2010 BMW 550I SEDAN instrument panel

Controls
43Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Adjusting
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In the
interaction with the safety belts, the head
restraints and the airbags, the sitting position
plays an important role in an accident. To
ensure that the safety systems operate with
optimal efficiency, we strongly urge you to
observe the instructions contained in the fol-
lowing section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page53.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance
between yourself and the airbags. Always
hold the steering wheel by its rim with hands at
the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions, to mini-
mize the risk of injuries to your hands and arms
in the event of airbag deployment.
No one and nothing should come between the
airbags and the seat occupant.
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the
front passenger side as a storage area. Make
sure that the front passenger is sitting correctly
and does not rest feet or legs on the instrument
panel, otherwise leg injuries can occur if the
front airbags are triggered.
Make sure that occupants do not rest their head
on the side or head airbags, otherwise injuries
can occur if the airbags are triggered.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions, inju-
ries resulting from contact with airbags cannot
be fully excluded, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may
provoke a mild hearing loss in extremely sensi-
tive individuals. This effect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information
on airbags, refer to page93.
Head restraints
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of spinal injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint so that its center
is approx. at ear level. Otherwise there is
increased danger of injury in the event of an
accident.<
Head restraints, refer to page46.
Safety belts
Before every drive, make sure that safety belts
are being worn at all of the occupied seats. Air-
bags complement the safety belt as an addi-
tional safety device, but they do not represent a
substitute.
Your vehicle is provided with five seats, which
are all equipped with a safety belt.
Never allow more than one person to
wear a single safety belt. Never allow
infants or small children to ride in a passenger's
lap. Make sure that the belt lies low around the
hips in the lap area and does not press on the
abdomen. The safety belt must not lie across
the neck, rub against sharp edges, be routed
over solid or breakable objects or be pinched.
Wear the safety belt without twisting, snugly
across the lap and shoulders, as close to the
body as possible. Otherwise the belt can slip
over the hips in the lap area in a frontal impact
and injure the abdomen. Avoid wearing clothing
that prevents the belt from fitting properly and
pull the belt in the upper body area periodically
to readjust the tension, in order to avoid a
reduction in the restraint of the safety belt.
Sports Wagon: if the center safety belt in the
rear is used, the larger backrest half must be
locked, refer to page117, otherwise the middle
safety belt has no restraining action.<
Safety belts, refer to page48.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
94 impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When needed, the
head and side airbags help provide protection in
the event of side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The
head air bag supports the head.
The airbags are deliberately not triggered in
every impact situation, e. g. less severe acci-
dents or rear-end collisions.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or
modify them in any other way. Do not attempt to
remove the airbag restraint system from the
vehicle. Do not modify or tamper with either the
wiring or the individual components in the air-
bag system. This category includes the uphol-
stery in the center of the steering wheel, on the
instrument panel, the doors and the roof pillars
along with the sides of the headliner. Do not
attempt to remove or dismantle the steering
wheel. Do not touch the individual components
immediately after the system has been trig-
gered, because there is a danger of burns.
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation, or
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have
the testing, repair, removal, and disposal of air-
bag generators executed only by a BMW center
or a workshop that works according to BMW
repair procedures with correspondingly trained
personnel and has the required explosives
licenses. Otherwise unprofessional attempts to
service the system could lead to failure in an
emergency or undesired airbag triggering,
either of which could result in personal injury.<
Warnings and information on the airbags is also
provided on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of front
passenger airbags
The occupation of the seat is detected by eval-
uating the impression on the occupied seat sur-
face of the front passenger seat. The front and
side airbags on the front passenger side are
activated or deactivated accordingly by the sys-
tem.
The current status of the front passenger
airbag, i.e., deactivated or activated, is indicated by the indicator lamp over the interior
rearview mirror, refer to Operating state of front
passenger airbags in the following.<
Before transporting a child on the front
passenger seat, observe the safety infor-
mation and handling instructions under Trans-
porting children safely refer to page53.
The front and side airbags on the front passen-
ger side can be deactivated for teenagers and
adults in certain sitting positions; then the indi-
cator lamp for the front passenger airbags lights
up. In these cases, change the sitting position
so that the front passenger airbags are acti-
vated and the indicator lamp goes out. If the
desired status cannot be produced by changing
the sitting position, transport the correspond-
ing person on the rear seat. Do not fit seat cov-
ers, seat cushion padding, ball mats or other
items onto the front passenger seat unless they
are specifically recommended by BMW. Do not
lay objects under the seat which could press
against the seat from below. Otherwise a cor-
rect evaluation of the occupied seat surface
cannot be ensured.<
Operating state of front passenger
airbags
Depending on the vehicle's equipment, the
arrangement of the switches and indicator
lamps may differ somewhat.
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags indicates the operating status of the front
and side airbags on the front passenger side
depending on the seat occupation. The indica-
tor lamp shows whether the front passenger
airbags are activated or deactivated.
>The indicator lamp lights up when a child in
a child restraint system intended for the

Controls
109Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Parked car ventilation
The concept
The parked car ventilation blows air into the
passenger compartment to lower interior tem-
peratures.
It is ready to use in the parked car mode at any
outside temperature.
You can set two different times for the system
to start. The parked car ventilation can also be
switched on and off directly. It remains
switched on for 30 minutes.
Since the system uses a substantial amount of
electrical current, you should refrain from acti-
vating it twice in succession without allowing
the battery to be recharged in normal operation
between use.
The air emerges through the upper body region
vent outlets in the instrument panel. These vent
outlets must be open for the system to operate.
The parked car ventilation is operated via iDrive.
Switching on and off directly
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1."Settings"
2."Climate"
3."Activate parked-car vent."
The parked-car ventilation is switched on.
The symbol on the display of the automatic
climate control flashes.
Preselecting activation times
1."Settings"
2."Climate"
3."Activate Timer 1" or "Activate Timer 2"4."Timer 1:" or "Timer 2:"
5.Turn the controller: set the hours.
6.Press the controller: the setting is
accepted.
7.Turn the controller: set the minutes.
8.Press the controller: the setting is
accepted.
The switch-on time is activated.
The symbol on the display of the automatic
climate control lights up.
The symbol on the automatic climate control
display flashes when the system has switched
on.
The respective system is switched on
within the next 24 hours only. Please
reactivated it after this time.<

Mobility
219Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Interior care
Upholstery/fabrics
Clean regularly with a vacuum cleaner in order
to remove surface dirt.
In the event of more serious soiling such as bev-
erage stains, use a soft sponge or a lint-free
microfiber cloth in combination with suitable
interior cleaners. Follow the instructions on the
packaging.
Clean upholstery material over a large
area extending out to the seams. Avoid
intense friction.<
Open Velcro fasteners on pants or other
items of clothing can cause damage to
the seat covering. Make sure that the Velcro
fasteners are closed.<
Leather/leather coverings
The leather used by BMW is a high quality
natural product. Slight patterns in the
grain are part of the typical properties of a natu-
ral leather.
Dust and dirt from the road chafe in pores and
folds and result in considerable wear and cause
the leather surface to become prematurely brit-
tle. We therefore suggest that you clean the
leather with a dust cloth or vacuum cleaner at
regular intervals.<
Particularly with light-colored leather, make
sure to clean it regularly since it has a greater
tendency to become soiled.
Treat the leather twice a year with a leather
lotion since dirt and grease harm the protective
layer of the leather.
Carpets/cargo bay
Carpeting, floor mats, and luggage compart-
ment rugs and paneling can be cleaned with a
vacuum or in the event of more serious soiling,
cleansed with an interior cleaner.
Floor mats and luggage compartment rugs can
be removed for cleaning. When inserting into
place, make sure that the seat rails do not pro-
trude over the floor mats; otherwise floor mats
can be damaged.Fluff on new floor mats is a result of the produc-
tion process and can be removed by repeated
vacuuming.
Plastic components inside
Clean the glass cover of the instrument panel,
imitation leather surfaces, lamp lenses, and
matte components with water and, if necessary,
a solvent-free plastic cleaner.
Fine wooden components
Use a damp cloth to clean fine wooden trim
panels and components. Follow up by drying
with a soft cloth.
Safety belts
Dirty belt straps impede the reeling action and
thus have a negative impact on safety.
Chemical cleaning
Do not clean chemically, as this may
destroy the webbing.<
Inside sensors
Clean inside sensors such as those of the high-
beam assistant using a lint-free cloth moist-
ened with glass cleaner.
Displays
Clean displays like the radio or the Control Dis-
play using a display-cleaning cloth or a soft,
nonabrasive lint-free cloth.
Avoid using excessive pressure when
cleaning displays; otherwise, you could
damage them.<
Never use chemical-based cleansers or
household scouring products. Keep all
liquids away from the equipment. Otherwise
corrosion or damage to surfaces or electrical
components can occur.<
CD/DVD drives
Do not use cleaning CDs; they can dam-
age parts of the player.<

Everything from A to Z
258 Indicator lighting, refer to
Instrument lighting104
Inflation pressure, refer to Tire
inflation pressure202
Inflation pressure monitoring,
refer to Flat Tire Monitor88
Inflation pressure monitoring,
refer to TPM Tire Pressure
Monitor90
Initializing
– Flat Tire Monitor89
– radio, refer to Storing
stations156
– refer to Power failure229
– refer to Setting time and
date79
– seat, mirror and steering
wheel memory45
Installation location
– mobile phone112
Instructions for navigation
system, refer to Voice
instructions143
Instrument cluster12
Instrument lighting104
Instrument panel, refer to
Cockpit10
Integrated key26
Integrated universal remote
control110
Interactive map138
Interior lamps104
– switching on with remote
control28
Interior motion sensor36
– switching off36
Interior rearview mirror51
– automatic dimming
feature52
Intermittent mode of the
wipers64
iPod, connecting, refer to
AUX-IN port172
iPod, connecting, refer to USB
audio interface172
J
Jacking points228Joystick, refer to iDrive16
Jumpering, refer to Jump
starting232
Jump starting232
K
Keyless go, refer to Comfort
Access36
Keyless opening and closing,
refer to Comfort Access36
Key Memory, refer to Personal
Profile26
Keys26
– key-related settings, refer to
Personal Profile26
– spare key26
Kick down, Automatic
transmission with
Steptronic60
Knock control201
L
Lamps
– refer to High-beam
Assistant102
Lamps and bulbs221
Lane demarcation lines, refer
to Lane Departure
Warning99
Lane Departure Warning99
Lashing eyes, refer to
Securing cargo128
Last destinations136
LATCH child restraint fixing
system54
Leather care219
LEDs light-emitting
diodes222
Length, refer to
Dimensions239
License plate lamp, replacing
bulbs225
Light
– refer to Parking lamps/low
beams100
Light-emitting diodes
LEDs222Lighter114
Lighting
– instruments104
– lamps and bulbs221
– of the vehicle, refer to
Lamps100
Light switch100
Loading
– securing cargo128
– stowing cargo127
– vehicle126
Load securing equipment,
refer to Securing cargo128
Lock buttons in the doors,
refer to Lokking31
Locking28
– confirmation signals29
– from inside31
– from outside28
– without key, refer to Comfort
Access36
Locking and unlocking doors
– confirmation signals29
– from inside30
– from outside28
Low beams100
– automatic100
– replacing bulbs222
Lower back support, refer to
Lumbar support45
Lug bolts228
– tightening torque, refer to
After mounting228
– wrench227
Luggage compartment, refer
to Cargo bay
Luggage compartment lid31
– emergency operation, refer
to Manual operation
32
– emergency release32
– locking separately31
– opening from inside31
– opening from outside31
– unlocking and locking from
inside30
– unlocking manually32
Luggage compartment lid/
tailgate
– Comfort Access37