maintenance BMW X5 3.0I 2006 E53 Owner's Guide

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Airbags Transporting children safely >The indicator lamp does not light up
when, for example, a correctly seated
person of sufficient height is detected
on the seat. The front and side airbag
on the front passenger side are acti-
vated
>The indicator lamp does not light up
when the seat is empty.
The front and side airbag on the front
passenger side are not activated.Operational readiness of airbag
system
As of ignition key position 1, the
warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up for a short time,
thus indicating the operational readi-
ness of the entire airbag system and the
safety belt tensioners.
Airbag system malfunction:
>Warning lamp does not light up as of
ignition key position 1
>Warning lamp lights up continuously.
Have the airbag system checked
immediately if a malfunction
occurs, as otherwise there is a danger
of the system failing to respond in the
expected manner in an accident of cor-
responding severity.<
The right place for children
Do not leave children unattended
in the vehicle, as otherwise they
could endanger themselves and other
persons, e.g. by opening the doors.<
In principle, all seats in your BMW
except the driver's seat are suitable for
mounting universal child restraint sys-
tems for all ages which are approved
for the respective age group.
Children always in the rear:
Accident research shows that the saf-
est place for children is on the back
seat.
Only transport children under
13 years of age or less than 5 ft/
150 cm tall in the rear in child restraint
systems intended for the respective
age, weight and height of the child.
Otherwise there is an increased danger
of injury in an accident.<
Children 13 years of age or older must
wear a safety belt as soon as a suitable
child restraint system can no longer be
used due to their age, size and weight.
All rear seat positions in your vehicle
comply with the recommendations of
the standard SAE J1819 for the safe
securing of child restraint systems in
motor vehicles.
Exception for front passenger seat:
Should it be necessary to use a
child-restraint system on the front
passenger seat, the front and side air-
bags must be deactivated. Otherwise,
there is an increased risk of injury for
the child when the airbags are trig-
gered, even with a child-restraint sys-
tem. Your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle
center will be happy to advise you.<
More information on automatic deacti-
vation of the front passenger airbags,
refer to page56.

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Transporting children safelyThe illustration shows the fastening of
the tether strap for the outer seats.530ue257
The illustration shows the fastening of
the tether strap for the middle seat.
Routing of the tether strap:
1. Push head restraint upward
2. Guide securing strap through head
restraint bracket
3. Slide the head restraint into the bot-
tom position.
When using the cargo area roll-up
cover, also route the tether strap
between the rear backrest and the cas-
ing of the roll-up cover.530ue256
LATCH child-restraint fixing
systemLATCH: Lower Anchor and Tethers for
CHildren.
To attach a LATCH child's seat,
follow the operating and safety
instructions of the system manufac-
turer.<
The rear outer seating positions are
provided with anchors for a LATCH
child-restraint fixing system.
The illustration shows the left rear seat
as an example. The mounts for attach-
ment of the LATCH child-restraint fixing
system are located behind the cover
panels. 530us255

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Vehicle Memory, Key Memory How the system functions You have probably frequently wished
that you could configure individual
functions of your vehicle meet your own
personal requirements. In developing
your vehicle, BMW has included several
user-defined functions in the vehicle's
design. Your BMW Sports Activity Vehi-
cle center can make these settings for
you.
There are vehicle and person-related
adjustments: Vehicle Memory and Key
Memory. You can have up to four differ-
ent basic positions configured for four
different persons. The only requirement
is that each person uses his or her own
remote control key.
When your vehicle is unlocked with the
remote control, the vehicle recognizes
the individual user by means of a data
exchange with the key, and makes
adjustments accordingly.
In order for you to distinguish between
the master keys with remote control,
color-coded decals are supplied
together with the keys.
What the system can doYour BMW Sports Activity Vehicle cen-
ter can provide you with details on the
capabilities of the Vehicle Memory and
Key Memory systems.
You will see this symbol through-
out the Owner's Manual. It is to
remind you at appropriate places of the
settings that are available to you.<
Following configuration of the
memory functions, vehicle opera-
tion may differ from the description in
the Owner's Manual. Should you want
to sell your BMW some day, please
remember to have the memory func-
tions reset to the default state.<
Examples for Vehicle Memory:
>Various signals that can serve as
acknowledgment for locking and
unlocking the vehicle, refer to
pages31, 33
>Deactivating/activating the Pathway
lighting function, refer to page100.
Examples for Key Memory:
>Automatic adjustment of the driver's
seat, exterior mirror and steering
wheel with settings stored in the
memory for the individual driver when
the vehicle is unlocked, refer to
page51
>Calling up customized settings for
the automatic climate control when
unlocking the vehicle, refer to
page109.

OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
63n
Starting engine Switching off engineDo not allow the engine to warm up by
leaving it running while the vehicle
remains stationary. Instead, begin to
drive immediately at a moderate engine
speed.
X5 3.0i:
Do not end the starting procedure too
soon, but do not continue for longer
than approx. 20 seconds. Release the
ignition key immediately as soon as the
engine starts.
X5 4.4i, 4.8is:
Your BMW is equipped with the conve-
nience starting feature. With this fea-
ture, it is sufficient to turn the ignition
key only briefly to position 3 'Start
engine' and to let go of it right away.
The starter actuation continues to oper-
ate automatically for a certain period of
time and is stopped automatically as
soon as the engine has started.
The automatic starting mode will not
operate or will be canceled if the bat-
tery voltage is insufficient. The engine
can be jump started, refer to page174.Should the engine fail to start on the
first attempt, if it is very hot or cold, for
instance:
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway
down while engaging the starter.
Cold starts at altitudes above 3,300 ft/
1,000 meters and at very low tempera-
tures, from approx. +57/–156:
>For the initial starting attempt, allow
the starter to remain engaged some-
what longer, approx. 10 seconds.
Engine idle speed is controlled by the
engine computer system. Increased
speeds at startup are normal and
should decrease as the engine warms
up. If engine speed does not decrease,
service is required.
To prevent the battery from being
drained, always switch off electrical
devices that are not in use. Switch the
ignition off when the vehicle is not
being driven.
Extended starting attempts, char-
acterized by excessively frequent
or long periods with the starter
engaged, can lead to damage of the
catalytic converter.<
Manual transmission:
1. Turn the ignition key to position 1
or 0
2. Shift into first gear or reverse.
Automatic transmission:
1. Shift into selector lever position P
2. Turn the ignition key to position 1
or 0.
Do not remove the ignition key
when the vehicle is moving, other-
wise, the steering could lock.
When leaving the vehicle, always
remove the ignition key and lock the
steering.
Manual transmission:
Always engage the handbrake when
parking on slopes and inclined sur-
faces. Even placing the gearshift lever
in 1st gear or reverse may not provide
adequate resistance to rolling.
Automatic transmission:
Place the selector lever in the P posi-
tion.<
Automatic transmission:
The vehicle must be stationary and the
selector lever in Park before you can
remove the ignition key.

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65n
Manual transmission Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
Reverse Select only when the vehicle is station-
ary. Press the gearshift lever to the left
to overcome the resistance.
As you do this, the backup lamps will
turn on automatically when the ignition
key is in position 2.
In addition to fully automatic operation,
you can also manually shift with the
Steptronic, refer to page67.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel
consumption is lowest when driving in
position D.
530us238
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S
The transmission range display varies in
accordance with the equipment of your
vehicle.
Starting engine The engine can only be started in the
selector lever position Park or Neutral. 530us239

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Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
Sport Program and manual
operation M/S Shift selector lever from position D
toward the left into the shifting slot M/S:
the Sport Program is activated and D S
appears in the instrument cluster. This
position is recommended for a perfor-
mance-oriented driving style.
Briefly pressing the selector lever
toward the front or rear activates man-
ual operation and Steptronic changes
gears. The following display appears in
the instrument cluster, depending on
the model:
>1 to 5 or 1 to 6
>M1 to M5 or M1 to M6. 530de264
Upshifts and downshifts are executed
only when they will result in a plausible
combination of engine and vehicle
speed; thus, for example, a downshift
that would cause the engine to overrev
will not be executed by the system. The
gear selected will appear briefly in the
instrument cluster and then the current
gear will reappear.
To return to automatic mode, move the
selector lever toward the right into posi-
tion D.
Malfunction
The warning lamp lights up or
the message TRANS.FAILSAFE
PROG appears in the Check
Control. A malfunction has occurred in
the transmission system. Avoid heavy
loads.
Bring the vehicle to a stop. Move the
transmission selector lever to P. Set the
parking brake and switch the engine off
by turning the ignition key to position 0.
Wait a few seconds, then start the
engine.
If the indicator lamp goes out after a
few seconds, normal transmission per-
formance has been restored. You may
continue to drive as usual. If the indica-
tor lamp does not go out, you can place
the selector lever in all positions, but
the vehicle will now only drive forward
with limited gear selection.
Have the system checked as soon as
possible.
Information on jump starting, tow-
starting and towing begins on
page174.

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69n
Washer/wiper system/rain sensor
*
0 Wipers retracted
1 Intermittent mode or rain sensor
2Normal wipe
3Fast wipe
4Brief wipe
5 Windshield washing
6 Special wash program
*
7 Knurled wheel for control of the wipe
interval or the sensitivity of the rain
sensor530de324
Fold-out positionThe left wiper is partially concealed by
the hood. To bring the wipers to roughly
a vertical position, which is important
when changing the wiper blades or
when folding the wipers out during
frosty weather, for example, proceed as
follows:
>With the lever in position 1, switch off
the ignition as soon as the wipers
come to a stop.
If equipped with a rain sensor:
1. Switch on the wipers with the lever in
position 1, 2 or 4
2. When the wipers are roughly vertical,
switch the ignition off.
For changing the wiper blades, refer to
page160.
Fold the wipers back down onto
the windshield before you turn the
ignition key to position 1 or 2 again. If
you do not, they could be damaged.<
Intermittent mode Not provided in vehicles with rain sen-
sor.
You can set the wipe interval to four
stages with the knurled wheel 7.
In addition, the wipe interval is varied
automatically depending on road
speed. Rain sensor The rain sensor automatically controls
the wiper operation as a function of the
rain intensity. It is located on the wind-
shield, directly in front of the interior
rearview mirror.
To activate the rain sensor:
Move the lever to position 1 as of igni-
tion key position 1. The wipers travel
once across the windshield, regardless
of the weather conditions.
You can leave the lever permanently in
position 1. It is then only necessary to
activate the rain sensor as of ignition
key position 1.
To do this, turn the knurled wheel 7
briefly.

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71n
Washer/wiper system/rain sensor
*
Cruise control
*
Rear window wiper 0 Retracted position of the rear window
wiper
1 Rear window wiper in intermittent
mode. When the transmission is
shifted into reverse, continuous rear
wiper operation is switched on auto-
matically
2 Cleaning rear window
You can also program the interval:
>Switch briefly from position 0 to posi-
tion 1
>Wait the desired interval time and
th en sw itc h fr om p osit ion 0 to 1 again
to establish the programmed inter-
val; max. 30 seconds. 530de266
Programming is deleted:
>approximately 10 seconds after the
lever is placed in position 0 or
>after the engine is switched off.
For changing the wiper blade, refer to
page160.You can automatically maintain and
store any desired vehicle speed above
approx. 20 mph/30 km/h.
You can use cruise control whenever
the system is active while the engine is
running.
On the sports steering wheel
*, there
are +/– buttons on the right side of the
steering wheel for the cruise control.
Do not use the cruise control
when unfavorable conditions do
not permit driving at constant speed.
Otherwise you could lose control of the
vehicle and cause an accident. These
unfavorable conditions include winding
roads, heavy traffic or poor road condi-
tions, e.g. snow, rain, ice or a loose
road surface.<

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1Odometer
2 Trip odometer
3 Outside temperature displayOdometer You can activate the displays shown in
the illustration with the ignition key in
position 0 by pressing the button in the
instrument cluster, refer to arrow.
The range of available displays varies
according to your individual vehicle's
equipment.Trip odometer To reset the trip odometer to zero,
press the button, refer to arrow, with
the ignition key in position 1 or 2. 530us253
Outside temperature display The outside temperature appears on
the display as of ignition key position 1.
You can change the units of measure
7/6 by
1. pressing and holding down the but-
ton, refer to arrow, with the ignition
key in position 1 and
2. then turning the ignition key to 0.
At the same time the units of mea-
surement in the temperature display
of the automatic climate control will
be changed, refer to page107.
Refer also to page80.
Outside temperature warning If the display drops to approx. +37.57/
+36, a signal sounds as a warning and
the display flashes for a brief period.
There is an increased danger of ice.
Even at temperatures above
+37.57/+36 ice can form.
Therefore, drive carefully, e.g. on
bridges and sections of road in the
shade, as otherwise there is an
increased accident risk.<
Odometer, outside temperature display

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Engine oil temperature gauge Fuel gauge X5 4.8is The general operating temperature lies
between 1767/806 and 2487/
1206. Do not exceed the maximum
value of 3027/1506.530us232
If the LED comes on and stays on, there
are approx.
>2.0 gal./8 liters, 6-cylinder engine
>2.5 gal./10 liters, 8-cylinder engine
of fuel still in the tank.
Tank capacity: approx. 24.6 gal./
93 liters.
If the tilt of the vehicle varies, when you
are driving in mountainous areas, for
example, the indicator may fluctuate
slightly.
Refuel well before the tank is
empty, otherwise engine functions
will not be ensured. Damage can occur
if you drive down to the last drop.<
When you switch on the ignition, the
LED lights up briefly to confirm that the
system is operational.390us006