
Controls
 63Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Manually unlocking parking lock
In the event of a power supply interrup-
tion such as a discharged or discon-
nected battery or an electrical malfunction, the 
parking lock must be manually unlocked; other-
wise, the rear wheels are immobilized and the 
vehicle cannot be towed.<
Only unlock the parking lock manually for tow-
ing and make sure to set the parking brake 
forcefully beforehand so that the vehicle cannot 
roll. Lock the parking lock again after the vehicle 
is parked.
Releasing
1.Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2.Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever 
until the sleeve is inside out.
3.Using the allen wrench from the toolkit, 
refer to page213, rotate the cover until it 
reaches the stop, arrow 1, and remove, 
arrow2.
4.Insert allen wrench into the opening, 
arrow1.5.Rotate allen wrench until it reaches the 
stop, arrow2. The parking lock is unlocked.
Do not turn allen wrench in the oppo-
site direction; otherwise, you may 
damage the mechanism.<
6.Remove allen wrench from the opening.
After parking the vehicle, lock the parking 
lock again. Otherwise, there is a danger 
that the vehicle will roll.<
Locking
1.Press the button, see arrow. 
The parking lock is locked again.
2.Replace cover again.
3.Clip the selector lever sleeve back into 
place.
4.Forcefully apply the parking brake.
Jump-starting and towing, starting on 
page220. 

Controls overview
68
Controls overview
Odometer, outside 
temperature display, clock
1Knob in the instrument cluster
2Outside temperature and clock
3Odometer and trip odometer
Knob in the instrument cluster
>To reset the trip odometer while the ignition 
is switched on
>To display the time, outside temperature 
and odometer briefly while the ignition is 
switched off
Units of measure
To select the respective units of measure, miles 
or km for the odometer as well as 7 or 6 for 
the outside temperature, refer to Units of mea-
sure on page72.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Time, outside temperature display
Setting the time, refer to page74.
Outside temperature warning
When the displayed temperature falls to approx. 
+377/+36, a signal sounds and a warning 
lamp lights up. There is an increased risk of 
black ice.
Black ice can also form at temperatures 
above +377/+36. You should there-
fore drive carefully on bridges and shaded roads, for example; otherwise, there is an 
increased risk of an accident.<
Odometer and trip odometer
Resetting the trip odometer: 
With the ignition switched on, press button1 in 
the instrument cluster.
When the vehicle is parked
If you still want to view the time, outside tem-
perature and odometer reading briefly after the 
remote control has been taken out of the igni-
tion lock:
Press button1 in the instrument cluster.
Tachometer
Never force the engine speed up into the red 
warning field, see arrow. In this range, the fuel 
supply is interrupted to protect the engine. 

Controls overview
74
Entering deadlines for legally required 
inspections*
Make sure the date on the Control Display is 
always set correctly, refer to page75; other-
wise, the effectiveness of Condition Based Ser-
vice CBS is not ensured.
1."Vehicle Info"
2."Vehicle status"
3."Service required"
4."§ Vehicle inspection"
5.Open the menu for entering the deadline.
6."Date:"
7.Create the settings.
8.Press the controller to apply the setting. 
The year is highlighted.
9.Turn the controller to make the adjustment.
10.Press the controller to apply the setting. 
The date entry is stored.
To exit from the menu: 
Move the controller to the left.
More information on the BMW Maintenance 
System can be found on page207.
Automatic Service Request*
Data regarding the maintenance status or 
legally mandated inspections of the vehicle are 
automatically transmitted to your BMW center 
prior to a service due date.
You can check when your BMW center was 
notified.
1."Vehicle Info"
2."Vehicle status"
3."Options"
4."Last Service Request"
Clock
The settings are stored for the remote control 
currently in use, refer also to Personal Profile on 
page26.
Setting the time
In the instrument cluster
To set the 12h/24h format, refer to Setting the 
time format on page75. 

Controls
 81Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Driving stability control 
systems
Your BMW has a number of systems that help 
to maintain the vehicle's stability even in 
adverse driving conditions.
Antilock Brake System ABS
ABS prevents locking of the wheels during 
braking. Safe steering response is maintained 
even during full braking. Active safety is thus 
increased.
The ABS is operational every time you start the 
engine. Braking safely, refer to page114.
Electronic brake-force distribution 
EBV
The system controls the brake pressure in the 
rear wheels to ensure stable braking behavior.
Dynamic Brake Control DBC
When you apply the brakes rapidly, this system 
automatically produces the maximum braking 
force boost and thus helps to achieve the short-
est possible braking distance during full brak-
ing. This system exploits all of the benefits pro-
vided by ABS.
Do not reduce the pressure on the brake for the 
duration of the full braking application.
Dynamic Stability Control DSC
DSC prevents the driving wheels from losing 
traction when you pull away from rest or accel-
erate. The system also recognizes unstable 
driving conditions, for example if the rear of the 
car is about to swerve or if momentum is acting 
at an angle past the front wheels. In these 
cases, DSC helps the vehicle maintain a safe 
course within physical limits by reducing engine 
output and through braking actions at the indi-
vidual wheels.
The laws of physics cannot be repealed, 
even with DSC. An appropriate driving 
style always remains the responsibility of the 
driver. Therefore, do not reduce the additional 
safety margin again by taking risks, as this could 
result in an accident.<
Deactivating DSC
Press the button for at least 3 seconds; the indi-
cator lamps for DSC in the instrument cluster 
light up. Dynamic Traction Control DTC and 
DSC have been simultaneously deactivated. 
Stabilizing and drive-output promoting actions 
are no longer executed.
In the same way as with a differential interlock
*, 
even if DSC is deactivated, brake actions are 
still performed on the rear axle to enhance drive 
output if the drive wheels experience a signifi-
cant loss of traction.
To increase vehicle stability, activate DSC again 
as soon as possible.
Activating DSC
Press the button again; the indicator lamps for 
DSC in the instrument cluster go out.
For better control
If the indicator lamp flashes: 
DSC is regulating the drive and braking 
forces.
If the indicator lamps are on: 
DSC is deactivated.
Dynamic Traction Control DTC
DTC is a version of DSC in which the drive out-
put is optimized for particular road conditions, 
e.g. unplowed snow-covered roads. The sys-
tem assures the maximal drive output, but with 
reduced driving stability. It is therefore neces-
sary to drive with appropriate caution.
You may find it useful to briefly activate DTC 
under the following special circumstances: 

Technology for driving comfort and safety
90
Convertible: rollover 
protection system
The rollover protection system is activated 
automatically in the event of an accident, a crit-
ical driving situation, an extreme tilt in the car's 
longitudinal axis or upon loss of ground contact. 
The protection bars behind the rear head 
restraints deploy within fractions of a second.
As a supplementary system to the reinforced 
windshield frame, the rollover protection sys-
tem ensures that the necessary headroom is 
maintained for all vehicle occupants.
Always keep the area of movement of the 
rollover protection system clear.
In minor accidents, you are protected by the 
fastened safety belt and, depending on acci-
dent severity, by the safety belt tensioner and 
multi-phase airbag retention system.<
Resetting
If the rollover protection system was not 
impacted after being automatically activated, it 
can be reset by lowering the protection bars to 
their original positions. This does not require 
tools.
1.Push the locking lever to one side and hold 
it there.
2.Push the protection bar halfway down from 
above.
3.Release the locking lever.4.Push the protection bar down until it snaps 
into place.
5.Repeat the procedure for the other protec-
tion bar.
Have the rollover protection system checked 
after an unexpected activation.
Never move the convertible top when the 
rollover protection system is in the acti-
vated position.
Do not make any modifications to the individual 
components of the rollover protection system 
or its cabling.
Work on the rollover protection system should 
only be performed by a BMW center.
Incorrectly performed work on the system may 
lead to system failure or incorrect operation.
To check the system and ensure flawless long-
term operation, always observe the service 
intervals, refer to page72.< 

Controls
 91Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
0Lamps off, 
daytime running lights
1Parking lamps and daytime running lights
2Low beams, 
welcome lamps
*
3Automatic headlamp control*, daytime run-
ning lights, welcome lamps
*, high-beam 
assistant
*, adaptive light control*
When you open the driver's door with the igni-
tion switched off, the exterior lighting is auto-
matically switched off if the light switch is in 
position 0, 2 or 3.
Switch on the parking lamps if necessary, 
switch position 1.
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 will discharge the bat-
tery. Therefore, do not leave them on for 
unduly long periods of time; otherwise, the bat-
tery might not have enough power to start the 
engine. It is preferable to switch on the left-
hand or right-hand roadside parking lamps, 
refer to page93.<
Low-beam headlamps
The low beams light up when the light switch is 
in position 2 and the ignition is on.
Automatic headlamp control*
When the switch is in position3, the low beams 
are switched on and off automatically depend-
ing on ambient light conditions, e.g. in a tunnel, 
in twilight, or if there is precipitation. The adap-
tive light control
* is active. The LED next to the 
symbol is illuminated when the low beams are 
on. You can also activate the daytime running 
lights, refer to page92. In the situations 
described above, the lamps then automatically 
switch from daytime running lights to low 
beams.
The headlamps may also come on when the 
sun is sitting low on a blue sky.
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 system 
cannot detect fog or hazy weather. To avoid 
safety risks, you should always switch on the 
low-beam headlamps manually under these 
conditions.<
Welcome lamps
If you leave the light switch in position 2 or 3 
when you park the car, the parking lamps and 
the interior lamps light up briefly when you 
unlock the vehicle.
Activating/deactivating welcome 
lamps
1."Settings"
2."Lighting" 

Controls
 99Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Switching the system on/off
Switching off
With the blower at its lowest set-
ting, press the left side of the but-
ton to switch off the automatic cli-
mate control.
All displays are cleared except for the rear win-
dow defroster if it is switched on.
The outside air supply is blocked when 
the automatic climate control is switched 
off. If the air quality deteriorates or the window 
fogs over, switch the system back on and 
increase the air volume.<
Switching on
Press any button except the ALL or the rear 
window defroster button to reactivate the auto-
matic climate control.
Ventilation
1Use the thumbwheels to smoothly open 
and close the air vents
2Use the lever to change the direction of the 
airflow
Ventilation for cooling
Adjust the vent outlets to direct the flow of cool 
air in your direction, for instance if it has become 
too hot in the car.
Draft-free ventilation
Set the vent outlets so that the air flows past 
you and not straight at you.
Microfilter/activated-charcoal filter
The microfilter traps dust and pollen in the 
incoming air. The activated-charcoal filter pro-
vides additional protection by filtering gaseous 
pollutants from the outside air. Your BMW cen-
ter replaces this combined filter during routine 
maintenance.
Parked car ventilation*
The concept
The parked car ventilation provides ventilation 
to the passenger compartment and lowers its 
temperature, if necessary.
The parked car ventilation system is operated 
via iDrive, refer to page16. Two different 
switch-on times can be preselected.
The parked car ventilation remains switched on 
for approx. 30 minutes. The system can also be 
switched on and off directly. Due to its high 
power consumption, it should not be switched 
on twice in a row without driving in between to 
allow the battery to recharge.
The parked car ventilation system comes on if 
the outside temperature is above 597/156 
when the switch-on time was preselected, but 
is ready for use at any temperature when the 
system is switched on directly.
The air emerges from the air vents for the upper 
body area in the instrument panel. The air vents 
must therefore be open.
Switching on and off directly
1."Settings"
2."Climate"
3."Activate parked-car vent." 

Practical interior accessories
104
Calibrating the digital compass
The digital compass must be calibrated in the 
following situations:
>An incorrect compass direction is shown.
>The compass direction shown does not 
change although the direction of travel 
does.
>Not all compass directions are shown.
Procedure
1.Make sure that no large metal objects or 
overhead power lines are in the vicinity of 
your vehicle and that you have enough 
space to drive in a circle.
2.Set the currently valid compass zone.
3.Convertible: ensure that the convertible top 
is fully closed.
4.Press the adjustment button for approx. 
6-7 seconds to call up C. Then drive in at 
least one full circle at a speed of no more 
than 4 mph/7 km/h.
If calibration is successful, the display 
changes from C to a compass direction.
5.Convertible: open the convertible top fully 
and repeat step 4.
Setting right-hand/left-hand steering
Your digital compass is factory-set to right-
hand or left-hand steering, in accordance with 
your vehicle.
Set the language
You can set the language of the display:
Press the adjustment button for approx. 
12-13 seconds. Briefly press the adjustment 
button again to switch between English, "E", 
and German, "O".
The setting is automatically saved after approx. 
10 seconds.
Glove compartment
Opening
Pull the handle. 
The light in the glove compartment comes on.
To prevent injury in the event of an acci-
dent while the vehicle is being driven, 
close the glove compartment immediately after 
use.<
Closing
Fold the cover up.
Locking
To lock the glove compartment, use the inte-
grated key of the remote control, refer to 
page26.
USB interface for data transmission
Port for importing and exporting data on USB 
devices, e.g. music collections, refer to 
page162.
Observe the following when connecting:
>Do not forcibly connect the plug to the USB 
interface.
>Do not connect devices such as fans or 
lamps to the USB interface.