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EnglishNOTES -> Information for your BMW 7 Series 2015-2021
Information
NOTES
Information
Using this Owner's Manual Additional sources of
information
Orientation
The fastest way to find information on a particu‐
lar topic is by using the index.
Service center
A service center will be glad to answer questions
at any time.
An initial overview of the vehicle is provided in
the first chapter.
Internet
Validity of the Owner's Manual
Production of the vehicle
Vehicle information and general information on
BMW, for instance. on technology, are available
At the time of production at the plant, the printed
Owner's Manual is the most current resource.
Due to updates after the editorial deadline, differ‐
ences may exist between the printed Owner's
Manual and the Integrated Owner's Manual in
the vehicle.
Integrated Owner's Manual in the
vehicle
The Integrated Owner's Manual specifically de‐
scribes features and functions found in the vehi‐
cle. The Integrated Owner's Manual can be dis‐
played on the Control Display. Additional
information, refer to page 16.
Notes on updates can be found in the appendix
of the printed Owner's Manual for the vehicle.
After a software update in the
vehicle
After a vehicle software update – such as, a Re‐
mote Software Upgrade – the Integrated Own‐
er's Manual for the vehicle will contain the latest
information.
BMW Driver’s Guide app
The BMW Driver's Guide app specifically de‐
scribes features and functions found in the vehi‐
cle. The app can be displayed on smartphones
and tablets.
BMW Driver’s Guide Web
Owner's Manual for Navigation,
Entertainment, Communication
The Owner's Manual for Navigation, Entertain‐
ment, and Communication can be obtained as a
printed book from the service center.
Driver’s Guide Web shows the most suitable in‐
formation for the selected vehicle. If possible,
only equipment and functions that are actually in‐
stalled in the vehicle will be explained. Driver’s
Guide Web can be displayed in any current
browser.
The topics are also discussed in the Integrated
Owner's Manual in the vehicle.
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Symbols and displays
Vehicle features and
options
Symbols in the Owner's Manual
This Owner's Manual describes all models and
all standard, country-specific and optional equip‐
ment that is offered in the model series. There‐
fore, this Owner's Manual also describes and il‐
lustrates features and functions that are not
available in a vehicle, for example because of the
selected optional features or the country-specific
version.
Symbol Meaning
Precautions that must be followed in
order to avoid the possibility of injury
to yourself and to others as well as
serious damage to the vehicle.
Measures that can be taken to help
protect the environment.
This also applies to safety-related functions and
systems.
"..."
›...‹
Texts in vehicle used to select
individual functions.
When using these functions and systems, the
applicable laws and regulations must be ob‐
served.
Verbal instructions to use with the
voice activation system.
For any options and equipment not described in
this Owner's Manual, refer to the Supplementary
Owner's Manuals.
››...‹‹
Responses generated by the voice
activation system.
Your BMW service center is happy to answer any
questions that you may have about the features
and options applicable to your vehicle.
Action steps
Action steps to be carried out are presented as a
numbered list. The steps must be carried out in
the defined order.
Status of the Owner's
Manual
1. First action step.
2. Second action step.
Basic information
Enumerations
The manufacturer of your vehicle pursues a pol‐
icy of constant development that is conceived to
ensure that our vehicles continue to embody the
highest quality and safety standards. In rare
cases, therefore, the features described in this
Owner's Manual may differ from those in your
vehicle.
Enumerations without mandatory order or alter‐
native possibilities are presented as a list with
bullet points.
▷ First possibility.
▷ Second possibility.
Symbols on vehicle components
This symbol on a vehicle component
indicates that further information on the
component is available in the Owner's Manual.
Validity of the Owner's Manual
Production of the vehicle
At the time of production at the plant, the printed
Owner's Manual is the most current resource.
Due to updates after the editorial deadline, differ‐
ences may exist between the printed Owner's
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Information
NOTES
Manual and the Integrated Owner's Manual in
the vehicle.
Maintenance and repairs
Notes on updates can be found in the appendix
of the printed Owner's Manual for the vehicle.
Warning
Improperly performed work on the vehicle paint
can lead to a failure or malfunction of the radar
sensors and thereby result in a safety risk.
There may be a risk of accident or risk of dam‐
age to property. Have paintwork or paintwork
repairs on bumpers of vehicles with radar sen‐
sors performed by a dealer’s service center or
another qualified service center or repair shop
only.
After a software update in the
vehicle
After a vehicle software update – such as, a Re‐
mote Software Upgrade – the Integrated Own‐
er's Manual for the vehicle will contain the latest
information.
For Your Own Safety
Advanced technology, for instance the use of
modern materials and high-performance elec‐
tronics, requires suitable maintenance and repair
work.
Intended use
Heed the following when using the vehicle:
The manufacturer of the vehicle recommends
that you entrust corresponding procedures to a
BMW center. If you choose to use another serv‐
ice facility, BMW recommends use of a facility
that performs work, e.g., maintenance and repair,
according to BMW specifications with properly
trained personnel, referred to in the Owner's
Manual as "another qualified service center or re‐
pair shop".
▷ Owner's Manual.
▷ Information on the vehicle. Do not remove
stickers.
▷ Technical vehicle data.
▷ The traffic, speed, and safety laws where the
vehicle is driven.
▷ Vehicle documents and statutory documents.
If work is performed improperly, for instance
maintenance and repair, there is a risk of subse‐
quent damage and related safety risks.
Warranty
Your vehicle is technically configured for the op‐
erating conditions and registration requirements
applying in the country of first delivery, also
known as homologation. If your vehicle is to be
operated in a different country it might be neces‐
sary to adapt your vehicle to potentially differing
operating conditions and registration require‐
ments. If your vehicle does not comply with the
homologation requirements in a certain country
you may not be able to lodge warranty claims for
your vehicle there. Further information on war‐
ranty is available from a service center.
Parts and accessories
BMW recommends the use of parts and acces‐
sory products approved by BMW.
Approved parts and accessories, and advice on
their use and installation are available from a
BMW center.
BMW parts and accessories have been tested by
BMW for their safety and suitability in BMW vehi‐
cles.
BMW warrants genuine BMW parts and acces‐
sories.
BMW does not evaluate whether each individual
product from another manufacturer can be used
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Information
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with BMW vehicles without presenting a safety
hazard, even if a country-specific official approval
was issued. BMW does not evaluate whether
these products are suitable for BMW vehicles
under all usage conditions.
cept as necessary, service your vehicle in a
well-ventilated area and wear gloves or wash
your hands frequently when servicing your ve‐
hicle. For more information go to
California Proposition 65
Warning
For vehicles sold in California, the law requires
vehicle manufacturers to provide the following
warning:
Service and warranty
We recommend that you read this publication
thoroughly. Your vehicle is covered by the follow‐
ing warranties:
▷ New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
▷ Rust Perforation Limited Warranty.
▷ Federal Emissions System Defect Warranty.
▷ Federal Emissions Performance Warranty.
Warning
Engine exhaust and a wide variety of Automo‐
bile components and parts, including compo‐
nents found in the interior furnishings in a vehi‐
cle, contain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and birth
defects and reproductive harm. In addition, cer‐
tain fluids contained in vehicles and certain
products of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other repro‐
ductive harm. Battery posts, terminals and re‐
lated accessories contain lead and lead com‐
pounds. Batteries also contain other chemicals
known to the State of California to cause can‐
cer. Wash your hands after handling. Used en‐
gine oil contains chemicals that have caused
cancer in laboratory animals. Always protect
your skin by washing thoroughly with soap and
water. For more information go to
▷ California Emission Control System Limited
Warranty.
Detailed information about these warranties is
listed in the Service and Warranty Information
Booklet for US models or in the Warranty and
Service Guide Booklet for Canadian models.
Your vehicle has been specifically adapted and
designed to meet the particular operating condi‐
tions and homologation requirements in your
country and continental region in order to deliver
the full driving pleasure while the vehicle is oper‐
ated under those conditions. If you wish to oper‐
ate your vehicle in another country or region, you
may be required to adapt your vehicle to meet
different prevailing operating conditions and ho‐
mologation requirements. You should also be
aware of any applicable warranty limitations or
exclusions for such country or region. In such
case, please contact Customer Relations for fur‐
ther information.
Warning
Operating, servicing and maintaining a passen‐
ger vehicle or off-highway motor vehicle can
expose you to chemicals including engine ex‐
haust, carbon monoxide, phthalates, and lead,
which are known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other repro‐
ductive harm. To minimize exposure, avoid
breathing exhaust, do not idle the engine ex‐
Maintenance
Maintain the vehicle regularly to sustain the road
safety, operational reliability and the New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Specifications for required maintenance meas‐
ures:
▷ BMW Maintenance system.
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▷ Service and Warranty Information Booklet for
US models.
▷ Ambient conditions, e.g., temperature, rain
sensor signals.
▷ Warranty and Service Guide Booklet for
Canadian models.
The processed data is only processed in the ve‐
hicle itself and generally volatile. The data is not
stored beyond the operating period.
If the vehicle is not maintained according to
these specifications, this could result in damag‐
ing the vehicle. Such damage is not covered by
the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Electronic components, e.g. control units and ig‐
nition keys, contain components for storing tech‐
nical information. Information about the vehicle
condition, component usage, maintenance re‐
quirements events or faults can be stored tem‐
porarily or permanently.
Data memory
This information generally records the state of a
component, a module, a system, or the environ‐
ment, for instance:
General information
Electronic control devices are installed in the ve‐
hicle. Electronic control units process data they
receive from vehicle sensors, self-generate or
exchange with each other. Some control units
are necessary for the vehicle to function safely or
provide assistance during driving, for instance
driver assistance systems. Furthermore, control
units facilitate comfort or infotainment functions.
▷ Operating states of system components, for
instance, fill levels, tire inflation pressure, bat‐
tery status.
▷ Malfunctions and faults in important system
components, for instance lights and brakes.
▷ Responses by the vehicle to special situa‐
tions such as airbag deployment or engage‐
ment of the driving stability control systems.
Information about stored or exchanged data can
be requested from the manufacturer of the vehi‐
cle, in a separate booklet, for example.
▷ Information on vehicle-damaging events.
The data is required to perform the control unit
functions. Furthermore, it also serves to recog‐
nize and correct malfunctions, and helps the ve‐
hicle manufacturer to optimize vehicle functions.
Personal reference
Each vehicle is marked with a unique vehicle
identification number. Depending on the country,
the vehicle owner can be identified with the vehi‐
cle identification number, license plate and corre‐
sponding authorities. In addition, there are other
options to track data collected in the vehicle to
the driver or vehicle owner, for instance, via the
ConnectedDrive account that is used.
The majority of this data is volatile and is only
processed within the vehicle itself. Only a small
share of the data is stored event-related in event
or fault memories.
When servicing, for instance during repairs, serv‐
ice processes, warranty cases, and quality assur‐
ance measures, this technical information can be
read out from the vehicle together with the vehi‐
cle identification number.
Operating data in the vehicle
Control units process data to operate the vehicle.
For example, this includes:
A dealer’s service center or another qualified
service center or repair shop can read out the in‐
formation. The socket for OBD Onboard Diagno‐
sis required by law in the vehicle is used to read
out the data.
▷ Status messages for the vehicle and its indi‐
vidual components, e.g., wheel rotational
speed, wheel speed, deceleration, transverse
acceleration, engaged safety belt indicator.
The data is collected, processed, and used by
the relevant organizations in the service network.
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Information
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The data documents technical conditions of the
vehicle, helps with the identification of the fault,
compliance with warranty obligations and quality
improvement.
the vehicle, e.g., a smartphone, USB stick or
MP3 player. If this data is stored in the vehicle, it
can be deleted at any time.
This data is only transmitted to third parties upon
personal request as part of the use of online
services. The transmission depends on the se‐
lected settings for the use of the services.
Furthermore, the manufacturer has product
monitoring duties to meet in line with product lia‐
bility law. To fulfill these duties, the vehicle man‐
ufacturer needs technical data from the vehicle.
The data from the vehicle can also be used to
check customer claims for warranty and guar‐
anty.
Incorporation of mobile devices
Depending on the vehicle equipment, mobile de‐
vices connected to the vehicle, for instance
smartphones, can be controlled via the vehicle
control elements.
Fault and event memories in the vehicle can be
reset when a dealer’s service center or another
qualified service center or repair shop performs
repair or servicing work.
The sound and picture from the mobile device
can be played back and displayed through the
multimedia system. Certain information is trans‐
ferred to the mobile device at the same time. De‐
pending on the type of incorporation, this in‐
cludes, for instance position data and other
general vehicle information. This optimizes the
way in which selected apps, for instance naviga‐
tion or music playback, work.
Data entry and data transfer into
the vehicle
General information
Depending on the vehicle equipment, comfort
and individual settings can be stored in the vehi‐
cle and modified or reset at any time.
There is no further interaction between the mo‐
bile device and the vehicle, such as active access
to vehicle data.
For example, this includes:
▷ Settings for the seat and steering wheel posi‐
tions.
How the data will be processed further is deter‐
mined by the provider of the particular app being
used. The extent of the possible settings de‐
pends on the respective app and the operating
system of the mobile device.
▷ Suspension and climate control settings.
If necessary, data can be transferred to the en‐
tertainment and communication system of the
vehicle, for instance via smartphone.
This includes the following depending on the re‐
spective equipment:
Services
General information
▷ Multimedia data such as music, films or pho‐
tos for playback in an integrated multimedia
system.
If the vehicle has a wireless network connection,
this enables data to be exchanged between the
vehicle and other systems. The wireless network
connection is realized via an in-vehicle transmit‐
ter and receiver unit or via personal mobile devi‐
ces brought into the vehicle, for instance smart‐
phones. This wireless network connection
enables 'online functions' to be used. These in‐
clude online services and apps supplied by the
vehicle manufacturer or by other providers.
▷ Address book data for use in conjunction with
an integrated hands-free system or an
integrated navigation system.
▷ Entered navigation destinations.
▷ Data on the use of Internet services.
This data can be stored locally in the vehicle or is
found on a device that has been connected to
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The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record
such data as:
Services from the vehicle
manufacturer
▷ How various systems in your vehicle were op‐
erating.
Where online services from the vehicle manufac‐
turer are concerned, the corresponding functions
are described in the appropriate place, for in‐
stance the Owner's Manual or manufacturer's
website. The relevant legal information pertaining
to data protection is provided there too. Personal
data may be used to perform online services.
Data is exchanged over a secure connection,
for instance with the IT systems of the vehicle
manufacturer intended for this purpose.
▷ Whether or not the driver and passenger
safety belts were fastened.
▷ How far, if at all, the driver was depressing the
accelerator and/or brake pedal.
▷ How fast the vehicle was traveling.
This data can help provide a better understand‐
ing of the circumstances in which crashes and
injuries occur.
Any collection, processing, and use of personal
data above and beyond that needed to provide
the services must always be based on a legal
permission, contractual arrangement or consent.
It is also possible to activate or deactivate the
data connection as a whole. That is, with the ex‐
ception of functions and services required by law
such as Assist systems.
EDR data is recorded by your vehicle only if a
nontrivial crash situation occurs; no data is re‐
corded by the EDR under normal driving condi‐
tions and no personal data, for instance name,
gender, age, and crash location, are recorded.
However, other parties, such as law enforce‐
ment, could combine the EDR data with the type
of personally identifying data routinely acquired
during a crash investigation.
Services from other providers
When using online services from other providers,
these services are the responsibility of the rele‐
vant provider and subject to their data privacy
conditions and terms of use. The vehicle manu‐
facturer has no influence on the content ex‐
changed during this process. Information on the
way in which personal data is collected and used
in relation to services from third parties, the
scope of such data, and its purpose, can be ob‐
tained from the relevant service provider.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equip‐
ment is required, and access to the vehicle or the
EDR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manu‐
facturer, other parties, such as law enforcement,
that have the special equipment, can read the in‐
formation if they have access to the vehicle or
the EDR.
Event Data Recorder EDR
This vehicle is equipped with an event data re‐
corder EDR. The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa‐
tions, such as an air bag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand‐
ing how a vehicle’s systems performed. The
EDR is designed to record data related to vehicle
dynamics and safety systems for a short period
of time, typically 30 seconds or less.
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Information
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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 Na‐
tional Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA, in addition to notifying BMW of North
America, LLC, P.O. Box 1227, Westwood, New
Jersey 07675-1227, Telephone
Vehicle identification
number
Engine compartment
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 in‐
dividual problems between you, your dealer, or
BMW of North America, LLC.
The vehicle identification number can be found
in the engine compartment, on the right-hand
side of the vehicle.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle
Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY:
or write to: Administrator, NHTSA, 400 Seventh
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. You can
also obtain other information about motor vehicle
Windshield
For Canadian customers
Canadian customers who wish to report a safety-
related defect to Transport Canada, Defect In‐
vestigations and Recalls, may call the toll-free
hotline 1-800-333-0510. You can also obtain
other information about motor vehicle safety
The vehicle identification number can also be
found behind the windshield.
iDrive
It is also possible to display the vehicle identifica‐
tion number via iDrive, refer to page 71.
Reporting safety defects
For US customers
The following only applies to vehicles owned and
operated in the US.
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