2009 BMW X5 XDRIVE 48I Owner's Manual

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Temperature
The temperature grades are A, the highest, B,
and C, representing the tire's resistance to the
generation of heat and its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under controlled conditions
on a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the
material of the tire to degenerate and reduce
tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. The grade C corresponds to
a level of performance which all passenger car
tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehi-
cle Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of performance on the
laboratory test wheel than the minimum
required by law.
The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly
inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed,
underinflation, or excessive loading, either sep-
arately or in combination, can cause heat
buildup and possible tire failure. <
RSC – run-flat tires
You will recognize run-flat tires by a circular
symbol containing the letters RSC on the side
of the tire, refer to page256.
M+S
Winter and all-season tires.
These have better winter properties than sum-
mer tires.
XL
Indicates specially reinforced tires.
Tire condition
Inspect your tires freq uently for tread wear,
signs of damage and for foreign objects lodged
in the tread. Check the tread depth.
Minimum tread depth
The tread depth should not drop below 0.12 in/
3 mm, although, for example, European legisla-
tion only specifies a minimum tread depth of 0.063 in/1.6 mm. At tread depths below 0.12 in/
3 mm there is an increased risk of high-speed
hydroplaning, even when only small amounts of
water are present on the road surface.
When winter tires wear down past a tread depth
of 0.16 in/4 mm, they become perceptibly less
suitable for winter conditions. For the sake of
safety, new tires should be installed.
Wear indicators at the tread-groove base are
distributed over the ti
re's circumference and
are marked on the side of the tire with TWI –
Tread Wear Indicator. If the tire tread has been
driven down to the we ar indicators, a tread
depth of 0.063 in/1.6 mm has been reached.
Wheel/tire damage
Please note that low-pr ofile tires cause wheels,
tires and suspension parts to be more suscep-
tible to road hazards and consequential dam-
ages.
Unusual vibrations encountered during normal
vehicle operation can indi cate tire failure or
some other vehicle defect. This can, for exam-
ple, be caused by driving over curbs. These
kinds of problems may also be signaled by other
changes in vehicle response, such as a strong
tendency to pull to the left or right.
In these cases, reduce speed immedi-
ately and have wheels and tires thor-
oughly checked. To do so , drive carefully to the
nearest BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center or
tire shop that works ac cording to BMW repair
procedures with corres pondingly trained per-
sonnel. If necessary, have the vehicle towed
there. Otherwise, tire damage can be extremely
dangerous to vehicle occupants and other road
users. <

Wheels and tires
256
Run-flat tires
You will recognize run-flat tires by the circular
symbol containing the letters RSC on the side
of the tire.
Run-flat tires consist of partially self-contained
tires and special rims. The sidewall reinforce-
ment ensures that the tire retains some residual
safety in the event of pr essure drop and driving
remains possible to a restricted degree.
To continue driving with a damaged tire:
> With Flat Tire Monitor, refer to Indication of
a flat tire page 101
> With Tire Pressure Monitor, refer to Mes-
sage with low tire inflation pressure
page 103
New wheels and tires
Have new wheels and tires installed only
by your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle
Center or a tire shop that works according to
BMW repair procedures with correspondingly
trained personnel. If this work is not carried out
properly, there is a danger of subsequent dam-
age and related safety ha zards. Make sure that
the new wheels are balanced. <
Retreaded tires
BMW does not recommend that you use
retreaded tires, as driving safety may be
impaired. The causes for this include the possi-
bly different tire casing structures and the often
wide variations in their age, which can result in a
limited service life. <
The right wheels and tires
When mounting new tires or changing over
from summer to winter tires and vice versa,
mount Run-Flat Tires for your own safety. Your
BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center will be
happy to advise you.
BMW recommends that you use only
wheel and tire combinations that BMW
has tested and approved for your particular
vehicle. Variations in factors such as manufac-
turing tolerances mean that even wheels and
tires with identical offi cial size ratings could
actually have different dimensions than the
approved units – these differences could lead to
body contact, and with it the risk of severe acci-
dents. If non-approved wheels and tires are
used, BMW cannot evaluate their suitability,
and therefore cannot be held liable for driving
safety. <
When changing to larger wheels and tires,
it may be necessary to make changes to
the wheel-well trim piec e, as otherwise road
users could be endangered or the vehicle could
be damaged. Only have th is work carried out by
a BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center or a
workshop that works in accordance with BMW
guidelines and uses appropriately trained per-
sonnel. <
You can ask your BMW Sp orts Activity Vehicle
Center for the correct wheel/tire combination.
The correct wheel/tire combination also affects
various systems whose function would other-
wise be impaired, e.g. ABS, DSC, xDrive,
Dynamic Performance Control in the BMW X6,
or Flat Tire Monitor.
To maintain good handling and vehicle
response, use only tires of a single tread config-
uration from a single manufacturer. Following
tire damage, have the or iginal wheel and tire
combination remounted on the vehicle as soon
as possible.
Wheels with electronics for
TPM Tire Pressure Monitor
When mounting new tires or changing from
summer to winter tires or vice versa, only use
wheels with TPM electronics, otherwise the

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Tire Pressure Monitor cannot detect a flat tire,
refer to page101. Your BMW Sports Activity
Vehicle Center will be happy to advise you on
this subject.
Recommended tire brands
Certain tire makes are recommended by BMW
depending on the tire size. You can recognize
these from the clearly visible BMW marking on
the tire sidewall.
When used properly, these tires comply with
the most demanding standards for safety and
vehicle response.
Special characteristics of winter tires
BMW recommends using winter tires for opera-
tion on winter road or at temperatures below
+45 7/+7 6. Although all-season M+S tires
provide better winter traction than summer
tires, they generally fail to provide the same lev-
els of cold-weather performance as winter tires.
Paying attention to speed
Always observe the maximum permissi-
ble speed for the winter tires, otherwise
tire damage may occur, wh ich can result in acci-
dents. <
Storage
Store wheels and tires in a cool, dry place with
as little exposure to lig ht as possible. Always
protect tires against all co ntact with oil, grease
and fuels. Do not exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure indica ted on the side wall of
the tire.
Rotating wheels between axles
Even with tires of the same size, BMW
recommends that you not rotate the front
tires to the rear or vice versa as this can nega-
tively affect hand ling characteristics.
When the vehicle is equipped with different
tires sizes
*, rotating tires from one axle to the
other is not permitted. <
Snow chains*
BMW only tests certain fine-link snow chains,
classifies them as road-safe and recommends
them. Your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center
can provide you with this information.
BMW X5: use is only permitted in pairs on the
rear wheels with tires of the size:
> 255/55 R 18
> 255/50 R 19
BMW X6: it is only permissible to use snow
chains in pairs, on the 255/50 R 19 rear wheels.
Observe the manufacturer's instructions when
mounting snow chains. Do not exceed a speed
of 30 mph/50 km/h with the chains mounted. After mounting snow chains, do not ini-
tialize the Flat Tire Monitor
*, as otherwise
incorrect displays can occur.
When you are driving with snow chains, it can
be beneficial to activate DTC briefly, refer to
page 97.<

Under the hood
258
Under the hood
Never attempt to perform any service or
repair operations on your vehicle without
the required professional technical training. If
you do not know what re pair procedures to fol-
low, have work on your vehicle done only by
your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center or a
workshop that works according to BMW repair
procedures with correspondingly trained per-
sonnel. If this work is not carried out properly,
there is a danger of subsequent damage and
related safe ty hazards.<
Hood
Releasing
Pull lever.
Opening
Press the release handle and open the hood.
Closing
Close the hood from a height of approx. 16 in/
4 0 c m w i t h m o m e n t um . I t m u st b e cl e a r l y h e a r d
to engage.
Make sure that the closing path of the
hood is clear, otherwise injuries may
result.
If you see any signs that the hood is not com-
pletely closed while driving your vehicle, you
should stop at once and close it securely. <

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Engine compartment
BMW X5
1Filler neck for washer fluid of the headlamp
and windshield cleaning systems, refer to
page 75
2 Starting-aid terminal, refer to page 280
3 Expansion tank for coolant, refer to
page 262
4 Filler neck for engine oil, refer to Adding
engine oil on page 261

Under the hood
260
BMW X6
1Filler neck for washer fluid of the headlamp
and windshield cleaning systems, refer to
page 75
2 Filler neck for engine oil, refer to Adding
engine oil on page 261 3
Starting-aid termin al, refer to page280
4 Expansion tank for coolant, refer to
page 262
Engine oil
The engine oil consumption is dependent on
driving style and driving conditions.
Checking engine oil level
Your vehicle is equipped with an electronic oil
level check.
The condition for the most accurate indication
of the oil level possible is measurement with the
engine at operating temperature, i.e. following
an uninterrupted drive of at least 6 miles/10 km.
You can display the oil level while driving or
when stopped on a level surface with the engine
running.
iDrive, for operating pr inciple refer to page16.
1. Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2. Press the controller to open the menu. 3.
Select "Info sources" and press the control-
ler.
4. Select "Service Info" and press the control-
ler.

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5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Service requirements" is
selected and press the controller.
6. Change to the second field from the top if
necessary. Turn the controller until "Engine
oil level" is selected and press the control-
ler. The oil level is displayed.
Possible messages
>"Engine oil level O.K."
> "No measurement available: Updating
engine oil level measurement...":
Engine oil level is being measured. This
process can take approx. 3 minutes when
stopped on a level surface and approx.
5 minutes while driving.
> "Oil level at the minimum! Refill with 1 quart
of engine oil.":
Add 1 US quart/liter of engine oil at the next
opportunity.
If the oil level displayed is below mini-
mum, add engine oil immediately.
Failure to do so may lead to engine dam-
age. <
> "Engine oil level too high":
Have the vehicle checked immedi-
ately, otherwise engine damage may
result if too much oil has been added. <
> "Please observe recalc ulated service inter-
val for engine oil":
Do not add engine oil. Before continuing to
drive, note the recalculated remaining mile-
age until the next oil ch ange service, refer to
Service requirements on page 82. Have the
system checked as soon as possible.
Adding engine oil
BMW X5
BMW X6
Do not add 1 US quart/liter of oil until a corre-
sponding message is shown on the Control Dis-
play.
Add oil within the next 125 miles/200 km,
otherwise the engine could be dam-
aged. <
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.
K e e p o i l , g r e a s e e t c . o u t o f r e a c h o f c h i l d r e n a n d
observe the warnings on the containers to pre-
vent health risks. <
Oil change
Only have an oil change carried out by a BMW
Sports Activity Vehicle Center or a workshop
that works in accordance with BMW guidelines
and uses appropriately trained personnel.

Under the hood
262
Approved engine oils
The quality of the engine oil has critical signifi-
cance for the operation and service life of an
engine. BMW continuously approves specific
oils after confirming their suitability for use in its
vehicles with extensive testing.
Your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center
will be happy to answer detailed ques-
tions on approved 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. Do not use oil additives, as these may
result in engine damage.<
Alternative oil types
If none of the approved o ils is available, you can
also use other oils for adding small amounts
between oil changes. One of the following oil
specifications must be indicated on the pack-
aging:
Gasoline engines
> preferably: BMW Longlife-01,
BMW Longlife-01 FE, or
BMW Longlife-04
> alternatively: BMW Longlife-98, API SM
or higher
Diesel engines
>BMW Longlife-04
Viscosity grades
Viscosity is a measure of an oil's flow rating and
is specified in SAE grades.
The choice of the right SAE grade is based on
the climatic conditions in the region in which
you normally drive your BMW.
Approved oils belong to the SAE classifi-
cations 0W-40, 0W-30, 5W-40 and
5W-30. <
These oils can be used for driving at all outside
temperatures.
Coolant
Do not add coolant to the cooling system
when the engine is hot. Escaping coolant
can cause burns. <
Coolant is composed of equal parts water and a
coolant additive. Not all commercially available
additives are suitable for your BMW. Your BMW
Sports Activity Vehicl e Center can recommend
suitable additives.
Only use suitable ad ditives, otherwise
engine damage may result. The additives
present a health hazard; observe the instruc-
tions on the containers. <
Comply with the appropriate environ-
mental protection regulations when dis-
posing of coolant additives. <
Checking coolant level
1.Do not open the hood until the engine has
cooled down.
2. Turn the cap of the expansion tank counter-
clockwise to allow any accumulated pres-
sure to escape, then continue turning to
open.
3. The coolant level is co rrect when the cool-
ant level is between the MIN and MAX
marks, refer to the di agram adjacent to the
filler neck.
4. If the coolant is low, slowly add coolant up to
the specified level; do not overfill.
5. Turn the cap until ther e is an audible click.
6. Have the reason for the coolant loss elimi-
nated as soon as possible.