window BMW 550I 2014 User Guide

After the wipers are folded back down, the
wiper system must be reactivated.
Fold the wipers back down
Before switching the ignition on, fold the
wipers back down to the windshield; other‐
wise, the wipers may become damaged when
they are switched on.◀1.Switch on the ignition.2.Press the wiper levers down. The wipers
move to their resting position and are
ready for operation.
Washer fluid
General information Antifreeze for washer fluid
Antifreeze is flammable and can cause
injury if it is used incorrectly.
Therefore, keep it away from sources of igni‐
tion.
Only keep it in the closed original container
and inaccessible to children.
Follow the notes and instructions on the con‐
tainer.
United States: The washer fluid mixture ratio is
regulated by the U.S. EPA and many individual
states; do not exceed the allowable washer
fluid dilution ratios limits that apply. Follow the
usage instructions on the washer fluid con‐
tainer. Use BMW’s Windshield Washer Con‐
centrate or the equivalent.◀
Washer fluid reservoir Adding washer fluid
Only add washer fluid when the engine is
cool, and then close the cover completely to
avoid contact between the washer fluid and
hot engine parts.
Otherwise, there is the danger of fire and a risk
to personal safety if the fluid is spilled.◀
All washer nozzles are supplied from one res‐
ervoir.
Fill with a mixture of windshield washer con‐
centrate and tap water and – if required – with a
washer antifreeze, according to the manufac‐
turer's recommendations.
Mix the washer fluid before adding to maintain
the correct mixing ratio.
Do not add windshield washer concentrate and
antifreeze undiluted and do not fill with pure
water; this could damage the wiper system.
Do not mix window washer concentrates of dif‐
ferent manufacturers, because otherwise it can
result in clogging of the windshield washer
nozzles.
Recommended minimum fill quantity: 0.2 US
gal/1 liter.
Manual transmission Shifting Shifting into 5th or 6th gear
When shifting into 5th or 6th gear, push
the gearshift lever to the right; otherwise inad‐
vertent shifting into the 3rd or 4th gear could
lead to engine damage.◀
Reverse gear
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
To overcome the resistance move the selector
lever in a dynamic movement to the left and
engage the reverse gear.
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Protective action
Airbags are not triggered in every impact situa‐
tion, e.g., in less severe accidents or rear-end
collisions.
Information on how to ensure the optimal
protective effect of the airbags▷Keep at a distance from the airbags.▷Always grasp the steering wheel on the
steering wheel rim, holding your hands at
the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, to
keep the danger of injury to your hands or
arms as low as possible if the airbag is trig‐
gered.▷There should be no people, animals, or ob‐
jects between an airbag and a person.▷Do not use the cover of the front airbag on
the front passenger side as a storage area.▷Keep the dashboard and window on the
front passenger side clear, i.e. do not cover
with adhesive labels or coverings, and do
not attach holders such as for navigation
instruments and mobile phones.▷Make sure that the front passenger is sit‐
ting correctly, i.e., keeps his or her feet and
legs in the footwell; otherwise, leg injuries
can occur if the front airbag is triggered.▷Do not place slip covers, seat cushions or
other objects on the front passenger seat
that are not approved specifically for seats
with integrated side airbags.▷Do not hang pieces of clothing, such as
jackets, over the backrests.▷Make sure that occupants keep their heads
away from the side airbag and do not rest
against the head airbag; otherwise, injuries
can occur if the airbags are triggered.▷Do not remove the airbag restraint system.▷Do not remove the steering wheel.▷Do not apply adhesive materials to the air‐
bag cover panels, cover them or modify
them in any way.▷Never modify either the individual compo‐
nents or the wiring in the airbag system.
This also applies to steering wheel covers,
the dashboard, the seats, the roof pillars
and the sides of the headliner.◀
Even when all instructions are followed closely,
injury from contact with the airbags cannot be
ruled out in certain situations.
The ignition and inflation noise may lead to
short-term and, in most cases, temporary
hearing impairment in sensitive individuals.
In the case of a malfunction, deactivation
and after triggering of the airbags
Do not touch the individual components imme‐
diately after the system has been triggered;
otherwise, there is the danger of burns.
Only have the airbags checked, repaired or dis‐
mantled and the airbag generator scrapped by
the service center or a workshop that has the
necessary authorization for handling explo‐
sives.
Non-professional attempts to service the sys‐
tem could lead to failure in an emergency or
undesired triggering of the airbag, either of
which could result in injury.◀
Warnings and information on the airbags are
also found on the sun visors.
Functional readiness of the airbag
system
When the ignition is switched on, the
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up briefly and thereby indicates
the operational readiness of the entire airbag
system and the belt tensioner.
Airbag system malfunctioning
▷Warning lamp does not come on when the
ignition is turned on.▷The warning lamp lights up continuously.Seite 104ControlsSafety104
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After a break, another recommendation to take
a break cannot be displayed until after approxi‐
mately 45 minutes.
System limits
The function may be limited in the following
situations, for instance, and will either output
an incorrect warning or no warning at all:▷When the clock is set incorrectly.▷When the vehicle speed is mainly below
about 43 mph/70 km/h.▷With a sporty driving style, such as during
rapid acceleration or when cornering
quickly.▷In active driving situations, such as when
changing lanes frequently.▷When the road surface is poor.▷In the event of strong side winds.
PreCrash
The concept With this system critical driving situations that
might result in an accident can be detected
above a speed of approx. 20 mph/30 km/h. In these situations, preventative protection
measures are automatically undertaken to
minimize the risk in the event of an accident as
much as possible.
Critical driving situations may include:
▷Full brake applications.▷Severe understeering.▷Severe oversteering.
If the vehicle includes the collision warning or
collision warning with braking feature, impend‐
ing collisions with vehicles driving ahead or
stopped in front of you can also be detected
within the system's range.
Note
Personal responsibility
The system cannot possibly serve as a
substitute for the driver's personal judgment of
the traffic situation. The system may not al‐
ways detect critical situations reliably and in a
timely manner. Adapt speed to traffic situation
and drive alertly; otherwise, a risk to safety may
result.◀
Function
After the safety belt is buckled, the front belts
are automatically pretensioned once after the
vehicle is driven is away.
In critical driving situations, the following indi‐
vidual functions become active as needed:▷The front belts are automatically preten‐
sioned.▷Automatic closing of the windows.▷Automatic closing of the glass sunroof.▷For vehicles equipped with Comfort Seats:
automatic positioning of the backrest for
the front passenger seat.
After a critical driving situation without an acci‐
dent, the front belts are loosened again. All
other systems can be restored to the desired
setting.
If the belt tension does not loosen automati‐
cally, stop the vehicle and unbuckle the belt
using the red button in the buckle. Fasten the
belt before continuing on your trip.
PostCrash
In the event of an accident, the system can
bring the car to a halt automatically without in‐
tervention by the driver in certain situations.
This can reduce the risk of a further collision
and the consequences thereof.
Depressing the brake pedal can cause the ve‐
hicle to brake harder. This interrupts automatic
braking. Depressing the accelerator pedal also
interrupts automatic braking.
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Climate controlVehicle equipment
All standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equip‐ment is also described that is not available in a
vehicle, e. g., because of the selected optional
equipment or country variant. This also applies
for safety-related functions and systems.
Automatic climate control
1Air distribution, left2Temperature, left3AUTO program, left4Air flow, AUTO intensity, left, residual heat5Remove ice and condensation6Maximum cooling7Display8Air volume, AUTO intensity, right9AUTO program, right10Temperature, right11Air distribution, right12Seat heating, right   5013Active seat ventilation, right   5114Automatic recirculated-air control/recircu‐
lated-air mode15Cooling function16Rear window defroster17SYNC program18Active seat ventilation, left   5119Seat heating, left  50Seite 163Climate controlControls163
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Climate control functions in detail
Manual air distribution Press the button repeatedly to select
a program:▷Upper body region.▷Upper body region and footwell.▷Footwell.▷Windows and footwell.▷Windows, upper body region, and footwell.▷Windows: driver's side only.▷Windows and upper body region.
If the windows are fogged over, press the
AUTO button on the driver's side to utilize the
condensation sensor.
Temperature Turn the wheel to set the de‐sired temperature.
The automatic climate control achieves this
temperature as quickly as possible, if neces‐
sary with the maximum cooling or heating ca‐
pacity, and then keeps it constant.
Avoid rapidly switching between different tem‐
perature settings. Otherwise, the automatic cli‐
mate control will not have sufficient time to ad‐
just the set temperature.
AUTO program Press the button.
Air flow, air distribution, and tempera‐
ture are controlled automatically.
Depending on the selected temperature,
AUTO intensity program and outside influen‐ ces, the air is directed to the windshield, side
windows, upper body, and into the footwell.
The cooling function, refer to page 165, is
switched on automatically with the AUTO pro‐
gram.
At the same time, a condensation sensor con‐
trols the program so as to prevent window
condensation as much as possible.
Intensity of the AUTO program
With the AUTO program switched on, auto‐
matic control of the air flow and air distribution
can be adjusted.
Press the left or right side of the but‐
ton: decrease or increase the inten‐
sity.
The selected intensity is shown on the display
of the automatic climate control.
Air flow, manual To be able to manually adjust the air flow,
switch off the AUTO program first.
Press the left or right side of the but‐
ton: decrease or increase air flow.
The selected air flow is shown on the display of
the automatic climate control.
The air flow of the automatic climate control
may be reduced automatically to save battery
power.
Defrosting windows and removing condensation
Press the button.
Ice and condensation are quickly re‐
moved from the windshield and the front side
windows.
The air volume can be adjusted when the pro‐
gram is active.
If the windows are fogged over, you can also
switch on the cooling function or press the
AUTO button to utilize the condensation sen‐
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Maximum coolingPress the button.
The system is set to the lowest tem‐
perature, maximum air flow and air circulation
mode.
Air flows out of the vents for the upper body
region. The vents need to be open for this.
The function is available above an external
temperature of approx. 32 ℉/0 ℃ and with the
engine running is indicated.
The air flow can be adjusted when the program
is active.
Automatic recirculated-air control/ recirculated-air mode
You can respond to unpleasant odors or pollu‐
tants in the immediate environment by tempo‐
rarily suspending the supply of outside air. The
system then recirculates the air currently
within the vehicle.
Press the button repeatedly to select
an operating mode:▷LEDs off: outside air flows in continuously.▷Left LED on, automatic recirculated-air
control: a sensor detects pollutants in the
outside air and controls the shutoff auto‐
matically.▷Right LED on, recirculated-air mode: the
supply of outside air into the vehicle is per‐
manently blocked.
If the windows are fogged over, switch off the
recirculated-air mode and press the AUTO
button on the driver's side to utilize the con‐
densation sensor. Make sure that air can flow
onto the windshield.
Continuous recirculated-air mode
The recirculated-air mode should not be
used for an extended period of time, as the air
quality inside the vehicle deteriorates stead‐
ily.◀
Cooling function
The passenger compartment can only be
cooled with the engine running.
Press the button.
The air is cooled and dehumidified
and, depending on the temperature setting,
warmed again.
Depending on the weather, the windshield may
fog up briefly when the engine is started.
The cooling function is switched on automati‐
cally with the AUTO program.
When using the automatic climate control,
condensation water, refer to page 188, devel‐
ops that exits underneath the vehicle.
Rear window defroster Press the button.
The rear window defroster switches
off automatically after a certain period of time.
SYNC program The current settings on the driver's
side for temperature, air flow, air distri‐
bution, and AUTO program are transferred to
the front passenger side and to the left and
right rear.
The program is switched off if the settings on
the front passenger side or in the rear are
changed.
Residual heat The heat stored in the engine is used to heat
the interior.
Functional requirement▷Up to 15 minutes after switching off the
engine.▷Warm engine.▷The battery is sufficiently charged.▷External temperature below 77 ℉/25 ℃.Seite 165Climate controlControls165
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Switching on1.Switch off the ignition.2. Press the right side of the button
on the driver's side.
The symbol appears on the automatic cli‐
mate Control Display.
The interior temperature, air volume and air
distribution can be adjusted with the ignition
switched on.
Switching off
At the lowest fan speed, press the left side of
the button on the driver's side.
The symbol on the display of the automatic
climate control flashes.
Switching the system on/off Switching off
▷Complete system: Press and hold the left button on
the driver's side until the control
clicks off.▷On the front passenger side:
Press and hold the left button on
the front passenger side.
Switching on
Press any button except:
▷Rear window defroster.▷Left side of Air volume button.▷Seat heating.▷Seat ventilation.▷If necessary, SYNC program.
Microfilter/activated-charcoal filter
The microfilter removes dust and pollen from
the incoming air.
The activated-charcoal filter removes gaseous
pollutants from the outside air that enters the
vehicle.
This combined filter should be replaced during
scheduled maintenance, refer to page 231, of
your vehicle.
Ventilation Front ventilation▷Thumbwheels to vary the temperature, ar‐
row 1.
Toward blue: colder.
Toward red: warmer.▷Lever for changing the air flow direction,
arrow 2.▷Thumbwheels for opening and closing the
vents continuously, arrows 3.
Ventilation levels
▷Draft-free ventilation:
Thumbwheel, arrow 3, in level
: the air
current is fanned out.
▷Maximum air volume:
Thumbwheel, arrow 3, in level
: the air
is partially fanned out and partially bundled.
This maximizes the air supply.
▷Direct ventilation:
Thumbwheel, arrow 3, in level
: the air
is bundled and can be directed to a specific
point.
Adjusting the ventilation
▷Ventilation for cooling:Seite 166ControlsClimate control166
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Adjust the vent to direct the air in your di‐
rection, e.g., if the vehicle interior is hot
from the sun.▷Draft-free ventilation:
Adjust the vent to let the air flow past you.
Ventilation in rear, center
▷Thumbwheels to vary the temperature, ar‐
row 1.
Toward blue: colder.
Toward red: warmer.▷Lever for changing the air flow direction,
arrow 2.▷Thumbwheels for continuous opening and
closing of the vents, arrow 3.
Lateral ventilation
▷Thumbwheel for opening and closing the
vents continuously, arrow 1.▷Lever for changing the air flow direction,
arrow 2.Rear automatic climate
control
At a glance1Temperature2AUTO program3Vent settings4Air volume, AUTO intensity5Display6Maximum cooling7Seat heating   50
Switching the rear automatic climate
control on/off
1."Settings"2."Climate"3."Rear climate"
The rear automatic climate control is not op‐
erational if the automatic climate control is
switched off or if the function for defrosting or
defogging the windows is active.
AUTO program Press the button.
Air flow, air distribution, and tempera‐
ture are controlled automatically:
Depending on the selected temperature, the
AUTO intensity, and outside influences, the air
is directed to the upper body and into the foot‐
well.
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middle section is folded down. Otherwise, in‐
jury or damage may result.◀
Ensuring the stability of the child seat
When installing child restraint fixing sys‐
tems, make sure that the child seat is securely
fastened to the backrest of the seat. The angle
of the backrest may need to be adjusted and,
where necessary, the headrest height may also
need to be adjusted, or if possible removed.
Make sure that all backrests are securely
locked. Otherwise, the stability of the child
seat is limited, and there is an increased risk of
injury because of unexpected movement of the
rear seat backrest.◀
Opening Move the front seats to an upright posi‐
tion
Before folding down the rear backrests, ensure
that the front seats are moved forward slightly
and are in an upright position. Otherwise, the
head restraint and screen could be damaged.◀1.Unlock the belt lock of the center safety
belt in the rear using the latch plate of an‐
other safety belt.2.Insert the latch plate at the end of the belt
into the specially designated fixture on the
rear window shelf.3.Push the corresponding head restraint
down as far as it will go.4.Pull the corresponding lever in the cargo
area to release the rear seat backrest.5.The unlocked rear seat backrest moves
forward slightly.6.Fold backrest forward.
Closing
1.Return the rear seat backrest to the upright
seating position and engage it.
Ensure that the lock is securely en‐
gaged
Make sure that the lock engages properly
when folding back, otherwise transported
cargo could enter the passenger compart‐
ment during braking or evasive maneuvers
and endanger the vehicle occupants.◀2.Release the belt tongue from the fixture on
the rear window shelf.3.Insert the belt tongue in the belt lock of the
center safety belt. Make sure you hear the
latch plate engage.
To secure cargo, refer to page 191, with nets
or draw straps, the cargo area is fitted with
lashing eyes.
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Things to remember when drivingVehicle equipment
All standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equip‐
ment is also described that is not available in a
vehicle, e. g., because of the selected optional
equipment or country variant. This also applies
for safety-related functions and systems.
Breaking-in period General information Moving parts need to be broken in to adjust to
each other.
The following instructions will help achieve a
long vehicle life and good economy.
Engine and differential Always obey the official speed limit.
Up to 1,200 miles/2,000 km
Do not exceed the maximum engine and road
speed:▷For gasoline engine 4,500 rpm and
100 mph/160 km/h.▷For diesel engine 3,500 rpm and
93 mph/150 km/h.
Avoid full load or kickdown under all circum‐
stances.
From 1,200 miles/2,000 km The engine and vehicle speed can gradually be
increased.
Tires
Due to technical factors associated with their
manufacture, tires do not achieve their full
traction potential until after an initial breaking-
in period.
Drive conservatively for the first
200 miles/300 km.
Brake system
Brakes require an initial break-in period of ap‐
prox. 300 miles/500 km to achieve optimized
contact and wear patterns between brake
discs and brake pads. Drive moderately during
this break-in period.
Clutch
The function of the clutch reaches its optimal
level only after a distance driven of approx.
300 miles/500 km. During this break-in period,
engage the clutch gently.
Following part replacement
The same breaking in procedures should be
observed if any of the components mentioned
above have to be renewed in the course of the
vehicle's operating life.
General driving notes
Closing the trunk lid Drive with the trunk lid closed
Only drive with the tailgate closed; other‐
wise, in the event of an accident or braking and
evasive maneuvers, passengers and other road
users may be injured, and the vehicle may be
damaged. In addition, exhaust fumes may en‐
ter the passenger compartment.◀
If driving with the tailgate open cannot be avoided:▷Close all windows and the glass sunroof.▷Greatly increase the blower speed.▷Drive moderately.Seite 186Driving tipsThings to remember when driving186
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