2001 BMW Z8 sensor

26n
Fuel quality Tire inflation pressure The engine uses lead-free gasoline
only.
Required fuel:
>Premium Unleaded Gasoline,
min. 91 AKI
AKI = Anti Knock Index
Do not use leaded fuels. The use
of leaded fuels will cause perma-
nent damage to the system's oxygen
sensor and the catalytic converter.<
You will find the tire inflation pressures
on the door pillar (visible with door
open).Checking tire pressuresAll pressure specifications are indicated
in psi (kilopascal) for cold tires at
ambient temperature (refer also to the
next page).
Reactivate the Tire Pressure
Warning (RDW) after changing a
tire or a wheel. Refer to page 67.<520de008
Check tire inflation pressures
regularly Ð at least every two
weeks and before each extended
journey. Incorrect tire pressure can lead
to tire damage and accidents.<
Comply with tire approval
specificationsThe inflation pressures in the table
apply to tires made by BMW-approved
manufacturers. Your BMW center is
familiar with these pressures. Higher
pressures may be specified for tires
made by other manufacturers.
You will find a list of approved tire sizes
on page 103.
Your vehicle is equipped with tires that
not only meet US standards, but also
European standards. We recommend
the exclusive use of BMW-approved
tires.

34n
Opening and closing Ð from outsideTo unlock the vehiclePress button 1.
Press the button once to unlock the
driver's door only; press it a second
time to unlock the passenger door, the
luggage compartment lid, the fuel filler
door, the glove compartment, and the
cellular phone holder.
If necessary, you can open the fuel filler
door by pressing the button inside the
vehicle; refer to page 25.Convenience opening modePress and hold button 1. The windows
are then opened.520de143
To lock and secure Press button 2.
You can have different confirma-
tion signals programmed into the
system to verify that is has assumed
active operational status.<520de145
To deactivate the tilt sensor alarm
system and interior motion sensor Press button 2 again immediately after
locking.
For additional information, refer to
page 39.To switch on the interior lamps After locking the vehicle, press button 2
again.520de145

38n
Alarm systemThe conceptThe vehicle alarm system responds
>when a door, the hood or the luggage
compartment lid is opened
>to movement inside the vehicle
(interior motion sensor)
>to variations in the vehicle's tilt angle
such as those occurring during
attempts to steal the wheels or tow
the vehicle
>to interruption of battery voltage.
The system responds to attempts of
unauthorized vehicle incursion and theft
by simultaneously activating the
following
>an alarm sounds for 30 seconds
>the hazard warning flashers are acti-
vated for approx. five minutes
>the high beams flash on and off in the
same rhythm.
To activate and deactivate the
alarm systemWhen the vehicle is locked or unlocked
via a door lock or with the remote
control, the alarm system is also simul-
taneously armed or disarmed.
The interior motion sensor and tilt alarm
sensor are activated approx.
30 seconds after you have finished
locking the vehicle.
The system indicates that it has been
correctly armed by switching on the
hazard warning flashers for a single
cycle and by emitting an acoustic
signal.
You can select the individual
confirmation signal used to indi-
cate that the alarm system has been
armed or disarmed.<
Indicator lamp displaysThe indicator lamp is located in the
inside rear view mirror's rotary knob.
>The indicator lamp flashes continu-
ously: the system is armed>The indicator lamp ßashes during
arming: a door, the hood or luggage
compartment lid is not completely
closed. Even if you do not respond by
securing the affected area, the system
starts to monitor all other points and
the indicator lamp reverts to contin-
uous, uninterrupted operation once
ten seconds have elapsed. The interior
motion sensor remains off>The indicator lamp goes out during
disarming: no manipulation or
attempted intrusions have been
detected in the period since the
system was armed520de014

39n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Alarm system>The indicator lamp flashes for
10 seconds when the system is
disarmed: an attempted entry has
been detected in the period since the
system was armed.
Following triggering of an alarm, the
indicator lamp will flash continuously.Avoiding unintentional alarms The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion
sensor may be switched off at the same
time to prevent a false alarm from being
triggered (in garages with elevator
ramps, for instance), or when the
vehicle is transported by trailer or train:
Lock the vehicle twice (= arm the
system) by pressing button 2 on the
remote control twice in succession
(refer to page 34), or lock the vehicle
twice with the key (refer to page 32).
The indicator lamp lights up briefly and
then flashes continuously. The tilt alarm
sensor and the interior motion sensor
remain deactivated as long as the
system is armed.
Interior motion sensorIn order for the interior motion sensor to
function properly, the windows and the
luggage compartment lid must be
closed.
Nevertheless, you should deactivate
the interior motion sensor (refer to the
previous column) if
>children or animals are left in the
vehicle
>windows should remain open.
For US vehicles only:
The interior motion sensor is not
installed on US models as it has not
received FCC (Federal Communica-
tions Commission) approval.<

87n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Brakes:
Do not rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving. Even light but
consistent pressure on the brake pedal
could lead to high temperatures, brake
wear, and possibly, to brake system
failure.
Aquaplaning:
Reduce speed while driving on wet or
slushy roads, otherwise, a wedge of
water can form between the tires and
the road surface. This phenomenon is
referred to as "aquaplaning" or "hydro-
planing." It is characterized by a partial
or complete loss of contact between
the tires and the road surface. The ulti-
mate results are loss of steering and
braking control.
Driving through water:
When there is water on the roads, do
not drive in it if it is deeper than 1 ft
(30 cm), and even then, only at walking
speed, otherwise the vehicle can
sustain damage to the engine, the elec-
trical systems and the transmission.<
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 to 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 a battery
charger or assistance from another
vehicle
>Avoid other situations where the fuel
is either not burned or burns incom-
pletely, such as engaging the starter
frequently or for extended periods, or
repeated start attempts in which the
engine does not start (stopping and
restarting an engine which is running
properly does not present a pro-
blem). Never allow the engine to run
with any of the spark plug cables
disconnected.Be sure to comply with the
instructions above to prevent
unburned fuel from reaching the cata-
lytic converter. Otherwise, there is the
danger of overheating and damage to
the catalytic converter.
Extreme temperatures are present with
the catalytic converter both on this and
every catalytic converter-equipped
vehicle. Heat shields are installed adja-
cent to some sections of the exhaust
system. Never remove these shields;
do not apply undercoating to their
surfaces. When driving, standing at
idle, and parking the vehicle, take care
to avoid contact between the exhaust
system and flammable materials (grass,
hay, leaves etc.). Such contact could
start a fire, resulting in serious personal
injury and property damage.<
Driving notes Catalytic converter

148n
Deceleration sensors continuously
monitor the physical forces acting upon
the vehicle. The airbag supplemental
restraint system responds to the
extreme deceleration rates of a high-
intensity frontal impact Ð the kind of
collision in which safety belts alone
might not provide adequate protection Ð
by simultaneously igniting the two gas
generators responsible for activating
the driver and passenger airbags. A
sensor monitors the status of the
passenger seat; its airbag does not
deploy unless the seat is occupied.
In the event of a side collision, only the
side airbags will be triggered if neces-
sary. And only that airbag for that side
of the vehicle where the collision
occurred will be triggered.
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 separation
points of the 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 the associated smoke
then dissipates.
The entire process is completed within
fractions of a second.AM, LW and SW broadcast signals
have substantially longer reception
ranges than FM transmissions. This is
because the broadcast signals propa-
gated at ground level in the form of
surface waves are also reflected from
the ionosphere as atmospheric waves.
Frequency-modulation (FM) provides
substantially better sound quality than
the other frequency bands. However,
because FM transmissions rely on line-
of-sight broadcast waves, their effec-
tive reception range is limited.
The limitations inherent to radio recep-
tion in a moving vehicle have been
minimized by a number of innovative
system designs.
Highly sensitive sensors monitor wheel
speed, steering angle, lateral accelera-
360de084
Airbags Radio reception

149n
IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
tion, braking pressures and the
vehicle's yaw rate around its vertical
axis.
When the system detects substantial
differences in rotation rates between
wheels, it acts to inhibit uncontrolled
wheelspin by reducing the drive torque
transmitted to the affected wheel(s),
while also initiating selective braking
intervention as needed.
In addition, DSC permanently monitors
the vehicle's current operating condi-
tion and compares it with an ideal
status calculated based on sensor
signals. DSC reacts to deviations from
this ideal status such as incipient
understeer or oversteer by instanta-
neously reducing engine torque to
restore vehicle stability. This strategy
can be supplemented by selective
braking intervention, available at all four
wheels. DSC acts to prevent traction
loss and skids before the situation can
become critical.You may need some time to become
accustomed to this system's interven-
tion. However, it provides optimum
drive force and vehicle stability.
The braking intervention may be
accompanied by sounds specific to
the system.
The safety belt tensioner responds to
severe frontal collisions by tightening
the belt 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.
520de148
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) Safety belt tensioner

150n
Interior rearview mirror with automatic dimmer The interior rearview mirror with auto-
matic dimmer reduces glare from
following traffic by adapting the inten-
sity of the reflected images to corre-
spond to levels of light registered by
the unit's sensors. The mirror reverts
to its undimmed setting as soon as the
light source disappears. One light
sensor is mounted on the front of the
mirror housing. This forward-facing
sensor measures light intensity in the
area ahead of the vehicle. The second
light sensor is integrated within the
mirror's frame. The electronic control
system compares the light intensity
from front and rear. The difference
provides the basic parameter used to
modulate an electrical current and
induce chemical changes in a semisolid
layer incorporated in the lens.520de096
The semisolid reacts chemically to this
electrical current, thus providing
dimming of the mirror through an infi-
nitely-variable range (electrochromic
technology).
As a result, it is no longer necessary to
dim the mirror manually, and the driver
can concentrate completely on traffic
conditions.