BMW M3 CONVERTIBLE 2001 E46 Owner's Manual

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Replacing microfilter and activated-charcoal filter Fuel filler door 1 Open the hood.
2 Release the three fasteners (arrow)
with f turn.
3 Remove the filter cover.
4 Remove the filter by pulling toward
the front and install a new one.
5 Position the filter cover and secure it
with the three fasteners.
Manual release Pull the knob with the fuel pump symbol
(arrow) on the right trim panel of the
luggage compartment.

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Convertible top Closing manually in event of
electrical failure1 Emergency operation
2 Allen wrench
3 Recess
You can use the emergency
procedure for manual operation to
close the top, but never to open it. If the
convertible top were opened manually,
the lid on its storage compartment
would fail to lock, and would open
during subsequent vehicle operation.<
Manual closing is best carried out
with two persons from outside
with the driver's door open and the
driver's seat folded forward. No one is
to be in the rear seat while you are
doing this.<
1 Remove the center piece between
the rear seats. Take the trim off the
guide rod and flip it forward. Press
down hard on the emergency lock
(arrow 1). After a brief pause, the
drive systems for the convertible top
compartment lid will be unlocked.
If the drives for the convertible top
compartment lid fail to release,
mount the double angled Allen wrench
(2) in the recess (1) and turn clockwise
until the drives release.c
2 With the luggage compartment lid
closed, open the convertible top
compartment lid up as far as the stop
will allow.
3 Lift out the convertible top by holding
on to the lateral guide section (1) and
the front convertible top frame (2).
Position the rear convertible top
frame vertically and close the
convertible top compartment lid.
Then fold down the rear convertible
top frame.

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Convertible top4 Pry out the cover in the center of the
front convertible top frame.
5 Insert the double angled Allen
wrench 2 (refer to page 162) in the
inside hexagon (arrow).
6 Pull down on the front convertible top
frame as far as possible. Complete
the closing process by continuing to
turn the wrench clockwise. Do this
until the front convertible top frame
has locked onto the windshield
frame. The rear convertible top frame
will automatically be pressed down
onto the convertible top compart-
ment lid and because of the tension,
will close completely.
To prevent personal injury and/or
damage to the vehicle, do not
interrupt the closing process before it is
completed.<
Please consult your BMW center
to have the defect corrected.<

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Do not use spray starter fluids to start
the engine.
If the battery is discharged, the engine
can be started using two jumper cables
and another vehicle's battery. Use only
jumper cables with fully insulated
handles on the terminal clamps.
Do not touch the parts conducting
electrical current while the engine
is running. Failure to comply with this
creates a risk of fatal injury.
Carefully comply with the following
instructions to avoid personal injury or
damage to one or both vehicles.<
1 Ensure that the battery on the
support vehicle is also rated at
12 volts, and that the capacities of
the two batteries (Ah) are roughly
comparable (the rating is printed on
the battery).
2 Leave the discharged battery
connected to the vehicle's electrical
system.
3 Do not allow contact between the
two vehicle bodies – this creates the
risk of a short circuit.
4 Start by connecting the jumper cable
from the positive terminal of the
support vehicle to the positive
terminal connector located in your
BMW's engine compartment. The
cover of the positive terminal
connector is marked with a "+" sign.
Refer to the illustration. Remove by
pulling the tab (arrow 1).
5 Then connect the negative terminals.
Attach the cable to either the support
vehicle's negative battery terminal (–),
or to a suitable ground on its engine
or bodywork. Then connect the other
end of the cable to a ground on the
engine or on the bodywork of the
vehicle that is to be started. There is
a special nut provided for this on the
BMW (arrow 2).
Follow the same sequence for
connecting the jumper cables
when helping other vehicles. If you do
not, there is the risk of injury if sparks
are generated at the battery.<
6 Start the support vehicle's engine
and let it run.
7 Start the engine on the vehicle
needing the jump-start, and allow it
to run as usual. If the first start
attempt is not successful, wait a few
minutes before another attempt in
order to allow the discharged battery
to recharge.
8 Before disconnecting the jumper
cables from your BMW, turn on the
rear window defroster and set the
blower to the highest speed; allow
the engine to run approx.
10 seconds. This will prevent a
voltage surge from the voltage regu-
lator to the electrical accessories.
9 Then disconnect the jumper cables in
reverse sequence.
Depending on the cause of the fault,
recharge the battery.
Jump-starting

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Towing the vehicleTow fittingThe tow fitting, which can be
unscrewed, is in the luggage compart-
ment under the floor panel and must
remain in the vehicle. This fitting is
designed for installation in the tow
sockets located at the front and rear of
the vehicle. It is intended for towing on
paved road surfaces only. This fitting
should not be used to pull a vehicle out
of deep snow, mud, sand, etc.
Always comply with all applicable
towing laws and regulations.Access to tow socketsFront:
Press out the cover panel by inserting a
screwdriver in the recess at the top.
Rear:
Press out the cover panel by inserting a
screwdriver in the recess at the top.
Screw the tow fittings in
completely and tightly. If you do
not, the threads could be damaged. Do
not tow the vehicle by any components
of the running gear, or lash them down
in any way. If you do so, the compo-
nents could be damaged, leading to
possible accidents.
Do not use any other tow fitting except
the one provided with your vehicle.<
Towing with a commercial tow
truck>Do not tow with sling-type equipment
>Use wheel lift or flat bed equipment
>Please comply with applicable state
towing laws.
Never allow passengers to ride in
a towed vehicle for any reason.
Never attach tie-down hooks, chains,
straps, or tow hooks to tie rods, control
arms, or any other part of the vehicle
suspension, as severe damage to these
components will occur, leading to
possible accidents.c

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Overview
Controls and features
Operation, care
and maintenance
Technical data
Index Advanced technology
Airbags168
Radio reception169
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)170
Safety belt tensioner170
M3 Engine concept171
Rain sensor172
Interior rearview mirror
with automatic dimming
feature173
Xenon lamps174
Rollover protection system175
Tech-
Owner service procedures

168n
Deceleration sensors continuously
monitor the acceleration forces acting
upon the vehicle. If there is deceleration
because of a collision, where the
protection normally afforded by the
safety belts is no longer sufficient by
itself, then the gas generators for the
front airbag will be simultaneously
ignited on both the driver and
passenger sides. The front airbag on
the passenger side, however, will be
deployed only if a second sensor has
detected that the passenger seat is
occupied.
In the event of a side impact, the front
side airbags will deploy and/or the rear
ones
* if necessary. They will deploy on
the side where the impact occurs.
The airbags located under the marked
covers inflate and unfold in a matter of
a few milliseconds. In this process, they
tear through the designed separation
points of the upholstered covers and
press them out.
Because the inflation process must be
virtually instantaneous, it is accompa-
nied by a certain amount of ignition and
inflation noise, which, however, is lost
in the general accident situation. The
gas required to inflate the airbags is not
dangerous, and the associated smoke
soon dissipates.
The entire process is completed within
fractions of a second.
Airbags

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
The AM frequency bands (medium-
wave, long-wave and short-wave) allow
the reception of stations from great
distances because the broadcast
signals – propagated at ground level in
the form of surface waves – are also
reflected from the ionosphere as atmo-
spheric waves.
Frequency-modulation (FM) provides
substantially better sound quality than
the other frequencies. However,
because FM transmissions rely on line-
of-sight broadcast waves, their effec-
tive reception range is limited.
The limitations inherent to radio recep-
tion in a moving vehicle have been
minimized by a number of innovative
systems:
The "Radio Data System" (RDS) makes
sure that, for broadcast stations
sending on several frequencies, the
radio automatically tunes to the
frequency with the best reception
quality.
The Diversity Antenna integrates
several FM antennas within the
convertible top compartment lid to
provide three separate sources for
receiving broadcast waves. An integral
processor automatically selects the
antenna with the best FM reception
quality at any given time. The selection
of the antenna takes place within milli-
seconds, and is therefore not noticed
by the radio listener.
Radio reception

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Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) Safety belt tensioner

Highly sensitive sensors monitor the
number of revolutions of the wheels,
steering angle, lateral acceleration,
brake pressure and the movement of
the vehicle around its vertical axis.
If differences in wheel speed should
occur, the system will recognize the
potential dangers associated with
wheel spin and will reduce the drive
torque; if necessary, it will do so using
brake intervention at the rear wheels as
well.
When instable vehicle operating condi-
tions are detected, the application of
the brakes with DSC can also act on the
front wheels to stabilize the vehicle.
You may need some time to become
accustomed to this system's interven-
tion. However, it provides optimum
drive force and vehicle stability.
The braking intervention may be
accompanied by a certain degree of
noise.The safety belt tensioner makes sure
that the belt tightens during a head-on
collision to ensure that occupants
remain firmly positioned in their seats.
A gas-pressure system retracts the
buckle assembly to tension the
shoulder and lap belts within fractions
of a second. This tends to reduce the
tendency to slide under the lap belt
even more.