steering wheel BMW 550I 2006 Owner's Manual

Controls
89Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
may not have been initialized. The system
must then be initialized.<
3.In the event of complete tire pressure loss,
0 psi/0 kPa, you can estimate the possible
distance for continued 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 or
cargo area full, or 4 persons without
luggage:
approx. 94 miles/150 km
>With a full load:
from 4 persons, luggage compartment
or cargo area 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 or loud noises occur while
the vehicle is being driven, this can indicate final
failure of the damaged tire. Reduce speed and
stop at a suitable location as soon as possible,
otherwise pieces of the tire could become
detached and cause an accident. Do not con-
tinue driving, but instead contact your BMW
center.<
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 page85.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up and a mes-
sage appears on the Control Display.
The active steering is no longer opera-
tional. At low speeds, greater steering wheel
movements are required, whereas at higher
speeds, the vehicle reacts more sensitively to
steering wheel movements. The stability-
promoting intervention can also be deactivated.
Proceed cautiously and drive defensively. Have
the system checked.
Brake force display
Left-hand picture: normal braking.
Right-hand picture: heavy braking.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
90
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Head airbags
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
page43.<
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.
Stickers on the rear door frame indicate
the status of the rear side airbags. If the
status cannot be clearly recognized, or if you
want to have the airbags activated/deactivated,
please contact your BMW center.<
For details on the correct seat position, refer to
page43.
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. Do not 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 doors and the roof pillars
along with the sides of the headliner. Do not
attempt to remove or dismantle the steering
wheel. Do not touch the individual components
immediately after the system has been trig-
gered, because there is a danger of burns. In the
event of malfunctions, deactivation, or trigger-
ing of the airbag restraint system, have the test-
ing, repair, removal, and disposal of airbag gen-
erators executed only by a BMW center or a
workshop that works according to BMW repair
procedures with correspondingly trained per-
sonnel and has the required explosives
licenses. Unprofessional attempts to service
the system could lead to failure in an emer-
gency or undesired airbag activation, either of
which could result in personal injury.<
Warnings and information on the airbags is also
provided on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of front
passenger airbags
The occupation of the seat is detected by eval-
uating the impression on the occupied seat sur-
face of the front passenger seat. The front and
side airbag on the front passenger side are acti-
vated or deactivated accordingly by the system.
The current status of the front passenger
airbag, i.e. deactivated or activated, is
indicated by the indicator lamp over the interior
rearview mirror, refer to Operating state of front
passenger airbags in the following.<

Destination entry
128 1.Change to upper field.
The arrow is selected.
2.Turn the controller to the right until the
request for the entry of a street in the coun-
try appears and press the controller.
3.Changed to the second field from the top
and enter the street.
Entering house number
1.Select "House number" and press the con-
troller.
2.Enter the house number:
Select the desired digits and press the con-
troller.
3.Change into the third field from the top.
Turn the controller until the house number
is selected and press the controller.
Only house numbers stored for the street
on the navigation DVD can be entered.
Starting destination guidance with
manual destination entry
Select "Start guidance" and press the control-
ler.
Destination guidance starts immediately.
If the destination guidance does not need to be
started immediately:
Select "Add to destination list" and press the
controller.
The destination is saved in the destination list,
refer to page131.
Entering destination via
voice*
In conjunction with the Professional navigation
system, you can enter the desired destination
via the voice input system. When entering the
destination, it is possible to change between
speech input and iDrive at any time. Reactivate
the speech input function for this purpose if
necessary.
With {Options} you can have the possible
commands read aloud.<
1.Press the button on the steering wheel
or in the center console.
2.{Enter address}

Navigation
Driving tips
139Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
1.Select "Navigation" and press the control-
ler.
2.Change into the third field from the top.
Turn the controller until "Route list" is
selected and press the controller.
To exit the menu:
Select the arrow and press the controller.
Destination guidance
through voice instructions
Switching voice instructions on/off
Voice instructions can be switched on or off
during the destination guidance in the arrow or
map view:
1.In the map view:
Move the controller to the left to change the
field.
2.In the arrow and map display:
Turn the controller until the symbol is
selected and press the controller.
In order to switch the voice instructions on and
off at any time:
1.Open the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.3.Turn the controller until "Display settings"
is selected and press the controller.
4.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "Languages" is selected and
press the controller.
5.Turn the controller until "Navigation voice
instructions on" is selected and press the
controller.
The voice instructions are switched on.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use
*.
Repeating voice instructions and
canceling
With the programmable buttons on the steering
wheel you can also make the following settings,
refer to page51:
>Repeat the voice instruction:
Press button.
>Switch voice instructions on/off:
Hold the button down.

On/off and tone
144
On/off and tone
The following audio sources have shared
controls and setting options:
>Professional radio
* or
Business radio
>CD player
>CD changer
*
Controls
The audio sources can be operated using:
>Buttons in the area of the CD player
>iDrive
>Buttons on steering wheel, refer to page11
Buttons in area of CD player
The layout of the buttons can vary depending
on your vehicle's equipment.
Equipment with a single drive:
Equipment with two drives:1Entertainment sound output on/off, volume
>Press: switch on/off.
When you switch on, the last set radio
station or CD track is played.
>Turn: adjust volume.
2Drive for audio CDs
3 Eject CD
4 Station scan/track search
>Change radio station.
>Select track for CD player and
CD changer.
5Drive for navigation DVDs
Operation via iDrive
iDrive, for principle details, refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller backwards to open
"Entertainment".
You have the following choices:
>"FM" and "AM": radio reception
>"WB": Weather Band station
>"SAT": satellite radio
>"CD": CD player or CD changer
>"Set": depending on the audio source,
other adjustments can be made, e.g. with
the radio: update station with strongest
reception, save station, tone control,
sample stations.

Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
145Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
From another menu, you can switch
directly to the screen last displayed,
refer to Comfort opening of menu items on
page18.<
The selected audio source is stored for the
remote control currently in use.
Switching on/off
In order to switch the Entertainment sound
output on and off:
Press knob1 next to the CD player.
This symbol on the Control Display indi-
cates that sound output is switched off.
For equipment with an individual drive, the
sound output is available for approx. 20 minutes
with the ignition switched off.
Switch on the sound output again for this pur-
pose.
Adjusting volume
Turn knob1 next to the CD player until the
desired volume is set.
You can also adjust the volume with buttons on
the steering wheel, refer to page11.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Tone control
You can alter various tone settings, e. g. treble
and bass, or the speed-dependent volume
increase.
The tone settings are set for all audio sources at
once.
The settings are stored for the remote key cur-
rently in use.
Changing tone settings
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Entertainment settings" and press
the controller.
4.Select "Audio" and press the controller.
The tone settings can also be selected when
you have opened "Entertainment" in the start
menu:
Select "Set" and then "Tone", and press the
controller.
Treble and bass
1.Select "Treble / Bass" and press the con-
troller.

Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
149Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
Changing selection criteria
1.Change into the second field from the top.
2.Turn the controller until the desired selec-
tion criterion is selected and press the con-
troller.
Buttons next to CD player
Press the button for the corresponding
direction.
The system switches to the next displayed sta-
tion.
You can also change stations with buttons on
the steering wheel, refer to page11.
Sampling stations, scan
The system automatically plays a brief sample
from each of the stations on the current wave-
band.
1.Select "FM" or "AM" and press the control-
ler.
"Set" is selected.
2.Press the controller.
Other menu items are displayed.
3.Select "Scan" and press the controller.
Scan starts.To stop the scan:
1.Press the controller.
2.Select "Scan" and press the controller.
This cancels the scan search, and the radio
remains on the current station.
Buttons next to CD player
To start scan, hold down the button for
the corresponding direction.
To stop scanning, press button again.
Selecting frequency manually
With "Manual" you can select stations that are
received in addition to those displayed.
1.Select "FM" or "AM" and press the control-
ler.
2.Change into the second field from the top.
3.Select "Manual" and press the controller.
4.Turn the controller to set a certain fre-
quency.
Updating stations with best reception
If you are on a longer journey and leave the
transmission range of the stations originally set,
you can update the list of stations with the best
reception.
1.Select "FM" or "AM" and press the control-
ler.
2.Change into the second field from the top.

CD player and CD changer
158 5.Change to the second field from the top if
necessary. Turn the controller until the
desired CD, CD 1 - 6, is selected and press
the controller.
At the end of the last track, the next CD will be
selected.
If new CDs have been placed in the CD maga-
zine, playback starts with the lowest CD, e. g.
CD 1, track 1.
The CD magazine's load status is indicated on
the Control Display.
Selecting a track
Buttons next to CD player
Press the button for the corresponding
direction repeatedly, continuing until you reach
the desired track on the current CD.
The CD will start play at the start of the track.
The track is displayed on the Control Display.
You can also change the track with buttons on
the steering wheel, refer to page11.
Via iDrive
Select a track by turning the controller.
Compressed audio files*
1.Select the directory if necessary and press
the controller.
2.Select the track and press the controller.
3.Select "Play" and press the controller.
To change the directory:
Select the directory and press the controller.

Telephoning
166
Telephoning
The concept
Your BMW is equipped with a full mobile phone
preparation package. After logging on a suitable
mobile phone on the vehicle once, you can
operate the mobile phone via iDrive, with the
buttons on the steering wheel and by voice.
A mobile phone that has been logged on once is
automatically detected again with the engine
running or the ignition switched on as soon as
it is in the vehicle interior. The logon data of up
to four mobile phones can be stored simulta-
neously. If several mobile phones are detected
simultaneously, the respective last mobile
phone logged on can be operated via the vehi-
cle.
Using a phone in your vehicle
Using the snap-in adapter*
The so-called snap-in adapter, a mobile phone
cradle, enables the battery to be charged and
the mobile phone to be connected to the exter-
nal antenna of your vehicle. This ensures
improved network reception and a consistent
voice reproduction quality. Ask your BMW cen-
ter which mobile phones snap-in adapters are
offered for.
BMW discourages the use of mobile
phones or other mobile communications
devices inside the vehicle without a direct con-
nection to an outside antenna. Otherwise, the
vehicle electronics and mobile communication
device can influence one another. In addition,
there is no assurance that the radiation which
results from transmission will be dissipated
from the vehicle interior.<
Avoid operating a mobile phone detected by
the vehicle with the keypad of the mobile
phone, otherwise malfunctions can occur.
For your safety
A car phone makes life more convenient in
many ways, and can even save lives in an emer-
gency. While you should consult your mobile
phone's separate owner's manual for a detailed
description of safety precautions and informa-
tion, we request that you direct your particular
attention to the following:
Only make entries when the traffic situa-
tion allows you to do so. Do not hold the
mobile phone in your hand while you are driving;
use the hands-free system instead. If you do
not observe this precaution, your being dis-
tracted can endanger vehicle occupants and
other road users.<
Suitable mobile phones
Ask your BMW center which mobile phones
with a Bluetooth interface are supported by the
mobile phone preparation package or which
mobile phones snap-in adapters are available
for. These mobile phones support the functions
described in this Owner's Manual with a certain
software version. Malfunctions can occur with
other mobile phones.
Care instructions
You can find what you need to know about car-
ing for your mobile phone in the separate Caring
for your vehicle brochure and in the mobile
phone owner's manual.
Operating options
You can operate the mobile phone* using:
>The steering wheel, refer to page11
>iDrive, refer to page16
>Voice commands, refer to page174
*

Telephoning
170 3.Select the menu and press the controller.
4.Select "Communication settings" and
press the controller.
5.Select "Bluetooth" and press the controller.
6.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
the Bluetooth link is activated.
7.Select "Bluetooth communication active"
and press the controller to activate or deac-
tivate the link.
Adjusting volume
Turn the knob during a call to select the desired
volume.
This volume for the hands-free system is main-
tained, even if the other audio sources are set to
minimum volume.You can also adjust the volume with buttons on
the steering wheel, refer to page11.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Operation via iDrive
You can operate the following functions via
iDrive:
>Dial the phone number.
>Dial phone numbers from the phone book.
>Select stored phone numbers, e.g. from the
list of accepted calls.
>Hang up.
With the ignition switched off and radio readi-
ness, e.g. after removing the remote control,
you can continue an ongoing call for a maximum
of 25 minutes via the handsfree system.
Requirements
The logon data of the mobile phone are stored
in the vehicle and the mobile phone is ready to
operate.
The engine is running or the ignition is switched
on.
The mobile phone is detected by the vehicle.
iDrive, for principle details, refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller forward to open
"Communication".