2001 BMW 325I Owners Manual

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Airbagscenter. 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
contact your BMW center.<
Even when all these guidelines are
observed, there is still a small residual
risk of injuries to the face, hands and
arms occurring from airbag deployment
in isolated instances. The ignition and
inflation noise may induce a mild
temporary hearing loss in sensitive
individuals.
For additional information concerning
the airbag system, refer to pages 147
and 172.This is the right way for a child to sit in a
child restraint when rear side airbags
(arrow) are provided.
462us012
This is the right way for a larger child
to sit wearing the safety belt when rear
side airbags (arrow) are provided.462us013

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Transporting children safely LATCH attachment of the child
seat The illustration shows the right rear
seat.
The mounts for the LATCH attachment
of the child seat are located behind the
plastic covers (arrows), and are covered
again once the LATCH attachment of
the child seat has been removed.
To mount the LATCH attachment
of the child seat, please follow the
manufacturer's operating and safety
precautions.<460de304
Child-safety locks On a rear door, push the safety lever
downward:
The door can now be opened from the
outside only.460de021

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Transporting children safelyCommercially available child seats
complying with the legal standard are
designed to be secured with a lap belt
or with the lap belt portion of a combi-
nation 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.
If you use a child restraint system with a
tether strap, three additional tether
anchorage points (refer to the arrows in
the illustration) have been provided.
Depending on the location selected for
seating in the rear passenger area,
attach the tether strap to the corre-
sponding anchorage point to secure the
child restraint system. Remove the
cover first on the middle location.392au001
If the respective seating position is
fitted with a headrest, lift the headrest
and pass the tether strap between the
headrest and the seat back.
Adjust the tether strap according to the
child restraint manufacturer's instruc-
tions.
Before installing any child restraint
device or child seat, please read
the following:
Never install a rear-facing child restraint
system in the front passenger seat of
this vehicle.
Your vehicle is equipped with an airbag
supplemental restraint system for the
front passenger. Because the backrest
on any rear-facing child restraint system
(of the kind designed for infants under
1 year and 20 lbs./9 kg) would be within
the airbag's deployment range, you
should never mount such a device in
the front passenger seat, since the
impact of the airbag against the child
restraint's backrest could lead to
serious 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
airbag 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.
Never install a rear-facing child restraint
system in the front passenger seat.
We strongly urge you to carefully read
and comply with the instructions for
installation and use provided by the
child restraint's manufacturer when-
ever you use such a device.
Be sure 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.

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Transporting children safelyChild seat securityAll of the rear belt retractors and the
front passenger's safety belt can be
locked for mounting and securing child
restraint systems.
Information pertaining to this is located
in the immediate vicinity of the buckle
latch of each safety belt.462us014
Lock the safety beltExtract the entire length of the belt from
the inertia reel mechanism. Allow the
reel to retract the belt somewhat and
engage the buckle, then tighten the belt
against the child restraint system. The
retraction mechanism is now locked.
The belt cannot be extracted farther.
Always comply with the installation
instructions provided by the manufac-
turer of the child restraint system.
Unlock the safety beltRelease the safety belt, remove the
child's seat and retract the safety belt
to its end position on the belt retractor.

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
0 Steering lock engaged The key can be inserted or removed in
this position only.
After removing the key, turn the
steering wheel slightly to the left or right
until the lock engages.
If the key has been left in the ignition,
an acoustic signal will sound after the
door has been opened.460de022
Vehicles with automatic transmis-
sion:
Do not move the selector lever from the
"Park" position until the engine is
running (ignition key at position 2).
In order to turn the key to position 0 or
to remove it, first move the selector
lever to the position "Park" (Interlock).<
1 Steering lock disengaged Turning the steering wheel slightly to
the right or left often makes it easier to
turn the key from 0 to 1.
Individual electrical devices are ready
for operation.2 Ignition onAll electrical equipment and accesso-
ries are available for use.3 Starting the engine
Vehicles with manual transmis-
sion:
Depress the clutch when starting the
vehicle. A lockout prevents the engine
from starting if the clutch is not
depressed.<
Before starting>Engage the parking brake.
>Put the manual-shift gear lever in idle
or in P for an automatic transmission.
>Depress the clutch pedal.
Do not run the engine in enclosed
areas. 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.
Never leave the vehicle unattended
with the engine running. An unattended
vehicle with a running engine repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.<
Do not press the accelerator pedal
when starting the engine.
Do not actuate the starter for too
short a time, but do not keep
turning it for more than approx.
20 seconds. Release the ignition key
immediately when the engine starts.
Do not allow the engine to warm up by
leaving it running while the vehicle
remains stationary. Instead, drive off
immediately at a moderate engine
speed.<
Steering/Ignition lock Starting the engine

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Starting the engine Switching off the engine If the engine does not start on the first
attempt (if it is very hot or cold, for
instance):
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway
down while engaging the starter.
Cold start at very low temperatures
approx. +5 7 (Ð15 6) at high altitude
over 3,300 ft (1000 m):
>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.
Engine idle speed is controlled by the
engine computer system. Increased
speeds at start-up are normal and
should decrease as the engine warms
up. If engine speed does not decrease,
service is required.
To prevent the battery from dischar-
ging, always switch off electrical
devices which are not in use and the
ignition when the vehicle is not being
driven.Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 0.
Never remove the ignition key
while the vehicle is still moving.
If you did so, the steering lock would
engage when the steering wheel is
turned.
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
surfaces, since placing the lever in
1st gear or reverse may not provide
adequate resistance to rolling.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Place the selector lever in "Park."<

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Parking brake To engageThe parking brake is designed primarily
to prevent the vehicle from rolling when
it is parked. It acts on the rear wheels.
The lock engages automatically when
you lift the lever, and the indicator lamp
in the instrument panel comes on when
the ignition key is in position 2. Refer to
page 21.To releasePull up slightly on the lever, press the
button (arrow) and lower the lever.460us024
If, in exceptional circumstances,
it should be necessary to apply the
parking brake while the vehicle is in
motion, do not pull the lever with exces-
sive pressure. Keep your thumb
pressed against the release button
while carefully pulling the lever up to
apply moderate 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.
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Always apply the parking brake when
parking on slopes and inclined surfaces,
since placing the lever in 1st gear or
reverse may not provide adequate
resistance to rolling.
Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Place the selector lever in "Park."<
To avoid corrosion and one-sided
braking, apply the parking brake lightly
from time to time when coasting to a
standstill (at a traffic signal, for
instance), provided that it is safe to do
so.

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Manual transmission Completely depress the clutch pedal
each time you shift, pressing the
manual-shift gear lever into its respec-
tive end position.
Also depress the clutch when starting
the vehicle, as otherwise lockout will
prevent the engine from starting.
The shift lever's neutral plane (dot in the
illustration) is located between 3rd and
4th gears.
When shifting from each gear into
"Neutral," the shift lever returns auto-
matically to this gear plane because
of its spring loading.360de044
Reverse Select "Reverse" only when the vehicle
is stationary. Press the shift lever to the
left to overcome the resistance.
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.
Otherwise, riding the clutch will cause
heavy wear and tear to the clutch.<