Index BMW 325Ci CONVERTIBLE 2001 E46 Owner's Guide

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
The fully automatic convertible top
*
Do not reach into the convertible top
mechanism during opening and closing.
Keep children away from the moving
parts of the convertible top during oper-
ation.
The automatic sequence will be inter-
rupted immediately if you release the
button that operates the top. The
sequence can be continued in the
desired direction by pressing this
button.<
After having been stored for an
extended period of time in the
convertible top compartment Ñ e. g.
during the winter months because the
hardtop
* was being used Ñ you may
have to support the convertible top by
hand when closing it for the first time:
If the convertible top should halt just
before the closing phase is completed,
press against the front section of the
convertible top frame from the outside to
help the closing process along. Continue
pressing the switch while doing so until
the top starts up again on its own.<
Opening and closing1 Closing
2 Opening
Continue pressing the button for oper-
ating the convertible top until the
opening or closing process has ended.
The side windows will lower slightly
while it is being opened. When the top
is being closed, the side windows will
also close if you continue pressing the
button after the convertible top has
finished closing.
The red indicator lamp will light up
while the convertible top is in motion. It
will keep blinking after you release the
button, if the opening or closing proce-
dure was not completed properly.46cus043
The convertible top cannot be moved if
the convertible top compartment panel
is raised. In this case, the yellow indi-
cator lamp will light up and stay on
when the button is pressed, indicating
that it is not possible to complete a
convertible top operation.
Flip down the convertible top compart-
ment panel; see page 41.
If the opening or closing process
has been interrupted, the convert-
ible top will remain in that position for
15 minutes
.
After that, the convertible top can be
moved again and, if it is an emergency
situation, you may need to help the top
along manually. This can also be done
in ignition key position 0.
The luggage compartment cannot be
opened while the convertible top is in
motion.
When operating the convertible top, the
windows will lower slightly when you
press on the switch, and after the
opening operation has finished, they
will move up again if you continue
holding the switch down for more than
2 seconds after the indicator lamp has
gone out.<

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Wind deflector
*
2 Flip out both side pieces and lock
into place (arrow).46cde098
Hold the wind deflector so that the
smaller half faces toward the
front.<
3 Guide the mounting pin for the side
piece into the proper opening.
4 Pull back on the mounting pin for the
other side piece by using the slide, so
that the mounting pin can be guided
into the opening provided.
5 Unlock the convertible top compart-
ment lid; see page 45 or 49, and
open the convertible top compart-
ment lid.
6 Flip the back half of the wind
deflector backward, so that the
mounts are lying on the vehicle.
46cde099
7 Close the convertible top compart-
ment lid. The wind deflector is now
attached so that it is theft-proof.
Operate the convertible top
compartment lid from above only
to avoid any pinching.
With the wind deflector in place: never
push the front seats all the way back to
avoid damaging the wind deflector. installing in reverse order.

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Head restraints Front headrests1 Height
Head restraints reduce the risk of
injury to the cervical vertebra in
the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint so that its
center is approximately at the height of
your ears.
When moving the headrests up or
down, do not reach between the head-
rest and the upper edge of the backrest
to avoid the possibility of injury.<46cde029
2 Tilt angle
Position the headrest in the preferred
position. 46cde087
Rear headrests
The rear headrests are to be
lowered only if there are no
passengers riding in the back. Raise the
rear headrests before taking on any
passengers in the back.<
To completely lower the headrests in
the back:
1 Press the button (arrow) and hold it
down.
2 Push the headrest down from above.
46cde100

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Entering the rear Lumbar support
*
The seat-integrated safety belt allows
easy access to the rear. You do not
need to adjust the safety belts. They
automatically adapt to various body
sizes.
1 Lift the lever (1) up and tilt the back-
rest forward.
2 Press the switch (2) toward the front
of the car and hold it there until the
seat moves to the desired position.
You can lock a backrest that has
been tilted forward. This makes
sense when, for instance, someone is
climbing into the rear on an incline. To
do this, press against the backrest until
you hear it click into place. To move it
back into place, you do not need to
unlock it by moving the lever (1).<46cus029
If you tilt the backrest back and hold the
switch (2) pressed toward the back of
the vehicle, the seat will return to its
former position.
If you let go of the switch (2)
before the seat has returned to its
former position, it will remain in the
position where you leave it. To move it
back into place, you do not need to
unlock it by moving the lever (1).<
Lock both backrests while driving,
as otherwise there is danger of an
unexpected movement causing an
accident. The indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster flashes if the back-
rest is not locked, refer to page 21.
Then the indicator lamp comes on until
the safety belt is fastened.<
You can adjust the backrest's contour
for additional support in the curvature
of your spine's lumbar region.
The upper hips and spinal column
receive supplementary support to help
you maintain a relaxed, upright posture.
>Press front/rear of switch:
Increase/decrease curvature.
>Press the upper/lower end of the
switch:
Increase the upper/lower curvature.46cde011

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Seat and mirror memory*
Adjusting steering wheel Mirrors
Passenger side exterior mirror tilt
function(automatic curb monitor
*)
1 Move the mirror selector switch 1 to
the "driver's mirror" position.
2 When the selector lever is placed in
"Reverse," the passenger-side mirror
tilts downward. This allows the driver
to see the area directly adjacent to
the vehicle during parking (curbs,
etc.).
You can deactivate this automatic
feature: set the mirror selection switch
to the "passenger side" position.
462us058
1 Push the locking lever downward.
2 Adjust the steering wheel (fore/aft
and up/down) to the desired position.
3 Pull back the lever again to clamp the
steering wheel in the new position.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. If you
do so, there is a risk of accident from
unexpected movement.<460de073
Exterior mirrors1 Switch for 4-way adjustment
2 Selection switch for changing
between mirrors462us057

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Car Memory, Key Memory How the system functionsYou have probably frequently wished
that you could configure individual
functions of your vehicle to reflect your
own personal requirements. In engi-
neering your vehicle, BMW has
included several user-defined func-
tions in the vehicle's design. Your BMW
center can make these settings for you
in accordance with your wishes.
There are settings related to the vehicle
("Car Memory") and settings related to
individuals ("Key Memory"). You can
have up to four different basic settings
adjusted for four different persons. The
only requirement is that each person
uses his or her own remote control key. 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.
In order for you to distinguish between
different keys, colored decals are
supplied together with the keys.
What the system can doYour BMW center can provide you with
details on the capabilities of the Car
Memory and Key Memory systems.
A few examples follow below:
Examples for Car Memory:
>Various signals used as acknowl-
edgement when locking or unlocking
your vehicle.
>Deactivating/activating the Follow-
Me-Home lamps function.
>Activating/deactivating daytime
running lamps
*.
Examples for Key Memory:
>Automatic adjustment of the driver's
power seat.
>Locking your vehicle after starting off.
>When unlocking your vehicle, first
unlock the driver's door, then the rest
of the vehicle.
You will see this symbol
throughout the Owner's Manual. It
is to remind you at appropriate places
of the settings that are available to
you.<

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Safety belts Airbags Child restraint systems*
Do not install a rear-facing child
restraint system in the front
passenger seat of your vehicle. If you
do so, the child could be injured in an
accident when the airbag is triggered.
Children should always ride in the rear
and the restraint systems should be
secured with the safety belts.
Do not modify the child restraint system
in any way. If you do so, it will not
provide your child with maximum
protection.<
1 Front airbags for driver and
passenger
2 Side airbags for driver and passenger
(front and rear
*)
Protective effectThe front airbags protect the front-seat
occupants in the event of a severe
frontal collision on which the protection
afforded by the belts alone may no
longer be sufficient. The side airbags
help provide protection in the event of a
collision from the side. Each of the side
airbags is designed to help support the
occupant's upper body.46cde048
The side airbags in the rear
passenger area
* of your vehicle
may already have been deactivated
either at the time of manufacture or by a
BMW center. You may have them acti-
vated if you desire to do so. Please
contact your BMW center for additional
information.<
The illustration depicts schematically
the primary directions of vehicle impact
that initiate airbag deployment.
The airbags will not be triggered in
the event of a minor accident, a
vehicle roll-over, or collisions from the
rear.<
46cde027

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Airbags
At all times, occupants should sit
upright and be properly restrained
(infants and small children in appro-
priate child restraint systems; larger
children and adults using the safety
belts). Never let an occupant's head
rest near or on a side airbag because
the inflating airbag could cause a
serious or fatal injury. Please note that
the word "Airbag" imprinted on the door
trim panel indicates the airbag's loca-
tion.
Accident research shows that the
safest place for children in an
automobile is in the rear seat. However,
a child sitting in the rear seat and not
properly restrained may place his or her
head on or near the airbag, if so
equipped. For example, a child Ñ even
though belted Ñ may fall asleep with his
or her head against the side airbag. It
may be difficult for a driver to ensure
that children in the rear seat will remain
properly positioned at all times and not
place their heads on or near the side
airbag. Therefore, we recommend that
the rear seat side airbags, if so
equipped, be deactivated if children will
travel in the rear seat.
The rear seat side airbags may already
have been deactivated, either at the
time of manufacture or by a BMW
center. Labels in the door opening
should indicate the status of your rear
seat side airbags. If you are uncertain of
their status, or wish to have the airbags
activated or deactivated, please
contact your BMW center.<
Even when all these guidelines are
observed, there is still a small residual
risk of injuries to the face, hands and
arms occurring in isolated instances.
The ignition and inflation noise may
induce a mild temporary hearing loss in
sensitive individuals.
For additional information concerning
the airbag system, refer to pages 159
and 189.This is the right way for a child to sit in
a child restraint when rear side airbags
(arrow) are provided.
46cus025

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Transporting children safelyCommercially available child seats
complying with the legal standard are
designed to be secured with a seat belt
or with the seat belt portion of a combi-
nation 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, two additional tether
anchorage points (refer to the arrows in
the illustration) have been provided.
They are located under the convertible
top compartment.
Depending on the location selected for
seating in the rear passenger area,
attach the tether strap to the corres-
ponding anchorage point to secure the
child restraint system.46cus001
Lift the respective headrest and pass
the tether strap between the headrest
and the seat back.
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 rearward-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 lbs./9 kg) would be
within the airbag's deployment range,
you should never mount such a device
in the front passenger seat, as 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 a 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 the
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 observe the instructions for instal-
lation and use provided by the child
restraint's manufacturer whenever you
use such a device.
Allways ensure that all occupants (of all
ages) remain properly and securely
restrained at all times.c
All rear seating positions in your vehicle
meet the recommendations of SAE
J1819, an industry recommended
practice for securing child restraint
systems in motor vehicles.

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Rollover protection systemIn the event of an accident or some
other critical driving situation (extreme
tilting in the longitudinal or transverse
axis, loss of contact with the ground),
the rollover protection system will be
automatically activated. The protective
bars located in the rear headrests
extend within fractions of a second.
In addition to the integrated rollover bar
in the windshield frame, the rollover
protection system gives all the vehicle
occupants the necessary headroom.
Always keep the travel path clear
for the rollover protection system.
Under no circumstances should you
cover the headrests.
In the event of less serious accidents,
the safety belt will protect you and,
depending on the severity of the acci-
dent, so will the safety belt tensioner
and the multi-stage airbag restraint
system.c
If, after being automatically triggered,
the protective function is not needed,
then the rollover protection system can
be lowered back into place. No special
tool is needed for this.
1 Using a screwdriver from the on-
board tool kit, remove the cover
panel; to do this, position the screw-
driver under the notch (arrow).46cde007
2Pull the lever (arrow) toward the front
of the car and hold it in this position.46cde006