2008 BMW 650I CONVERTIBLE wheel

Opening and closing
36
Indicator lamp displays
>The indicator lamp below the interior rear-
view mirror flashes continuously: the sys-
tem is armed.
>The indicator lamp flashes after locking: the
doors, hood or luggage compartment lid are
not properly closed. Even if you do not close
the alerted area, the system begins to mon-
itor the remaining areas, and the indicator
lamp flashes continuously after approx.
10 seconds. However, the interior motion
sensor is not activated.
>After the vehicle is unlocked, the indicator
lamp goes out: no manipulation or
attempted intrusions have been detected in
the period since the system was armed.
>The indicator lamp flashes after unlocking
until the remote control is inserted into the
ignition lock, however for a maximum of
approx. 5 minutes: an attempted entry has
been detected in the period since the sys-
tem was armed.
Tilt alarm sensor
Monitors the inclination of the vehicle. The
alarm system reacts, for example, if someone
attempts to steal the wheels or tow the vehicle.
Interior motion sensor
Coupe:
In order for the interior motion sensor to func-
tion properly, the windows and glass sunroof
*
must be completely closed.
Convertible:
Monitors the interior up to the height of the seat
cushions. This means that the alarm system,
including the interior motion sensor, is armed even if the convertible top is open. Falling
objects, e.g. leaves, can trigger false alarms,
refer to Avoiding unintentional alarms.
Avoiding unintentional alarms
The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion sensor
may be switched off at the same time.
This prevents unintentional alarms, e.g. in the
following situations:
>In two-level garages
>When transporting on car-carrying trains,
by sea or on a trailer
>When animals are to remain in the vehicle
Switching off tilt alarm sensor and
interior motion sensor
Press the button on the remote control
again as soon as the vehicle is locked.
The indicator lamp lights up briefly and then
flashes continuously. The tilt alarm sensor and
the interior motion sensor are switched off until
the vehicle is unlocked and locked again.
Comfort access*
Comfort access allows you to access your vehi-
cle without having to hold the remote control in
your hand. It is sufficient to carry the remote
control with you, e.g. in your jacket pocket. The
vehicle automatically detects the associated
remote control in the immediate vicinity or in
the interior.
Comfort access supports the following func-
tions:
>Unlocking/locking vehicle
>Comfort closing with Coupe
>Opening luggage compartment lid sepa-
rately
>Starting engine
Functional requirement
>The vehicle or the luggage compartment lid
can only be locked if the vehicle detects that
the remote control you are carrying is out-
side the vehicle.

Controls
47Reference
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 seat position
plays an important role in an accident. To
ensure that the safety systems operate with
optimal efficiency, we strongly urge you to fol-
low the instructions contained in the following
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
knee and 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 page94.
Head restraints
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of injury to cervical vertebrae in 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 page50.
Safety belt
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 has four seats that are each
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 shoulder belt upward periodically to
readjust the tension across your lap in order to
avoid a reduction in the restraining effect of the
safety belt.<
Safety belts refer to page52.

Controls
49Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Seat, mirror and steering
wheel memory
You can store and select three different adjust-
ment settings for the driver's seat, exterior mir-
rors and steering wheel.
The adjustment of the lumbar support is not
stored in the memory.
Storing
1.Switch on radio readiness or ignition, refer
to page58.
2.Adjust 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 button 1, 2 or3:
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, refer to page58.
2.Briefly press the desired memory button1,
2 or3.
The system cancels the adjustment procedure
when you briefly press one of the seat adjust-
ment switches or one of the memory buttons.The adjusting procedure for the steering wheel
is interrupted if you briefly press the switch for
the steering wheel adjustment in any direction,
refer to page54.
Safety feature
1.Close the driver's door and switch ignition
on or off, refer to page58.
2.Press the desired memory button 1, 2 or3
and maintain pressure until the adjustment
process has been completed.
If the button was pressed inadvertently:
press the button again; the LED goes out.
Activating with remote control
The last positions of the driver's seat, external
rearview mirrors, and steering wheel are stored
for the remote key currently in use.
You can choose when the position is requested:
>Request when unlocking vehicle
>Request when opening driver's door
When using this feature, always make
sure that the footwell behind the driver's
seat is empty and unobstructed. If you fail to do
so, any persons or objects behind the seat
could be injured or damaged by 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.

Controls
53Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Damage to safety belts
When subjected to strain due to an acci-
dent or in the event of damage, replace
the safety belts, the belt tensioners, and any
child restraint systems and have the belt anchor
points checked. Have this work carried out only
by a BMW center or a workshop that works
according to BMW repair procedures with
appropriately trained personnel. Otherwise,
correct operation of this safety equipment is not
guaranteed.<
Heated seats*
The temperature setting advances one step in
its control sequence each time you press the
button. The maximum temperature is supplied
when three LEDs are lit.
The temperature is reduced and if need be, the
heating is switched off in order to reduce the
load on the battery. The LEDs remain lit.
To switch off:
Press the button longer.
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 page49.
Adjusting manually
You can also adjust the mirrors manually by
pressing against the outer edges of their mirror
glass.
Folding exterior 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 r s t h a t h a v e b e e n m a n u a l l y f o l d e d - i n 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.

Adjusting
54
Tilting down passenger-side 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 and exterior mirrors,
automatic dimming feature
This feature is controlled by two photocells in
the inside rearview mirror. One is integrated
within the mirror's lens, 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. Also do not attach stickers to the windshield in
front of the mirror.
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 the steering-wheel position, refer to
Seat, mirror and steering wheel memory,
page49.
Easy entry/exit
To make it easier to enter and exit the vehicle,
the steering wheel temporarily moves into the
uppermost position.
Steering wheel heating*
Press the button.
The indicator lamp in the button lights up when
the steering wheel heater is switched on.

Controls
55Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
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.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Steering wheel buttons" and press
the controller.
A list of different functions appears:
>"Navigation voice instructions"
Voice instructions of the navigation sys-
tem
*
>"Air recirculation on / off"
Permanently shutting off outside air,
refer to AUC Automatic recirculated-air
control on page111
>"Mute on / off"
Mutes the audio sources
>"Monitor on / off"
Switches the Control Display on/off
>"Telephone list"
*
Display/hide phone book or last list of
stored phone numbers displayed
>"Next entertainment source"
Changes audio source
>Switches "Night Vision on / off"
BMW Night Vision
* on/off
5.Select the desired function unit and press
the controller.
6.Select the button if necessary and press the
controller.
You can now activate the selected function
using the corresponding button.
Operating function
Press the corresponding button on the steering
wheel.
If you have programmed "Navigation voice
instructions" for one of the buttons:
>To switch voice instructions on/off:
Press the button longer.
>To repeat the last voice instruction:
Press the button.

Driving
60
Handbrake
The handbrake is primarily intended to prevent
the vehicle from rolling while parked; it brakes
the rear wheels.
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp lights up, and a sig-
nal also sounds when starting off. The
handbrake is applied.
Indicator lamp for Canadian models.
Applying
The lever locks in position automatically.
Releasing
Pull slightly upwards, press the button and
lower the lever.
If exceptional circumstances should
make it necessary to apply the handbrake
while the vehicle is in motion, do not pull it too
firmly. In doing so, continuously press the but-
ton of the handbrake lever. Otherwise, too firm
an application of the handbrake can lock up the
rear wheels and cause the rear of the vehicle to
swerve.<
To prevent corrosion and one-sided brak-
ing action, occasionally engage the hand-
brake lightly when the vehicle is slowly coming
to a stop if the traffic conditions are suitable.
The brake lamps do not light up when the hand-
brake is applied.<
Manual transmission
When shifting into 5th/6th gear, press the
gearshift lever toward the right, otherwise
an inadvertent shift into 3rd or 4th gear could
lead to engine damage.<
Reverse gear
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
Press the gearshift lever to the left, overcoming
a slight resistance.
Sport automatic
transmission*
In addition to the fully automatic mode, you can
also shift manually with Steptronic, refer to
page61.
You can also choose between two driving pro-
grams: Normal or Sport, refer to Dynamic Driv-
ing Control.
Transmission positions
P R N D M/S + –
Displays in instrument cluster
P, R, N, D, S1 through S6, M1 through M6

Controls
61Reference
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Mobility
The transmission mode and the currently
selected gear are displayed.
Engaging transmission position
>Do not leave the transmission position P
until the engine is running: interlock.
>With the vehicle stationary, depress the
brake pedal before shifting out of P or N;
otherwise the shift command will not be
executed: shiftlock.
To prevent the vehicle from creeping
after you select a driving position,
maintain pressure on the brake pedal until
you are ready to start.<
Engaging N, D, R
Briefly press the selector lever in the desired
direction, beyond a resistance point if neces-
sary. Press button1 simultaneously out of P or
into R.
The engaged transmission position is also dis-
played on the selector lever.
The selector lever immediately returns to the
center position when released.
Engaging P
Press buttonP.
R Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
P Park
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
The rear wheels are locked.
P is engaged automatically as soon as
you switch off the engine unless N is
engaged and with comfort access the remote
control is inserted in the ignition lock, refer to
Before driving into a car wash, page59.<
N Neutral
You can select N in car washes, for example.
The vehicle can roll.
N remains engaged even after the engine
is switched off whenever you leave the
remote control in the ignition lock. This function
is useful, for example, in automatic car washes,
refer to page59.<
D Drive, automatic position
Position for normal vehicle operation.
All forward gears are available.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables you to achieve maximum
performance.
Press the accelerator pedal beyond the
increased resistance at full throttle.
Sport program and manual mode M/S
Press selector lever toward the left from trans-
mission position D:
The sport program is activated and S1 through
S6 is displayed in the instrument cluster.