ignition BMW M3 SEDAN 2008 E90 Owner's Guide

Controls
63Reference
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M Engine Dynamics Control
With M Engine Dynamics Control you can influ-
ence how sportily your vehicle should respond
to movements of the accelerator. Three pro-
grams are available to you.
"Normal" program
In the "Normal" program, the engine responds
gently to accelerator movements, which is ideal
for city traffic or on snow, for example.
"Sport" program
The "Sport" program provides for a more spon-
taneous response of the engine to accelerator
movements.
"Sport Plus"* program
In the "Sport Plus" program, the engine
responds to accelerator movements with high
spontaneity and uncompromising sportiness.
The "Sport Plus" program can only be activated
via MDrive, refer to MDrive on page48.
Selecting a program
Press the POWER button to switch between
the "Normal" and "Sport" programs.
In the "Sport" and "Sport Plus" programs, the
LED in the POWER button lights up.
You can also set and call up your preferred
program via MDrive, refer to page48.
After the ignition is switched off and the engine
is restarted, the program set for the remote
control in use is active, refer to Key-dependent
settings on page49.
Turn signals/
headlamp flasher
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Turn signals
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To turn off manually, press the lever to the
resistance point.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator
lamp indicates that a turn signal indicator
has failed.<
Indicating a turn briefly
Press the lever as far as the resistance point for
as long as you wish to indicate a turn.
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever as far as the resistance point.
The turn signals flash three times.
You can activate or deactivate this function.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.
5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to
the uppermost field. Turn the controller
until "Lighting" is selected and press the
controller.

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When the vehicle lighting system is switched
on, the headlamps are cleaned at regular and
appropriate intervals.
Do not use the washers if there is any
danger that the fluid will freeze on the
windshield. If you do, your vision could be
obscured. Antifreeze should therefore be
added to the fluid, refer to Washer fluid.
Do not use the washers when the washer fluid
reservoir is empty, otherwise you will damage
the washer pump.<
Windshield washer nozzles
The windshield washer nozzles are heated
automatically while the engine is running or the
ignition is switched on.
Washer fluid
Washer fluid antifreeze is flammable.
Therefore, keep it away from ignition
sources and only store it in the closed original
container that is kept out of reach of children,
otherwise there is a risk of personal injury.
Comply with the instructions on the con-
tainer.<
Washer fluid filler neck
Only refill washer fluid when the engine is
cool to avoid contact with hot engine
parts. Otherwise, fluid spills constitute a fire
hazard and a risk to personal safety.<
All washer nozzles are supplied with washer
fluid by the same reservoir.
Fill with water and, if required, with a washer
antifreeze, according to manufacturer's recom-
mendations.Mix the water and antifreeze before filling
the washer fluid reservoir to make sure
the correct concentration is maintained.<
Capacity
Approx. 4.8USquarts/4.5liters.
Cruise control
The concept
Cruise control is available for use at speeds of
approx. 20 mph or 30 km/h. The car then stores
and maintains the speed that you specify using
the lever on the steering column.
Do not use cruise control when driving at
constant speed is prevented by adverse
conditions, e.g. winding roads, dense traffic or
poor road conditions due to, e.g., snow, rain, ice
or loose surfaces. Otherwise you could lose
control of the vehicle and cause an accident as a
result.<
One lever for all functions
1Storing and maintaining speed or accelerat-
ing
2Storing and maintaining speed or deceler-
ating
3Deactivating cruise control
4Resuming a speed stored beforehand
Maintaining current speed
Tap the lever, arrow 1, or pull it briefly, arrow 2.
The car's current speed is stored and main-
tained. It is displayed on the speedometer and
briefly in the instrument cluster. This function is
not available when DSC is switched off.

Driving
66 On uphill gradients, it may prove impossible to
maintain the set speed if current engine power
output is insufficient. If engine braking power is
insufficient on a downhill grade, the stored
speed may be exceeded.
Increasing desired speed
Repeatedly press the lever to the resistance
point or beyond, arrow1, until the desired
speed is reached.
>Each time the lever is pressed lightly to the
resistance point, the desired speed is
increased by approx. 1 mph or 1 km/h.
>Each time the lever is pressed beyond the
resistance point, the desired speed is
increased by up to 5 mph or 10 km/h.
The system stores and maintains the speed.
Accelerating using the lever
Accelerate slightly, increase speed steadily:
Press the lever to the resistance point, arrow 1,
until the desired speed is reached.
Accelerate strongly, increase speed in intervals
of 10:
Press the lever beyond the resistance point,
arrow 1, until the desired speed is reached.
The vehicle accelerates without pressure on
the accelerator pedal. The system stores and
maintains the speed.
Decreasing speed
Repeatedly pull the lever to the resistance point
or beyond, arrow 2, until the desired speed is
displayed.
>Each time the lever is pulled to the resis-
tance point, the desired speed is decreased
by approx. 1 mph or 1 km/h.
>Each time the lever is pulled beyond the
resistance point, the desired speed is
reduced by up to 5 mph or 10 km/h until the
minimum speed of 20 mph or 30 km/h is
achieved.
The system stores and maintains the speed.
Deactivating cruise control
Tap the lever upwards or downwards, arrow3.
The displays on the speedometer disappear.
In addition, the system is automatically deacti-
vated:
>When you brake the vehicle
>When you shift or depress the clutch
>When you deactivate DSC
>When DSC or ABS is intervening
Cruise control is not deactivated by depressing
the accelerator pedal. Once the accelerator
pedal is released, the stored speed is achieved
again and maintained.
Resuming a speed stored beforehand
Press the button, arrow4.
The stored speed is resumed and maintained.
When the ignition is switched off, the stored
speed value is cleared and can no longer be
called up.
Displays in the instrument cluster
1Stored speed
2Selected speed is displayed briefly

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Everything under control
Odometer, outside
temperature display, clock
1Knob in the instrument cluster
2Outside temperature and clock, refer to
Computer on page68
3Odometer and trip odometer
Knob in the instrument cluster
>To reset the trip odometer while the ignition
is switched on
>To display the time, outside temperature
and odometer briefly while the ignition is
switched off
Units of measure
T o s e l e c t t h e r e s p e c t i v e u n i t s o f m e a s u r e , m i l e s
or km for the odometer as well as 7 or 6 for
the outside temperature, refer to page71.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Time, outside temperature display
Setting the time, refer to page74.
Outside temperature warning
When the displayed temperature sinks to
approx. +377/+36, a signal sounds and a
warning lamp lights up. There is an increased
risk of black ice.
Black ice can also form at temperatures
above +377/+36. You should there-
fore drive carefully on bridges and shaded roads, for example, otherwise there is an
increased risk of an accident.<
Odometer and trip odometer
Resetting trip odometer:
With the ignition switched on, press button1 in
the instrument cluster.
When the vehicle is parked
If you still want to view the time, outside tem-
perature and odometer reading briefly after the
remote control has been taken out of the igni-
tion lock:
Press button 1 in the instrument cluster.
Tachometer
The prewarning field, arrow 1, and the red warn-
ing field, arrow2, change in relation to the
engine temperature. The permissible engine
speed increases with increased engine temper-
ature. Avoid engine speeds in the prewarning
field, if possible.

Everything under control
72 6.Select the desired menu item and press the
controller.
7.Select the desired measurement unit and
press the controller.
The setting is stored for the remote control
currently in use.
Service requirements
The remaining driving distance and the date of
the next scheduled service are displayed briefly
immediately after you start the engine or switch
on the ignition.The extent of service work required can
be read out from the remote control by
your BMW Service Advisor.<
For certain maintenance operations, you can
view the respective distance remaining or due
date individually in the instrument cluster.
1.Switch on the ignition, refer to page54.
2.Push button 1 in the turn indicator lever up
or down repeatedly until the appropriate
symbol appears in the display, accompa-
nied by the words "SERVICE-INFO".
3.Press button 2.
4.Use button 1 to scroll through the individual
service items.
Possible displays
1Button for selecting functions2Service requirements

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Technology for driving comfort and safety
Park Distance Control PDC*
The concept
The PDC assists you with maneuvering in tight
parking spaces. Acoustic signals and a visual
indicator
warn you of the presence of an object
behind your vehicle. To measure the distance,
there are four ultrasonic sensors in the
bumpers.
These sensors have a range of approx. 6.5 ft/
2 m. However, an acoustic warning does not
sound until an object is approx. 24 in/60 cm
from the corner sensors, or approx. 5 ft/1.50 m
from the center sensors.
PDC is a parking aid that can indicate
objects when they are approached
slowly, as is usually the case when parking.
Avoid approaching an object at high speed, oth-
erwise physical circumstances may lead to the
system warning being issued too late.<
Switching on automatically
With the engine running or the ignition switched
on, the system is activated after approx. 1 sec-
ond when you engage reverse gear. Wait this
short period before driving.
Switching off automatically
After approx. 165 ft/50 m of driving or over
approx. 20 mph/30 km/h, the system switches
off and the LED goes out.
Signal tones
When nearing an object, its position is indicated
correspondingly by an interval tone. As the dis-
tance between vehicle and object decreases,
the intervals between the tones become
shorter. If the distance to the nearest object
falls to below roughly 1 ft/30 cm, then a contin-
uous tone sounds.
An interval tone is interrupted after approx.
3seconds>if you stop in front of an object that has been
detected by only one of the corner sensors
>if you are driving parallel to a wall.
Malfunction
The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on. PDC is malfunc-
tioning. A message appears on the
Control Display. Have the system checked.
To avoid this problem, keep the sensors clean
and free of ice or snow in order to ensure that
they will continue to operate effectively. When
using a high-pressure cleaner, do not spray the
sensors for extended periods of time and only
from a distance of at least 4 in/10 cm.
PDC with visual warning
You can also have the system show distances
to objects on the Control Display. The contours
of distant objects are shown on the Control Dis-
play even before the acoustic signal sounds.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.
5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to
the uppermost field. Turn the controller

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corrective steering maneuvers may be neces-
sary.
M Dynamic Mode is switched off every time the
engine is restarted.
When the M Dynamic Mode is on, stabi-
lizing measures are performed to a limited
degree only. Take action yourself, otherwise
there is a risk of an accident.<
To maintain vehicle stability, drive with
the DSC activated and the
M Dynamic Mode deactivated whenever possi-
ble.<
Activating MDM
Press the button on the steering wheel, refer
to MDrive
* on page48. The MDM indicator
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up if you
previously selected the M Dynamic Mode MDM
in MDrive.
When the ignition is on, you can set the
M Dynamic Mode via MDrive on the Control
Display.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "M settings" and press the control-
ler.
4.Select "MDrive" and press the controller.
5.Select "DSC" and press the controller.
6.Select "M Dynamic Mode" and press the
controller.
Deactivating MDM
Press the button on the steering wheel
again; the MDM indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster goes out.
For better control
The indicator lamp goes out briefly after
the engine is started.
If the indicator lamp lights up:
M Dynamic Mode is activated.
The indicator lamp lights up perma-
nently and the DSC indicator lamp
flashes. M Dynamic Mode is control-
ling the drive and braking forces.
Deactivating DSC
Press the DSC OFF button for longer than
approx. 1 second; the indicator lamps for DSC
in the instrument cluster light up. Stabilizing
and drive-output promoting actions are no
longer executed.
You may find it useful to briefly deactivate DSC
under the following exceptional circumstances:
>When driving uphill on snow-covered roads,
in slush or on unplowed, snow-covered
roads
>When rocking a stuck vehicle free or start-
ing off in deep snow or on loose ground
>When driving with snow chains
To increase vehicle stability, activate DSC again
as soon as possible.
Activating DSC
Press the DSC OFF button again; the indicator
lamps in the instrument cluster go out.

Lamps
92
Lamps
Parking lamps/low beams
0Lamps off,
daytime running lamps
1Parking lamps and daytime running lamps
2Low-beam headlamps and welcome lamps
3Automatic headlamp control
*, daytime run-
ning lamps, welcome lamps and Adaptive
Head Light
*
When you open the driver's door with the igni-
tion switched off, the exterior lighting is auto-
matically switched off if the light switch is in
position 0, 2 or 3.
Switch on the parking lamps if necessary,
switch position 1.
Parking lamps
In switch position1, the front, rear and side
vehicle lighting is switched on. You can use the
parking lamps for parking.
When the ignition is switched off and the switch
is in position 1, only the outside sections of the
rear lamps are illuminated, refer to page225.
The parking lamps will discharge the bat-
tery. Therefore, do not leave them on for
unduly long periods of time, otherwise the bat-
tery might not have enough power to start the
engine. It is preferable to switch on the left-
hand or right-hand roadside parking lamps,
refer to page94.<
Low beams
The low beams light up when the light switch is
in position 2 and the ignition is on.
Automatic headlamp control*
When the switch is in position3, the low beams
are switched on and off automatically depend-
ing on ambient light conditions, e.g. in a tunnel,
in twilight, or if there is precipitation. The Adap-
tive Head Light
* is active. The LED next to the
symbol is illuminated when the low beams are
on. You can also activate the daytime running
lamps, refer to page93. In the situations
described above, the lamps then automatically
switch from daytime running lamps to low
beams.
The headlamps may also come on when the
sun is sitting low on a blue sky.
The automatic headlamp control cannot
serve as a substitute for your personal
judgment in determining when the lamps
should be switched on in response to ambient
lighting conditions. For example, the system
cannot detect fog or hazy weather. To avoid
safety risks, you should always switch on the
low-beam headlamps manually under these
conditions.<
Welcome lamps
If you leave the light switch in position 2 or 3
when you park the car, the parking lamps and
the interior lamps light up briefly when you
unlock the vehicle.
Activating/deactivating welcome
lamps
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.

Lamps
94 The daytime running lamps are
switched on.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Adaptive Head Light*
The concept
Adaptive Head Light is a variable headlamp
control system that enables better illumination
of the road surface. Depending on the steering
angle and other parameters, the light from the
headlamp follows the course of the road.
In tight curves at speeds up to 40 mph/70 km/h,
e.g. on mountainous roads or when turning, an
additional, corner-illuminating lamp is switched
on that lights up the inside area of the curve.
Activating Adaptive Head Light
With the ignition switched on, turn the light
switch to position 3, refer to page92.
The corner-illuminating lamp is switched on
automatically, depending on the steering wheel
angle or turn signal indicator.
To avoid blinding oncoming traffic, the Adaptive
Head Light directs light towards the front pas-
senger side when the vehicle is at a standstill.
When you are reversing, only the corner-illumi-
nating lamps are active and switched on on
both sides.
Malfunction
The LED next to the symbol for automatic head-
lamp control flashes. Adaptive Head Light is
malfunctioning or has failed. Have the system
checked as soon as possible.
High beams/roadside parking
lamps
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Roadside parking lamps
*
Roadside parking lamps, left or right
There is an additional option of switching on the
lamps on the side of the car facing the road
when parked.
Switching on
After parking the vehicle, press the lever up or
down beyond the pressure point for a longer
period, arrow 3.
The roadside parking lamps drain the bat-
tery. Therefore, do not leave them on for
unduly long periods of time, otherwise the bat-
tery might not have enough power to start the
engine.<
Switching off
Press the lever in the opposite direction to the
pressure point, arrow 3.
Instrument lighting
You can adjust the brightness of the instrument
lighting only when the parking lamps or the low
beams are switched on.

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1.Push button 1 in the turn indicator lever up
or down repeatedly until the appropriate
symbol appears in the display, accompa-
nied by the brightness level and the word
"SET".
2.Press button 2.
3.Push button 1 up or down to select the
desired brightness level.
4.Press button 2.
The display again shows the outside tem-
perature and the time.
Interior lamps
The interior lamps, footwell lamps*, entry
lamps
*, cargo bay lamp and courtesy lamps*
are controlled automatically.
The LEDs for the courtesy lamps
are set in the
door handles and illuminate the ground in front
of the doors.
To avoid draining the battery, all lamps
inside the car are switched off about
8 minutes after the ignition is switched off, refer
to Start/stop button on page54.<
Switching interior lamps on/off
manually
Interior lamps, front and rear*:
To switch on and off, press the button.
To switch off the interior lamps, footwell
lamps
*, entry lamps* and courtesy lamps* per-
manently, press the button for the front interior
lamps for about 3 seconds.
Reading lamps
There are reading lamps at the front and rear*,
next to the interior lamps. To switch on and off,
press the button.