trailer BMW X3 2.5I 2006 E83 Owner's Manual

Reference
At a glance
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Driving tips
Mobility
47
Technology for comfort, convenience and
safety
PDC Park Distance Control*
The concept
PDC provides extra safety and convenience
during parking maneuvers. Audible signals indi-
cate that you are approaching an object in front
of or behind your vehicle. To measure the dis-
tance, there are four ultrasonic sensors in each
bumper.
An acoustic signal begins to sound when the
front sensors and the rear corner sensors are
within approx. 2 ft/60 cm of an obstacle and
when the rear middle sensors are within approx.
5 ft/1,50 m of an obstacle.
PDC is a parking aid that can indicate
objects when they are approached
slowly, as is usually the case when parking.
Avoid approaching objects too fast; otherwise,
the system may give warning of physical obsta-
cles too late.<
If you are driving with a trailer, the rear sensors
cannot take any meaningful measurements.
Consequently, they do not switch on.
Automatic mode
In ignition key position 2, the system is auto-
matically activated after approx. one second
each time you shift into reverse or move the
selector-lever into position R. Wait for this short
time span before moving.
You can have a signal tone programmed
into the system to verify that the PDC is
active.<
Activating manual mode
In ignition key position 2, press the button; the
LED lights up.
Deactivating manual mode
Press the button again, the LED goes out.
The system is automatically deactivated once
the vehicle travels approx. 160 ft/50 m or
exceeds a speed of roughly 20 mph/30 km/h;
the LED goes out. You can reactivate the sys-
tem manually as needed.
Signal tones
An intermittent tone from a rear speaker signals
the distance to an object behind the vehicle as
you approach it.
An intermittent tone from a speaker beneath
the dashboard signals the distance to an object
in front of the vehicle as you approach it.
As the distance between vehicle and object
decreases, the intervals between the tones
become shorter. The signal tone becomes con-
tinuous once the distance to the nearest object
falls to below roughly 1 ft/30 cm.
An intermittent tone is interrupted after approx.
3seconds:
>if y o u r e m a in i n f ro n t o f a n o b j e c t t ha t is o n ly
detected by one of the corner sensors
>if you are moving parallel to a wall

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
48
Malfunction
The LED in the button flashes and a short con-
tinuous tone sounds. PDC is malfunctioning.
Switch off PDC. Have the system checked.
To prevent this problem, keep the sensors
clean and free of ice or snow in order to ensure
that they will continue to operate effectively.
When using high-pressure washers, do not
spray sensors for long periods and keep the
sprayer at least 4 in/10 cm away from the sen-
sors.
System limits
Even with PDC, final responsibility for
estimating the distance between the
vehicle and any obstructions 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. a curb, can come into the
blind spot of the sensors before a continuous
tone sounds. The system may fail to detect
higher obstacles such as ledges.
Loud sources of sound, inside and outside the
vehicle, could drown out 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 even under unfavorable driving
conditions.
ABS Antilock Brake System
ABS prevents the wheels from locking during
braking. Safe steering response is maintained
even during full braking. This results in an
increase in the active safety.
ABS is operational every time you start the
engine. Safe braking, refer to page78.
Electronic brake-force distribution
The system controls the brake pressure in the
rear wheels to ensure a stable braking behavior.
DBC Dynamic Brake Control
When the brake pedal is depressed quickly, this
system automatically generates a maximum
braking force distribution and thus helps keep
the braking distance to a minimum during full
braking. This system exploits all of the benefits
provided by ABS.
As long as you want full braking to continue, do
not reduce pressure on the brake.
DSC Dynamic Stability Control
DSC prevents slip at the drive wheels when
starting off and accelerating. DSC also detects
unstable driving conditions, such as a fishtailing
of the vehicle's rear end or the sliding of the
vehicle on its front wheels. In these circum-
stances, DSC helps keep the vehicle on a safe
path, within physical limits, by reducing engine
output and by applying the brakes in individual
wheels.
The DSC is operational every time you start the
engine.
The laws of physics cannot be repealed,
even with DSC. An appropriate driving
style always remains the responsibility of the
driver. Do not reduce the additional safety mar-
gin again by taking unnecessary risks.<
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp goes out shortly
after the engine starts.
When the indicator lamp flashes:
DSC is controlling the drive and braking forces.
When the indicator lamp stays lit:
DSC has been switched off with the button.

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
51
of the wheels. This change is detected and sig-
naled as a flat tire.
Functional requirement
To ensure the reliable signaling of a flat tire, the
system must be initialized at the correct tire
inflation pressure.
The initialization must be repeated after
every correction of the tire inflation pres-
sure, after every tire or wheel change, and after
a trailer is hitched or unhitched.<
System limits
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot predict sud-
den severe tire damage caused by out-
side 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:
>When the system has not been initialized
>When driving on snow-covered or slippery
road surfaces
>Sporty driving style: slip in the drive wheels,
high lateral acceleration.
>When driving with snow chains
When driving with a compact wheel, the Flat
Tire Monitor cannot operate.
Initializing system
The system must be reinitialized after
every correction of tire inflation pressure
and after every tire or wheel change. Do not ini-
tialize the system when driving with snow
chains or with a compact wheel.<
1.Start the engine just before driving, but do
not begin to drive.
2.Press the button for at least 4 seconds, but
not longer than 2 minutes. After the button
is released, the indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up yellow for a few sec-
onds.3.Begin driving.
The initialization is completed during driv-
ing and can be interrupted at any time with-
out requiring any input from you. The initial-
ization automatically continues when
driving resumes.
Indication of a flat tire
The warning lamp lights up red. In addi-
tion, an acoustic signal sounds. There is
a flat tire or extensive inflation pressure
loss.
1.Reduce speed and stop the vehicle care-
fully. Avoid sudden braking and steering
maneuvers.
2.Identify damaged tire.
If identification is not possible, con-
tact your BMW Sports Activity Vehi-
cle Center.<
3.Replace the damaged wheel, refer to
Changing a wheel on page103.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up yellow. The
Flat Tire Monitor is malfunctioning or
out of order. Have the system checked
as soon as possible.

Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Mobility
79
3.Subtract the combined weight of the driver
and passengers from XXX lbs. or YYY kg.
4.The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load capacity.
For example, if the XXX amount equals
990 lbs. and there will be five 150-lb. pas-
sengers in your vehicle, the amount of avail-
able cargo and luggage load capacity is
240 lbs.:
990 lbs. minus 750 lbs. = 240 lbs.
5.Determine the combined weight of luggage
and cargo being loaded into and/or onto the
vehicle. This combined weight may not
safely exceed the available cargo and lug-
gage load capacity calculated in step 4.
6.If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, part of
the load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult the manual for
transporting a trailer to determine how this
may reduce the available cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.
Load
The permitted load is the total of the weight of
occupants and cargo/luggage. The greater the
weight of occupants, the less cargo/luggage
can be transported.
Stowing cargo
>To protect passengers, use the partition
net, refer to page72.
>Load heavy cargo as far forward and as low
as possible, placing it directly behind the
rear seat backrests.
>Cover sharp edges and corners.
>Do not stack cargo higher than the upper
edge of the backrests.
>Items that could bump against the rear win-
dow while driving must be adequately cov-
ered.
>For very heavy cargo when the rear seat is
not occupied, secure each safety belt in the
opposite buckle.
Securing cargo
>Use the luggage net* o r d ra w s t r a p s t o h o l d
down small and lightweight luggage and
cargo, refer to page73.
>For larger and heavier pieces, heavy-duty
cargo straps
* are available from your BMW
Sports Activity Vehicle Center. These
heavy-duty cargo straps are attached using
the lashing eyes in the cargo area, refer to
page73.