2002 BMW M3 COUPE Owner's Manual

57n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Starting the engine Switching off the engine If the engine does not start on the first
attempt (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 +57 (Ð156) and at
high altitudes over 3,300 ft (over
1,000 m):
>On the first start attempt, engage the
starter for a longer period (approx.
10 seconds)
Extended starting attempts, char-
acterized by excessively frequent
or long periods with the starter
engaged, can lead to damage to the
catalytic converter.<
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
lead to a fire, resulting in personal injury
and property damage.<
Engine idle speed is controlled by the
engine computer system. Increased
speeds at start-up 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 switch off electrical
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 did so, the steering lock would
engage when the steering wheel is
turned.
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
or reverse gear may not be enough to
prevent it from rolling away.<
Vehicles with sequential M transmis-
sion
* SMG II: observe instructions on
page 60.

58n
Parking brake Manual transmission 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 cluster
comes on when the ignition key is in
position 2, refer to page 18.To releasePull up slightly on the lever, press the
button (arrow) and lower the lever.
If, in exceptional circumstances, it
should be necessary to engage
the parking brake while the vehicle is in
motion, do not pull it with excessive
pressure. Keep your thumb pressed
against the release button while care-
fully 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
or reverse gear 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.
Press the clutch pedal all the way down
each time you shift, pressing the
manual gearshift lever into its proper
end position.
When shifting gears in the
5th/6th-gear plane, be sure to
press the gearshift lever to the right in
order to prevent inadvertent selection
of a gear in the 3rd/4th-gear plane.<

59n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Manual transmission Sequential M gearbox
* SMG II
Reverse Select only when the vehicle is
completely stopped. Press the gearshift
lever to the left to overcome the slight
resistance.
As you do this, the backup lamps will
come on automatically when the igni-
tion key is in position 2.
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.<
The conceptThe sequential M gearbox SMG II is an
automated manual gearbox with which
clutching and shifting is assumed by an
electro-hydraulic system.
The SMG II is operated via two shift
paddles on the steering wheel and the
selector lever in the center console.
It offers the following functions:
>Sequential and automated shifting
mode
>Ability to choose between different
driving programs (Drivelogic)
>Gradient assistance
>Upshift display (shift lights)
>Throttle blip
>Driving dependent functions:
The respective driving situation (e.g.
cornering, mountain driving, braking)
is detected by sensors and taken into
account accordingly for shifting, e.g.
to achieve optimum gear selection
during deceleration and subsequent
acceleration>Slip recognition at the rear axle for
increasing driving stability, e.g.
during downshifting on slippery road
surfaces
>Operating safety through protection
against misshifting.

60n
Sequential M gearbox* SMG IISelector lever positionR: Reverse position
0: Position 0
Forward position with one-touch mode:
>S: Sequential mode
>A: Automated mode
>+: Upshifting in sequential mode
>-: Downshifting in sequential mode.
The SMG II is ready for operation from
ignition key position 2.
For your safety, it is only possible to
engage a driving position with the
vehicle stopped approx. 2 seconds
after engaging the position 0 with the
footbrake depressed (shift-lock func-
tion).
It is not necessary to hold the footbrake
depressed until starting off, as the
vehicle does not move forward with the
driving position engaged.Starting engine and driving offTo start the engine:
1. Depress footbrake
2. Move selector lever into position 0
3. Turn the ignition key to position 3,
refer to page 56.
To drive off:
1. Depress footbrake
2. Engage a driving position
3. Release footbrake and slowly
depress accelerator pedal.
With the engine running, the gear
indicator in the instrument cluster
flashes to indicate that a driving posi-
tion is engaged with the driver's door
open or if the hood is not closed prop-
erly, refer to page 61.
If none of the pedals is actuated, then
the gearbox is automatically taken out
of gear after approx. 4 seconds.
Then the desired direction of travel
must be selected again with the
selector lever in position 0.<
Starting off is not possible with the
hood open.<
Before exiting the vehicle with the
engine running, move the selector
lever into position 0 and apply the
parking brake.
Never leave the vehicle unattended
with the engine running. An unat-
tended vehicle with a running engine
represents a potential safety hazard. or 0 with the selector lever in the
forward or reverse position, a gear
automatically remains engaged.
If you turn the ignition key to position 1
or 0 with the selector lever in position 0,
a gong and the flashing gear indicator
in the SMG display remind you that the
vehicle is not secured against rolling.

61n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Sequential M gearbox* SMG IIThe warning stops after approx.
10 seconds. If you move the selector
lever into a forward or reverse position
during this time, a gear is automatically
engaged.
The SMG II has no park position
for securing the vehicle against
rolling.
The ignition key can be removed in any
selector lever position.<
Always engage the parking brake
when parking on downhill roads.
Engaging a gear may not sufficiently
secure the vehicle against rolling.<
Display in instrument clusterThe selector lever position, currently
engaged gear and selected driving
program are displayed in the instrument
cluster.
1 Engaged gear
2 Selected driving program
(corresponds to the number of illumi-
nated fields), refer to page 64
3 Tapping the selector lever to the right
switches over into the displayed shift
mode
4 "A" indicates an activated automated
mode.
R Ð Reverse positionOnly engage with the vehicle stopped
or at low speed, e.g. for "rocking free"
in deep snow.0 Ð Position 0Always engage before starting the
engine.
If the driving situation requires, e.g.
when downshifting on slippery roads,
the SMG II automatically disengages
and reengages the clutch, i.e. it is not
necessary to manually engage
position 0. S Ð Sequential modeIn the sequential mode all forward
gears are to be shifted by the driver.
Changeover from automated to
sequential mode:
>Tap the selector lever to the right
toward "S"
or
>change gears with the selector lever
or the shift paddles on the steering
wheel.
You do not need to reduce the throttle
for shifting.

62n
Sequential M gearbox* SMG IIShifting gears with shift paddles on
steering wheel:
>To upshift, briefly pull the right
paddle "+"
>To downshift, briefly pull the left
paddle "Ð."
Shift paddles with various widths
matched to the shape of your
hand are available from your BMW
center.<
Shifting gears with selector lever:
>To upshift, pull the selector lever
backward "+"
>To downshift, push the selector lever
forward "Ð".
No automatic upshifting is carried out in
the sequential mode.
You accelerate from higher gears, e.g.
during passing, by manually down-
shifting.
In the following situations the SMG II
helps you "think" in the sequential
mode:
>Upshifts and downshifts are only
executed when the new gear will
provide a suitable combination of
vehicle and engine speed, i.e., down-
shifts that would cause the engine to
overrev will not be executed
>During a stop the gearbox is auto-
matically downshifted into the first
gear so that, e.g. before a traffic light,
it is only necessary to accelerate to
continue driving
>When the speed is reduced, the
gearbox is automatically down-
shifted shortly before a gear-depen-
dent minimum speed is reached
without you taking any action.
A Ð Automated modeEach time the engine is started, the
automated mode is activated as soon
as you move the selector lever into the
forward driving position.
In the automated mode all forward
gears are automatically shifted.
Changeover from sequential to auto-
mated mode: tap the selector lever to
the right toward "A." Watch the display
in the instrument cluster, refer to
page 61.
For rapid acceleration, e.g. during
passing, depress the accelerator pedal
completely (kick-down). The gearbox
now downshifts in dependence on the
selected driving program.
Even in the automated mode, you can
help specify the shifting point: if a gear-
dependent minimum speed is
exceeded, you can upshift by slowly
reducing pressure on the accelerator
pedal. In the process, the respective
driving situation is detected by sensors
and taken into account.

63n
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
Sequential M gearbox* SMG IIDrivelogicDrivelogic makes various driving
programs available to you.
Press Drivelogic repeatedly until the
desired driving program is shown in the
SMG display of the instrument cluster,
refer to page 61.
In the automated mode you can select
from five driving programs ranging from
convenience mode/winter operation to
sporty and highly dynamic.
In the first automated driving program,
starting off takes place in second gear,
which is advisable under winter road
conditions with ice and snow.
In the sequential mode you can choose
from six driving programs ranging from
balanced, dynamic to sporty, puristic
driving. The sporty, puristic driving
program can only be activated with the
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) deacti-
vated, refer to page 76.
To maintain vehicle stability,
always drive with the DSC acti-
vated on whenever possible.<
Following each change between the
sequential and the automated mode,
the last driving program selected in the
respective mode is active.
Exception: instead of the last selected
sequential driving program 6,
program 5 is activated only after the
engine has been started again.
Your vehicle is set so that when
the engine is started, the last
selected driving program saved in your
key is activated for each shifting
mode.<
Gradient assistanceThe gradient assistance enables
starting off on grades with virtually no
roll-back. It can be activated in the
sequential and automated mode with
the vehicle stopped and can be used
for both forward and reverse driving.
1. Depress footbrake with vehicle
stopped
2. Activate the gradient assistance by
pulling the left paddle for at least
0.5 seconds. An increase in the
engine speed indicates that the
gradient assistance is activated.
Pulling the left paddle again briefly
deactivates the gradient assis-
tance again.<
3. Release the footbrake and start off
within 2 seconds.

64n
Sequential M gearbox* SMG II
The vehicle may roll slightly before
it is held by the gradient assis-
tance after releasing the footbrake.
Two seconds after the footbrake is
released, the vehicle begins to roll, as it
is no longer held with the gradient
assistance.<
The gradient assistance must be reacti-
vated before each use.
Indicator lamp
The transmission indicator lamp
in the instrument cluster goes
out after the engine is started.
>If it does not go out, or if it lights up
during driving, a fault has occurred.
The available functions may be
limited under certain circumstances.
Drive carefully and with the Dynamic
Stability Control (DSC) activated.
Have the system checked by the
nearest BMW center
>If the indicator lamp flashes while
driving, the system is overloaded.
Avoid high loads until the indicator
lamp goes out again permanently.
Shift lightsTo achieve the best possible vehicle
acceleration with a sporty driving style
in the sequential mode, shift lights in
the instrument cluster indicate the
optimum shifting point shortly before
the maximum engine speed is reached.
1 When the maximum engine speed is
approached, yellow indicator fields
(shift lights) in the tachometer light up
consecutively to indicate the
approaching upshift time
2 Shift at the latest when the last indi-
cator field lights up red.Tire replacement, snow chainsFollowing a tire or wheel change and
after mounting or removing snow
chains, the slip recognition of the