BMW M5 SEDAN 2002 Workshop Manual
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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
AirbagsThis is the right way a larger child
should sit wearing the safety belt when
rear side airbags (arrow) are provided.380de638
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp indicates the
operational status of the airbag
system from ignition key posi-
tion 1.
System operational:
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
then goes out.
System malfunction:
>The indicator lamp fails to come on
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
before going out and then lighting up
again.
Please respond to any malfunctions in
the system by immediately having it
inspected at your BMW center; other-
wise the airbag could fail to respond to
an accident in which both the angle and
the severity of the impact would
normally trigger airbag deployment.
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Transporting children safelyCommercially-available child-restraint
systems are designed to be secured
with a lap belt or with the lap belt
portion of a combination lap/shoulder
belt. Improperly or inadequately
installed restraint systems can increase
the risk of injury to children. Always
read and follow the instructions that
come with the system.
If you use a child-restraint system with
a tether strap, three additional tether
anchorage points have been provided
(refer to the arrows in the illustration).
Depending on the location selected for
seating in the rear passenger area,
hook the retaining strap into the corre-
sponding fitting to secure the child-
restraint system.380us123
Adjust the tether strap according to the
child-restraint manufacturer's instruc-
tions.
Before installing any child-
restraint device or child seat,
please read the following:
Never install a rear-facing child-
restraint system in the front passenger
seat of this vehicle.
Your vehicle is equipped with an airbag
supplemental restraint system for the
front passenger. Because the backrest
on any rear-facing child-restraint
system (of the kind designed for infants
under 1 year and 20 Ibs./9 kg) would be
within the airbag's deployment range,
you should never mount such a device
in the front passenger seat, since the
impact of the airbag against the child
restraint's backrest could lead to
serious or fatal injuries.
If it is necessary for a child (not an
infant) to ride in the front seat, certain
precautions should be taken. First,
move the passenger seat as far away
from the dashboard as possible.
This important precaution is intended to
maximize the distance between the
airbag and the child. Older children
should be tightly secured with a safety
belt.
Younger children should be secured in
an appropriate forward-facing child-
restraint system that has first been
properly secured with a safety belt.
Never install a rear-facing child-
restraint system in the front passenger
seat. We strongly urge you to carefully
read and comply with the instructions
for installation and use provided by the
child-restraint's manufacturer whenever
you use such a device.
Be sure that all occupants (of all ages)
remain properly and securely restrained
at all times.<
All rear seating positions in your vehicle
meet the recommendations of SAE
J1819, an industry-recommended prac-
tice for securing child-restraint systems
in motor vehicles.
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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Transporting children safelyChild seat securityAll of the rear belt retractors and the
front passenger's safety belt can be
locked for mounting and securing child-
restraint systems.
A label with the appropriate instructions
is located in the immediate vicinity of
the buckle latch of each safety belt.To lock the beltExtract the entire length of the belt from
the belt retractor. Allow the reel to
retract the belt somewhat and engage
the buckle, then tighten the belt against
the child-restraint system. The retrac-
tion mechanism is now locked.365us146
To release the beltRelease the buckle, remove the child-
restraint device and allow the belt
retractor to reel the belt completely in.
LATCH child-restraint anchorages
points
*
The anchorage points for the LATCH
child-restraint system are located
behind the upholstery at the positions
indicated by the arrows.
The illustration shows the right rear seat
as an example.
Snap the rear center lap belt into the
buckle with the word "CENTER" and
then pull the belt away from the area
where the child restraint will be
mounted.
Vehicles with through-loading
system
*: use the small lock mech-
anism to join together the two sections
of the center belt, refer to page 99.<
390de786
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Transporting children safelyCarefully slide the brackets through the
gaps in the upholstery at the indicated
locations.
Always follow all manufacturer's
instructions and observe all safety
precautions when installing the LATCH
child-restraint system.<
To help avoid damage to the uphol-
stery, you can obtain an insertion
guide
* (funnel) at your BMW center.
Firmly press the insertion guide into the
gap between the seat cushion and
backrest, continuing until the two
guides snap into place on the LATCH
brackets in the seat.
390de787
Child-safety locksInsert the key in the slot of a rear door
lock and turn it outward:
The door can now be opened from the
outside only.390de698
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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Vehicle Memory, Key Memory How the system functionsNo doubt you have reflected at one
time or another on how great it would
be if you could permanently configure
your vehicle's various features and
adjustments to mirror your own indi-
vidual preferences. In engineering your
vehicle, BMW has incorporated a
number of options for personal adjust-
ment that can be programmed into your
vehicle at your BMW center.
The available configuration data fall into
two categories, according to whether
their primary orientation is the vehicle
("Vehicle Memory") or the individual
("Key Memory"). Provided that each
person has a separate remote-control
key, you can have your BMW center
enter two personal adjustments for two
different individuals into the system.463de029
When your vehicle is unlocked with the
remote control, the vehicle recognizes
the individual user by means of a data
exchange with the key, and makes
adjustments accordingly.
Color-coded decals have been
provided to help you distinguish indi-
vidual keys with different settings.What the system can doYour BMW center can provide you with
details on the capabilities of the Vehicle
Memory and Key Memory systems. A
few examples follow below:
Examples for Vehicle Memory:
>Various signals as acknowledgment
when locking or unlocking your
vehicle
>Activates/deactivates the "Follow me
home" function.Examples for Key Memory:
>Locks the vehicle when you start off
>Automatically adjusts the driverÕs
seat, the exterior mirrors and the
steering wheel position to your
personal programmed settings when
you unlock the vehicle
>The automatic climate control
assumes your preset comfort settings
when you unlock the vehicle.
You will see this symbol through-
out the Owner's Manual. It is to
remind you at appropriate places of the
settings that are available to you.<
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0 Steering locked
1 Steering unlocked
2 Ignition switched on
3 Starting engine
Steering locked The key can be inserted or removed in
this position only.
An acoustic warning is sounded when
you fail to remove the ignition key after
opening the driver's door.
After removing the key, turn the
steering wheel slightly to the left or right
until the lock engages. 390de010
Steering unlocked Turning the steering wheel slightly to
the right or left often makes it easier to
turn the key from 0 to 1.
Individual electrical accessories are
ready for operation.Starting engine Depress the clutch when starting the
engine. A lockout prevents the engine
from starting with the clutch engaged.
Before starting>Engage the parking brake
>Move the shift lever to the neutral
position
>Step on the clutch pedal.
Do not allow the engine to run in
enclosed spaces. The exhaust
gases contain carbon monoxide, an
odorless and colorless, but highly toxic
gas. Breathing the exhaust gases poses
an extreme health risk, and can lead to
unconsciousness and death.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended
with the engine running. An unattended
vehicle with a running engine repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.<
Steering/Ignition lock Starting the engine
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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Starting the engine Switching off the engine Starting engineDo not press the accelerator pedal
while starting the engine.
While it is important not to release
the key prematurely, you should
also avoid allowing the starter to
operate continuously for more than
20 seconds at a time. Release the igni-
tion key immediately when the engine
starts.<
Do not warm up the engine by allowing
it to run with the vehicle parked.
Instead, you should drive away immedi-
ately while taking care to avoid high
engine speeds until the engine warms
to its normal operating temperature.
If the engine does not start on the first
attempt (the engine is very hot or cold,
for instance):
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway
down while engaging the starter.
Cold starts at extremely low tempera-
tures of roughly +57 (Ð156) or below
and at altitudes of over 3,300 ft
(1,000 m):
>Allow the starter to turn somewhat
longer (approximately 10 seconds)
during your initial starting attempt.
The engine's idle speed is automatically
regulated by the computerized engine-
management system. A brief period at
high idle is normal just after starting; the
idle speed should gradually return to
normal as the engine warms. Should
the engine fail to revert to its normal
idle speed after warming, a problem
may exist: please refer the problem to
your BMW center.
To prevent the battery from discharging,
always switch off any electrical devices
not in use, as well as the ignition when
the vehicle is not being driven.
Extended starting attempts, char-
acterized by excessively frequent
or long periods with the starter
engaged, can lead to catalyst
damage.<
When driving, standing at idle,
and parking the vehicle, take care
to avoid contact between the exhaust
system and flammable materials (grass,
hay, leaves, etc.). Such contact could
lead to a fire, resulting in serious
personal injury and property damage.<
Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 0.
Do not remove the ignition key
while the vehicle is still moving. If
you do so, the steering will lock, making
it impossible to steer the vehicle.
When you leave the vehicle, always
remove the ignition key and engage the
steering lock.
Always engage the parking brake
when parking on hills and inclined
surfaces, as even first gear or reverse
may not provide adequate resistance to
rolling.<
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Parking brake Manual transmission The parking brake is designed primarily
to prevent the vehicle from rolling when
it is parked. It operates at the rear
wheels.To engageThe lever engages automatically when
it is pulled up, and the "PARK BRAKE"
(in Canada "P") indicator lamp comes
on in the instrument cluster in ignition
key position 2. Refer to page 17. To releasePull up slightly on the lever, press the
button and lower the lever.390de714
If, in exceptional circumstances, it
should be necessary to engage
the parking brake while the vehicle is in
motion, do not pull it with excessive
pressure. Keep your thumb pressed
against the release button while care-
fully pulling the lever up to apply
moderate pressure.
Excessive pressure can lead to over-
braking and loss of traction (fishtailing)
at the rear axle.
The brake lamps do not come on when
the parking brake is applied. Always
engage the parking brake when parking
on hills and inclined surfaces, as even
first gear or reverse may not provide
adequate resistance to rolling.<
You can help prevent corrosion and
maintain balanced braking by periodi-
cally pulling up the parking brake lever
gently while coasting to a stop at a
traffic light. Always check traffic condi-
tions first to avoid posing a hazard to
yourself or other road users.
When shifting gears, always depress
the clutch pedal all the way to the end
of its travel, then move the shift lever
until it engages securely in the desired
gear.
You will also need to depress the clutch
when starting the engine, as an auto-
matic lockout prevents the starter from
operating when the clutch is engaged.
When the vehicle lighting is switched
on, the shift pattern is illuminated on
the shift lever.
When shifting gears in the 5th/
6th-gear plane, be sure to press
the shift lever to the right in order to
prevent inadvertent selection of a gear
in the 3rd/4th-gear plane.<39mde017
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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Manual transmission Turn signal/Headlamp flasherReverse Select only when the vehicle is
completely stopped. Press the shift
lever to the left to overcome the resis-
tance.
As you do this, the backup lamps will
turn on automatically when the ignition
key is in position 2.
Do not hold the vehicle in place on
slopes by slipping or "riding" the
clutch. Use the parking brake instead.
Riding the clutch causes the clutch
assembly to wear out prematurely.<
1 High beam (blue indicator lamp)
2 Headlamp flasher (blue indicator
lamp)
3 Turn signal indicator (green indicator
lamp accompanied by periodic
clicking sound from the relay)To signal brieflyPress the lever up to but not beyond
the detent. It then returns to the center
position when released.
If the indicator lamp and the
clicking from the relay are both
faster than normal, one of the turn
signal indicators has failed.<39mde135
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Washer/Wiper system/Rain sensor0 Wipers retracted
1 Intermittent mode or rain sensor
*
2 Normal wiper speed
3 Fast wiper speed
4 Brief wipe
5 Cleaning windshield
6 Intensive cleaning
7 Rotary dial for control of the wipe
interval or the sensitivity of the rain
sensor39mde136
Intermittent mode or rain sensor
*
Intermittent mode:
You can set the wipe interval to four
stages with rotary dial 7.
In addition, the wipe interval varies
automatically depending on road
speed.
Rain sensor:
The rain sensor is positioned on the
windshield, directly ahead of the inte-
rior rearview mirror.
To activate the rain sensor:
Move the lever to position 1 with the
ignition key in position 1 or higher. The
wipers travel once across the wind-
shield, regardless of the weather
conditions.
You can leave the lever permanently in
position 1. Whenever the ignition key is
in position 1 or 2, all you then need to
do to activate the rain sensor is briefly
turn the rotary dial 7.
Activate by briefly turning rotary dial 7.
To adjust the sensitivity of the rain
sensor:
Turn rotary dial 7.
To deactivate the rain sensor:
Put lever in position 0.Turn the rain sensor off in auto-
matic car washes. Failure to do so
could result in damage caused by
undesired wiper activation.<
Normal wiper speedWhen the vehicle is stationary, the
wipers automatically revert to intermit-
tent wipe (not on vehicles with rain
sensor).Fast wiper speedWhen the vehicle is stationary, the
wipers operate at normal speed (not on
vehicles with rain sensor).Cleaning windshieldThe system sprays washer fluid against
the windshield and activates the wipers
for a brief period.Intensive cleaningAs in setting 5. In addition, an intensive-
action washer fluid is first sprayed on
the windshield.