2001 BMW M3 COUPE Owner's Manual

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
AirbagsSitting correctly with airbags
Comply with the following instruc-
tions for the airbags. If you do not,
the airbags may not be able to provide
their maximum protection, with
resulting risks to personal safety. The
following information pertains to all
occupants:
Even though there is an airbag, wear a
safety belt every time you get in the
vehicle, because airbags supplement
the safety belts as an additional
restraint device.
Assume a sitting posture that is
comfortable and allows the greatest
possible distance between you and the
airbags.
Always hold the steering wheel by the
rim to keep any chance of injury to
hands or arms to an absolute minimum,
should the airbag deploy. Keep the
instructions regarding sitting properly in
your seat on page 45 in mind as well.
No one and nothing is to come between
the airbag and the seat occupant.
Do not use the cover panel above the
front passenger-side airbag as a
storage area.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the
cover panels of the airbags, cover them
or modify them in any other way.
Do not use any child restraint systems
on the passenger side. Children under
12 years of age, who are smaller than
5 feet (150 cm), may ride in the back
only.
If your vehicle is equipped with side
airbags in the rear passenger area, be
sure that child restraints are mounted
correctly and provided with the
greatest-possible distance between the
airbags in the side trim panels. Do not
allow children to lean out of the child's
seat in the direction of the side trim
panels. If they do so, serious injuries
can occur if the airbag is triggered. upright and be properly restrained
(infants and small children in appro-
priate child restraint systems; larger
children and adults using the safety
belts). Never let an occupant's head
rest near or on a side airbag because
the inflating airbag could cause a
serious or fatal injury. Please note that
the word "Airbag" imprinted on the door
trim panel indicates the airbag's loca-
tion.
Accident research shows that the
safest place for children in an automo-
bile is in the rear seat. However, a child
sitting in the rear seat and not properly
restrained may place his or her head on
or near the airbag, if so equipped. For
example, a child Ñ even though belted
Ñ may fall asleep with his or her head
against the side airbag. It may be diffi-
cult for a driver to ensure that children
in the rear seat will remain properly
positioned at all times and not place
their heads on or near the side airbag.
Therefore, we recommend that the rear
seat side airbags, if so equipped, be
deactivated if children will travel in the
rear seat.
The rear seat side airbags may already
have been deactivated, either at the
time of manufacture or by a BMW

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Airbagscenter. Labels in the 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 cause a mild tempo-
rary hearing loss in extremely sensitive
individuals.
For additional information concerning
the airbag system, refer to pages 133
and 158.This is the proper way for a child to sit
in a child restraint when rear side
airbags (arrow) are provided.
This is the right way for a larger child to
sit wearing the safety belt when rear
side airbags (arrow) are provided.

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Transporting children safelyCommercially available child restraint
systems are designed to be secured
with a lap belt or with the lap belt
portion of a combination 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 have been provided
(refer to the arrows in the illustration).
Depending on the location selected for
seating in the rear passenger area,
attach the strap hook to the corre-
sponding anchorage point to secure the
child restraint system. Remove the
cover first on the middle location.
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/kg) would be
within the airbagÕs deployment range,
you should never mount such a device
in the front passenger seat, since the
impact of the airbag against the child
restraintÕs 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 instrument panel 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 manu-
facturer whenever 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 safelyLATCH attachment of the child
seat
*
Remove the cover cap on the outer
mount by pulling it toward the front.
When reattaching it, make sure that the
recess points upward.
The illustration shows the mounts for a
LATCH child-restraint system on the
left rear seat.
To attach the LATCH child-
restraint system, please follow the
manufacturer's operating and safety
precautions.<< < <
Child seat securityAll of the rear belt retractors and the
front passenger's safety belt can be
locked for mounting and securing child
restraint systems.
A label with the appropriate instructions
for this is located in the immediate
vicinity of the buckle latch of each
safety belt.

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Transporting children safelyTo lock the 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 further.
Always comply with the installation
instructions provided by the manufac-
turer of the child restraint system.
To release the 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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0 Steering locked
1 Steering unlocked
2 Ignition switched on
3 Starting the engine
Steering locked The key can be inserted or removed in
this position only.
To lock the steering column after you
have removed the key, turn the steering
wheel until you hear it lock.
If the key is not removed, an acoustic
signal sounds after the driver's door
has been opened.
Steering unlocked Individual electrical accessories are
ready for operation.
You will find that it is often easier to turn
the ignition key from position 0 to posi-
tion 1 when you move the steering
wheel slightly to help disengage the
lock. Ignition switched onAll electrical equipment and accesso-
ries are available for use. 1 Engage the parking brake
2 Put manual-shift gear lever in idling
position
3 Step on the clutch pedal
4 Turn the key to position 3 to start the
engine.
Do not actuate the starter for too short
a time. Do not turn it for more than
approx. 20 seconds. Release the igni-
tion key immediately when the engine
starts.
Do not allow the engine to run in
enclosed spaces. 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.
Do not leave the vehicle unattended
with the engine running. An unat-
tended vehicle with a running engine
represents a potential safety hazard.<
Do not allow the engine to warm
up by leaving it running while the
vehicle remains stationary. Instead,
begin driving immediately at a
moderate engine speed.<
Steering/Ignition lock Starting the engine

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Starting the engine Switching off engine Parking brake If the engine does not start on the first
attempt (if the engine is very hot or
cold, for instance):
>Press the accelerator pedal halfway
down while engaging the starter.
Cold starts at very low temperatures,
starting at about +5 7 (Ð15 6) and
at high altitudes over 3,300 ft
(1,000 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.
Engine idle speed is controlled by the
engine computer system. Increased
speeds at startup are normal and
should decrease as the engine warms
up. If engine speed does not decrease,
service is required.
To prevent the battery from
discharging, always deactivate elec-
trical devices that are not in use. Switch
the ignition off when the vehicle is not
being driven.Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 0.
Do not remove the ignition key
while the vehicle is still moving. If
you do so, the steering will lock, making
it impossible to steer the vehicle.
When you leave the vehicle, always
remove the ignition key and engage
the steering lock.
Set the parking brake when parking on
steep hills, because under certain
conditions, putting the vehicle into first
gear or reverse may not be enough to
prevent it from rolling away.
The power assist is not available when
the engine is not on. This means that
more effort is required to apply the
brakes.<
The parking brake is primarily designed
to prevent the vehicle from rolling while
parked. It operates against the rear
wheels. To engageThe lever engages automatically, 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.

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Parking brake Manual transmission
If, in exceptional circumstances, it
should be necessary to engage
the parking brake while the vehicle is in
motion, do not pull the lever with
excessive 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 engaged.
Set the parking brake when parking on
steep hills, because under certain
conditions, putting the vehicle into first
gear or reverse may not be enough to
prevent it from rolling away.<
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.
The shift lever's neutral plane is located
between 3rd and 4th gear.
When shifting from each gear into
"Neutral," the shift lever automatically
springs back to the gear lever's home
position.
When shifting gears in the
5th/6th-gear plane, be sure to
press the gear lever to the right in order
to prevent inadvertent selection of a
gear in the 3rd/4th-gear plane.
Do not hold the vehicle in place on
slopes by slipping or "riding" the clutch.
Use the parking brake instead. Riding
the clutch causes the clutch assembly
to wear out sooner.<
Reverse Select 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.