Get Driving hints -> Driving precautions Guide for BMW X3 SUV Second Generation (2011-2017)

Driving hints

Driving precautions

Tyres

Vehicle equipment

New tyres do not achieve their full road

grip immediately, for production reasons.

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.

During the first 300 km, 200 miles, drive mod‐

erately.

Brake system

Brake pads and discs only achieve a favourable

wear and contact pattern after approximately

500 km, 300 miles. Drive moderately during

this running-in period.

Clutch

Running in

The clutch only begins to function optimally at

approximately 500 km, 300 miles. Engage the

clutch gently during this running-in period.

General

Moving parts need a certain time to achieve

maximum operating efficiency as a unit.

After fitting new parts

The following information helps to achieve

maximum service life and efficiency of the ve‐

hicle.

The same running-in procedures should be

observed if any of the components mentioned

above have to be renewed in the course of the

vehicle's operating life.

Do not use Launch Control, see page 81, when

running in.

Engine, gearbox and differential

Up to 2000 km, 1200 miles

Do not exceed the maximum engine revs and

speed:

Driving on bad road surfaces

The vehicle combines four-wheel drive with

the advantages of a normal vehicle

Do not drive on non-hard roads

▷

With petrol engines, 4500 rpm and

160 km/h, approximately 100 mph.

Do not drive on non-hard roads, other‐

wise the vehicle may be damaged.◀

▷

With diesel engines, 3500 rpm and

150 km/h, approximately 93 mph.

For your own safety and the safety of passen‐

gers and the vehicle, observe the following

points:

In principle, avoid full load or kick-down.

▷

Make yourself familiar with the vehicle be‐

fore starting the trip and do not take any

risks when driving.

From 2000 km, 1200 miles onwards

Engine and road speeds can be gradually in‐

creased.

▷

Adjust speed to the road conditions. The

steeper and more uneven the road, the

slower the speed should be.

180

Driving precautions

Driving hints

▷

For trips on steep inclines: top up with en‐

gine oil and coolant nearly up to the MAX

mark. Inclines of up to max.50 % can be

driven on.

Hot exhaust system

High temperatures occur in the exhaust

system.

When driving up steep hills, use Hill De‐

scent Control HDC, see page 129.

Never remove the heat shields fitted here, or

apply underseal to them. When driving, idling

or parking, ensure that no highly inflammable

materials, e.g. hay, foliage, grass etc. comes

into contact with the hot exhaust system. It

could ignite and cause a fire, with the risk of

severe injuries or damage.

Driving on slopes up to 30 % is possible.

The permitted side tilt is 30 %.

▷

Avoid contact between the body and the

ground.

Ground clearance is a maximum 20 cm, ap‐

proximately 7.8 inches and may vary de‐

pending on load condition.

Do not touch hot exhaust tail pipes; otherwise

there is a risk of burns.◀

If wheels are spinning, accelerate enough

so that drive stability control systems can

distribute drive force to wheels. Activate

any Dynamic Traction Control, DTC.

Diesel particle filter

The diesel particle filter collects soot particles

and burns them periodically at high tempera‐

tures.

After driving on bad roads

When cleaning for a few minutes, the following

may occur:

After driving on bad roads, to maintain driving

safety, check wheel and tyres for damage. Re‐

move any major soiling of the body.

▷

Engine temporarily runs a bit roughly.

Noise and slight development of smoke

from the exhaust shortly after shutting off

the engine.

General driving information

▷

The usual power output development re‐

quires a slightly higher engine speed.

Closing the tailgate

Drive with the tailgate closed

Climate comfort windscreen

Drive only with the tailgate closed in the

event of an accident, or if you have to brake

abruptly or swerve to avoid an obstruction.

Otherwise the vehicle occupants or other road

users could be at risk or the vehicle could be

damaged. There is also the danger of exhaust

fumes entering the interior of the vehicle.◀

If there is no alternative to driving with the tail‐

gate open:

▷

Close all windows and the Glass Roof.

Turn up the blower to a high output level.

Maintain moderate speed.

The marked area does not have a heat reflect‐

ing coating.

Use this area for garage-door openers, devices

for electronic toll recording or similar.

181

Driving hints

Driving precautions

With auxiliary heating:

Radio signals

Only if the water is calm and only up to a water

depth of max. 25 cm, approximately 9.8 inches

and at this depth drive no faster than walking

speed up to 10 km/h, approximately 6 mph.

Warning

Certain vehicle functions may be affec‐

ted by interference from high-frequency radio

signals. Such signals are output from a series

of transmission systems, for example, from air

traffic beacons or relay stations for mobile tele‐

communications.

Without auxiliary heating:

Only if the water is calm and only up to a water

depth of max. 50 cm, approximately 19.6 in‐

ches and at this depth drive no faster than

walking speed up to 5 km/h, approximately

3 mph.

We recommend you consult your Service cen‐

tre should you experience any difficulties.◀

Mobile communication equipment

Safe braking

Your vehicle is equipped with ABS as standard.

Mobile communication equipment

You are advised not to use mobile radio

devices, for example, mobile telephones, in‐

side the vehicle without a direct connection to

an external aerial. Mutual interference between

the vehicle's electronics and such equipment

cannot be entirely ruled out. There is moreover

no guarantee that the radiation generated

when such devices are transmitting will be dis‐

sipated out of the vehicle's interior.◀

Applying the brakes fully is the most effective

way of braking in situations in which this is

necessary.

The vehicle can be steered. Any obstacles can

be avoided with steering wheel movements

that are as calm as possible.

A pulsing of the brake pedal and hydraulic reg‐

ulating sounds indicate that ABS is regulating.

In certain braking situations, the perforated

brake disks can cause functional noise. How‐

ever, this has no effect on the efficiency and

operational safety of the brakes.

Aquaplaning

On wet or slushy roads, reduce your

speed in order to avoid aquaplaning.◀

Objects in the range of movement of

the pedals

On wet or slushy roads, a wedge of water can

form between the tyres and the road.

No objects in the range of movement of

the pedals

This situation, known as aquaplaning, means

that the tyre can actually lose contact com‐

pletely with the road surface and the vehicle

can neither be steered nor the brakes properly

applied.

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.

Wading

Do not place additional foot mats on top of ex‐

isting floor mats or other similar objects.

Pay attention to the water depth and

your speed

Only use foot mats that have been approved

for the vehicle and that can be fastened ac‐

cordingly.

Do not exceed the maximum water depth and

maximum speed, otherwise the engine, electri‐

cal system and transmission could be dam‐

aged.◀

182

Driving precautions

Driving hints

Ensure that floor mats are securely reattached

after having been removed, for example for

cleaning.◀

▷

Infrequent use of the brakes.

Corrosion occurs when the minimum pressure

that must be exerted by the pads during brake

applications to clean the discs is not reached.

Wet roads

Should corrosion form on the brake discs, the

brakes will tend to respond with a pulsating ef‐

fect that generally cannot be corrected.

In damp weather, if road grit has been spread

or there is heavy rain, apply the brakes lightly

every few kilometres/miles.

Condensate when vehicle is parked

In doing so, do not obstruct other road users.

When using the automatic air conditioning,

condensation water develops that exits under‐

neath the vehicle.

The resulting heat dries the brake discs and

pads.

The braking force will be available immediately

if needed.

Traces of water on the ground are normal.

Downhill gradients

Avoid excessive braking

Avoid excessive loads on the brake. Even

slight, continuous pressure on the brake pedal

could cause overheating, brake pad wear or

even brake system failure.◀

Do not drive with the transmission in

neutral

Never drive with the transmission in neutral or

with the engine switched off. Otherwise, the

braking action of the engine will either not be

present, or there will be no power assistance to

the brakes or steering.◀

When driving on long or steep downhill

stretches, use the gear in which the least brak‐

ing is required. Otherwise the brake system

can overheat and braking action is reduced.

The braking effect can be additionally in‐

creased by manually shifting down, even into

first gear, if applicable.

Corrosion of the brake disc

Corrosion of the brake discs and contamina‐

tion of the brake pads increase with:

▷

Low mileage.

Extended periods when the vehicle is not

used.

183

Driving hints -> Driving precautions for Your BMW X3 SUV Second Generation (2011-2017)

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