tow BMW X5 4.4I 2005 E53 Owner's Manual

ContentsOperation, maintenance
Owner service procedures
Special operating instructions:
Breaking-in136
General driving notes137
Driving your X5138
Safe braking140
Wheels and tires:
Tire inflation pressure141
Tire identification marks143
Wheel/tire condition144
Replacing wheels/tires146
Snow chains147
Under the hood:
Hood148
Engine compartment
essentials149
Washer fluid150
Engine oil150
Coolant152
Brake fluid153Care and maintenance:
The BMW Maintenance
System154
OBD interface socket155Replacement procedures:
Onboard tool kit158
Windshield wiper blades158
Lamps and bulbs159
Changing a tire163
Vehicle battery168
Fuses169
Assistance, giving and
receiving:
Receiving assistance170
Jump starting171
Tow-starting and towing172

OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
35n
LiftgateOpening from outside Press the button, refer to arrow:
The liftgate opens slightly.
The cargo area is illuminated whenever
the liftgate is opened, refer also to
page105.
With the liftgate open, the dis-
tance from the ground to the
upper edge is more than 6.6 ft/2 m.
Please consider this, e.g. when opening
the liftgate in a garage.<530de245
Opening from inside Press this button to open the liftgate
when the vehicle is stationary.
If pointed or sharp-edged objects
could strike the rear window while
driving, be sure to provide protection
around all edges. If you do not do this,
the heating conductors of the rear win-
dow could be damaged.<
For information on the cargo area cover
and on other details in the cargo area,
refer to Cargo area, beginning on
page126.530de415
Manual release In the event of an electrical malfunction,
you can release the liftgate manually:
1. Remove the plastic plug from inside
the cargo area and pull toward the
interior, refer to arrow. The liftgate
will be released
2. Reinstall the plug. 530de316

36n
Liftgate TailgateClosing You can pull the liftgate down by plac-
ing both hands in the handle recesses,
refer to arrows.Automatic Soft Close function To close the liftgate, merely press it
down gently. The closing process will
then be carried out automatically.
To avoid injuries, be sure that the
travel path of the liftgate is clear
when it is closed, as with all closing
procedures.< 530us017
Opening Press button:
You can fold the tailgate down.
When opened, the tailgate can
accept loads of up to 440 lbs./
200 kg. When the vehicle is stationary
you may, for example, utilize the tail-
gate as a seat or as a loading platform
for luggage or recreation gear.< 530de246
Manual release In the event of an electrical malfunction,
you can release the tailgate manually:
1. Unfasten the trim panel clip with the
vehicle key or with a screwdriver,
refer to arrow 1, and remove it
toward the top, refer to arrow 2530de317

38n
Alarm system The concept The vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood, or the liftgate
is opened
>To movement in the vehicle interior:
interior protection, refer to Tilt alarm
sensor and interior motion sensor
>To variations in the vehicle tilt angle
such as occur during attempts to
steal the wheels or tow the vehicle
>To interruption of battery voltage.
The system responds to unauthorized
vehicle entry and attempted theft by
simultaneously activating the following:
>Sounding an acoustical alarm for
30 seconds
>The hazard warning flashers are acti-
vated for approx. five minutes
>The high beams flash on and off in
the same rhythm.
Arming and disarming alarm
system When you lock or unlock the vehicle,
either with the remote control or at the
door lock, the alarm system is armed or
disarmed at the same time.
You can have different acknowl-
edgment signals set to confirm
arming and disarming.<
The liftgate can also be opened with the
system armed using the button on the
remote control, refer to page31. The
liftgate is locked again when closed.
Pressing the button longer triggers the
alarm: panic mode, refer to page32.
Indicator lamp displays >The indicator lamp below the interior
rearview mirror flashes continuously:
the system is armed
>The indicator lamp flashes when the
vehicle is locked: door(s) or liftgate
are not completely closed. Even if
you do not close the alerted area, the
system begins to monitor the remain-
ing areas, and the indicator lamp
flashes continuously after 10 sec-
onds. However, the interior motion
sensor is not activated
>The indicator lamp goes out when the
vehicle is unlocked: no manipulation
or attempted intrusions have been
detected in the period since the sys-
tem was armed530us241

OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
39n
Alarm system Windows>The indicator lamp flashes for
10 seconds after the vehicle is
unlocked: an attempted entry has
been detected in the period since the
system was armed.
Following triggering of an alarm, the
indicator lamp will flash continuously. Tilt alarm sensor and interior
motion sensor Tilt alarm sensor:
The tilt of the vehicle is monitored. The
alarm system reacts, for example, if
someone attempts to steal the wheels
or tow the vehicle.
Interior motion sensor:
In order for the interior motion sensor
to function properly, the windows and
panorama glass sunroof must be com-
pletely closed.
Avoiding unintentional alarms The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion
s en sor m ay be swi tch e d off a t t h e sam e
time. This prevents unintentional
alarms, e.g. in the following situations:
>In stacking garages
>When transporting on car-carrying
trains
>If animals are to remain in the vehicle.
Switching off the tilt alarm sensor and
interior motion sensor:
Press the button on the remote control
twice consecutively.
The indicator lamp lights up briefly and
then flashes continuously. The tilt alarm
sensor and the interior motion sensor
are switched off up to the next unlock-
ing and locking actions.
Opening and closing windows As of ignition key position 1:
>Press the switch up to the resistance
point:
The window continues to move as
long as you continue to hold the
switch
>Briefly press the switch beyond the
resistance point:
The window moves downward auto-
matically. Briefly press the switch
again to stop the opening movement.
You can close the windows in the same
manner by pulling the switch.530us020

44n
Sitting safely SeatsIf the middle safety belt in the rear is
used, the wider seatback must be
locked, refer to page126, as otherwise
the safety belt has no restraining action.
Fasten safety belt, refer to page49.
Note before adjusting
Never try to adjust your seat while
operating the vehicle. The seat
could respond with unexpected move-
ment, and the ensuing loss of vehicle
control could lead to an accident. On
the front passenger side as well, do not
tilt the backrest too far toward the rear
while driving. Failure to observe this
precaution can prevent the belt from
providing effective protection against
injury, as the passenger could slide
under the belt in an accident.<
Also observe the information on the
safety belts on page49 and on the
head restraints on page47.
Seat adjustment>Mechanical seat adjustment, refer to
following columns
>Power seat adjustment, refer to
page46
>Head restraints, refer to page47
>Power rear-seat backrest adjustment,
refer to page48

57n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Airbags1 Front airbags for driver and front pas-
senger
2 Side Impact Head Protection System
for front and rear
3 Side airbags for front and rear
*
Protective action
Comply with the instructions on
page43. Failure to do so could
result in diminished personal safety.<
The front airbags supplement the safety
belts by helping to provide additional
protection for the front-seat occupants
in the event of a severe frontal impact
in which the protection afforded by the
safety belts alone may no longer be suf-
ficient. The head airbag and side airbag
help provide protection in the event of
530us035
a side impact. The side airbag is
designed to help support the body at
the side of the chest region. The Side
Impact Head Protection System pro-
tects the head.
The airbags are intentionally not trig-
gered in every impact situation, e.g. in
minor accidents, certain rollover situa-
tions or rear-end collisions.
For information on the correct sitting
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
restraint system from the vehicle. Do
not modify or tamper with either the
wiring or the individual components in
the airbag system. These include the
padded steering wheel hub, the instru-
ment panel, the side trim panels, the
doors and the roof pillars or the sides
of the headliner. Do not remove or dis-
mantle the steering wheel yourself.
Do not touch the individual components
directly after the system has been trig-
gered, as otherwise there is a danger
of burns. In case of faults, decommis-
sioning or after triggering of the airbag
restraint system, only commission a
BMW Sports Activity Vehicle center or
a workshop that works according to
BMW repair procedures with corre-
spondingly trained personnel and is
equipped with the required explosives
permits for testing, repair, dismantling
or scrapping of the airbag generators.
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.<
At all times, occupants should sit
upright and be properly restrained
– infants and small children in appropri-
ate child-restraint systems; larger chil-
dren and adults using the safety belts.
Never let an occupant's head rest near
or on a side airbag because the inflating
airbag could cause a serious injury.
Please note that the word Airbag
imprinted on the door trim panel indi-
cates the airbag's location.
Accident research shows that the saf-
est place for children in an automobile
is in the rear seat.
If your vehicle is equipped with rear
side airbags, do not allow children to
lean towards the door trim, as serious
injuries could occur if the side airbags
were deployed and children are too
close to the airbags.

59n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Airbags Transporting children safely 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
A fault has occurred in the air-
bag system:
>Warning lamp does not light up as of
ignition key position 1
>Warning lamp lights up permanently.
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 to an impact occur-
ring within its normal response range.<
The right place for children Children always in the rear:
Accident research shows that the saf-
est place for children in a vehicle is in
the rear seat.
Older children should be tightly secured
with a safety belt, after they have out-
grown a booster seat that is appropriate
for their age, height and weight.
If your vehicle is equipped with
rear side airbags, do not allow
children to lean towards the door trim,
as serious injuries could occur if the
side airbags were deployed and chil-
dren are too close to the airbags.<
Deactivate rear side airbags:
Labels in the rear door opening should
indicate the status of your rear seat side
airbags. If you are uncertain of their sta-
tus, or wish to have the airbags acti-
vated or deactivated, please contact
your BMW Sports Activity Vehicle cen-
ter.
Child-restraint systems in the rear
Children under 13 years of age
and children less than 5 ft/150 cm
tall should always ride in the rear and
the restraint systems should be prop-
erly restraint.<
Younger children should be secured in
an appropriate child-restraint system
that has been first properly secured to
the vehicle.
All rear sitting positions in your vehi-
cle meet the recommendations of
SAE J1819, an industry-recommended
practice for securing child-restraint sys-
tems in motor vehicles.
Exception for front passenger
seat
Should it become necessary to
use a child-restraint system on the
front passenger seat, the front passen-
ger airbags must be deactivated. Your
BMW Sports Activity Vehicle center will
be happy to advise you on this sub-
ject.<

62n
Transporting children safelyThe figure shows the fastening of the
tether strap in the center seating posi-
tion.
Routing of the tether strap:
Route the tether strap through the cen-
ter between the head restraint and the
rear backrest.
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.
Adjust the tether strap according
to the child-restraint manufac-
turer's instructions.<530ue256
LATCH child-restraint fixing
system LATCH: Lower Anchor and Tethers for
CHildren.
The rear outer seating positions are
provided with anchors for a LATCH
child-restraint fixing system.
The figure shows the left rear seat as an
example. The mounts for attachment of
the LATCH child-restraint fixing system
are located behind the cover panels:
Remove cover panels by pulling them
toward the front.
To remount, simply slide into place.
Follow the manufacturer's operat-
ing and safety instructions for
attachment of the LATCH child-restraint
fixing system.<530us255
Child-safety locks of rear doorsSlide the safety lever on the rear doors
downward:
The door can now be opened from the
outside only. Safety switch for power windowsPress the safety switch for the power
windows, refer to page40, when chil-
dren ride on the back seat530de226

66n
Handbrake Manual transmissionThe handbrake is primarily intended to
prevent the vehicle from rolling while
parked; it brakes the rear wheels.EngagingThe lever engages automatically when
you pull it up and the indicator lamp
comes on in the instrument cluster in
ignition key position 2, refer to
pages19, 21.Releasing Pull up slightly on the lever, press the
button and lower the lever. 530de262
If exceptional circumstances
should make it necessary to
engage the handbrake while the vehicle
is in motion, do not pull it too strongly.
In doing so, continuously press the but-
ton of the handbrake lever.
Excessive pressure can lead to over-
braking and loss of traction – fishtailing
– at the rear axle.
The brake lamps do not light up when
the handbrake is applied.
Vehicles with 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.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Place the selector lever in Park.<
To avoid corrosion, apply the hand-
brake lightly from time to time when
coasting to a standstill at a traffic signal,
for instance, provided that it is safe to
do so.
Press the clutch pedal all the way down
each time you shift, pressing the gear-
shift lever into its proper end position.
Depress the clutch when starting the
vehicle, too, otherwise, the interlock will
prevent the engine from starting if the
clutch is not depressed.
While shifting in the 5th/6th gear
lane, press the selector lever
toward the right, as otherwise acciden-
tal shifting into the 3rd or 4th gear could
result in engine damage.< 380de044