airbag BMW M3 COUPE 2002 E46 Owner's Manual

Contents

© 2001 BMW M GmbH
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts, only with the
written consent of BMW M GmbH, Munich.
Order No. 01 41 0 156 237
US English VIII/01
Printed in Germany
Printed on environmentally friendly paper
(bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling).
Overview
Controls and features

Cockpit14
Instrument cluster15
Indicator and warning lamps17
Steering wheel with multifunction
buttons21
Warning triangle22
First-aid kit22
Refueling22
Fuel specifications24
Tire inflation pressures24

Opening and closing:

Keys28
Central locking system28
Opening and closing Ð via the
door lock29
Opening and closing Ð via the
remote control30
Opening and closing Ð from the
inside33
Luggage compartment lid34
Luggage compartment36
Alarm system37
Electric power windows39
Sliding/tilt sunroof40

Adjustments:

Correct sitting position42
Seats43
Head restraints44
Entering the rear45
Safety belts45
Seat and mirror memory46
Seat heating47
Steering wheel47
Mirrors48

Passenger safety systems:

Airbags49
Transporting children safely52
Vehicle Memory, Key
Memory55

Driving:

Ignition lock56
Starting the engine56
Switching off the engine57
Parking brake58
Manual transmission58
Sequential M gearbox SMG II59
Indicator/Headlamp flasher65
Washer/Wiper system/Rain
sensor66
Cruise control68

Everything under control:

Odometer70
Tachometer70
Temperature gauge70
Fuel gauge71
Temperature gauge71
Service Interval Display71
Check Control72
Computer72

Technology for driving comfort
and safety:

Park Distance Control (PDC)75
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)76
Flat Tire Monitor77
M Engine dynamics control79

Contents

18n

Indicator and warning lamps

Red: an important reminder

Parking brake
Comes on when the parking
brake is engaged Ð an additional
acoustic signal sounds when starting
off.
For additional information, refer to
page 58



Parking brake warning lamp for
Canadian models.
Please fasten safety belts

l


A warning signal will sound at
the same time. Lights up for a
few seconds or until the safety belt is
fastened.
For additional information on safety
belts, refer to page 45
Airbags

l


Please have the system
inspected by your BMW center.
For additional information, refer to
page 49

Red and yellow: continue driving
cautiously

If the brake warning lamp
comes on together with the
yellow indicator lamps for ABS
and DSC:
The entire ABS, CBC and DSC
control system


has failed.
Continue driving cautiously and
defensively. Avoid hard brake
applications. Please have the system
checked by your BMW center as soon
as possible.
For additional information, refer to
pages 76, 101.
ABS, CBC and DSC indicator
and warning lamps for Canadian
models.

Orange: consult the nearest
BMW center

Sequential M gearbox

*
SMG II
If the indicator lamp fails to go
out after the engine is started:
this indicates a malfunction in the
system. Please consult the nearest
BMW center.
Indicator lamp flashes: a system over-
load has occurred.
For additional information, refer to
page 64

42n
For relaxed and fatigue-free driving you
should select a sitting position that
reflects your personal requirements.
Correct sitting position combined with
safety belts and airbags enhances
occupant safety in the event of an acci-
dent. 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 additional information on trans-
porting children, refer to page 52.
Sitting correctly with airbags
Maintain a distance to the airbags.
Always hold the steering wheel by
the rim to keep any chance of injury to
hands or arms to an absolute minimum,
should the airbag be deployed. No one
and nothing is to come between the
airbags and the seat occupant.
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 49.
Safe with safety belts
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
the hips, leading to abdominal injury. In
addition, the safety belt's restraint
effectiveness is reduced if the belt 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 pressure against the abdominal
area.<
For information on using the safety
belts, refer to page 45.
When adjusting your seat, always
observe the following precautions
Never try to adjust your seat while
driving the vehicle. The seat could
respond with unexpected movement,
and the ensuing loss of vehicle control
could lead to an accident. Never ride
with the backrest reclined to an
extreme angle (especially important for
the front passenger to remember). If
you do so, there is a risk that you will
slide under the safety belt in an acci-
dent, thus reducing the protection
provided by the safety belt.<
Correct sitting position

45n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Entering the rear Safety belts Unlocking backrestPull up on the lever and push the back-
rest toward the front.
The outer levers hold the safety belt to
enable it to be reached more easily.
Lock both backrests while driving,
otherwise there is a danger of an
unexpected movement causing an
accident.<
Drive with your safety belt onAlways 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.To fastenMake sure you hear the catch engage in
the belt buckle. To release1. Press red button in the belt buckle
2. Hold the belt
3. Guide belt back into the inertia reel.
In the rear, the belt buckle with
the word "CENTER" is provided
exclusively for the passenger sitting in
the middle.<
Safety belt height adjustmentUse the height adjustment mechanism
to adapt the safety belt to the ideal
position for your own body:
1. Press the button
2. Slide the entire assembly up or
down.
Also observe the instructions on
adjusting the seats on page 42.

49n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Mirrors Airbags Interior rearview mirror with
automatic dimming featureThis mirror automatically dims through
an infinitely variable range and switches
automatically to its clear, undimmed
mode whenever you engage reverse
gear.
There are two photocells for automatic
dimming. One photocell (arrow) is posi-
tioned in the mirror's frame, while the
other is slightly offset on the opposite
side of the mirror.
For the mirror to function perfectly,
keep the photocells clean and the area
between the inside rearview mirror and
the windshield free of any obstruction,
like stickers, etc.
1 Front airbags on the driver and
passenger sides
2 Side Impact Head Protection System
on the driver and passenger sides
(front)
3 Side airbags on the driver and
passenger sides (front and rear
*)
Protective effectThe front airbags protect the driver and
passenger in the event of a frontal
impact where the protection provided
by the safety belt alone would not be
adequate. The Side impact Head
Protection System and 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
seat occupant's upper body.

50n
Airbags
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.<
For information on the correct sitting
position, refer to page 42.
The airbags will not be triggered in
the event of a minor accident, a
vehicle rollover, or collisions from the
rear.<
Do not apply adhesive materials to
the cover panels of the airbags,
cover them or modify them in any other
way. Do not attempt to remove the
airbag restraint system from the
vehicle. In the event of a malfunction,
deactivation, or triggered actuation (as
a response to an accident) of the airbag
restraint system, consult your BMW
center for checking, repairs or removal.
Modifications may not be made on
either the wiring or the individual
components in the airbag system.
These include the padded steering
wheel hub, the instrument panel, the
side trim panels of the front or rear
doors and the roof pillars or the sides of
the headliner. Do not attempt to remove
or dismantle the steering wheel. To
ensure compliance with official safety
regulations, entrust disposal of airbag
generators to a BMW center. Unprofes-
sional attempts to service the system
could lead to failure in an emergency or
undesired airbag activation, either of
which could result in personal injury. Do
not touch the individual components
directly after the system has been trig-
gered, as otherwise there is a danger of
burns.<
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 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 side airbag, if so equipped.
For example, a child Ð even though
belted Ð may fall asleep with his or her
head against the side airbag. It may be
difficult for a driver to ensure that chil-
dren in the rear seat will remain prop-
erly 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 provided,
be deactivated if you plan to transport
children in the rear seat.

51n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
AirbagsThe rear seat side airbags may already
have been deactivated, either at the
time of manufacture or by a BMW
center. Labels in the rear 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
followed, there is still a small residual
risk of injuries to the face, hands and
arms occurring from airbag deployment
in isolated instances. The ignition and
inflation noise may provoke a mild
temporary hearing loss in extremely
sensitive individuals.
Airbag warning information is also
provided on the sun visors. This is the right way a child should sit in
a child-restraint device when rear side
airbags (arrow) are provided.
This is the right way a larger child
should sit wearing the safety belt when
rear side airbags (arrow) are provided.

52n
Airbags Transporting children safelyOperational status
The indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster displays the opera-
tional status of the airbag
system from ignition key position 1.
System operational:
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
when you turn the ignition key to
position 1 or higher.
System malfunction:
>The indicator lamp fails to come on,
when the ignition key is turned
>The indicator lamp fails to go out
after the engine has been started, or
it comes on during normal driving.
Please respond to any malfunctions in
the system by immediately having it
inspected at your BMW center; other-
wise the airbag could fail to respond to
an accident in which both the angle and
the severity of the impact would
normally trigger airbag deployment.
Commercially available child-restraint
systems are designed to be secured
with a lap belt or with the lap belt
portion 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.
If you use a child-restraint system with
a tether strap, three additional tether
anchorage points have been provided
(refer to the arrows in the illustration).
Depending on the location selected for
seating in the rear passenger area,
attach the strap hook to the corre-
sponding anchorage point to secure the
child-restraint system. Remove the
cover first on the middle location.
If the respective seating position is
fitted with a head restraint lift the head
restraint and pass the tether strap
between the head restraint and the seat
back.
Adjust the tether strap according to the
child-restraint manufacturer's instruc-
tions.

53n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Transporting children safely
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 deployment 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 instrument panel 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 rearward-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.
Be sure 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, a industry recommended prac-
tice for securing child-restraint systems
in motor vehicles.
LATCH child-restraint system
installationRemove the cover from the outside
mount by pulling forward. When re-
installing ensure that the recess is on
the top.

Everything from A to ZOil change intervals, see the
Service and Warranty
Information Booklet (US
models) or the Warranty
and Service Guide Booklet
(Canadian models).
Oil consumption110
Oil filter change139
Oil level, indicator lamp19
OILSERVICE71
Onboard computer72
refer to the "Onboard
Computer Owner's
Manual"
Onboard tool kit120
Opening and closing
from inside33
via remote control30
via the door lock29
Operating vehicle at low
ambient
temperatures111
Outside temperature
display73
P
Park Distance Control
(PDC)75
Parking brake58
Parking help75
Parking lamps80
PDC (Park Distance
Control)75
Performance136
Pollen filter85, 89
Power windows39 R
Radiator139
Radio navigation system,
refer to the "Radio Owner's
Manual"
Radio, refer to the separate
Owner's Manual
Rain sensor66
Reading lamps82
Rear backrest, folding94
Rear lamps, refer to tail
lamps123t
Rear view mirror48
Rear window
defroster84, 88
Rear-entry assist45 Recirculated-air
mode84, 88
Reclining seat42
Refueling22
Releasing
fuel filler door following an
electrical
malfunction22t
Remote control30
Removing condensation
from the windows87
Repairing a flat tire126
Replace windshield wiper
blades120t
Replacement key28t
Replacing bulbs120t
Reporting safety defects11
Roller sun blind89
Roof load capacity138
Roof-mounted luggage
rack97
S
Safety belts45
height adjustment45
three-point safety belt94
Safety buttons33
Safety feature39
Seat heating47
Seat memory46
Seats, adjusting42
Securing cargo96
Securing loads96
Self-defrosting mirrors48
Sequential M gearbox SMG
II59
Service and Warranty
Information Booklet114
Service Interval
Display71, 114
Side airbags49
Side impact Head Protection
System49
Side turn signals
bulb replacement122t
Ski bag95