engine BMW M6 CONVERTIBLE 2010 E64 User Guide
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Drivelogic: shifting modes and Drivel-
ogic driving programs, refer to page59
>"EDC:" 
Programs of the Electronic Damping 
Control, refer to page79
>"DSC:"
Dynamic Stability Control and 
M Dynamic Mode, refer to page76
>"POWER:"
Programs of the M Engine Dynamics 
Control, refer to page60
>"Head-Up display"
*
Views of the Head-up Display, refer to 
page86
You can reset all settings for MDrive to the 
default values:
3.Select the desired function.
4.Press the controller.
5.Turn the controller to select the desired set-
ting.
6.Press the controller.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Activating settings
Press the   button on the steering wheel.
The indicator lamp in the instrument 
cluster lights up. The settings made on 
the Control Display for the functions 
contained in MDrive are active.
Pressing the button again deactivates MDrive.
If the indicator lamp flashes after the but-
ton was pressed, MDrive was unable to 
respond because the ABS Antilock Brake Sys-
tem or DSC Dynamic Stability Control are cur-
rently regulating driving stability. Press the 
button again when the indicator lamp no 
longer flashes.<
Even with MDrive activated, you can change 
individual settings outside MDrive, e.g. with the 
buttons in the center console. To reactivate all 
settings made for MDrive on the Control Dis-
play: press the   button twice. 
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Driving
Ignition lock
Inserting remote control into ignition 
lock
Insert the remote control as far as possible into 
the ignition lock.
Radio readiness switches on.
Some electronic systems/consumers are ready 
for operation.
Comfort Access*
With Comfort Access, only insert the remote 
control into the ignition lock in exceptional 
cases, refer to page34.
Removing remote control from ignition 
lock
Do not pull the remote control out of the 
ignition lock using force, as otherwise 
damage may result.<
Before removing the remote control, first press 
it in as far as possible to release the locking 
device.
The ignition is switched off if it was still 
switched on.
Start/Stop button
Pressing the Start/Stop button switches the 
radio readiness or the ignition on and off.
Manual transmission: the engine starts 
when you depress the clutch while press-
ing the Start/Stop button.
Sequential Manual Transmission: the engine 
starts when you press the Start/Stop button 
with the brake depressed and the selector lever 
in position P or N.<
Radio readiness
Some electronic systems/consumers are ready 
for operation. The last information of the com-
puter selected is displayed in the instrument 
cluster.
Radio readiness is switched off:
>when the remote control is removed from 
the ignition lock
>with Comfort Access
* by touching the sur-
face on the door handle, refer to Locking on 
page35
Ignition on
All electronic systems/consumers are ready for 
operation. The odometer and the trip odometer 
are displayed in the instrument cluster, refer to 
page65.
Please switch off the ignition and the 
electronic systems/consumers which are 
not required when the engine is not running to 
save the battery.< 
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Driving
56
Radio readiness and ignition switched 
off
All indicator and warning lamps in the instru-
ment cluster go out.
Starting engine
Do not run the engine in enclosed areas, 
otherwise the inhalation of toxic exhaust 
gases can cause loss of consciousness and 
death. The exhaust gases contain carbon mon-
oxide, an odorless and colorless, but highly 
toxic gas.
Never leave an unattended vehicle with the 
engine running, as such a vehicle represents a 
potential safety hazard.
Before leaving the vehicle with the engine run-
ning, shift into neutral
* or move the selector 
lever into position N and firmly apply the park-
ing brake, otherwise the vehicle can begin to 
roll.<
Avoid frequent starting in quick succes-
sion or repeated starting attempts in 
which the engine does not start. Otherwise, the 
fuel is not burned or inadequately burned and 
there is a danger of overheating and damaging 
the catalytic converter.<
Do not allow the engine to warm up by leaving it 
running while the vehicle remains stationary. 
Instead, begin to drive at a moderate engine 
speed.
Manual transmission*
Remote control in ignition lock or with Comfort 
Access in vehicle, refer to page34.1.Depress brake pedal.
2.Depress the clutch pedal and shift into 
idling position.
3.Press the Start/Stop button.
Sequential Manual Transmission with 
Drivelogic
Remote control in ignition lock or with Comfort 
Access in vehicle, refer to page34.
1.Depress brake pedal.
2.Place selector lever in position N.
3.Press the Start/Stop button.
If the engine does not start, shift back to 
the last selector lever position selected, 
refer to the instrument cluster display or the 
selector lever. Then select position N.
You cannot start off with the hood open.
When the engine is cold, the exhaust system 
has a slightly metallic undertone due to the sys-
tem design.<
After every engine start, as soon as the selector 
lever is pushed to the right into the drive 
positionΒ and the brake pedal is pressed, the 
Sequential mode is activated.
Switching engine off
When leaving the vehicle, always take the 
remote control with you.
When parking, firmly apply the parking brake, as 
otherwise the vehicle could roll.<
Manual transmission*
1.Press the Start/Stop button with the vehicle 
stopped.
2.Shift into first gear or reverse.
3.Firmly apply the parking brake.
4.Remove the remote control from the igni-
tion lock, refer to page55.
Sequential Manual Transmission with 
Drivelogic
1.Firmly apply the parking brake.
2.Shift into a driving position. 
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3.Press the Start/Stop button.
If N is engaged when switching off the 
engine, this will be pointed out to you visu-
ally and acoustically.
4.Remove the remote control from the igni-
tion lock, refer to page55.
Parking brake
The parking brake is primarily intended to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling while parked; it 
brakes the rear wheels.
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp lights up, and a sig-
nal sounds when you drive away. The 
parking brake is applied.
Indicator lamp for Canadian models.
Applying
The lever locks in position automatically.
Releasing
Pull slightly upwards, press the button and 
lower the lever.
If exceptional circumstances should 
make it necessary to apply the parking 
brake while the vehicle is in motion, do not pull it 
too firmly. In doing so, continuously press the 
button of the parking brake lever. Otherwise, 
too firm an application of the parking brake can 
lock up the rear wheels and cause the rear of the 
vehicle to swerve.<
To prevent corrosion and one-sided brak-
ing action, occasionally engage the park-ing brake lightly when the vehicle is slowly com-
ing to a stop if the traffic conditions are suitable.
The brake lamps do not light up when the park-
ing brake is applied.<
Manual transmission*
While shifting in the 5th/6th gear lane, 
press the gearshift lever toward the right, 
otherwise accidental shifting into the 3rd or 4th 
gear could result in engine damage.<
When shifting into 1st gear, you may feel a 
slight jolt. This part of normal operation and no 
reason for concern.
Reverse gear
Select only when the vehicle is stationary. 
When pressing the gearshift lever to the left, 
overcome some resistance.
Shift lights
To achieve the best vehicle acceleration with a 
sporty driving style, shift lights in the Head-up 
Display
* indicate the optimum shifting point 
briefly before reaching the maximum rpm. Refer 
to Shift lights, page60. 
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58
Sequential Manual 
Transmission with Drivelogic
The concept
The SMG Sequential Manual Transmission 
with Drivelogic is an automated manual trans-
mission in which an electrohydraulic system 
handles the clutching and gear changes.
The Sequential Manual Transmission is oper-
ated with the selector lever and two shift pad-
dles on the steering wheel.
It offers you the following functions:
>Optional manual or automatic operation: 
Sequential mode or Drive mode
>Selection option between different driving 
programs, Drivelogic, refer to page59
>Upshift display, shift lights, refer to page60
>Automatic downshifting and prevention of 
incorrect shifting even in Sequential opera-
tion
>Automatic double clutching
Selector lever positions
>R: Reverse gear
>N: Neutral
>Β: Drive position:
>+: manual upshifting
>–: manual downshifting
>D/S: switch between Drive mode and 
Sequential mode
Shiftlock
Press the brake pedal before shifting out of N; 
the shift command will not be executed unless 
the brake is applied.
R Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
N Idle
Always select before starting engine.
If the driving situation requires, e.g. when down-
shifting on a slippery road surface, the Sequen-
tial Manual Transmission automatically 
clutches and then declutches again, i.e. it is not 
necessary to manually shift into idling mode.
The system shifts into N when you open 
the driver's door or the hood with the 
engine running and do not operate pedals, shift 
paddles or the selector lever. To begin driving 
after closing the driver's door or the hood, first 
shift the selector lever into the N position, and 
then shift into drive.<
S Sequential mode
You can shift up and down using the shift pad-
dles or the selector lever. You do not need to 
remove your foot from the accelerator to do so.
Shifting from Sequential mode to Drive mode: 
press selector lever to the right toward D/S.
To switch back into the Sequential mode: shift 
using the shift paddles or the selector lever or 
press selector lever to the right toward D/S 
again.
Starting off is also possible on a level road sur-
face in second gear, e.g. in case of ice.
In the following situations, the Sequential Man-
ual Transmission thinks for you:
>Upshifts and downshifts are executed only 
when they will result in a feasible combina-
tion of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for 
example, a downshift that would cause the 
engine to overrev will not be executed by 
the system.
>When the vehicle is stationary, the trans-
mission automatically downshifts into first 
gear.
>Shortly before dropping below a gear-
dependent minimum speed, the transmis-
sion downshifts automatically even without 
your intervention. 
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D Drive mode
In the Drive mode, all forward gears are shifted 
automatically.
Shifting from Sequential mode to Drive mode: 
shift using the shift paddles or the selector 
lever, or press the selector level to the right in 
the D/S direction.
Shifting back to Drive mode: press the selector 
lever to the right in the D/S direction again.
Kickdown: for rapid acceleration, e. g. when 
passing, press the accelerator pedal as far 
down as it will go. You achieve maximum accel-
eration.
Displays in instrument cluster
1Gear 1 to 7, R, N engaged
2Selected driving program, 
matches the number of illuminated fields, 
refer to Drivelogic on page59
3In drive mode, the currently selected gear 
followed by a D is displayed.
The gear display flashes when you open 
the driver's door with the engine running. 
If you do not subsequently operate the pedals, 
shift paddles, or selector lever, then the system 
shifts into N.<
Gear changes
Using selector lever
>To upshift, pull the selector lever back.
>To downshift, push the selector lever for-
ward.
Using shift paddles on steering wheel
>To upshift, briefly pull the right shift 
paddle +.
>To downshift, briefly pull the left shift 
paddle –.
Drivelogic
With Drivelogic various driving programs are 
available to you.
Each time you change between the Sequential 
mode and the Drive mode, the driving program 
last selected in the respective mode is active. 
Exception: after the first change from the 
Sequential to the Drive mode, driving program 3 
is active. 
In Drive mode
There are five different driving programs, rang-
ing from relaxed 1 to sporty/highly dynamic 5.
In Sequential mode
You can choose from six driving programs from 
balanced/dynamic 1 to sporty/purist 6.
Program 6 is only available when the DSC 
Dynamic Stability Control is deactivated, refer 
to page76. If DSC is activated, then the system 
switches from program 6 to program 5.
To maintain vehicle stability, always acti-
vate DSC whenever possible.< 
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60
Selecting driving program with button 
in center console
Press the button repeatedly until the desired 
driving program is displayed in the instrument 
cluster, refer to page59.
Selecting driving program via button 
on steering wheel
You can also activate your preferred driving pro-
gram with the   button on the steering wheel, 
refer to MDrive on page50.
With the ignition switched on you can change 
the settings of MDrive on the Control Display.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1."Settings"
2."M Drive"
3.Select "Drivelogic:" and press the control-
ler. The first setting is selected.
4.Turn controller to set Drive mode or 
Sequential mode.
5.Press controller to select driving programs.
6.Turn controller to set driving program.
7.Press the controller.
Shift lights
To achieve the best vehicle acceleration with a 
sporty driving style in the Sequential mode, 
shift lights in the Head-up Display
* indicate the 
optimum shifting point briefly before reaching 
the maximum rpm.
1.Activate the Head-up Display, refer to 
page86
2.Select the "M View" display on the Head-up 
Display.
The current engine speed is highlighted on 
the tachometer.
3.When approaching the maximum rpm, yel-
low illuminated fields1 of the tachometer 
consecutively indicate the approaching 
upshift point.
4.At the very latest, shift when the field2 
lights up in red.
When the permissible maximum rpm is 
reached, the entire tachometer begins to flash. 
When the maximum rpm is exceeded, the fuel 
supply is cut off to protect the engine. Always 
avoid engine speeds in this range.
M Engine Dynamic Control
With M Engine Dynamic Control you can influ-
ence how sporty the reaction of your vehicle to 
accelerator pedal movements is to be. Three 
programs are available for engine control.
"P 400" program
In the "P 400" program, the engine reacts gen-
tly to the movement of the accelerator pedal. 
This is, for example, ideal for city driving or driv-
ing on snow. In the process, the fuel consump- 
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tion is minimal and the engine output is 
reduced.
"P 500" program
The "P 500" program provides maximum per-
formance and more spontaneous reaction of 
the engine to accelerator pedal movements.
"P 500 Sport" program
In the "P 500 Sport" program, the engine 
responds to accelerator pedal movements with 
a high degree of spontaneity and uncompro-
mising sportiness while exhibiting maximum 
performance.
Selecting program
The "P 400" program is activated after each 
engine start.
Press the POWER button to activate the 
"P 500" program. Pressing the POWER button 
repeatedly switches between the programs 
"P 400" and "P 500".
You can also activate your preferred program 
with the  button on the steering wheel, refer 
to MDrive on page50. You can activate the 
"P 500 Sport" program only with MDrive.
For the programs "P 500" and "P 500 Sport", 
the LED in the POWER button lights up.
Turn signals/
headlamp flasher
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Turn signals
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To turn off manually, press the lever to the 
resistance point.
Atypically rapid flashing of the indicator 
lamp indicates the failure of a turn signal 
lamp.<
Signaling briefly
Press lever to resistance point and hold for as 
long as you wish to signal.
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever to the resistance point; the turn 
signal flashes three times.
You can activate or deactivate this function.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
3."Triple turn signal" 
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fluid. Do not use washing mechanisms when 
the washer fluid reservoir is empty, otherwise 
you will damage the washer pump.<
Windshield washer nozzles
The windshield washer nozzles are heated 
when the engine is running or the ignition is 
switched on.
Washer fluid
Washer fluid antifreeze is flammable. For 
this reason, keep it away from ignition 
sources and store only in the closed original 
container out of reach of children. Otherwise, 
there is the danger of bodily injury. Always 
observe the instructions for use provided on the 
containers.<
Filler neck for washer fluid
All washer nozzles are supplied from one reser-
voir.
Fill with water and – if required – with a washer 
antifreeze, according to manufacturer's recom-
mendations.
In order to maintain the mixture ratio, mix 
the washer fluid before filling.<
Capacity
Capacity approx. 5.3 US quarts/5 liters.
Cruise control
The concept
The cruise control is available for use at speeds 
of approx. 20 mph/30 km/h and higher. The vehicle stores and maintains the speed that you 
set using the lever mounted on the steering col-
umn. If the engine braking effect is insufficient 
on a downhill grade, the set speed may be 
exceeded. Speed can drop on uphill grades if 
the engine output is insufficient.
Do not use the cruise control under driv-
ing conditions that do not permit a con-
stant speed, e.g. when driving on winding 
roads, in heavy traffic or in poor road conditions 
such as snow, rain, ice, loose road surface, and 
poor visibility. Otherwise you could lose control 
of the vehicle and cause an accident.<
One lever for all functions
1Maintaining, storing and increasing speed
2Maintaining speed, storing speed, and 
decelerating
3Interrupting and deactivating system
4Resuming stored speed
Maintaining, storing and increasing 
speed
Press lever to resistance point, arrow 1:
The speed currently being driven is maintained 
and stored. The display1 in the speedometer, 
see below, indicates this regulated speed. 
Every time you press the lever, the vehicle's 
speed increases by roughly 1 mph/1 km/h.
Press lever to resistance point for a longer time: 
The vehicle accelerates without pressure on 
the accelerator pedal. The system maintains 
and stores your current speed as soon as you 
release the lever.
Press the lever beyond the resistance point: 
The speed is increased to the next fives posi- 
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Controls Overview
Odometer, outside 
temperature display, clock
1Time, outside temperature, refer to Com-
puter on page66
2Odometer and trip odometer
3Press button:
>with ignition switched on, trip odometer 
is reset
>with ignition switched off, odometer is 
briefly displayed
Tachometer
The advance warning field, arrow1, and the red 
warning field, arrow2, change depending on 
the engine temperature. As the engine temper-
ature rises, the permissible engine speed also 
increases. Avoid allowing the engine speed to 
rise as far as the orange warning field whenever 
possible.
Be sure to avoid engine speeds in the red warn-
ing field. At high revs in this range, the flow of 
fuel is interrupted to protect the engine.
Coolant temperature
Should the coolant, and with it the engine 
become too hot, a warning lamp lights up. In 
addition, a message appears on the Control 
Display.
Checking coolant level, refer to page196.