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EnglishMobility -> General care for your BMW X3 2011-2017
Mobility
General care
General care
Cleaning sensors/lenses of the camera
with high-pressure cleaners
Vehicle equipment
This chapter describes all standard, national
and special equipment provided in the model
series. Equipment not available in the vehicle is
therefore also described, for example the se‐
lected special equipment or national version.
This also applies to safety-relevant functions
and systems. Comply with the relevant na‐
tional regulations when using the correspond‐
ing functions and systems.
Do not spray the sensors with high-pressure
cleaners for an extended period of time and
maintain a distance of at least 30 cm, approxi‐
mately 12 in from sensors and lenses of the
camera on the outside of the vehicle.◀
Automatic car washes.
Information
▷
Textile car washes or systems using soft
brushes are preferable, to avoid damage to
the paintwork.
Washing the car
General
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Make sure the wheels and tyres are not
damaged by the conveying mechanism.
Regularly remove foreign bodied, for example,
leaves, with the bonnet opened in the area be‐
neath with windscreen.
Fold in the exterior mirrors, as they could
otherwise sustain damage due to the vehi‐
cle's width.
Especially in winter, wash the car more fre‐
quently. Very high levels of dirt and spreading
salt can cause damage to the car.
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Deactivate the rain sensor, see page 76, to
avoid unintentional operation of the wipers.
In some instances, depending on the inte‐
rior movement detector of the alarm sys‐
tem, a false alarm may be triggered. Ob‐
serve the information on avoiding false
alarms, see page 45.
Information
Steam-jet cleaners or high-pressure
cleaners
If you use steam-jet cleaners or high-pressure
cleaners, make sure you maintain an adequate
distance and a maximum temperature of
60 ℃/140 ℉.
Guide rails in car washes
Avoid car washes where the guide rails
are higher than 10 cm, 4 in otherwise the car
body may be damaged.◀
With the glass roof keep a distance of at least
80 cm, approximately 31.5 inches. High-pres‐
sure jets striking it from close up or with exces‐
sively high pressure or temperature could
cause damage, or start off a process of long-
term damage.
Entering a car wash
Follow the below steps so that the vehicle can
be driven into a vehicle wash:
Manual gearbox:
Comply with the instructions for the high-pres‐
sure cleaner.◀
1. Drive into the car wash.
2. Engage idle position.
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General care
Mobility
3. Stop the engine.
4. Switch on ignition.
Steptronic transmission:
▷
▷
Soak impurities such as insects with sham‐
poo and wash off with water.
Remove ice with a de-icer spray; do not
use an ice scraper.
1. Drive into the car wash.
After washing the car
2. Engage selector lever position N.
3. Deactivate Automatic Hold, see page 74.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Stop the engine.
After washing the car, drive it briefly and apply
the brakes to dry them out; this is necessary to
prevent reduced braking action, and also to
avoid corrosion of the brake discs.
In this way the ignition remains switched
on and a check control message is dis‐
played.
Completely remove residues on the wind‐
screens to avoid affecting visibility due to
smearing, and to reduce wiping noise and
wiper blade wear.
Do not switch off ignition in the car
wash
Do not switch off ignition in the car wash,
otherwise the selector lever position P is
engaged and this can cause damage.◀
Car care
Care products
It is not possible to lock the vehicle from the
outside in selector lever position N. If an at‐
tempt is made to lock the vehicle, a signal
sounds.
BMW recommends that you use BMW care
and cleaning products, as these have been
tested and approved.
Care and cleaning products
When starting engine with manual gearbox:
Observe the information on the pack.
1. Press clutch pedal.
When cleaning the interior, open the doors or
windows.
2. Press the start/stop button.
When starting engine with Steptronic trans‐
mission:
Use only products that are intended for clean‐
ing the vehicle's interior.
1. Press the brake.
Cleaning agents can contain hazardous sub‐
stances or constitute a health risk.◀
2. Press the start/stop button.
Pressing the start/stop button or depressing
the brake switches off the ignition.
Vehicle paintwork
Regular care promotes driving safety and pre‐
serves your vehicle's value. Environmental ef‐
fects in areas with higher air pollution or natu‐
ral contaminations, for example tree resin or
leaf dust, may have an effect on the vehicle
paintwork. Base the frequency and extent of
vehicle care on such factors.
Selector lever position
Selector lever position P is engaged automati‐
cally:
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With the ignition switched off.
After approximately 15 minutes.
Remove corrosive substances, such as run-off
fuel, oil, grease or bird droppings immediately
to avoid changes to the paint or discoloura‐
tions.
Headlights
▷
Do not rub them when dry or use abrasive
or corrosive cleaning agents.
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Mobility
General care
Corrosive, acidic or alkaline cleaners may de‐
stroy the protective layer of neighbouring
parts, such as brake discs, for example.
Leather care
Remove dust from the leather at regular inter‐
vals with a cloth or vacuum cleaner.
Dust and road dirt will otherwise become
worked into pores and folds, causing consider‐
able abrasion and causing the leather surface
to become prematurely brittle.
Chrome surfaces
Carefully clean parts such as the radiator grille
and door handles with plenty of water to which
a shampoo may be added, particularly if ex‐
posed to road salt.
In order to protect against discolouration, for
example from clothing, clean the leather ap‐
proximately every two months.
Rubber parts
Other than washing with water, treat only with
rubber care products.
Clean light-coloured leather more frequently
as it has the tendency to soil faster.
Use leather cleaner, as dirt and grease with
otherwise attack the protective coating of the
leather.
Do not use any silicone-based care products
for treating rubber seals, otherwise these
could be damaged and become a source of
noise.
Suitable cleaner can be obtained from a Serv‐
ice centre.
Fine wood parts
Care of upholstery fabrics
Clean regularly with a vacuum cleaner.
Clean fine wood trims and fine wood parts with
a damp cloth only. Then dry them with a soft
cloth.
In the event of heavy soiling, for example stains
caused by drinks, use a soft sponge or a lint-
free microfibre cloth with suitable interior
cleaning agents.
Plastic parts
These include:
Clean upholstery materials over a large area up
to the seams. Avoid strong rubbing.
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Imitation leather surfaces.
Roof lining.
Damage from Velcro fasteners
Light covers.
Open Velcro fasteners on trousers or
other items of clothing can damage seat cov‐
ers. Make sure that any Velcro fasteners on
your clothing are closed.◀
Glass cover of instrument cluster.
Parts sprayed matt black.
Painted parts in the interior.
Use a microfibre cloth to clean.
Slightly moisten the cloth with water.
Do not soak the roof lining.
Care of special parts
Light alloy wheels
Only when cleaning on the vehicle use neutral
rim cleaner with a pH value of between 5 and 9.
Do not use any rough cleaner or steam cleaner
above 60 ℃/140 ℉. Observe the manufactur‐
er's information.
No alcohol-based or solvent-based
cleaning agents
Do not use any alcohol-based or solvent-
based cleaning agents such as nitro thinners,
cold cleansers, fuel or similar, otherwise the
surfaces can be damaged.◀
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General care
Mobility
Seat belts
Displays/screens
Dirt on the seat belts can interfere with the ac‐
tion of the reel and represent a safety hazard.
Cleaning of displays and screens
Do not use any chemical or household
cleaning materials, otherwise surfaces may be
corroded.◀
Dry cleaning
Do not dry-clean or use chemical prod‐
ucts, otherwise the fabric may be weakened.◀
Keep moisture away
Clean only with a mild soap solution while still
fitted to the vehicle.
Keep all liquids away from the set, other‐
wise electrical components may be dam‐
aged.◀
Never allow seat belts to retract unless they
are dry.
Avoid pressure
Avoid applying excessive pressure when
cleaning and do not use abrasive materials,
otherwise damage could occur.◀
Carpets and foot mats
No objects in the range of movement of
the pedals
Use a clean, anti-static microfibre cloth to
clean.
Foot mats, carpets or other objects must not
breach the range of movement of the pedals,
otherwise they could influence the function of
the pedals when driving and may cause an ac‐
cident.
Laying up out of use
When the vehicle is laid up for longer than
three months, special measures are to be
taken. Further information can be obtained
from the Service Centre.
Do not place additional foot mats on top of ex‐
isting floor mats or other similar objects.
Only use foot mats that have been approved
for the vehicle and that can be fastened ac‐
cordingly.
Ensure that floor mats are securely reattached
after having been removed, for example for
cleaning.◀
Floor mats can be removed from the vehicle to
enable the interior to be cleaned more thor‐
oughly.
In the event of heavy soiling, clean floor car‐
pets using a microfibre cloth and water or tex‐
tile cleaner. In doing so, rub back and forth in
the direction of travel, otherwise the carpet can
become tangled.
Sensors/lenses of the camera
Clean sensors or lenses of the camera using a
cloth moistened with a small amount of a
glass-cleaning product.
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