2011 BMW 550I XDRIVE roof

▷
Keep the dashboard and window on the
front
passenger side clear, i.e., do not cover
with adhesive labels or coverings, and do not
attach holders such as for navigation instru‐
ments and mobile phones.
▷ Make sure that the front passenger is sitting
correctly, i.e., keeps his or her feet and legs
in the footwell; otherwise, leg injuries can
occur if the front airbag is triggered.
▷ Do not place slip covers, seat cushions or
other objects on the front passenger seat
that are not approved specifically for seats
with integrated side airbags.
▷ Do not hang pieces of clothing, such as jack‐
ets, over the backrests.
▷ Make sure that occupants keep their heads
away from the side airbag and do not rest
against the head airbag; otherwise, injuries
can occur if the airbags are triggered.
▷ Do not remove the airbag restraint system.
▷ Do not remove the steering wheel.
▷ Do not apply adhesive materials to the air‐
bag cover panels, cover them or modify
them in any way.
▷ Never modify either the individual compo‐
nents

or the wiring in the airbag system. This
also applies to steering wheel covers, the
dashboard, the seats, the roof pillars and the
sides of the headliner.◀
Even when all instructions are followed closely,
injury from contact with the airbags cannot be
ruled out in certain situations.
The ignition and inflation noise may lead to
short-term

and, in most cases, temporary hear‐
ing impairment in sensitive individuals.
In the case of a malfunction, deactivation
and after triggering of the airbags
Do not touch the individual components imme‐
diately after the system has been triggered; oth‐
erwise, there is the danger of burns.
Only have the airbags checked, repaired or dis‐
mantled and the airbag generator scrapped by
your service center or a workshop that has the
necessary authorization for handling explosives. Non-professional attempts to service the sys‐
tem

could lead to failure in an emergency or un‐
desired triggering of the airbag, either of which
could result in injury.◀
Warnings and information on the airbags are
also found on the sun visors.
Functional readiness of the airbag
system
When the ignition is switch on, the warn‐
ing lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up briefly and thereby indicates the op‐
erational readiness of the entire airbag system
and the belt tensioner.
Airbag system malfunctioning
▷ In radio ready state, the warning lamp does
not come on.
▷ The warning lamp lights up continuously.
When there is a malfunction, have the air‐
bag system checked immediately
When there is a malfunction, have the airbag
system checked immediately; otherwise, there
is

a risk that the system does not function as ex‐
pected in the event of an accident despite cor‐
responding severity of the accident.◀
Automatic deactivation of the front
passenger airbags
The system determines whether the front pas‐
senger seat is occupied by measuring the re‐
sistance of the human body.
The front, knee, and side airbag on the front
passenger side are activated or deactivated ac‐
cordingly.
Leave feet in the footwell
Make sure that the front passenger keeps
his or her feet in the footwell; otherwise, the front
passenger airbags may not function properly.◀ Seite 86
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Safety

Opening
Pull on the handle and fold open the cover.
Cupholders
Notes
Shatter-proof containers and no hot
drinks
Use light and shatter-proof containers and do
not
transport hot drinks. Otherwise, there is the
increased danger of injury in an accident.◀
Unsuitable containers
Do not forcefully push unsuitable contain‐
ers into the cupholders. This may result in dam‐
age.◀
Front: manual transmission
On the center console To open: press the button.
The insert folds out.
To

use as a storage compartment, fold the insert
back in. In the center armrest*
Fold the cupholder down.
Before closing the center armrest, fold the cu‐
pholder back up. Push the lever in the direction
of the arrow to do this.
Front: automatic transmission

* To open: press on the cover.
Rear
In the front center armrest.
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Storage compartments

Things to remember when driving
Breaking-in period
General information
Moving parts need to be broken in to adjust to
each other.
The following instructions will help achieve a
long vehicle life and good economy.
Engine and differential
Always obey the official speed limit.
Up to 1,200 miles/2,000 km
Do not exceed the maximum engine and road
speed:
▷
For gasoline engine, 4500 rpm and
100 mph/160 km/h.
Avoid full-throttle operation and use of the
transmission's kickdown mode for the initial
miles.
From 1,200 miles/2,000 km
The engine and vehicle speed can gradually be
increased.
Tires
Due to technical factors associated with their
manufacture,
tires do not achieve their full trac‐
tion potential until after an initial breaking-in pe‐
riod.
Drive conservatively for the first 200 miles/
300 km.
Brake system
Brakes require an initial break-in period of ap‐
prox. 300 miles/500 km to achieve optimized
contact and wear patterns between brake pads
and discs. Drive moderately during this break-in
period.
Clutch
The function of the clutch reaches its optimal
level only after a distance driven of approx. 300 miles/500 km. During this break-in period,
engage the clutch gently.
Following part replacement
The

same breaking in procedures should be ob‐
served if any of the components mentioned
above have to be renewed in the course of the
vehicle's operating life.
General driving notes
Closing the trunk lid
Drive with the trunk lid closed
Only drive with the tailgate closed; other‐
wise, in the event of an accident or braking or
evasive maneuvers, passengers or other road
users may be injured or the vehicle may be dam‐
aged. In addition, exhaust fumes may enter the
passenger compartment.◀
If driving with the tailgate open cannot be
avoided:
▷ Close all windows and the glass sunroof*.
▷ Greatly increase the blower speed.
▷ Drive moderately.
Hot exhaust system Hot exhaust system
High temperatures are generated in the
exhaust system.
Do not remove the heat shields installed and
never apply undercoating to them. When driv‐
ing,

standing at idle and while parking, take care
to avoid possible contact between the hot ex‐
haust system and any highly flammable materi‐
als such as hay, leaves, grass, etc. Such contact
could lead to a fire, and with it the risk of serious
personal injury as well as property damage.
Do not touch hot exhaust pipes; otherwise, there
is the danger of getting burned.◀ Seite 146
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Things to remember when driving

Securing cargo
Always position and secure the cargo as
described
above; otherwise, it can endanger the
car's occupants if sudden braking or swerving
becomes necessary.
Heavy or hard objects should not be carried
loose inside the car; otherwise, they could be
thrown around as a result of hard braking, sud‐
den swerves, etc., and endanger the occu‐
pants.◀
Roof-mounted luggage rack
Note
Roof racks are available as special accessories.
Attachment
Follow the installation instructions of the roof
rack.
Roof drip rail with flaps* The anchorage points are located in the roof drip
rail above the doors.
Fold the cover outward.
Mounting
Be sure that adequate clearance is maintained
for raising and opening the

glass sunroof*.
Loading
Because roof racks raise the vehicle's center of
gravity when loaded, they have a major effect on
vehicle handling and steering response.
Therefore, note the following when loading and
driving: ▷
Do not exceed the approved roof/axle loads
and

the approved gross vehicle weight, refer
to page 283.
▷ Distribute the roof load uniformly.
▷ The roof load should not be too large in area.
▷ Always load the heaviest pieces on the bot‐
tom.
▷ Secure the roof luggage firmly, e.g., tie with
ratchet straps.
▷ Do not let objects project into the opening
path of the trunk lid.
▷ Drive smoothly. Avoid sudden acceleration
and braking maneuvers. Take corners gen‐
tly.
Saving fuel
General information
Your vehicle contains advanced technology for
the reduction of fuel consumption and emis‐
sions.
Fuel consumption depends on a number of dif‐
ferent factors.
The implementation of certain measures, driv‐
ing style and regular maintenance can have an
influence on fuel consumption and on the envi‐
ronmental impact.
Remove unnecessary cargo
Additional weight increases fuel consumption.
Remove attached parts following use
Remove auxiliary mirrors, roof or rear luggage
racks which are no longer required following
use.
Attached parts on the vehicle impair the aero‐
dynamics and increase the fuel consumption.
Close the windows and glass sunroof

*
Driving with the glass sunroof and windows
open results in increased air resistance and
raises fuel consumption.
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Things to remember when driving

Adjusting the volume
Turn the knob during an announcement.
▷
The volume remains constant even if the
volume of other audio sources is changed.
▷ The volume is stored for the remote control
currently in use.
Notes
Do not use the voice operation to initiate an
Emergency
Request. In stressful situations, the
voice and vocal pitch can change. This can un‐
necessarily delay the establishment of a tele‐
phone connection.
Instead, use the SOS button*, refer to
page 269, in the vicinity of the interior mirror.
Environmental conditions
▷ Say the commands, numbers, and letters
smoothly and with normal volume, empha‐
sis, and speed.
▷ Always say commands in the language of
the system. The language for the mobile
phone voice operation is preset and cannot
be changed in the Control Display.
▷ Keep the doors, windows, and glass sun‐
roof* closed to prevent noise interference.
▷ Avoid making other noise in the vehicle
while speaking.
Snap-in adapter*
Installation position
In the center armrest. Inserting the snap-in adapter
1.
Press the button and remove the cover. 2.
Insert the snap-in adapter at the front, ar‐
row 1, and press down, arrow 2, until it en‐
gages. Inserting the mobile phone
1.
Depending on the mobile phone, remove
the protective cap from the antenna con‐
nector of the mobile phone.
2. Slide the mobile phone with the buttons fac‐
ing up in the direction of the electrical con‐
nections, arrow 1, and push downward, ar‐
row 2 until it engages. Seite 219
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Reference Mobility
Communication Entertainment Navigation Driving tips Controls At a glance

Maintenance
BMW Maintenance System
The maintenance system directs you to re‐
quired
maintenance measures and thereby sup‐
ports you in maintaining road safety and the op‐
erational reliability of the vehicle.
Condition Based Service CBS
Sensors and special algorithms take into ac‐
count the driving conditions of your vehicle.
Based on this, Condition Based Service deter‐
mines the maintenance requirements.
The system makes it possible to adapt the
amount of maintenance you need to your user
profile.
Details on the service requirements, refer to
page 74, can be displayed on the Control Dis‐
play.
Service data in the remote control
Information on the required maintenance is con‐
tinuously stored in the remote control. Your
service center will read out this data and suggest
the right array of service procedures for your ve‐
hicle.
Therefore, hand your service specialist the re‐
mote control that you used most recently.
Storage periods
Storage periods during which the vehicle bat‐
tery was disconnected are not taken into ac‐
count.
If this occurs, have a service center update the
time-dependent maintenance procedures,
such as checking brake fluid and, if necessary,
changing the engine oil and the microfilter/acti‐
vated-charcoal filter. Service and Warranty
Information Booklet for US
models and Warranty and
Service Guide Booklet for
Canadian models
Please
consult your Service and Warranty Infor‐
mation Booklet for US models and Warranty and
Service Guide Booklet for Canadian models for
additional information on service requirements.
Maintenance and repair should be performed by
your service center. Make sure to have regular
maintenance procedures recorded in the vehi‐
cle's Service and Warranty Information Booklet
for US models, and in the Warranty and Service
Guide Booklet for Canadian models. These en‐
tries are proof of regular maintenance.
Socket for OBD Onboard
Diagnosis There is an OBD socket on the driver's side for
checking

the primary components in the vehicle
emissions.
Emissions
▷The warning lamp lights up:
Emissions are deteriorating. Have
the

vehicle checked as soon as pos‐
sible.
▷ The warning lamp flashes under cer‐
tain circumstances: Seite 260
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Maintenance

Weights
The values preceding the slash apply to vehicles
with manual transmission; the values following
the slash apply to vehicles with automatic trans‐
mission.
528i
Approved gross vehicle weight lbs/kg
4,982/2,260
Load lbs/kg1,058/480
Approved front axle load lbs/kg2,359/1,070
Approved rear axle load lbs/kg2,844/1,290
Approved roof load capacity lbs/kg220/100
Trunk capacity cu ft/l18.36/520
535i
Approved gross vehicle weight lbs
kg5,159/5,181
2,340/2,350
Load lbs/kg1,058/480
Approved front axle load lbs/kg2,491/1,130
Approved rear axle load lbs
kg2,866/2,888
1,300/1,310
Approved roof load capacity lbs/kg220/100
Cargo area capacity cu ft/l18.36/520
550i
Approved gross vehicle weight lbs
kg5,401/5,423
2,450/2,460
Load lbs/kg1,036/470
Approved front axle load lbs
kg2,712/2,734
1,230/1,240
Approved rear axle load lbs
kg2,932/2,943
1,330/1,335
Approved roof load capacity lbs/kg220/100
Cargo area capacity cu ft/l18.36/520 Seite 283
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Reference Mobility Communication Entertainment Navigation Driving tips Controls At a glance

535i xDrive
Approved gross vehicle weight lbs/kg
5,379/2,440
Load lbs/kg1,058/480
Approved front axle load lbs/kg2,701/1,225
Approved rear axle load lbs/kg2,910/1,320
Approved roof load capacity lbs/kg220/100
Cargo area capacity cu ft/l18.36/520
550i xDrive
Approved gross vehicle weight lbs/kg
5,600/2,540
Load lbs/kg1,036/470
Approved front axle load lbs/kg2,800/1,270
Approved rear axle load lbs/kg2,954/1,340
Approved roof load capacity lbs/kg220/100
Cargo area capacity cu ft/l18.36/520Capacities

Notes
Fuel tank US gal/liters approx. 18.5/70 Fuel quality, refer
to page 241
Windshield and headlamp
washer system US quarts/liters approx. 5.3/5.0 Seite 284
284 Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 606 469 - 03 11 490Technical data