2001 BMW M3 COUPE Owner's Manual

IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
153n
Sliding/tilt sunroof
*
Manual operation 1 Remove the interior lamp (refer to
page 143), reaching into the opening
and pushing out the panel
2 Use an Allen wrench from the
onboard tool kit (refer to page 138) to
turn the sunroof's steel crank in the
desired direction.

154n
Do not use spray starter fluids to start
the engine.
If the battery is discharged, the engine
can be started using two jumper cables
and another vehicle's battery. Use only
jumper cables with fully insulated
handles on the terminal clamps.
Do not touch high-voltage wiring
and cables on a running engine.
There is a risk of fatal injury if you do
this.
Carefully comply with the following
instructions to avoid personal injury or
damage to one or both vehicles.<
1 Be sure that the battery on the
support vehicle is also rated at
12 volts, and that the capacities of
the two batteries (Ah) are roughly
comparable (printed on casing)
2 Leave the discharged battery
connected to the vehicle's electrical
system
3 Make sure that there is no contact
between the bodywork of the two
vehicles Ð short circuit risk
4 Start by connecting the jumper cable
from the positive terminal of the
support vehicle to the positive
terminal connector located in your
BMW's engine compartment. The
cover of the positive terminal
connector is marked with a "+" sign.
Refer to the illustration. Remove by
pulling the tab (arrow 1)
5 Then connect the negative terminals.
Attach the cable to either the support
vehicle's negative battery terminal (Ð),
or to a suitable ground on its engine
or bodywork. Then connect the other
end of the cable to a ground on the
engine or on the bodywork of the
vehicle that is to be started. There is
a special nut provided for this on the
BMW (arrow 2)
Follow the same sequence for
connecting the jumper cables if
you assist in jump-starting another
vehicle. If you do not, there is a risk of
injury caused by spark generation at the
battery.<
6 Start the support vehicle's engine
and let it run
7 Start the engine on the vehicle
needing the jump-start, and allow it
to run as usual. If the first start
attempt is not successful, wait a few
minutes before another attempt in
order to allow the discharged battery
to recharge
8 Before disconnecting the jumper
cables from your BMW, turn on the
rear window defroster and set the
blower to the highest speed;
allow the engine to run approx.
10 seconds. This will prevent a
voltage surge from the voltage regu-
lator to the electrical accessories
9 Then disconnect the jumper cables in
reverse sequence.
Depending on the cause of the fault,
recharge the battery.
Jump-starting

155n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Towing the vehicleTow fittingThe tow fitting, which can be
unscrewed, is in the luggage compart-
ment under the floor mat and must
remain in the vehicle. This fitting is
designed for installation in the tow
sockets located at the front and rear of
the vehicle. It is intended for towing on
paved road surfaces only. This fitting
should not be used to pull a vehicle out
of deep snow, mud, sand, etc.
Always comply with all applicable
towing laws and regulations.Access to tow socketsFront:
Press out the cover panel with a screw-
driver above on the recess.
Rear:
Press out the cover panel with a screw-
driver above on the recess.
Screw the tow fitting in until it
bottoms firmly. If this is not done,
the threads could be damaged.
Do not tow the vehicle by any compo-
nents of the running gear, or lash them
down in any way. If you do, the compo-
nents could be damaged, leading to
possible accidents.
Do not use any other tow-fitting except
the one provided with your vehicle.<
Towing with a commercial tow
truck>Do not tow with sling-type equipment
>Use wheel lift or flat bed equipment
>Please comply with applicable state
towing laws.
Never allow passengers to ride in
a towed vehicle for any reason.
Never attach tie-down hooks, chains,
straps, or tow hooks to tie rods, control
arms, or any other part of the vehicle
suspension, as severe damage to these
components will occur, leading to
possible accidents.<

156n

157n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Overview
Controls and features
Operation, care
and maintenance
Technical data
Index Advanced technology
Airbags158
Radio reception158
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)159
Safety belt tensioner159
M3 Engine concept160
Rain sensor160
Interior rearview mirror with
automatic dimming
feature161
Self-diagnostics162
Xenon lamps163
Technology
Owner service procedures

158n
Deceleration sensors continuously
monitor the physical forces acting upon
the vehicle. If there is a deceleration
because of a head-on collision in which
the protection normally afforded by the
safety belts is no longer sufficient by
itself, then the gas generators for the
front airbags will be simultaneously
ignited on both the driver and
passenger sides. However, the
passenger-side airbag is only triggered
if an additional sensor has recognized
that the passenger seat is occupied.
In the event of a side impact, the front
head and side airbags or rear side
airbags
* will deploy if necessary on the
side where the impact occurs.
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 separation
points of the upholstered covers or
press them out.
The gas required to inflate the airbags
is not dangerous, and it dissipates
together with the associated smoke.
The gas required to inflate the airbags
is not dangerous, and the smoke asso-
ciated with it dissipates.
The entire process is completed within
fractions 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 atmo-
spheric waves that are reflected from
the ionosphere.
Frequency-modulation (FM) provides
substantially better sound quality than
on the. However, because FM trans-
missions rely on line-of-sight broadcast
waves, their effective reception range is
limited.
Airbags Radio reception

159n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
The limitations inherent to radio recep-
tion in a moving vehicle have been
minimized by a number of innovative
system designs:
The "Radio Data System" (RDS) makes
sure that, for broadcast stations
sending on several frequencies, the
radio automatically tunes to the
frequency with the best reception
quality.
The Diversity Antenna system employs
several FM antennas integrated within
the rear window to provide three sepa-
rate sources for receiving broadcast
waves. An integral processor automati-
cally selects the antenna with the best
FM reception quality at any given time.
The selection of the antenna takes
place within milliseconds, and is there-
fore not noticed by the radio listener. The primary goal in developing the
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) for the
BMW M3 is to achieve the greatest
amount of safety while at the same time
getting the most pleasure out of perfor-
mance-oriented driving.
Using highly sensitive sensors, the DSC
monitors current operating conditions
for your vehicle as they relate to driving
stability and traction. In addition, wheel
speeds, steering angle, lateral acceler-
ation, brake pressure and vehicle
movement around its vertical axis are
also ascertained and evaluated.
If the DSC detects unstable conditions
on a curve, then the DSC will intervene
in engine management within millisec-
onds, reducing drive torque or, if the
need arises, will individually slow one or
more wheels down to keep the vehicle
on a steady course.
If differences in wheel speed should
occur, the system will recognize the
dangers associated with wheel spin
and will reduce the drive torque; if
necessary, it will do so using brake
intervention at the rear wheels as well.
DSC offers the highest degree of
driving stability and safety not only
when you first start your vehicle, are
driving on straightaways or when
braking, but also when driving through
curves.The safety belt tensioner makes sure
that the belt tightens during a head-on
collision to ensure that occupants
remain firmly positioned in their seats.
A gas-pressure system retracts the
buckle assembly to tension the
shoulder and lap belts within fractions
of a second. This reduces the tendency
to slide under the lap belt. Radio reception DSC Safety belt tensioner

160n
M3 Engine concept Rain sensor
*
BMW M will continue to develop BMW
engines for the performance-oriented,
yet responsible driver. That is why value
is placed on an engine design that
guarantees maximum thrust over a
wide engine speed range.
This is done by using high-grade mate-
rials and components with optimized
details. The engine thereby produces
higher speeds than can be achieved
with conventional engines.
Associated with the proper transmis-
sion gear ratio and an especially perfor-
mance-oriented engine electronics
system, the torque opens up with this
so-called "high-speed aspirated
engine" extremely evenly throughout
the entire engine speed range from
1,000 to max. 8 ,000 rpm.
In actual usage, this means improved
acceleration and more spontaneous
response throughout the engine speed
range, thus affording more driving plea-
sure.
Depending on how wet the windshield
is, the rain sensor controls the opera-
tion of the windshield wipers.
Infrared light is carried along the
surface of the windshield in an optical
conductor in such a manner that it is
reflected completely when the wind-
shield is dry. The quantity of reflected
light is measured.
If there is moisture on the glass, the
amount of light reflected is reduced
since the infrared light at the surface of
the windshield can escape. The quan-
tity of reflected light is thus a means of
gauging the degree of wetness on the
windshield.