steering BMW 6 SERIES 2007 User Guide

Adjusting
56 A list of different functions appears:
>"Navigation voice instructions"
Voice instructions of the navigation sys-
tem
*
>"Air recirculation on / off"
Permanently shutting off outside air,
refer to AUC Automatic recirculated-air
control on page109
>"Mute on / off"
Mutes the audio sources
>"Monitor on / off"
Switches the Control Display on/off
>"Telephone list"
*
Display/hide phone book or last list of
stored phone numbers displayed
>"Next entertainment source"
Changes audio source
>Switches "Night Vision on / off"
BMW Night Vision
* on/off
5.Select the desired function unit and press
the controller.
6.Select the button if necessary and press the
controller.
You can now activate the selected function
using the corresponding button.
Operating function
Press the corresponding button on the steering
wheel.
If you have programmed "Navigation voice
instructions" for one of the buttons:
>To switch voice instructions on/off:
Press the button longer.
>To repeat the last voice instruction:
Press the button.

Controls
61Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Automatic transmission*
1.Move selector lever into position P with
vehicle stopped.
2.Press the Start/Stop button.
3.Firmly apply the handbrake.
4.Remove the remote control from the igni-
tion lock, refer to page59.
Handbrake
The handbrake is primarily intended to prevent
the vehicle from rolling while parked; it brakes
the rear wheels.
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp lights up, and a sig-
nal also sounds when starting off. The
handbrake is applied.
Indicator lamp for Canadian models.
Applying
The lever locks in position automatically.
Releasing
Pull slightly upwards, press the button and
lower the lever.
If exceptional circumstances should
make it necessary to apply the handbrake
while the vehicle is in motion, do not pull it too
firmly. In doing so, continuously press the but-
ton of the handbrake lever. Otherwise, too firm
an application of the handbrake can lock up the
rear wheels and cause the rear of the vehicle to
swerve. ing action, occasionally engage the hand-
brake lightly when the vehicle is slowly coming
to a stop if the traffic conditions are suitable.
The brake lamps do not light up when the hand-
brake is applied.<
Manual transmission
When shifting into 5th/6th gear, press the
gearshift lever toward the right, otherwise
an inadvertent shift into 3rd or 4th gear could
lead to engine damage.<
Reverse gear
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
Press the gearshift lever to the left, overcoming
a slight resistance.
SMG Sequential Manual
Transmission*
The concept
The SMG Sequential Manual Transmission is
an automated manual transmission in which an
electrohydraulic system handles the clutching
and gear changes.
The SMG is operated with the selector lever
and two shift paddles on the steering wheel.
It offers the following functions:
>Choice of manual or automatic mode:
Sequential mode or Drive mode
>Choice of two drive programs: Normal or
Sport, refer to Dynamic Driving Control
page64

Controls
63Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Kick-down: for rapid acceleration, e.g. passing,
press the accelerator pedal as far down as it will
go. You achieve maximum acceleration.
To switch back to the Sequential mode: press
the selector lever to the right again toward D or
shift using the shift paddles or the selector
lever.
Start off quickly on slopes. Do not hold
the vehicle on a hill by applying the throt-
tle, but engage the handbrake instead. Other-
wise, overheating can occur in the region of the
transmission.<
Gear changes
Using selector lever
>To upshift, pull the selector lever back.
>To downshift, push the selector lever for-
ward.
Using shift paddles on steering wheel
>To upshift, pull one of the shift paddles.
>To downshift, press.
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic*
In addition to the fully automatic mode, you can
also shift manually with Steptronic, refer to
page64.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Displays in instrument cluster
P R N D DS M1 to M6
The selector lever position is indicated, and in
manual mode, the gear currently engaged.
Changing selector lever positions
>Only move the selector lever from
position P with the engine running: inter-
lock.
>With the vehicle stopped, press the brake
before shifting out of P or N; otherwise, the
selector lever is blocked: shiftlock.
To prevent the vehicle from creeping
after you select a driving position,
maintain pressure on the brake pedal until
you are ready to start.<
An interlock prevents inadvertent gearshifts
into selector lever positions R and P. To cancel
the interlock, press the button on the front of
the selector lever knob, refer to arrow.
P Park
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
The rear wheels are locked.
R Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.

Controls
67Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Cleaning windshield, headlamps and
BMW Night Vision camera*
Pull the lever, arrow4:
The system sprays washer fluid against the
windshield and activates the wipers for a brief
period.
With the vehicle lighting switched on, the head-
lamps and the BMW Night Vision camera are
also cleaned simultaneously at suitable inter-
vals.
Do not use the washers if there is any
danger that the fluid will freeze on the
windshield. If you do so, your vision could be
obscured. To avoid freezing, use a washer fluid
antifreeze, refer to Washer fluid. Do not use
washers when the washer fluid reservoir is
empty, as this will damage the washer pump.<
Windshield washer nozzles
Both windshield washer nozzles are automati-
cally heated with the engine running or the igni-
tion switched on.
Washer fluid
Washer fluid antifreeze is flammable.
Always keep it well away from sparks and
open flames, and store it in tightly closed con-
tainers well out of the reach of children. Always
follow the instructions for use provided on the
containers.<
Filler neck for washer fluid
All washer nozzles are supplied from one reser-
voir.Fill with water and – if required – with a washer
antifreeze, according to manufacturer's recom-
mendations.
In order to maintain the mixture ratio, mix
the washer fluid before filling.<
Capacity
Capacity approx. 5.3 US quarts/5 liters.
Cruise control
The concept
The cruise control is available for use at speeds
of approx. 20 mph/30 km/h and higher. The
vehicle stores and maintains the speed that you
set using the lever mounted on the steering col-
umn.
Do not use the cruise control under driv-
ing conditions that do not permit a con-
stant speed, e.g. when driving on winding
roads, in heavy traffic or in poor road conditions
such as snow, rain, ice, and loose road surface.
Otherwise, you could lose control of the vehicle
and cause an accident.<
One lever for all functions
1Maintaining speed, storing speed, and
accelerating
2Maintaining speed, storing speed, and
decelerating
3Interrupting cruise control
4Resuming stored speed

Controls
87Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
PDC with visual warning*
You can also enjoy the option of having the sys-
tem show the approach to an object on the
Control Display. Objects that are farther away
are already shown there before a signal tone
sounds. The setting is stored for the remote
control currently in use.
iDrive, for explanation of principle, refer to
page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Turn the controller until "Settings" is
selected and press the controller.
4.Turn the controller until "Vehicle / Tires" is
selected and press the controller.
5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "PDC" is selected and press
the controller.
6.Select "PDC display on" and press the con-
troller.
The PDC screen is activated.
The display appears on the Control Display as
soon as PDC is activated.
System limits
Even with PDC, final responsibility for
estimating the distance between the
vehicle and any obstacles always remains with
the driver. Even when sensors are involved,
there is a blind spot in which objects cannot be
detected. The system is also subject to the
physical limits that apply to all forms of ultra-
sonic measurement, such as those encoun-
tered with tow bars and trailer couplings, or thin
and wedge-shaped objects etc. Low objects
already displayed, e. g. curbs, can also disap-
pear from the detection area of the sensors
again before or after a continuous tone already
sounds. Higher, protruding objects, e.g. ledges,
cannot be detected.
Loud noises from outside and inside the vehicle
may prevent you from hearing the PDC signal
tone.<
Driving stability control
systems
Your BMW is equipped with an extended array
of systems designed to enhance and maintain
vehicle stability under extreme conditions.
ABS Antilock Brake System
ABS prevents the wheels from locking during
braking. Safe steering response is maintained
even during hard braking. This increases active
driving safety.
ABS is operational every time you start the
engine. For information on safe braking, refer to
page121.
CBC Cornering Brake Control
This system provides further enhancements to
vehicle stability and steering response when
braking while cornering or when braking during
a lane change.
Electronic brake-force distribution
This system controls the brake system's appli-
cation pressure at the rear wheels to ensure
stable deceleration.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
88
Brake assistant
When you apply the brakes rapidly, this system
automatically produces the maximum braking
force boost and thus helps to achieve the short-
est possible braking distance during full brak-
ing. This system exploits all of the benefits pro-
vided by ABS.
Do not reduce the pressure on the brake pedal
for the duration of the full braking.
DSC Dynamic Stability Control
DSC prevents traction loss in the driving wheels
when starting off and accelerating. The system
also identifies unstable driving conditions, such
as a loss of traction at the rear of the vehicle or
sliding of the vehicle in its front wheels. In these
cases, DSC helps the vehicle safely stay on
course within the physical limits by reducing the
engine output and by applying the brakes differ-
ently in the individual wheels.
The laws of physics cannot be repealed,
even with DSC. An appropriate driving
style always remains the responsibility of the
driver. Therefore, do not restrict the additional
safety margin with a risky driving style, as other-
wise there is a risk of an accident.<
Deactivating DSC
Press the button until the DSC indicator lamp in
the instrument cluster lights up, but not for
longer than approx. 10 seconds. DTC Dynamic
Traction Control and DSC are deactivated
together. Interventions promoting stability and
forward momentum will no longer be carried
out. The stability-promoting intervention of the
active steering
* is also deactivated, refer to
page94.A message appears on the Control Display.
Please note any supplementary information
that appears there.
To support enhanced operating stability, reacti-
vate DSC again as soon as possible.
Activating DSC
Press the button; the indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster goes out.
For better control
The indicator lamp flashes:
DSC is controlling the drive forces and
brake forces.
The indicator lamp lights up:
DSC is deactivated.
DTC Dynamic Traction Control
DTC is a variant of DSC for special road condi-
tions, e.g. uncleared snow-covered roads, that
is optimized for forward momentum. The sys-
tem ensures maximum forward momentum, but
with limited driving stability. Therefore, drive
with appropriate caution.
You may find it useful to briefly activate DTC
under the following special circumstances:
>When driving on snowy inclines, in slush, or
on unplowed, snow-covered road surfaces
>When rocking a stuck vehicle free or when
starting off in deep snow or on loose ground
>When driving with snow chains
*
Activating DTC
Press the button; the DTC indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
90 The initialization must be repeated after
every correction of the tire inflation pres-
sure and after every tire or wheel change.<
System limits
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot indicate
sudden severe tire damage caused by
outside factors and does not detect a natural,
even pressure drop in all four tires.<
In the following situations, the system could be
delayed or malfunction:
>System has not been initialized
>Driving on snow-covered or slippery roads
>Sporty driving style: slip in the drive wheels,
high lateral acceleration
>Driving with snow chains
*
Initializing system
The initialization finishes during driving,
which can be interrupted at any time.
When driving resumes, the initialization is auto-
matically continued.
Do not initialize the system when driving with
snow chains
*.<
iDrive, for explanation of principle, refer to
page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Turn the controller until "Settings" is
selected and press the controller.
4.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.5.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the
controller until "FTM" is selected and press
the controller.
6.Start the engine, but do not start driving.
7.Select "Reset" and press the controller.
8.Select "Yes" and press the controller.
9.Start to drive.
The message "resetting FTM …" is dis-
played.
The initialization is completed during driving.
Indication of a flat tire
The warning lamp lights up in red. A
message appears on the Control Dis-
play. In addition, an acoustic signal
sounds. There is a flat tire or extensive inflation
pressure loss.
1.Cautiously reduce the vehicle speed to
below 50 mph/80 km/h. Avoid severe brak-
ing and steering maneuvers and do not
exceed a speed of 50 mph/80 km/h.
Stop driving if the vehicle is no longer
equipped with run-flat tires, as it was
when it came from the factory, refer to
page204. Continued driving after a flat tire
can result in serious accidents.<

Controls
91Reference
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2.Check the air pressure in all four tires at the
next opportunity.
If the tire inflation pressure in all four
tires is correct, the Flat Tire Monitor
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 run-flat
tires, based on the following guide values:
>With low load:
1 to 2 persons without luggage:
approx. 155 miles/250 km.
>With medium load:
2 persons, luggage compartment full, or
4 persons without luggage:
approx. 94 miles/150 km.
>With full load:
4 persons, luggage compartment 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 dis-
tances and altered natural steering charac-
teristics.
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 loca-
tion as soon as possible; otherwise, pieces
of the tire could become detached and
cause an accident. Do not continue driving,
but instead contact your BMW center. The concept
TPM checks the tire inflation pressure in the
four mounted tires. The system reports when
the tire inflation pressure has dropped consid-
erably in one or several tires.
Functional requirement
In order to assure the reliable reporting of a flat
tire, the system must have been reset with the
correct tire inflation pressure.
Always use wheels with TPM electronics, oth-
erwise fault-free operation of the system is not
ensured.
Reset the system again after each correc-
tion of the tire inflation pressure and after
every tire or wheel change.<
System limits
TPM cannot announce sudden serious
tire damage caused by external influ-
ences.<
The system does not function properly if it has
not been reset, e.g. a flat tire is reported despite
correct tire inflation pressures.
The system is inactive and cannot display a flat
tire if a wheel has been mounted without TPM
electronics, or if TPM is temporarily interfered
with by other systems or devices which use the
same radio frequency.
Status display on Control Display
The tire and system status is indicated by the
color of the tires.
TPM takes the fact that the tire pressure
changes during driving into account. A correc-
tion is only required if requested by TPM with
the color.
Green
The tire pressure matches the learned set state.
"TPM active" is displayed on the Control Dis-
play.

Controls
93Reference
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Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Stop driving if the vehicle is no longer
equipped with run-flat tires, as it was
when it came from the factory, refer to
page204. Continued driving after a flat tire
can result in serious accidents.<
2.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 low load:
1 to 2 persons without luggage:
approx. 155 miles/250 km
>With medium load:
2 persons, luggage compartment full, or
4 persons without luggage:
approx. 95 miles/150 km
>With full load:
4 persons, luggage compartment 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 distances 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.<
Malfunction
The yellow warning lamp flashes and
then lights up continuously. The tires
are shown in gray on the Control Dis-
play and a message is displayed. No flat tire can
be detected.
A message like this is displayed in the following
situations:
>In case of a malfunction;
have the system checked.
>If a wheels is mounted without TPM elec-
tronics.>If TPM is temporarily interfered with by
other systems or devices which use the
same radio frequency.
Declaration according to NHTSA/
FMVSS 138 Tire Pressure Monitoring
Systems
Each tire should be checked monthly when cold
and inflated to the inflation pressure recom-
mended by the vehicle manufacturer on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label. If
your vehicle has tires of a different size than the
size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire infla-
tion pressure label, you should determine the
proper tire inflation pressure for those tires. As
an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring sys-
tem, TPMS, that illuminates a low tire pressure
indicator when o ne or m ore of your tires a re sig-
nificantly under-inflated. Accordingly, when the
low tire pressure indicator illuminates, you
should stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper pres-
sure. Driving on a significantly under-inflated
tire causes the tire to overheat and can lead to
tire failure. Under-inflation also reduces fuel
efficiency and tire tread life, and may affect the
vehicle's handling and stopping ability. Please
note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver's
responsibility to maintain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure indicator.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is combined
with the low tire pressure indicator. When the
system detects a malfunction, the indicator will
flash for approximately one minute and then
remain continuously illuminated. This
sequence will continue upon subsequent vehi-
cle startups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illuminated,
the system may not be able to detect or signal
low tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunc-
tions may occur for a variety of reasons, includ-
ing the installation of replacement or alternate
tires or wheels on the vehicle that prevent the
TPMS from functioning properly. Always check

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
94 the TPMS malfunction indicator after replacing
one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or alternate tires
and wheels allow the TPMS to continue to func-
tion properly.
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 stability-pro-
moting intervention is deactivated when DSC is
switched off, refer to page88.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up yellow and
a message is shown on the Control Dis-
play. The active steering is no longer
operational. At low speed, larger steering wheel
movements are required, while the vehicle
reacts more sensitively to steering wheel move-
ments in the higher road speed range. The sta-
bility-promoting intervention can also be deac-
tivated. Proceed cautiously and drive
defensively. Have the system checked.
Brake force display
>On the left: normal braking.
>On the right: heavy braking.
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Coupe: head airbags
3Side airbags
4Knee airbag
5Knee airbagProtective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
please follow the adjustment instructions on
page48.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and
front passenger by responding to frontal
impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-