seat adjustment BMW 525I SPORT WAGON 2001 Owners Manual

Contents

Overview
Controls and features

Cockpit16
Instrument cluster18
Indicator and warning lamps22
Multifunction steering wheel
(MFL) 25
Sports steering wheel26
Hazard warning flashers27
Warning triangle 27
First-aid kit 27
Refueling28
Fuel specifications29
Tire inflation pressure29

Locks and security systems:

Keys36
Electronic vehicle
immobilizer37
Opening and closing –
from the outside38
With the key38
With the remote control39
Opening and closing –
from the inside42
Luggage compartment lid/
Tailgate43
Rear window43
Luggage compartment46
Alarm system47
Electric power windows49
Sliding/Tilt sunroof50

Adjustments:

Seats52
Steering wheel56
Mirrors56
Seat, mirror and steering wheel
memory58
Car Memory, Key Memory60

Passenger safety systems:

Safety belts61
Airbags62
Transporting children safely66

Driving:

Steering/Ignition lock68
Starting the engine68
Switching off the engine69
Parking brake70
Manual transmission70
Automatic transmission72
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic75
Indicator/Headlamp flasher78
Wiper/Washer system78
Rear window defroster80
Cruise control81

Everything under control:

Odometer, outside temperature
display83
Tachometer84
Energy control84
Fuel gauge84
Coolant temperature gauge85
Service Interval Display85
Check Control86
Computer89
Multi-information display
(MID)91
Digital clock in the MID92
Computer in the MID95

34n
Locks and security systems:
Keys 36
Electronic vehicle immobilizer 37
Central locking system 38
Opening and closing –
from the outside 38
With the key 38
With the remote control 38
Opening and closing – from the inside 42
Luggage compartment lid/ Tailgate 43
Rear window 44
Luggage compartment 46
Alarm system 47
Electric power windows 49
Sliding/Tilt sunroof 50
Adjustments:
Seats 52
Steering wheel 56
Mirrors 56
Seat, mirror and steering wheel memory 58
Car Memory, Key Memory 60
Passenger safety systems:
Safety belts 61
Airbags 62
Transporting children safely 66Driving:
Steering/Ignition lock
68
Starting the engine 68
Switching off the engine 69
Parking brake 70
Manual transmission 70
Automatic transmission 72
Automatic transmission with Steptronic 75
Indicator/Headlamp flasher 78
Wiper/Washer system 78
Rear window defroster 80
Cruise control 81
Everything under control:
Odometer, outside temperature display 83
Tachometer 84
Energy control 84
Fuel gauge 84
Coolant temperature gauge 85
Service Interval Display 85
Check Control 86
Computer 89
Multi-information display (MID) 91
Digital clock in the MID 92
Computer in the MID 95

52n
For maximum safety, please comply
with the following instructions when ad-
justing a seat:
Never try to adjust your seat while
operating the vehicle. The seat
could respond with unexpected move-
ment, and the ensuing loss of vehicle
control could lead to an accident.
Wear the safety belt firmly against your
body at all times. In the event of a fron-
tal impact, a loose lap belt could slide
over your hips, leading to abdominal
injury. In addition, the safety belt's
restraint effectiveness is reduced if the
belt is worn loosely.
Never ride with the backrest reclined to
an extreme horizontal angle (especially
important for front passengers to
remember). Keep the backrest relatively
upright to minimize the risk of "sliding
under" the safety belt and sustaining
injury in an accident.
Do not slide the seats to the rear
when the vehicle is at an extreme angle
(on garage ramps or steep slopes, for
instance), to prevent the shoulder
strap's automatic height adjustment
mechanism from disengaging.<
Correct sitting postureTo reduce strain on the spinal column,
sit all the way back in the seat and rest
your back fully against the backrest.
The ideal sitting posture is achieved
with your head extending from your
spine in a straight line.
For long-distance driving, you may wish
to increase the backrest tilt-angle
slightly to reduce muscular tension.
Please remember that you should
always remain able to grasp the entire
periphery of the steering wheel without
straightening your arms.1 Tilt angle (only driver's side)
2 Forward/backward adjustment
3 Cushion height
4 Backrest angle
5 Head restraint height
Adjust the angle of the head restraints
by tilting the head restraint, refer to
page 53.
Read and comply with the adjust-
ment instructions in the previous
column. Failure to do so can result in
diminished personal safety.<
Lumbar support
*
Refer to the BMW comfort seat on
page 54.380de023
Seat adjustment Electric power seat(s
*)

IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
53n
Mechanical seat1 Forward/backward adjustment
Pull the lever and slide the seat to the
desired position.
After releasing the lever, apply pres-
sure to the cushion to ensure that the
latch engages securely
2 Cushion height
Pull the lever and apply weight to
or remove weight from the seat as
required390de682
3 Backrest angle
Pull the lever and apply weight to or
remove weight from the backrest to
reach the desired position
Comply with the adjustment in-
structions on page 52. Failure to
do so could result in diminished perso-
nal safety.< 390de683
Head restraintsTo adjust the angle of the front head
restraints: adjust by tilting the head
restraint.
To adjust the height of the front pas-
senger and rear head restraints: adjust
by pulling up or pressing down.
Head restraints reduce the risk
of spinal injury in the event of an
accident.
Adjust the head restraint so that its
center is approximately level with your
ears.
Leave the center rear head restraint in
the fully-lowered position at all times,
since pulling it out limits its function.<390de065

54n
BMW comfort seat
*
This seat allows you to make additional
adjustments for:
1 Lumbar support
2 Shoulder supportLumbar supportYou can adjust the backrest's contour
for additional support in the curvature
of your spine's lumbar region.380de024
The upper hips and spinal column
receive supplementary support to help
you maintain a relaxed, upright posture.
>Press the front/rear of the switch:
Increase/decrease curvature.
>Press the upper/lower end of the
switch:
Increase the upper/lower curvature.
Comply with the adjustment
instructions on page 52. Failure
to do so could result in diminished
personal safety.<
Shoulder supportYou can use the adjustable upper back-
rest for supplementary support in the
shoulder region. This provides a
relaxed sitting posture and helps relieve
stress on the shoulder muscles.
Press the rocker switch: the support
angle of the upper backrest section is
adjusted.
To obtain an optimal seating posture,
we recommend:
Driver and front passenger:
1 Adjust the upper backrest section
to its extreme rear position.
2 Adjust to the optimal sitting posture
as shown on page 52 under "Correct
sitting posture."
3 Bring the upper backrest section
forward until your shoulders enjoy
firm support.380de064

IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
55n
BMW comfort seat
*
BMW sports seat
*
BMW active seat*
Front passenger's seat adjusted for
relaxed traveling:
1 Adjust the upper backrest section
to its extreme rear position.
2 Increase the seat cushion tilt.
3 Tilt the backrest more.
4 Bring the upper backrest section
forward.
Make corrections in the forward/
backward adjustment of the seat
to ensure that the safety belt still fits
firmly against your body. If you do not
do this, the protection provided by the
safety belt may be reduced.<
With this seat, you can also adjust the
thigh support. To do that, press the
switch.390de634
Active changes in the seat's surface
help to avoid muscle cramps, pain in
the spine's lumbar region and fatigue.
To activate the seat, press the button
(arrow).
For additional details concerning the
BMW active seat, please refer to the
chapter describing "Advanced
technology" on page 210.390us715

56n
Adjusting the steering wheel MirrorsThe steering wheel can be moved in
any of four directions. Adjust by moving
the control lever in the desired direc-
tion.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. There
is a risk of accident from unexpected
movement.<
To store the steering wheel setting,
refer to "Seat, mirror and steering
wheel memory" on page 58.390de028
Automatic steering wheel
adjustment In order to make it easier to get into and
out of the car, the steering wheel auto-
matically moves into the top position
and returns to the driving (memory)
position.
This automatic feature is controlled by
the position of the ignition key and by
the driver's door.
Exterior mirrors1 Mirror switch for 4-way adjustment
2 Left/right selection switch
You can also adjust the mirrors manu-
ally by pressing against the outer edges
of their lenses.
To store the mirror settings: refer to
"Seat, mirror and steering wheel
memory" on page 58.390us605

58n
Seat, mirror and steering wheel memoryYou can store and call up three different
seat, exterior mirror and steering wheel
positions. The illustration shows the
buttons on the driver's door for making
these position adjustments.
The adjustment for the lumbar support
is not stored in the memory.390de032
To store1 Ignition key at position 1 or 2.
2 Adjust the desired positions for the
seat, door mirror and steering wheel.
3 Press the
M
EMORY button: the indi-
cator lamp in the button comes on.
4 Press memory button 1, 2 or 3, as
desired: the indicator lamp goes out.
To select a stored settingConvenience function:
1 The driver's door remains open after
unlocking or the ignition key is in
position 1.
2 Briefly press memory button 1, 2 or 3,
as desired.
Movement stops immediately when
one of the seat adjustment or
memory buttons is activated during
the adjustment process.
Security function:
1 The driver's door is closed and the
ignition key is either removed or in
position 0 or 2.
2 Press and hold the desired memory
button (1, 2 or 3) until the adjustment
process is completed.
If you press the
M
EMORY button
accidentally: press the button a second
time; the indicator lamp goes out.
Do not call up a position from the
memory while the vehicle is
moving. There is a risk of accident from
unexpected movement of the seat or
steering wheel.<

60n
Car Memory, Key MemoryHow the system functionsYou have probably frequently wished
that you could configure individual
functions of your vehicle to reflect your
own personal requirements. In engi-
neering your vehicle, BMW has included
several user-defined functions in the
vehicle's design. Your authorized BMW
center can make these settings for you.
There are settings related to the vehicle
("Car Memory") and settings related to
individuals ("Key Memory"). You can
have two different basic positions con-
figured for two different persons. The
only requirement is that each person
uses his or her own remote control key.463de029
When your vehicle is unlocked with the
remote control, the vehicle recognizes
the individual user by means of a data
exchange with the key, and makes
adjustments accordingly.
In order for you to distinguish between
different keys, colored decals are
supplied together with the keys.What the system can doYour authorized BMW center can
provide you with details on the capabili-
ties of the Car Memory and Key
Memory systems.
You will see this symbol through-
out the Owner's Manual. It is to
remind you at appropriate places of the
settings that are available to you.<
An example of Key Memory is the auto-
matic adjustment of the driver's power
seat with stored settings for the individ-
ual person when the vehicle is un-
locked.

Everything from A to Z

Door locks, care146
Doors
emergency release38
manual operation38

t

remote control40
unlocking and locking38
DOT Quality Grades151
Drive belts224
Driving in winter146
Driving notes141
Driving through water141
DSC (Dynamic Stability
Control)24, 102, 208
DSP sound system211
refer also to the Radio
Owner's Manual
Dynamic Brake Control
(DBC)23, 100, 145
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)24, 102, 208

E
Electric power seat52
Electric power windows49
Electrical defect
fuel filler door198

t

sliding/tilt sunroof198

t

tailgate199
Electrical heating, exterior
mirror57
Electrical steering wheel,
adjusting56Electrical system224
Electronic vehicle
immobilizer37
Elements of operation16
Emergency operation
doors38

t

fuel filler door198

t

luggage compartment lid/
tailgate43, 199

t

sliding/tilt sunroof198

t

Energy control84
Engine
compartment160
coolant167
Engine oil
consumption165
grades166
level23
pressure22
specifications166

t

Engine specifications218
Error indicators86
Estimated time of arrival97
Exterior finish172
Exterior mirror56
electrical heating57
Exterior mirror with
automatic dimming
feature211

F
Failure messages86

t

Failure of an electrical
accessory196

t

Failure warnings86

t

Filler cap cover28
Filling capacities223
Filling the washer
reservoir164

t

First-aid kit27

t

Fittings, tow-starting and
towing201

t

Flashlight124
Flat tire150, 190

t

Fog lamp, bulb
replacement185

t

Footbrake144
Footwell lamps107
bulb replacement189

t

Forward/backward
adjustment, seats52, 55
Front fog lamps106
Front seat adjustment52
Frost protection,
radiator167
Fuel29
gauge84
quality29
tank capacity223
Fuel consumption97
average97
indicator84Fuel filler door, release after
electrical fault198
t
Fuses196

t

, 197

G
Gasoline29
gauge84
quality29
Glove compartment124
bulb replacement189
t

Gross vehicle weight221

H
Handbrake23, 70
Hands-free system125
Hazard warning
flashers27

t

Hazard warning
triangle27

t

Head restraints53
Headlamp covers,
care171

t

, 183

t

Headlamp flasher78
Headlamp washer
system164
Heated seats119
Heated steering wheel120
Heating and
ventilation108, 114
Heating while stopped118
Heating, rapid113
Heavy loads136