2000 BMW 323Ci COUPE down

55n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Fasten your safety belt before starting
off.
To fasten:
Make sure you hear the catch engage in
the belt buckle.
To release:
Press the red button in the buckle. Hold
the belt and guide it back into its reel.462de205
Safety belt height adjustmentYou can adjust the safety belts to fit your
own physical dimensions by using the
safety belt height adjustment.
Slide the button downward or upward.462de206
In the rear, the belt buckle with the word
"CENTER" is provided exclusively for
the passenger sitting in the middle.
For your safety, please comply with
the following instruction for wear-
ing safety belts. If you do not, the safety
belts may not be able to provide their
maximum protection.
The following information also applies
to your passengers:
Never allow more than one person to
wear a single safety belt. Never allow
infants or small children to ride in a pas-
senger's lap.
Avoid twisting the belt while routing it
firmly across the hips and shoulder. Do
not allow the belt to rest against hard
or fragile objects in your pockets. Never
route the belt across your neck, do not
run it across sharp edges and ensure
that the belt does not become caught
or jammed.
Be sure that the safety belt fits snugly
against your body at all times, and avoid
wearing clothing that prevents the belt
from fitting properly. Pull on the belt pe-
riodically to readjust the tension across
your shoulder. In the event of a frontal
impact, a loose lap belt could slide over
your hips, leading to abdominal injury. In
addition, the safety belt's restraint effec-
tiveness is reduced if the belt is worn
loosely.
Safety belts

63n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Starting the engine Switching off the engine
Do not operate the starter too
briefly, but not longer than
approx. 20 seconds. Release the igni-
tion key immediately as soon as the
engine starts.
Do not allow the engine to warm up by
leaving it running while the vehicle re-
mains stationary. Instead, drive off
immediately at a moderate engine
speed.<
Should the engine fail to start on the
first attempt, e.g. if it is very hot or cold:
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway
down while engaging the starter.
Cold start at extremely low tempera-
tures, from approx. + 57 (– 156)
and at elevations above 3300 feet
(1000 meters):
>On the first start attempt, engage the
starter for a longer period (approx.
10 seconds)
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway
down while engaging the starter.
Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 0.
Do not pull the ignition key out of a
rolling vehicle, otherwise the igni-
tion switch could lock and it is impossi-
ble to steer the vehicle.
When you leave the vehicle, always
remove the ignition key and engage the
steering lock.
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Always engage the parking brake when
parking on slopes and inclined sur-
faces, as placing the lever in 1st gear or
reverse may not provide adequate re-
sistance to rolling.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Place the selector lever in "Park".<

66n
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
You have the option of driving a normal
automatic transmission or switching to
manual.
Whenever you shift the selector lever
out of position D toward the left and
into the M/S gate, the automatic trans-
mission's sports-emphasized shift pro-
gram activates. As soon as you even
begin to move the selector lever in the
direction "+" or "–", Steptronic shifts the
gear and manual operation becomes
active. Whenever you want to use auto-
matic again, just shift the selector lever
toward the right to position D.
The Steptronic automatic transmission
is equipped with ATC (Adaptive Trans-
mission Control). ATC reacts with preci-
sion to your individual driving style and
the current driving conditions. This is
the reason why various shift programs
are used.
For details concerning ATC, please
refer to the chapter "Advanced Tech-
nology" on page 160.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Starting the engineThe engine can only be started in
selector lever positions P ("Park") or
N ("Neutral").Range selectionA lock prevents inadvertent shifts into
some selector lever positions. To re-
lease the shift-lock mechanism, press
the button on the front of the shift knob
(arrow).462de209
While the vehicle is stationary and
before shifting out of "Park" or
"Neutral," depress the footbrake in or-
der to disengage the selector lever's
lock mechanism (Shiftlock).
Hold the footbrake down until starting
off. Otherwise the vehicle will "creep"
when a drive position is engaged.<
Before leaving the vehicle with the
engine running, shift the selector
lever to the "Park" or "Neutral" position
and apply the parking brake. The vehi-
cle will move if this is not done. Do not
leave the car unattended with the en-
gine running. An unattended vehicle
with a running engine represents a po-
tential safety hazard.<
P ParkSelect only with the vehicle stationary.
Transmission locks to prevent rear
wheels from turning.R ReverseSelect only with the vehicle stationary.N NeutralSelect only if your journey is interrupted
for a long period.

67n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
D Drive (automatic shift program)This position is designed for driving un-
der all normal operating conditions. All
forward gears are available, the Adap-
tive Transmission Control (ATC) is fully
operational."Kickdown" (automatic downshift)In the "Kickdown" mode, you achieve
maximum performance.
To activate this mode, depress the ac-
celerator pedal beyond the full-throttle
position, at which a resistance point
must be overcome.
M/S Manual operation and
Sport programShifting from D into M/S activates the
Sport program and indicates SD in the
gear indicator. This position is recom-
mended in the event a performance-
oriented driving style is desired.
At the slightest touch, the automatic
transmission shifts out of the Sport pro-
gram into manual operation.
Whenever you start to move the selector
lever forward in the "+" direction, the
transmission upshifts; moving it back-
ward in the direction of "–", shifts it
downward. M1 to M5 appear in the gear
indicator.462de210
The ATC will carry out upshifting and/or
downshifting only at the appropriate
number of RPMs and speed, e. g.
downshifting will not occur if the engine
speed is too high. The desired, then the
actual gear, briefly show up in the in-
strument cluster.
To accelerate quickly in the man-
ual mode, e. g. to pass, downshift
to manual or kickdown.<
Shifting from M/S to the selector lever
positions P, R and N is possible only by
going through D.

68n
Automatic transmission with Steptronic
*
The Steptronic will "think" for you in the
following situations:
>In order to keep the engine from
overrevving, it will automatically shift
into the next higher gear shortly be-
fore the governed speed.
>If you do not do anything to interfere,
it will automatically downshift at
lower speeds.
>In kickdown, it will downshift into the
lowest gear possible, depending on
the engine speed.
Available displays
P R N D SD M1 M2 M3 M4 M5462us019
Electronic transmission control
module
If the indicator lamp comes on,
there is a malfunction in the
transmission system.
Bring the vehicle to a stop, select trans-
mission position "P", set the parking
brake and turn the engine off (ignition
key to position 0).
Wait a few seconds, then start the engine.
If the indicator lamp goes out after a few
seconds, normal transmission perfor-
mance has been restored. Drive off
normally.
If the indicator lamp does not go out, all
selector lever positions can still be se-
lected; however in the forward positions
the vehicle has limited performance as
it drives only in 3
rd and 4
th gear.
If this happens, avoid extreme engine
loads and consult the nearest authorized
BMW center.
Do not carry out any work on the
car in the engine compartment
without first making sure that the selector
lever is in position P or N, and that
the parking brake has been set.<
For towing, tow-starting or jump-start-
ing the vehicle, refer to the information
beginning on page 156.

72n
Cruise control You can store and automatically main-
tain any desired vehicle speed above
approx. 20 mph (30 km/h). To activate the system In ignition key positions 1 or 2.
Press button 1. The indicator lamp in
the instrument cluster comes on. You
can now use the cruise control.463de058
To store and maintain speed/
to acceleratePress button 3 briefly:
The system records and maintains the
current vehicle speed. The speed will
now be increased by approx. 0.6 mph
(approx. 1 km/h) every time you briefly
press the button.
Press and hold button 3:
The vehicle accelerates without pres-
sure on the accelerator pedal. When
you release the button, the system
records and maintains the current
speed.
If, on a downhill gradient, the
engine braking effect is not suffi-
cient, the controlled speed may be
exceeded. Speed may drop on uphill
grades if the engine output is insuffi-
cient.<
To deceleratePress button 2 briefly:
When the cruise control is active, vehicle
speed is reduced by approx. 0.6 mph
(approx. 1 km/h) every time you briefly
press the button.
Press and hold button 2:
With the cruise control active, the sys-
tem automatically reduces the throttle
opening to slow the vehicle. When you
release the button, the system records
and maintains the current speed.To cancel the cruise control When the system is activated, press
button 1. The indicator lamp stays on.
You can use the cruise control again as
required.

75n
RepairsIndexOverview Controls Car care Technology Data
Fuel gauge Temperature gauge When you switch on the ignition, the
indicator lamp comes on briefly to con-
firm that the system is operational.
Once the indicator lamp begins to light
up continuously, there are still approx.
2.1 gallons (8 liters) of fuel in the fuel
tank.
Tank capacity: page 173.
If the tilt of the vehicle varies, e.g.,
when you are driving in mountainous
areas, this may cause the needle to
fluctuate slightly.
Please refuel early, as driving to
the last drop of fuel can result in
damage to the engine and/or catalytic
converter.<462us020
BlueThe engine is still cold. Drive at moder-
ate engine and vehicle speeds.RedWhen you switch on the ignition, the
indicator lamp comes on briefly to con-
firm that the system is operational.
If the lamp comes on while operating
the vehicle, the engine is overheated.
Switch the engine off immediately and
allow it to cool down.460de082
Between the blue and red zonesNormal operating range. It is not un-
usual for the needle to rise as far as the
edge of the red zone in response to high
outside temperatures or severe operat-
ing conditions.
Checking coolant level: page 126.

96n
Ashtray, front
* Cigarette lighter
*
To openPress briefly in direction indicated by
arrow.
To extinguish a cigarette, tap off the ash
and gently press the tip into the funnel.462us030
To emptyOpen the lid and press down (arrow):
You can now pull the ashtray upward
for removal.
On vehicles equipped for non-smok-
ers, the insert is removed in the same
way.462us031
Press in. Remove as soon as the lighter
jumps back out.
Hold or touch the hot cigarette
lighter by the knob only. Holding
or touching it in other areas could result
in burns.
The cigarette lighter remains operational
when the ignition key has been removed.
For this reason, children should never
be left in the car unattended. flashlights, car vacuum cleaners, etc., up
to a rating of approx. 200 watts at 12 volts.
Avoid damaging the socket due to insert-
ing plugs of different shapes or sizes.
On vehicles equipped for non-smokers,
the socket is provided at the same location.462us032