
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Contents
The fastest way to find specific topics is to use 
the index, refer to page230.
Using this Owner's Manual
4Notes
7Reporting safety defects
At a glance
10Cockpit
16iDrive
21Letters and numbers
22Voice activation system
Controls
26Opening and closing
43Adjusting
52Transporting children safely
55Driving
65Controls Overview
75Technology for comfort, convenience 
and safety
89Lamps
94Climate
100Practical interior accessories
Driving tips
108Things to remember when driving
112 BMW M6 Engineering
Navigation
116Navigation system
117Destination entry
126Destination guidance
132What to do if…
Entertainment
136On/off and tone
139Radio
142Satellite radio
144CD/DVD player and CD changer
151Music collection
156External devices
Communications
162Telephone
174Contacts
176BMW Assist
Mobility
184Refueling
186Wheels and tires
192Under the hood
197Maintenance
199Care
203Replacing components
212Giving and receiving assistance
Reference
220Technical data
224Short commands of voice activation 
system
230Everything from A to Z 

 5Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
The individual vehicle
When purchasing your BMW, you have decided 
in favor of a model with individualized equip-
ment and features. This Owner's Manual 
describes all equipment offered for the 
BMW M6.
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 
r e a s o n ,  i t  i s  p o s s i b l e  t h a t  t h e  f e a t u r e s  d e s c r i b e d  
in this Owner's Manual could differ from those 
on your vehicle.
For your own safety
Maintenance and repairs
Advanced technology, e.g. the use of 
modern materials and high-performance 
electronics, requires specially adapted mainte-
nance and repair methods. Therefore, have cor-
responding work on your BMW performed 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.< 

 7Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Service and warranty
We recommend that you read this publication 
thoroughly.
Your BMW is covered by the following warran-
ties:
>New Vehicle Limited Warranty
>Rust Perforation Limited Warranty
>Federal Emissions System Defect Warranty
>Federal Emissions Performance Warranty
>California Emission Control System Limited 
Warranty
Detailed information about these warranties is 
listed in the Service and Warranty Information 
Booklet for US models or in the Warranty and 
Service Guide Booklet for Canadian models.
Your vehicle has been specifically adapted and 
designed to meet the particular operating con-
ditions and homologation requirements in your 
country and continental region in order to 
deliver the full driving pleasure while the vehicle 
is operated under those conditions. If you wish 
to operate your vehicle in another country or 
region, you may be required to adapt your vehi-
cle to meet different prevailing operating condi-
tions and homologation requirements. You 
should also be aware of any applicable warranty 
limitations or exclusions for such country or 
region. In such case, please contact Customer 
Relations for further information.
Reporting safety defects
For US customers
The following applies only to vehicles owned 
and operated in the US.
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect 
which could cause a crash or could cause injury 
or death, you should immediately inform the 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 
(NHTSA) in addition to notifying BMW of North 
America, LLC, P.O. Box 1227, Westwood, New 
Jersey 07675-1227, Telephone (800) 831-
1117.
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
8Shift paddles59
9Buttons on steering wheel
10Instrument cluster12
13Ignition lock55
14Horn, entire surface17Releasing hood192
Mobile phone
*162:
>Press: accepting and ending a 
call, starting dialing
* of 
selected phone number and 
redialing if no phone number is 
selected
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
* 22
Changing radio station139
Selecting music track144
Scrolling in phone book and in lists 
with stored phone numbers
MDrive, call up individual 
settings50
Changing entertainment source
11
Windshield wipers62
Rain sensor62
12Starting/stopping engine and 
switching ignition on/off 55
15
Steering wheel heater
*50
Steering wheel adjustment50
16
Cruise control63
18Opening luggage compartment 
lid31
19
Head-up Display
*86
20
Parking lamps89
Low beams89
Welcome lamps89
Automatic headlamp control89 
Daytime running lamps
*90
Welcome lamps89 
Adaptive Light Control
*90 
High-beam Assistant
*91
21
Instrument lighting93 

At a glance
 13Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Indicator and warning lamps
The concept
The indicator and warning lamps can light up in 
different combinations and colors.
Some lamps are tested for proper function by 
briefly lighting up during starting of the engine 
or when the ignition is switched on.
Explanatory text messages
Text messages at the upper edge of the Control 
Display explain the meaning of the displayed 
indicator and warning lamps.
Additional information, e. g. on the cause and 
elimination of a malfunction, can be opened via 
the Check Control system, refer to page70.
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 signal particular 
functions:
Parking lamps/low beams89
High beams/headlamp flasher91 
Parking brake applied57
Parking brake applied for Canadian 
models
Lamp flashes:
DSC controls the drive and braking 
forces for maintaining vehicle 
stability76 
MDrive50
M Dynamic Mode77
Exhaust-gas values198
Exhaust-gas values for Canadian 
models198 

At a glance
 15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Microphone for hands-free mode for tele-
phone
* 
and voice activation system*22
Convertible: microphone on steering col-
umn
2Reading lamps93
3SOS: initiating
 an emergency request212
4Interior lamps93
5Passenger airbag status lamp84
6Control Display16
7Hazard warning flashers
8Central locking system30
9Automatic climate control94
10CD/DVD drive136
11Programmable memory buttons20
12Switching entertainment sound output on/
off and adjusting volume136
13Changing
>radio station139
>track13614Ejecting CD/DVD144
16Bracket for cupholder
*103
17Controller16 
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four 
directions
18Buttons on the controller17
Selecting menus directly
19Drivelogic of Sequential Manual 
Transmission59
20EDC Electronic Damper Control for 
Sequential Manual Transmission79
21DSC Dynamic Stability Control for Sequen-
tial Manual Transmission76
22M Engine Dynamic Control POWER for 
Sequential Manual Transmission60
23EDC Electronic Damper Control for manual 
transmission
*79
24MDM
>M Dynamic Mode for manual 
transmission
*76
>Switching DSC on and off in manual 
transmission
*77 Temperature setting, left/right95
Automatic air distribution and 
volume95
Cooling function96
AUC Automatic recirculated-air 
control/recirculated-air mode96
Maximum cooling96
Residual heat mode97
Switching off automatic climate 
control97
Air volume96
Defrosting windows and removing 
condensation96
Rear window defroster96
15
Heated seats48
PDC Park Distance Control
*75
Flat Tire Monitor79
Convertible: opening the convert-
ible top38
Convertible: closing the convertible 
top38 

iDrive
16
iDrive
iDrive combines the functions of a large number 
of switches. This allows these functions to be 
operated from a central position. The following 
section provides an introduction to basic menu navigation. The control of the individual func-
tions is described in connection with the rele-
vant 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.
>Call up a menu directly, arrow3
>Move in four directions, arrows4
>Turn, arrow5
>Press, arrow6To avoid posing an unnecessary hazard 
due to inattention, both to your own vehi-
cle's occupants and to other road users: never 
attempt to use the controls or make entries 
unless traffic and road conditions allow.< 

At a glance
 17Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Basic operation
From radio readiness, refer to page55, the fol-
lowing message is shown on the Control Dis-
play:
To hide the message:
Press the controller.
This displays the start menu.
The message is hidden after approx. 10 sec-
onds.
Opens 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.
"Settings".
Changing between panels
After selecting a menu item, e.g. "Radio", a new 
menu is displayed on a panel. The panels can 
overlap.
Buttons on the controllerFunction
MENU Opens the main menu
RADIO Opens the Radio menu
CD Opens CD/Multimedia
NAV Opens the Navigation menu
TEL Opens the Telephone menu
BACK Opens the previous menu
OPTION Opens the Options menu