2009 BMW 550I SEDAN Owner's Manual

7Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Service and warranty
We recommend that you read this publication
thoroughly.
Your BMW is covered by the following warran-
ties:
>New Vehicle Limited Warranty
>Rust Perforation Limited Warranty
>Federal Emissions System Defect Warranty
>Federal Emissions Performance Warranty
>California Emission Control System Limited
Warranty
Detailed information about these warranties is
listed in the Service and Warranty Information
Booklet for US models or in the Warranty and
Service Guide Booklet for Canadian models.
Reporting safety defects
For US customers
The following applies only to vehicles owned
and operated in the US.
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause injury
or death, you should immediately inform the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
NHTSA, in addition to notifying BMW of North
America, LLC, P.O. Box 1227, Westwood, New
Jersey 07675-1227, Telephone 1-800-831-
1117.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may
open an investigation, and if it finds that a safety
defect exists in a group of vehicles, it may order
a recall and remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved in individual
problems between you, your dealer, or BMW of
North America, LLC.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle
Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go to
http://www.safercar.gov; or write to: Adminis-
trator, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington, DC 20590. You can also obtain
other information about motor vehicle safety
from http://www.safercar.gov
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 Can-
ada or 1-613-993-9851 from the Ottawa region
and from other countries, or contact Transport
Canada by mail at: Transport Canada, 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

At a glance
This overview of buttons, switches and displays
is intended to familiarize you with your vehicle's
operating environment.
The section will also assist you in becoming
acquainted with the control concepts
and options available for operating
the various systems.
At a glance

Cockpit
10
Cockpit
Around the steering wheel: controls and displays
1Rear side window safety switch43
2Sedan: sun blind
* for rear window122
3Opening and closing windows42
4Adjusting exterior mirrors54
Automatic curb monitor
*55
5Folding exterior mirrors in and out
*55
6
Turn signals68
High beams,
headlamp flasher110
High-beam assistant
*110
Roadside parking lamps110
Check Control84
Computer80

At a glance
11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
7Buttons on the steering wheel
8Instrument cluster12
11Ignition lock6212Horn, entire surface
15Releasing hood232 Mobile phone
*194:
>Press: accepting and ending
call, starting dialing
* for
selected phone number and
redialing if no phone number is
selected
>Press and hold: redialing
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice com-
mand system
* 24
Changing radio station172
Selecting music track183
Scrolling in phone book and in lists
with stored phone numbers
Individually programmable
*56
Individually programmable
*56
Leaving lane warning
*106
9
Windshield wipers69
Rain sensor69
Sports Wagon: rear window
wiper70
10Starting/stopping engine and
switching ignition on/off 62
13
Steering wheel heater*56
Steering wheel adjustment56
14
Cruise control
*70
Active cruise control71
16Opening luggage compartment lid/
tailgate36, 37
17
Head-Up Display
*102
BMW Night Vision
*104
18Parking lamp108
Daytime running lamps
*109
Low beams108
Welcome lamps108
Automatic headlamp control
*108
Daytime running lamps
*109
Welcome lamps108
Adaptive Head Light
*110
High-beam assistant
*110
19
Instrument lighting112
Fog lamps
*112

Cockpit
12
Instrument cluster
1Indicator lamps for turn signals
2Speedometer
3Indicator and warning lamps13
4Displays for
>Active cruise control
*75
>Leaving lane warning
*106
5Tachometer79
6Energy Control80
7Display for
>Clock/date79
>Outside temperature79
>Indicator and warning lamps84
>Speed of cruise control
*71
>Desired speed for active cruise
control
*758Display for
>Odometer and trip odometer79
>Computer80
>Date and remaining travel distance
for service requirements82
>Automatic transmission with
Steptronic
*64
>Sport automatic transmission
*67
>HDC Hill Descent Control
*93 93
>High-beam assistant
*110
> Check Control message present84
9Fuel gauge80
10Resetting trip odometer79

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 lower edge of the Control
Display explain the meaning of the displayed
indicator and warning lamps.
Additional information, e. g. on the cause and
elimination of a malfunction, can be opened via
the Check Control system, refer to page84.
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:
High beams/headlamp flasher110
Fog lamps
*112
Handbrake applied64
Handbrake applied for Canadian mod-
els
Lamp flashes:
DSC or DTC controls the drive and
braking forces for maintaining vehicle
stability92
DTC Dynamic Traction Control92
Exhaust-gas values238

Cockpit
14
Around the center console: controls and displays