belt BMW M3 CONVERTIBLE 2001 E46 User Guide

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Transporting children safelyLift the head restraint 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 rear-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 - 30 lbs/9 - 14 kg)
would be within the airbag's deploy-
ment 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 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 comply with the instructions for
installation and use provided by the
child restraint's manufacturer when-
ever you use such a device.
Always 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 stan-
dard for securing child restraint
systems in motor vehicles.
LATCH attachment for child seatThe brackets for the LATCH child
restraint system are not visible from the
outside and are located at the points
marked with the arrows.
Carefully press the brackets through
the seam between backrest and seat
upholstery at the locations indicated.
To mount the LATCH child
restraint system, please follow the
manufacturer's operating and safety
precautions.c
Leave the rear safety belts in the
holders, if they are not needed, to
avoid unwanted movement from the
safety belts at high speeds.c

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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.
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 comply with the installation
instructions provided by the manufac-
turer of the child restraint system.
To 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
Airbags 1 Front airbags on the driver and front
passenger side
2 Side airbags on the driver and
passenger sides (front and rear
*)
Protective effectThe front airbags help protect the driver
and passenger in the event of a head-
on collision where the protection
provided by the safety belt alone would
not be adequate. 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.
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 rollover, or collisions from the
rear.<
Functional status
The indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster shows the airbag
system's functional status
starting from ignition key position 1.
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 lighting up
again.
A system malfunction could prevent the
system from responding to an impact
occurring within its normal response
range.
Please have your BMW center inspect
the system as soon as possible.
The airbag indicator lamp also
comes on if the safety belt
tensioners have been triggered.<

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AirbagsSitting 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 rollover, 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 instrument
panel and in the side trim panels in the
front and rear
*.
Adjust your seat to a position that
provides 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 the 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 feet (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 vehicle is equipped with side
airbags in the rear passenger area
*, be
sure that child restraints are mounted
correctly and provided with the
greatest-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. 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 automo-
bile 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 — even though belted
— may fall asleep with his or her head
against the side airbag. It may be diffi-
cult 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

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Airbagscenter. 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 139
and 168.This is the right way for a child to sit in a
child restraint when rear side airbags
(arrow) are provided.
This is the right way for a larger child to
sit wearing the safety belt when rear
side airbags (arrow) are provided.

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Rollover protection system In 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 head restraints
extend upward within fractions of a
second.
In addition to the integrated rollover bar
in the windshield frame, the rollover
protection system can help provide all
the vehicle occupants with necessary
headroom in certain rollover accidents.
Always keep the travel path clear
for the rollover protection system.
Never attach any type of protective
coverings to the head restraints.
In the event of less serious accidents,
the safety belt will protect you and,
depending on the nature and severity of
the accident, the safety belt tensioner
and the multi-stage airbag restraint
system will as well.<
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)
2 Pull up on the lever (arrow) toward
the front of the vehicle and keep it in
this position

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Ski bag
*
The ski bag allows the safe and clean
transport of up to 3 pairs of standard
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 with a length of up to 6.8 feet
(2.1 0 meters). Because of the tapered
shape of the bag, the ski bag can only
accommodate two pairs of skis with a
length of 6.8 feet (2.1 0 meters).
Loading1 Remove the safety belts in the rear
from their holders
2 Press down the lever (arrow) and
remove the center piece toward the
front
3 Extend the ski bag between the front
seats. The zipper provides conve-
nient access to stored items. It may
be opened to allow the ski bag to dry.
4 Press the release button in the
luggage compartment (arrow)

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Ski bag
*
5 Secure the cover panel on the rear
panel with the magnetic retainers and
pull out the ski bag.
Securing the load
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.
Stowing the ski bagWhen stowing the ski bag, proceed in
the reverse order of loading.
When remounting the center
piece, guide the two bars into the
strip and press back the center piece.
Secure the safety belts in their holders
again.<

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Caring for your vehiclean accumulation of road salt. Use a
chrome polish for an additional treat-
ment.
Plastic components, vinyl upholstery,
headliners, lamp lenses, the clear cover
of the instrument cluster and compon-
ents with a sprayed matt black surface
can be cleaned with water (add plastic
shampoo as required). Do not allow
moisture to soak through the seats or
headliner. 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.<
Care of upholstery materials Depressions in the upholstery that
result from everyday use can be
brushed smooth by brushing against
the nap with a lightly dampened brush.
The tendency of the pile to lie in a
particular direction on velour upholstery
is not a quality defect, and, just as on
home textiles or clothing, cannot be
avoided.
Lint on upholstery materials, textile or
leather remnants that have been worn
into the upholstery may be removed
with a lint brush or a Velcro brush. A
cleaning glove is available for particu-
larly "stubborn" lint. Stains and fairly
large areas of dirt should be cleaned off
without delay, using lukewarm water
and an interior cleaner, stain remover or
appropriate cleaning fluid. Brush the
fabric afterwards to restore its appear-
ance.
If the vehicle will be stored for an
extended period or if it is exposed to
intense sunlight, cover all the seats or
the windows to prevent fading.
Use the cleaning and car-care
products available at your BMW
center.<

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Overview
Controls and features
Operation, care
and maintenance
Technical data
Index Advanced technology
Airbags168
Radio reception169
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)170
Safety belt tensioner170
M3 Engine concept171
Rain sensor172
Interior rearview mirror
with automatic dimming
feature173
Xenon lamps174
Rollover protection system175
Tech-
Owner service procedures