maintenance BMW M3 COUPE 2004 E46 User Guide
[x] Cancel search | Manufacturer: BMW, Model Year: 2004, Model line: M3 COUPE, Model: BMW M3 COUPE 2004 E46Pages: 170, PDF Size: 2.62 MB
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Close the gas cap carefully after 
refueling until a click is heard. 
While closing, be sure not to squeeze 
the strap which is fastened to the cap. 
A loose or missing cap will activate the 
CHECK GAS CAP* lamp.<
Fuel tank capacity>Approx. 16.6 gal./63 liters, of which
>approx. 2.1 gal./8 liters are reserve 
capacity.
Do not drive to the last drop of 
fuel. This can prevent the engine 
from operating properly and result in 
damage.<
Fuel specificationsUse unleaded gasolineThe engine uses lead-free gasoline 
only.
Required fuel:
>Premium Unleaded Gasoline,
min. 91 AKI
AKI = Anti Knock Index
Never use leaded fuel, as it would 
cause permanent and irreversible 
damage to the oxygen sensor and the 
catalytic converter.<
Tire inflation pressureChecking tire pressuresTire pressures in psi/kilopascal are 
shown on the driver's door post and are 
visible when the door is open.
Only check the tire inflation pressures 
of cold tires. This means after driving a 
maximum of 1.25 miles/2 km or after 
the vehicle has been parked for at least 
2 hours. Warm tires have higher infla-
tion pressures.
In the following tire inflation pressure 
table, all pressures are specified in the 
standard units of pressure, psi and kilo-
pascal, and apply to cold tires, i.e. tires 
at ambient temperature.
After correcting the tire inflation pres-
sure, reinitialize the Flat Tire Monitor so 
that it can monitor the tire inflation 
pressure, refer to page 84.
Refueling
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BMW Tires
All pressure specifications in
the table are indicated in psi/
kilopascal with cold tires –
cold = ambient temperature
M3 225/45 ZR 18 33/230 – 41/280 –
255/40 ZR 18 – 35/240 – 48/330
225/45 ZR 18
225/40 ZR 1933/230 – 41/280 –
255/35 ZR 19 – 35/240 – 48/330
225/45 R 17 91 H M+S 33/230 38/260 36/250 46/320
225/40 R 18 92 V M+S 36/250 38/260 39/270 51/350Tire inflation pressure
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Overview
Controls and features
Operation, maintenance
Owner service procedures
Technical data
Index
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Opening and closing – via the remote controlThe conceptThe remote control also provides two 
additional functions beyond the central 
locking feature:
>Switch on the interior lamps, refer to 
page 32.
With this function you can also 
search for your vehicle – when 
parked in an underground garage, for 
instance
>Open the luggage compartment lid, 
refer to page 32.
The luggage compartment lid will 
open slightly, regardless of whether it 
was locked or unlocked.
Whenever you unlock or lock the vehi-
cle, you simultaneously deactivate/acti-
vate the anti-theft system, disarm/arm 
the alarm system and switch the interior 
lamps on/off.
You can have a signal set to con-
firm that the vehicle's locks have 
engaged securely.<
Master keys with remote control
Since passengers or animals 
remaining in the vehicle might be 
able to lock the doors from the inside, 
always take the vehicle's keys with you 
so that the vehicle can be opened again 
from the outside at any time.<
If it is no longer possible to lock 
the vehicle via the remote control, 
the battery is discharged. Use this key 
while driving for an extended period in 
order to recharge the battery. To pre-
vent unauthorized use of the remote 
control, surrender only the spare key 
when leaving the vehicle for valet park-
ing, for example.
In the event of a system malfunction, 
please contact your BMW center. You 
can also obtain replacement keys 
there.<
1Unlock, convenience opening mode, 
and disarm alarm system
2Lock and secure, arm alarm system, 
activate interior lamps, disarm tilt 
alarm sensor and interior motion sen-
sor
3Open luggage compartment, Panic 
mode – trigger alarmTo releasePress button to unlock the driver's door 
only.
Press the button a second time to 
unlock all vehicle locks.<
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Opening and closing – via the door lockOne turn of the key in the driver's door 
lock unlocks the driver's door only. 
Turning the key a second time unlocks 
the passenger's door, the luggage 
compartment lid and the fuel filler door.
You can have a signal set to con-
firm that the vehicle's locks have 
engaged securely.
>To open: with the door closed, hold 
the key in the Unlock position
>To fasten: with the door closed, hold 
the key in the Lock position.
Whenever closing the windows or 
sliding/tilt sunroof you should 
always monitor their path and progress 
to ensure that no one is injured. Releas-
ing the key stops the operation.<
Manual operationIn the event of electrical malfunction
Turn the key all the way to the left or 
right to unlock or lock the driver's door.
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Luggage compartment lidThe lockOnly the master keys fit in the lock for 
the luggage compartment lid, refer to 
page 30.
To secure separatelyTurn the master key to the right past the 
resistance point and then pull it out in 
the horizontal position.
The luggage compartment lid is locked 
and disconnected from the central lock-
ing system. This feature can be used to 
prevent unauthorized access to the lug-
gage compartment when you surrender 
the spare key only, refer to page 30. 
This can be advantageous for valet 
parking, for example.
To open from the outsidePress the button in the handle recess: 
the luggage compartment lid opens 
slightly.
The luggage compartment is lit when 
the luggage compartment lid is opened.Manual operationIn the event of electrical malfunction
Turn the master key to the left as far as 
it will go. The luggage compartment lid 
will open slightly.
The luggage compartment lid is locked 
again as soon as you close the lid.
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Emergency releaseThis lever releases the luggage com-
partment lid from the luggage compart-
ment's interior.
Luggage compartmentTo fold up and secure the floor 
panelLift the floor panel with the ring, then 
use the tab to suspend it from the 
weather-stripping on the drip rail.
Luggage compartment lid
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Indicator lamp displays>The indicator lamp below the interior 
rearview mirror flashes continuously: 
the system is armed
>The indicator lamp flashes when it is 
armed: the door(s), the hood or lug-
gage compartment lid are not com-
pletely closed. Even if you do not 
close the alerted area, the remaining 
areas are deadlocked, and the indi-
cator lamp flashes continuously after 
10 seconds. However, the interior 
motion sensor is not activated
>If the indicator lamp goes out when 
the system is disarmed: no manipula-
tion or attempted intrusions have 
been detected in the period since the 
system was armed
>If the indicator lamp flashes for 
10 seconds when the system is dis-
armed: an attempted entry has been 
detected in the period since the sys-
tem was armed.
Following triggering of an alarm, the 
indicator lamp will flash continuously.Avoiding unintentional alarmsThe tilt alarm sensor and interior motion 
sensor may be deactivated at the same 
time. You can do this to prevent a false 
alarm from being triggered in garages 
with elevator ramps, for instance, or 
when the vehicle is transported by train:
Lock the vehicle twice to arm the sys-
tem. Press button on the remote control 
twice in succession or lock the vehicle 
twice with the key.
The indicator lamp lights up briefly and 
then flashes continuously. The tilt alarm 
sensor and the interior motion sensor 
are deactivated as long as the system is 
armed.
You can have the tilt alarm sensor 
and the interior motion sensor 
permanently deactivated.<
Interior motion sensorIn order for the interior motion sensor to 
function properly, the windows and the 
glass sunroof must be completely 
closed.
Nevertheless, you should deactivate 
the interior motion sensor, refer to 
Avoiding unintentional alarms, if
>persons or animals are left in the 
vehicle
>the windows or the glass sunroof are 
being left open.
The tilt and interior motion sen-
sors are inadvertently switched off 
when convenience closing of the win-
dows is interrupted within the first 
10 seconds and then started again. If 
this happens, they must be disarmed 
and reactivated.<
Alarm system*
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Glass sunroof, electric*
To prevent injuries, exercise care 
when closing the glass sunroof 
and keep it in your field of vision until it 
is shut.
When leaving the vehicle, always 
remove the ignition key from the lock 
and remember to close the doors to 
prevent children from operating the 
sunroof and injuring themselves, etc.<
Opening and closingWith the ignition key in position 1 or 
higher
>Slide the switch until you feel resis-
tance: the sunroof opens and closes 
as long as you hold the switch
>Slide the switch past the pressure 
point: the sunroof moves automati-
cally.
Tapping the switch again stops the 
motion immediately.
The headliner insert retracts with the 
glass sunroof while it is opening.
After the ignition has been switched off, 
you can still operate the sunroof for up 
to 15 minutes, as long as no one opens 
either of the doors.
For convenience closing via the door 
lock or the remote control, refer to 
pages 32 and 33.Raising the glass sunroofWith the ignition key in position 1 or 
higher: tap the switch.
Tapping the switch again stops the 
motion immediately.
If you briefly press the switch in the 
raise direction while the glass sunroof is 
open, the sunroof will rise to its upper-
most position.
After the ignition has been switched off, 
you can still operate the sunroof for up 
to 15 minutes, as long as no one opens 
either of the doors.
The headliner insert slides back some-
what when you raise the sunroof.
Do not use force to close the 
headliner insert with the sunroof in 
its raised position, as damage to the 
mechanism could result.
>when it is closing from the raised 
position
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Safe seating positionFor driving that is relaxed and less likely 
to cause fatigue, you should select a 
sitting position that reflects your per-
sonal requirements. In combination 
with the safety belts and airbags, the 
correct seating position also plays an 
important role in enhancing occupant 
safety in the event of an accident. 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 supplementary information on 
transporting children, refer to page 56.Sitting safely with airbags
Always maintain an adequate dis-
tance between yourself and the 
airbags. Always hold the steering wheel 
by the rim to keep any chance of injury 
to hands or arms to an absolute mini-
mum should the airbag be deployed. 
Never allow any objects, individuals or 
animals to obstruct the areas between 
passengers and airbags. 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 53.Sitting safely with safety beltsYour vehicle offers five sitting positions, 
each of which is provided with a safety 
belt.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 
pelvis and shoulder, wear it as snugly 
against your body as possible. Do not 
allow the belt to rest against hard or 
fragile objects in your pockets. 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. Leave the rear safety 
belts in the holders, if they are not 
needed, to avoid unwanted movement 
from the safety belts at high speeds.<
For information on using the safety 
belts, refer to page 47.
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