wiring BMW 540I SEDAN 2003 Owners Manual

60n
Airbags
Never apply stickers or adhesive-
backed objects of any kind to the
airbag covers. Never attempt to reup-
holster the covers or modify them in any
way. If the airbags deploy in response
to an accident, if you note any signs of
system malfunction, or if you wish to
have any parts of the airbag passenger-
restraint system deactivated, always
contact your BMW center, to whom we
strongly urge you to entrust all testing,
repair and dismantling operations.
Never attempt to modify or tamper with
either the system's electrical wiring or
any of its individual components.
System components include the uphol-
stered surfaces on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, the trim panels on the
front and rear doors and the roof braces
as well as the sides of the headliner
above the doors. Never attempt to
remove or dismantle the steering
wheel.
To ensure compliance with official
safety regulations, always entrust dis-
posal of airbag generators to your BMW
center. Attempts to carry out service
procedures undertaken by anyone
other than specially-trained profes-
sionals can result in system failure or
undesired airbag deployment, both of
which can lead to personal injury. If the
airbags deploy in response to an acci-
dent, always remember to avoid all
contact with system components, as
they are hot and can cause burns in the
period immediately following deploy-
ment.<
All vehicle occupants should
always sit upright and be properly
restrained (infants and small children in
appropriate child-restraint systems;
larger children and adults using the
safety belts). Never let an occupant's
head rest near or on a side airbag: the
inflating airbag could cause a serious or
fatal injury. Please note that the word
"Airbag" imprinted on the door trim
panel indicates the airbag's location.
Accident research shows that the
safest place for children in an automo-
bile is in the rear seat. However, a child
sitting in the rear seat and not properly
restrained may place his or her head on
or near the side airbag, if installed. For
example, a child Ð even though belted Ð
may fall asleep with his or her head
against the side airbag. It may be diffi-
cult for a driver to ensure that children
in the rear seat will remain properly
positioned at all times and do not place
their heads on or near the side airbag.
Therefore, we recommend that the
rear-seat side airbags, if provided, be
deactivated if you plan to transport chil-
dren in the rear seat.
The rear-seat side airbags may already
have been deactivated, either at the
time of manufacture or 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 con-
tact your BMW center.<
Even when all these guidelines are fol-
lowed, there is still a small residual risk
of injuries to the face, hands and arms
occurring in isolated instances.
The ignition and inflation noise may
provoke a mild temporary hearing loss
in extremely sensitive individuals.
Airbag warning information is also pro-
vided on the sun visors.

164n
Do not use spray starter fluids to start
the engine.
When your battery is discharged you
can used two jumper cables to start
your vehicle with power from the bat-
tery in a second vehicle. You can also
use the same method to help start
another vehicle. Always use jumper
cables with fully insulated handles on
the terminal clamps.
Do not touch high-voltage wiring
and cables on a running engine.
Contact with components carrying high
voltage can be harmful or fatal. Care-
fully observe the following instructions
to avoid personal injury and/or damage
to one or both vehicles.<
1. Ensure that the battery in the sup-
port vehicle is also rated at
12 volts. This information is pro-
vided on the top of the battery
casing
2. Do not disconnect your battery from
your vehicle's electrical system.
Switch off all electrical accessories
in both vehicles
3. Make absolutely certain that there
is no contact between the body-
work of the two vehicles Ð short cir-
cuit hazard
4. Start the engine on the support
vehicle and allow it to run
5. Use one jumper cable (+) to con-
nect the positive terminal of the
battery in the support vehicle with
the auxiliary positive terminal pro-
vided in the engine compartment of
your BMW specifically for jump-
starting. The cover on this auxiliary
terminal is identified by a "+"
symbol, refer to the illustration. Pull
up to open the cover390de690
6. Next, connect one end of the other
jumper cable (Ð) to either the sup-
port vehicle's negative battery ter-
minal or a suitable ground on its
engine or bodywork. Connect the
other end to the negative battery
terminal or a suitable ground on the
vehicle being started. There is a
special nut on the strut dome of
your BMW; refer to the arrow in the
illustration
Always adhere to this sequence
when connecting jumper cables;
failure to observe this procedure can
lead to sparks at the battery terminals
and pose an injury hazard.< 390de146
Jump-starting