wheel BMW 550I 2013 Owners Manual

ContentsThe fastest way to find information on a partic‐
ular topic or item is by using the index, refer to
page 236.6Notes
At a glance
12Cockpit16iDrive22Voice activation system25Integrated Owner's Manual in the vehicle
Controls
30Opening and closing47Adjusting58Transporting children safely62Driving75Displays94Lamps99Safety119Driving stability control systems126Driving comfort148Climate control155Interior equipment164Storage compartments
Driving tips
172Things to remember when driving175Loading178Saving fuelMobility186Refueling188Fuel189Wheels and tires204Engine compartment206Engine oil209Coolant210Maintenance212Replacing components220Breakdown assistance226Care
Reference
232Technical data236Everything from A to Z
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 917 522 - II/13

Updates made after the editorial
deadline
Any updates made after the editorial deadline for
the Owner's Manuals are located in the appen‐
dix of the printed quick reference for the vehicle.
For your own safety
Maintenance and repairs
Advanced technology, e.g., the use of modern
materials and high-performance electronics, re‐
quires suitable maintenance and repair meth‐
ods.
Therefore, have this work performed only by a
BMW center or a workshop that works accord‐
ing to BMW repair procedures with appropri‐
ately trained personnel.
If this work is not carried out properly, there is
the danger of subsequent damage and related
safety hazards.
Parts and Accessories
For your own safety, use genuine parts and ac‐
cessories approved by BMW. When you pur‐
chase accessories tested and approved by
BMW and Genuine BMW Parts, you simultane‐
ously acquire the assurance that they have been
thoroughly tested by BMW to ensure optimum
performance when installed on your vehicle.
BMW warrants these parts to be free from de‐
fects in material and workmanship. BMW will not
accept any liability for damage resulting from in‐
stallation of parts and accessories not approved
by BMW. BMW cannot test every product made
by other manufacturers to verify if it can be used
on a BMW safely and without risk to either the
vehicle, its operation, or its occupants. Genuine
BMW Parts, BMW Accessories and other prod‐
ucts approved by BMW, together with profes‐
sional advice on using these items, are available
from all BMW centers. Installation and operation
of non-BMW approved accessories such as
alarms, radios, amplifiers, radar detectors,
wheels, suspension components, brake dustshields, telephones, including operation of any
mobile phone from within the vehicle without
using an externally mounted antenna, or trans‐
ceiver equipment, for instance, CBs, walkie-
talkies, ham radios or similar accessories, may
cause extensive damage to the vehicle, com‐
promise its safety, interfere with the vehicle's
electrical system or affect the validity of the
BMW Limited Warranty. See your BMW center
for additional information. Maintenance, re‐
placement, or repair of the emission control de‐
vices and systems may be performed by any au‐
tomotive repair establishment or individual
using any certified automotive part.
California Proposition 65 Warning
California laws require us to state the following
warning:
Engine exhaust and a wide variety of automobile
components and parts, including components
found in the interior furnishings in a vehicle, con‐
tain or emit chemicals known to the State of Cal‐
ifornia to cause cancer and birth defects and re‐
productive harm. In addition, certain fluids
contained in vehicles and certain products of
component wear contain or emit chemicals
known to the State of California to cause cancer
and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
Battery posts, terminals and related accessories
contain lead and lead compounds. Wash your
hands after handling. Used engine oil contains
chemicals that have caused cancer in laboratory
animals. Always protect your skin by washing
thoroughly with soap and water.
Service and warranty
We recommend that you read this publication
thoroughly. Your vehicle is covered by the fol‐
lowing warranties:▷New Vehicle Limited Warranty.▷Rust Perforation Limited Warranty.▷Federal Emissions System Defect Warranty.▷Federal Emissions Performance Warranty.Seite 7Notes7
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 917 522 - II/13

▷California Emission Control System Limited
Warranty.
Detailed information about these warranties is
listed in the Service and Warranty Information
Booklet for US models or in the Warranty and
Service Guide Booklet for Canadian models.
Your vehicle has been specifically adapted and
designed to meet the particular operating con‐
ditions and homologation requirements in your
country and continental region in order to deliver
the full driving pleasure while the vehicle is op‐
erated under those conditions. If you wish to op‐
erate your vehicle in another country or region,
you may be required to adapt your vehicle to
meet different prevailing operating conditions
and homologation requirements. You should
also be aware of any applicable warranty limita‐
tions or exclusions for such country or region. In
such case, please contact Customer Relations
for further information.
Maintenance
Maintain the vehicle regularly to sustain the road
safety, operational reliability and the New Vehi‐
cle Limited Warranty.
Specifications for required maintenance meas‐
ures:
▷BMW Maintenance system▷Service and Warranty Information Booklet
for US models▷Warranty and Service Guide Booklet for
Canadian models
If the vehicle is not maintained according to
these specifications, this could result in serious
damage to the vehicle. Such damage is not cov‐
ered by the BMW New Vehicle Limited War‐
ranty.
Data memory
Many electronic components on your vehicle
are equipped with data memories that tempo‐
rarily or permanently store technical information
about the condition of the vehicle, events and
faults. This technical information generally
documents the state of a component, a module,
a system or the environment:▷Operating states of system components, fill
levels for instance.▷Status messages for the vehicle and from its
individual components, e.g., wheel rotation
speed/ vehicle speed, deceleration, trans‐
verse acceleration.▷Malfunctions and faults in important system
components, e.g., lights and brakes.▷Responses by the vehicle to special situa‐
tions, e.g., deployment of an airbag, engage‐
ment of stability control systems.▷Ambient conditions, such as temperature.
This data is purely technical in nature and is used
to detect and correct faults and to optimize ve‐
hicle functions. Motion profiles over routes trav‐
eled cannot be created from this data. When
service offerings are used, e.g., repair services,
service processes, warranty claims, quality as‐
surance, this technical information can be read
out from the event and fault memories by the
service personnel, including the manufacturer,
using special diagnostic tools. You can obtain
further information there if it is needed. After a
fault is corrected, the information in the fault
memory is deleted or overwritten on a continu‐
ous basis.
When the vehicle is in use, situations are con‐
ceivable in which it might be possible to asso‐
ciate this technical data with individuals if it is
combined with other information, e.g., an acci‐
dent report, damage to the vehicle, eye witness
accounts — possibly with the assistance of an
expert.
Additional functions that are contractually
agreed with the customer, such as vehicle lo‐
cating in an emergency, enable certain vehicle
data to be transmitted from the vehicle.
Seite 8Notes8
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 917 522 - II/13

CockpitVehicle equipment
All standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equipmentis also described that is not available in a vehicle,
e. g., because of the selected optional equip‐
ment or country variant. This also applies for
safety-related functions and systems.
All around the steering wheel
1Seating comfort functionsSeat, mirror, steering wheel mem‐
ory   54Active seat   492Roller sunblinds   443Rear window safety switch   444Power windows  435Exterior mirror operation   556Driver assistance systemsActive Blind Spot Detec‐
tion   115Collision warning   109,  107Lane departure warning   114Night Vision with pedestrian de‐
tection   111Head-up Display   1467LampsSeite 12At a glanceCockpit12
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 917 522 - II/13

Front fog lamps  97Parking lamps  94Low beams  94Automatic headlamp con‐
trol   95
Daytime running lights   95
Adaptive Light Control   96
High-beam Assistant   96Instrument lighting  988Steering column stalk, leftTurn signal  69High beams, head‐
lamp flasher   69High-beam Assistant   96Roadside parking lamps   95Computer  889Shift paddles   7410Steering wheel buttons, leftStore speed  132  126Resume speed   134  128Cruise control on/off, interrupt‐
ing   126Cruise control on/off, interrupt‐
ing   132Increase distance   128Reduce distance  128Cruise control rocker switch   133,  12711Instrument cluster   7512Steering wheel buttons, rightEntertainment sourceVolumeVoice activation  22Phone, see user's manual for Nav‐
igation, Entertainment and Com‐
munication.Thumbwheel for selection lists   8813Steering column stalk, rightWindshield wipers  69Rain sensor  70Clean the windshields and head‐
lamps   6914Start/stop the engine and switch
the ignition on/off   63Auto Start/Stop function   6415Horn16Steering wheel heating  5717Steering wheel adjustment   57Seite 13CockpitAt a glance13
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 917 522 - II/13

Voice activation systemVehicle equipment
All standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equipment
is also described that is not available in a vehicle,
e. g., because of the selected optional equip‐
ment or country variant. This also applies for
safety-related functions and systems.
The concept▷Most functions that are displayed on the
Control Display can be operated by spoken
commands via the voice activation system.
The system prompts you to make your en‐
tries.▷Functions that can only be used when the
vehicle is stationary cannot be operated us‐
ing 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 sys‐
tem.
Requirements
Via the Control Display, set a language that is
also supported by the voice activation system
so that the spoken commands can be identified.
Set the language, refer to page 92.
Using voice activation
Activating the voice activation system
1. Press the button on the steering
wheel.2.Wait for the signal.3.Say the command.
The command is displayed 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, operate the
function in this case via iDrive.
Terminating the voice activation
system
Briefly press the button on the steering
wheel or ›Cancel‹.
Possible commands
Most menu items on the Control Display can be
voiced as commands.
The available commands depend on which
menu is currently displayed on the Control Dis‐
play.
Short commands exist for many functions.
Some list entries, e.g., Phone book entries, can
also be selected via the voice activation system.
Speak these list entries exactly as they are dis‐
played in the respective list.
Having possible commands read aloud
You can have the available commands read out
loud for you: ›Voice commands‹
For example, if the "Settings" menu is displayed,
the commands for the settings are read out loud.
Executing functions using short
commands
Functions on the main menu can be performed
directly by means of short commands, nearly ir‐
respective of which menu item is currently se‐
lected, e.g., ›Vehicle status‹.
Seite 22At a glanceVoice activation system22
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 917 522 - II/13

List of short commands of the voice activation
system, see Navigation, Entertainment, Com‐
munication Owner's Manual.
Help dialog for the voice activation
system
Calling up help dialog: ›Help‹
Additional commands for the help dialog:▷›Help with examples‹: information about the
current operating options and the most im‐
portant commands for them are announced.▷›Help with voice activation‹: information
about the principle of operation for the voice
activation system is announced.
Example: playing back a CD
Via the main menu
The commands of the menu items are spoken
just as they are selected via the controller.
1.Switch on the Entertainment sound output
if necessary.2. Press the button on the steering
wheel.3.›Multimedia‹
The medium last played is played back.4.›C D‹5.›C D drive‹6.›Track ...‹, e.g., CD track 4.
Via short command
Playback of the CD can also be started via a short
command.
1.Switch on the Entertainment sound output
if necessary.2. Press the button on the steering
wheel.3.›C D drive track ...‹, e.g., CD track 4.Setting the voice dialog
You can set whether the system should use the
standard dialog or a shorter version.
In the shorter variant of the voice dialog, the an‐
nouncements from the system are issued in an
abbreviated form.
On the Control Display:1."Settings"2."Language/Units"3."Speech m.:"4.Select the setting.
Adjusting the volume
Turn the volume button while giving an instruc‐
tion until the desired volume is set.
▷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 on Emergency
Requests
Do not use the voice activation system to initiate
an Emergency Request. In stressful situations,
the voice and vocal pitch can change. This can
unnecessarily delay the establishment of a te‐
lephone connection.
Instead, use the SOS button, refer to
page 220, in the vicinity of the interior mirror.
Seite 23Voice activation systemAt a glance23
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 917 522 - II/13

Using the guest profile
The guest profile can be used to make individual
settings without affecting the three Personal
Profiles.
This can be useful for drivers who are using the
vehicle temporarily and do not have their own
profile.1."Settings"2."Profiles"3.The current profile is selected.4.Open "Guest".5.Adjust the settings.
Note: the guest profile cannot be renamed.
Display profile list during start
The profile list can be displayed during each
start for selecting the desired profile.
1."Settings"2."Profiles"3.Open "Options".4."Display user list at startup"
Personal Profile settings
The following functions and settings can be
stored in a profile.
More information on the settings can be found
under:
▷Active Cruise Control: collision warning.▷Collision warning: warning time, last setting
on/off.▷Exterior mirror position.▷CD/Multimedia: audio source listened to
last.▷Unlocking/locking of the vehicle: settings.▷Driving Dynamics Control: sport program.▷Driver's seat position: automatic retrieval af‐
ter unlocking.▷Programmable memory buttons: assign‐
ment.▷Head-up Display: selection, brightness, po‐
sition and rotation of the display.▷Headlamp courtesy delay feature: time set‐
ting.▷Tone: tone settings.▷Automatic climate control: settings.▷Steering wheel position.▷Navigation: map views, route criteria, voice
output on/off.▷Night Vision with pedestrian detection: se‐
lection of functions and type of display.▷Park Distance Control PDC: adjusting the
signal tone volume.▷Radio: stored stations, station listened to
last, special settings.▷Backup camera: selection of functions and
type of display.▷Side View: selection of the display type.▷Language on the Control Display.▷Lane departure warning: last setting, on/off.▷Active Blind Spot Detection: last setting, on/
off.▷Daytime running lights: current setting.▷Triple turn signal activation.▷Locking the vehicle: after a brief period or
after starting to drive.
Central locking system
The concept
The central locking system becomes active
when the driver's door is closed.
The system simultaneously engages and re‐
leases the locks on the following:
▷Doors.▷Trunk lid.▷Fuel filler flap.Seite 33Opening and closingControls33
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 917 522 - II/13

Press and hold the button on the re‐
mote control.
The windows and the glass sunroof open.
Releasing the button stops the motion.
Locking Press the button on the remote control.
Locking from the outside
Do not lock the vehicle from the outside if
there are people in it, as the vehicle cannot be
unlocked from inside without special knowl‐
edge.◀
Switching on interior lamps and
courtesy lamps
Press the button on the remote control
with the vehicle locked.
Panic mode
You can trigger the alarm system if you find
yourself in a dangerous situation.
Press the button on the remote control
for at least 3 seconds.
To switch off the alarm: press any button.
Switching on the headlamp courtesy
delay feature
Briefly press the button on the remote
control.
The duration can be set in the Control Display.
Opening the trunk lid Press the button on the remote control
for approx. 1 second.
The trunk lid opens, regardless of whether it was
previously locked or unlocked.During opening, the trunk lid pivots back and up.
Ensure that adequate clearance is available be‐
fore opening.
In some vehicle equipment variants, the trunk lid
can only be opened using the remote control if
the vehicle has been unlocked.
Do not place the remote control in the
cargo area
Take the remote control with you and do not
leave it in the cargo area; otherwise, the remote
control is locked inside the vehicle when the
trunk lid is closed.◀
The trunk lid is locked again as soon as it is
pushed closed.
Confirmation signals from the vehicle1."Settings"2."Doors/key"3.Deactivate or activate the desired confirma‐
tion signals.▷"Acoustic sig. lock/unlock"▷"Flash when lock/unlock"
Retrieving the seat, mirror, and
steering wheel settings
The driver's seat, exterior mirror, and steering
wheel positions selected last are stored for the
currently used remote control.
When the vehicle is unlocked, these positions
are automatically retrieved if this function was
activated.
Pinch hazard when moving back the seat
If this function is used, first make sure that
the footwell behind the driver's seat is empty.
Otherwise, people can be injured or objects
damaged when the seat is moved back.◀
The adjustment procedure is interrupted:
▷When a seat position switch is pressed.▷When a button of the seat, mirror, and steer‐
ing wheel memory is pressed briefly.Seite 35Opening and closingControls35
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 917 522 - II/13

such as mobile phones, metal objects, overhead
power lines, transmission towers, etc.
In this case, open or close the vehicle using the
buttons on the remote control or use the
integrated key in the door lock.
If there is a malfunction, open the trunk lid with
the remote control button or with the button on
the trunk lid.
Alarm system
The concept
The vehicle alarm system responds to:▷Opening of a door, the hood or the trunk lid.▷Movements in the vehicle.▷Changes in the vehicle tilt, e.g., during at‐
tempts to steal a wheel or when towing the
car.▷Interruptions in battery voltage.
The alarm system briefly indicates tampering:
▷By sounding an acoustic alarm.▷By switching on the hazard warning system.▷By flashing the high beams.
Arming and disarming the alarm
system
General information
When you lock or unlock the vehicle, either with
the remote control, Comfort Access or at the
door lock the alarm system is armed or disarmed
at the same time.
Door lock and armed alarm system
Unlocking via the door lock will trigger the alarm
on some country-specific versions.
In order to terminate this alarm, unlock vehicle
with the remote control or switch on the ignition,
if necessary, by emergency detection of the re‐
mote control.
Trunk lid and armed alarm system
The trunk lid can be opened even when the
alarm system is armed.
Press the button on the remote control
for approx. 1 second.
With Comfort Access the trunk lid opens with
no-touch activation, refer to page 41.
After the trunk lid is closed, it is locked and
monitored again if the doors are locked. The
hazard warning system flashes once.
In some vehicle equipment variants, the trunk lid
can only be opened using the remote control if
the vehicle was unlocked first.
Panic mode
You can trigger the alarm system if you find
yourself in a dangerous situation.
Press the button on the remote control
for at least 3 seconds.
To switch off the alarm: press any button.
Switching off the alarm▷Unlock the vehicle using the remote control.▷With Comfort Access: If you are carrying the
remote control with you, pull on the driver
side or front passenger side door handle.
Indicator lamp on the interior rear view
mirror
▷The indicator lamp flashes briefly every
2 seconds:
The system is armed.Seite 42ControlsOpening and closing42
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 917 522 - II/13