belt BMW 325XI TOURING 2006 E91 Owner's Manual

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Driving tips
Mobility
31
Adjustments
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In con-
junction with the safety belts, the head
restraints and the airbags, the seated position
has a major influence on your safety in the event
of an accident. To ensure that the safety sys-
tems operate with optimal efficiency, we
strongly urge you to observe the instructions
contained in the following section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page39.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance
between yourself and the airbags. Always
grip the steering wheel on the rim, with your
hands in the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions,
to minimize the risk of injury to the hands or
arms in the event of the airbag being triggered
off.
No one and nothing is to come between the air-
bags and the seat occupant.
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the
front passenger side as a storage area. Make
sure that the front passenger is sitting correctly,
e.g. not resting feet or legs on the instrument
panel, otherwise leg injuries can occur if the
front airbag is triggered.
Make sure that passengers do not lean their
heads against the side or head airbags, other-
wise serious injuries could result if the side air-
bags suddenly deployed.<
Even if you follow all the instructions, injuries
resulting from contact with airbags cannot be
fully excluded, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may
provoke a mild hearing loss in extremely sensi-
tive individuals. This effect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information
on airbags, refer to page71.
Head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of neck injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint in such a way
that its center is at approx. ear level. Oth-
erwise, there is an increased risk of injury in the
event of an accident.<
Head restraints, refer to page33.
Safety belt
Before every drive, make sure that all occupants
wear their safety belts. Airbags complement the
safety belt as an additional safety device, but
they do not represent a substitute.
Never allow more than one person to
wear a single safety belt. Never allow
infants or small children to ride in a passenger's
lap.
Expectant mothers should also wear the safety
belt, making sure that the strap in the pelvic
area is well down on the hips and does not press
against the abdominal region of the body.
Do not route the belt across your neck, or run it
across sharp edges. Be sure that the belt does
not become caught or jammed. The safety belt
should not be twisted and must be positioned
firmly over the pelvis and shoulder, as close to
the body as possible. It should not pass over
hard or fragile objects, otherwise the belt in the
pelvic area could slide over the hips in the event
of a head-on collision and injure the lower abdo-
men. Avoid wearing bulky clothing and regularly
pull the belt in the upper-body area taut, other-
wise its restraining effect could be impaired.<
Safety belts, refer to page36.
Seats
Note before adjusting
Never attempt to adjust your seat while
the vehicle is moving. The seat could
respond with unexpected movement, and the

Adjustments
32 ensuing loss of vehicle control could lead to an
accident.
On the front passenger seat as well, do not
incline the backrest too far to the rear while the
vehicle is being driven, otherwise there is a dan-
ger in the event of an accident of sliding under
the safety belt, eliminating the protection nor-
mally provided by the belt.<
Comply with the instructions on head restraint
height on page33, and on damaged safety
belts on page36.
Seat adjustment
Observe the adjustment instructions on
page31 to ensure the best possible per-
sonal protection.<
Longitudinal direction
Pull lever 1 and slide the seat to the desired
position.
After releasing the lever, move the seat gently
forward or back to make sure it engages prop-
erly.
Height
Pull lever 2 and apply your weight to the seat or
lift it off, as necessary.
Backrest
Pull lever 3 and apply your weight to the back-
rest or lift it off, as necessary.
Lumbar support*
You can also adjust the contour of the backrest
to obtain additional support in the lumbar
region.
The upper hips and spinal column receive sup-
plementary support to help you maintain a
relaxed, upright sitting position.
>Increase or decrease curvature: push
switch forward or back.
>Shift curvature up or down: push switch up
or down.
Electric seat adjustment*
Comply with the adjusting instructions
mentioned above to ensure the best pos-
sible personal protection.<

Adjustments
36
Convenience mode
1.Unlock and open the driver's door or switch
on radio readiness, refer to page42.
2.Briefly press the desired memory button1
or 2.
The adjusting procedure is immediately halted
when you touch a seat adjustment switch or
one of the MEMORY buttons.
Safety feature
1.Close the driver's door and switch the igni-
tion on or off, refer to page42.
2.Press the desired memory button1 or2
and maintain pressure until the adjustment
process has been completed.
If the button was pressed accidentally:
press the button again; the LED goes out.
Safety belts
Observe the adjustment instructions on
page31 to ensure the best possible per-
sonal protection.<
Before every drive, make sure that all occupants
wear their safety belts. Airbags complement the
safety belt as an additional safety device, but
they do not represent a substitute.
On the rear seats, the center belt buckle marked
with the letters CENTER is solely intended for
the center passenger.
Closing
Make sure you hear the latch plate engage in
the belt buckle.The upper belt anchor is suitable for adults of
any stature as long as the seat is adjusted prop-
erly, refer to page31.
Opening
1.Grasp the belt firmly.
2.Press the red button in the buckle.
3.Guide the belt into its reel.
'Fasten safety belts' reminder for front
seats
The indicator lamp comes on and an
acoustic signal sounds. Check
whether the safety belt has been fas-
tened correctly.The 'Fasten safety
belts' reminder is issued as long as the driver's
safety belt has not been fastened. The 'Fasten
safety belts' reminder is also activated at road
speeds above approx. 5 mph or 8 km/h if the
front passenger's safety belt is not fastened, if
heavy objects are placed on the front passenger
seat, or if driver or front passenger unfasten
their safety belts.
Damage to safety belts
If the safety belts are damaged or
stressed in an accident: have the belt sys-
tem, including any belt tensioners, replaced and
the belt anchors checked. Have this work done
only by your BMW Center or at a workshop that
works according to BMW repair procedures
with correspondingly trained personnel. Other-
wise, it is not guaranteed that the safety devices
will function properly.<
Mirrors
Exterior mirrors
The front passenger's mirror is more convex
than the driver's mirror. The objects seen in the
mirror are closer than they appear. Do not
gauge your distance from traffic behind you on
the basis of what you see in the mirror; other-
wise there is an increased risk of an accident.<

Reference
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39
Transporting children safely
The right place for children
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, otherwise they could endanger
themselves and/or other persons by opening
the doors, for example.<
The rear center seat is not suitable for installing
universal child-restraint systems for all age
groups, approved for the age group in question.
Children always in the rear
Accident research has shown that the safest
place for children is on the rear seats.
Children under the age of 13 or smaller
than 5 ft/150 cm may be transported only
in the rear in suitable child-restraint systems
appropriate for their age, weight and size. Oth-
erwise there is an increased risk of injury in the
event of an accident.<
Children 13 years of age or older must be buck-
led in with a safety belt as soon as there no
longer is any child-restraint system that is
appropriate for their age, size and weight.
All rear seats in your vehicle meet the recom-
mendations of the SAE J1819 standard for
safely mounting child-restraint systems in
motor vehicles.
Exception for front passenger seat
Should it be necessary to use a child-
restraint system on the front passenger
seat, the front and side airbags must be deacti-
vated. Otherwise, a child traveling on that seat
will be at an increased risk of injury if the airbags
are triggered off, even with a child-restraint sys-
tem. Your BMW Center will be glad to advise
you.<
For more information on automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags refer to page72.
Installing child-restraint
systems
Observe the child-restraint system man-
ufacturer's instructions for selecting,
installing and using child-restraint systems.
Otherwise the protective effect may be dimin-
ished.<
Standard child-restraint systems are designed
to be secured with a lap belt or with the lap-belt
section of a lap-and-shoulder belt. Incorrectly
or improperly installed child-restraint systems
can increase the risk of injury to children.
Always follow the installation instructions for
the system with the greatest care.
On the front passenger's seat
Before installing a child-restraint system
on the front passenger's seat, make sure
that the front and side airbags for the front pas-
senger are deactivated, otherwise there is an
increased risk of injury if the airbags deploy.<
Seat height
Before installing a universal child-restraint sys-
tem, move the front passenger's seat up as far
as it will go to ensure that the safety belt will be
ideally positioned. Do not change the seat
height afterward.
Backrest width
The backrest width of the front passenger
seat must be adjusted to its widest set-
ting, otherwise the stability of the child seat on
the front passenger seat is limited.<
1.Adjust the backrest width to its widest set-
ting, refer to page33.
2.Install the child seat.

Transporting children safely
40
Child seat security
All rear safety belts and the front passenger's
safety belt can be prevented from being pulled
out in order to fasten child-restraint systems.
To lock the safety belt
1.Secure the child-restraint system with the
belt.
2.Pull the belt strap all the way out.
3.Allow the belt strap to retract and pull it taut
against the child-restraint system.
The safety belt is locked.
To unlock the safety belt
1.Open the belt buckle
2.Remove the child-restraint system.
3.Allow the safety belt strap to retract all the
way.
Child-restraint system with tether
strap
There are three additional anchors for child-
restraint systems with tether straps, see
arrows.
Placement of the tether strap
Fold the anchors upward before using them.
1.Push the head restraint upward.
2.Guide the tether strap through the mount-
ing for the head restraint.
3.Push the head restraint into its lowermost
position.
LATCH child-restraint fixing system
LATCH: Lower Anchor and Tethers for CHil-
dren.
When installing a LATCH child seat, com-
ply with the system manufacturer's oper-
ating and safety instructions.<

Reference
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71
intervention is simultaneously deactivated
when DSC is switched off, refer to page66.
Malfunction
The warning lamps come on. Active
steering is no longer operational. At
low speeds, greater steering wheel
movements are required, whereas at
higher speeds the vehicle reacts more sensi-
tively to steering wheel movements. Drive cau-
tiously and think well ahead. Have the system
checked.
If the warning lamp lights up during the first
engine starting following a power supply inter-
ruption, the system must be activated by being
initialized.
Brake Force Display*
The brake lamps light up in two stages,
depending on how sharply you apply the
brakes.
>Normal braking:
The brake lamps and the center brake lamp
light up.
>Sharp braking:
The illuminated surface of the brake lamps
is enlarged, as long as the rear fog light is
not switched on.
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Head airbags
3Side airbags
Protective action
Observe the adjustment instructions on
page31 to ensure the best possible per-
sonal protection.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and
front passenger by responding to frontal impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When needed, the
head and side airbags help provide protection in
the event of side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The
head air bag supports the head.
The airbags will purposely not be activated by
every collision, e.g. not by more minor acci-
dents, certain roll-over situations and rear-end
collisions.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or
modify them in any other way. Do not attach

Reference
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Mobility
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Operational readiness of airbag system
As of radio readiness, refer to page42, the
warning lamp comes on briefly to indicate that
the entire airbag system and the belt tensioners
are operational.
Airbag system malfunction
>Warning lamp does not come on along with
radio readiness
>Warning lamp remains permanently on
In the event of a fault in the airbag system,
have it checked without delay, otherwise
there is the risk that the system will not function
as intended even if a sufficiently severe acci-
dent occurs.<

Practical interior accessories
90
Socket in the cargo area
Open the cap.
Cargo area
Cargo area cover
Pull out the cover and hook it into the retaining
fixtures.
Do not place objects on the cover, other-
wise they could endanger the car's occu-
pants, e.g. in the case of braking or sudden
swerving.
Do not let the cover retract, otherwise it could
be damaged.<
The cargo area cover is raised when the
rear window or tailgate is opened
*.
Before closing the rear window or tailgate,
press the cover downward until it engages.<
Expanding the cargo area
The rear seat back is divided. You can fold down
both sides separately in order to expand the
cargo area.Reach into the recess and pull forwards.
When folding the rear seat back up, make
sure that the catch engages properly. If
you cannot see a red warning area in the recess,
the catch is properly engaged. Otherwise,
cargo can be thrown around inside the passen-
ger compartment and endanger the car's occu-
pants, e.g. in the case of braking or sudden
swerving.<
Observe the instructions concerning the
safety belt on page31 to ensure the best
possible personal protection.<
Cargo area net
Do not let the cargo area net retract, oth-
erwise there is a risk of danger and the
cargo area net could be damaged.<
Use the loop strap to pull the cargo area net out
of the casing. Grip the bar on both ends and
insert it into the retaining fixtures, arrow 1. This
can best be done from the rear seat.
When you no longer require the cargo area net,
grip both ends of the bar and take it out of the
retaining fixtures, arrow 2. Let the cargo area
net slide into the casing slowly.

Practical interior accessories
92
Folding up the cargo area floor panel
Fold up the cargo area floor panel and take it out
or lean it forward.
Do not exceed the maximum permissible
load of 55 lbs/25 kg for the storage com-
partment under the floor panel, otherwise dam-
age could result.<
Lashing eyes
You will find lashing eyes in the cargo area for
securing luggage items with nets or tensioning
straps, refer to page99.
Ski bag*
Designed for safe, clean transport of up to
4 pairs of standard skis or up to 2 snowboards.
With the ski bag you can stow skis with a length
of up to 6 ft 10 in/2.10 m. When skis of 6 ft 10 in/
2.10 m length are loaded, the overall capacity of
the ski bag is reduced due to its tapered design.
Loading
1.Fold down the center armrest.
2.Press the button, reach into the recess and
fold down the cover.3.Open the Velcro fastener, spread the ski
bag between the front seats and insert the
skis or snowboards.
The zip fastener makes objects in the ski
bag easier to reach.
4.Insert the latch plate of the ski bag's retain-
ing strap in the center belt buckle.
Make sure to load only clean skis into the ski
bag. Wrap sharp edges to prevent damage.
Securing cargo
After loading, secure the ski bag and its con-
tents. Tighten the retaining strap on the ten-
sioning buckle for this purpose.
Secure the ski bag in the manner
described, otherwise it could endanger
the car's occupants, e.g. in case of heavy brak-
ing or sudden swerving.<
To store the ski bag, perform the steps
described for loading in reverse order.
Removing the ski bag
The ski bag can be completely removed, e.g. for
faste r drying or to allow you to use other inserts.

Reference
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Mobility
99
Load
The permissible load is the total of the weight of
occupants and cargo/luggage. The greater the
weight of the occupants, the less cargo/lug-
gage can be transported.
Stowing cargo
>For the safety of the passengers, install the
cargo area net, refer to page90.
>Position heavy objects as low and as far for-
ward as possible, ideally directly behind the
respective seat backs.
>Cover sharp edges and corners.
>For very heavy cargo when the rear seat is
not occupied, secure each safety belt in the
opposite buckle.
Securing cargo
>Smaller and relatively light items can be
retained with tensioning straps or draw
straps
*.
>Heavy-duty cargo straps
* for securing
larger and heavier objects are available at
your BMW Center. Four lashing eyes are
provided for attaching the cargo straps.
Two are located on the side walls of the
cargo area, arrows 1, and two others are on
the inside rear wall of the cargo area, arrows
2.
Comply with the information provided with
the cargo straps.
Always position and secure the cargo as
described above, so that it cannot endan-
ger the car's occupants, for example if sudden
braking or swerves are necessary.
Never exceed either the approved gross vehicle
weight or either of the approved axle loads, refer
to page144, as excessive loads can pose a
safety hazard, and may also place you in viola-
tion of traffic safety laws.
Heavy or hard objects should not be carried
loose inside the car, since they could be thrown
around, for example as a result of heavy braking,
sudden swerves, etc., and endanger the occu-
pants.<
Roof-mounted luggage rack*
A special rack system is available as an option
for your BMW. Comply with the precautions
included with the installation instructions.