
Controls
 35Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Indicator lamp displays
>The indicator lamp under the interior rear-
view mirror flashes continuously: the sys-
tem is armed.
>The indicator lamp flashes after locking: the 
doors, hood, or liftgate are not properly 
closed. Even if you do not close the alerted 
area, the system begins to monitor the 
remaining areas, and the indicator lamp 
flashes continuously after approx. 10 sec-
onds. However, the interior motion sensor 
is not activated.
>The indicator lamp goes out after unlocking: 
your vehicle has not been disturbed while 
you were away.
>The indicator lamp flashes after unlocking 
until the remote control is inserted into the 
ignition lock, however for a maximum of 
approx. 5 minutes: your vehicle has been 
disturbed while you were away.
Tilt alarm sensor
The tilt of the vehicle is monitored. The alarm 
system reacts, e.g. in case of an attempted 
wheel theft or towing.
Interior motion sensor
In order for the interior motion sensor to func-
tion properly, the windows and glass sunroof
*/
panorama glass sunroof
* must be completely 
closed.
Avoiding unintentional alarms
The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion sensor 
may be switched off at the same time. This pre-
vents unintentional alarms, e.g. in the following 
situations:
>In stacking garages
>When transporting on car-carrying trains, 
by sea or on a trailer
>When animals are to remain in the vehicle
Switching off tilt alarm sensor and 
interior motion sensor
Press the  button on the remote control 
again as soon as the vehicle is locked.
The indicator lamp lights up briefly and then 
flashes continuously. The tilt alarm sensor and 
the interior motion sensor are switched off until 
the next time the vehicle is unlocked and subse-
quently locked again.
Comfort access*
Comfort access enables you to access your 
vehicle without having to hold the remote con-
trol in your hand. It is sufficient to carry the 
remote control with you, e.g. in your jacket 
pocket. The vehicle automatically detects the 
related remote control in the immediate vicinity 
or in the interior.
Comfort access supports the following func-
tions:
>Unlocking/locking vehicle
>Comfort closing
>Opening liftgate
>Starting engine
Functional requirements
>The vehicle can only be unlocked if the 
vehicle detects that the remote control car-
ried is not located in the vehicle interior.
>The next unlocking and locking cycle is not 
possible until after approx. 2 seconds.
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Driving
68
Switching on wipers
Pull the lever upward, arrow1.
The lever automatically returns to its initial posi-
tion when released.
Normal wiper speed
Press once. 
The system reverts to operation in the intermit-
tent mode with the vehicle stationary.
Fast wiper speed
Press twice or press beyond the resistance 
point. 
The system reverts to normal speed with the 
vehicle stationary.
Intermittent operation or rain sensor*
With the rain sensor, the wiper operation is con-
trolled automatically as a function of the rain 
intensity. The rain sensor is located on the 
windshield, directly in front of the interior rear-
view mirror.
Activating intermittent operation or 
rain sensor
Press the button, arrow3. The LED in the but-
ton lights up.
Setting interval for intermittent wipe or 
sensitivity of rain sensor
Turn the thumbwheel5.
Deactivating intermittent operation or 
rain sensor
Press the button again, arrow3. The LED goes 
out.Deactivate the rain sensor when passing 
through an automatic car wash. Failure to 
do so could result in damage caused by undes-
ired wiper activation.<
Cleaning windshield and headlamps*
Pull the lever, arrow4.
The system sprays washer fluid against the 
windshield and activates the wipers for a brief 
period.
When the vehicle lighting system is switched 
on, the headlamps are also cleaned at regular 
and appropriate intervals.
Do not use the washers if there is any 
danger that the fluid will freeze on the 
windshield. If you do so, your vision could be 
obscured. To avoid freezing, use a washer fluid 
antifreeze, refer to Washer fluid. Do not use 
washing mechanisms when the washer fluid 
reservoir is empty, otherwise you will damage 
the washer pump.<
Windshield washer nozzles
Both windshield washer nozzles are automati-
cally heated with the engine running or the igni-
tion switched on.
BMW X5: rear window wiper
1Intermittent mode. When reverse gear is 
engaged, continuous operation is switched 
on automatically
2Cleaning the rear window
Do not use washing mechanisms when 
the washer fluid reservoir is empty, other-
wise you will damage the washer pump.<
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Controls
 99Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
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, read the safety informa-
tion and follow the instructions under Trans-
porting children safely, refer to page55.
When teenagers and adults assume certain sit-
ting positions, this can cause the front and side 
airbags to deactivate. The indicator lamp for the 
front passenger airbags lights up when this 
occurs. In these cases, change the sitting posi-
tion 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 device intended for the pur-pose is properly detected on the seat.
The front and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side are not activated.
Most child's seats are detected by the 
system. Especially the child's seats 
required by the NHTSA at the time the vehi-
cle is manufactured. After installing a child's 
seat, make sure that the indicator lamp for 
the front passenger airbags lights up. This 
indicates that the child's seat has been 
detected and the front passenger airbags 
are not activated.<
>The indicator lamp does not light up when, 
for example, a correctly seated person of 
sufficient height is detected on the seat. 
The front and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side are activated.
>The indicator lamp does not light up when 
the seat is empty.
However, the front and side airbags on the 
front passenger side are not activated.
Operational readiness of airbag system
From radio readiness, refer to page59, the 
warning lamp lights up briefly, indicating the 
operational readiness of the entire airbag sys-
tem and the safety belt tensioners.
Airbag system malfunction
>Warning lamp does not light up from radio 
readiness.
>Warning lamp lights up continuously.
Have the airbag system checked immedi-
ately in case of a malfunction, otherwise 
there is a danger that the airbag system may not 
respond in the expected manner in an accident 
despite an impact of corresponding intensity.<
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Lamps
102
Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
0Lights off and daytime driving lamps*
1Parking lamps and daytime driving lamps*
2Low beams and welcome lamps
3Automatic headlamp control
*, daytime 
driving lamps
*, welcome lamps, Adaptive 
Head Light
* and high-beam assistant*
If you open the driver's door with the ignition 
switched off, the exterior lighting is automati-
cally switched off when the light switch is in 
position0, 2 or 3.
If necessary, switch on the parking lamps, 
switch position1.
Parking lamps
In switch position1, the front, rear and side 
vehicle lighting is switched on. You can use the 
parking lamps for parking.
The parking lamps drain the battery. Do 
not leave them switched on for long peri-
ods of time, otherwise it may no longer be pos-
sible to start the engine. It is better to switch on 
the roadside parking lamps on one side, refer to 
page104.<
Low beams
The low beams light up when the light switch is 
in position 2 and the ignition is on.
Automatic headlamp control*
In switch position3, the system activates the 
low beams and switches them on or off in response to changes in ambient light condi-
tions, for instance, in a tunnel, at dawn and dusk 
and in case of precipitation. Adaptive Head 
Light
* is active. The LED next to the symbol 
lights up when the low beams are on. You can 
activate the daytime driving lamps, refer to 
page103. In the situations named above, the 
system then automatically switches over to the 
low beams.
A blue sky with the sun low on the horizon can 
cause the lights to be switched on.
The low beams remain switched on inde-
pendent of the ambient lighting condi-
tions when you switch on the fog lamps
*.<
The automatic headlamp control cannot 
serve as a substitute for your personal 
judgment in determining when the lamps 
should be switched on in response to ambient 
lighting conditions. For example, the sensors 
cannot detect fog or hazy weather. To avoid 
safety risks, you should always switch on the 
low beams manually under these conditions.<
Welcome lamps
When parking the vehicle, if you leave the light 
switch in position2 or3, the parking lamps and 
the interior lamps light up briefly when the vehi-
cle is unlocked.
Activating/deactivating welcome 
lamps
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
3."Welcome light"
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Controls
 105Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
>Use the headlamp flasher as usual when the 
low beams are on.
System limits
The high-beam assistant cannot replace 
personal judgment about the use of high 
beams. In situations that require it, you should 
therefore switch to low beams manually; failure 
to do so can constitute a safety hazard.<
In the following sample situations, the system 
will not function or will only function to a limited 
degree, possibly requiring the driver to react 
personally:
>in extremely unfavorable weather condi-
tions such as fog or heavy precipitation
>when you perceive poorly illuminated road 
users such as pedestrians, cyclists, horse-
back riders, carriages, when rail or shipping 
traffic is close to the road, or at deer cross-
ings
>in sharp curves, on steep hilltops or dips, 
when there cross-traffic, or in the presence 
of half-concealed oncoming traffic on the 
highway
>in poorly lit areas and in the presence of 
highly reflective signs
>in the low speed range
>when the windshield in the region of the 
interior rearview mirror is fogged, dirty, or 
covered by stickers, decals, etc.
>when the sensor is dirty. Clean the sensor 
on the front side of the interior rearview mir-
ror with a cloth moistened with a little glass 
cleaner.
Switching off using iDrive
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
3."High beam assistant" High-beam assistant is activated and is 
stored for the remote control currently in use.
Fog lamps*
First, switch on the parking lamps or the low 
beams. The green indicator lamp in the instru-
ment panel lights up whenever the fog lamps 
are on.
If the automatic headlamp control is acti-
vated, the low beams will come on auto-
matically when you switch on the fog lamps.<
Instrument lighting
You can control the lighting intensity by using 
the thumbwheel.
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Lamps
106
Interior lamps
The interior lamps, footwell lamps*, door entry 
lighting
*, cargo bay lamps, and the courtesy 
lamps
* are controlled automatically.
With the courtesy lamps, LED lights are located 
in the door handles to illuminate the exterior 
area before the doors.
To protect the battery, all lamps in the 
vehicle are switched off approx. 15 min-
utes after radio readiness is switched off, refer 
to Start/Stop button on page59.<
Switching interior lamps on and off 
manually
Press the button.
If you wish the interior lamps, footwell lamps, 
door entry lighting and courtesy lamps to 
remain switched off all the time, press the but-
ton for approx. 3 seconds.
Reading lamps
Reading lamps are provided in the front and 
rear
* adjacent to the interior lamps. Press the 
button to switch the lamps on and off.
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Climate
114
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 
air vents in the instrument cluster. Therefore, 
please open the air vents.
The parked-car ventilation is operated via 
iDrive.
Switching on and off directly
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 activation time is activated.
The  symbol on the display of the automatic 
climate control lights up.
The  symbol on the display of the automatic 
climate control flashes when the parked-car 
ventilation has switched on.
The parked-car ventilation is only avail-
able for activation within the next 
24 hours. Then it must be activated again.<
Only one activation time can be activated at a 
time.
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