tow BMW 325XI SEDAN 2004 E46 Owner's Manual

Contents

Operation, maintenance

Special operating instructions:

Break-in procedures120
General driving notes121
Antilock Brake System
(ABS)121
Brake system122

Wheels and tires:

Tire inflation pressure124
Tire condition124
Tire replacement125
Wheel and tire
combinations127
Winter tires127

In the engine compartment:

Hood129
Engine compartment
essentials130
Washer fluids132
Engine oil132
Coolant134
Brake fluid134

Maintenance:

The BMW Maintenance
System136

Laws and regulations:

California Proposition 65
warning138
OBD interface socket138
Owner service procedures
Replacement procedures:

Onboard tool kit142
Windshield wiper blades142
Lamps and bulbs143
Changing a wheel147
Run Flat tires*150
Battery151
Fuses151

Giving and receiving
assistance: Receiving assistance152
Jump-starting153
Towing the vehicle154
Technical data

Engine data160
Dimensions161
Weights162
Capacities163

41
Floor matYou can turn the floor mat over to trans-
port soiled objects, etc. The rubber-
coated side is suitable for washing and
is also designed to inhibit sliding.
The fittings at the corners of the lug-
gage compartment provide you with a
convenient means of attaching luggage
compartment nets* and flexible straps
for securing luggage.
Refer also to Cargo loading on
page 114.
Alarm system*The conceptThe vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood or the lug-
gage compartment lid 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 – tilt alarm sensor
>To interruption of battery voltage.
The system responds to unauthorized
vehicle entry and attempted theft by
simultaneously activating the following:
>The acoustic alarm sounds for
30 seconds
>The hazard warning flashers are acti-
vated for approx. five minutes
>The high beams flash 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 luggage com-
partment lid when the system is armed
by pressing the remote control button,
refer to page 34. The lid is once again
secured when it is closed.
Extended pressure on the button sets
off the alarm – Panic mode, refer to
page 34.
Luggage compartment
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70
RReverseSelect only when the vehicle is station-
ary.NNeutralAlways engage before starting the
engine, refer to Starting the engine on
page 66.Sequential modeEach time the engine is started, the
sequential mode is activated as soon as
you move the selector lever into the for-
ward driving position while the brake is
depressed.
The gears are shifted via the shift pad-
dles or the selector lever.
It is also possible to drive off in second
gear, e.g. on snow-covered roads.DDrive modeIn the drive mode all forward gears are
shifted automatically.
To switch from sequential to drive
mode: tap the selector lever to the right
toward D.
For rapid acceleration, e.g. during
passing, depress the accelerator pedal
completely: kickdown.To switch back to sequential mode: tap
the selector lever again to the right
toward D or change the current gear via
the shift paddles or the selector lever.
KickdownYou can achieve maximum acceleration
using kickdown.
Depress the accelerator pedal past the
increased resistance point at the full-
throttle position.
Shifting gearsWith selector lever:
>To upshift, tap the selector lever
toward +
>To downshift, tap the lever toward —.
With shift paddles on steering wheel:
>To upshift, pull one of the shift pad-
dles
>To downshift, push the paddle.
You accelerate from higher gears, e.g.
during passing, by manually downshift-
ing.
In the following situations, the SMG in
the sequential mode assists you:
>The transmission will only execute
upshifts and downshifts that will
result in an appropriate combination
of vehicle speed and engine rpm. For
Sequential manual gearbox SMG*

71
instance, downshifts that would
result in excessive engine speed can-
not be executed
>When you brake the car to a stop, the
transmission automatically shifts
down to first gear
>As speed diminishes the transmission
will shift down automatically, without
any action on your part, just before
the vehicle slows to below each
gear's minimum speed.
Available displaysR N 1 2 3 4 5 6
D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6
The currently engaged gear, the
selected mode, and any malfunctions
are displayed in the instrument cluster.Indicator lamp
If the indicator lamp comes on,
there is a malfunction in the
transmission system.
All selector lever positions can still be
engaged, but in the forward driving
positions only certain gears are actually
available when the vehicle is driven.
Avoid extreme loads and proceed to
the nearest BMW center.
For information on jump-starting and
towing the vehicle, refer to page 153.Warning toneAn acoustic signal sounds if the SMG
gearbox overheats; if possible you
should either stop or increase your pull-
away speed so that the system can
cool down.
Sequential manual gearbox SMG*
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73
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
automatic 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 positions P 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 catch prevents inadvertent movement
of the selector lever to positions R and
P. To deactivate the catch, press the
button on the front of the selector lever
knob, 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 other-
wise 'creep' when a drive position is
engaged. To prevent the vehicle from
starting off on its own, always move the
selector lever to position P and engage
the parking brake before leaving your
vehicle with the engine running.
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.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.
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74
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 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 transmission will only execute
upshifts and downshifts that will result
in an appropriate combination of vehi-
cle speed and engine rpm. For
instance, downshifts that would result
in excessive engine speed are not exe-
cuted. 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*

75
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 – for-
ward or reverse – is engaged. If you do
this, the vehicle could move.<
For towing or jump-starting, refer to the
information beginning on page 153.
Automatic transmission with Steptronic*
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84
Computer*Mode selectionWith the ignition key in position 1 or
higher, you can use the button in the
turn signal lever to request information
from the computer. Each time you
press the button briefly toward the
steering column, a new function is
called up in the 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, see
page 102.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.<

86Technology for safety and driving convenience
Park Distance Control (PDC)*The conceptPDC assists you when you back into a
parking space. Acoustic signals alert
you to the momentary distance to an
object behind your vehicle. The system
features four ultrasonic sensors
mounted in your rear bumper. The mon-
itoring range for the two corner sensors
extends outward roughly 2 ft/60 cm
behind the bumpers, while two centrally
located sensors detect objects at dis-
tances 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 shift
into Reverse or move the selector lever
into the R position with the ignition 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. The signal then sounds when
you shift into Reverse or move the
selector lever into the R position. 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 have the problem fixed by
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.<

100
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
toward the red zone. The tem-
perature of the incoming air is kept con-
stant.
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. 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.
Traces of condensed water of this kind
are thus normal.<
Outside air/Recirculated-air mode
You can respond to unpleasant
external odors by temporarily
blocking 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