warning BMW 525I 2005 User Guide

Controls
65Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communication
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Everything under control
Odometer, outside
temperature display, clock
When the ignition is off you can briefly activate
the time, outside temperature and odometer
displays by pressing the knob 3 in the instru-
ment cluster.
1 Outside temperature display, time,
date
The outside temperature and the time are dis-
played as of ignition key position 1.
Date retrieval:
Press CHECK button on turn signal lever, refer
to page69.
Time and date setting, refer to page74.
You can set the measurement unit 7 or 6 on
the Control Display, refer to Measurement units
on page73.
Ice warning
A signal sounds when the outside temperature
falls to approx. +37.57/+36; this is accompa-
nied by a message.
Please bear in mind that the ice warning
does nothing to alter the fact that black
ice may be present on roads at temperatures
higher than +37.57/+36, e. g. on bridges and
shaded roads.<
2 Odometer and trip odometer
Resetting trip odometer: press the knob3 in the
instrument cluster.
Tachometer
The white-striped advance warning field,
arrow1, changes depending on the engine
temperature. The segments disappear in
sequence as the engine warms to its normal
operating temperature. Avoid allowing the
engine speed to rise as far as the orange warn-
ing sector whenever possible.
Engine speeds in the red warning field, arrow2,
must absolutely be avoided. In this range, the
fuel supply is interrupted to protect the engine.

Everything under control
72 3.Press the controller.
Speed limit
You can enter a speed and a Check Control
message indicates when you have reached this
speed. This enables you, for example, to
receive warnings if you exceed a speed limit in
an urban area.
You are only warned of reaching this speed a
second time if your vehicle speed falls below it
again by at least 3 mph/5 km/h.
Entering, changing
Control Center, for principle details, refer to
page16.
1.Open "Navigation".
In vehicles without a navigation system:
Open "Car Data".
2.Select "Car Data" and press the controller.
3.Select "Limit" and press the controller.
4.Select the speed and press the controller.
5.Turn the controller to set the limit. If
needed, hold it against a slight resistance to
enter a larger difference.
6.Press the controller to apply the setting.
Applying your current speed as limit
Control Center, for principle details, refer to
page16.
1.Open "Navigation".
In vehicles without a navigation system:
Open "Car Data".
2.Select "Car Data" and press the controller.
3.Select "Limit" and press the controller.
4.Select "Select current speed" and press
the controller. The system adopts your cur-
rent speed as the limit.
Activating limit
Control Center, for principle details, refer to
page16.
1.Open "Navigation".
In vehicles without a navigation system:
Open "Car Data".
2.Select "Car Data" and press the controller.
3.Select "Limit" and press the controller.
4.Select "On" and press the controller.
Limit is activated.
Stopwatch
Control Center, for principle details, refer to
page16.
1.Open "Navigation".
In vehicles without a navigation system:
Open "Car Data".
2.Select "Car Data" and press the controller.
3.Select "Stopwatch" and press the control-
ler.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
76
Technology for comfort, convenience and
safety
PDC Park Distance Control*
The concept
The PDC assists you when you are parking.
Acoustic signals and an optical display
* alert
you to the approach of an object from behind
your vehicle. To measure the distance, there
are four ultrasonic sensors in each bumper. The
sensors at the front and at the two rear corners
have a range of approx. 24 in/60 cm; the rear
middle sensors have approx. 5 ft/1.50 m.
PDC is a parking aid that can indicate
objects when they are approached
slowly, as is usually the case when parking.
Avoid approaching an object at high speed, as
otherwise the physical circumstances would
mean that the system warning was too late.<
Automatic mode
When the ignition key is in position 2, the sys-
tem automatically assumes operational status
after a few seconds each time you shift into
reverse or move the selector lever into the R
position.
Wait this short period before driving. The sys-
tem switches itself off when you shift out of
reverse.
Manual mode
Press button, the LED lights up.
Deactivating manual mode
Press the button again; the indicator lamp goes
out.
The system is automatically deactivated once
the vehicle travels approx. 165 ft/50 m or
exceeds a speed of roughly 20 mph/30 km/h;
the indicator lamp goes out. You can reactivate
the system manually as needed.
Signal tones
When nearing an object, the position is corre-
spondingly indicated by an interval tone. Thus,
an object detected to the left rear of the vehicle
will be indicated by a signal tone from the left
rear speaker, etc. As the distance between
vehicle and object decreases, the intervals
between the tones become shorter. If the dis-
tance to the nearest object falls to below
roughly 1 ft/30 cm, then a continuous tone
sounds.
The warning signal is canceled after approx.
3 seconds, if you are moving parallel to a wall.
Malfunction
The LED in the button flashes and a message
appears on the Control Display. PDC is mal-
functioning. Have the system checked.
To prevent this problem, keep the sensors
clean and free of ice or snow in order to ensure
that they will continue to operate effectively.
PDC with visual warning*
You can also have the system show distances
to objects on the Control Display. The Control
Display also indicates objects that are farther
away before a signal tone sounds.

Controls
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Mobility
Malfunction in vehicle stability-control
systems
The brake system warning lamp lights
up in red, appearing together with the
indicator lamps for ABS and DSC. A
message appears on the Control Dis-
play. The driving stability control sys-
tems are deactivated. Conventional
braking efficiency remains available
without limitations. While you may con-
tinue, you should remember to proceed cau-
tiously and drive defensively while avoiding full
brake applications. Have the system checked
as soon as possible.
Display of the previously described
malfunction on Canadian models.
The indicator lamp for DSC lights up; a
message appears on the Control Dis-
play. DSC and DTC are deactivated.
The stability maintenance functions are no
longer available. The vehicle remains in running
order. Have the system checked as soon as
possible.
The warning lamp for the brake system
lights up in yellow; a message appears
on the Control Display. DBC has failed.
Have the system checked as soon as possible.
Display of the previously described
malfunction on Canadian models.
Active roll stabilization*
The concept
Active roll stabilization minimizes body roll and
optimizes vehicle stability during cornering and
evasive maneuvers.
Dynamic stabilizers at the front and rear axles
form the basis for active roll stabilization. Sus-
pension compliance adapts to suit driving con-
ditions, varying from performance-oriented during cornering to smooth and comfort-ori-
ented when the vehicle is proceeding in a
straight line. During vehicle operation, the sys-
tem continuously runs through closed-loop
control cycles lasting only fractions of a second.
The system assumes operational status each
time you start the engine.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up and a mes-
sage appears on the Control Display.
There is a malfunction in the system.
Have the system checked as soon as possible.
If there is a malfunction in the system,
please remember to adapt your speed
accordingly, especially in curves. The suspen-
s i o n w il l b e n o t i c ea b ly s o f t e r a n d t h e v e h i cl e w il l
display a greater tendency to tilt during corner-
ing and in crosswinds. If a message stating that
you should stop appears on the Control Display,
stop and switch off the engine as soon as pos-
sible. In this case the oil level in the reservoir
may have dropped below the minimum, possi-
bly owing to a leak in the hydraulic system. Do
not continue driving. Contact your BMW cen-
ter.<
Flat Tire Monitor
The concept
The Flat Tire Monitor keeps track of the infla-
tion pressures in the four mounted tires as you
drive. The system provides an alert whenever
the inflation pressure drops significantly in rela-
tion to the pressure in another tire.
In the event of a pressure loss, the rolling radius
and therefore the rotation speed of the wheels
change. This change is detected and is
reported as a flat tire.
Functional requirement
In order to assure the reliable reporting of a flat
tire, the system must be initialized for the cor-
rect tire inflation pressure.
Perform the initialization immediately
after correcting the inflation pressure,

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
80 after changing a tire or after changing a wheel or
all of the wheels.<
System limits
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot indicate
sudden severe tire damage caused by
outside factors and does not detect a natural,
even pressure drop in all four tires.<
In the following situations, the system could be
delayed or malfunction:
>System has not been initialized
>Driving on snowy or slippery road surface
>Sporty driving style: slip in the drive wheels,
high lateral acceleration
>Driving with snow chains
*
When you are driving with the compact wheel,
the Flat Tire Monitor is unable to function.
Initializing system
The initialization finishes during driving,
which can be interrupted at any time.
When driving resumes, the initialization is con-
tinued automatically. When driving with snow
chains or with the compact wheel, do not initial-
ize the system.<
Control Center, for principle details, refer to
page16.
1.Open the menu.
2.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the
controller.
3.Select "FTM" and press the controller.
4.Start engine, but do not start driving.5.Select "Set tire pressure" and press the
controller.
6.Select "Yes" and press the controller.
7.Start to drive.
The message "Initializing" is displayed.
The initialization finishes during driving. Then
the message "Status: Active" appears on the
Control Display again.
Indication of a flat tire
The warning lamp lights up in red and a
message appears on the Control Dis-
play. In addition, an acoustic signal
sounds. There is a flat tire or extensive inflation
pressure loss.
1.Reduce speed and stop the vehicle care-
fully. Avoid sudden braking and steering
maneuvers.
2.Identify damaged tire.
If identification is not possible, con-
tact a BMW center.<
3.Replace the damaged wheel, refer to
Changing a wheel on page185.
Vehicles with run-flat tires
1.Cautiously reduce speed to below 50 mph/
80 km/h. Avoid sudden braking and steering
maneuvers. Do not exceed a speed of
50 mph/80 km/h.
If the vehicle is not equipped with run-
flat tires, refer to page174, do not
continue driving. Continuing to drive with a
flat tire could cause severe accidents.<

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2.At the next opportunity, check the air pres-
sure in all four tires.
If the tire inflation pressure in all four
tires is correct, the Flat Tire Monitor
has not been initialized. The system must
then be initialized.<
3.In the event of complete tire pressure loss,
0 psi/0 kPa, or obvious tire damage, you can
estimate the possible distance for contin-
ued driving on the basis of the following
guide values:
>With a light load:
1 to 2 persons without luggage:
approx. 155 miles/250 km
>With a medium load:
2 persons, luggage compartment full, or
4 persons without luggage:
approx. 94 miles/150 km
>With a full load:
4 or more persons, luggage compart-
ment full:
approx. 30 miles/50 km
Drive reservedly and do not exceed a
speed of 50 mph/80 km/h. In the event of
pressure loss, vehicle handling changes. This
includes reduced tracking stability in braking,
extended braking distance and altered natural
steering characteristics.
If unusual vibrations occur while the vehicle is
being driven, this can indicate final failure of the
damaged tire. Reduce speed and stop as soon
as possible. Do not continue driving. Contact
your BMW center.<
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up yellow and
a message appears on the Control Dis-
play. The Flat Tire Monitor has a mal-
function or has failed. Have the system checked
as soon as possible.
Active steering*
The concept
The active steering is a system that actively var-
ies the steering angle of the front wheels in rela-
tion to the steering wheel movements.
When you are driving in the low road speed
range, e. g. in a town or when parking, the steer-
ing angle increases, i.e. the steering becomes
very direct. In the higher speed range, on the
other hand, the steering angle is reduced more
and more. This improves the handling capability
of your BMW over the entire speed range.
In critical situations, the system can make tar-
geted corrections to the steering angle pro-
vided by the driver and thus stabilize the vehicle
before the driver intervenes. This stabilizing
intervention is simultaneously deactivated
when DSC is switched off, refer to page78.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up. The active
steering is no longer operational. At low
speeds, greater steering wheel move-
ments are required, whereas at higher speeds,
the vehicle reacts more sensitively to steering
wheel movements. 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.
Initializing system
1.Start the engine.
2.With the vehicle stationary, turn the steer-
ing wheel from the straight-ahead position
t o t h e le f t a s f a r a s i t w i ll g o a n d t h e n b a c k t o
the straight-ahead position.
3.Switch off the engine.
When you start the engine again, all the func-
tions of the active steering are available once
again.

Controls
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Mobility
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags for driver and front passenger
2Head airbags in front and rear
3Side airbags in front and rear
Protective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
please observe the adjustment instructions on
page38.<
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 are deliberately not triggered in
every impact situation, e. g. less severe acci-
dents, certain roll-over conditions, or rear-end
collisions.
The rear seat side airbags may already
have been deactivated by a BMW center.
Labels in the rear door opening should indicate
the status of your rear seat side airbags. If you
are uncertain of their status, or wish to have the
airbags activated or deactivated, please contact
your BMW center.<
For information on the correct sitting position,
refer to page38.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or
modify them in any other way. Do not attempt to remove the airbag retention system from the
vehicle. Never modify or tamper with either the
wiring or the individual components in the air-
bag system. This category includes the uphol-
stery in the center of the steering wheel, on the
instrument panel, the side trim panels on the
doors and the roof pillars along with the sides of
the headliner. Do not attempt to remove or dis-
mantle the steering wheel. Do not touch the
individual components immediately after the
system has been triggered, because there is a
danger of burns. In the event of malfunctions,
deactivation, or triggering of the airbag restraint
system, have the testing, repair, removal, and
disposal of airbag generators executed only
by a BMW center or a workshop that works
according to BMW repair procedures with cor-
respondingly trained personnel and has the
required explosives licenses. Unprofessional
attempts to service the system could lead to
failure in an emergency or undesired airbag
activation, either of which could result in per-
sonal injury.<
Airbag warning information is also provided on
the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of front
passenger airbags
Your BMW has a seat occupation detection
system. By evaluating the weight on the front
passenger seat, the system detects whether or
not the seat is occupied by a child in the child-
restraint system or an adult.
>When a child is seated in the child-restraint
system or with an empty seat, the front and
side airbags are automatically deactivated
on the passenger side.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
84 >When an adult is traveling in the front seat,
the front and side airbags remain active on
the passenger side.
Although not desired, it can occur in the
case of heavier children that the front
passenger airbags remain active or in the case
of very light adults or young persons that the
front passenger airbags are deactivated. In
these cases, have the person ride in the rear
seat, refer to Passenger airbag status lamp
below. Do not load the passenger seat with any
items in addition to the person to be trans-
ported. Do not fit seat covers, seat cushion pad-
ding, ball mats or other items onto the front pas-
senger seat unless they are specifically
r e c o m m e n d e d b y B M W . D o n o t p l a c e a n y i t e m s
under the seat. Otherwise, the function of the
seat occupation detection could be impaired.<
Operational readiness of airbag system
As of ignition key position of 1, the warning
lamp lights up briefly, thus indicating the opera-
tional readiness of the entire airbag system and
the safety belt tensioners.
Airbag system malfunction
>The warning lamp does not light up as of
ignition key position 1.
>Warning lamp lights up continuously.
A malfunction could prevent the airbag
system from responding in the expected
manner to an impact occurring within its normal
response range.<
Passenger airbag status lamp
The indicator lamp located above the rear view
mirror indicates whether the front passenger
airbag system is active or not active/OFF.
The indicator lamp is used only for the
front passenger airbag system. The indi-
cator lamp illuminates to show that the front
passenger airbag system is OFF/not active.<
>The lamp illuminates briefly during startup,
but then goes out if the seat is empty, or an
adult or child of sufficient size is detected.
>The lamp remains illuminated when a child
in a rear facing child-restraint system is
detected and indicates that the passenger
airbag system is off.
If the lamp is illuminated when the seat is
occupied by a very light adult or teenager,
it is recommended that the person sit in the
rear.<
Find more information about passenger airbag
system and seat occupancy detection in the
section Automatic deactivation of front passen-
ger airbags above.
Head-Up Display*
The concept
With the Head-Up Display important informa-
tion is projected into the driver's field of view,
e.g. navigation instructions. This enables you to
take in this information without looking away
from the road.

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Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
0Lights off
1Parking lamps
2Low beams/daytime driving lamps
*
3Automatic headlamp control*/
Adaptive Head Light
*
Parking lamps
In switch position1, the front, rear and side
vehicle lighting is switched on. You can use the
parking lamps for parking. For lighting on one
side for parking as an additional feature, refer to
page88.
Low beams
The low beams are activated in switch
position2 only when the engine is running, oth-
erwise only the parking lamps are switched on.
Pathway lighting
If the vehicle is parked and the headlamps are
switched off, operating the headlamp flasher
activates the low beams. You can set the dura-
tion on the Control Display or deactivate the
function.
Control Center, for principle details, refer to
page16.
1.Open the menu.
2.Select "Vehicle settings" and press the
controller.3.Select "Light" and press the controller.
4.Select "Pathway lighting" and press the
controller.
5.Turn the controller to select the corre-
sponding duration.
6.Press the controller to apply the setting.
Lights on warning
If you turn the ignition key to position 0, an
acoustic signal sounds when you open the
driver's door for a few seconds to remind you
that the light has not yet been switched off.
At the same time a message appears on the
Control Display.
Daytime driving lamps*
If so desired, you can leave the light switch in
the low beam position2.
Always observe all applicable laws governing
the use of daytime driving lamps.
You can switch on the parking lamps when
needed using the standard procedure
described under Parking lamps.
Automatic headlamp control*
In the switch position3, the system activates
and switches on and off the low beams in
response to changes in ambient light condi-
tions, for instance, in a tunnel, at dawn and
d u s k , a n d in r a i n o r s n o w . A d a p t iv e H e a d L ig h t
*
is active. The LED next to the symbol is illumi-
nated when the low beams are on.

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The channels of the last selection criterion are
displayed once again after a short time.
The stations are stored for the remote control
currently in use.
Changing a memory location
Control Center, for principle details, refer to
page16.
1.Select "Presets" and press the controller.
2.Select the desired station.
3.Press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
4.Select "Store" and press the controller.
5.Turn the controller until the desired mem-
ory position is selected.
The number of the memory position
appears beside the name or frequency of
the station.
6.Press the controller.
The station is stored.
RDS Radio Data System
RDS transmits additional information in the FM
frequency range. RDS stations have the follow-
ing properties:
>In the case of broadcasting networks that
transmit over a number of frequencies,
there is an automatic switch to the fre-
quency with the best reception quality.
>If the reception conditions are good, the
station names are shown on the Control
Display. If the reception is weak or dis-
rupted, it can take some time before the
station names appear.
Weather Band*
Weather Radio is a service of the National Oce-
anic and Atmospheric Administration – NOAA –
of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Weather
messages are repeated every four to six min-
utes and are routinely revised every one to three
hours, or more frequently if needed. Most of the
stations operate 24 hours daily. During severe
weather, National Weather Service forecasters
can interrupt the routine weather broadcasts
and substitute special warning messages. If you
have a question concerning NOAA Weather
Radio, please contact your nearest National
Weather Service Office, or write to National
Weather Service – Attn: W/OM11–, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
1325 East-West Highway Silver Spring, MD.
20910.
Selecting Weather Band
Control Center, for principle details, refer to
page16.
1.Select "WB" and press the controller.
2.Select the Weather Band station and press
the controller.
The Weather Band station may be unavailable
in some regions.
Satellite radio*
You can receive over 100 different channels
with high sound quality.
The channels are offered to you in predefined
packages. To receive the channels of your
choice, you must have this package enabled.