1998 BMW CONVERTIBLE ECU

49
At a glanceControls Car careRepairsTechnicalDataIndex
To release the beltRelease the buckle, remove the child
restraint device and allow the inertia
reel to retract the belt completely.b
Please also make this information
available to your passengers and urge
them to observe the instructions for
safety belt use.c
For care instructions refer to page 134.All passengers, and especially children,
should use a restraint device when
riding in the car.
Infants or small children should never
be permitted to ride on a passenger's
lap.
Children should always sit in the rear
seat and use, depending on age, either
a child restraint system or the safety
belts installed in the vehicle. Accident
statistics have shown that children are
safer when properly restrained in the
rear seats than when riding in the front.
Infants and toddlers should be secured
with a child restraint system appropri-
ate for their size.
Children of six years and older should
wear safety belts.Commercially available child seats
complying with legal standards are
designed to be secured using either a
lap belt or a combined lap-shoulder
belt. Because improperly installed
restraint systems can increase the risk
of injury to children, we strongly urge
you to carefully read and follow the
instructions supplied with the system.
Should the child restraint system of your
choice require the use of a securing or
tether strap, note that three anchoring
points (arrows) have been provided for
mounting it in your vehicle.
Ask your BMW Retailer to perform the
necessary installation work.
360us126
BMW Sedan/Coupe
Child restraint system Installing child seats

50
a
Before install-
ing any child re-
straint device or
child seat, please
read the follow-
ing:
Never install a rearward-facing child
restraint system in the front passenger
seat of this car.
Your car is equipped with an airbag
supplemental restraint system for the
front passenger. Because the backrest
on any rear-facing child restraint sys-
tem (of the kind designed for infants
under 1 year and 20 lbs.) would be
within the airbag's deployment range,
you should never mount such a device
in the front passenger seat, as the
impact of the airbag against the child
restraint's backrest could lead to seri-
ous 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 dashboard as possible. This
important precaution is intended to
maximize the distance between the air-
bag 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.
We strongly urge you to carefully read
and observe the instructions for instal-
lation and use provided by the child re-
straint's manufacturer whenever you
use such a device.
Always ensure 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, an industry recommended prac-
tice for securing child restraint systems
in motor vehicles.1 Front airbag system, consisting of
driver and passenger airbag
2 Side airbags
*
Protective effectThe front airbags provide additional
protection for the front-seat occupants
in the event of a severe frontal collision
in which the protection afforded by the
safety belts alone would no longer be
sufficient. The side airbags help protect
the front seat occupants in a severe
side impact.360de305
Installing child seats Airbags

71
At a glanceControls Car careRepairsTechnicalDataIndex
Texts with messages and warnings are
used to alert the driver to defective sys-
tems. In addition, there is a warning
lamp in the instrument panel.
The time and date can be displayed
with the digital clock.
1 Status report symbol
2 Display
3 Plus symbol for additional messages
4 CHECK key
The defective-system messages are
divided into 3 different priorities:
Priority 1These defects are indicated immedi-
ately with the flashing warning lamp and
the flashing warning symbol (1). Several
simultaneous defects are displayed
consecutively. After 20 seconds or
when the CHECK key is pressed, the
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
stops flashing.
The messages continue to be displayed
until the defects are eliminated and can
not be deleted by pressing the CHECK
key (4).
Brake lamp electrical system
The brake lamps have failed. Fuse or
electrical circuit is defective. Refer to
page 151 or consult your BMW Retailer.
360us110Check Control*

Brake lamps defective
Brake lamps have failed - bulbs
defective.
Replace bulbs. Refer to page 143.Priority 2These defects appear when the ignition
key is in position 2. The warning sym-
bols remain after the message disap-
pears. If the plus symbol (3) appears:
Additional messages are present and
can be displayed by pressing the
CHECK key.
1 Brake lamp defective
A bulb has failed. Refer to page 143.
Low beams defective,
Backup lamps defective,
License plate lamp
Bulb has failed or fuse or electrical
circuit defective. Refer to pages 141,
143, 145 or visit a BMW Retailer.
Washer fluid low
Too low, top up at next opportunity.
Refer to page 124.
Check Control inactive
Messages and warnings can not be
displayed. See BMW Retailer.

72
Priority 3These status reports usually appear
after the car is parked and the ignition
key returned to position 0 (if several
messages have been recorded, they will
appear consecutively, with Priority 3
messages following Priority 1 and 2
messages).
Messages remain available for a period
of approx. two minutes after the display
goes out and the ignition key has been
removed, and can be displayed by
pressing the CHECK key.
The messages can also be displayed
before you start driving with the ignition
key in position 2. The texts then go out
after a short time or when you start driv-
ing, and no warning symbols remain.
Messages are not displayed again until
the ignition key is turned to position 0.
If a plus symbol appears: display addi-
tional messages by pressing the CHECK
key.Check coolant levelIndicates that coolant is almost down to
minimum level. Top up at the next
opportunity. Refer to page 127.To check the Check Control display
(only when no messages are displayed):
Press the CHECK key with the ignition
key in position 2: CHECK CONTROL
OK appears in the display.
EntriesAll numbers for the time and date are
entered with the entry keys according
to the following principle:
The numbers can be entered in any
order. Each time the key is pressed, or
for each half second the key is held
down, the numerical value increases by
one.To display time and datedPress the respective function key
(CLOCK/DATE).
When the ignition key is in position 0 or
removed, the displays appear for a few
seconds; in ignition key position 1 the
desired value is displayed indefinitely.
AM
360us322
1000 1001 10
Check Control*

97
At a glanceControlsCar careRepairsTechnicalDataIndex
BMW Convertible - loading the ski
bagRemoving filler piece.Detach cut-out trim at bottom.
Extend the ski sack between the front
seats. The zipper provides convenient
access to the inside of the sack, and
can also be left open to promote drying.
b
When remounting the trim, press it
firmly onto the guide rod at the bot-
tom.cOpen the cover panel from the luggage
compartment and use the magnetic
retainers to attach it to the lower side of
the rear shelf within the luggage com-
partment.
b
Secure the stored skis or other
objects by tightening down the strap on
the ski bag at the buckle.c
For general information on the ski bag,
refer to page 95.
36cde003
36cde004
36cde005
Ski bag*

98
Stowing a loadIf you are transporting a load in your
BMW
dStow a heavy load as far forward as
possible - directly behind the back-
rests or the front wall of the luggage
compartment - and on the ßoor.
dCover sharp edges and corners.
dDo not pile objects higher than the
top edge of the backrest.
dIf the load is heavy and the rear seat
is unoccupied, put the outer safety
belt in its lock.
Securing loaddSecure smaller, lighter items with
retaining straps or draw straps (refer
to page 34).
dFor large, heavy items, see your
BMW Retailer for load-securing
devices
*. The lashing eyes on the
corners of the luggage compartment
are used to attach these straps.
dObserve the information enclosed
with the load-securing devices.
a
Always position and secure the
load correctly, otherwise it can endan-
ger the passengers in the event of brak-
ing or swerving.
Do not exceed the permissible gross
weight and axle load (refer to page 16 3),
otherwise the vehicle's operating safety
is no longer assured and does not com-
ply with traffic laws.
Do not stow heavy or hard objects in the
passenger compartment, otherwise
they would be thrown around during
braking and evasive maneuvers and en-
danger the occupants.c
360us316
Cargo loading

10 3
At a glanceControlsCar careRepairsTechnicalDataIndex
ABS enhances active safety by helping
to prevent the wheels from locking under
braking. When the front wheels slide, the
driver loses steering control over the
vehicle. Traction loss at the rear wheels
can cause the rear end to break into
uncontrolled oversteer.
ABS is designed to meet two essential
requirements during every application:
dto help provide vehicle stability on all
types of road surface (asphalt,
cement, dirt, moisture, snow and ice).
dto help to retain steering and maneu-
vering capability under the same con-
ditions.
However, certain important consider-
ations must be borne in mind in connec-
tion with these requirements:
Not even ABS can suspend the normal
laws of physics. ABS alone can not pre-
vent accidents when the brakes are
applied without an adequate safety
interval between vehicles, when the car
reaches excessive rates of lateral accel-
eration in curves, or if aquaplaning
occurs. Responsibility for these types of
situations remains in the hands (and feet)
of the driver. You should never allow the
added safety of ABS to lull you into a
false sense of security, or mislead you
into taking increased risks that could
affect your own safety and that of others.
Driving with ABSThe yellow ABS warning in the instru-
ment panel goes out as soon as the
engine is started.
The system becomes operative once the
vehicle exceeds a speed of 5 mph
(8 km/h). The ABS is deactivated when-
ever the vehicle's speed drops below
approx. 2 mph (3 km/h). This means that
the wheels can lock in the Þnal phase of
a braking action - a factor of no signiÞ-
cance in actual practice.
The ABS system closed-loop control cir-
cuit cycles in fractions of a second. A
pulsation at the brake pedal indicates to
the driver that ABS is active, that is, that
the car is within its maximum braking
range. In addition, the audible pulsation
that accompanies the control operation
calls your attention to the reduced trac-
tion between tires and road surface
(marginal adhesion), and reminds you
that the vehicle's speed should be
reduced to adapt to road conditions.On road surfaces featuring a loose top
layer on a Þrmer substratum, e.g., on
gravel or snow, the braking distances
with ABS may be longer than with the
wheels locked. However, ABS continues
to provide enhanced vehicle and steer-
ing control under these conditions.
a
To ensure that the system remains
completely operational, never modify the
ABS. Service procedures on ABS are to
be performed by authorized technicians
only.c
ABS may fail to function with maximum
efÞciency when tires of different sizes
are mounted (e.g., winter tires/spare tire;
remount the correct tires at all wheels as
soon as possible).
In the event of a fault, the ABS warning
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up,
refer to page 18. The braking system
then reverts to conventional operation as
on a vehicle without ABS. However,
have the brake system checked by your
BMW Retailer as soon as possible. To
prevent undetected defects and cumu-
lative faults from adversely affecting the
brake system, refer any problems to
your authorized BMW Retailer at the
earliest opportunity.
Antilock Brake System (ABS)

10 7
At a glanceControlsCar careRepairsTechnicalDataIndex
A special luggage system is available as
an option for your BMW. Please
observe the precautions included with
the installation instructions.
Because roof racks raise the center of
gravity of the car when loaded, they
exercise a major effect on its handling
and steering response.
You should therefore always remember
not to exceed the approved roof weight,
the approved gross vehicle weight or
the axle weights when loading the rack.
For specifications refer to "Technical
data", page 163ff.
Make sure that the load is not too heavy,
and attempt to distribute it evenly.
Always load the heaviest items first (on
the bottom).
Make sure there is sufficient space to
raise the sliding/tilt sunroof.Secure the roof luggage correctly and
securely to prevent it from shifting or
being lost during driving (danger to fol-
lowing traffic).
Drive smoothly: avoid sudden accelera-
tion and braking maneuvers; corner
gently.
The roof load increases the surface
area exposed to the wind: increased
fuel consumption and stress on the roof
are the immediate results.Roof-mounted luggage rack*