Addendum
ADDENDUM TO BMW 7 SERIES
OWNER’S MANUAL 1402956029
We wanted to provide you with some
updates and clarifications with respect to
the printed BMW Owner’s Manual.
These updates and clarifications will
supersede the materials contained in
that document.
1.Where the terms “service center,”
“the service center,” “your service
center,” “service specialist,’ or
“service” are used in the Owner’s
Manual, we wanted to clarify that
the terms refer to a BMW dealer’s
service center or another service
center or repair shop that employs
trained personnel that can perform
maintenance and repair work on
your vehicle in accordance with
BMW specifications.
2.Where the text of the Owner’s
Manual contains an affirmative
instruction to contact a “service
center” or “your service center,” we
wanted to clarify that BMW
recommends that, if you are faced
with one of the situations addressed
by that text, you contact or seek the
assistance of a BMW dealer’s
service center or another service
center or repair shop that employs
trained personnel that can perform
maintenance and repair work on
your vehicle in accordance with
BMW specifications.
While BMW of North America LLC,
at no cost to you, will pay for repairs
required by the limited warranties
provided with respect to your
vehicle and for maintenance under
the Maintenance Program during
the applicable warranty and
maintenance coverage periods, you
are free to elect, both during those
periods and thereafter, to have
maintenance and repair work
provided by other service centers or
repair shops.
3.Where the Owner’s Manual makes
reference to parts and accessories
having been approved by BMW,
those references are intended to
reflect that those parts and
accessories are recommended by
BMW of North America LLC. You
may elect to use other parts and
accessories, but, if you do, we
recommend that you make sure that
any such parts and/or accessories
are appropriate for use on your
vehicle.
4.At page 7, under the warranty
section’s discussion of
homologation, where it states that
you “cannot lodge warranty claims
for your vehicle there,” the text
should read that you “may not be
able to lodge warranty claims for
your vehicle there.”
5.At page 7, under the “Parts and
accessories” section, in the sixth
sentence, the word “cannot” should
read “does not.”
6.At page 61, in the “Check and
replace safety belts” section, the
Addendum
text beginning, “This should only be
done by your service center . . .”
should be disregarded and the
following text should be read in lieu
thereof: “BMW recommends having
this work performed by a service
center as it is important that this
safety feature functions properly.”
7.At page 62, under the heading:
“Active head restraint,” the
paragraph beginning, “Only attach
accessories . . .” should be
disregarded and the following text
should be read in lieu thereof:
“BMW recommends that you attach
accessories approved by BMW to
the seat or head restraint.”
8.At page 64, under the heading:
“Removing: electrical head
restraints,” the paragraph
beginning, “To avoid damage . . .”
should be disregarded and the
following text should be read in lieu
thereof: “The manufacturer of your
vehicle recommends that they be
installed by a service center.”
9.At page 79, under the heading
“Have the malfunction corrected,”
the text should be disregarded and
the following text should be read in
lieu thereof:
If the parking brake has been
released manually in response to a
malfunction, it is strongly
recommended that a technician
return it to operation and that you
have the malfunction corrected at
your BMW dealer’s service center or
another service center or repair
shop that employs trained
personnel that can perform
maintenance and repair work on
your vehicle in accordance with
BMW specifications.
10.At page 104, under the heading:
“Special windshield,” the paragraph
beginning, “Therefore, have the
special windshield . . .” should be
disregarded and the following text
should be read in lieu thereof:
“BMW recommends that you have
the special windshield replaced by
the service center.”
11.At page 188 under the heading:
“Objects within the range of
movement of the pedals” and at
page 242 under the heading:
“Carpets and floor mats,” the
paragraph that begins: “Only use
floor mats . . .” should be
disregarded and the following
language should be read in lieu
thereof: “The manufacturer of your
vehicle recommends that you use
floor mats that have been identified
by it as appropriate for use in your
vehicle and that can be properly
fixed in place.”
12.At page 207, under the heading
“Tire inflation pressure
specifications,” the sentence
beginning, “Tire inflation pressure
specifications apply to approved tire
sizes . . . .” should be disregarded.
13.At page 214, under the heading:
“Mounting,” the paragraph
beginning, “Have mounting and
balancing . . .” should be
disregarded and the following text
should be read in lieu thereof:
Addendum
“BMW recommends that you have
mounting and balancing performed
by your service center or a tire
mounting specialist.”
14.At page 215, under the heading:
“Approved wheels and tires,” the
term “Approved” should be
disregarded and in lieu thereof, the
term “Recommended” should be
read in its place. In addition, the
text of that section should be
disregarded and the following text
should be read in lieu thereof:
The manufacturer of your vehicle
strongly suggests that you use
wheels and tires that have been
recommended by the vehicle
manufacturer for your vehicle type;
otherwise, for example, despite
having the same official size ratings,
variations can lead to body contact
and with it, the risk of severe
accidents.
The manufacturer of your vehicle
does not evaluate non-
recommended wheels and tires to
determine if they are suitable for
use on your vehicle.
15.At page 216, under the heading:
“Fine-link snow chains,” the text
should be disregarded and the
following text should be read in lieu
thereof:
Only certain types of fine-link snow
chains have been tested by the
manufacturer of your vehicle and
are determined by the manufacturer
of your vehicle to be road safe and
are recommended by the
manufacturer of your vehicle.
Information about recommended
snow chains is available from a
service center.
16.At page 218, under the heading
“Hood,” the sentence beginning, “If
you are unfamiliar” should be
disregarded.
17.At page 222, under the heading:
“Approved oil types,” the references
to “Approved” should be read as
“Suitable.” Where it reads: You
can add oils with the following
specifications,” that text should be
disregarded, and the following text
read in lieu thereof: “Add engine
oils that meet the following oil rating
standards: . . .”
18.At page 222, under the heading:
“Alternative oil types,” the text
preceding the chart should be
disregarded, and in lieu thereof
should be read as follows: “If an
engine oil suitable for continuous
use is not available, up to 1 US
quart/liter of an engine oil with the
following oil rating can be added: . .
.” The reference to “specification”
should be read as “rating.”
19.At page 222, under the heading:
“Engine oil change,” the text should
be disregarded and in lieu thereof
should be read as follows:
BMW recommends that you have
the oil changed at your BMW
dealer’s service center or at another
service center that has trained
Addendum
personnel that can perform the work
in accordance with BMW
specifications.
20.At page 225, under the heading:
“Service and Warranty Information
Booklet for US models and
Warranty and Service Guide
Booklet for Canadian models,” the
second paragraph should be
disregarded and the following text
read in lieu thereof:
The manufacturer of your vehicle
recommends that you have
maintenance and repair performed
by your BMW dealer’s service
center or another service center or
repair shop that employs trained
personnel that can perform
maintenance and repair work on
your vehicle in accordance with
BMW specifications. The
manufacturer of your vehicle
recommends that you maintain
records of all maintenance and
repair work performed on your
vehicle.
21.At page 228 and page 229, where it
reads: “Do not perform work/bulb
replacement on xenon headlamps,”
that text should be disregarded and
in lieu thereof the following text
should be read: “Xenon headlamp
work or replacement can cause
serious and fatal injuries.” In the
text that follows, where it reads:
“[h]ave any work on the xenon
lighting system . . . ,” the following
words should be read as preceding
that passage: “It is strongly
suggested that you . . . .”
22.At page 232, under the “Battery
replacement” section, the text
should be disregarded and in lieu
thereof the following text should be
read:
Use of recommended vehicle
batteries
The manufacturer of your vehicle
recommends that you use vehicle
batteries that it has tested and
recommends for use in your vehicle;
otherwise the vehicle could be
damaged and systems or functions
may not be fully available.
After a battery replacement, the
manufacturer of your vehicle
recommends that you have the
battery registered on your vehicle
by a service center to ensure that all
comfort functions are fully available,
and that any “check control”
messages of these comfort
functions are no longer displayed.
ContentsThe fastest way to find information on a partic‐
ular topic or item is by using the index, refer to
page 250.6Notes
At a glance
14Cockpit18iDrive26Voice activation system29Integrated Owner's Manual in the vehicle
Controls
34Opening and closing54Adjusting69Transporting children safely73Driving87Displays105Lights110Safety136Driving stability control systems144Driving comfort165Climate control172Interior equipment180Storage compartments
Driving tips
186Things to remember when driving189Loading192Saving fuelMobility200Refueling202Fuel207Wheels and tires218Engine compartment220Engine oil223Coolant225Maintenance227Replacing components234Breakdown assistance239Care
Reference
246Technical data250Everything from A to Z
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 956 029 - X/14
Function is deactivated.
Touchpad Some iDrive functions can be operated using
the touchpad on the controller:
Selecting functions1."Settings"2."Touchpad"3.Select the desired function.▷"Speller": enter letters and numbers.▷"Interactive map": viewing the interac‐
tive map.▷"Browser": enter Internet addresses.▷"Audio feedback": pronounces entered
letters and numbers.
Entering letters and numbers
Entering letters requires some practice at the
beginning. When entering, pay attention to the
following:
▷For the input of upper/lower case letters
and numbers, it may be necessary to reel
via the controller to the corresponding In‐
put mode, refer to page 24, e.g. when the
spelling of upper and lower case letters is
identical.▷Enter characters as they are displayed on
the Control Display.▷Always enter associated characters, such
as accents or periods so that the letter can
be clearly recognized. Possible input de‐
pends on the set language. Where neces‐
sary, enter special characters via the con‐
troller.▷To delete a character, slide to the left on
the touchpad.▷To enter a blank space, slide to the right in
the center of the touchpad.▷To enter a hyphen, slide to the right in the
upper area of the touchpad.▷To enter an underscore, swipe to the right
in the lower area of the touchpad.
Using interactive map and Internet
Via touch-pad move the interactive map in the
navigation system and Internet sites.
FunctionControlsMove interactive map or
Internet sites.Swipe into re‐
spective direc‐
tion.Enlarge/shrink interactive
map or Internet sites.Drag in or out on
the touchpad with
fingers.Display the menu or open
a link in the Internet.Tap once.
Changing settings
You may change control display settings via
touchpad. Swipe left or right accordingly.
Example: setting the clock Setting the clock
On the Control Display:
1. Press button. The main menu is dis‐
played.2.Turn the controller until "Settings" is high‐
lighted, and then press the controller.3.If necessary, move the controller to the left
to display "Time/Date".Seite 21iDriveAt a glance21
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Voice activation systemVehicle features and options
This chapter describes all standard, country-
specific and optional features offered with the
series. It also describes features that are not
necessarily available in your car, e. g., due to
the selected options or country versions. This
also applies to safety-related functions and
systems.
The concept▷Most functions displayed on the Control
Display can be operated by voice com‐
mands via the voice activation system. The
system supports you with announcements
during input.▷Functions that can only be used when the
vehicle is stationary cannot be used via the
voice activation system.▷The system uses a special microphone on
the driver's side.▷›...‹ Verbal instructions in the Owner's
Manual to use with the voice activation
system.
Requirements
Via the Control Display, set a language that is
also supported by the voice activation system
so that the spoken commands can be identi‐
fied.
Set the language, refer to page 102.
Using voice activation
Activating the voice activation system1. Press button on the steering
wheel.2.Wait for the signal.3.Say the command.
A command that is recognized by the voice
activation system is announced and dis‐
played in the instrument cluster.
This symbol in the instrument cluster indi‐
cates that the voice activation system is active.
If no other commands are available, use func‐
tion via iDrive.
Terminating the voice activation
system
Briefly press the button on the steer‐
ing wheel or ›Cancel‹.
Possible commands Most menu items on the Control Display can
be voiced as commands.
The available commands depend on the menu
that is currently displayed on the Control Dis‐
play.
There are short commands for many functions.
You may select lists such as phone lists via
voice activation. Read these lists out loud ex‐
actly as they show in the respective list.
Having possible commands read aloud You can have available commands read out
loud for you: ›Voice commands‹
E. g. if the "Settings" menu is displayed, the
commands for the settings are read out loud.
Seite 26At a glanceVoice activation system26
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This can unnecessarily delay the establish‐
ment of a phone connection.
Instead, use the SOS button, refer to
page 234, close to 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 voice activation system.▷Keep the doors, windows, and glass sun‐
roof closed to prevent noise interference.▷Avoid making other noise in the vehicle
while speaking.Seite 28At a glanceVoice activation system28
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