ignition BMW M5 SEDAN 2003 User Guide

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Steering wheelAdjustmentsThe steering wheel can be moved in
any of four directions. Adjust by moving
the control lever in the desired direc-
tion.
Do not adjust the steering wheel
while the vehicle is moving. There
is a risk of accident from unexpected
movement.<
To store the steering wheel setting,
refer to "Seat, mirror and steering
wheel memory" on page 45.39mde134
Automatic steering wheel
adjustmentIn order to make it easier to get into and
out of the vehicle, the steering wheel
automatically moves into the top posi-
tion and returns to the driving (memory)
position.
This automatic feature is controlled by
the position of the ignition key and by
the driver's door.
Your BMW center can adjust
your vehicle's systems in such a
manner that your personalized setting is
automatically called up for the steering
wheel position when you unlock the
vehicle with your personal key.<

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Mirrors Exterior mirrors1 Switch for 4-way adjustment
2 Selector switch for changing
between mirrorsTo adjust manuallyThe mirrors can also be adjusted by
hand:
Press the edge of the lens.
To store mirror settings, refer to "Seat,
mirror and steering wheel memory" on
page 45.390us733
Convex mirror
The passenger-side mirror fea-
tures a convex lens. When esti-
mating the distance between yourself
and other traffic, bear in mind that the
objects reflected in the mirror are closer
than they appear.<
Your BMW center can adjust
your vehicle's systems in such a
manner that your personalized setting is
automatically called up for the mirror
position when you unlock the vehicle
with your personal remote control.<
Self-defrosting mirrors Both mirrors are automatically
defrosted with the ignition key in
position 2.
Interior and exterior mirrors,
automatic dimming feature These mirrors automatically respond
to glare from following vehicles by dim-
ming through an infinitely variable
range. The mirrors automatically revert
to their clear, undimmed setting when-
ever you select reverse.
The interior rearview mirror's dimming
function is regulated by two photocells;
one is integrated in the mirror's lens
(arrow), while the other is located at an
offset position on the rear of the mirror.
To ensure that the mirror continues
to operate efficiently, ensure that the
area adjacent to the photocells remains
clear and unobstructed. Refrain from
attaching stickers or other objects to
windshield immediately behind the
rearview mirror.39mde082

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Airbagsfatal injury. Please note that the word
"Airbag" imprinted on the door trim
panel indicates the airbag's location.
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 installed. For
example, a child Ð even though belted Ð
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 do 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 chil-
dren in the rear seat.
The 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 con-
tact your BMW center.< Even when all these guidelines are fol-
lowed, 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
provoke a mild temporary hearing loss
in extremely sensitive individuals.
Airbag warning information is also pro-
vided on the sun visors.
This is the right way a child should sit in
a child restraint when rear side airbags
(arrow) are provided.
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OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Airbags Transporting childrenThis is the right way a larger child
should sit wearing the safety belt when
rear side airbags (arrow) are provided.380de638
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp indicates the
operational status of the airbag
system from ignition key posi-
tion 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.
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 por-
tion 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.

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0 Steering locked
1 Steering unlocked
2 Ignition switched on
3 Starting engine
Steering locked The key can be inserted or removed in
this position only.
An acoustic warning is sounded when
you fail to remove the ignition key after
opening the driver's door.
After removing the key, turn the
steering wheel slightly to the left or right
until the lock engages. 390de010
Steering unlocked Turning the steering wheel slightly to
the right or left often makes it easier to
turn the key from 0 to 1.
Individual electrical accessories are
ready for operation.Starting engine Depress the clutch when starting the
engine. A lockout prevents the engine
from starting with the clutch engaged.
Before starting>Engage the parking brake
>Move the gearshift lever to the neu-
tral position
>Depress the clutch pedal.
Do not allow the engine to run in
enclosed spaces. The exhaust
gases contain carbon monoxide, an
odorless and colorless, but highly toxic
gas. Breathing the exhaust gases poses
an extreme health risk, and can lead to
unconsciousness and death.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended
with the engine running. An unattended
vehicle with a running engine repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.<
Steering/Ignition lock Starting the engine

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Starting the engine Switching off the engine Starting engineDo not press the accelerator pedal
while starting the engine.
While it is important not to release
the key prematurely, you should
also avoid allowing the starter to
operate continuously for more than
20 seconds at a time. Release the igni-
tion key immediately when the engine
starts.<
Do not warm up the engine by allowing
it to run with the vehicle parked.
Instead, you should drive away immedi-
ately while taking care to avoid high
engine speeds until the engine warms
to its normal operating temperature.
If the engine does not start on the first
attempt (the engine is very hot or cold,
for instance):
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway
down while engaging the starter.
Cold starts at extremely low tempera-
tures of roughly +57 (Ð156) or below
and at altitudes of over 3,300 ft
(1,000 m):
>Allow the starter to turn somewhat
longer (approx. 10 seconds) during
your initial starting attempt.
The engine's idle speed is automatically
regulated by the computerized engine-
management system. A brief period at
high idle is normal just after starting; the
idle speed should gradually return to
normal as the engine warms. Should
the engine fail to revert to its normal
idle speed after warming, a problem
may exist: please refer the problem to
your BMW center.
To prevent the battery from discharging,
always switch off any electrical devices
not in use, as well as the ignition when
the vehicle is not being driven.
Extended starting attempts,
characterized by excessively fre-
quent or long periods with the
starter engaged, can lead to catalyst
damage.<
When driving, standing at idle,
and parking the vehicle, take care
to avoid contact between the exhaust
system and flammable materials (grass,
hay, leaves, etc.). Such contact could
lead to a fire, resulting in serious per-
sonal injury and property damage.<
Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 0.
Do not remove the ignition key
while the vehicle is still moving. If
you do so, the steering will lock, making
it impossible to steer the vehicle.
When you leave the vehicle, always
remove the ignition key and engage the
steering lock.
Always engage the parking brake
when parking on hills and inclined sur-
faces, as even first gear or reverse may
not provide adequate resistance to
rolling.<

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Parking brake Manual transmission The parking brake is designed primarily
to prevent the vehicle from rolling when
it is parked. It operates on the rear
wheels.To engageThe lever engages automatically when
it is pulled up, and the "PARK BRAKE"
(in Canada "P") indicator lamp comes
on in the instrument cluster in ignition
key position 2. Refer to page 17. To releasePull up slightly on the lever, press the
button and lower the lever.390de714
If, in exceptional circumstances, it
should be necessary to engage
the parking brake while the vehicle is in
motion, do not pull it with excessive
pressure. Keep your thumb pressed
against the release button while care-
fully pulling the lever up to apply mod-
erate pressure.
Excessive pressure can lead to over-
braking and loss of traction (fishtailing)
at the rear axle.
The brake lamps do not come on when
the parking brake is applied. Always
engage the parking brake when parking
on hills and inclined surfaces, as even
first gear or reverse may not provide
adequate resistance to rolling.<
You can help prevent corrosion and
maintain balanced braking by periodi-
cally pulling up the parking brake lever
gently while coasting to a stop at a
traffic light. Always check traffic condi-
tions first to avoid posing a hazard to
yourself or other road users.
When shifting gears, always depress
the clutch pedal all the way down, then
move the gearshift lever until it engages
securely in the desired gear.
You will also need to depress the clutch
when starting the engine, as an auto-
matic lockout prevents the starter from
operating when the clutch is engaged.
When the vehicle lighting is switched
on, the shift pattern is illuminated on
the gearshift lever.
When shifting gears in the 5th/
6th-gear plane, be sure to press
the gearshift lever to the right in order
to prevent inadvertent selection of a
gear in the 3rd/4th-gear plane.<39mde017

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Manual transmission Turn signal/Headlamp flasherReverse Select only when the vehicle is com-
pletely stopped. Press the gearshift
lever to the left to overcome the resis-
tance.
As you do this, the backup lamps will
turn on automatically when the ignition
key is in position 2.
Do not hold the vehicle in place on
slopes by slipping or "riding" the
clutch. Use the parking brake instead.
Riding the clutch causes the clutch
assembly to wear out prematurely.<
1 High beam (blue indicator lamp)
2 Headlamp flasher (blue indicator
lamp)
3 Turn signal indicator (green indicator
lamp accompanied by periodic
clicking sound from the relay)To signal brieflyPress the lever up to but not beyond
the pressure point. It then returns to the
center position when released.
If the indicator lamp and the
clicking from the relay are both
faster than normal, one of the turn
signal indicators has failed.<39mde135

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Washer/Wiper system/Rain sensor0 Wipers retracted
1 Intermittent mode or rain sensor
*
2 Normal wipe
3 Fast wipe
4 Brief wipe
5 Cleaning windshield
6 Intensive cleaning
7 Rotary dial for control of the wipe
interval in the intermittent mode or
the sensitivity of the rain sensor39mde136
Intermittent mode or rain sensor
*
Intermittent mode:
You can set the wipe interval to four
stages with rotary dial 7.
In addition, the wipe interval varies
automatically depending on road
speed.
Rain sensor:
The rain sensor is positioned on the
windshield, directly ahead of the inte-
rior rearview mirror.
To activate the rain sensor:
Move the lever to position 1 with the
ignition key in position 1 or higher. The
wipers travel once across the wind-
shield, regardless of the weather
conditions.
You can leave the lever permanently in
position 1. Whenever the ignition key is
in position 1 or higher, all you then need
to do to activate the rain sensor is
briefly turn the rotary dial 7.
To adjust the sensitivity of the rain
sensor:
Turn rotary dial 7.
To deactivate the rain sensor:
Put lever in position 0.Turn the rain sensor off in auto-
matic car washes. Failure to do so
could result in damage caused by
undesired wiper activation.<
Normal wipeWhen the vehicle is stationary, the
wipers automatically revert to intermit-
tent wipe (not on vehicles with rain
sensor).Fast wipeWhen the vehicle is stationary, the
wipers operate at normal speed (not on
vehicles with rain sensor).Cleaning windshieldThe system sprays washer fluid against
the windshield and activates the wipers
for a brief period.Intensive cleaningAs in setting 5. In addition, an intensive-
action washer fluid is first sprayed on
the windshield.

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Washer/Wiper system Cruise control Cleaning headlampsWhen the headlamps are on, they are
also cleaned automatically every fifth
time you activate "Cleaning windshield"
5 or "Intensive cleaning" 6.
Do not use the washers if there is
any danger that the fluid will
freeze on the windshield, as your vision
could be obscured. You can reduce this
danger by adding a windshield washer
antifreeze. Refer to page 115. Do not
activate the washer if the reservoir is
empty, as the washer pump could be
damaged. automatically when the ignition key is in
position 2.
You can store and automatically main-
tain any desired vehicle speed above
approx. 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control is available whenever
the engine is running and the system
has been activated.
To activate the system From ignition key position 2:
Press the button and the indicator lamp
on the instrument cluster (refer to
page 18) will come on. You can now
use the cruise control.
Do not use cruise control on
twisting roads, when high traffic
density prevents driving at a constant
speed, or when the road surface is slick
(snow, rain, ice) or loose (rocks or
gravel, sand). the indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
Cruise control is also deactivated when
the ignition key is in position 0.
The speed stored in memory is deleted.