belt BMW 330Ci CONVERTIBLE 2001 E46 User Guide

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AirbagsOperational status
The indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster displays the opera-
tional status of the airbag
system when the ignition key is in posi-
tion 1 and higher.
System operational:
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
then goes out.
System malfunction:
>The indicator lamp fails to come on.
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
before going out, and then lights up
again.
If there is a system malfunction, there is
a risk that the airbags will not be trig-
gered within their normal response
range, even if the level of impact would
normally have triggered them.
Have your BMW center inspect the
system immediately.
The airbag indicator lamp also
comes on if the safety belt
tensioners have been triggered.<
Sitting correctly with airbags
For your safety, comply with the
following instructions for the
airbags. If you do not, the airbags may
not be able to provide their maximum
protection. All passengers in the vehicle
should be aware of and comply with
this information:
The airbags are supplemental restraint
devices designed to provide extra
protection; they are not a substitute for
safety belts. Wear your safety belt at all
times. The airbags will not be triggered
in the event of a minor accident, a
vehicle roll-over, or collisions from the
rear. In these instances, the safety belt
provides optimal protection.
Airbags are located under cover panels
in the steering wheel, in the dashboard
and in the side trim panels in the front
and rear
*.
Adjust your seat to a position that
provides a maximum distance between
you and the steering wheel, the instru-
ment panel and the door while still
allowing comfortable and safe access
to all vehicle controls.
To avoid sustaining hand and arm inju-
ries, always grasp the steering wheel
on the rim with your hands at the 9 and
3 o'clock positions. Do not place your
hands on the center pad.
Never allow any objects to obstruct the
area between the airbag and an occu-
pant.
Do not use the cover panel above the
passenger-side airbag as a storage
area.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the
cover panels of the airbags, cover them
or modify them in any other way.
Do not install a rear-facing child
restraint system in the front passenger
seat of this vehicle.
Children under 13 years of age and
children less than 5 ft (150 cm) tall
should ride only in the rear seat.
Infants or small children should never
be held on the lap of a passenger.
If your car is equipped with side airbags
in the rear passenger area
*, be sure
that child restraints are mounted
correctly and provided with the grea-
test-possible distance between the
airbags in the side trim panels. Do not
allow children to lean out of the child's
seat in the direction of the side trim
panels. If they do so, serious injuries
can occur if the airbag is triggered.<

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
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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Airbags Transporting children safely This is the right way for a larger child to
sit wearing the safety belt when rear
side airbags (arrow) are provided.46cus026
LATCH attachment of the child
seat
*
The mounts for the LATCH child-
restraint system are located at the posi-
tions indicated by two colors, which are
not visible from the outside.
The illustration show the left rear seat.
To mount the LATCH attachment
of the child-restraint system,
please follow the manufacturer's oper-
ating and safety precautions.<
Carefully press the brackets through
the separating lines in the upholstery at
the marked spots.46cus028
Leave the rear safety belts in the
holders if they are not needed to
avoid unwanted movement from the
safety belts at high speeds.<

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
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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Transporting children safelyChild seat securityAll 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
for this is located in the immediate
vicinity of the buckle latch of each
safety belt.46cus027
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 comply with the installation
instructions provided by the manufac-
turer of the child restraint system.
Unlock the safety beltRelease the safety belt, remove the
child's seat and retract the safety belt
to its end position on the belt retractor.

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
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

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Ski bag
*
The ski bag allows the safe and clean
transport of up to three pairs of skis or
up to two snowboards.
The length of the ski bag and the addi-
tional space provided in the luggage
compartment make it possible to carry
skis up to 6.8 ft long (2.1 0 meters).
Because of the tapered shape of the
bag, the ski bag can only accommodate
two pairs of skis up to 6.8 ft long
(2.1 0 meters).
Loading1 Take the safety belts out of their
brackets.
2 Press button downward (arrow) and
remove the filler piece by pulling it
forward.
3 Extend the ski bag between the front
seats. The zipper provides conve-
nient access to stored items and it
allows the ski bag to dry faster.46cde066
4 Press the release button in the
luggage compartment (arrow).
5 Use the magnetic holder to fasten the
cover panel to the back wall.
To store the ski bag, perform the above
steps in reverse sequence.
Secure the skis or other objects in
the bag by tightening the strap
with the buckle.<
Please be sure that your skis are clean
before loading them into the bag. Avoid
damage from sharp edges during
loading.46cde065

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Ski bag
*
Cargo loading
When reattaching the filler piece,
guide both bars into the guide and
press the filler piece back into place.
Secure the safety belts in their holders
again.<
46cde067
Stowing cargo If you are transporting a load in your
BMW:
>Load heavy cargo as far forward as
possible Ð directly behind the back-
rests or the luggage compartment
partition Ð and as low as possible.
>Cover sharp edges and corners.46cde063
With the convertible top closed,
you can increase the space in
your luggage compartment. Refer to
page 41.
We recommend that you always fold
the convertible top compartment panel
down as soon as you have removed
your cargo from the luggage compart-
ment. This way, you can be sure that
you can always operate the convertible
top at any time.
Conversely, when the convertible top is
closed, raise the convertible top
compartment panel before stowing
your cargo in the luggage compartment
to avoid any damage to the convertible
top compartment or your load.<

154n
Caring for your vehicleWindow careYou can use window and glass cleaner
to clean inside window surfaces and
mirrors without smearing and streaking.
Never use polishing pastes or abrasive
(quartz) cleansers on mirror lenses.
Clean the wiper blades with soapy
water. The wiper blades should be
replaced twice a year Ð before and after
the winter months. This is especially
important for vehicles with a rain
sensor.
Use only wiper blades approved
by BMW.<
Caring for other vehicle
components and materials Light-alloy wheels should be treated
with alloy wheel cleaner, especially
during the winter months. However, do
not use aggressive products contain-
ing acids, strong alkalis or abrasive
cleaning agents, nor steam cleaners
operating at temperatures above
140 7 (+60 6) (follow the manufac-
turer's instructions).
If your vehicle has chrome parts
*, such
as the window frames and door handles,
clean these parts carefully with ample
clean water and a shampoo supplement
if desired, especially if they have an
accumulation of road salt. Use a chrome
polish for an additional treatment.
Plastic components, vinyl upholstery,
headliners (hardtop), lamp lenses, the
clear cover of the instrument panel and
components with a sprayed dull black
surface can be cleaned with water (add
plastic shampoo as required). Do not
allow moisture to soak through the
seats or headliner (hardtop). Never use
solvents such as lacquer thinner,
heavy-duty grease remover, fuels, or
similar substances. Rubber components should be cleaned
with water only; a rubber treatment or
silicone spray may also be applied.
Do not remove safety belts to clean
them. Clean them with mild soapy
water only. Do not use chemicals or dry
cleaners to clean safety belts, since this
could damage the belt fabric.
After cleaning, never allow the inertia
reel to retract the belts until they are
completely dry. Dirty safety belts
prevent the inertia reel mechanism from
retracting the strap properly, and thus
constitute a safety hazard.
Heavily soiled floor carpets and mats
*
can be cleaned with an interior cleaner.
The floor mats can be removed from
the vehicle for cleaning.
Use only a damp cloth to clean trim
panels made of real wood
* and other
parts constructed of real wood
*. Follow
up by drying with a soft cloth.
Use the cleaning and car-care
products available at your BMW
center.<

Overview
Controls and features
Operation, care
and maintenance
Owner service procedures
Technical data
Index Advanced technology
187n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Adaptive Transmission Control
(ATC)188
Airbags189
Automatic Stability Control plus
Traction (ASC+T)/Dynamic
Stability Control (DSC)189
Radio reception190
Safety belt tensioner190
Interior rearview mirror
with automatic dimming
feature191
Rain sensor191
Tire Pressure Control (RDC)192
Self-diagnostics192
Rollover protection system193
Xenon lamps193
Technol-