– storing current position152
"Add to address book"151
"Add to destination
list"147,148
Adjusting active backrest
width47
Adjusting interior
temperature115
Adjusting the tone during
audio operation, refer to
Tone control169
Adjusting thigh support46
"After door opened"48
"After unlocking"48
Airbags100
– indicator/warning lamp102
– indicator lamp for front
passenger airbags101
– sitting safely45
Air distribution
– automatic115
– manual116
Airing, refer to Ventilation118
Air recirculation
– AUC Automatic
recirculated-air control117
– recirculated-air mode117
"Air recirculation on / off"55
Air supply, automatic climate
control114
Air volume116AKI, refer to Fuel quality219
Alarm system37
– avoiding unintentional
alarms38
– interior motion sensor38
– switching off alarm37
– switching off tilt alarm
sensor and interior motion
sensor38
– tilt alarm sensor38
"All channels"180
"All doors"30
All-season tires, refer to
Winter tires228
"All stations", calling up with
radio172,176
All-wheel drive, refer to
xDrive93
Alterations, technical, refer to
For your own safety5
Altering stretch of road160
"AM", reception
range169,172
Antenna, refer to Caring for
your vehicle brochure
Antenna for mobile phone194
Antifreeze
– coolant233
– washer fluid69
Antilock Brake System
ABS91
Anti-theft alarm system, refer
to Alarm system37
Anti-theft system, refer to
Central locking system29
Approved axle loads, refer to
Weights257
Approved engine oils233
Approved gross vehicle
weight, refer to Weights257
Armrest, refer to Center
armrest, rear127