2011 BMW 7 SERIES Owners Manual

Climate control windshield*
The marked area is not covered with heat re‐
flective coating.
Use this area for garage door openers, devices
for electronic toll collection, etc.
Climate
control laminated tinted safety
glass*
The vehicle glass provides full protection
against the harmful effects of UV radiation on the
skin.
Mobile communication devices in the
vehicle
Mobile communication devices in the ve‐
hicle
It is advised that you do not use mobile commu‐
nication devices, e.g., mobile phones, inside the
vehicle without connecting them directly to the
external antenna. Otherwise, the vehicle elec‐
tronics and mobile communication devices can
interfere with each other. In addition, there is no
assurance that the radiation generated during
transmission will be discharged from the vehicle
interior.◀
Hydroplaning
On wet or slushy roads, a wedge of water can
form between the tires and road surface.
This phenomenon is referred to as hydroplan‐
ing. It is characterized by a partial or complete
loss of contact between the tires and the road
surface, ultimately undermining your ability to
steer and brake the vehicle. Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads, re‐
duce your speed to prevent hydroplaning.

◀
Driving through water
Drive though calm water only if it is not deeper
than 9.8 inches/25 cm and at this height, no
faster than walking speed, up to 6 mph/10 km/h. Adhere to water depth and speed limita‐
tions
Do not exceed this water depth and walking
speed; otherwise, the vehicle's engine, the elec‐
trical systems and the transmission may be
damaged.◀
Braking safely
Your vehicle is equipped with ABS as a standard
feature.
Applying the brakes fully is the most effective
way of braking in situations when this is neces‐
sary.
The vehicle maintains steering responsiveness.
You can still avoid any obstacles with a minimum
of steering effort.
Pulsation of the brake pedal and sounds from
the hydraulic circuits indicate that ABS is in its
active mode.
Objects in the area around the pedals
No objects in the area around the pedals
Keep floor mats, carpets, and any other
objects out of the area of motion of the pedals;
otherwise, the function of the pedals could be
impeded while driving
Do not place additional floor mats over existing
mats or other objects.
Only use floor mats that have been approved for
the vehicle and can be properly fixed in place.
Ensure that the floor mats are securely fastened
again after they were removed for cleaning, for
example.◀ Seite 145
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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.
You can increase the engine's braking effect by
shifting down in the manual mode of the auto‐
matic transmission, refer to page 72.
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‐
hicle

and unstable driving situations may
result.
2. Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver
and

passengers from XXX kilograms or YYY
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Things to remember when driving

4.
The resulting figure equals the available
amount
of cargo and luggage load capacity.
For example, if the YYY amount equals
1,000 lbs and there will be four 150 lbs pas‐
sengers in your vehicle, the amount of avail‐
able cargo and luggage load capacity is
400 lbs: 1,000 lbs minus 600 lbs = 400 lbs.
5. Determine the combined weight of luggage
and

cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That
weight may not safely exceed the available
cargo and luggage load capacity calculated
in Step 4.
Load The maximum load is the sum of the weight of
the occupants and the cargo.
The greater the weight of the occupants, the
less cargo that can be transported.
The maximum load is the sum of the weight of
the occupants and the cargo.
The greater the weight of the occupants, the
less cargo that can be transported. Stowing cargo
▷
Heavy cargo: stow as far forward and as low
as

possible, ideally directly behind the cargo
area separating wall.
▷ Very heavy cargo: when the rear seat is not
occupied, secure each of the outer safety
belts in the opposite buckle.
▷ Cover sharp edges and corners.
Securing cargo
Lashing eyes in the cargo area To secure the cargo, there are four lashing eyes
in the cargo area
Securing cargo
▷
Smaller and lighter items: secure with re‐
taining straps or with a

cargo net* or draw
straps.
▷ Larger and heavy objects: secure with cargo
straps*.
Cargo straps, cargo netting, retaining straps or
draw straps on the lashing eyes in the cargo
area.
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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
Installation only possible in roof drip molding
with flaps*. Your service center will be glad to
advise you.
Roof racks are available as special accessories.
Attachment
Follow the installation instructions of the roof
rack.
Roof drip rail with flaps* On the roof drip rail, press on the outside of the
flap.
Mounting
The preparation for the mounting plate is lo‐
cated

below the roof drip rail. Have the mounting
plate installed by the service center before in‐
stallation of a roof rack.
Be sure that adequate clearance is maintained
for raising and opening the glass sunroof*. Magnetic roof-mounted luggage rack
Because of the aluminum roof, magnetic roof-
mounted luggage racks cannot be mounted.
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.
▷ 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.
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Things to remember when driving

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.
Check the tire inflation pressure
regularly
Check and, if necessary, correct the tire inflation
pressure at least twice a month and before start‐
ing on a long trip.
Low tire inflation pressure increases rolling re‐
sistance and thus raises fuel consumption and
tire wear.
Drive away without delay
Do not wait for the engine to warm up while the
vehicle remains stationary. Start driving right
away, but at moderate engine speeds.
This is the fastest way for the cold engine to
reach its operating temperature.
Look well ahead when driving
Avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking.
By maintaining a suitable distance to the vehicle
driving ahead of you.
Driving smoothly and looking ahead reduces
fuel consumption.
Use coasting conditions
When approaching a red light, take your foot off
the accelerator and let the vehicle coast to a halt.
On a downhill gradient, take your foot off the ac‐
celerator and let the vehicle roll.
The flow of fuel is interrupted while coasting.
Switch off the engine during longer
stops
Switch off the engine during longer stops, e.g.,
at traffic lights, railroad crossings or in traffic
congestion.
Fuel savings are achieved after the vehicle is
switched off for only approx. 4 seconds. Switch off any functions that are not
currently needed
Functions
such as seat heating and the rear win‐
dow defroster require a lot of energy and con‐
sume additional fuel, especially in city and stop-
and-go traffic.
Therefore, switch off these functions if they are
not actually needed.
Have maintenance carried out
Have vehicles maintained regularly to achieve
optimal vehicle economy and operating life.
Have the maintenance carried out by your serv‐
ice center.
Please also note the BMW Maintenance Sys‐
tem.
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Navigation
This chapter contains various examples of how the navigation system can guide you reliably to your destination.
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Navigation*
Navigation system
General information
The navigation system can determine the pre‐
cise position of the vehicle, with the aid of sat‐
ellites and vehicle sensors, and can reliably
guide you to every entered destination.
Navigation
data are stored in the vehicle and can
be updated.
Entries in stationary vehicle
Enter data only when the vehicle is sta‐
tionary, and always give priority to the applicable
traffic regulations in the event of any contradic‐
tion between traffic and road conditions and the
instructions issued by the navigation system.
Failure to take to this precaution can place you
in violation of the law and put vehicle occupants
and other road users in danger.◀
Destination input
Manual destination entry
General information
The system supports you in entering street
names and house numbers by automatically
completing the entry and providing entry com‐
parisons, refer to page 24.
Stored town/city and street names can be called
up quickly.
▷ If the existing entries should not be changed,
the entries for the state/province and town/
city can be skipped.
▷ Destination guidance is started to the town/
city center if no street is entered.
Entering a state/province
1. Press the MENU button.
2. "Navigation" 3.
"Enter address" 4.
Select "State/Province" or the displayed
state/province.
Entering a town/city
1. Select "Town/City/Postal Code" or the dis‐
played town/city. 2.
Select letters, if necessary.
The list is narrowed down further with each
entry.
3. Move the controller to the right.
4. Select the town/city name from the list.
If there are several towns/cities with the same
name:
1. Change to the list of town/city names.
2. Highlight the town/city.
3. Select the town/city.
Entering the postal code*
1. Select "Town/City/Postal Code" or the dis‐
played town/city.
2. Select the symbol.
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Navigation