child restraint BMW 325CI CONVERTIBLE 2004 E46 Owner's Manual

52To adjust
Safe seating positionFor driving that is relaxed and less likely
to cause fatigue, you should select a
sitting position that reflects your per-
sonal requirements. In combination
with the safety belts and airbags, the
correct seating position also plays an
important role in enhancing occupant
safety in the event of an accident. To
ensure that the vehicle's safety systems
provide you with optimal protection, we
request that you direct your careful
attention to the following section.
For supplementary information on
transporting children, refer to page 64.Sitting safely with airbags
Always maintain an adequate dis-
tance between yourself and the
airbags. Always hold the steering wheel
by the rim to keep any chance of injury
to hands or arms to an absolute mini-
mum should the airbag be deployed.
Never allow any objects, individuals or
animals to obstruct the areas between
passengers and airbags. Never use the
front airbag's cover as a storage tray or
support for objects of any kind. Never
allow front passengers to rest their feet
or legs on the airbag cover.<
For airbag locations and additional
information on airbags, refer to
page 61.Sitting safely with safety beltsYour vehicle is equipped with four
seats, each of which is provided with a
safety belt.Never allow more than one person
to wear a single safety belt. Never
allow infants or small children to ride in
a passenger's lap. Avoid twisting the
belt while routing it firmly across the
hips and shoulder, wear it as snugly
against your body as possible. Do not
allow the belt to rest against hard or
fragile objects. Do not route the belt
across your neck, or run it across sharp
edges. Be sure that the belt does not
become caught or jammed. Avoid
wearing bulky clothing and pull on the
lap belt periodically to retension it over
your shoulders. In the event of a frontal
impact, a loose lap belt could slide over
your hips, leading to abdominal injury.
In addition, the safety belt's restraint
effectiveness is reduced if it is worn
loosely. Expectant mothers should
always wear their safety belts, taking
care to position the lap belt against the
lower hips, where it will not exert pres-
sure against the abdominal area.<
For information on using the safety
belts, refer to page 56.

56
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 first
unlock it by moving the lever 1.<
Lock both backrests while driving,
otherwise there is a danger of an
unexpected movement causing an
accident.<
The indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster flashes when the
backrest is not locked, refer to
page 18.
Safety beltsAlways wear your safety beltAlways fasten your safety belt before
starting off. As supplemental restraint
devices, the airbags are designed to
enhance the effectiveness of the safety
belts, and not to replace them.
Always detach the rear safety
belts from their retainers before
wearing.<
To avoid undesired movement at
high speeds, always store the rear
safety belts in their retainers when they
are not in use. the belt buckle.
To release1. Press the red button in the belt
buckle
2. Hold the belt
3. Guide the belt back into its reel.Safety belt height The front belt system automatically
adapts to your body size when the
height of the head restraint is adjusted.
Refer to page 54.
If the safety belt system has been
subjected to the stresses involved
in an accident or otherwise damaged:
have the entire safety belt mechanism
replaced by your BMW center, includ-
ing the safety belt tensioner. In addi-
tion, have your BMW center inspect the
safety belt anchors. If a child-restraint
system was in the vehicle during an
accident, consult the manufacturer's
instructions regarding replacement.<
Entering the rear

62
At all times, occupants should sit
upright and be properly restrained
– infants and small children in appropri-
ate child-restraint systems; larger chil-
dren 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 indi-
cates the airbag's location.
Accident research shows that the saf-
est place for children in an automobile
is in the rear seat. However, a child sit-
ting in the rear seat and not properly
restrained could place his or her head
on or near the airbag, if so equipped.
For example, a child — even though
belted in — 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 installed in
the vehicle, be deactivated if children
will travel in the rear seat.
The rear seat side airbags may already
have been deactivated by a BMW cen-
ter. 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 fol-
lowed, there is still a small residual risk
of injuries to the face, hands and arms
occurring from airbag deployment in
isolated instances.
In sensitive individuals, the ignition and
inflation noise may induce a mild hear-
ing loss that is temporary in most
cases.
Corresponding airbag warning labels
are located on both sun visors.This is the right way a child should sit in
a child restraint when rear side airbags
are provided.
Airbags

64
Transporting children safely
To avoid undesired movement at
high speeds, always store the rear
safety belts in their retainers when they
are not in use.<
Commercially available child-restraint
systems are designed to be secured
with a lap belt or with the lap belt por-
tion 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.
Correct location for installingIn your BMW, all seats equipped with a
three-point safety belt – except for the
driver's seat – are suitable for installing
universal child-restraint systems of all
age classes and which have been
approved for the age group in question.
Child-restraint system with
tether strapIf you use a child-restraint system with
a tether strap, two additional tether
anchorage points have been provided.
Depending on the location selected for
seating in the rear passenger area,
attach the tether strap to the corre-
sponding anchorage point to secure the
child-restraint system, as shown in the
illustration.
1. Open the convertible top compart-
ment lid, refer to page 41 or 46
2. Lift the headrest and pass the tether
strap between the headrest and the
seat back. It is recommended that
you return the head restraint back to
its lowest possible position
3. Adjust the tether strap according to
the child-restraint manufacturer's
instructions
4. Close the convertible top compart-
ment panel.

65
It is recommended to cover the child-
restraint attaching clip with a soft mate-
rial to prevent damage to the stored
soft top.
Should a hard top be installed, the
fitting of child harness tether
strap/s – if child seat is required – is
necessary before installation of the
hard top.<
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 rearward-facing child-restraint
system – of the kind designed for
infants under 1 year and 20 lbs/9 kg –
would be within the airbag's deploy-
ment 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 air-
bag and the child. Older children
should be tightly secured with the
safety belt after they have outgrown a
booster seat that is appropriate for their
age, height, and weight. Younger chil-
dren should be secured in an appropri-
ate forward-facing child-restraint sys-
tem that has first been properly
installed with a safety belt.
Never install a rearward-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 when-
ever you use such a device.
Do not attempt to modify child-restraint
systems. If you do this, the protection
provided by these systems could be
impaired.
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
practice for securing child-restraint sys-
tems in motor vehicles.
Transporting children safely
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex

66
Securing child-restraint systemAll 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 of each safety belt.To lock the safety beltExtract the entire length of the belt from
the inertia reel mechanism. Allow the
reel to retract the belt somewhat and
engage the buckle, then tighten the belt
against the child-restraint system. The
retraction mechanism is now locked.
The belt cannot be extracted further.
Always observe the installation instruc-
tions provided by the manufacturer of
the child-restraint system.To unlock the safety belt Release the safety belt, remove the
child seat and retract the safety belt to
its end position on the belt retractor.
LATCH child-restraint mounting
systemLATCH: Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CHildren
The left and right rear seats are both
equipped with a LATCH child-restraint
mounting system.
Transporting children safely

67
Canadian models only:
The LATCH anchorage points are iden-
tified by buttons.
The anchorage points for the LATCH
child-restraint system are located
behind the upholstery at the positions
indicated by the arrows.
Carefully 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 mounting system.
To avoid undesired movement at high
speeds, always store the rear safety
belts in their retainers when they are
not in use.<
Your BMW center can provide you with
a special installation aid* that helps pre-
vent damage to the upholstery.
Press the installation aid firmly in the
crack between the seat and the back-
rest upholstery until both funnels click
onto the LATCH system bars in the
seat.
The illustration is an example showing
the anchorages for a LATCH child seat
system on the right rear seat.
Transporting children safely
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Everything from A to Z
173
Battery 157
charge 157
disposal 157
indicator lamp 18
jump-starting 159
remote control 30, 31
Battery charge current 18
Belts, refer to Safety
belts 56
Beverage holders 115
Blower
air conditioning 104
automatic climate
control 108
BMW High Performance
Synthetic Oils 139
BMW Maintenance
System 142
BMW sports seat 53
Bore, refer to Engine
data 166
Bottle holders, see Bever-
age holders 115
Brake fluid 141
indicator lamp 18, 141
level 141
Brake force display 96
Brake hydraulic system 126
Brake lamps
bulb replacement 151
indicator lamp, defective
lamp 88Brake lights
brake force display 96
Brake pads 126
brake fluid level
18, 126, 141
breaking in 124
disc brakes 126
indicator lamp 19
Brake rotors
brake system 126
breaking in 124
Brake wear warning
indicator lamp 19
Brakes
ABS 125
brake fluid 141
breaking in 124
indicator/warning lamp
18, 19
parking brake 73
Break-in procedures 124
Bulb replacement, refer to
Lamps and bulbs 149
Bulb, replacing 149
Buttons in steering wheel 22
C
California Proposition
65 warning 143
Can holders, see Beverage
holders 115
Capacities 169Car battery 157
Car care, refer to the Caring
for your vehicle brochure
Car keys, refer to Keys 30
Car radio, refer to the
Owner's Manual for Radio
Car telephone
preparation 115
Car telephone, refer to the
separate Owner's Manual
Car vacuum cleaner, con-
necting 116
Car wash, refer to the Caring
for your vehicle brochure
Carpet care, refer to the
Caring for your vehicle
brochure
Cassette operation, refer to
the Owner's Manual for
Radio/Onboard Computer
CBC Cornering Brake Con-
trol 125
warning lamp 19
CD changer, refer to the
Owner's Manual for
Radio/Onboard Computer
CD operation, refer to the
Owner's Manual for
Radio/Onboard Computer
Cellular phone 115
Center armrest
front 114Center high-mount brake
lamp
bulb replacement 152
Central locking system 30
button 34
passenger
compartment 34
Changing a wheel 153
Charge indicator lamp 18
Check Control 88
Check Gas Cap
indicator lamp 19
Child seats, refer to Child-
restraint systems 64
Child-restraint mounting
system (LATCH) 66
Child-restraint system 64
Chock 154
Cigarette lighter 115
Cigarette lighter socket 116
Cleaning chrome parts, refer
to the Caring for your vehi-
cle brochure
Cleaning light alloy wheels,
refer to the Caring for your
vehicle brochure
Cleaning position, convert-
ible top 45, 50
Cleaning the vehicle, refer to
the Caring for your vehicle
brochure
Cleaning windshield 84
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex

Everything from A to Z
177
I
Ice warning 90
Ignition 71
Ignition key 30
positions 71
Ignition lock 71
Imprint 4
Indicator lamps 18
Indicator/warning lamp
airbags 18
alarm system 39
brakes 18, 19
Check Gas Cap 19
coolant 19, 87
DSC 19
Fasten safety belts 18
Flat Tire Monitor
18, 19, 95
fog lamps 20
reserve 87
rollover protection
system 19
Service Engine Soon 19
Individual air distribution 108
Individual settings, refer to
Vehicle Memory, Key
Memory 70
Inflation pressure monitor-
ing, refer to Flat Tire Moni-
tor 94
Inflation pressure, tires
25, 129INSPECTION 88
Instrument cluster 16
Instrument lighting 98
Instrument panel 14
Integrated universal remote
control 112
Interface socket for onboard
diagnostics (OBD) 143
Interior lamps 100
remote control 32
Interior motion sensor 38
switching off 32, 39
Interior rearview mirror 60
automatic dimming
feature 60
Interior temperature, adjust-
ment 104, 108
Interlock, refer to Steering
wheel lock 71
Intermittent
mode, wipers 83
Interval
display, service 88
J
Jack 153
Jacking points 154
Jump-starting 159
K
Key Memory 70Keys 30
with remote control 30
Kickdown 76, 80
L
Lamp defect 149
Lamps and bulbs 149
Lashing down loads, refer to
Cargo loading 118
Lashing eyelets, refer to
Securing cargo 120
Lashing fittings, refer to
Securing cargo 120
LATCH child-restraint
mounting system 66
Leather care, refer to the
Caring for your vehicle
brochure
LEDs light-emitting
diodes 100
Length, refer to
Dimensions 167
License plate lamp
bulb replacement 153
Light switch 97
Light-emitting diodes
(LEDs) 100
Lighter 115
LIGHTS ON warning 97
Lights, refer to Parking
lamps/Low beams 97Load, refer to Cargo
loading 118
Loading
vehicle 118
Load-securing devices 120
Lock buttons on doors, refer
to Locking 34
Lock, steering wheel 71
Locking
from inside 34
from outside 31, 33
Locking and unlocking
doors
from inside 34
from outside 31, 33
Low beams 97
automatic 97
bulb replacement 149
indicator lamp, defective
lamp 88
Lug bolts
key 154
torque 154
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex

Everything from A to Z
179
Oil pressure
indicator lamp 18
OIL SERVICE 88
Oil types 139
Old batteries, refer to Dis-
posal 157
Onboard computer 90
Onboard computer, refer to
the Owner's Manual for
Onboard Computer
Onboard tool kit 148
Opening and closing
from outside 31
from the inside 34
via the door lock 33
via the remote control 31
Outlets, ventilation 102, 106
Outside temperature dis-
play 90
changing unit of
measure 90
P
Paintwork care, refer to the
Caring for your vehicle
brochure
Panic mode, trigger
alarm 32
Park Distance Control
(PDC) 92
Parking aid, refer to Park
Distance Control (PDC) 92Parking brake 73
indicator lamp 18
Parking lamps 97
bulb replacement 150
Parking lamps/Low
beams 97
Parts and accessories, refer
to Your individual vehicle 5
Passenger-side exterior mir-
ror tilt function 58
PDC Park Distance
Control 92
Plastic, refer to the Caring
for your vehicle brochure
Pollen, refer to
Microfilter 105
Pollen, refer to Microfil-
ter/activated-charcoal fil-
ter 110
Power output, refer to
Engine data 166
Power seat 53
Power socket, cigarette
lighter 116
Pressure monitoring, tires
Flat Tire Monitor 94
Pressure, tires 25, 129
Protective function
electric power windows 41R
Radio remote control key,
refer to Master key with
remote control 30
Radio, refer to the Owner's
Manual for Radio
Rain sensor 83
Raising the floor panel 37
Range 91
Reading lamps
front 100
rear 100
Rear lamps
bulb replacement 151
indicator lamp, defective
lamp 88
Rear window defroster
air conditioning 104
Rear window heating
automatic climate
control 109
Rear-entry assist 55
Rearview mirror 59
Receiving assistance 158
Recirculated-air mode
air conditioning 104
automatic climate
control 109
Recirculating the air, refer to
Recirculated-air mode
104, 109Reclining seat, refer to Seat
adjustment 53
Refueling 24
fuel filler door 24
Releasing
hood 134
Remaining distance to ser-
vice 88
Remaining distance, refer to
Range 91
Remote control 31
garage door opener 112
luggage compartment
lid 32
malfunction 32
Replacement key 31
Replacing lamps, refer to
Lamps and bulbs 149
Replacing tires 130
Reporting safety defects 7
Restraint systems
for children 64
Restraint systems, refer to
Safety belts 56
Reverse
automatic transmission
with Steptronic 79
SMG gearbox 76
Reverse gear
manual transmission 74
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex