page 81 BMW 323Ci COUPE 2000 E46 Owner's Guide

46n
Sliding/tilt sunroof
*
Safety featureIf the sliding/tilt sunroof encounters
resistance at a point roughly past the
middle of its travel when it is closing,
the closing cycle is interrupted and the
sunroof will open again slightly.
In spite of this safety feature,
always make sure that the sun-
roof's path is clear. Otherwise in some
cases (e. g. with thin objects) proper
contact with the contact strip is not en-
sured.
You can disable this safety feature by
pressing the switch beyond the resis-
tance point and holding it.<
Power loss or malfunctionIn the event of an electrical system mal-
function, the sliding/tilt sunroof can be
manually operated. Refer to page 155.

48n
Mechanical seat Head restraints Correct sitting postureTo reduce strain on the spinal column,
sit all the way back in the seat and rest
your back fully against the backrest.
Ideal sitting posture is achieved with
your head extending from your spine in
a straight line.
For long-distance driving, you may wish
to to increase the backrest angle slightly
to reduce muscular tension. You should
be able to grab the steering wheel at its
highest point with your arms slightly
bent.
After a seat adjustment, adjust the
height of the safety belt also. Refer to
page 55.
Adjustments Height: Adjust by pulling up or pushing
down.
In order to move to the lowest
positions, press button 1.<
Tilting the front head restraints:
By swiveling.
Head restraints reduce the risk of
neck and spinal injuries in acci-
dents.
Adjust the head restraint so that its cen-
ter is approximately at the height of the
ear.<462de202
Removal>Pull the head restraint upward to the
stop.
>Press the button (arrow) and remove
the head restraint.Installation>Press the button (arrow) and insert
the head restraint into the openings.
>Adjust the head restraint.460de137

50n
Electric power seat
*
Seat and mirror memory
*
1 Longitudinal adjustment
2 Cushion height
3 Backrest angle
The head restraint is adjusted manually.
Please refer to the adjustment in-
structions on page 47 to reduce
the risk of personal injury.<460de016
BMW Sports Seat1 Tilt angle
2 Longitudinal adjustment
3 Cushion height
4 Backrest angle
Adjust the head restraints (page 48) and
the thigh support (page 49) manually.
Please refer to the adjustment in-
structions on page 47 to reduce
the risk of personal injury.<460de025
You can store and recall three different
driver's seat and outside mirror posi-
tions.
The adjustment setting of the lum-
bar support is not saved in the
memory. 1 or 2
2 Adjust your seat and outside mirrors
to the desired position
3 Press the
M
EMORY button: the indi-
cator lamp in the button lights up
4 Press memory button 1, 2 or 3 as
desired: the indicator lamp goes out.
460de017

51n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Seat and mirror memory
*
Adjusting steering wheel
To select a stored setting:Automatic:
1 Open driver's door after unlocking or
ignition key in position 1
2 Briefly press memory button 1, 2 or 3
as desired.
The adjustment cycle is canceled im-
mediately if you press a seat adjust-
ment switch or one of the memory
buttons.
Manual:
1 With driver's door closed and ignition
key either removed or in position
0 or 2
2 Maintain pressure on desired mem-
ory button 1, 2 or 3 until the adjust-
ment process is completed.
If you press the
M
EMORY button acci-
dentally: Press the button a second
time, the indicator lamp goes out.
Do not select a memory position
while the vehicle is moving. There
is a risk of accident from unexpected
seat movement.<
You can adapt the vehicle settings
so that your own personalized
seat setting is initiated when you unlock
the car using your personalized remote
control key.<
When this setting is used, be sure
that the footwell behind the driver's
seat is clear before unlocking the vehi-
cle. Otherwise, persons or objects could
be injured or damaged should the seat
move backward.<
1 Push the locking lever downward
2 Adjust the steering wheel (fore/aft
and up/down) to the desired position
3 Pull the lever back in to clamp the
steering wheel in the new position.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. There
is a risk of accident from unexpected
movement. See pages 48 and 58 for in-
formation on correct seating/steering
wheel position.<460de073

53n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
MirrorsInside rearview mirror with
automatic dimming feature
*
This mirror automatically dims with infi-
nitely-variable settings, depending on
light intensity due to ambient lighting
and headlamp glare from the rear.
The mirror switches to its clear, un-
dimmed mode whenever the transmis-
sion is placed in reverse gear (selector
lever in "Reverse").
To ensure that the mirror continues to
operate properly, keep the two photo-
cells clean and unobstructed. One pho-
tocell (arrow) is in the mirror glass, while
the other is offset somewhat on the
other side of the mirror.
For an explanation of the electrochro-
mic technology used in this mirror, refer
to page 163.460de020

56n
Safety belts Child restraint systems
*
Expectant mothers should always wear
the safety belt, taking special care to
position the lap belt over the lower hips,
where it will not exert pressure against
the abdominal area.<
For child restraint system installation,
refer to page 60.
For care instructions, refer to "Caring
for your car" page 133.
If the safety belt system has been
subjected to the stresses involved
in an accident or otherwise damaged:
Replace the entire safety belt mecha-
nism through you BMW center, includ-
ing the safety belt tensioner and any
child restraint systems
* that are in-
stalled. In addition, have your BMW
center inspect the safety belt anchors.<
Never install a rear-facing child
restraint device on the front pas-
senger seat. Injuries could occur if the
airbag is triggered in the event of an
accident.
Children should always ride in the rear.
Do not modify the child restraint system
in any way, or it will not provide your
child with maximum protection.<

59n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
AirbagsEven when all these guidelines are ob-
served, there is still a small residual risk
of injuries to the face, hands and arms
occurring in isolated instances. The ig-
nition and inflation noise may induce a
mild temporary hearing loss in sensitive
individuals.
For additional information concerning
the airbag system, refer to page 135
and 161.
This is the right way a child should sit in
a child restraint when rear side airbags
(arrow) are provided.
462us012
This is the right way a larger child
should sit wearing the safety belt when
rear side airbags (arrow) are provided.462us013

64n
Parking brake To engageThe lock engages automatically when
you lift the lever, and the indicator lamp
in the instrument cluster will light up in
ignition key position 2. See page 21.To releasePull up slightly on the lever, press the
button (arrow) and lower the lever.
The parking brake is primarily designed
to prevent the vehicle from rolling while
parked, and operates against the rear
wheels.460de024
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 up the lever to apply mod-
erate pressure.
Excessive pressure can lead to over-
braking and loss of traction (fishtailing)
at the rear.
The brake lamps do not come on when
the parking brake is engaged.
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Always engage the parking brake when
parking on slopes and inclined sur-
faces, as placing the lever in 1st gear or
reverse may not provide adequate re-
sistance to rolling.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Place the selector lever in "Park".<
To avoid corrosion, apply the parking
brake lightly from time to time when
coasting to a standstill (at a traffic sig-
nal, for instance), provided that it is safe
to do so.

66n
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
You have the option of driving a normal
automatic transmission or switching to
manual.
Whenever you shift the selector lever
out of position D toward the left and
into the M/S gate, the automatic trans-
mission's sports-emphasized shift pro-
gram activates. As soon as you even
begin to move the selector lever in the
direction "+" or "–", Steptronic shifts the
gear and manual operation becomes
active. Whenever you want to use auto-
matic again, just shift the selector lever
toward the right to position D.
The Steptronic automatic transmission
is equipped with ATC (Adaptive Trans-
mission Control). ATC reacts with preci-
sion to your individual driving style and
the current driving conditions. This is
the reason why various shift programs
are used.
For details concerning ATC, please
refer to the chapter "Advanced Tech-
nology" on page 160.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Starting the engineThe engine can only be started in
selector lever positions P ("Park") or
N ("Neutral").Range selectionA lock prevents inadvertent shifts into
some selector lever positions. To re-
lease the shift-lock mechanism, press
the button on the front of the shift knob
(arrow).462de209
While the vehicle is stationary and
before shifting out of "Park" or
"Neutral," depress the footbrake in or-
der to disengage the selector lever's
lock mechanism (Shiftlock).
Hold the footbrake down until starting
off. Otherwise the vehicle will "creep"
when a drive position is engaged.<
Before leaving the vehicle with the
engine running, shift the selector
lever to the "Park" or "Neutral" position
and apply the parking brake. The vehi-
cle will move if this is not done. Do not
leave the car unattended with the en-
gine running. An unattended vehicle
with a running engine represents a po-
tential safety hazard.<
P ParkSelect only with the vehicle stationary.
Transmission locks to prevent rear
wheels from turning.R ReverseSelect only with the vehicle stationary.N NeutralSelect only if your journey is interrupted
for a long period.

68n
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
The Steptronic will "think" for you in the
following situations:
>In order to keep the engine from
overrevving, it will automatically shift
into the next higher gear shortly be-
fore the governed speed.
>If you do not do anything to interfere,
it will automatically downshift at
lower speeds.
>In kickdown, it will downshift into the
lowest gear possible, depending on
the engine speed.
Available displays
P R N D SD M1 M2 M3 M4 M5462us019
Electronic transmission control
module
If the indicator lamp comes on,
there is a malfunction in the
transmission system.
Bring the vehicle to a stop, select trans-
mission position "P", set the parking
brake and turn the engine off (ignition
key to position 0).
Wait a few seconds, then start the engine.
If the indicator lamp goes out after a few
seconds, normal transmission perfor-
mance has been restored. Drive off
normally.
If the indicator lamp does not go out, all
selector lever positions can still be se-
lected; however in the forward positions
the vehicle has limited performance as
it drives only in 3
rd and 4
th gear.
If this happens, avoid extreme engine
loads and consult the nearest authorized
BMW center.
Do not carry out any work on the
car in the engine compartment
without first making sure that the selector
lever is in position P or N, and that
the parking brake has been set.<
For towing, tow-starting or jump-start-
ing the vehicle, refer to the information
beginning on page 156.