Lamps
100
Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
0 Lights off and daytime running lamps
*
1 Parking lamps and daytime running lamps
*
2 Low beams and welcome lamps
3 Automatic headlamp control
*
, daytime run-
ning lamps
*
, welcome lamps, Adaptive
Light Control* and High-beam Assistant
*
If you open the driver's door with the ignition
switched off, the exterior lighting is switched off
when the light switch is in position 2 or 3. The
daytime running lamps have already been
switched off at the same time as the ignition.
For this reason, switch on the parking lamps as
needed, switch position 1; otherwise, the vehi-
cle is not lit.
Parking lamps
In switch position 1, the front, rear and side
vehicle lighting is switched on. You can use the
parking lamps for parking.
The parking lamps drain the battery. Do
not leave them switched on for long peri-
ods of time, otherwise it may no longer be pos-
sible to start the engine. It is preferable to
switch on the roadside parking lamps on one
side, refer to page 102.<
Low beams
The low beams light up when the light switch is
in position 2 and the ignition is on.
Automatic headlamp control*
In switch position 3, the system activates the
low beams and switches them on or off in
response to changes in ambient light condi-
tions, for instance, in a tunnel, at dawn and dusk
and in case of precipitation. Adaptive Light
Control* is active. The LED next to the symbol
lights up when the low beams are on. You can
activate the daytime running lamps, refer to
page 101. In the above-mentioned situations,
the system then switches to the low beams.
A blue sky with the sun low on the horizon can
cause the lights to be switched on.
The low beams remain switched on inde-
pendent of the ambient lighting condi-
tions when you switch on the fog lamps
*
.<
The automatic headlamp control cannot
serve as a substitute for your personal
judgment in determining when the lamps
should be switched on in response to ambient
lighting conditions. For example, the sensors
cannot detect fog of hazy weather. To avoid
safety risks, you should always switch on the
low beams manually under these conditions.<
Welcome lamps
If you leave the light switch in position 2 or 3
when parking the vehicle, then when you unlock
the vehicle, the parking lamps and interior light-
ing remain illuminated for a brief time.
Activating/deactivating welcome
lamps
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page 16.
1. "Settings"
2. "Lighting"
Online Edition for Part no. 01 41 2 602 678 - © 08/09 BMW AGOnline Edition for Part no. 01 41 2 602 678 - © 08/09 BMW AG