2001 BMW M3 COUPE tire pressure

Overview
Controls and features
Operation, care
and maintenance
Owner service procedures
Technical data
Index Advanced technology
29n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Driving:
Steering/Ignition lock62
Starting the engine62
Switching off the engine63
Parking brake63
Manual transmission64
Turn signal indicator/Headlamp
flasher65
Wiper/Washer system/Rain
sensor65
Rear window defroster67
Cruise control67
Everything under control:
Odometer69
Tachometer69
Engine oil temperature gauge69
Fuel gauge70
Coolant temperature gauge70
Service Interval Display71
Check Control72
Computer72
Technology for driving comfort
and safety:
Park Distance Control (PDC)75
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)76
Tire Pressure Warning (RDW)78
M Engine dynamics control80Lamps:
Side lamps/Low beams81
Instrument lighting81
High beams/Parking lamp82
Fog lamps82
Interior lamps82
Reading lamps83
Controlling the climate
for pleasant driving:
Automatic climate control84
Heated seats89
Roller sun blind89
Interior conveniences:
HiFi system90
Glove compartment90
Storage compartments91
Cellular phone92
Ashtray, front92
Cigarette lighter93
Ashtray rear 93
Clothes hooks94
Loading and transporting
cargo:
Through-loading system95
Ski bag96
Cargo loading97
Roof-mounted luggage rack98

54n
If the safety belt system has been
subjected to the stresses involved
in an accident or damaged in any other
way: have your BMW center replace the
entire safety belt mechanism, including
the safety belt tensioner and any child
restraint systems
*. Have them inspect
the safety belt anchors, as well.<
For care instructions, refer to "Car care"
page 131.
Drive with your safety belt onFasten 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.
In the rear, the belt buckle with the
word "CENTER" is provided exclu-
sively for the passenger sitting in the
middle.
For your safety, comply with the
following instructions for wearing
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. Infants or
small children should never be held on
the lap of a passenger.
Avoid twisting the belt while routing it
firmly across the hips and shoulder,
wear it as snugly against your body as
possible. Do not allow the belt to rest
against hard or fragile objects. Do not
route the belt across your neck, or run it
across sharp edges. Be sure that the
belt does not become caught or
jammed.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing and pull
on the belt periodically to retension it
over your shoulders. In the event of a
frontal impact, a loose lap belt could
slide over your hips, leading to abdom-
inal injury. In addition, the safety belt's
restraint effectiveness is reduced if the
belt is worn loosely.
Expectant mothers should always wear
their safety belts, taking care to position
the lap belt against the lower hips,
where it will not exert pressure against
the abdominal area.<
Safety belts

78n
Tire Pressure Warning (RDW)The conceptThe Tire Pressure Warning (RDW) moni-
tors the tire pressure in all four wheels
while driving. The system detects
whenever the inflation pressure in a tire
drops significantly.
Controlling the tire pressure is based
on monitoring the speed of the tires
relative to each other. A flat tire is
detected and reported because the
speed suddenly deviate drastically from
one another.
Initializing the systemInitializing is necessary to familiarize the
system with the correct inflation pres-
sure.
Repeat this process after any changes
in tire inflation pressure, tire rotation or
replacement. Do not carry out further
system initialization after correcting the
inflation pressure and letting the system
"learn" what condition is required.
1 Check the tire inflation pressure in all
the tires, comparing them with the
inflation pressure table (page 27),
and adjusting their pressure if neces-
sary
2 Turn the ignition key to position 2
3 Continue to press the button until the
yellow indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up. After a short
time, the indicator lamp will go out
automatically
4 After a few minutes, the RDW will
accept the current inflation pressure
as the value to be measured against,
and from that point on, can detect
and report a flat tire.

79n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Tire Pressure Warning (RDW)Activating/deactivating the
systemThe system is automatically active in
ignition key position 2 and is therefore
always on during driving.
To deactivate the system: tap the
button, the indicator lamp will light up
yellow.
To activate the system: tap the button
again, the indicator lamp goes out.
Deactivate the system while driving
with snow chains, since false warnings
and undetected losses in pressure are
possible under these kinds of condi-
tions.
Flat tire
The indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster will light up red in
the event of tire pressure loss.
In addition, an acoustic signal is
sounded. To come to an immediate
stop, reduce speed, while avoiding any
sudden, jerky braking or steering
maneuvers.
Fix the flat tire using the M Mobility
system (refer to page 145).
Reset the indicator lamp: the red indi-
cator lamp must be switched off manu-
ally after mounting a new wheel. At this
point, hold the RDW switch down until
the indicator lamp goes out. Reinitialize
the system afterward.
The RDW cannot alert you to
severe and sudden tire damage
caused by external factors.
The RDW will not identify the natural
loss of pressure in all four tires, either.<
Check the tire inflation pressure
on a regular basis and correct if
necessary. Refer to page 26.
Under certain circumstances, there
may be false warnings or a delayed
detection of pressure losses when
driving on snow-covered or slippery
road surfaces.
A sporty driving style (slip at the wheels
receiving the torque, high lateral accel-
eration) can lead to delayed RDW warn-
ings.<
System malfunctionAs long as there is still a malfunction,
the indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster will stay lit up yellow.
Please contact your BMW center for
additional information.

Overview
Controls and features
Operation, care
and maintenance
Owner service procedures
Technical data
Index Advanced technology
101n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Special operating instructions:
Break-in procedures102
Driving notes103
Catalytic converter103
Antilock Brake System
(ABS)104
Disk brakes106
Brake system107
Winter operation108
Power steering110
Cellular phones110
Radio reception110
Wheels and tires:
Tire inflation pressure111
Tire condition111
Tire replacement112
Tire rotation113
Wheel and tire
combinations114
Winter tires115
Snow chains115
Approved wheel and tire
specifications116Under the hood:
Hood118
Engine compartment120
Washer fluids122
Washer nozzles122
Engine oil123
Coolant125
Brake fluid126
Vehicle Identification
Number126
Care and maintenance:
The BMW Maintenance
System127
Caring for your vehicle128
Airbags133
Vehicle storage133
Laws and regulations:
Technical modifications134
California Proposition
65 Warning134
OBD connector135
Car care

103n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Brakes: do not drive with your foot
resting on the brake pedal. Even
light but consistent pedal pressure can
lead to high temperatures, brake wear
and possibly even brake failure.
Aquaplaning:
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce vehicle speed. If you do not, a
wedge of water may form between the
tires and the road surface. This
phenomenon is referred to as aqua-
planing, or hydroplaning, and can lead
to partial or complete loss of traction,
vehicle control and braking effective-
ness.
Driving through water:
Do not drive through water on the road
if it is deeper than 1 foot (30 cm), and
then only at walking speed. Otherwise,
the vehicle's engine, the electrical
systems and the transmission may be
damaged.
Rear window shelf:
Never use it to store heavy or hard
objects, otherwise, occupants could be
injured if the vehicle is braked hard.<
The catalytic converter reduces harmful
exhaust emissions.
It is designed for use with unleaded fuel
only. Even minute quantities of lead
would be enough to permanently
damage both the catalytic converter
and the system oxygen sensor.
To ensure efficient, trouble-free engine
operation and avoid potential damage:
>Be sure to comply with the scheduled
maintenance requirements
>Fill the fuel tank well before it is
empty
>Tow-start only when the engine is
cold. If you attempt to tow-start with
a warm engine, unburned residual
fuel in the catalytic converter could
ignite and cause damage. It is better
to start the vehicle with an outside
starting aid
>Avoid other situations in which the
fuel is not burned or burns incom-
pletely such as frequent or extended
starter engagement or repeated start
attempts in which the engine does
not start. Stopping and restarting an
engine which is running properly
does not present a problem. Never
allow the engine to run with any of
the spark plug cables disconnected. Be sure to observe the instruc-
tions above to prevent unburned
fuel from reaching the catalytic
converter. Otherwise there is danger of
overheating and damage to the cata-
lytic converter.
Extreme temperatures occur at the
catalytic converter on this and every
catalyst-equipped vehicle. Heat shields
are installed adjacent to some sections
of the exhaust system. Never remove
these shields; do not apply under-
coating to their surfaces. When driving,
standing at idle or when parking, take
precautions to avoid contact between
the hot exhaust system and easily flam-
mable materials (grass, hay or leaves,
for example). Such contact could lead
to a fire, resulting in personal injury and
property damage.<
Driving notes Catalytic converter

104n
Antilock Brake System (ABS)The concept ABS keeps the wheels from locking
while braking, thereby enhancing active
driving safety. The reason: locked
wheels are dangerous. 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 an uncontrolled skid.
Based on current road conditions, ABS
can brake the vehicle within the
shortest possible distance and with the
greatest possible driving stability (on
straight-aways and curves, asphalt, ice,
wet road surfaces, etc.).
ABS is designed to meet two essential
requirements during every brake appli-
cation:
>To help provide vehicle stability
>To help maintain steering control and
maneuverability Ð on all types of road
surfaces (asphalt, concrete, mud,
wet, snow, ice). Braking with ABSThe system becomes operative once
the vehicle exceeds a speed of approx.
6 mph (10 km/h). Whenever the
vehicle's speed drops below approx.
4 mph (6 km/h), the ABS is deactivated.
This means that the wheels can lock in the final phase of a panic stop Ð a factor
of no significance in actual use.
The ABS system works best in situa-
tions requiring maximum pressure on
the pedal ("panic stop"). Do not let up
on the brake pedal even after it starts
pulsating. Since the vehicle maintains
steering responsiveness, you can
nevertheless avoid possible obstacles
with a minimum of steering effort.
The ABS closed-loop control circuit
cycles in fractions of a second. Pulsa-
tion at the brake pedal shows you that
ABS is active, that you are braking
within the ABS' braking range and that
you are thus pushing the limit of the
system. In addition, a pulsation Ð a
result of the control function cycles Ð
indicates to the driver that the vehicle
speed should be reduced to adapt to
road surface conditions when there is
reduced traction and grip between tires
and road surface (slippery road
surface).
On road surfaces with a loose surface
layer over a firm base, e.g. on gravel or
snow, as well as when driving with
snow chains on, braking distances may
be longer for a locked-wheel condition.
However, ABS continues to provide
enhanced vehicle stability and steering
response under these conditions.
Information for your safetyNot even ABS can suspend the laws of
physics. The consequences of hitting
the brakes when there is inadequate
distance between vehicles, when the
vehicle is driven at excessive speeds
through curves, or during aquaplaning,
remain the driver's responsibility. You
should never allow the added safety of
ABS to lull you into a false sense of
security, or mislead you into taking risks
that could affect your own safety and
that of others.
Do not make any modifications to
the ABS system.
Service procedures on ABS are to be
performed by authorized technicians
only.< Antilock Brake System (ABS)/
Cornering Brake Control (CBC) CBC is an advanced engineering
design of the ABS. When braking while
cornering at high speed or braking
during high lateral acceleration, or
when braking during a lane change,
vehicle stability is improved and
steering response is enhanced.

108n
Winter operationThe onset of winter is often accompa-
nied by rapid changes in weather.
Adaptations in driving style should be
accompanied by preparations on the
vehicle itself to ensure that your
progress through the winter remains
safe and trouble-free. CoolantBe sure that the coolant mixture
contains the year-round ratio of 50:50
water and antifreeze/corrosion inhibitor.
This mixture provides protection
against freezing down to approx.
Ð34 7 (Ð37 6). Have the coolant
replaced every 4 years. LocksBMW door lock deicer can be used to
free them if frozen. This deicer also
contains lubricant.
After using deicer, treatment with BMW
lock barrel grease is recommended.
Rubber seals and components To prevent the weather-stripping from
freezing, apply a spray-on rubber treat-
ment or silicone spray to the door, hood
and luggage compartment lid seals.
A full range of car-care products is
available from your BMW center.<
Snow chains Mount BMW snow chains
*, whether on
summer or winter tires, in pairs on the
rear wheels only, keeping the manufac-
turer's safety instructions in mind. Do
not exceed a maximum speed of
30 mph (50 km/h) with snow chains. In
rare situations like these, it is advisable
to turn off the DSC and RDW. Refer to
page 76 or page 78.
Starting offWhen trying to drive out of deep snow,
or when "rocking" the vehicle to free it,
it may be advisable to temporarily
deactivate the DSC system. Refer to
page 76.Driving on low-traction road
surfacesUse smooth, gentle pressure to control
the accelerator pedal. Avoid excessive
engine speeds and shift to the next
higher gear at an early point. Adapt
your speed and driving style when
approaching grades or slopes. Maintain
an adequate distance between yourself
and the vehicle ahead.