tow BMW 325XI 2003 Owners Manual

Contents

Operation, maintenance

Special operating instructions:

Break-in procedures114
Driving notes115
Antilock Brake System
(ABS)115
Brake system116

Wheels and tires:

Tire inflation pressure117
Tire condition117
Tire replacement118
Wheel and tire
combinations120
Winter tires120

In the engine compartment:

Hood122
Engine compartment
essentials124
Washer fluids126
Engine oil126
Coolant128
Brake fluid129

Maintenance:

The BMW Maintenance
System130

Laws and regulations:

California Proposition 65
warning132
OBD interface socket132
Owner service procedures
Replacement procedures:

Onboard tool kit136
Windshield wiper blades136
Lamps and bulbs137
Changing a wheel141
Run Flat tires*145
Battery146
Fuses146 Giving and receiving
assistance: Jump-starting147
Towing the vehicle148
Technical data

Engine data152
Dimensions153
Weights154
Capacities155

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37
Alarm system*The conceptThe vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood, the tailgate
or the rear window is opened
>To movement inside the vehicle –
interior motion sensor
>To variations in the vehicle's tilt angle
such as those occurring during
attempts to steal the wheels or tow
the vehicle
>To interruption of battery voltage.
The system responds to unauthorized
vehicle entry and attempted theft by
simultaneously activating the following:
>Sounding an acoustic alarm for
30 seconds
>The hazard warning flashers are acti-
vated for approx. five minutes
>Flashing the high beams on and off in
rhythm with the hazard warning flash-
ers.To arm and disarm the alarm
systemWhen the vehicle is locked or unlocked
via the driver's door lock or with the
remote control, the alarm system is also
simultaneously armed or disarmed.You can have different acknowl-
edgment signals set to confirm
arming and disarming.<
You can also open the rear window
when the system is armed by pressing
the remote control button, refer to
page 32. The window is once again
secured when it is closed.
Indicator lamp displays>The indicator lamp below the interior
rearview mirror flashes continuously:
the system is armed
>The indicator lamp flashes while the
system is armed: the door(s), the
hood, the tailgate or rear window are
not completely closed. Even if you do
not close the alerted area(s), the
remaining areas are secured, and the
indicator lamp will flash continuously
after 10 seconds. However, the inte-
rior motion sensor is not activated
>The indicator lamp goes out when the
system is disarmed: no manipulation
or attempted intrusions have been
detected in the period since the sys-
tem was armed
>The indicator lamp flashes for
10 seconds when the system is dis-
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63
Automatic transmission with Steptronic*You can drive as with a normal auto-
matic transmission. In addition, you can
also shift manually.
When you move the selector lever from
the D position to the left into the M/S
range, the performance-oriented shift
programs of the automatic transmission
are engaged. Steptronic enters the
manual selection mode and executes
the desired shift whenever you tap the
selector lever in the direction indicated
by + or –. Whenever you want to use
the automatic mode again, just move
the selector lever toward the right to
position D. Under normal operating
conditions, fuel consumption is lowest
when driving in position D.
Selector lever positionsP R N D M/S + –Starting the engineThe engine can only be started in selec-
tor lever positions P – for Park – or N –
for Neutral.Range selectionA detent prevents inadvertent shifts to
the Reverse or Park selector lever posi-
tions. To disengage the detent, press
the button on the front side of
the selector lever button – see arrow.
While the vehicle is stationary and
before shifting out of Park or Neu-
tral, depress the footbrake in order to
disengage the selector lever's lock
mechanism – Shiftlock.
Hold the footbrake down until starting
off. The vehicle will otherwise "creep"
when a drive position is engaged.<
To prevent the vehicle from start-
ing off on its own, always move
the selector lever to position P and
engage the parking brake before leav-
ing your vehicle with the engine run-
ning.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended
with the engine running. An unattended
vehicle with a running engine repre-
sents a safety hazard.<
PParkSelect only when the vehicle is station-
ary. Transmission locks to prevent rear
wheels from turning.RReverseSelect only when the vehicle is station-
ary.
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64
NNeutralSelect only when stopping for an
extended period.DDrive – automatic shift programThis position is designed for driving
under all normal operating conditions.
All forward gears are available.KickdownIn the kickdown mode, you achieve
maximum acceleration and top speed
in position D.
Depress the accelerator pedal past the
increased resistance point at the full-
throttle position.
M/S manual operation and Sport
ProgramMove the selector lever from D to M/S
to activate the Sport Program; SD
appears in the display panel. The M/S
mode is recommended for perfor-
mance-oriented driving.
Once in the M/S mode you can tap the
selector lever to switch the automatic
transmission from the Sport Program to
its manual selection mode.
This mode allows you to execute
upshifts manually by tapping the lever
toward +, while downshifts are selected
by tapping in the "–" direction. The dis-
plays M1 through M5 appear in the dis-
play panel to indicate your current gear
selection.
The Adaptive Transmission Control
(ATC) executes upshifts and downshifts
only when the new gear will provide a
suitable combination of engine and
road speed, i.e., ATC will not execute
downshifts if the engine speed is too
high. The desired, then the actual gear,
briefly appear in the instrument cluster.
To accelerate quickly in the man-
ual mode for maneuvers such as
passing another vehicle, shift down
manually or employ the kickdown
mode.<
Shifting from M/S to the selector lever
positions P, R and N is possible only by
going through D.
Automatic transmission with Steptronic*
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65
Available displaysP R N D SD M1 M2 M3 M4 M5Electronic transmission control
module
If the indicator lamp comes on,
there is a malfunction in the
transmission system.
Bring the vehicle to a stop. Move the
transmission selector lever to P. Set the
parking brake and turn the engine off –
ignition key to position 0.
Wait a few seconds, then start the
engine.
If the indicator lamp goes out after a
few seconds, normal transmission per-
formance has been restored. You may
continue to drive as usual.
If the indicator lamp does not go out,
you can place the selector lever in all
positions. However, the vehicle will now
only operate in 3rd and 4th gear.
If this happens, avoid extreme engine
loads and consult the nearest autho-
rized BMW center.
Never work in the engine com-
partment when a drive gear –
forward or reverse – is engaged. If you
do this, the vehicle could move.<
For towing or jump-starting, refer to the
information beginning on page 147.
Automatic transmission with Steptronic*
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75
Computer*Mode selectionWith the ignition key in position 1 or
higher, you can call up information from
the computer using the button in the
turn signal lever. By pressing the button
briefly toward the steering column, you
can call up a new function for display.
The displays appear in the following
order:
Time of day, outside temperature, aver-
age fuel consumption, cruising range,
average vehicle speed.
With the ignition key in position 1 or
higher, the last active setting is dis-
played.
Outside temperatureYou can change the units of measure
6/7 for the outside temperature dis-
play by pressing the right-hand reset
button in the instrument cluster while
the temperature display is active. The
units of measure 6/7 in the tempera-
ture display of the automatic climate
control change automatically, refer to
page 96.Ice warningIf the outside temperature drops to
about 37.57/+36, then the computer
will automatically switch to a display of
the outside temperature. In addition, a
signal sounds as a warning and the dis-
play flashes for a brief period.
After giving an ice warning, the
display returns to the previous
setting.<
The ice warning does not alter the
fact that surface ice can form at
temperatures above 37.57/+36, on
bridges or shaded road surfaces, for
instance.<
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77 Technology for safety and driving convenience
Park Distance Control (PDC)*The conceptPDC provides extra safety and conve-
nience during parking maneuvers.
Acoustic signals alert you to the
momentary distance to an object
behind your vehicle. The system fea-
tures four ultrasonic sensors mounted
in your rear bumper. The monitoring
range for the two corner sensors
extends outward roughly 2 ft/60 cm,
while two centrally located sensors
detect objects at distances of up to
approx. 5 ft/1.50 m.
PDC is a parking aid that can
identify objects if they are
approached slowly, as is generally the
case when parking. Avoid driving
towards objects rapidly; due to underly-
ing physical principles, the system may
otherwise alert you too late for you to
take evasive steps.<
The system starts to operate automati-
cally approx. one second after you
select Reverse or move the selector
lever into the R position with the igni-
tion key in position 2.
Let this short period elapse before
driving backwards.<
PDC is deactivated when you shift back
out of reverse.
You can have a signal set to con-
firm that the PDC has been acti-
vated. indicated by a tone sounding at various
intervals. As the distance between vehi-
cle and object decreases, the intervals
between the tones become shorter. A
continuous tone indicates the pres-
ence of an object less than 1 ft/30 cm
away.
The warning signal is canceled after
approx. three seconds if the distance to
the object remains constant during this
time – if you are moving parallel to
a wall, for instance.
System malfunctions will be indicated
by a continuous high-pitched tone
when the system is activated the first
time. Please refer the problem to your
BMW center.
PDC does not remove the driver's
personal responsibility for evaluat-
ing the distance between the vehicle
and any objects. Even when sensors
are involved, there is a blind spot in
which objects cannot be detected. This
applies especially in those cases where
the system approaches the physical
limits of ultrasonic measurement, as
occurs with tow bars and trailer cou-
plings, and in the vicinity of thin or
wedge-shaped objects. Moreover, low
objects that have already been
detected – such as a curb edge – can
disappear out of the detection range of
the sensors before a continuous tone
sounds.
Loud sources of sound from outside or
inside the vehicle could drown out the
PDC signal tone.<
Keep the sensors clean and free
of ice or snow in order to ensure
that they will continue to operate effec-
tively.
Do not apply high pressure spray to the
sensors for a prolonged period of time.
Always maintain a distance of more
than 4 in/10 cm.<
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94
Air supply/Blower
You can select blower speeds
from 1 to 4. The heating and
ventilation become more and
more effective as the air sup-
ply settings are increased. In position 0,
the blower and the heater are switched
off. The outside air supply is blocked in
position 0.
Temperature
In order to increase the tem-
perature of the passenger
compartment, turn to the
right, red. The temperature of
the incoming air is kept constant.
Air distribution
You can direct air to flow onto
the windows , toward your
upper body or into the
footwell . All intermediate
settings are possible. In the setting ,
there is a low flow of air onto the win-
dows to keep them free of condensa-
tion.
Rear window defroster
When the rear window defroster
is activated, the indicator lamp
comes on. The rear window defroster
switches off automatically.
You can have your vehicle pro-
grammed in such a way that the
rear window defroster switches on
automatically. This occurs within 5 min-
utes after starting the engine when out-
side temperatures are below approx.
397/+46.<
Air conditioning
The air is cooled and dehumidi-
fied and – depending on the
temperature setting – rewarmed.
Depending on the weather, the wind-
shield may fog over briefly when the
engine is started. Switching on the air
conditioning will reduce condensation
forming on the windows.
Condensation forms during opera-
tion of the air conditioning system,
which then exits under the vehicle. It is
thus not unusual for a small puddle to
form under the car while the system is
running.<
Outside air/Recirculated-air mode
You can respond to unpleasant
external odors by temporarily
excluding the supply of outside air. The
system then recirculates the air cur-
rently within the vehicle.
If the windows should fog over in
the recirculated-air mode, switch
this mode off and increase the air sup-
ply as required.<
Air conditioning
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98
Tips for pleasant drivingUse the automatic mode by pressing
AUTO button 7. Select an interior tem-
perature that is comfortable for you.
Detailed setting options are described
for you in the following section.
You can make the settings of your
vehicle in such a manner that
when you unlock the vehicle with the
remote control of your personal key,
your own personalized setting for the
automatic climate control is initiated. supply
The AUTO program adjusts the
air distribution and the air sup-
ply for you and in addition adapts the
temperature to external influences –
summer, winter – to meet preferences
you can specify.
Individual air distribution
You can cancel the AUTO pro-
gram by selecting specific dis-
tribution patterns to suit your
own individual requirements.
While the AUTO program is then deacti-
vated, the automatic airflow control
remains in operation. Air flows onto
windows , toward the upper body
, and into the footwell . You can
switch the automatic distribution of air
back on by selecting the AUTO button.Temperature
The interior temperature that
appears in the display panel is a
general figure intended for reference
purposes. We recommend 727/+226
as a comfortable setting, even if the air
conditioning is on. When you start the
vehicle, the system ensures that the
selected temperature is achieved as
quickly as possible regardless of the
season. It then maintains this tempera-
ture.
To select the units of measure 6/7 of
the display, refer to 75.
Air supply/Blower
Press the left or right half of the
button to regulate the air supply.
This deactivates the automatic control
of the air supply, AUTO disappears
from the display panel. Nevertheless,
the automatic air distribution remains
unchanged. You can reactivate the
automatic air distribution mode by
selecting the AUTO button.
When the lowest blower speed is set
and you press the left half of the button,
all of the displays are canceled: the
blower, heating and air conditioning are
switched off. The outside air supply is
blocked. You can reactivate the system
by pressing any button for the auto-
matic climate control.To defrost windows and remove
condensation
This program quickly removes
ice and condensation from the
windshield and the side windows.
Air conditioning
The air is cooled and dehumidi-
fied and – depending on the
temperature setting – rewarmed.
Depending on the weather, the wind-
shield may fog over briefly when the
engine is started. Air conditioning helps
prevent the windows from fogging up.
Condensation forms during opera-
tion of the air conditioning system,
which then exits under the vehicle. It is
thus not unusual for a small puddle to
form under the car while the system is
running.<
Automatic climate control*
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108
To remove cargo cover and
partition net1. Press the buttons on the sides – see
arrow 1
2. Extract the case by pulling to the rear
– see arrow 2.InstallationSimply slide the case forward in the two
side holders until it engages.
Storing with backrests folded
forwardSupports for the case are provided on
the rear sides of the backrests – see
arrow 1.
Insert the case from the right as shown
in the illustration, continuing until the
detent engages – see arrow 2. Ensure
that the cargo cover points toward the
front of the vehicle, with the partition
net's loop on the top.
You can pull the partition net out and
insert it into the holders above it in the
upper roof area.
To ensure that the case is properly
positioned, remember to insert it
on both guides from the right side,
always continuing until the detents
snap into place. Failure to observe the
prescribed insertion procedure could
also result in damage to the door's
upholstery.<
Cargo area
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