BMW X3 Owner's manual

Owner's Manual

for Vehicle

Contents

A to Z

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

X3 2.5i

X3 3.0i

We are very glad that you have decided to purchase a

BMW.

The more familiar you are with it, the more secure you will

be on the roads. This is why we ask you:

Please read the information we have gathered for you in

this owner's manual before you set off with your new BMW.

You receive important information on vehicle operation

that enables you to make full use of the technical benefits

of your BMW. You will also find information on mainte-

nance that serves to retain the operating and road safety as

well as the best possible value retention of your vehicle.

You will find supplementary information in other brochures.

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.

We wish you good and safe driving.

BMW AG

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

Aktiengesellschaft

Munich, Germany

Reprints, including excerpts, only with the

written consent of BMW AG, Munich.

Order No. 01 41 0 157 631

US English VIII/03

Printed in Germany

Printed on environmentally friendly paper,

bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling.

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

Reference At a glanceControlsDriving tipsMobility

Contents

The fastest way to find specific topics is to

use the index, refer to page 119.

Using this Owner's Manual

4Notes

At a glance

10 Cockpit

Controls

18 Opening and closing

27 Adjustments

34 Transporting children safely

37 Driving

45 Everything under control

49 Technology for comfort, convenience

and safety

57 Lamps

60 A congenial climate

66 Practical interior accessories

Driving tips

76 Things to remember when driving

Mobility

84 Refueling

86 Wheels and tires

92 Under the engine hood

97 Maintenance

98 Laws and regulations

99 Replacing components

107 Giving and receiving assistance

Reference

114 Technical data

117 Everything from A to Z

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

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 certain topics is by

using the detailed index at the end. For a

brief initial overview, please refer to the first

chapter.

Should you sell your BMW some day,

please remember to hand over the Owner's

Manual as well; it is an important compo-

nent of your vehicle.

Additional sources of information

If you have additional questions, your BMW

Sports Activity Vehicle Center is always

happy to advise you.

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.

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.

<

Marks the end of a specific item of infor-

mation.

*

Indicates special equipment, country-

specific equipment and optional extras

when available.

Vehicle Memory, Key Memory, refer

to page 33. Identifies functions that

can be specifically adapted for a particular

key or vehicle. These adjustments can be

performed either by yourself or by your

BMW Sports Activity Vehicle Center.

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.

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

Reference At a glanceControlsDriving tipsMobility

5

The individual vehicle

On buying your BMW, you have decided in

favor of a model with individualized equip-

ment and features. This Owner's Manual

describes all models and equipment that

BMW offers within the same group.

We hope you will understand that equip-

ment and features are included that you

might not have chosen for your vehicle.

Sections describing options and special

equipment are marked by asterisks

*

to

assist you in identifying possible differ-

ences between the descriptions in this

manual and your own vehicle's equipment.

Should your BMW be equipped with fea-

tures or accessories not described in this

manual, e.g. car radio or portable phone,

please consult the enclosed supplemen-

tary owner's manuals.

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 claims can be entertained on the

basis of the data, illustrations or descrip-

tions in this Owner's Manual.

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

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, i.e. 15% MTBE or

3% methanol plus an equivalent amount of

co-solvent – will not void the applicable

warranties respecting defects in materials

or workmanship. Field experience has indi-

cated significant differences in fuel quality –

i.e. volatility, composition, 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 environmental 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-perfor-

mance electronics, requires specially

adapted maintenance and repair methods.

Therefore, only have corresponding work

on your BMW carried out by a BMW Sports

Activity Vehicle Center or a workshop that

works according to BMW repair proce-

dures with correspondingly trained person-

nel. If work is carried out improperly, there

is a danger of consequential 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-

ages 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

Sports Activity Vehicle 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. See your BMW Sports

Activity Vehicle Center for additional infor-

mation.

<

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.

<

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

Reference At a glanceControlsDriving tipsMobility

7

Service and warranty

This manual is supplemented by a Service

and Warranty Information Booklet for US

models or a Warranty and Service Guide

Booklet for Canadian models.

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 War-

ranty

>

Federal Emissions Performance War-

ranty

>

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 toll-free

1-800-831-1117.

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.

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

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.

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

Cockpit

10

Cockpit

Controls

1

Parking lamps/low beams 57

2

>

Turn signal indicators 41

>

Standing lamps 58

>

High beams 58

>

Headlamp flasher 41

>

Computer 47

3

Fog lamps 58

4

Horn

5

Washer/Wiper system/Rain sensor 41

6

Hazard warning flashers

7

Central locking system 18

8

Unlocking the engine hood 92

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

At a glanceControlsDriving tipsMobilityReference

11

Instrument cluster

1

Speedometer

2

Indicator and warning lamps 12

3

Tachometer 45

with indicator and warning lamps 12

4

Coolant temperature gauge 45

5

Fuel gauge 45

6

Button for

>

Displaying the time 46

>

Service Interval Display 46

7

Selector lever and program display for

automatic transmission 40

8

Button for

>

Resetting trip odometer 45

>

Setting the time 46

9

Display for

>

Trip odometer/odometer 45

>Time 46

>Service Interval 46

>Computer 47

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

Cockpit

12

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

engine. They each light up once for differ-

ent 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.

Detailed information is provided on the

specified pages.

Please fasten safety belt + 30

Airbags + 54

Brake system +

With handbrake released 52/ 96

With handbrake set 38

With other warning lamps 52

Brake warning lamp for Canadian

models

Driving stability control systems/

Antilock Brake System + 53

Antilock Brake System ABS/

Chassis control system for Cana-

dian models

Brake pads + 96

Dynamic Stability Control DSC/

xDrive + 50/ 52

Flat Tire Monitor + 53

Automatic transmission + 39

Engine oil + 94

Service Engine Soon + 98

Service Engine Soon + 37

warning lamp for Canadian

models.

Check Gas Cap +

Engine electronics + 37

Battery charge current + 105

Topping up coolant 95

Topping up washer fluid 94

Lamp defective 57

Turn signal indicators 41

Fog lamps 58

Headlamp flasher 41

High beams 58

Cruise control 43

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

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13

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 the vehicle immediately

or

an important reminder

>Yellow:

Have the system inspected as soon as

possible

or

for your information

>Green:

For your information

>Blue

For your information.

Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 157 631 - © 07/03 BMW AG

Cockpit

14

Buttons in steering wheel*

The buttons integrated in the steering

wheel are provided so that you can operate

a number of accessories quickly and with-

out being distracted from traffic conditions.

You may operate:

>selected audio source functions

>Recirculating air mode/steering wheel

heating*

>the cruise control

>some telephone functions

>the voice command system.

In order to operate a system, the cor-

responding system must be switched

on.<

Telephone/voice command system

Press briefly:

Accept incoming call, start dialing, termi-

nate call.

Extended pressure:

Switch voice command system on and off

Telephone/audio sources

Switching between telephone and radio,

cassette, CD or MD

Fast forward/reverse

>Radio

Press briefly: next station

>CD

Press briefly: skipping tracks

Maintain pressure on the button: fast

forward/reverse

>Telephone

Browse name directory

Volume

Cruise control

Cruise control: calling up

Cruise control: storing and accelerating +

as well as braking and storing –

Cruise control: activate/interrupt/deacti-

vate

Recirculated-air mode/steering

wheel heating

Depending on the equipment, there is

a button for the recirculated-air mode

or steering wheel heating.<

Switching the recirculated-air mode and

automatic recirculated-air control on and

off

Steering wheel heating: switching on/off,

refer to page 31.

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15

Controls

This chapter is intended to provide you

with information for complete control

of your vehicle. Its extensive array of

features and accessories, both for driving

and for your own safety, comfort and

convenience, are described here.

Opening and closing

18

Opening and closing

Key set

1Master keys with remote control deter-

mine the functions of the Key Memory,

refer to page 33.

You can mark the keys using the col-

ored decals you received on taking

delivery of the vehicle

There is an extended-life battery

in every master key which is

charged automatically in the ignition

lock as you drive.

If you have any master keys that are not

being used on a regular basis, you

should therefore remember to recharge

these units by using them to drive the

vehicle for an extended period at least

once a year.<

2Spare key for storage in a safe place,

such as in your wallet.

This key cannot be used to open the

lock for the glove compartment. This is

an advantage, e.g. at a hotel. The key is

not intended for constant use.

Central locking system

The concept

The central locking system is ready for

operation whenever the driver's door is

closed. The system engages or releases

the locks on the

>doors

>tailgate

>fuel filler door.

The central locking system can be oper-

ated from the outside

>via the remote control

>via the driver's door lock

and from inside via the button for the cen-

tral locking system.

When the system is locked from inside, the

fuel filler door remains unlocked, refer to

page 20.

The anti-theft system is automatically acti-

vated whenever you activate the central

locking system from outside the vehicle.

This prevents the doors from being

unlocked via the safety lock buttons or

door handles. The alarm system is also

armed or disarmed.

In an accident, the central locking system

automatically unlocks the vehicle. In addi-

tion, the hazard warning flashers and inte-

rior lamps switch on.

You can have an acknowledgment

signal set to confirm that the vehicle is

correctly locked.<

Opening and closing – from

outside

Using the remote control

The remote control provides two additional

functions for the central locking system:

>Switching on the interior lamps, refer to

page 19.

You can also use this function to locate

your vehicle in parking garages etc.

>Opening the tailgate, refer to page 19.

The tailgate will open slightly, regard-

less of whether it was previously locked

or unlocked.

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