BMW 525I SEDAN 2004 E60 Owner's Manual

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higher than in the rest of the interior. Close
the vent as required.<
Adjustments
Slide the center armrest into the desired
position.
Storage compartments
Storage compartment on center
console between the front seats
Open by pressing the cover back.
Other compartments
There are other compartments in the doors
as well as in the front and rear center con-
sole.
Storage nets are located on the backrests
of the front seats.
Clothes hooks
When suspending clothing from the
hooks ensure that it will not obstruct
the driver's vision. Do not hang heavy
objects on the hooks. If you do so, they
could cause personal injury to occupants
during braking or evasive maneuvers.<
Beverage holders
To open:
Briefly press the button.
Do not place containers made of
glass in the beverage holders. This
would lead to an increased risk of injury in
the event of an accident.<
To close:
Press the cover in the center and push in
the beverage holder.
Ashtray, front
Opening
Slide back the cover.
Emptying
Press the ashtray forwards: it rises and can
be removed.
On vehicles with the non-smoking pack-
age, the insert is removed in the same way.

Practical interior accessories
100
Cigarette lighter, front
In ignition key position 2, press in the
lighter.
The lighter can be removed as soon as it
jumps back out.
Hold or touch the hot cigarette lighter
by the knob only. Holding or touching
it in other areas could result in burns.
Always remove the ignition key when you
leave the vehicle so that, e.g., children are
unable to use the lighter and burn them-
selves.<
Lighter socket
The socket can be used to plug in hand
flashlights, car vacuum cleaners, etc., with
power ratings of up to approx. 200 W at
12 V. Avoid damaging the socket due to
inserting plugs of different shapes or sizes.
Ashtray, rear
Emptying
Press the entire cover down. The ashtray
rises for removal.
Cigarette lighter, rear
Refer to Cigarette lighter, front.
Sockets
In front passenger footwell
Access to the socket:
Fold the cover upwards.
In the luggage compartment
Access to the socket:
Fold the cover upwards.

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Rear center armrest
1Storage compartment: pull upwards
2To open the beverage holder: press and
open the cover
With the center armrest folded down, you
have a better view towards the rear.
Fold down rear seat*
1.Open the buckle of the middle safety
belt in the rear and insert the belt
tongue at the end of the belt in the
mounting on the back shelf
2.Push the corresponding head restraint
down as far as it will go, refer to
page 40
3.To unlock, pull the corresponding lever
in the luggage compartment 4.The unlocked rear seat back moves for-
ward slightly. Place your hand in the
gap and fold downwards.
When you fold back the backrest,
make sure that the retainer engages
properly. If it is not properly engaged,
transported cargo could enter the vehicle
during braking or evasive maneuvers and
endanger the vehicle occupants.<
The lashing eyes in the luggage compart-
ment provide you with a means of attaching
luggage nets
* or flexible straps for secur-
ing suitcases and luggage, refer to
page 109.
Ski bag*
Designed for safe, convenient transport
of up to four pairs of standard skis or up to
two snowboards.
The ski bag itself plus the additional capac-
ity provided by the luggage compartment
make it possible to transport skis with a
length of up to 6.9 ft/2.10 m. When skis of
6.9 ft/2.10 m in length are loaded, the ski
bag will tend to contract, reducing its over-
all capacity.

Practical interior accessories
102
Loading
1.Pull down the center armrest, press the
button and open the cover
2.Press the button again; the cover in the
luggage compartment opens. If you
press the button firmly the first time, this
also opens the cover in the luggage
compartment
3.Extend the ski bag between the front
seats and fill it. The zipper allows more
convenient access to stored objects
and can also be left open to allow the
ski bag to dry
4.Insert the belt tongue of the ski bag belt
in the center safety belt buckle.
Please ensure that the skis are clean before
loading them into the bag. Take care to
avoid damage from sharp edges.
Securing the load
Secure the bag's contents by tightening
down the strap at the buckle.
Secure the ski bag in this way. If you
fail to do so, it could move around and
endanger occupants during braking or eva-
sive maneuvers.<
To store the ski bag, perform the above
steps in reverse order.
Removing the ski bag
The ski bag can be completely removed to
clean it and to use other inserts.
Your BMW center will be glad to pro-
vide you with more detailed informa-
tion on the various items of equipment.<
Pull the handle forwards and remove the
ski bag upwards, then close the cover in
the luggage compartment.
Do not position cargo at the opening.
If you do, it can endanger the passen-
gers during braking or evasive maneuvers.
Always close off the passage with an insert,
as otherwise objects from the luggage
compartment can enter into the passenger
compartment.<

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Driving tips
This section is designed to provide
you with extra support by supplying
information useful in dealing with specific
driving and operating conditions.

Things to remember when driving
106
Things to remember when driving
Break-in procedures
To ensure that your vehicle continues to
provide optimized economy of operation
throughout an extended service life, we
request that you devote careful attention to
the following section.
Engine and differential
Up to 1,200 miles/2,000 km:
You should attempt to vary both vehicle
and engine speeds. Until the break-in
period has been completed, you should
also refrain from exceeding an engine
speed of 4,500 rpm or a driving speed of
100 mph/160 km/h.
Always obey all official speed limits.
Avoid full-throttle operation and use of the
transmission's kickdown mode during
these initial miles.
Once you have driven 1,200 miles/
2,000 km, the engine and vehicle speeds
can be gradually increased.
You should also comply with these break-in
procedures should the engine or differen-
tial need to be replaced at a later point.
Sequential manual transmission
SMG
Do not use the acceleration assistant dur-
ing the break-in period.
Tires
Due to technical factors associated with
their manufacture, tires do not achieve their
full traction potential until after an initial
break-in period. Therefore, drive reservedly
during the first 200 miles/300 km.
Brake system
Brakes require an initial break-in period of
approx. 300 miles/500 km to achieve opti-
mized contact and wear patterns between
brake pads and rotors.
Clutch
The function of the clutch is only at its opti-
mized level after a distance driven of
approx. 300 miles/500 km. During this
break-in period, engage the clutch gently.
General driving notes
High temperatures
Extreme temperatures occur at the
catalytic converter on this and every
catalyst-equipped vehicle. Do not remove
the heat shields installed adjacent to vari-
ous sections of the exhaust system, and
never apply undercoating to them. When
driving, standing at idle and while parking
take care to avoid possible contact
between the hot exhaust system and any
highly flammable materials such as hay,
leaves, grass, etc. Such contact could lead
to a fire, and with it the risk of serious prop-
erty damage as well as personal injury.<
Parking the vehicle
Condensation forms in the air conditioner
system during operation, and then exits
under the vehicle. Traces of condensed
water under the vehicle are thus normal.
Before driving into the car wash
Fold in the exterior mirrors, refer to
page 42, as otherwise they could be dam-
aged due to the width of the vehicle.
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce road speed. If you do not, a
wedge of water can form between tires and
road surface.This phenomenon is referred
to as hydroplaning, and is characterized by
a partial or complete loss of contact
between the tires and the road surface, ulti-
mately undermining your ability to steer
and brake the vehicle.<

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The risk of hydroplaning increases as the
tread depth of the tires decreases, refer
also to Tire tread on page 173.
Water on the road
Do not drive through water on the
road if it is deeper than 1 ft/30 cm,
and then only at walking speed at the most.
Otherwise, the vehicle's engine, the electri-
cal systems and the transmission may be
damaged.<
Brakes
Your BMW is equipped with ABS as stan-
dard. The best way to achieve optimized
response from the ABS is to apply maxi-
mum pressure to the brake pedal during
emergency: panic stops. Since the vehicle
maintains steering responsiveness, you
can nevertheless avoid possible obstacles
with a minimum of steering effort.
Pulsation at the brake pedal combines with
sounds from the hydraulic circuits to indi-
cate to the driver that ABS is in its active
mode.
Do not drive with your foot resting on
the brake pedal. Even light but con-
sistent pedal pressure can lead to high
temperatures, brake wear and possibly
even brake failure.<
Driving in wet conditions
While driving in wet conditions and in
heavy rain, it is a good idea to apply light
pressure to the brake pedal every few
miles. Monitor traffic conditions to ensure
that this maneuver does not endanger
other road users. The heat generated in this
process helps dry the pads and rotors to
ensure that full braking efficiency will then
be available when you need it.
Hills
You can retain full and unimpaired braking
efficiency by downshifting to a gear in
which only minimal brake applications are
needed when descending long or steep
downhill stretches. You can further enhance the engine's brak-
ing effect by selecting a lower gear in the
automatic transmission's manual mode,
downshifting as far as first gear on
extremely steep stretches, refer to
pages 50 and 55. This strategy helps you
avoid placing excessive loads on the brake
system.
Never drive with the clutch pressed or
allow the vehicle to coast with the
transmission in Neutral Ð or with the engine
switched off Ð there is no engine braking
when the transmission is in Neutral, and no
power-assist for brakes and steering when
the engine is not running.
Never allow floor mats, carpets or any other
objects to protrude into the area around the
accelerator and brake pedals and obstruct
their movement.<
Corrosion on the brake rotors
When the vehicle is driven only occasion-
ally, during extended periods when the
vehicle is not used at all, and in operating
conditions where brake applications are
less frequent, there is an increased ten-
dency for corrosion to form on rotors, while
contaminants accumulate on the brake
pads. This occurs because the minimum
pressure which must be exerted by the
pads during brake applications to clean the
rotors is not reached.
Should corrosion form on the brake rotors,
the brakes will tend to respond with a pul-
sating effect that even extended applica-
tion will fail to cure.
Brake pads
The brake pad wear warning lamp
lights up and a message appears on
the Check Control. Please note any
supplementary information that appears
there.
Warning lamp for Canadian models.
The brake pads have reached their mini-
mum pad thickness. Have them replaced at
your BMW center as soon as possible.

Things to remember when driving
108 For your own safety: use only brake
pads that BMW has approved for your
particular vehicle model. As BMW cannot
assess the suitability of other brake pads
for use on your vehicle, we are unable to
assume continued responsibility for the
vehicle's operating safety if non-approved
pads are installed.<
Mobile communication in the vehicle
BMW recommends using mobile communi-
cation devices, e.g. portable phones, in the
interior of the vehicle with a suitable exter-
nal antenna. Otherwise, the vehicle elec-
tronics and mobile communication device
can influence one another.
Loading
To avoid loading the tires beyond
their approved carrying capacity,
never overload the vehicle. Overloading
can lead to overheating and increases the
rate at which damage develops inside the
tires. The ultimate result can assume the
form of a sudden air loss.<
Determining loading limit
1.Locate the following statement on the
driver's door pillar
*:
The combined weight of occu-
pants and cargo should never
exceed XXX kg or YYY lbs, as otherwise
the vehicle may be damaged and unsta-
ble driving conditions may result.<
2.Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be riding
in your vehicle 3.Subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from XXX kilo-
grams or YYY pounds
4.The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load
capacity.
For example, if the XXX amount equals
1,400 lbs. and there will be five 150-lbs.
passengers in your vehicle, the amount
of available cargo and luggage load
capacity is 650 lbs.:
1,400 lbs. minus 750 lbs. = 650 lbs.
5.Determine the combined weight of lug-
gage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight must not exceed
the available cargo and luggage load
capacity calculated in step 4
6.If your vehicle will be towing a trailer,
part of the load from your trailer will be
transferred to your vehicle. Consult the
manual for transporting a trailer to
determine how this may reduce the
available cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle.
Load
The permitted load is the total of the weight
of occupants and cargo/luggage. The
greater the weight of occupants, the less
cargo/luggage can be transported.