BMW M3 CONVERTIBLE 2004 E46 Owner's Manual

Owner's Manual
for Vehicle

M3 Convertible

Thank you for deciding on a BMW M3 Convertible.
Thorough familiarity with your vehicle will provide you with enhanced control and
security when you drive it. Therefore, we have one request:
Read the information contained in this Owner's Manual before driving your new
BMW M3 Convertible for the first time. It contains important information on vehicle
operation that will enable you to make full use of the advanced technical equipment
of your BMW M3 Convertible. In addition, you will receive information on vehicle
maintenance to help ensure operating and traffic safety as well as the best possible
value retention of your BMW. For more detailed information refer to the supplemen-
tal manuals.
BMW M also makes decisive contributions toward greater safety in traffic through
its BMW driver training.
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.
We wish you an enjoyable driving experience.
BMW M

4

Notes

© 2003 BMW M GmbH
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts, only with the
written consent of BMW M GmbH, Munich.
Order No. 01 41 0 157 596
US English VIII/03
Printed in Germany
Printed on environmentally friendly paper,
bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling.
About this 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 an initial
overview of your vehicle, you will find
this in the first chapter.
Should you wish to sell your BMW at
some time in the future, please remem-
ber to hand over this Owner's Manual
to the new owner; it is an important part
of the vehicle.

Additional sources of information

Should you have any further questions,
your BMW center will be glad to assist
at any time.
You can find more information about
BMW, for example on its technology,
on the Internet at www.bmw.com.

Symbols used

Indicates precautions that must
be followed precisely in order to
avoid the possibility of personal injury
and serious damage to the vehicle.
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 environ-
ment.
Marks the end of a specific item of
information.
Indicates special equipment, coun-
try-specific equipment and optional
extras when available.
Vehicle Memory, Key Memory,
refer to page 64. Identifies func-
tions that can be specifically adapted
for a particular key or vehicle. These
adjustments can be performed either by
yourself or by your BMW center.

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5

Notes

Your individual vehicle

On purchasing your BMW, you have
decided in favor of a model with individ-
ualized equipment and features. This
Owner's Manual will describe all of the
equipment that the BMW M3 Convert-
ible has to offer you.
We hope you will understand that
equipment and features are included
that you might not have chosen for your
vehicle. You can easily identify any dif-
ferences with the aid of the asterisk
used to identify all optional equipment
and accessories.
If your BMW features equipment that is
not described in this Owner's Manual,
such as a car radio or telephone, we
have enclosed Supplementary Owner's
Manuals. We ask you to read these
manuals as well.

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, 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
claims can be recognized on the basis
of the data, illustrations or descriptions
in this Owner's Manual.

For your own safety
Fuels

Use unleaded gasoline only. Fuels
containing up to and including
10 % ethanol or other oxygenates with
up to 2.8 % oxygen by weight – that is,
15 % MTBE or 3 % methanol plus an
equivalent amount of co-solvent – will
not void the applicable warranties
respecting defects in materials or work-
manship. Field experience has indi-
cated significant differences in fuel
quality – volatility, composition, addi-
tives, etc. – among gasolines offered for
sale in the United States and Canada.
The use of poor quality fuels may result
in driveability, starting and stalling
problems especially under certain envi-
ronmental 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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6

Notes

Maintenance and repair

Advanced technology, e.g. the
use of modern materials and high-
performance electronics, requires spe-
cially adapted maintenance and repair
methods. Therefore, only have corre-
sponding work on your BMW carried
out by a BMW center or a workshop
that works according to BMW repair
procedures with correspondingly
trained personnel. If work is carried out
improperly there is a danger of conse-
quential damage and the related safety
risks.

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Parts and accessories

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 opti-
mum 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
damages resulting from installation of
parts and accessories not approved by
BMW.
BMW cannot test every product made
by other manufacturers to verify if it can
be used on a BMW safely and without
risk to either the vehicle, its operation,
or its occupants.
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, com-
promise 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.
Do not use key or remote control to
lock doors or luggage compartment
with anyone inside the car. Refer to the
Owner’s Manual for more details.

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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
particular part or assembly.

7

Notes

Service and warranty

This manual is supplemented by a Ser-
vice and Warranty Information Booklet
for US models or a Warranty and Ser-
vice Guide Booklet for Canadian mod-
els.
We recommend that you read this pub-
lication thoroughly.
Your BMW is covered by the following
warranties: > New Vehicle Limited Warranty >
Rust Perforation Limited Warranty
>

Federal Emissions System Defect
Warranty

>

Federal Emissions Performance War-
ranty

>

California Emission Control System
Limited Warranty.
Detailed information about these war-
ranties is listed in the Service and War-
ranty Information Booklet for US mod-
els or in the Warranty and Service
Guide Booklet for Canadian models.

Reporting safety defects

The following only applies to vehicles
owned and operated in the US.
If you believe that your vehicle has a
defect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you should
immediately inform the National High-
way Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA in addition to notifying BMW of
North America, LLC, P.O. Box 1227,
Westwood, New Jersey 07675-1227,
telephone toll-free 1-800-831-1117.
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, LLC.
To contact NHTSA, you may either call
the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at
1-800-424-9393 or 366-0123 in the
Washington, D.C. area, or write to:
NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transpor-
tation, Washington, D.C. 20590. You
can also obtain other information about
motor vehicle safety from the Hotline.

Contents

Notes

About this Owner's Manual4
Additional sources of
information4
Symbols used4
Your individual vehicle5
Status at time of printing5
For your own safety5
Symbol on vehicle parts6
Service and warranty7
Reporting safety defects7

Overview

Cockpit14
Instrument cluster16
Indicator and warning lamps18
Buttons in steering wheel22
Hazard warning triangle*23
First-aid kit*23
Refueling24
Fuel specifications25
Tire inflation pressure25

Controls and features

Opening and closing:

Keys30
Central locking system30
Opening and closing – via the
remote control31
Opening and closing – via the
door lock33
Opening and closing – from the
inside34
Luggage compartment lid35
Luggage compartment37
Electric power windows38
Convertible top39
Wind deflector*44

To adjust:

Safe seating position46
Seats47
Power seat adjustment47
Head restraints48
Entering the rear49
Safety belts50
Seat and mirror memory51
Seat heating*52
Steering wheel53
Mirrors53

Passenger safety systems:

Airbags55
Transporting children safely58
Rollover protection system62
Vehicle Memory, Key
Memory64

Contents

9

Driving:

Ignition lock65
Starting the engine and driving
off66
Switching off the engine68
Parking brake68
Manual transmission69
Sequential M gearbox with
Drivelogic*70
Turn signal indicator/Headlamp
flasher75
Washer/wiper system/Rain
sensor*76
Cruise control77

Everything under control:

Odometer79
Tachometer79
Engine oil temperature79
Fuel gauge80
Engine coolant temperature
gauge80
Service interval display81
Check Control81
Clock82
Computer83

Technology for safety and
driving convenience:

Park Distance Control (PDC)*85
Dynamic Stability Control
DSC86
Flat Tire Monitor87
M Engine dynamics control90
Brake force display90

Lamps:

Parking lamps/Low beams91
Instrument lighting92
High beams/Standing lamps92
Fog lamps93
Interior lamps93
Reading lamps93

Controlling the climate for
pleasant driving:

Automatic climate control96

Interior conveniences:

Glove compartment101
Storage compartments101
Cellular phone*102
Ashtray, front*103
Ashtray, rear*103

Loading and transporting:

Ski bag*104
Cargo loading106
Roof-mounted luggage rack for
the hardtop*108

Operation, maintenance

Special operating instructions:

Break-in procedures112
General driving notes113
Antilock Brake System
(ABS)114
Brake system114
Hardtop*115

Wheels and tires:

Tire inflation pressure118
Tire condition118
Tire replacement119
Wheel and tire
combinations121
Winter tires122
Snow chains*122

In the engine compartment:

Hood123
Engine compartment
essentials124
Washer fluids126
Engine oil126
Coolant128
Brake fluid129

Maintenance:

The BMW Maintenance
System130

Laws and regulations:

California Proposition 65
warning132
OBD interface socket132

Controls and features

Contents

Owner service procedures

Replacement procedures:

Onboard tool kit136
Windshield wiper blades136
Lamps and bulbs137
Repairing a flat tire140
Battery144
Fuses145

Giving and receiving
assistance:

Receiving assistance146
Jump-starting147
Towing the vehicle148

Technical data
Engine data154
Dimensions155
Weights156
Capacities157
Index

Everything from A to Z160