maintenance schedule BMW 323Ci CONVERTIBLE 2000 E46 Owner's Manual

6n

For your own safety

Use unleaded gasoline only. Fuels
containing up to and including
10 % ethanol or other oxygenates with
up to 2.8 % oxygen by weight (i.e. 15 %
MTBE or 3 % methanol plus an equiva-
lent amount of co-solvent) will not void
the applicable warranties respecting
defects in materials or workmanship.
Field experience has indicated signifi-
cant differences in fuel quality (volatility,
composition, additives, for example)
among gasolines offered for sale in the
United States and Canada. The use of
poor-quality fuels may result in drive-
ability, starting and stalling problems,
especially under certain environmental
conditions, such as high ambient tem-
perature and high altitude.
Should you encounter driveability prob-
lems which you suspect could be re-
lated to the fuel you are using, we rec-
ommend that you respond by switching
to a recognized high-quality brand.
Failure to comply with these recom-
mendations may result in unscheduled
maintenance.
Follow the relevant safety rules when
you are handling gasoline.

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Important safety information.
For your own safety, use genuine parts
and accessories approved by BMW.
When you purchase accessories tested
and approved by BMW and Original
BMW Parts, you simultaneously acquire
the assurance that they have been thor-
oughly tested by BMW to ensure opti-
mum performance when installed on
your vehicle.
BMW warrants these parts to be free
from defects in material and workman-
ship.
BMW will not accept any liability for
damage resulting from installation of
parts and accessories not approved
by BMW.
BMW cannot test every product made
by other manufacturers to verify if it can
be used on a BMW safely and without
risk to either the vehicle, its operation,
or its occupants.
Original BMW Parts, BMW Accessories
and other products approved by BMW,
together with professional advice on
using these items, are available from
all BMW centers.

Installation and operation of non-BMW
approved accessories such as alarms,
radios, amplifiers, radar detectors,
wheels, suspension components, brake
dust shields, telephones (including op-
eration of any portable cellular phone
from within the vehicle without using an
externally mounted antenna) or trans-
ceiver equipment (such as C.B., walkie-
talkie, ham radio or similar devices) may
cause extensive damage to the vehicle,
compromise its safety, interfere with
the vehicle's electrical system or affect
the validity of the BMW Limited War-
ranty. See your authorized BMW center
for additional information.

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Maintenance, replacement, or
repair of the emission control de-
vices and systems may be performed
by any automotive repair establishment
or individual using any certified auto-
motive part.

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Symbol for vehicle parts

Denotes vehicle parts for which
you should consult this Owner's
Manual.

For your own safety

98n
Automatic climate controlRear window defroster
When the rear window defroster
is activated, the indicator lamp
comes on. The rear window defroster
switches off automatically. Refer to
page 79.
Draft-free ventilation You can adjust the blower controls for
the upper body area to select the opti-
mum airflow rates and directions for
your personal comfort:
Use rotary dials 1 to open and close the
air outlets through an infinitely-variable
range. You can adjust the direction of
the airflow with rotary dial 2.
Set the air outlets so that the air flows
past you and is not directed straight at
you.
Rotary dial 3 allows you to mix the the
air from the outlets for your upper body
by warming or cooling the air as de-
sired.460de040
Activated charcoal filterAn activated charcoal filter has been in-
stalled in your BMW to filter the outside
air and to catch any incoming dust and
pollen. It provides additional protection
by filtering gaseous pollutants from the
outside air. Your BMW center can re-
place the combined filter as a standard
part of your scheduled maintenance.
A substantial reduction in air flow indi-
cates that the filter needs to be replaced
early.

113n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Brakes:
Do not drive with your foot resting
on the brake pedal. Even light but con-
sistent pedal pressure can lead to high
temperatures, brake wear, and possibly
to brake failure.
Aquaplaning:
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce vehicle speed. If you do not, a
wedge of water may form between the
tires and the road surface. This phe-
nomenon is referred to as aquaplaning
or hydroplaning. It is characterized by a
partial or complete loss of contact be-
tween the tires and the road surface.
The ultimate results are loss of steering
and braking control.
Driving through water:
Do not drive through water over the
road if it is deeper than 1 ft (30 cm), and
then only at walking speed, otherwise
the engine, electrical system and trans-
mission could be damaged.
Clothes hooks (when hardtop
* is
mounted):
When suspending clothing from the
hooks, ensure that they will not obstruct
the driver's vision. Do not hang heavy
objects on the hooks. If you do, they
could cause personal injury during
braking or evasive maneuvers.<
The catalytic converter reduces harmful
exhaust emissions. It is designed for
use with unleaded fuel only.
Even minute quantities of lead would be
enough to permanently damage both
the catalytic converter and the system
oxygen sensor.To ensure efficient, trouble-free engine
operation and to avoid potential damage:>Be sure to comply with the scheduled
maintenance requirements
>Fill the fuel tank well before it is
empty
>Tow-start only when the engine is
cold. If you attempt to tow-start with
a warm engine, unburned residual
fuel in the catalytic converter could
ignite and cause damage. It is better
to jump-start the vehicle with outside
assistance
>Avoid other situations in which the
fuel is not burned, or burns incom-
pletely, such as engaging the starter
frequently or for extended periods, or
repeated start attempts in which the
engine does not start (stopping and
restarting an engine which is running
properly does not present a problem).
Never allow the engine to run with
any of the spark plug cables
disconnected.Be sure to observe the instruc-
tions above to prevent unburned
fuel from reaching the catalytic con-
verter, otherwise, the catalytic con-
verter could overheat and be damaged.
High temperatures occur in every vehi-
cle equipped with a catalytic converter.
Heat shields are installed adjacent to
some sections of the exhaust system.
Never remove these shields; do not
apply undercoating to their surfaces.
When driving, standing at idle, and
parking the vehicle, take extra care to
avoid contact between the exhaust sys-
tem and flammable materials (grass,
hay, leaves, etc.). Such contact could
lead to a fire, resulting in serious per-
sonal injury and property damage.<
Driving notes Catalytic converter

178n
Self-diagnostics All of the important electrical and elec-
tronic systems in the vehicle are tested
regularly and automatically; the driver
does not have to perform any extra
operations or adjustments.
The indicator lamps come on briefly
when the ignition is switched on.
While you are driving, the functional
status of the actuator motors (for the
windshield wipers, power windows,
seats, etc.) is constantly analyzed by
current measurements in their relays. 46cde052
In the same manner, the electrical re-
sistance of the airbag ignition genera-
tors and all of the remaining airbag
components is measured at all times.
Any fault in this system would be de-
tected immediately by a current fluctua-
tion that would necessarily accompany
it. The fault would be indicated immedi-
ately by the airbag warning lamp.
Even after you shut off the engine, the
overall functional status of your vehicle
is being monitored. For example, all of
the flaps for the heating and ventilation
system travel to the nearest limit posi-
tion. This action ensures that in any
case, the defrosting function will remain
intact, even if a malfunction in the auto-
matic climate control should occur dur-
ing the night while the vehicle is parked.
A calibration cycle runs every tenth time
the engine is shut off. During this cycle,
the actuator motors of all the heating
and ventilation flaps travel to their limit
stops in both directions. The limit posi-
tions and the return travel paths are
checked in this manner in order to en-
sure that appropriate adjustments for
the operating elements can be made at
any time.The sounds the automatic climate con-
trol makes as it carries out its self-diag-
nostics are noticeable because of the
noise that the ventilation flaps make af-
ter the ignition has been switched off.
All of the other self-diagnostics func-
tions operate silently in the back-
ground.
Any possible defects detected during
these self-diagnostics can be read out
by your BMW center and quickly cor-
rected during the vehicle's next regu-
larly scheduled maintenance.