2011 BMW 550I SEDAN length

Driving
Start/Stop button
The concept
Pressing the Start/Stop button
switches
the ignition on or off and
starts the engine.
Automatic transmission*: the en‐
gine starts if the brake is de‐
pressed when the Start/Stop button is pressed.
Manual transmission: the engine starts if the
clutch is depressed when the Start/Stop button
is pressed.
Ignition on
Automatic transmission*: press the Start/Stop
button, and do not press on the brake pedal at
the same time.
Manual-shift transmission: press the Start/Stop
button, and do not press on the clutch pedal at
the same time.
All vehicle systems are ready for operation.
Most of the indicator and warning lamps in the
instrument cluster light up for varying lengths of
time.
To save battery power when the engine is off,
switch off the ignition and any unnecessary
electronic systems/power consumers.
The ignition switches off automatically:
▷ When the vehicle is locked, if the low beams
are switched on.
▷ Shortly before the battery is discharged
completely, so that the engine can still be
started.
▷ If the engine is switched off and the ignition
is switched on, the system automatically
switches to the radio ready state when the
door is opened if the lights are switched off
or the daytime running lights are switched
on. Ignition off
Automatic transmission*: press the Start/Stop
button again, and do not press on the brake
pedal at the same time.
Manual-shift
transmission: press the Start/Stop
button again, and do not press on the clutch
pedal at the same time.
All indicator lamps in the instrument cluster go
out.
To save battery power when the engine is off,
switch off the ignition and any unnecessary
electronic systems/power consumers.
Transmission position P with the ignition
off
When the ignition is switched off, position P is
engaged automatically. When in an automatic
car wash, for example, ensure that the ignition is
not switched off accidentally.◀
When the vehicle is locked using the central
locking system, the ignition switches off auto‐
matically.
Radio ready state
Activate radio ready state:
▷ When the ignition is switched off: press ON/
OFF button on the radio.
▷ When the engine is running: press START/
STOP button.
Some electronic systems/power consumers re‐
main ready for operation.
Radio ready state switches off automatically:
▷ After approx. 8 minutes.
▷ When the vehicle is locked using the central
locking system. Seite 58
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Driving

Ultrasound sensors measure parking spaces on
both sides of the vehicle.
The parking assistant calculates the best pos‐
sible parking line and takes control of steering
during the parking procedure.
When parking, also take note of the visual and
acoustic
information issued by the PDC and the
parking assistant and accelerate or brake ac‐
cordingly.
A component of the parking assistant is the PDC
Park Distance Control*, refer to page 111.
Personal responsibility
The parking assistant does not relieve the
driver of responsibility for the vehicle during the
parking procedure.
Watch the parking space and parking procedure
closely and intervene if necessary; otherwise,
there is the danger of an accident.◀
Requirements
For measuring parking spaces
▷ Maximum speed while driving forward ap‐
prox. 22 mph/35 km/h.
▷ Maximum distance to row of parked vehi‐
cles: 5 ft/1.5 m.
Suitable parking space
▷ Gap between two objects with a minimum
length of approx. 5 ft/1.5 m.
▷ Minimum length: own vehicle length plus
approx. 4 ft/1.2 m.
▷ Minimum depth: approx. 5 ft/1.5 m.
For parking procedure
Closed doors. Switching on
Using the button
Press the button.
The LED lights up.
The parking assistant is activated automati‐
cally.
The current status of the parking space search
is indicated on the Control Display.
By engaging reverse
Engage reverse gear or transmission position
R*.
The current status of the parking space search
is indicated on the Control Display.
Activate: "Parking Assistant" Select the
symbol in the Control Display.
Display on the Control Display
System status Symbol Meaning
Gray: the system is not available.
White:
the system is available but not
activated. The system is activated. Seite 119
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Reference Mobility Communication Entertainment Navigation Driving tips
Controls At a glance

Ensure that the lock is securely en‐
gaged
When
folding back the backrest, be sure that
it locks in place securely. If it is not properly
engaged, transported cargo could enter the
passenger compartment during braking or
evasive maneuvers and endanger the vehi‐
cle occupants.◀ 2.
Release the latch plate from the fixture on
the rear window shelf and insert it into the
belt

lock of the center safety belt. Make sure
you hear the latch plate engage.
To secure cargo, refer to page 149,
with nets or
draw straps, the cargo area is fitted with lashing
eyes.
Ski bag*
Capacity
The ski bag can be used to transport up to four
pairs of skis with a length of up to 6 ft/2.10 m or,
depending on the binding, up to two snow‐
boards with a length of up to 5 ft/1.60 m.
Preparing and loading the ski bag
1. Fold open the center armrest on the inside.
2. Open the inside cover and cargo area by
pressing the button. 3.
Lay out the ski bag.
4. Load the ski bag. If necessary, wrap the
sharp edges of the skis.
If

necessary, open the ski bag zipper to ease
loading or to dry the ski bag. 5.
Insert the tongue plate into the belt buckle. 6.
Tighten the retaining strap. Securing the ski bag
Secure the ski bag by tightening the re‐
taining strap; otherwise, the contents could
present a source of danger to the passengers,
for example during braking or evasive maneu‐
vers.◀
Removing the ski bag
The

ski bag can be removed entirely, e.g., to dry
quickly or to use other inserts. 1.
Pull the handle forward and lift the ski bag
out.
2. Close the cover in the cargo area.
More information on the various inserts available
can be obtained from your service center. Seite 137
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Reference Mobility Communication Entertainment Navigation Driving tips
Controls At a glance

Specifying the street
If
the system does not recognize a street, one of
the following is displayed:
▷ The name of a street in the vicinity.
▷ The county.
▷ The coordinates of the destination.
Additional functions
Additional functions are available on the inter‐
active map after the controller is pressed. ▷ Select the symbol.
"Start guidance" or "Add as another
destination"
Add a destination as a further destination,
refer to page 160.
▷ "Exit interactive map": return to the map
view.
▷ "View in northern direction" or "View in
driving direction"
▷ "Display destination": the map section
around the destination is displayed.
▷ "Display current location": the map section
around your current location is displayed.
▷ "Find
points of interest": the search for spe‐
cial destinations is started.
Destination entry by voice*
General information
▷ Instructions for voice activation system, re‐
fer to page 22.
▷ When making a destination entry by voice,
you can change between voice operation
and iDrive. ▷
To have the available spoken instructions
read out loud: ›Voice commands

‹
Saying the entries
▷ the town/city, street, and house number can
be entered as a single

command*.
▷ Countries, towns and cities, streets, and in‐
tersections can be said as whole words* or
spelled in the language of the system, refer
to page 79.
Example: to enter a town/city in a US state
as

a whole word, the language of the system
must be English.
▷ Spell the entry if the spoken language and
the language of the system differ.
▷ Say the letters smoothly, and avoid exag‐
gerating the pronunciation and inserting
lengthy pauses between the letters.
▷ The options available for entering data de‐
pend

on the navigation data and the country
and language settings.
entering an address using a command*
1. Press the button on the steering
wheel.
2. ›Enter address‹
3. Wait for a request from the system.
4. Say the address in the suggested order.
5. Continue making the entry as prompted by
the system.
If necessary, individually name the separate
components of the address, e.g., the town/city.
Entering a town/city separately
The name of the town/city can be said as a
word* or spelled out.
With the destination entry menu displayed:
1. Press the button on the steering
wheel.
2. ›City‹ or ›Spell city‹.
3. Wait for the system to prompt you for the
town/city.
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Reference Mobility Communication Entertainment
Navigation Driving tips Controls At a glance

B. Total Traffic Network traffic data is infor‐
mational only. User assumes all risk of use.
Total Traffic Network, BMW NA, and their
suppliers make no representations about
content, traffic and road conditions, route
usability, or speed.
C. The licensed material is provided to li‐
censee
“as is,” and “where is”. Total Traffic
Network, including, but not limited to, any
and all third party providers of any of the li‐
censed material, expressly disclaims, to the
fullest extent permitted by law, all warranties
or representations with respect to the li‐
censed material (including, without limita‐
tion, that the licensed material will be error-
free, will operate without interruption or that
the traffic data will be accurate), express, im‐
plied or statutory, including, without limita‐
tion, the implied warranties of merchanta‐
bility, non-infringement fitness for a
particular purpose, or those arising from a
course of dealing or usage of trade.
D. Neither Total Traffic Network, Inrix, Inc. or
BMW NA will be liable to you for any indirect,
special, consequential, exemplary, or inci‐
dental damages (including, without limita‐
tion, lost revenues, anticipated revenues, or
profits relating to the same) arising from any
claim relating directly or indirectly to use of
the traffic data, and even if Total Traffic Net‐
work, Inrix, Inc., or BMW NA are aware of the
possibility of such damages. These limita‐
tions apply to all claims, including, without
limitation, claims in contract and tort (such
as negligence, product liability and strict li‐
ability). Some states do not allow the exclu‐
sion or limitation of incidental or consequen‐
tial damages, so those particular limitations
may not apply to you.
▷ The traffic bulletins are indicated on the map
by symbols.
▷ The traffic bulletins for the surrounding area
are stored in a list. The symbol in the function bar of the map
view turns red if there are traffic bulletins
that affect the calculated route. Switching the reception on/off
1.
"Navigation"
2. Open "Options".
3. "Receive Traffic Info"
Open the traffic bulletins
1. "Navigation"
2. "Map"
3. "Traffic Info"
First the traffic bulletins for the calculated
route are displayed.
The traffic bulletins are sorted by their dis‐
tance from the current position of the vehi‐
cle.
4. Select a traffic bulletin. "More information": display additional
information.
5. Scroll to the next or previous traffic bulletin
if required.
Traffic bulletins on the map
"Traffic conditions/gray map"
Active: indication
on the control display is switched to shades of
gray. This enables a better view of the traffic
bulletins. The day/night mode is disregarded in
this setting. Symbols and special destinations
are not displayed.
1. "Navigation"
2. "Map"
3. Open "Options".
4. "Settings"
5. "Traffic conditions/gray map"
Symbols in the map view
Depending on the scale of the map and the lo‐
cation of the traffic obstruction along the route,
the symbols for the traffic obstructions are dis‐
played.
Additional information in the map view
Depending on the map scale, a traffic obstruc‐
tion's

length, direction, and impact are displayed
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Navigation

Office*
At a glance
General information
Contacts,
appointments, tasks, notes, text mes‐
sages, and e-mails from the mobile phone can
be displayed on the Control Display if the mobile
phone provides compatible support of these
functions and the necessary Bluetooth stand‐
ards.
Information about which mobile phones support
the Office functions can be found at
www.bmwusa.com/bluetooth. A limited number
of compatible mobile phones is available for Of‐
fice.
Contents are only displayed in full length when
the vehicle is stationary.
The mobile phone has read-access only.
Do not use Office while driving
To avoid becoming distracted and posing
an unnecessary hazard to your vehicle's occu‐
pants and to other road users, never attempt to
use the controls or enter information unless traf‐
fic and road conditions allow this.◀
Requirements
▷ A suitable mobile phone is paired with the
vehicle and connected. In some mobile
phones, data access must be confirmed on
the mobile phone.
▷ The time, time zone, and date, refer to
page 78, are correctly set on the Control
Display

and on the mobile phone to correctly
display appointments, for example.
▷ Office is activated, refer to page 211.
Updating
Data are updated every time the mobile phone
is connected to the vehicle. Appointment en‐
tries,

tasks, notes and reminders can be updated
separately. 1.
"Office"
2. "Current office", "Calendar", "Tasks",
"Notes" or "Reminders"
3. Open "Options".
4. "Update data"
Cell

phone data are transmitted again to the
vehicle.
Office information
The number of unread messages and active
tasks
as well as the upcoming appointments are
displayed.
1. "Office"
2. "Current office"
3. Select the desired entry to display details. Contacts
At a glance
Contacts can be created and edited. The con‐
tacts from the mobile phone* are displayed as
well if this function is supported by the mobile
phone. Addresses can be adopted as destina‐
tions

for navigation and the phone numbers can
be dialed.
Displaying contacts
General information
1. "Office"
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Reference Mobility
Communication Entertainment Navigation Driving tips Controls At a glance

5.
"Delete contact"or "Delete all contacts".
6. If necessary. "Yes"
Messages
General information
Whether
or not text messages and e-mails from
the mobile phone are displayed depends on
whether transmission from the mobile phone to
the vehicle is supported. Text messages and e-
mails may not be supported by the service pro‐
vider, or the function may need to be enabled
separately. After the mobile phone is first paired,
transmission may take several minutes. Mes‐
sages are only displayed in full length when the
vehicle is stationary. Messages from the addi‐
tional telephone are not transmitted.
Display of different messages:
▷ Text messages.
▷ My Info* messages from the BMW Assist
Portal.
▷ Messages from the BMW Assist Concierge
service*.
▷ Messages from BMW Info*.
▷ E-mails from the mobile phone.
Displaying messages
1. "Office"
2. "Messages"
A symbol identifies the type of message. Symbol Message type
Text messages.
My Info
Message from the Concierge serv‐
ice. Message from BMW Info.
E-mail from mobile phone. Filtering the message list
The message list can be filtered, when more
than one type of message exists.
1.
"Filter:" 2.
Select the type of message.
▷"All"
All messages are displayed.
▷ "E-mail"
Only e-mails from the mobile phone are
displayed.
▷ "Service message"
Only messages from the BMW Assist
Concierge service, My Info and BMW
Info are displayed.
▷ "Text message"
Only text messages from the mobile
phone are displayed.
Deleting messages
Messages from the Concierge service, My Info,
and BMW Info can be deleted.
Delete a message:
1. "Office"
2. "Messages"
3. Select the desired message.
4. Open "Options".
5. "Delete message"
Delete all messages:
1. "Office"
2. "Messages"
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Using contact data
At a glance
Contact data from calendar entries, appoint‐
ments,
tasks, emails and notes can be stored or
selected*.
Displaying contact or selecting phone
number
1. "Use contact data"
2. Display the contact or select the phone
number:
▷Select the contact to display contact de‐
tails.
▷ Select the phone number to establish a
connection directly.
Storing contact data
1. "Use contact data"
2. Highlight the phone number or e-mail ad‐
dress.
3. Open "Options".
4. "Add to existing contact" or "Store as new
contact"
Reading out loud*
Text messages, e-mails, appointment entries,
tasks, and notes can be read out loud.
1. Select the desired message, appointment,
task, or note.
2. Select the symbol.
The following options are available during read‐
ing:
▷ "Pause"
Interrupt reading. Select again to restart
reading.
▷ "Back to beginning"
Start reading message again from the be‐
ginning.
▷ Select the symbol.
Skip a paragraph. ▷ Select the symbol.
Go back one paragraph.
▷ To end reading, tilt the controller to the left.
What to do if...
Information on suitable mobile phones, refer to
page 210.
Appointments, tasks, notes, text messages, or
e-mails from the mobile phone are not dis‐
played.
▷ The mobile phone is not capable of the
missing function or is not connected cor‐
rectly.
▷ The Office function is deactivated.
▷ The mobile phone is connected as an addi‐
tional phone.
▷ Appointments are older than 20 days or are
more than 50 days in the future.
▷ The tasks have been marked as completed
or have a due date that lies more than
90 days in the future.
▷ Depending on the number of stored ap‐
pointments, task notes, and messages in
the

mobile phone, not all are displayed in the
vehicle.
Not all appointments and tasks from the mobile
phone are displayed at the right time?
▷ The time zone, time or date is incorrectly set
on the Control Display and mobile phone.
The e-mail attachment is not displayed.
▷ E-mails are transmitted without an attach‐
ment.
Entries are not displayed in full length.
▷ Text were already transmitted from the mo‐
bile phone in a shortened form.
▷ Synchronization between the mobile phone
and vehicle may take several minutes.
The contact pictures are not being displayed?
▷ A max. of 200 contact pictures can be stored
in the vehicle.
The E-mail is displayed with a delay?
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Office