General Driving Notes; Catalytic Converter - BMW X5 3.0i Owner's Manual

General driving notes

136n
Brakes:
Do not drive w ith your foot resting
on the brake pedal. Even light but
consistent pedal pressure can lead to
high tem peratures, brake w ear and
possibly even brake failure.
Aquaplaning:
When driving on w et or slushy roads,
reduce vehicle speed. If you do not, a
w edge of w ater m ay form betw een the
tires and the road surface. This
phenom enon is referred to as aqua-
planing or hydroplaning. It is character-
ized by a partial or complete loss of
contact betw een the tires and the road
surface. The ultimate results are loss of
steering and braking control.
Cargo area cover:
Do not place heavy or hard objects on
the cargo area cover. These objects
could endanger vehicle occupants
during heavy brake applications or
evasive maneuvers.
Clothes hooks:
When suspending articles of clothing
from the hooks, be sure that they w ill
not obstruct the driver's vision. Do not
hang heavy objects on the hooks. If you
do so, they could cause personal injury
during braking or evasive m

Catalytic converter

The catalytic converter reduces harm ful
exhaust em issions.
It is designed for use w ith unleaded fuel
only. Even m inute quantities of lead
w ould be enough to perm anently
dam age both the catalytic converter
and the system oxygen sensor.
To ensure efficient, trouble- free engine
operation and avoid potential dam age:
> Be sure to com ply w ith the scheduled
m aintenance requirem ents.
> Fill the fuel tank w ell before it is
aneuvers.<
em pty.
> Tow - start the vehicle only w hen the
engine is cold, since unburned fuel
m ay otherw ise reach the catalytic
converter. It is better to start the
vehicle w ith an outside starting aid.
> Avoid other situations in w hich the
fuel is not burned, or burns incom -
pletely, such as engaging the starter
frequently or for extended periods, or
repeated start attem pts in w hich the
engine does not start (stopping and
restarting an engine w hich is running
properly does not present a problem ).
Never allow the engine to run w ith
any of the spark plug cables discon-
nected.
Online Edition for Part No. 01 41 0 155 558 - © 09/00 BMW Group