Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Contents
The fastest way to find information on a partic-
ular topic or item is by using the index, refer to
page250.
Using this Owner's Manual
4 Notes
6 Reporting safety defects
At a glance
10Cockpit
16 iDrive
21 Letters and numbers
22 Voice activation system
Controls
26Opening and closing
41 Adjustments
49 Transporting children safely
53 Driving
67 Everything under control
80 Technology for driving comfort and
safety
90 Lamps
94 Climate
99 Practical interior accessories
Driving tips
114Things to remember when driving
Navigation
122Navigation system
123 Destination entry
133 Destination guidance
139 What to do if …
Entertainment
142On/off and tone
145 Radio
148 Satellite radio
150 CD player and CD changer
157 Music collection
161 AUX-IN port
162 USB-audio interface/mobile phone audio
interface
Communications
168Telephone
179 Contacts
181 BMW Assist
Mobility
190Refueling
195 Wheels and tires
211 Under the hood
216 Maintenance
218 Care
222 Replacing components
230 Giving and rece iving assistance
Reference
238Technical data
243 Short commands for the voice activation
system
250 Everything from A - Z
ba8_E9091_cic.book Seite 3 Mittwoch, 29. Oktober 2008 2:59 14
5Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
The individual vehicle
When you ordered your BMW, you chose vari-
ous items of equipment. This Owner's Manual
describes the entire array of options and equip-
ment available with a specific BMW model.
Please bear in mind th at the manual may con-
tain information on accessories and equipment
that you have not specifie d for your own vehicle.
Sections describing options and special equip-
ment are marked by asterisks
* to assist you in
identifying possible differences between the
descriptions in this ma nual and your own vehi-
cle's equipment.
If equipment in your BM W is not described in
this Owner's Manual, plea se refer to the accom-
panying Supplementary Owner's Manuals.
Editorial notice
BMW pursues a policy of continuous, ongoing
development that is conc eived to ensure that
our vehicles continue to embody the highest
quality and safety stan dards combined with
advanced, state-of-the-art technology. For this
reason, it is possible in exceptional cases that
features described in this Owner's Manual
could differ from those on your vehicle.
For your own safety
Maintenance and repair
Advanced technology, e.g. the use of
modern materials and powerful electron-
ics, requires specially adapted maintenance
and repair methods. You should therefore have
the corresponding work on your vehicle per-
formed only by your BMW center or at a work-
shop that works according to BMW repair pro-
cedures with correspondingly trained
personnel. If this work is not carried out prop-
erly, there is a danger of subsequent damage
and related safety hazards. <
Parts and accessories
For your own safety, use genuine parts
and accessories approved by BMW.
When you purchase accessories tested and
approved by BMW and Or iginal BMW Parts, you
simultaneously acquire the assurance that they
have been thoroughly te sted by BMW to ensure
optimum performance when installed on your
vehicle.
BMW warrants these parts to be free from
defects in material and workmanship.
BMW will not accept any liability for damage
resulting from installati on of parts and accesso-
ries not approved by BMW.
BMW cannot test every product made by other
manufacturers to verify if it can be used on a
BMW safely and without risk to either the vehi-
cle, its operation, or its occupants.
Original BMW Parts, BMW Accessories and
other products approved by BMW, together
with professional advice on using these items,
are available from all BMW centers.
Installation and operation of non-BMW
approved accessories such as alarms, radios,
amplifiers, radar detector s, wheels, suspension
components, brake dust shields, telephones,
including operation of any mobile phone from
within the vehicle without using an externally
mounted antenna, or transceiver equipment, for
instance, CBs, walkie-talkies, ham radio or sim-
ilar accessories, may cause extensive damage
ba8_E9091_cic.book Seite 5 Mittwoch, 29. Oktober 2008 2:59 14
7Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
For Canadian customers
Canadian customers who wish to report a
safety-related defect to Transport Canada,
Defect Investigations and Recalls, may call
1-800-333-0510 toll-free from anywhere in
Canada or 1-613-993-9851 from the Ottawa
region and from other countries, or contact
Transport Canada by mail at: Transport Can-
ada, ASFAD, Place de Ville, Tower C,
330 Sparks Street, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0N5.
You can also obtain other information about
motor vehicle safety from http://www.tc.gc.ca
ba8_E9091_cic.book Seite 7 Mittwoch, 29. Oktober 2008 2:59 14
At a glance
11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
8Instrument cluster 12
11 Ignition lock 53
12 Buttons on the steering wheel 14
Horn, the entire surface
15 Adjusting the steering wheel 48
17 Releasing the hood 211
18 Opening the tailgate/luggage compartment
lid 30
7
Turn signals 57
High beams, headlamp flasher 92
Roadside parking lamps
*92
Computer 69
Settings and information about the
vehicle 70
Instrument lighting 92
9 Windshield wipers 58
Rain sensor
*58
Sports Wagon:
Rear window wiper 59
10 Switching the ignition on/off and
starting/stopping the engine
53
Telephone
*:
> Press: accepting and ending a
call; dialing
* the selected
phone number; redialing if no
phone number is selected
> Press longer: redialing
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
*22
Changing radio station
Selecting music track
Scrolling through phone book and
lists with stored phone numbers
Next entertainment source
Recirculated-air mode 96
13 Steering wheel heating
*48
16 Cruise control
*59
Active cruise control
*61
ba8_E9091_cic.book Seite 11 Mittwoch, 29. Oktober 2008 2:59 14
At a glance
13Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Indicator and warning lamps
The concept
Indicator and warning lamps can light up in a
variety of combinations and colors.
Some lamps are checked for proper functioning
and thus come on briefly when the engine is
started or the ignition is switched on.
Explanatory text messages
Text messages at the top edge of the Control
Display describe the meanings of the indicator
and warning lamps.
You can call up more information, e.g. on the
cause of a malfunction and on how to respond,
via Check Control, refer to page 75.
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 notify you that
certain functions are active:
High beams/headlamp flasher 92
Fog lamps 92
Lamp flashes:
DSC or DTC is regulating the propul-
sive forces in order to maintain driving
stability 82
Parking brake applied 54
Canada: parking brake applied 54
Engine malfunction with adverse
effect on exhaust emissions 217
Canada: engine malfunction with
adverse effect on exhaust
emissions 217
ba8_E9091_cic.book Seite 13 Mittwoch, 29. Oktober 2008 2:59 14
At a glance
15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Microphone for voice activation system*
and for telephone in hands-free mode*
2SOS: initiating an Emergency Request
call
*230
3 Reading lamps 93
4 Glass roof/panorama glass roof
*37
5 Interior lamps 93
6 Passenger airbag status lamp
*89
7 Control Display 16
8 Hazard warning flashers
9 Dynamic Traction Control DTC 81
10 Central locking system 30
11 Automatic climate control
12 CD/DVD drive 150
13 Changing the audio and entertainment
sources
14 Selecting AM or FM waveband 15
Changing
>Radio station 145
> Track 150
17 Controller 16
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four
directions
18 Buttons on the controller 16
Selecting menus directly
19 Programmable memory keys 20
20 Switching audio sources on/off and adjust-
ing volume 142
21 Ejecting CD/DVD 150
Air distribution to the
windshield
95
Air distribution to the upper body
area 95
Air distribution to the footwell 95
Automatic air distribution and flow
rate 95
Cooling function 96
Automatic recircul ated-air control
AUC 96
Recirculated-air mode 96
Maximum cooling 95
Residual heat mode 96
Air flow rate 95
Defrosting windows 96
Rear window defroster 97
16
Heated seats*45
Park Distance Control PDC
*80
Sedan:
Roller sun blind
*102
Hill Descent Control HDC
*82
ba8_E9091_cic.book Seite 15 Mittwoch, 29. Oktober 2008 2:59 14
iDrive
16
iDrive
iDrive integrates the functions of a large num-
ber of switches. This allows these functions to
be operated from a single central position. The
following section provides an introduction to basic menu navigation. The control of the indi-
vidual functions is described in connection with
the relevant equipment.
Controls
1
Control Display
2 Controller with buttons
You can use the buttons to open the menus
directly. The controller can be used to
select the menu item s and create settings.
> Move in four directions, arrow 3
> Turn, arrow 4
> Push, arrow 5
Operate the controller only when traffic
and road conditions allow this, to avoid
endangering the car's occupants and other
road users by being distracted. <
ba8_E9091_cic.book Seite 16 Mittwoch, 29. Oktober 2008 2:59 14
At a glance
17Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Buttons on the controller
Operating principle
With the ignition at radio readiness or beyond,
refer to page53, the following message is dis-
played on the Control Display:
To hide the message:
Press the controller.
The main menu is displayed.
The message is automa tically hidden after
approx. 10 seconds.
Opening the main menu
Press the MENU button.
The main menu is displayed. All iDrive functions can be
called up via the main
menu.
Selecting a menu item
The menu items shown in white can be
selected.
1. Turn the controller until the desired menu
item is highlighted.
2. Press the controller.
A new menu is displayed or the function is exe-
cuted.
Menu items in the Owner's Manual
In the Owner's Manual, menu items that can be
selected are set in quotation marks, e.g.
"Settings"
Changing between panels
After selecting a menu item, e.g. "Radio", a new
menu is displayed on a panel. The panels can
overlap.
ButtonFunction
MENU Open the main menu
RADIO Open the Radio menu
CD Open the CD/Multimedia menu
NAV Open the Navigation menu
TEL Open the Telephone menu
BACK Display the previous menu
OPTION Open the Options menu
ba8_E9091_cic.book Seite 17 Mittwoch, 29. Oktober 2008 2:59 14