service BMW 550I XDRIVE SEDAN 2015 Owners Manual

Addendum
ADDENDUM TO OWNER'S MANUAL
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 con-
tained in that document.
1. Where the terms “service center,” “the ser-
vice 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 con-
tains an affirmative instruction to contact a
“service center” or “your service center,”
we wanted to clarify that BMW recom-
mends that, if you are faced with one of the
situations addressed by that text, you con-
tact 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 accor-
dance 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 appli-
cable warranty and maintenance coverage
periods, you are free to elect, both during
those periods and thereafter, to have main-
tenance and repair work provided by other
service centers or repair shops.
3. Where the Owner's Manual makes refer-
ence 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 appropri-
ate for use on your vehicle.
4. At page 7, under the warranty section's dis-
cussion 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 accesso-
ries” section, in the sixth sentence, the
word “cannot” should read “does not.”
6. At page 58, in the “Check and replace
safety belts” section, the 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 per-
formed by a service center as it is important
that this safety feature functions properly.”
7. At page 59, under the heading: “Active
head restraint,” the paragraph beginning,
“Only attach accessories …” should be dis-
regarded 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 102, 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.”
9. At page 190 under the heading: “Objects
within the range of movement of the ped-
als” and at page 254 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 manu-
facturer of your vehicle recommends that
you use floor mats that have been identified
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Addendum
by it as appropriate for use in your vehicle
and that can be properly fixed in place.”
10. At page 196, under the heading: “Have
maintenance carried out,” the sentence
beginning, “The maintenance should be
carried out …” should be disregarded and
the following text should be read in lieu
thereof:   “BMW recommends that you have
the maintenance carried out by your service
center.”
11. At page 211, under the heading “Tire infla-
tion specifications,” the sentence begin-
ning, “Tire inflation pressure specifications
apply to approved tire sizes …” should be
disregarded.
12. At page 223, under the heading: “Mount-
ing,” the paragraph beginning, “Have
mounting and balancing …” should be dis-
regarded and the following text should be
read in lieu thereof: “BMW recommends
that you have mounting and balancing per-
formed by your service center or a tire
mounting specialist.”
13. At page 223, 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 sec-
tion should be disregarded and the follow-
ing 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; other-
wise, 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.
14. At page 228, under the heading: “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.
15. At page 229, under the heading “Hood,” the
sentence beginning, “If you are unfamiliar”
should be disregarded.
16. At page 233, 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 cen-
ter or at another service center that has
trained personnel that can perform the work
in accordance with BMW specifications.
17. At page 236, 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 recom-
mends that you have maintenance and
repair performed by your BMW dealer's ser-
vice 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.
18. At page 239 and page 240, where it reads:
“Do not perform work/bulb replacement on
xenon headlights,” that text should be dis-
regarded and in lieu thereof the following
text should be read: “Xenon headlight work
or replacement can cause serious and fatal
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Addendum
injuries.” In the text that follows, where it
reads: “[h]ave any work on the xenon light-
ing system … ,” the following words should
be read as preceding that passage: “It is
strongly suggested that you …”
19. At page 243, under the “Battery replace-
ment” section, the text should be disre-
garded and in lieu thereof the following text
should be read:
Use of recommended vehicle batteries
The manufacturer of your vehicle recom-
mends 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 manufac-
turer of your vehicle recommends that you
have the battery registered on your vehicle
by a service center to ensure that all com-
fort functions are fully available, and that
any “check control” messages of these
comfort functions are no longer displayed.
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NotesUsing this Owner's Manual
Orientation
The fastest way to find information on a partic‐
ular topic is by using the index.
An initial overview of the vehicle is provided in
the first chapter.
Updates made after the editorial
deadline
Any updates made after the editorial deadline
for the Owner's Manuals are found in the ap‐
pendix of the printed Quick Reference for the
vehicle.
User's manual for Navigation,
Entertainment, Communication
The topics of Navigation, Entertainment, Com‐
munication and the short commands of the
voice activation system are described in a sep‐
arate user's manual, which is also included
with the onboard literature.
Additional sources of
information
The service center will be happy to answer any
other questions you may have.
Information on BMW, e.g., on technology, is
available on the Internet: www.bmwusa.com.
BMW Driver’s Guide App
The Owner's Manual is available in many coun‐
tries as an app. Additional information on the
Internet:
www.bmw.com/bmw_drivers_guide
Symbols
Indicates precautions that must be followed
precisely in order to avoid the possibility of
personal injury and serious damage to the
vehicle.
◄ Marks the end of a specific item of
information.
Refers to measures that can be taken to
help protect the environment.
"..." Identifies display texts in vehicle used to
select individual functions.
›...‹ Verbal instructions to use with the voice
activation system.
››...‹‹ Identifies the answers generated by the
voice activation system.
Symbols on vehicle components
Indicates that you should consult the
relevant section of this Owner's Manual for
information on a particular part or assembly.
Vehicle features and options
This Owner's Manual describes all models and
all standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series.
Therefore, in this Owner's Manual, we also de‐
scribe and illustrate features that are not avail‐
able in your vehicle, e.g., because of the se‐
lected optional features or the country-specific
version.
This also applies to safety-related functions
and systems.
The respectively applicable country provisions
must be observed when using the respective
features and systems.
For any options and equipment not described
in this Owner's Handbook, refer to the Supple‐
mentary Owner's Handbooks.
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On right-hand drive vehicles, some controls
are arranged differently from what is shown in
the illustrations.
Status of the Owner's
Manual
Basic information
The manufacturer of your vehicle pursues a
policy of constant development that is con‐
ceived to ensure that our vehicles continue to
embody the highest quality and safety stan‐
dards. In rare cases, therefore, the features de‐
scribed in this Owner's Manual may differ from
those in your vehicle.
Updates made after the editorial
deadline
Any updates made after the editorial deadline
for the Owner's Manuals are found in the ap‐
pendix of the printed Quick Reference for the
vehicle.
For your own safety Warranty
Your vehicle is technically configured for the
operating conditions and registration require‐
ments applying in the country of first delivery -
homologation. If your vehicle is to be operated
in a different country it might be necessary to
adapt your vehicle to potentially differing oper‐
ating conditions and permit requirements. If
your vehicle does not comply with the homolo‐
gation requirements in a certain country you
cannot lodge warranty claims for your vehicle
there. Further information can be obtained
from your Service Centre.
Maintenance and repairs Advanced technology, e.g., the use of modern
materials and high-performance electronics,
requires suitable maintenance and repair work.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 work is not carried out properly, there is a
danger of subsequent damage and related
safety hazards.
Parts and accessories
BMW recommends using parts and accesso‐
ries approved by BMW for this purpose.
Your BMW center is the right contact for genu‐
ine BMW parts and accessories, other prod‐
ucts approved by BMW and related qualified
advice.
BMW has tested these products for safety and
suitability in relation to BMW vehicles.
BMW can assume responsibility for them.
However, we cannot assume any responsibility
whatsoever for parts and accessories that have
not been specifically approved by BMW.
BMW cannot evaluate whether each individual
product from another manufacturer can be
used with BMW vehicles without presenting a
safety hazard. This guarantee does not apply
when country-specific government approval
has been granted. Testing of this kind may fail
to embrace the entire range of potential oper‐
ating conditions to which components might
be exposed on BMW vehicles. Such products
could conceivably fail to comply with BMW's
own stringent quality standards.
California Proposition 65 Warning California laws require us to state the following
warning:
Engine exhaust and a wide variety of automo‐
bile components and parts, including compo‐
nents found in the interior furnishings in a vehi‐
cle, contain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and birth
defects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and certain
products of component wear contain or emitSeite 7Notes7
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chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other repro‐
ductive harm. Battery posts, terminals and re‐
lated accessories contain lead and lead com‐
pounds. 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 War‐
ranty.▷Federal Emissions Performance Warranty.▷California Emission Control System Lim‐
ited 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 de‐
liver the full driving pleasure while the vehicle
is operated under those conditions. If you wish
to operate your vehicle in another country or
region, you may be required to adapt your ve‐
hicle to meet different prevailing operating
conditions and homologation requirements.
You should also be aware of any applicable
warranty limitations 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
Vehicle 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 seri‐
ous damage to the vehicle. Such damage is
not covered by the BMW New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Data memory
Many electronic components on your vehicle
are equipped with data memories that tempo‐
rarily or permanently store technical informa‐
tion about the condition of the vehicle, events
and faults. This technical information generally
records the state of a component, a module, a system or the environment:
▷Operating mode of system components, fill
levels for instance.▷Status messages for the vehicle and from
its individual components, e.g., wheel rota‐
tion speed/vehicle speed, deceleration,
transverse acceleration.▷Malfunctions and faults in important sys‐
tem components, e.g., lights and brakes.▷Responses by the vehicle to special situa‐
tions such as airbag deployment or engag‐
ing the stability control system.▷Ambient conditions, such as temperature.
This data is purely technical in nature and is
used to detect and correct faults and to opti‐
mize vehicle functions. Motion profiles over
routes traveled cannot be created from this
data. When service offerings are used, e.g., re‐
pair services, service processes, warranty
claims, quality assurance, this technical infor‐
mation can be read out from the event and
fault memories by the service personnel, in‐
Seite 8Notes8
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Opening and closingVehicle 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 respectively applicable country
provisions must be observed when using the
respective features and systems.
Remote control/key General information
The vehicle is supplied with two remote con‐
trols with integrated key.
Every remote control holds a replaceable bat‐
tery.
You may set the key functions depending on
the optional features and country-specific ver‐
sion. For Settings, refer to page 46.
The vehicle stores personal settings for every
remote control. Personal Profile, refer to
page 35.
The remote controls hold information on re‐
quired maintenance. Service data in the re‐
mote control, refer to page 236Overview1Unlocking2Locking3Opening the trunk lid4Press briefly: headlight courtesy delay fea‐
ture
Press and hold: Panic mode
Integrated key
Press button, arrow 1, and remove the key, ar‐
row 2.
The integrated key fits the following locks:
▷Driver's door.▷Storage compartment in the front center
armrest.
The storage compartment contains a switch
for separately securing the trunk lid, refer to
page 42.
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Replacing the battery1.Remove integrated key from remote con‐
trol.2.Push in the catch with the key, arrow 1.3.Remove the cover of the battery compart‐
ment, arrow 2.4.Insert a battery of the same type with the
positive side facing up.5.Press the cover closed.
Take the used battery to a recycling
center or to your service center.
New remote controls New remote controls are available from the
service center.
Loss of the remote controls Lost remote controls can be disabled by your
service center.
Emergency detection of remote
control
It is possible to switch on the ignition or start
the engine in situations such as the following:
▷Interference of radio transmission to re‐
mote control by external sources e.g., by
radio masts.▷Empty battery in remote control.▷Interference from radio transmissions
through mobile devices in close proximity
to remote control.▷Interference of radio transmission by
charger while charging items such as mo‐
bile devices in the vehicle.
A Check Control message is displayed if an at‐
tempt is made to switch on the ignition or start
the engine.
Starting the engine with emergency
detection of the remote control
Steptronic transmission: if a corresponding
Check Control message appears, hold the re‐
mote control, as shown, against the marked
area on the steering column and press the
Start/Stop button within 10 seconds while
pressing the brake.
Manual transmission: if a corresponding Check
Control message appears, hold the remote
control, as shown, against the marked area on
the steering column and press the Start/Stop
button within 10 seconds while pressing the
clutch pedal.
If the remote control is not recognized: slightly
change the height position of the remote con‐
trol and repeat the procedure.
Personal Profile
The concept Personal Profile provides three profiles, using
which personal vehicle settings can be stored.
Every remote control has one of these profiles
assigned.
If the vehicle is unlocked using a remote con‐
trol, the assigned personal profile will be acti‐
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arm rest is locked, the trunk lid cannot be
opened.▷Trunk lid secured, arrow 1.▷Trunk lid not secured, ar‐
row 2.
Slide the switch into the arrow 1 position. This
secures the trunk lid and disconnects it from
the central locking system.
This is beneficial when the vehicle is parked
using valet service. The infrared remote con‐
trol can be handed out without the key.
Emergency unlocking
Pull the handle inside the cargo area.
The trunk lid unlocks.
Comfort Access
The concept The vehicle can be accessed without activat‐
ing the remote control.
All you need to do is to have the remote con‐ trol with you, such as in your pants pocket.
The vehicle automatically detects the remote
control when it is in close proximity or in the
car's interior.
Comfort Access supports the following func‐
tions:
▷Unlocking/locking of the vehicle.▷Convenient closing.▷Open the trunk lid individually.▷Open trunk lid with no-touch activation.▷Open/close trunk lid with no-touch activa‐
tion.▷Start the engine.
Functional requirements
▷There are no external sources of interfer‐
ence nearby.▷To lock the vehicle, the remote control
must be located outside of the vehicle.▷The next unlocking and locking cycle is not
possible until after approx. 2 seconds.▷The engine can only be started if the re‐
mote control is in the vehicle.
Unlocking
Grasp the handle of a vehicle door completely,
arrow.
This corresponds with pressing the button on
the remote control.

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What reduces the restraining effect
Avoid wearing bulky clothing, and pull
the shoulder belt periodically to readjust the
tension. Make sure that the belt is not jammed;
otherwise, the belt can be damaged and the
restraining effect is reduced.◀
Buckling the belt
Make sure you hear the latch plate engage in
the belt buckle.
Tensioning the safety belt
automatically
When the belt is closed, it is automatically
tightened once after the release.
Unbuckling the belt
1.Hold the belt firmly.2.Press the red button in the belt buckle.3.Guide the belt back into its roll-up mecha‐
nism.
Safety belt reminder for driver's and
passenger's seat
The indicator lamp lights up and a sig‐
nal sounds. Make sure that the safety
belts are positioned correctly. The
safety belt reminder is active at speeds above
approx. 6 mph/10 km/h. It can also be activated
if objects are placed on the front passenger
seat.
Safety mode
In critical situations, e.g., during full brake ap‐
plication, the front safety belts tighten auto‐
matically.
If the situation passes without an accident oc‐
curring, the belt tension relaxes.
If the belt tension does not loosen automati‐
cally, stop the vehicle and unbuckle the belt
using the red button in the buckle. Fasten the
belt before continuing on your trip.
Damage to safety beltsWear and tear after accidents or when dam‐
aged otherwise:
Have the safety belts, including the safety belt
tensioners, replaced and have the belt anchors
checked.
Check and replace safety belts
This should only be done by your service
center; otherwise, this safety feature might not
work properly.◀
Front head restraints Correctly adjusted head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of injury to cervical vertebrae in the event
of an accident.
Adjusting the head restraint
Adjust the head restraints of all occupied
seats properly; otherwise, there is an increased
risk of injury in an accident.◀
Height
Adjust the head restraint so that its center is
approximately at ear level.
Distance Adjust the distance so that the head restraint
is as close as possible to the back of the head.Seite 58ControlsAdjusting58
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