
Technology for driving comfort and safety
86
Do not attempt to remove
the airbag retention
system from the vehicle. Do not modify the indi-
vidual components of the system or its wiring in
any way. This includes the upholstered covers
of the steering wheel, the dashboard and the
seats. Do not attempt to remove or dismantle
the steering wheel.
Do not touch the individual components imme-
diately after the system has been triggered,
because there is a danger of burns.
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation or
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have
the testing, repair, remo val and disposal of air-
bag generators executed only by a BMW center
or a workshop that works according to repair
procedures of BMW with correspondingly
trained personnel and th at has the required
explosives licenses. Unprofessional attempts to
work on the system could lead to failure in an
emergency or to undesi red airbag activation,
either of which could resu lt in personal injury.<
Warning notices and information about the air-
bags can also be found on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of the
passenger airbags
The system determines whether the passenger
seat is occupied by meas uring the resistance of
the human body. Front, knee and side airbags
on the passenger side ar e activated or deacti-
vated accordingly.
Make sure that the passenger keeps his
or her feet in the footwell; otherwise, the
passenger airbags may not function properly. <
The indicator lamp above the interior rearview
mirror shows the current status of the passen-
ger airbags, deactivated or activated, refer to
Status of passenger airbags below.
Before transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, read the safety precau-
tions and handling instructions under Trans-
porting children safely, see page 48.
Malfunction of the automatic
deactivation system
The front, knee and side airbags can also be
deactivated by adolescents and adults sitting in
certain positions; the in dicator lamp for the pas-
senger airbags comes on. In such cases, the
passenger should change his or her sitting
position so that the pa ssenger airbags are acti-
vated and the indicator la mp goes out. If the
desired airbag status cannot be achieved by
changing the sitting posi tion, do not transport
the passenger in the vehicle.
To make sure that occupa tion of the seat cush-
ion can be detected correctly:
> Do not attach seat covers, seat cushion
padding, ball mats or other items to the pas-
senger seat unless they are specifically rec-
ommended by BMW.
> Do not place any items under the seat which
could press against the seat from below. <
Status of passenger airbags
The indicator lamp for the passenger airbags
shows the functional status of the passenger's
front, knee and side airbags in accordance with
whether and how the passenger seat is occu-
pied. The indicator lamp shows whether the
passenger airbags are activated or deactivated.
> The indicator lamp lights up when a child
who is properly seated in a child-restraint
system intended for that purpose is
detected on the seat or the seat is empty.
The front, knee and side airbags for the pas-
senger are not activated.
Most child seats are detected by the sys-
tem, especially child seats required by the
NHTSA at the time of vehicle production.

Care
206
Preservation
A preservation treatment is necessary when
water no longer beads o ff of the clean paintwork
surface. Only use products for paintwork pres-
ervation that contain carnauba or synthetic
waxes.
Rubber seals
Treat only with water or rubber care products.
Do not use silicon-con taining care prod-
ucts on rubber seals; otherwise, noise
and damage could occur. <
Chrome parts
Carefully clean vehicle parts, such as the radia-
tor grill, door handles or window frames, with
copious quantities of water and a shampoo
additive. For additional treatment, use a chrome
polish.
Light-alloy wheels
For technical reasons, dust is generated during
braking that is deposited on the light-alloy
wheels. Remove the dust regularly using acid-
free rim cleaner.
Do not use aggressive, acidic, strongly
alkaline and abrasive cleaning agents or
steam jets over 140 7/60 6, otherwise dam-
age may occur. <
Outside sensors / cameras
Keep the sensors and cameras on the
outside of the vehicle, e.g. those of Park
Distance Control, clean and free of ice to ensure
that they remain fully functional. <
Interior care
Upholstery / cloth trim
Vacuum regularly with a vacuum cleaner to
remove superficial dirt.
To treat severe stains, e.g. from beverages, use
a soft sponge or lint-free microfiber cloth in
combination with suitable interior cleaners. Fol-
low the instructions on the packaging. Clean the upholstery
down to the seams
using a sweeping motion. Avoid strong
rubbing. <
Opened Velcro fasteners, etc., on pants
or other articles of clothing can damage
the seat covers. Ensure that Velcro fasteners
are closed. <
Leather / leather trim
The leather used by BM W is a high quality
natural product. Slight irregularities in the
leather are a typical char acteristic of natural
leather.<
Dust and road grit in th e pores and folds of the
leather have an abrasive effect, leading to
increased wear and caus ing the leather surface
to become brittle prematurely. Therefore, regu-
larly dust the leather with a cloth, for example.
In particular, ensure that light-colored leather is
cleaned regularly as it has a tendency to soil
more easily.
Treat the leather at least twice a year using a
suitable leather lotion, as dirt and grease will
gradually attack the leather's protective layer.
Rivets, etc., on pants or other articles of
clothing can damage the seat covers. <
Carpets / cargo bay
You can vacuum the carpets and floor mats or
clean them with interior cleaner if heavily soiled.
The floor mats can be removed for cleaning.
When replacing the mats, ensure that the seat
rails do not extend over the floor mats, as this
may damage the mats.
Lint on the floor mats occurs for technical rea-
sons and can be re moved by vacuuming
repeatedly.
When cleaning the interior, do not move
both seats all the wa y forward while mov-
ing them to their uppermost position and lean-
ing the backrests forward. Otherwise, the seats
could hit and damage th e seal on the wind-
shield, the sun visor or the headliner. <

Giving and receiving assistance
214
First aid pouch*
Some of the articles contained in the first aid
pouch have a limited service life. Therefore,
check the expiration dates of the contents reg-
ularly and replace any items in good time, if nec-
essary.
The first aid pouch is loca ted in the lateral stor-
age compartment behind the seats.
Warning triangle*
The warning triangle is lo cated in a holder in the
luggage compartment lid. Press the tabs to take
it out.
Jump starting
If the car's own battery is flat, your BMW's
engine can be starte d by connecting two
jumper cables to another vehicle's battery. You
can also use the same method to help start
another vehicle. Only use jumper cables with
fully-insulated clamp handles.
Do not touch any elec trically live parts
when the engine is runn ing, or a fatal acci-
dent may occur. Carefully adhere to the follow-ing sequence, both to pr
event damage to one or
both vehicles, and to guard against possible
personal injuries.<
Preparation
1. Check whether the battery of the other
vehicle has a voltage of 12 volts and
approximately the same capacitance in Ah.
This information can be found on the
battery.
2. Switch off the engine of the assisting
vehicle.
3. Switch off any consumers in both vehicles.
There must not be any contact between
the bodies of the tw o vehicles, otherwise
there is a danger of shorting. <
Connecting jumper cables
Connect the jumper cables in the correct
order, so that no sparks which could
cause injury occur. <
Your BMW has a jump-starting connection in
the engine compartment which acts as the bat-
tery's positive terminal, refer also to the Engine
compartment overview on page 198. The cap is
marked with +.
1. Pull the cap of the BMW jump-starting con-
nection up to remove.
2. Attach one terminal clamp of the plus/+
jumper cable to the positive terminal of the
battery or a starting-aid terminal of the vehi-
cle providing assistance.
3. Attach the second te rminal clamp of the
plus/+ jumper cable to the positive terminal
of the battery or a star ting-aid terminal of
the vehicle to be started.