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
page248.
Using this Owner's Manual
4Notes
6Reporting safety defects
At a glance
10Cockpit
16iDrive
21Letters and numbers
22Voice activation system
Controls
26Opening and closing
42Adjustments
52Transporting children safely
55Driving
69Controls overview
81Technology for driving comfort and
safety
93Lamps
98Climate
103Practical interior accessories
Driving tips
118Things to remember when driving
Navigation
126Navigation system
127Destination entry
136Destination guidance
142What to do if …
Entertainment
146On/off and tone
149Radio
152Satellite radio
157CD/DVD player and CD changer
164Music collection
169External devices
Communications
176Telephone
188Contacts
190BMW Assist
Mobility
198Refueling
200Wheels and tires
212Under the hood
217Maintenance
219Care
223Replacing components
230Giving and receiving assistance
Reference
238Technical data
242Short commands for the voice activation
system
248Everything from A - Z
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 that the manual may con-
tain information on accessories and equipment
that you have not specified 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 manual and your own vehi-
cle's equipment.
If equipment in your BMW is not described in
this Owner's Manual, please refer to the accom-
panying Supplementary Owner's Manuals.
Editorial notice
BMW pursues a policy of continuous, ongoing
development that is conceived to ensure that
our vehicles continue to embody the highest
quality and safety standards 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 Original BMW Parts, you
simultaneously acquire the assurance that they
have been thoroughly tested 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 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.
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 accessories not
approved by BMW, such as alarms, radios,
amplifiers, radar detectors, 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
to the vehicle, compromise its safety, interfere
with the vehicle's electrical system or affect the
validity of the BMW Limited Warranty. See your
BMW center for additional information.<
Maintenance, replacement, or repair of
the emission control devices and sys-
tems may be performed by any automotive
repair establishment or individual using any cer-
tified automotive part.<
California Proposition 65 warning
California law requires us to issue the following
warning:
Engine exhaust and a wide variety of
automobile components and parts,
7Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
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 center, 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
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
At a glance
11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
9Instrument cluster12
12Ignition lock5513Buttons on the steering wheel
15Horn, entire surface
16Adjusting the steering wheel51
18Releasing the hood212
19Opening the trunk lid31 8
Turn signals59
High beams, headlamp flasher95
High-beam assistant
*95
Roadside parking lamps
*95
Computer70
Settings and information about the
vehicle72
10
Windshield wipers60
Rain sensor
*60
11Switching the ignition on/off and
starting/stopping the engine55
Telephone*:
Accepting and ending a call; dial-
ing
* the selected phone number;
redialing if no phone number is
selected
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
*22
Changing the radio station
Interrupting a traffic bulletin
Selecting a music track
Scrolling through the redial list
Next entertainment source
Recirculated-air mode100
14
Steering wheel heating
*51
17
Cruise control
*61
Active cruise control
*63
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.
Several of the lamps are checked for proper
functioning and light up temporarily when the
engine is started or the ignition is switched on.
Text messages
Text messages at the top edge of the Control
Display describe the meanings of the indicator
and warning lamps.
Supplementary text messages
You can call up more information on the Control
Display, e.g. on the cause of a malfunction and
on how to respond, via Check Control, refer to
page77.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 flasher95
Fog lamps96
Lamp flashes:
DSC or DTC is regulating the propul-
sive forces in order to maintain driving
stability83
Parking brake applied56
Canada: parking brake applied56
Engine malfunction with adverse
effect on emissions218
Canada: engine malfunction with
adverse effect on emissions218
At a glance
15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Coupe: microphone for voice activation
system
* and for telephone* in hands-free
mode
Convertible: microphone on steering col-
umn
2SOS: initiating an Emergency Request
call
*230
3Reading lamps97
4Coupe: glass roof, electric
*36
5Interior lamps97
6Passenger airbag status lamp
*91
7Control Display16
8Hazard warning flashers
9Dynamic Traction Control DTC82
10Central locking system30
11Automatic climate control
12CD/DVD drive
*15713Changing the audio and entertainment
sources
14Selecting AM or FM waveband
15Changing
>Radio station149
>Track157
17Controller16
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four
directions
18Buttons on the controller16
Selecting menus directly
20Programmable memory keys20
21Switching entertainment audio sources on/
off and adjusting volume146
22Ejecting a CD/DVD
*157 Air distribution to the
windshield99
Air distribution to the upper body
area99
Air distribution to the footwell99
Automatic air distribution and flow
rate99
Cooling function100
Automatic recirculated-air control
AUC and recirculated-air
mode100
Maximum cooling99
ALL program100
Air volume100
Defrosting windows100
Rear window defroster100
Heated seats
*47
16
Park Distance Control PDC*81
Coupe:
Roller sun blind
*106
Coupe:
Hill Descent Control HDC
*83
19Convertible:
Opening and closing retractable
hardtop38
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
1Control Display
2Controller with buttons
You can use the buttons to open the menus
directly. The controller can be used to
select the menu items and create settings.
>Move in four directions, arrow3
>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.<
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 page55, 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 automatically 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. "Set-
tings".
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