BMW M3 CONVERTIBLE 2001 E46 Owner's Manual

Owner's Manual for the Vehicle.
With a quick reference guide
for your convenience.

M3 convertible
BMW recommends Castrol

Congratulations, and thank you for choosing a BMW M3 convertible.
Thorough familiarity with your vehicle will provide you with enhanced security and
control when you drive it. Therefore, we have one request:
Please take the time to read this Owner's Manual and familiarize yourself with the
information that we have compiled for you before starting off in your new BMW M3
convertible. The manual contains important data and instructions intended to assist
you in obtaining maximum satisfaction from your BMW M3 convertible's unique
array of advanced technical features. It also contains information on care and main-
tenance designed to enhance operating safety while simultaneously helping you to
maintain your BMW's value throughout an extended service life.
BMW M also offers BMW driver training courses specifically designed to serve as
an important element within our overall drive to promote greater highway safety.
This Owner's Manual should be considered a permanent part of this vehicle. It
should stay with the vehicle when sold to provide the next owner with important
operating, safety and maintenance information.
This manual is supplemented by a Service and Warranty Information Booklet
(US models) or a Warranty and Service Guide Booklet (Canadian models).
We recommend that you read this publication thoroughly.
Your BMW M3 convertible is covered by the following warranties:
– New Vehicle Limited Warranty
– Limited Rust Perforation Warranty
– Federal Emissions System Defect Warranty
– Federal Emissions Performance Warranty
– California Emission Control System Limited Warranty
Detailed information about these warranties is listed in the Service and Warranty
Information Booklet (US models) or in the Warranty and Service Guide Booklet
(Canadian models).
We wish you an enjoyable driving experience.
BMW M

© 2001 BMW M GmbH
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts, only with the
written consent of BMW M GmbH, Munich.
Part number 01 41 0 155 719
US English XII/00
Printed in Germany
Printed on environmentally friendly paper
(bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling).
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Notes on the Owner's Manual

We have made every effort to ensure
that you are able to find what you need
in this Owner's Manual as quickly as
possible. The fastest way to find certain
topics is by using the detailed index at
the end. If you wish to gain only an
initial overview of your vehicle, you will
find this in the first chapter.
The table of contents is intended to
pique your interest regarding your
BMW and to encourage you to read the
manual.
Should you wish to sell your BMW at
some time in the future, please
remember to hand over the Owner's
Manual to the new owner; it is part of
the vehicle.
Should you have any further questions,
your BMW center will be glad to assist
at any time.

Symbols used

Indicates instructions or precau-
tions that must be followed
precisely in order to avoid the possi-
bility of personal injury and serious
damage to the vehicle.

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Contains information that will
assist you in gaining the optimum
benefit from your vehicle and enable
you to care more effectively for your
vehicle.

<


Refers to measures that can
be taken to help protect the
environment.

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<

Marks the end of a specific item of
information.

*
Indicates special equipment,
country-specific equipment and
optional extras.

t

Identifies index entries that refer
to owner service procedures or topics
on car care.

Identifies systems or components,
which your BMW center can either
activate or adapt to suit an individual
driver's requirements ("Car Memory",
"Key Memory"). Refer to page 55.

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Your individual vehicle

In buying your BMW, you have decided
in favor of a model with individualized
equipment and features. This Owner's
Manual describes all of the equipment
that the BMW M3 convertible has to
offer you.
We hope you will understand that
equipment and features are included
which you might not have chosen for
your vehicle. You can easily spot any
possible differences, since all optional
accessories are marked with an
asterisk

*
.
If your BMW features equipment which
is not described in this Owner's Manual
(car radio or telephone, for instance),
Supplementary Owner's Manuals are
enclosed. We ask you to read these
manuals as well.

Notes
Symbols
The individual vehicle

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Status at time of printing

BMW pursues a policy of continuous,
ongoing development that is conceived
to ensure that our vehicles continue to
embody the highest quality and safety
standards combined with advanced,
state-of-the-art technology. For this
reason, it is possible that the features
described in this Owner's Manual could
differ from those on your vehicle. Nor
can errors and omissions be entirely
ruled out. You are therefore asked to
appreciate that no legal claims can be
entertained on the basis of the data,
illustrations or descriptions in this
Owner's Manual.

Status at time of printing
For your own safety

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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 covering
defects in materials or workmanship.
Field experience has indicated signifi-
cant differences in fuel quality (volatility,
composition, additives, etc.) among
gasolines offered for sale in the United
States and Canada. The use of poor-
quality fuels may result in drivability,
starting and stalling problems espe-
cially under certain environmental
conditions, such as high ambient
temperature and high altitude.
Should you encounter driveability prob-
lems which you suspect could be
related to the fuel you are using, we
recommend that you respond by
switching to a recognized high-quality
brand.
Failure to comply with these recom-
mendations may result in unscheduled
maintenance.
Obey pertinent 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
optimum 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 on the
market to verify if it can be used on a
BMW safely and without risk to either
the vehicle, its operation, or its occu-
pants.
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
operation of any portable cellular phone
from within the vehicle without using an
externally mounted antenna) or trans-
ceiver equipment (such as CB, walkie-
talkie, ham radio or similar) 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
Warranty. Contact your BMW center for
additional information.

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

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Symbol on vehicle parts

Indicates that you should consult
the relevant section of this
Owner's Manual for information on a
specific part or assembly.

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The following only applies to vehicles owned and operated in the US.

REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS

If you believe that your vehicle has a defect that could cause a crash or could cause injury or death, you should
immediately inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition to notifying BMW of
North America, Inc., PO. Box 1227, Westwood, New Jersey 07675-1227, Telephone (201) 307-4000.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an investigation, and if it finds that a safety defect exists in a
group of vehicles, it may order a recall and remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot become involved in indi-
vidual problems between you, your dealer, or BMW of North America, Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may either call the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-800-424-9393 (or 366-0123 in
Washington, D.C. area) or write to: NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C. 20590. You can
also obtain other information about motor vehicle safety from the Hotline.

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Overview
Controls and features
Operation, care
and maintenance
Owner service procedures
Technical data
Index Advanced technology

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview

Contents

Overview
Controls and features

Cockpit16
Instrument cluster18
Indicator and warning lamps20
Multifunction steering wheel
(MFL)24
Hazard warning flashers25
Warning triangle25
Refueling26
Fuel specifications27
Tire inflation pressures27

Opening and closing:

Keys32
Electronic vehicle
immobilizer33
Central locking system33
Opening and closing – via the
door lock34
Opening and closing – via the
remote control35
Opening and closing – from
inside38
Luggage compartment lid39
Luggage compartment40
Alarm system42
Electric power windows44
Convertible top45

Adjustments:

Seats48
Mirrors52
Seat and mirror memory54
Steering wheel55
Car Memory, Key Memory55

Passenger safety systems:

Safety belts57
Transporting children safely58
Airbags61
Rollover protection system64

Driving:

Steering/Ignition lock66
Starting the engine66
Switching off the engine67
Parking brake67
Manual transmission68
Turn signal indicator/Headlamp
flasher69
Washer/Wiper system69
Rear window defroster71
Cruise control71

Everything under control:

Odometer73
Tachometer73
Engine oil temperature gauge73
Fuel gauge74
Coolant temperature gauge74
Service Interval Display75
Check Control76
Clock76
Computer77

Technology for safety and
convenience:

Park Distance Control (PDC)79
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)80
Tire Pressure Warning (RDW)81
M Engine dynamics control83

Contents