2011 BMW 550I XDRIVE steering

Driving in wet conditions
When
roads are wet or there is heavy rain, briefly
exert gentle pressure on the brake pedal every
few miles.
Ensure that this action does not endanger other
road users.
The heat generated in this process helps dry the
brake discs and pads.
In this way braking efficiency will be available
when you need it.
Hills
Drive long or steep downhill gradients in the gear
in which the least braking is required. Otherwise,
the brake system may overheat, resulting in a
reduction in the brake system efficiency.
Manual transmission:
You can increase the engine's braking effect by
shifting down, going all the way to first gear, if
necessary.
Automatic transmission*:
You can increase the engine's braking effect by
shifting down in the manual mode of the auto‐
matic transmission, refer to page 65.
Avoid load on the brakes
Avoid placing excessive load on the brake
system. Light but consistent brake pressure can
lead to high temperatures, brake wear and pos‐
sibly even brake failure.◀
Do not drive in neutral
Do not drive in neutral or with the engine
stopped, as doing so disables engine braking. In
addition, steering and brake assist is unavailable
with the engine stopped.◀
Brake disc corrosion
Corrosion on the brake discs and contamination
on the brake pads are furthered by:
▷ Low mileage.
▷ Extended periods when the vehicle is not
used at all.
▷ Infrequent use of the brakes. Corrosion occurs when the minimum pressure
that must be exerted by the pads during brake
applications to clean the discs is not reached.
Should corrosion form on the brake discs, the
brakes will tend to respond with a pulsating ef‐
fect that generally cannot be corrected.
Condensation
under the parked vehicle
When using the automatic climate control, con‐
densation water develops that exits underneath
the vehicle.
Therefore, traces of condensed water under the
vehicle are normal.
Loading
Overloading the vehicle
To avoid exceeding the approved carrying
capacity of the tires, never overload the vehicle.
Overloading can lead to overheating and in‐
creases the rate at which damage develops in‐
side the tires. This could result in a sudden loss
of tire inflation pressure.◀
No fluids in the trunk
Make sure that fluids do not leak into the
trunk; otherwise, the vehicle may be damaged.◀
Determining the load limit 1.
Locate the following statement on your ve‐
hicle’s placard*:
▷The combined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed XXX kg or
YYY lbs. Otherwise, damage to the ve‐ Seite 148
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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

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

4.
Select the desired category. 5.
Select the desired entry:
▷Select "A-Z search", refer to page 21,
and input the desired entry.
▷ Select the desired entry from the list.
6. Select other categories if you wish.
The tracks found are listed in alphabetical
order.
Not all categories need to be selected. For
example,
to search for all tracks by a certain
artist, call up that artist only. All of the tracks
by that artist are then displayed.
7. "Start play"
The list of tracks is repeated automatically.
Restarting the music search
"New search"
Music search using spoken instructions

*
Instructions for the voice activation system, re‐
fer to page 22.
1. Press the button on the steering
wheel.
2. ›Music search‹
3. Open the desired category, e.g., ›Select
artist‹.
4. Say the desired entry in the list.
5. Select other categories if you wish.
To select a track directly: ›Title ...‹.
Say the voice command and the name of the
desired track in a single command. Current playback
The

list of tracks that was generated last by the
music search, or the album that was selected
last.
1. "CD/Multimedia"
2. "Music collection"
3. "Current playback" 4.
Select the desired track, if necessary.
Top 50
The 50 most frequently played tracks.
1. "CD/Multimedia"
2. "Music collection"
3. "Top 50"
4. Select the desired track, if necessary.
Albums
All
stored albums, listed in order of their storage
dates. Symbol Format
Audio CD
Compressed audio files
1.
"CD/Multimedia"
2. "Music collection"
3. Select the desired album.
Depending on the album, the tracks or the
subdirectories of the album are displayed.
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CD/multimedia

Telephone*
At a glance
The concept
Mobile
phones or other external devices such as
audio players can be connected to the vehicle
via Bluetooth.
After these devices are paired once, they are
recognized automatically when the ignition is
switched on as soon as they are inside the ve‐
hicle and can be operated via iDrive, the buttons
on the steering wheel, and via voice activation*.
Depending on their functionality, external devi‐
ces can be used via the vehicle as a telephone
or as an audio source.
The telephone functions are described in the
following. Operating the audio functions, refer to
page 196.
Up to four external devices can be paired.
Certain functions may need to be enabled by the
mobile phone provider or service provider.
Using the mobile phone while driving
Make entries only when traffic and road
conditions allow. Do not hold the mobile phone
in your hand while you are driving; use the
hands-free system instead. If you do not ob‐
serve this precaution, you can endanger the ve‐
hicle occupants and other road users.◀
Snap-in adapter*
The snap-in adapter is used to:
▷ Hold the mobile phone.
▷ Recharge the battery.
▷ Connect the mobile phone to an outside an‐
tenna of the vehicle.
This provides for better network reception
and consistent sound quality.
Approved mobile phones
Details on which mobile phones and external
devices with a Bluetooth interface are sup‐
ported by the mobile phone preparation pack‐ age can be obtained at www.bmwusa.com/blue‐
tooth.
Displaying the vehicle identification
number and software part number
The vehicle identification number and software
part
number are needed to determine which mo‐
bile phones are supported by the mobile phone
preparation package. The software version of
the mobile phone may also be required.
1. "Telephone"
2. Open "Options".
3. "Bluetooth® info"
4. "Display system information"
These approved mobile phones with a certain
software version, support the vehicle functions
described below.
Malfunctions may occur with other mobile
phones or software versions.
Do

not operate a mobile phone that is connected
to the vehicle on the mobile phone keypad, as
this may lead to a malfunction.
A software update can be performed if neces‐
sary.
Pairing/unpairing the mobile
phone
General information
The following functions are available:
▷ Use of a mobile phone as a telephone.
▷ Use of a mobile phone as an additional tele‐
phone.
▷ Use of a mobile phone as an audio source.
▷ Use of an audio device as an audio source,
refer to page 196.
Requirements
▷ The mobile phone is suitable.
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Telephone

Incoming call
Receiving calls
If
the number of the caller is stored in the phone
book and is transmitted by the network, the
name of the contact is displayed. Otherwise,
only the phone number is displayed.
If more than one phone number is assigned to a
contact, only the name of the contact is dis‐
played.
For calls on the additional telephone, the num‐
ber is only displayed if it is transmitted by the
network.
An incoming call to the additional telephone is
automatically rejected if there is an active call on
the other telephone.
Accepting a call
Via iDrive "Accept"
Via the button on the steering wheel
Press the button.
Via the instrument cluster

*
"Accept"
Rejecting a call
Via iDrive "Reject"
Via the instrument cluster
*
"Reject" Ending a call
Via iDrive
"End call"
Via the button on the steering wheel Press the button.
Via the instrument cluster

*
"End call"
Entering a phone number
Dialing a number
1. "Telephone"
2. "Dial number"
3. Select the digits individually.
4. Select the symbol.
The phone number can also be entered by voice.
Calls with multiple participants
General information
You can switch between calls or connect two
calls

to a single conference call. These functions Seite 214
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Telephone

A symbol indicates the storage location of the
contacts.
Calling a contact
Symbol Meaning
Contact with one stored phone num‐
ber.
Contact with more than one stored
phone number.
Call not possible; mobile phone with‐
out reception or network, or Service
Request* is active.
For contacts with one stored phone number: se‐
lect
the required contact. The connection is be‐
ing established.
For contacts with more than one stored phone
number: select the required contact and the
phone number. The connection is being estab‐
lished.
Editing a contact
Changing the entries in "Contacts". When a
contact is changed, the changes are not stored
on the mobile phone. A copy of the entry is
stored in the vehicle.
1. Highlight the contact.
2. Open "Options".
3. "Edit entry"
The contact can be edited. Redialing
General information
The list of dialed numbers in the mobile phone
is transmitted to the vehicle depending on the
mobile phone. The 20 phone numbers dialed
last are displayed. The sorting order of the
phone numbers depends on the particular mo‐
bile phone.
Dialing the number via the instrument
cluster
This is possible when there is no active call.
1.
Press the button on the steering
wheel.
2. Select the desired phone number.
The connection is established.
Dialing a number via iDrive
1. "Telephone"
2. "Redial"
3. Select the desired entry and the phone num‐
ber if necessary.
The connection is established.
Saving an entry in the contacts
1. Highlight the entry.
2. Open "Options".
3. "Store as new contact" or "Add to existing
contact"
4. Select
"New phone number" or contact.
5. Select the type of number: "Home",
"Business", "Mobile" or "Other"
6. Complete the entries if necessary.
7. If necessary, "Store contact in vehicle".
Received calls
Displaying calls
The 20 calls that were last received are dis‐
played.
1. "Telephone"
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Telephone

2.
"Received calls" Calling a number from the list
Selecting an entry.
The connection is established.
Saving an entry in the contacts
1.
Highlight the entry.
2. Open "Options".
3. "Store as new contact" or "Add to existing
contact"
4. Select "New phone number" or contact.
5. Select the type of number: "Home",
"Business", "Mobile" or "Other"
6. Complete the entries if necessary.
7. If necessary, "Store contact in vehicle".
Hands-free system
General information
Calls that are being made on the hands-free
system can be continued on the mobile phone
and vice versa.
From the mobile phone to the hands-
free system
Calls that were begun outside of the Bluetooth
range of the vehicle can be continued on the
hands-free system with the ignition switched
on.
Depending

on the mobile phone, the system au‐
tomatically switches to the hands-free system.
If the system does not switch over automatically,
follow the instructions on the mobile phone dis‐ play; refer also to the mobile phone operating
instructions.
From the hands-free system to the
mobile phone
Calls that are made on the hands-free system
can in some cases be continued on the mobile
phone; this depends on the mobile phone.
Follow

the instructions on the mobile phone dis‐
play; refer also to the mobile phone operating
instructions.
Voice operation*
Vehicles equipped with the voice activation sys‐
tem: operation, refer to page 22.
Vehicles not equipped with the voice activation
system: depending on the equipment, the mo‐
bile phone can be voice operated as described
below.
The list of short commands in the operating
manual does not apply to this type of voice op‐
eration.
The concept
▷ The mobile phone can be operated without
taking your hands from the steering wheel.
▷ In many cases, the entries are accompanied
by announcements or questions.
▷ ›...‹ Verbal instructions for voice operation.
Using voice activation
Activating the voice activation system
1. Briefly press the button on the
steering wheel.
2. Say the command.
Terminating the voice activation
system Briefly

press the button on the steering
wheel or ›Cancel‹. Seite 217
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Reference Mobility
Communication Entertainment Navigation Driving tips Controls At a glance