2009 BMW X6 XDRIVE 50I oil

Notes
6
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 Genuine BMW Parts,
you simultaneously acquire the assurance that
they have been thorough ly tested by BMW to
ensure optimum perfor mance 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 installation 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.
Genuine BMW Parts, BMW Accessories and
other products approved by BMW, together
with professional advice on using these items,
are available from all BMW Sports Activity Vehi-
cle 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 radios or
similar accessories, ma y cause extensive dam-
age to the vehicle, comp romise its safety, inter-
fere with the vehicle's electrical system, or
affect the validity of the BMW Limited Warranty.
Refer to your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Cen-
ter for additional information. <
Maintenance, replacement, or repair of
the emission control devices and sys-
tems may be performe d by any automotive
repair establishment or individual using any cer-
tified automotive part.<
California Proposition 65 Warning
California laws require us to issue the following
warning:
Engine exhaust and a wide variety of
automobile components and parts,
including components foun d in the interior fur-
nishings in a vehicle, contain or emit chemicals
known to the State of Ca lifornia to cause cancer
and birth defects and reproductive harm. In
addition, certain fluids co ntained in vehicles and
certain products of component wear contain or
emit chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and birth defects or other
reproductive harm.
Battery posts, terminals and related accesso-
ries contain lead and lead compounds. Wash
your hands after handling.
Used engine oil contains chemicals that have
caused cancer in labora tory animals. Always
protect your skin by washing thoroughly with
soap and water. <

Cockpit
12
Instrument panel
1Indicator lamps for turn signals
2 Speedometer
3 Indicator and warning lamps 13
4 Tachometer 79
5 BMW X5: energy control 79
BMW X6: engine oil temperature 79 or
energy control 79
6 Display for
>Clock/date 78
> Outside temperature 78
> Indicator and warning lamps 85
> Speed of cruise control
*76
> BMW X5: reserve display for diesel
exhaust fluid 246 7
Display for
>Odometer and trip odometer 78
> Computer 80
> Date and remaining travel distance
for service requirements 82
> Automatic transmission positions 70
> HDC Hill Descent Control 98
> Check Control message present 85
> Adaptive Drive
*99
> BMW X6: Dynamic Performance
Control 97
8 Fuel gauge 80
9 Resetting trip odometer 78
Displaying service requirement 78

Controls
79Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Tachometer
Do not operate the engine with the needle in the
red overspeed zone of the gauge, refer to arrow.
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 page262.
Engine oil temperature*
When the engine is at operating temperature,
the engine oil temperature is between approx.
170 7/80 6 and approx. 250 7/120 6.
When the engine oil temperature is too high, a
warning lamp lights up in the instrument panel.
Energy control*
Displays the current fuel consumption. This
allows you to see whethe r your current driving
style is conducive to fuel economy with mini-
mum exhaust emissions.

Controls
83Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Displaying service requirements
1Knob for selecting display
2 Service requirements
3 Engine oil
4 Legally mandated inspections
*
5Front brake pads 6
Rear brake pads
7 Brake fluid
The sequence of the displayed maintenance
items can vary. First the data for the next main-
tenance are displayed.
Additional information
You can select a display of more detailed infor-
mation on the maintenance scope on the Con-
trol Display. For operating principle refer to
page 16.
1. Open 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. 5.
Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Service requirements" is
selected and press the controller.

Things to remember when driving
144
Driving on poor roads
Your BMW is at home on all roads and surfaces.
It combines a 4-wheel drive system with the
advantages of a normal passenger car.Do not drive on unpaved terrain, as other-
wise the vehicle may be damaged. <
When you are driving on poor roads, there are a
few points which you shou ld strictly observe for
your own safety, for that of your passengers,
and for the safety of the vehicle:
> Familiarize yourself wi th the vehicle before
driving off and avoid taking risks at all costs.
> Adapt your driving spee d to the road condi-
tions. The steeper and rougher the road
surface is, the lower the speed should be.
> If you want to drive on very steep uphill or
downhill gradients, ma ke sure beforehand
that the engine oil and coolant levels are
near the MAX mark, refer to page 259.
BMW X5: you can operate your vehicle on
uphill and downhill gradients with a maxi-
mum slope of 50 %.
> On very steep downhill slopes, use Hill
Descent Control HDC, refer to page 98.
BMW X5: it is possible to start off on inclines
of up to 33 %. The permissible body roll is
50 %.
> While driving, watch carefully for obstacles
such as rocks or holes. Try to avoid these
obstacles whenev er possible.
> Make sure that the undercarriage does not
touch the ground, for example on crests and
bumpy roads. The ground clearance of the
vehicle is a maximum of approx. 8 in/20 cm.
Please note that the ground clearance can
vary depending on lo ading and the driving
conditions of the vehicle.
> Only drive through road surface water up to
a maximum water depth of
> BMW X5 20 in/50 cm
> BMW X6 17 in/45 cm
and only drive at walking speed; do not
remain stationary. >
After driving through water at low speed,
lightly press the brake pedal several times
to dry the brakes and to prevent the braking
effect from being reduced by wetness.
> Depending on the condition of the surface,
it may be practical to briefly activate DTC,
refer to DTC Dynamic Traction Control on
page 97.
> If the drive wheels spin on one side, depress
the accelerator pedal su fficiently so that the
driving stability control systems can distrib-
ute the drive forces to the individual wheels.
Please note the following points after driving on
poor roads to maintain the driving safety of your
BMW:
> Clean the coarsest dirt from the body.
> Clean mud, snow, ice etc. from the wheels
and tires and check the tires for damage.

Mobility
257Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
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.<

Mobility
259Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
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.