BMW 5 SERIES 2011 Repair Manual

For your safety
Under
the following conditions, Automatic Hold
is automatically deactivated and the parking
brake is set:
▷ The engine is switched off.
▷ A door is opened and driver's safety belt is
unbuckled.
▷ The moving vehicle is brought to a standstill
using the parking brake.
The indicator lamp switches from green
to red and the letters AUTO H go out.
Lower lamp: indicator lamp in Canadian
models
Before driving away:
▷ Release the parking brake manually.
▷ Reactivate Automatic Hold.
Leaving the vehicle with the engine run‐
ning
Before leaving the vehicle with the engine run‐
ning, engage position P of the automatic trans‐
mission

and ensure that the parking brake is set.
Otherwise, the vehicle may begin to roll.◀
Activating
This function can be activated when the driver's
door is closed and the safety belt is fastened, or
while driving.
Press the button.
The LED and the letters AUTO H light
up.
The indicator lamp lights up.
Automatic Hold is activated.
Deactivating Press the button again.
The LED and the letters AUTO H go
out.
Automatic Hold is deactivated.
If the vehicle is being held by Automatic Hold,
press on the brake pedal to deactivate it. When the parking brake, refer to page
60, is set
manually, Automatic Hold is deactivated auto‐
matically.
Driving
Automatic

Hold is activated: the vehicle is auto‐
matically secured against rolling when it stops.
The indicator lamp lights up in green.
Step on the accelerator pedal to drive
off.
The brake is released automatically.
The indicator lamp goes out.
Lower lamp: indicator lamp in Canadian models
Before driving into a car wash
Deactivate Automatic Hold; otherwise, the
parking brake will be set when the vehicle is sta‐
tionary and the vehicle will no longer be able to
roll.◀
Parking
The parking brake is automatically set if the en‐
gine is switched off while the vehicle is being
held by Automatic Hold.
The indicator lamp changes from green
to red.
The parking brake is not set if the engine
is switched off while the vehicle is coast‐
ing to a halt. Automatic Hold is deacti‐
vated.
Lower lamp: indicator lamp in Canadian models
Take the remote control with you
Take the remote control with you when
leaving the vehicle so that children, for example,
cannot release the parking brake.◀
Malfunction
In the event of a failure or malfunction of the
parking brake, secure the vehicle against rolling
using a wheel chock, for example, when leaving
it. Seite 61
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Turn signal, high beams,
headlamp flasher
Turn signal
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To
switch off manually, press the lever to the re‐
sistance point.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator lamp in‐
dicates that a turn signal bulb has failed.
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever to the resistance point.
The turn signal flashes three times.
The function can be activated or deactivated:
1. "Settings"
2. "Lighting"
3. "Triple turn signal" Signaling briefly
Press the lever to the resistance point and hold
it

there for as long as you want the turn signal to
flash. High beams, headlamp flasher
▷
High beams, arrow 1.
▷ Headlamp flasher, arrow 2.
Washer/wiper system
Switching the wipers on/off and brief
wipe Do not switch on the wipers if frozen
Do

not switch on the wipers if they are fro‐
zen onto the windshield; otherwise, the wiper
blades and the windshield wiper motor may be
damaged.◀
Switching on Press the wiper levers up.
The lever automatically returns to its initial po‐
sition when released.
▷
Normal wiping speed: press up once.
The wipers switch to intermittent operation
when the vehicle is stationary.
▷ Fast wiping speed: press up twice or press
once beyond the resistance point.
The

wipers switch to normal speed when the
vehicle is stationary. Seite 62
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Switching off and brief wipe
Press the wiper levers down.
The lever automatically returns to its initial po‐
sition when released.
▷
Brief wipe: press down once.
▷ To switch off normal wipe: press down once.
▷ To switch off fast wipe: press down twice.
Rain sensor
The concept
The time between wipes is controlled automat‐
ically
and depends on the intensity of the rainfall.
The sensor is located on the windshield, directly
in front of the interior rearview mirror.
Activating/deactivating the rain sensor Press the button on the wiper lever.
When

activated, the wipers move over the wind‐
shield once.
The LED in the steering column stalk lights up. Deactivate the rain sensor in car washes
Deactivate the rain sensor when passing
through

an automatic car wash; otherwise, dam‐
age could be caused by undesired wiper activa‐
tion.◀
Rain sensor sensitivity Turn the thumbwheel.
Clean the windshield,

headlamps* Pull the lever.
The system sprays washer fluid on the wind‐
shield and activates the wipers briefly.
In

addition, the headlamps are cleaned at regular
intervals when the vehicle lights are switched
on.
Do not use the washer system at freezing
temperatures
Do not use the washers if there is any danger
that the fluid will freeze on the windshield; oth‐
erwise, your vision could be obscured. For this
reason, use antifreeze.
Avoid using the washer when the reservoir is
empty; otherwise, you could damage the
pump.◀ Seite 63
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Windshield washer nozzles
The washer jets are automatically heated*
whenever the ignition is switched on.
Fold-out position of the wipers
Required when changing the wiper blades or
under frosty conditions, for example.
1.
Switch off the ignition.
2. Under frosty conditions, ensure that the
wiper blades are not frozen onto the wind‐
shield.
3. Press the wiper lever up beyond the point of
resistance
and hold it for approx. 3 seconds,
until the wiper remains in a nearly vertical
position.
After the wipers are folded back down, the wiper
system must be reactivated.
Fold the wipers back down
Before switching the ignition on, fold the
wipers

back down to the windshield; otherwise,
the wipers may become damaged when they are
switched on.◀
1. Switch on the ignition.
2. Press the wiper levers down. The wipers
move

to their resting position and are ready
for operation.
Washer fluid
General information Antifreeze for washer fluid
Antifreeze is flammable. Therefore, keep
it away from sources of ignition.
Only

keep it in the closed original container and
inaccessible to children.
Follow the instructions on the container.◀ Washer fluid reservoir
Adding washer fluid
Only add washer fluid when the engine is
cool, and then close the cover completely to
avoid

contact between the washer fluid and hot
engine parts.
Otherwise, there is the danger of fire and a risk
to personal safety if the fluid is spilled.◀ All washer nozzles are supplied from one reser‐
voir.
Fill with water and – if required – with a washer
antifreeze,

according to the manufacturer's rec‐
ommendations.
Mix the washer fluid before adding to maintain
the correct mixing ratio.
Capacity
Approx. 5.3 US quarts/ 5 liters
Manual transmission
Shifting
Shifting into 5th or 6th gear
When shifting into 5th or 6th gear, push
the gearshift lever to the right; otherwise inad‐
vertent shifting into the 3rd or 4th gear could
lead to engine damage.◀
Reverse gear
Select only when the vehicle is stationary. When
the gearshift lever is pressed to the left, a slight
resistance needs to be overcome. Seite 64
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Automatic transmission with
Steptronic*
Transmission positions
D Drive, automatic position
Position for normal vehicle operation. All for‐
ward gears are available.
R is Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
N is Neutral
Use in automatic car washes, for example. The
vehicle can roll.
When the ignition is switched off, refer to
page
58, position P is engaged automatically.
P Park
Select only when the vehicle is stationary. The
drive wheels are blocked.
P is engaged automatically:
▷ After the engine is switched off, if the car is
in
radio ready state, refer to page 58, or if the
ignition is switched off, refer to page 58, and
if position R or D is engaged.
▷ If the ignition is switched off and position N
is engaged.
▷ If the safety belt is unbuckled, the driver's
door is opened, and the brake pedal is not
pressed while the vehicle is stationary and
transmission position R or D is engaged.
Kickdown
Kickdown is used to achieve maximum driving
performance. Press on the accelerator beyond
the resistance point at the full throttle position.
Engaging the transmission position
▷ Transmission position P can only be disen‐
gaged

if the engine is running and the brake
pedal is pressed.
▷ With the vehicle stationary, press on the
brake pedal before shifting out of P or N; otherwise, the shift command will not be
executed: shift lock.
Depress

the brake until you start driv‐
ing
To prevent the vehicle from creeping after
you select a driving position, maintain pres‐
sure on the brake pedal until you are ready
to start.◀ Engaging D, R and N
Briefly push the selector lever in the desired di‐
rection, beyond a resistance point if necessary.
After

releasing the selector lever, it returns to its
center position. Press the Unlock button to:
▷
Engage R.
▷ Shift out of P.
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Engaging P
Press button P.
Sport program and manual mode M/S
Activating the sport program
Push the selector lever to the left out of trans‐
mission position D.
DS is displayed in the instrument cluster.
This position is recommended for a perform‐
ance-oriented driving style.
Activating the M/S manual mode
Push the selector lever to the left out of trans‐
mission position D.
Push the selector lever forward or backward.
Manual mode becomes active and the gear is
changed.
The
engaged gear is displayed in the instrument
cluster, e.g., M1.
▷ To shift down: press the selector lever for‐
ward.
▷ To shift up: press the selector lever back‐
ward.
The transmission only shifts up or down if the
rpm and vehicle speed are appropriate. If the engine speed is too high, the transmission does
not shift down.
The selected gear is briefly displayed in the in‐
strument cluster, followed by the current gear.
Ending the sport program/manual
mode
Push the selector lever to the right.
D is displayed in the instrument cluster.
Shift paddles for Sport automatic
transmission*
The shift paddles on the steering wheel allow
you to shift gears quickly while keeping both
hands on the steering wheel.
If the shift paddles on the steering wheel are
used

to shift gears in automatic mode, the trans‐
mission temporarily switches to manual mode.
If the shift paddles are not used and the vehicle
is not accelerated for a certain time, the system
switches back into automatic mode if the selec‐
tor lever is in D.
▷ Shift up: pull right shift paddle.
▷ Shift down: pull left shift paddle.
The vehicle only shifts up or down at appropriate
engine and road speeds, e.g., it does not shift
down if the engine speed is too high.
The selected gear is briefly displayed in the in‐
strument cluster, followed by the current gear.
Displays in the instrument cluster The transmission position is dis‐
played, for instance, P. Seite 66
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Displays
Instrument cluster
Overview, instrument cluster
1
Fuel gauge  72
2 Speedometer
3 Indicator/warning lamps  70
4 Tachometer  72 5
Engine oil temperature   72
6 Electronic displays  69
7 Display/reset miles  73
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Overview, instrument cluster with enhanced features*
1
Fuel gauge  72
2 Speedometer
3 Indicator/warning lamps  70
4 Tachometer  72 5
Engine oil temperature   72
6 Electronic displays  69
7 Display/reset miles  73
Seite 68
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Instrument cluster, electronic displays
Overview, instrument cluster
1
Miles/trip miles   73
External temperature  73
Time  73
Date  73
Range  73
Selection list, e.g., radio
  75
Navigation display*  154 Computer*  75
2 Transmission displays  66
Current fuel consumption  74
Energy recovery  74
3 Service requirements   74
Messages, e.g. Check Control   70
Navigation display

*  154
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Overview, instrument cluster with enhanced features*
1
Messages, e.g. Check Control   70
Time  73
Date  73
2 Range  73
3 Computer*  75
4 Navigation display*  154
Service requirements   74 Miles/trip miles  
73
5 Selection list, for instance radio  75
Current fuel consumption  74
Energy recovery  74
External temperature  73
6 Transmission display  66
Check Control
The concept
The Check Control system monitors functions
in
the vehicle and notifies you of malfunctions in
the monitored systems.
A Check Control message is displayed as a
combination of indicator or warning lamps and
text messages in the instrument cluster and in
the Head-up Display*.
In addition, an acoustic signal may be output and
a text message may appear on the Control Dis‐
play. Indicator/warning lamps
The indicator and warning lamps can light up in
a variety of combinations and colors.
Several of the lamps are checked for proper
functioning and light up temporarily when the
engine is started or the ignition is switched on.
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