2010 BMW 535I Owners Manual

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Tire age
The manufacturing date of tires is contained in
the tire coding: DOT … 1009 means that the
tire was manufactured in week 10 of 2009.
BMW recommends that you replace all tires
after 6 years at most, even if some tires may last
for 10 years.
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire sidewall between tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For example:
Tread wear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
DOT Quality Grades
Tread wear
Traction AA A B C
Temperature A B C
All passenger car tires must conform to
Federal Safety Requirements in addition
to these grades.<
Tread wear
The tread wear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified gov-
ernment test course. For example, a tire graded
150 would wear one and one-half (1γ) times as
well on the government course as a tire graded
100. The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use, how-
ever, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits, service
practices and differences in road characteris-
tics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest, are
AA, A, B, and C.
These grades represent the tire's ability to stop
on wet pavement, as measured under con-
trolled conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire marked
C may have poor traction performance.
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration, cor-
nering, hydroplaning, or peak traction charac-
teristics.<
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 page208.
M+S
Winter and all-season tires.
These have better winter properties than sum-
mer tires. For instance
Manufacturer code
for tire make
Tire size and tire design
Tire age
DOT xxxx xxx 1009

Wheels and tires
208
XL
Indicates specially reinforced tires.
Tire condition
Inspect your tires frequently 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, refer
to arrow, are distributed over the tire's circum-
ference and are marked on the side of the tire
with TWI – Tread Wear Indicator. If the tire tread
has been driven down to the wear indicators, a
tread depth of 0.063 in/1.6 mm has been
reached.
Wheel/tire damage
Please note that low-profile 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 indicate 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 center or tire shop that works
according to BMW repair procedures with cor-
respondingly trained personnel. If necessary,
have the vehicle towed there. Otherwise, tire
damage can be extremely dangerous to vehicle
occupants and other road users.<
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 pressure 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, page89
>With Tire Pressure Monitor, refer to Notifi-
cation of low tire inflation pressure, page91
New wheels and tires
Have new wheels and tires installed only
by your BMW center or tire shop that
works according to BMW repair procedures
with correspondingly trained personnel. If this

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work is not carried out properly, there is a dan-
ger of subsequent damage and related safety
hazards. Make sure that the new wheels are bal-
anced.<
Retreaded tires
BMW recommends that you do not use
retreaded tires, since driving safety may
be impaired. The causes for this include the
possibly 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
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 official 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.<
You can inquire about the right wheel/tire com-
bination at your BMW center.
The correct wheel/tire combination also affects
various systems whose function would other-
wise be impaired, e.g., ABS, DSC or xDrive.
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 original 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 converting from
summer to winter tires or vice versa, only use
wheels with TPM electronics, otherwise the
Tire Pressure Monitor cannot detect a flat tire,
refer to page90. Your BMW 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.
Run-flat tires
When mounting new tires, or changing from
summer to winter tires or vice versa, use run-flat
tires for your own safety. In addition, no spare
tire is available in case of a flat tire. Your BMW
center will be glad to advise you.
Special characteristics of winter tires
BMW recommends winter tires for use in cold
winter driving conditions. Although all-season
M+S tires provide better winter traction than
summer tires, they generally fail to provide the
same levels 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, which can result in acci-
dents.<
Storage
Store wheels and tires in a cool, dry place with
as little exposure to light as possible. Always
protect tires against all contact with oil, grease
and fuels. Do not exceed the maximum tire
inflation pressure indicated on the side wall of
the tire.

Wheels and tires
210
Rotating wheels between axles
BMW does not recommend moving the front
wheels to the rear or vice versa, as otherwise
the handling characteristics may be impaired.
With tires of different makes and types
* such a
change is not permissible.
Snow chains*
BMW only tests certain fine-link snow chains,
classifies them as road-safe and recommends
them. Consult your BMW center for more infor-
mation.
Use is only permissible in pairs on the 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, otherwise
incorrect displays can occur.
When driving with snow chains, it may be prac-
tical to briefly activate DTC, refer to page85.<

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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 repair procedures to
follow, have work on your vehicle done only by
your BMW center or a workshop that works
according to BMW repair procedures with cor-
respondingly trained personnel. If this work is
not carried out properly, there is a danger of
subsequent damage and related safety haz-
ards.<
Hood
Releasing
Pull lever.
Opening
Press the release handle and open the hood. Do
not open the hood until the engine has cooled
down.
Closing
Close the hood from a height of approx.
16 in/40 cm with momentum. It must be clearly
heard 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.<

Under the hood
212
Engine compartment
1Filler spout for engine oil, refer to Adding
engine oil
2Starting-aid terminal, refer to page232
3Filler neck for washer fluid of the headlamp
and windshield cleaning systems, refer to
page65
4Expansion tank for coolant, refer to
page214
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 on the Control Dis-
play while driving or when stopped on a level
surface with the engine running.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.1."Vehicle Info"
2."Vehicle status"
3."Engine oil level"
Possible messages
>"Engine oil level OK"
>"Measurement not possible at this time."

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>"Measuring engine oil level...":
This can take about 3 minutes if the car is at
a standstill on a level surface and the engine
is running, and about 5 minutes while the
car is moving.
If the engine oil has been topped off, the
measurement of the oil level can take up to
30 minutes.
>"Engine oil level below minimum. Add 1
quart!":
Add a maximum of 1 literUS quart/liter of
engine oil at the next opportunity, refer also
to Adding engine oil below. If the oil level
displayed is below minimum, add engine oil
immediately. Failure to do so may lead to
engine damage.
>"Engine oil level too high! Have this
checked.":
Too much oil will harm the engine.
Have the vehicle checked without
delay.<
>"Measurement inactive. Have this
checked.":
Do not add engine oil. You can continue
your journey. Note the newly calculated dis-
tance remaining to the next oil service, refer
to Service requirements on page77. Have
the system checked as soon as possible.
Adding engine oil
1 US quart/1 liter of engine 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. caused cancer in laboratory testing.
For this reason, thoroughly wash exposed areas
of skin with soap and water after such work.
Keep oil, grease, etc., out of reach of children
and observe the warnings on the containers to
prevent health risks.<
Oil change
Have oil changed only at your BMW center or
at a workshop that works according to BMW
repair procedures with correspondingly trained
personnel.
Approved engine oils
The quality of the engine oil selected has critical
significance for the operation and service life of
an engine. BMW continuously approves spe-
cific oils after confirming their suitability for use
in its vehicles with extensive testing.
Do not use oil additives, as these may
result in engine damage.<
Only use approved BMW High Performance
Synthetic Oil.
If BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil is
unavailable, you can add small quantities of
other synthetic oils between oil changes. Only
use oils of the specification API SM or higher.
Your BMW center will be happy to answer
detailed questions on BMW High Perfor-
mance Synthetic Oil or approved synthetic
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.
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 0W-40,
0W-30, 5W-40 and 5W-30 SAE
classes.<

Under the hood
214 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. Ask your
BMW center for suitable additives.
Only use suitable additives, 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 correct when the cool-
ant level is between the MIN and MAX
marks, refer to the diagram 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 there is an audible click.6.Have the reason for the coolant loss elimi-
nated as soon as possible.