BMW 525i Sedan Owner's manual

Owner's Manual

for Vehicle

525i

530i

545i

Congratulations, and thank you for choosing a BMW.

Thorough familiarity with your vehicle will provide you with

enhanced control and security when you drive it. We there-

fore have this request:

Please take the time to read this Owner's Manual and

familiarize yourself with the information that we have com-

piled for you before starting off in your new vehicle.

It contains important data and instructions intended to

assist you in gaining maximum use and satisfaction from

your BMW's unique range of technical features. The man-

ual also contains information on maintenance designed to

enhance operating safety and contribute to maintaining the

value of your BMW throughout an extended service life.

This Owner's Manual should be considered a permanent

part of this vehicle. It should stay with the vehicle when

sold to provide the next owner with important operating,

safety and maintenance information.

This manual is supplemented by a Service and Warranty

Information Booklet for US models or a Warranty and Ser-

vice Guide Booklet for Canadian models.

We wish you an enjoyable driving experience.

BMW AG

Aktiengesellschaft

Munich, Germany

Reprinting, including excerpts, only with the

written consent of BMW AG, Munich.

Order No. 01 41 0 157 647

US English VIII/03 5 10

Printed in Germany

Printed on environmentally friendly paper,

bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling.

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Contents

The fastest way to find specific topics is to

use the index, refer to page 202.

Using this Owner's Manual

4 Notes

7 Reporting safety defects

At a glance

10 Cockpit

16 Control Center

20 Voice command system

Controls

26 Opening and closing

36 Adjustments

45 Transporting children safely

49 Driving

65 Everything under control

76 Technology for comfort, convenience

and safety

87 Lamps

90 A congenial climate

96 Practical interior accessories

Driving tips

106 Things to remember when driving

Navigation

114 Starting navigation system

116 Destination entry

123 Destination guidance

127 What to do if …

Entertainment

130 On/off, tone

134 Radio

141 CD Compact Disc

144 CD changer

Communications

150 Telephoning

161 TeleService, BMW Assist

Mobility

168 Refueling

170 Wheels and tires

177 Under the hood

181 Maintenance

183 Rules and regulations

184 Replacing components

190 Giving and receiving assistance

Reference

198 Technical data

202 Everything from A to Z

Notes

4

Notes

Using this Owner's Manual

We have made every effort to ensure that

you are able to find what you need in this

Owner's Manual as quickly as possible.

The fastest way to find specific topics is to

use the detailed index at the back of the

manual. If you wish to gain an initial over-

view of your vehicle, you will find this in the

first chapter.

Should you want to sell your BMW some

day, please remember to hand over the

Owner's Manual as well; it is an important

component of your vehicle.

Additional sources of information

Should you have any other questions, your

BMW center will be glad to advise you at

any time.

You can find information on BMW, e.g.

technology, on the Internet at

www.bmwusa.com.

Symbols used

Indicates precautions that must be

followed precisely in order to avoid

the possibility of personal injury and seri-

ous damage to the vehicle.

<

Marks the end of a specific item of infor-

mation.

Contains information that will assist

you in gaining the optimum benefit

from your vehicle and enable you to care

more effectively for your vehicle.

Refers to measures that can be taken

to help protect the environment.

*

Indicates special equipment, country-

specific equipment and optional extras

when available.

"..." Identifies Control Display texts used to

select individual functions

.

Symbols on vehicle components

Indicates that you should consult the

relevant section of this Owner's Man-

ual for information on a particular part or

assembly.

5

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The individual vehicle

On purchasing your BMW, you have

decided in favor of a model with individual-

ized equipment and features. This Owner's

Manual describes the entire array of

options and equipment available with a

specific BMW model.

Please bear in mind that the manual may

contain information on accessories and

equipment that you have not specified for

your own vehicle. Sections describing

options and special equipment are marked

by asterisks

*

to assist you in identifying

possible differences between the descrip-

tions in this manual and your own vehicle's

equipment.

Should your BMW be equipped with fea-

tures or accessories not described in this

manual, please consult the enclosed sup-

plementary manual(s).

Editorial notice

BMW pursues a policy of continuous,

ongoing development that is conceived to

ensure that our vehicles continue to

embody the highest quality and safety

standards combined with advanced, state-

of-the-art technology. For this reason, the

features described in this Owner's Manual

may differ from those on your vehicle. Nor

can errors and omissions be entirely ruled

out. You are therefore asked to appreciate

that no legal claims can be entertained on

the basis of the data, illustrations or

descriptions in this Owner's Manual.

Notes

6

For your own safety

Fuels

Use unleaded gasoline only. Fuels

containing up to and including

10% ethanol or other oxygenates with up

to 2.8% oxygen by weight – that is,

15% MTBE or 3% methanol plus an equiv-

alent amount of co-solvent – will not void

the applicable warranties with respect to

defects in materials or workmanship. Field

experience has indicated significant differ-

ences in fuel quality – volatility, composi-

tion, additives, etc. – among gasolines

offered for sale in the United States and

Canada. The use of poor-quality fuels may

result in driveability, starting and stalling

problems, especially under certain environ-

mental conditions such as high ambient

temperature and high altitude.

Should you encounter driveability prob-

lems which you suspect could be related to

the fuel you are using, we recommend that

you respond by switching to a recognized

high-quality brand.

Failure to comply with these recommenda-

tions may result in unscheduled mainte-

nance.

Follow the relevant safety rules when you

are handling gasoline.

<

Maintenance and repair

Advanced technology, e.g. the use of

modern materials and high-perform-

ance electronics, requires specially

adapted maintenance and repair methods.

Therefore, only have corresponding work

on your BMW carried out by a BMW center

or a workshop that works according to

BMW repair procedures with correspond-

ingly trained personnel. If work is carried

out improperly there is a danger of conse-

quential damage and the related safety

risks.

<

Parts and accessories

For your own safety, use genuine

parts and accessories approved by

BMW.

When you purchase accessories tested

and approved by BMW and Genuine BMW

Parts, you simultaneously acquire the

assurance that they have been thoroughly

tested by BMW to ensure optimum perfor-

mance when installed on your vehicle.

BMW warrants these parts to be free from

defects in material and workmanship.

BMW will not accept any liability for dam-

age resulting from installation of parts and

accessories not approved by BMW.

BMW cannot test every product made by

other manufacturers to verify if it can be

used on a BMW safely and without risk to

either the vehicle, its operation, or its occu-

pants.

Genuine BMW Parts, BMW Accessories

and other products approved by BMW,

together with professional advice on using

these items, are available from all BMW

centers.

Installation and operation of non-BMW

approved accessories such as alarms,

radios, amplifiers, radar detectors, wheels,

suspension components, brake dust

shields, telephones – including operation of

any portable phone from within the vehicle

without using an externally mounted

antenna – or transceiver equipment, for

instance, CBs, walkie-talkie, ham radio or

similar accessories, may cause extensive

damage to the vehicle, compromise its

safety, interfere with the vehicle's electrical

system or affect the validity of the BMW

Limited Warranty. Consult your BMW cen-

ter for additional information.

<

Maintenance, replacement, or repair

of the emission control devices and

systems may be performed by any automo-

tive repair establishment or individual using

any certified automotive part.

<

7

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Service and warranty

We recommend that you read this publica-

tion thoroughly.

Your BMW is covered by the following war-

ranties:

>

New Vehicle Limited Warranty

>

Rust Perforation Limited Warranty

>

Federal Emissions System Defect

Warranty

>

Federal Emissions Performance

Warranty

>

California Emission Control System

Limited Warranty.

Detailed information about these warran-

ties is listed in the Service and Warranty

Information Booklet for US models or in the

Warranty and Service Guide Booklet for

Canadian models.

Reporting safety defects

The following only applies to vehicles

owned and operated in the US.

If you believe that your vehicle has a defect

which could cause a crash or could cause

injury or death, you should immediately

inform the National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration NHTSA in addition to notify-

ing BMW of North America, LLC, P.O. Box

1227, Westwood, New Jersey 07675-

1227, Telephone (800) 831-1117.

If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it

may open an investigation, and if it finds

that a safety defect exists in a group of

vehicles, it may order a recall and remedy

campaign. However, NHTSA cannot

become involved in individual problems

between you, your dealer, or BMW of North

America, LLC.

To contact NHTSA, you may either call the

Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at

1-800-424-9393 (or 366-0123

in Washington, D.C. area) or write to:

NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transporta-

tion, Washington, D.C. 20590. You can also

obtain other information about motor vehi-

cle safety from the Hotline.

At a glance

This overview of buttons, switches and

displays is intended to serve as a source

of orientation in your vehicle's operating

environment. The section will also assist

you in becoming acquainted with the

control concepts and options available

for operating the various systems.

Cockpit

10

Cockpit

All around the steering wheel: controls and displays

1

Roller sun blind for rear window 97

2

Rear window safety switch 34

3

Electric power windows 33

4

Adjusting exterior mirrors 42

5

Turn signal indicators 56

High beams, headlamp

flasher 88

Check Control 68

Computer 70

Standing lamps 88

At a glance

11

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6

Buttons on steering wheel

Portable phone

*

:

>

Accepting a call

>

Start calling

>

Ending call.

Volume

Voice command system.

Fast forward/reverse:

>

Radio

Press briefly: change station

Press longer: manual tuning or auto-

matic search scan

>

CD

Press briefly: select track

Press longer: fast forward/reverse.

Individually programmable, refer to

page 44.

>

Individually programmable, refer to

page 44

>

Voice instructions for navigation.

7

Instrument cluster 12

9

Ignition lock 49

10

Horn: the entire surface

13

Opening the hood 177

14

Opening the luggage compartment

lid 31

16

Parking lamps and low beams 87

8

Windshield wipers 57

Rain sensor 57

11

Steering wheel heater 44

Steering wheel adjustment 43

12

Cruise control 58

Active cruise control 59

15

Head-Up Display 85

17

Instrument lighting 88

Front fog lamps 89

Cockpit

12

Instrument cluster

1 Indicator lamps for turn signal

indicators 13

2 Speedometer with display of speed for

> Cruise control 58

or

> Active cruise control 59

3 Indicator and warning lamps 13

4 Display for active cruise control 60

5 Tachometer with variable advance

warning field and Energy Control 65

6 Display for

> Indicator and warning lamps of the

Check Control 68

> Speed of the cruise control 58

> Desired speed for active cruise

control 60

> Clock/date 65

> Outside temperature 65

7 Display for

> Automatic transmission 54

> Sequential manual transmission 53

> Computer 70

> Date and remaining distance for

service requirement 66

> Trip odometer/odometer 65

> Check Control message present 68

8 Fuel gauge 66

9 To set trip odometer to zero

and reset for

service requirement display 65

At a glance

13

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Indicator and warning

lamps

Technology that monitors itself

The indicator and warning lamps identified

by the

+ symbol are subjected to an oper-

ation check each time you switch on the

ignition or start the engine. They each light

up once for different periods of time.

When a malfunction occurs in a monitored

system, the corresponding lamp will either

fail to go out when the engine is started, or

it will come on again during normal driving.

For information on how you should respond

when this happens, please refer to the

pages indicated.

Colors

The indicator and warning lamps can light

up in different colors and combinations.

The following section explains the signifi-

cance of the individual colors as well as

how you should respond when they

appear.

> Red:

Stop immediately

or

important reminder

> Red and yellow:

Continue driving moderately

> Yellow:

Have checked soon

or

for your information

> Green or blue:

For your information.

Indicator and warning lamps of the

Check Control

Other indicator and warning lamps appear

in display 6 of the instrument cluster as

necessary, accompanied by supplemen-

tary text on the Control Display, refer to

Check Control, page 68.

Turn signal indicators 56

Active steering

+ 82

Handbrake/brake fluid, brake

hydraulics/DBC Dynamic Brake

Control

+ 50/ 180/ 79

Handbrake/brake fluid, brake

hydraulics/DBC Dynamic Brake

Control for Canadian models

Airbags

+ 83

Service Engine Soon + 183

If the indicator lamp comes on

either continuously or intermit-

tently, this indicates a fault in the

emissions-related electronic sys-

tems. Although the vehicle

remains operational, you should

have the systems checked by your

BMW center at the earliest possi-

ble opportunity.

Service Engine Soon indicator

lamp for Canadian models.

Front fog lamps 89

ABS Antilock Brake System

+ 77

DTC Dynamic Traction Control 79

High beams/headlamp flasher 88

Please fasten safety belt

+ 40

DSC Dynamic Stability

Control

+ 78

Check Gas Cap 168

lamp for US models

Cockpit

14

Comfort area: controls and displays

At a glance

15

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1 Microphone for

> Telephone/portable phone 151

> Voice command system 20

2 Reading lamps 89

3 Starting emergency call 190

4 Interior lamps 89

5 Glass roof, electric 34

6 Front passenger's airbag indicator

lamp 84

7 Control Display 16

displays for menu guidance

8 Hazard warning flashers

9 Central locking system 30

10 Automatic climate control 90

11 Button for

> Station scan/track search 130

> CD player 141

> CD changer 145

12 Ejecting

> Navigation CD/DVD 114

> Audio CD 130

13 Drive for navigation CD/DVD 114

14 Drive for audio CD 130

15 Switching audio sources on/off and

adjusting the volume 130

16 Center console switching center

17 Controller 16

Horizontal movement in four directions,

turn or press

18 Activating voice command system 20

19 Open start menu 17

Temperature setting,

left/right 91

Automatic air distribution and

supply 91

Cooling function 91

Automatic recirculated-air

control AUC 91

Maximum cooling 91

Residual heat mode 92

To switch off automatic climate

control 92

Air volume 91

Defrost windows 91

Rear window defroster 90

Heated seats 41

Active seat ventilation 42

Active seat 42

PDC Park Distance Control 76

DSC Dynamic Stability

Control 78

Control Center

16

Control Center

The Control Center groups the functions of

a large number of switches. This means

that these functions can be operated from

a central position. The following section

provides an introduction to the principle of

the menu guidance. How you control the

individual functions is described in the con-

text of the relevant equipment.

Controls

1 Controller: you navigate through the

menus of the Control Center and make

adjustments by turning, pressing and

moving it to the left, right, forwards or

backwards

2 Opening the start menu from any menu

item

3 Control Display

When you turn the controller, you feel a

clicking. This helps you to select the

desired menu item.

To avoid posing an unnecessary haz-

ard due to inattention, both to your

own vehicle's occupants and to other road

users: never attempt to use the controls or

make entries unless traffic and road condi-

tions allow.<

Menu overview

You can call up all the functions in the Con-

trol Center using five menu items.

Communication

> Portable phone*

> BMW Assist* or TeleService*.

Navigation or onboard information

> Navigation system*

> Onboard information, e.g. for display of

the average fuel consumption.

Entertainment

> Radio

> CD.

Climate

> Air distribution

> Seat air conditioning

*

> Independent ventilation

*.

Menu item

> Switching off the Control Display

> Traffic information

> Sound and display settings

> Settings for your vehicle, e.g. Key

Memory

> Display of the maintenance requirement

and dates for statutory emission and

vehicle inspections.

At a glance

17

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Menu guidance

As of ignition key position 1, the following

message appears on the Control Display:

Confirm the message by pressing the con-

troller; the start menu is opened.

Start menu

In ignition key position 2:

Via the start menu, you can open four

menus by moving the controller to the left,

right, forwards or backwards. Pressing the

controller opens the menu.

Calling up the start menu:

Press button.

Opening the start menu from the menu:

Press the button twice.

Displays on the Control Display

A menu

1 In menus, you can change fields to

select the menu items they contain or to

make adjustments. The active field is

brighter than the others

2 Menu items are usually grouped in hor-

izontal or vertical lists

3 Arrows indicates that other menu items

can be selected in lists, but these are

not visible at the moment

4 Adjustments are displayed in diagrams

or as numbers

5 A symbol indicates the last selected

menu item of the start menu

Communication

Navigation or

onboard information

Entertainment

Climate

menu

Control Center

18

Status information

1 Manual or automatic air distribution for

driver and passenger side

2 Display for Entertainment:

Radio and CD or

Entertainment off

Display for telephone:

Name of network operator with display

for roaming:

Roaming active

3 SMS received

4 Reception of portable phone network

and emergency call possible

SOS: emergency call possible

no display: emergency call not possible

5 Current time

If information is issued by the Check Con-

trol or inputs are made using the voice

command system, a text message appears

here on the Control Display.

Assistance window*

While you are operating whatever functions

you like using the Control Center, you can

obtain the following additional information

in the assistance window:

> Short help and supplementary informa-

tion texts for selected menu entries

> The computer or trip computer

> The travel route in vehicles with naviga-

tion system

> The current position.

To select the display in the assistance win-

dow:

1. Move the controller to the right to

switch to the assistance window and

press the controller

2. Select the menu item and press the

controller.

Switching Control Display on/off

To switch off the Control Display:

1. Open the start menu

2. Open the menu by pressing the con-

troller

3. Select "Display off" and press the con-

troller.

The status informations continue to be

displayed.

To switch on the Control Display:

Press the controller.

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