2008 BMW 5 Series Owner's Manual - Page 139

Before driving into a car wash Fold in the exterior mirrors, refer to page 53, otherwise they could be damaged due to the width of the vehicle. General information on the care and maintenance of your BMW is contained in the Caring for your vehicle brochure. Determining loading limit 528xi, 535xi Avoid car washes with guide rail heights over 4 in/10 cm, otherwise there is danger of damaging chassis components.< 1. Locate the following statement on your vehicle's placard*: The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX lbs. or YYY kg, as otherwise the vehicle may be damaged and unstable driving conditions may result.< 2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that will be riding in your vehicle. 3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from XXX lbs. or YYY kg. 4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and luggage load capacity. For example, if the XXX amount equals 1,400 lbs. and there will be five 150-lb. passengers in your vehicle, the amount of available cargo and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.: 1,400 lbs. minus 750 lbs. = 650 lbs. 5. Determine the combined weight of luggage and cargo being loaded on the vehicle. That weight may not safely exceed the available cargo and luggage load capacity calculated in step 4. 6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, part of the load from your trailer will be transferred to your vehicle. Consult the manual for transporting a trailer to determine how this may reduce the available cargo and luggage load capacity of your vehicle. Rear window wiper* The rear window wiper can be damaged in car washes. Take appropriate protective measures; ask the car wash operator if necessary. Follow the instructions on page 62 so that the vehicle can roll. To avoid loading the tires beyond their approved carrying capacity, never overload the vehicle. Overloading can lead to overheating and increases the rate at which damage develops inside the tires. The ultimate result can assume the form of a sudden blow-out.< Make sure that no fluids leak in the cargo bay; otherwise the vehicle could be damaged.< 137 Online Edition for Part no. 01 41 0 014 240 - © 08/07 BMW AG Reference Mobility Communications Entertainment Cargo loading Navigation Automatic and sport automatic transmission Driving tips Controls At a glance