
© 2001 BMW M GmbH
Munich, Germany
Reprinting, including excerpts, only with the
written consent of BMW M GmbH, Munich.
Order No. 01 41 0 026 955
US English XII/2000
Printed in Germany
Printed on environmentally friendly paper
(bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling).
4n
Notes on the Owner's Manual
We have made every effort to ensure
that you are able to find what you need
in this Owner's Manual as quickly as
possible. The fastest way to find certain
topics is by using the detailed index at
the end. If you wish an initial overview
of your vehicle, this can be found in the
first chapter.
The detailed list of contents that
directly follows the summary of
contents is intended to stimulate your
curiosity regarding your BMW and to
encourage you to read the manual.
Should you wish to sell your BMW at
some time in the future, please
remember to pass the Owner's Manual
on to the new owner – the manual
represents a legally-required element of
the vehicle.
If you have additional questions, your
BMW center will be glad to advise you.
Symbols used
Indicates instructions or precau-
tions that must be followed
precisely in order to avoid the possi-
bility of personal injury and serious
damage to the vehicle.
<
Contains information that will
assist you in gaining the optimum
benefit from your vehicle and enable
you to care more effectively for your
vehicle.
<
Refers to measures that can
be taken to help protect the
environment.
<
<
Marks the end of a specific item of
information.
*
Indicates special equipment,
country-specific equipment and
optional extras.
t
Identifies index entries that refer
to owner service procedures or topics
on car care.
Your individual vehicle
In buying your BMW, you have decided
in favor of a model with individualized
equipment and features. This Owner's
Manual describes all models and equip-
ment that BMW offers within the same
group.
We hope you will understand that
equipment and features are included
which you might not have chosen for
your vehicle. Any differences can easily
be identified, since all optional acces-
sories and special equipment are
marked with an asterisk
*
.
If your BMW features equipment which
is not described in this Owner's Manual
(a car radio or telephone, for instance),
Supplementary Owner's Manuals are
enclosed. We ask you to read these
manuals as well.
Notes
Symbols
The individual vehicle
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6n
For your own safety
Use unleaded gasoline only. Fuels
containing up to and including
10 % ethanol or other oxygenates with
up to 2.8 % oxygen by weight (i.e. 15 %
MTBE or 3 % methanol plus an equiva-
lent amount of co-solvent) will not void
the applicable warranties respecting
defects in materials or workmanship.
Field experience has indicated signifi-
cant differences in fuel quality (i.e. vola-
tility, composition or additives, etc.)
among gasolines offered for sale in the
United States and Canada. The use of
poor-quality fuels may result in drive-
ability, starting and stalling problems
especially under certain environmental
conditions such as high ambient
temperature and high altitude.
Should you encounter driveability prob-
lems which you suspect could be
related to the fuel you are using, we
recommend that you respond by
switching to a recognized high-quality
brand.
Failure to comply with these recom-
mendations may result in unscheduled
maintenance.
Obey pertinent safety rules when you
are handling gasoline.
<
Important safety information!
For your own safety, use genuine parts
and accessories approved by BMW.
When you purchase accessories tested
and approved by BMW and Original
BMW Parts, you simultaneously acquire
the assurance that they have been
thoroughly tested by BMW to ensure
optimum performance when installed
on your vehicle.
BMW warrants these parts to be free
from defects in material and workman-
ship.
BMW will not accept any liability for
damage resulting from installation of
parts and accessories not approved
by BMW.
BMW cannot test every product from
other manufacturers to verify if it can be
used on a BMW safely and without risk
to either the vehicle, its operation, or its
occupants.
Original BMW Parts, BMW Accessories
and other products approved by BMW,
together with professional advice on
using these items, are available from
all BMW centers.
Installation and operation of non-BMW
approved accessories such as alarms,
radios, amplifiers, radar detectors,
wheels, suspension components, brake
dust shields, telephones (including
operation of any portable cellular phone
from within the vehicle without using an
externally mounted antenna) or trans-
ceiver equipment (e.g. C.B., walkie-
talkie, ham radio or similar) may cause
extensive damage to the vehicle,
compromise its safety, interfere with
the vehicle's electrical system or affect
the validity of the BMW Limited
Warranty. See your BMW center for
additional information.
<
Maintenance, replacement, or
repair of the emission control
devices and systems may be performed
by any automotive repair establishment
or individual using any certified auto-
motive part.
<
Symbol on vehicle parts
Indicates that you should consult
the relevant section of this
Owner's Manual for information on a
particular part or assembly.
For your own safety
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11n
Controls and features
Operation, care and maintenance
Cabin convenience:
Glove compartment78
Storage compartments78
Storage boxes78
Beverage holder79
Ashtray79
Cigarette lighter80
Loading and transporting:
coupe:
Roll-up cover81
Partition net81
Cargo loading82
Roof-mounted luggage
rack83
Special operating instructions:
Break-in procedure86
Driving notes87
Catalytic converter88
Antilock Brake System (ABS)89
Disc brakes91
Brake system92
Winter operation93
Power steering94
Cellular phone95
Radio reception95
Hardtop – roadster96
Wheels and tires:
Notes on tire inflation
pressure98
Tire condition98
Tire replacement99
Tire rotation100
Wheel and tire
combinations101
Special features of winter
tires102
Snow chains102
Approved wheel and tire
specifications103
Under the hood:
Hood104
Engine compartment106
Fluids for the washer
systems108
Washer nozzles108
Engine oil109
Coolant111
Brake fluid112
Vehicle Identification
Number113
Care and maintenance:
The BMW Maintenance
System114
Caring for your vehicle115
Airbags122
Storing your vehicle123
Laws and regulations:
Technical modifications124
California Proposition
65 Warning124
OBD connector125
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Contents
Owner service procedures
Advanced technology
Technical data
Replacement procedures:
Onboard tool kit128
Windshield wiper blades128
Lamps and bulbs129
Master key with battery-
powered lamp134
Changing a wheel135
Repairing a flat tire135
Battery140
Fuses142
In case of electrical
malfunction:
Power convertible top143
Fuel filler door143
Assistance, giving and
receiving:
Jump-starting144
Towing the vehicle145Airbags150
Radio reception150
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)151
Safety belt tensioner151
Interior rearview mirror with
automatic dimming
feature152
Limited slip differential153Engine specifications156
Dimensions157
Weights158
Capacities159
Electrical system160
Drive belts160
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Overview
Controls and features
Operation, care
and maintenance
Owner service procedures
Technical data
Index Advanced technology
85n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Special operating instructions:
Break-in procedure86
Driving notes87
Catalytic converter88
Antilock Brake System (ABS)89
Disc brakes91
Brake system92
Winter operation93
Power steering94
Cellular phone95
Radio reception95
Hardtop – roadster96
Wheels and tires:
Notes on tire inflation
pressure98
Tire condition98
Tire replacement99
Tire rotation100
Wheel and tire
combinations101
Special features of winter
tires102
Snow chains102
Approved wheel and tire
specifications103Under the hood:
Hood104
Engine compartment106
Fluids for the washer
systems108
Washer nozzles108
Engine oil109
Coolant111
Brake fluid112
Vehicle Identification
Number113
Care and maintenance:
The BMW Maintenance
System114
Caring for your vehicle115
Airbags122
Storing your vehicle123
Laws and regulations:
Technical modifications124
California Proposition
65 Warning124
OBD connector125
Car care
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95n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Cellular phone
*
Radio reception
Mobile communications systems
(cellular phones, two-way radios, etc.)
are approved only up to a power output
of 10 watts. Nonetheless, they may
cause interference in the operation of
your vehicle if they are not specifically
designed for use in your vehicle. BMW
can neither test nor assume responsi-
bility for every individual product being
offered on the market. We recommend
that you consult your BMW center
before purchasing any device of this
kind.
To ensure that your BMW continues to
provide reliable and trouble-free opera-
tion, refrain from using a cellular phone
or other radio device with an antenna
located inside the passenger compart-
ment. The antenna should always be
fitted on the outside of the vehicle.
Before loading the vehicle on
a car-carrier train or driving it
through a car wash, remove the
antenna.<
The reception and sound quality
obtained from mobile radios varies
according to a variety of factors,
including the broadcast range of the
transmitter and the directional orienta-
tion of the antenna.
Interference factors such as high-
tension power lines, buildings and
natural obstructions can all lead to
unavoidable reception interference,
regardless of how well the vehicle's
sound system is operating. Climatic
factors such as intense solar radiation,
fog, rain and snow can also interfere
with reception.
Cellular phones without official BMW
approval can also generate interference
during use. This phenomenon assumes
the form of a low-pitched hum
emanating from the speaker system.
Please refer to the Owner's Manual
provided with your sound system for
detailed information on its use.Whenever necessary (when
entering a car wash, for instance),
remove the rod antenna
* (refer also to
page 116). To remove the antenna,
grasp the rod at the bottom and
unscrew it to the left from the antenna
base.<
You will find additional information
concerning radio reception in the
chapter "Advanced technology" on
page 150.
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Overview
Controls and features
Operation, care
and maintenance
Owner service procedures
Technical data
Index Advanced technology
149n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Airbags150
Radio reception150
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)151
Safety belt tensioner151
Interior rearview mirror with
automatic dimming
feature152
Limited slip differential153
Technology
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150n
Deceleration sensors continuously
monitor the physical forces acting upon
the vehicle. In the event of a severe
frontal impact, the gas generators of
the driver- and passenger-side front
airbags are ignited simultaneously.
However, the passenger-side front
airbag is only triggered if an additional
sensor has recognized that the
passenger seat is occupied.
If it is necessary during a side impact, a
side airbag will be triggered on the side
where the collision occurs.
390de012
The airbags located under the marked
covers inflate and unfold in a matter of
a few milliseconds. In this process they
tear through the designed breaking
points of the upholstered covers or
press them out.
Because the inflation process must be
virtually instantaneous, it is necessarily
accompanied by a certain amount of
ignition and inflation noise. The gas
required to inflate the airbags is not
dangerous, and it dissipates together
with the associated smoke.
The entire process is completed within
a fraction of a second.The AM frequency bands (medium-
wave, long-wave and short-wave) make
it possible to receive stations from a
great distance, because the broadcast
signals travel not only along the ground
as surface waves, but also as atmos-
pheric waves that are reflected from the
ionosphere.
Frequency-modulation (FM) provides
substantially better sound quality than
the other frequencies. However,
because FM transmissions rely on line-
of-sight broadcast waves, their effec-
tive reception range is limited.
The limitations which are inherent to
radio reception in a moving vehicle
have been minimized by the use of
innovative systems.
365de062
Airbags Radio reception
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