2008 BMW 650I CONVERTIBLE steering wheel

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
94
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Coupe: Head airbags
3Side airbags
4Knee airbag
5Knee airbag
Protective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
please follow the adjustment instructions on
page47.<
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 a side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The
head airbag supports the head. The knee airbag
protects the legs from colliding with the cockpit.
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 side trim panels on the
doors and on the Coupe, the roof pillars along with the sides of the headliner. Do not attempt
to remove or dismantle the steering wheel.
Do not touch the individual components
directly after the system has been triggered,
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 carried out only by a BMW cen-
ter or a workshop that works according to BMW
repair procedures with appropriately 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 system
correspondingly activates or deactivates the
front, knee and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side.
The current status of the front passenger
airbags, i.e. deactivated or activated, is
indicated by the indicator lamp over the interior
rearview mirror, refer to Operating state of front
passenger airbags below.<
Before transporting a child in the front
passenger seat, read the safety informa-
tion and follow the instructions under Trans-
porting children safely, refer to page56.

Controls
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Any improvement in detection depends on
many factors such as the object size and tem-
perature compared to the surroundings, or
other nearby objects, the visual recognition
skills of the driver, weather conditions, and
other factors.
Driving hints
With the system active, periodically but briefly,
glance at the thermal image on the Control Dis-
play to notice objects that could be people or
larger animals. The glance should be similar to
glancing at the rear view mirror. Do not stare at
the image for long periods while driving, as this
will remove attention from the road. If you notice
an object of interest ahead, be prepared to slow
down or stop, blow the horn, or take other
appropriate action.
System limits
The system is designed to supplement but not
replace forward vision through the windshield.
The driver is responsible for safe driving at
night. BMW Night Vision is not designed to be
used as a continuous viewing window for driv-
ing at night.
No system, no matter how sophisticated, can
operate without limitations. BMW Night Vision
operation is subject to physical and environ-
mental limitations that will reduce the ability of
the system to detect and display a clear thermal
image. Some of the situations in which these
limitations can occur are:
>on steep hilltops or depressions and in tight
curves
>in tunnels, as the contrast is inherently low
>when the camera lens is dirty>in dense fog, heavy rain or snowfall
>when displaying very hot objects such as
transformers, car exhausts etc.
>when the image briefly freezes during nor-
mal system adjustment.
BMW Night Vision's potential benefits
can be limited by the driving style of the
driver, the size and relative temperature of the
detected objects, dirt or contamination on the
camera lens, adverse weather like snow, rain or
fog, and other factors not mentioned here. It will
always be the driver's responsibility to drive at a
speed and in a manner that recognizes potential
hazards and adjust accordingly.
BMW Night Vision is not a substitute or replace-
ment for driver responsibility or for accommo-
dating the visibility conditions and the traffic sit-
uation. The forward view illuminated by the
headlamps must always be the basis for making
safe driving decisions, otherwise a safety risk
will result.<
Activating BMW Night Vision
1.Turn the light switch to position2 or3, refer
to page102.
2.With low beams switched on:
>Press the button. Depending on the
vehicle's equipment, the location of the
button may differ somewhat.
>Press one of the programmable buttons
on the steering wheel, refer to page55.
The image will be displayed on the Control Dis-
play after a few seconds. Depending on the last
mode selected, either the normal or full screen
image will be displayed.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
100 Due to the system's need to adjust periodically,
a still image is displayed at certain intervals for
fractions of a second. This is normal and not an
indication of a problem.
To prevent driving without headlamps, at a
speed of more than approx. 3 mph/5 km/h and
when dark, the thermal image on the Control
Display is only shown when the low beams are
on.
Deactivating BMW Night Vision
>Press the button.
>Press the button on the steering wheel.
>Press the button.
>Via iDrive, refer to Selecting settings.
Selecting settings
iDrive, for explanation of principle, refer to
page16.
1.Activate BMW Night Vision.
2.Press the controller to display the menu
items.
3.Select the menu item and press the control-
ler:
>"Night Vision off":
Deactivate BMW Night Vision.>"Zoom":
At higher speeds, the image is zoomed
in.
>"Curve mode":
Depending on the steering angle and
other parameters, the image sections
follow the course of the road to some
degree.
>"Full screen":
The image is shown on the entire Con-
trol Display.
>"Contrast":
The contrast of the screen can be
adjusted.
>"Brightness":
The brightness of the screen can be
adjusted.
"Curve mode" can only be activated with
the "Zoom" function switched on. With
"Full screen" activated, "Curve mode" and
"Zoom" cannot be selected.<
The settings are stored for the remote control
currently in use.
To exit the menu:
The image will automatically disappear after
approx. 5 seconds.Cleaning camera
The function of the camera may be affected by
heavy rain and fog, dirt, snow or ice on the lens.
When this occurs, the displayed image on the
Control Display may become gray.
To minimize icing, the camera lens is automati-
cally heated. However, it may be necessary to
clean the camera lens manually under severe
weather conditions. When doing so, cautiously
remove any debris, ice or snow. To avoid dam-

Controls
101Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
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Mobility
age to the lens, do not use sharp or abrasive
instruments to clean ice, snow, or dirt off the
lens.
When the windshield is cleaned with the head-
lamps on, the camera lens area is automatically
sprayed as well. Refer to page64.
Leaving lane warning*
The concept
This system warns you from a speed of approx.
40 mph/70 km/h when the vehicle is leaving the
lane you are currently in on roads with lane limit
lines. You feel this due to a slight vibration of the
steering wheel.
The system does not warn you if you signal
before leaving the lane.
It is best to use the system on well-developed
roads and freeways.
Switching on/off
Press the button on the steering wheel.
>The two lines1 indicate that the system is
activated.
>The two arrows2 mean that the system has
detected one or two lane limit lines from a
speed of approx. 40 mph/70 km/h and
warns accordingly.
If you activate the system below a speed of
approx. 40 mph/70 km/h, a message will appear
stating that the system is not active until this
speed is reached.
A warning will be canceled:
>after approx. 3 seconds
>if you return to your lane>if you brake heavily
>if you signal
System limits
The leaving lane warning cannot serve as
a substitute for your personal judgment in
determining the course of the road.
If the system issues a warning, do not move the
steering wheel with unnecessary severity, as
otherwise you could loose control of the vehi-
cle.<
The function of the system may be limited in the
following example situations:
>in heavy fog, rain or snowfall
>with worn-away, poorly visible limit lines, or
lines that run together or apart or are
unclear, e.g. in road construction areas
>when limit lines are covered by snow, ice,
dirt or a great deal of water
>in tight curves or on narrow roads
>when limit lines are not white
>when limit lines are covered by objects
>when driving up close behind a vehicle driv-
ing ahead
>with bright counter light
>when the windshield is fogged up, dirty or
covered with stickers, vignettes etc. in the
area of the inside rearview mirror

Navigation
Driving tips
137Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Entering house number
All house numbers stored for the street on the
navigation DVD can be entered.
1.Select "House number" and press the con-
troller.
2.Enter the house number:
Select the individual digits and press the
controller.
3.Change into the third field from the top.
Turn the controller until the house number
is selected and press the controller.
Starting destination guidance with
manual destination entry
>Select "Start guidance" and press the con-
troller.
Destination guidance starts immediately.
>If destination guidance is not to be started
immediately:
Select "Add to destination list" and press
the controller.
The destination is stored in the destination
list, refer to page141.
Entering destination via
voice*
You can enter a desired destination via the
voice command system. When entering the
destination, it is possible to change between
voice command and iDrive at any time. Reacti-
vate the voice command function for this pur-
pose if necessary.
With {Options} you can have the possible
commands read aloud.<1.Press the button on the steering wheel.
Selecting country
1.Wait for the system to ask for the country of
destination.
Say the name of the country of destination in
the language of the voice command system.
Entering town/city of destination
The town/city of destination can be spelled or
entered as an entire word.
Spelling town/city of destination
To enter the town/city of destination, spell it
using the customary spelling of the country of
destination.
Pronounce the letters smoothly and at normal
volume, avoiding excessive emphasis and
pauses.
The system can suggest up to 20 towns/cit-
ies of destination that match your entries.
Up to 6 entries are displayed at once on the
Control Display.
2.{Enter address}
2.Say the name of the country of destina-
tion.
1.Spell town/city name:
Say at least the first three letters of the
town/city of destination. The more let-
ters you say, the more exactly the sys-
tem recognizes the town/city.

Destination guidance
150
Repeating and canceling voice
instructions
With the programmable buttons on the steering
wheel you can also make the following settings,
refer to page55:
>Repeat the voice instruction:
Press the button.
>Switch voice instructions on/off:
Press button longer.
Setting volume of voice instructions
The volume can only be adjusted during a voice
instruction.
1.Repeat the last voice instruction, if required.
2.Turn the knob during the voice instruction
to select the desired volume.
This volume is independent of the volume of the
audio sources.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Bypassing route sections
During destination guidance, you can revise the
navigation system's route recommendations to
avoid particular stretches of road. Enter the
number of miles/kilometers that you want to
travel before returning to the original route.
1.Select "Navigation" and press the control-
ler.
2.Change into the third field from the top.
Turn the controller until "New route" is
selected and press the controller.
3.Turn the controller to enter the desired
number and press the controller.
The route is recalculated.
To exit from the menu without changing the
route:
Select the arrow and press the controller.
Traffic information*
In many congested areas, you can receive traf-
fic information transmitted by radio stations.
The traffic conditions are monitored by traffic
management centers and the traffic information
is periodically updated.
During destination guidance, the traffic infor-
mation relevant to your planned route is auto-
matically displayed. Whether destination guid-
ance is active or not, you can have the traffic
information displayed in the map view or in the
traffic info list.

On/off and tone
158
On/off and tone
The following audio sources have shared
controls and setting options:
>Professional
* radio or
Business radio
>CD player
>CD changer
*
Controls
The audio sources can be operated using:
>Buttons in the area of the CD player
>iDrive
>Buttons on steering wheel, refer to page11
>Programmable memory/direct selection
buttons, refer to page21
Buttons near CD player
The layout of the buttons can vary depending
on your vehicle's equipment.
One drive:
Two drives:1Entertainment sound output on/off, volume
>Press: switch on/off.
When the system is switched on, the
most recently selected radio station or
CD track is played.
>Turn: adjust volume.
2Drive for audio CDs
3 Eject CD
4 Station scan/track search
>Change radio station.
>Select track for CD player and
CD changer.
5Drive for navigation DVDs
Operating via iDrive
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller backwards to call up
"Entertainment".
You have the following choices:
>"FM" and "AM": radio reception
>"WB": Weather Band station
>"SAT": satellite radio
>"CD": CD player or CD changer
>"AUX": AUX-In connection
>USB/audio interface
*
>"Set": depending on the audio source,
other adjustments can be made, e.g. with
the radio: update station with strongest
reception, store station, tone control,
sample stations.

Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
159Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
From another menu, you can change
directly to the screen last displayed,
refer to Comfort opening of menu items,
page18.<
With the ignition key in radio-ready position or
higher, the selected audio source is stored for
the remote control currently in use.
Switching on/off
To switch the Entertainment sound output
on/off:
Press knob1 next to the CD player.
This symbol on the Control Display indi-
cates that sound output is switched off.
For a single drive, the sound output is available
for approx. 20 minutes with the ignition
switched off.
To do so, switch the sound output on again.
Adjusting volume
Turn knob1 next to the CD player until the
desired volume is set.
You can also adjust the volume with the buttons
on the steering wheel, refer to page11.
From radio readiness, the setting for the remote
control used at the moment is saved.
Tone control
You can alter various tone settings, e. g. treble
and bass, or the speed-dependent volume
increase.
The sound settings are globally adjusted for all
audio sources.
From radio readiness, the settings are saved for
the remote control used at the moment.
Changing tone settings
1.Press the button.
This opens 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 "Audio" and press the controller.
The tone settings can also be selected when
you have opened "Entertainment" in the start
menu:
Select "Set" and then "Tone", and press the
controller.
Treble and bass
1.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Treble / Bass" is selected
and press the controller.
2.Move the controller to the left or right to
select "Treble" or "Bass".
3.Turn the controller until the desired setting
is selected.