2008 BMW M5 SEDAN check engine light

At a glance
13Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Indicator and warning lamps
The concept
The indicator and warning lamps can light up in
different combinations and colors.
Some lamps are tested for proper function by
briefly lighting up during starting of the engine
or when the ignition is switched on.
Explanatory text messages
Text messages at the bottom edge of the Con-
trol Display explain the meaning of the dis-
played indicator and warning lamps.
Additional information, e.g. on the cause of a
malfunction and on the corresponding need to
take action can be displayed via the Check Con-
trol, refer to page71.In urgent cases, this information will be shown
as soon as the corresponding lamp comes on.
Indicator lamps without text messages
The following indicator lamps signal particular
functions:
Parking lamps/low beams92
High beams/headlamp flasher94
Handbrake applied58
Handbrake applied for Canadian
models
Lamp flashes:
DSC controls the drive and braking
forces for maintaining vehicle
stability80
MDrive51
M Dynamic Mode80
Engine malfunction with deteriorating
emissions levels213
Engine malfunction with deteriorating
emissions levels for Canadian
models213

Opening and closing
36
Avoiding unintentional alarms
The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion sensor
may be switched off at the same time. This pre-
vents 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 next time the vehicle is unlocked and subse-
quently 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
>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.
>The next unlocking and locking cycle is not
possible until after approx. 2 seconds.>The engine can only be started if the vehicle
detects that the remote control is located in
the vehicle.
Comparison with ordinary remote
control
You can control the functions mentioned previ-
ously with the comfort access or by pressing
the buttons on the remote control. Therefore,
please familiarize yourself with the information
on opening and closing beginning on page28
beforehand.
The special features when using comfort
access are described in the following.
Should a short delay occur when opening
or closing the windows or the glass sun-
roof, the system is checking whether a remote
control is located in the vehicle. Please repeat
opening or closing if necessary.<
Unlocking
Grasp a door handle fully, refer to arrow1, but
do not touch the surfaces, arrow2 or 3 when
doing so. This corresponds to pressing the
button.
Locking
>On the driver's door, touch the highlighted
surface, arrow2, with a finger for approx.
1 second, but do not grasp the door handle.
>On the remaining doors, touch the high-
lighted surface, arrow3, with the back of
your hand for approx. 1 second, but do not
grasp the door handle.
This corresponds to pressing the but-
ton.

Everything under control
66
Everything under control
Odometer, outside
temperature display, clock
1Time, outside temperature, refer to Com-
puter on page67
2Odometer and trip odometer
3Press button:
>with ignition switched on, trip odometer
is reset
>with ignition switched off, odometer is
briefly displayed
Tachometer
The advance warning field, arrow1, and the red
warning field, arrow2, change depending on
the engine temperature. As the engine temper-
ature rises, the permissible engine speed also
increases. Avoid allowing the engine speed to
rise as far as the orange warning field whenever
possible.
Be sure to avoid engine speeds in the red warn-
ing field. At high revs in this range, the flow of
fuel is interrupted to protect the engine.
Coolant temperature
Should the coolant, and with it the engine
become too hot, a warning lamp lights up. In
addition, a message appears on the Control
Display.
Checking coolant level, refer to page211.

Controls
67Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Engine oil thermometer
The general operating temperature lies
between 1757/806 and 2507/1206. Do
not exceed a value of approx. 2657/1306.
If the engine oil temperature is too high, the per-
missible engine speed, and with it the available
engine output is reduced.
Fuel gauge
Fuel tank capacity: approx. 18.5 US gal/
70 liters. You will find information on refueling
on page198.
If the tilt of the vehicle varies for a longer period,
when you are driving in mountainous areas, for
example, the indicator may fluctuate slightly.
Reserve
After the reserve quantity has been reached, a
message briefly appears on the Control Display;
the remaining range is shown in the computer.
Below a range of approx. 30 miles/50 km, the
message remains on the Control Display.
Refuel as soon as possible once your
cruising range falls below 30 miles/
50 km, otherwise engine functions are not
ensured and damage can occur.<
Computer
Displays in instrument cluster
Press the button on the turn signal lever.
The following information is displayed in the
specified order:
>Time and outside temperature
>Cruising range
>Average fuel consumption
>Oil level, refer to Checking engine oil level
on page208
Manual transmission:
The cruising range, average fuel con-
sumption and oil level are shown in the lower
display in place of the gear indicator.
It is possible to change between the time and
data display by pressing the CHECK button.<
Time
Setting the time, refer to page75.
Outside temperature warning
If the display drops to +377/+36, a signal
sounds and a warning lamp lights up. A mes-
sage appears on the Control Display. There is
an increased danger of ice.
Even at temperatures above +377/
+36 ice can form. Therefore, drive care-
fully, e.g. on bridges and sections of road in the
shade, otherwise there is an increased accident
risk.<
You can set the unit of measure 7 or 6 on the
Control Display, refer to Units of measure on
page76.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
78
Technology for comfort, convenience and
safety
PDC Park Distance Control*
The concept
The PDC assists you when you are parking.
Acoustic signals and an optical display
* alert
you to the approach of an object from behind
your vehicle. To measure the distance, there
are four ultrasonic sensors in each bumper.
The range of these sensors is approx. 7 ft/2 m.
However, an acoustic warning first sounds for
the sensors at the front and at the two rear cor-
ners at approx. 24 in/60 cm, and for the center
rear sensors at approx. 5 ft/1.50 m.
PDC is a parking aid that can indicate
objects when they are approached
slowly, as is usually the case when parking.
Avoid approaching an object at high speed, oth-
erwise the physical circumstances would mean
that the system warning was too late.<
Automatic activation
The system starts to operate approx. 1 second
after you shift into reverse gear or move the
selector lever into position R with the engine
running or the ignition switched on.
Wait this short time before driving off.
Manual activation
Press the button, the LED lights up.
Manual deactivation
Press the button again; the LED goes out.
Automatic deactivation
After driving approx. 165 ft/50 m or at over
approx. 20 mph/30 km/h, the system is
switched off and the LED goes out. You can
reactivate the system manually as needed.
Signal tones
When nearing an object, the position is corre-
spondingly indicated by an interval tone. Thus,
an object detected to the left rear of the vehicle
will be indicated by a signal tone from the left
rear speaker, etc. As the distance between
vehicle and object decreases, the intervals
between the tones become shorter. If the dis-
tance to the nearest object falls to below
roughly 1 ft/30 cm, then a continuous tone
sounds.
An intermittent tone is interrupted after approx.
3seconds:
>if you remain in front of an object that was
only detected by one of the corner sensors
>if you drive parallel to a wall
Malfunction
The LED in the button flashes and a message
appears on the Control Display. PDC is mal-
functioning. Have the system checked.
To prevent this problem, keep the sensors
clean and free of ice or snow in order to ensure
that they will continue to operate effectively. Do
not spray the sensors with high-pressure clean-
ers for long periods and maintain a distance of
at least 4 in/10 cm to them.
Exhaust gases near the rear sensors can cause
a signal tone to sound.

Controls
81Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
You can also activate and deactivate the
M Dynamic Mode with the MDM button.
Deactivating MDM again
Press the button on the steering wheel or the
MDM button
* again; the MDM indicator lamp
goes out.
Deactivating DSC
To maintain vehicle stability, drive with
the system activated whenever possi-
ble.<
When rocking free or starting off from deep
snow or on loose road surfaces, it can be useful
to briefly deactivate DSC.
Press the DSC OFF button
*; the DSC indicator
lamp lights up continuously. DSC and MDM are
deactivated.
A message appears on the Control Display.
Please note any supplementary information
that appears there.
Manual transmission
*:
Press and hold the MDM button.
Under unfavorable traction conditions, the
engine output may be briefly reduced even
when DSC is deactivated.
Reactivating DSC
Press the DSC OFF button; the indicator lamp
in the instrument cluster goes out.
You can also activate and deactivate DSC with
the button on the steering wheel, refer to
MDrive on page50.
Manual transmission
*:
Press the MDM button.
Malfunction in driving-stability control
systems
The warning lamp for the brake system
lights up, together with the indicator
lamps for ABS, DSC and Tire Pressure
Monitor or Flat Tire Monitor. A mes-
sage appears on the Control Display.
The driving-stability control systems
have failed. Conventional braking effi-
ciency remains available without limita-
tions. While you may continue, you
should remember to proceed cau-
tiously and drive defensively while avoiding full
brake applications. The Tire Pressure Monitor
or the Flat Tire Monitor is also malfunctioning.
Have the system checked as soon as possible.
Display of the previously described
malfunction in Canadian models.
The DSC warning lamp lights up.
A malfunction has occurred in DSC
including MDM. The stability mainte-
nance functions are no longer available. The
vehicle remains operational. Have the system
checked as soon as possible.
The brake system warning lamp lights
up yellow. A message appears on the
Control Display. The brake assistant is
defective. Have the system checked as soon as
possible.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
84 Via 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 "Settings" is
selected and press the controller.
4.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.
5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "FTM" is selected and press
the controller.
6.Start the engine, but do not start driving.
7.Select "Reset" and press the controller.
8.Select "Yes" and press the controller."resetting FTM …" is displayed for a few
seconds. The warning lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up yellow for a few sec-
onds.
9.Start to drive.
The initialization finishes during driving
without feedback.
Indication of a flat tire
The warning lamp lights up red. A mes-
sage appears on the Control Display.
In addition, an acoustic signal sounds.
There is a flat tire or extensive inflation pressure
loss.
1.Reduce speed and stop the vehicle care-
fully. Avoid sudden braking and steering
maneuvers.
2.Identify damaged tire. To do this, check the
tire inflation pressure using the M Mobility
System, refer to Producing tire inflation
pressure on page219.
3.Repair flat tire with M Mobility System, refer
to page217, or replace the damaged wheel,
refer to Changing wheels on page219.
TPM Tire Pressure Monitor*
The concept
TPM checks the tire inflation pressure in the
four mounted tires. The system reports when
the tire inflation pressure has dropped consid-
erably in one or several tires.
Functional requirement
In order to assure the reliable reporting of a flat
tire, the system must be reset at the correct tire
inflation pressure.
Always use wheels with TPM electronics, oth-
erwise fault-free operation of the system is not
ensured.
Reset the system again after each correc-
tion of the tire inflation pressure and after
every tire or wheel change.<

Under the hood
210 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 page69. Have the
system checked as soon as possible.
Adding engine oil
Do not add oil until a value slightly above the
minimum of 0.0 US quarts/liters is displayed by
the oil level measurement. In this area a mes-
sage is also shown on the Control Display.
Add oil within the next 125 miles/200 km,
otherwise the engine could be damaged.
Add a maximum of 1 US quart/1 liter of oil, oth-
erwise the engine may be damaged by adding
too much oil.
Add at least 0.5 US quart/0.5 liter of oil, other-
wise the oil level check cannot reliably display
the current oil level.<
Please conduct a fast measurement after
adding engine oil to check the oil quantity
added and to update the display.<
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.<
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.
Approved oils belong to the SAE grade
10W-60.<
Alternative oil grades
If BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil is
unavailable, you can add small quantities of
other synthetic oils between oil changes.
Only use oils with the following specifications:
>Viscosity
preferred: SAE 10W-60;
alternative: SAE 10W-40, SAE 5W-50 or
SAE 10W-50
>Specification
API SJ/CF, API SK/CF or higher
Low ambient temperatures
The oils used by BMW from the factory for your
vehicle model can be used at virtually all ambi-
ent temperatures. However, if the vehicle is
operated for a longer period at temperatures
below –47/–206, your BMW center will be
happy to recommend a suitable oil.