2002 BMW Z8 CONVERTIBLE Owners Manual

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Mirrors Vehicle Memory, Key MemoryThe mirror switches to its clear,
undimmed mode whenever you shift
into reverse.
For trouble-free operation, keep the
photocells clean and do not cover the
area between the interior rearview
mirror and the windshield. Do not
attach any kind of stickers on the wind-
shield in front of the mirror, either.
For a more detailed explanation of the
electrochromatic technology used in
this mirror, please refer to page 153.
The conceptNo doubt you have reflected at one
time or another on how great it would
be if you could permanently configure
your vehicle's various features and
adjustments to mirror your own indi-
vidual preferences. In developing the
Z8, BMW has incorporated a number of
options for personal adjustment that
can be programmed into your vehicle
by your BMW center.
The available configuration data fall into
two categories, according to whether
their primary orientation is the vehicle
("Vehicle Memory") or the individual
("Key Memory"). Provided that each
person has a separate remote-control
key, you can have your BMW center
enter adjustment data for as many as
four different individuals into the
system.
The system then relies on a bilateral
data exchange to identify the individual
user and dial in the selected settings
whenever the remote-control unit is
used to disengage the door locks.
What the system can doYour BMW center can provide you with
details on the capabilities of the Vehicle
Memory and Key Memory systems.
Below a few examples:
A Vehicle Memory sampler:
>Various signals to confirm release
and engagement of the vehicle's
locks.
>Activate/deactivate the "Follow me
home" lamps.
A Key Memory sampler:
>Engage vehicle locks as soon as the
vehicle is underway.
At various points throughout this
Owner's Manual you will find this
symbol, indicating that the equipment
or system described in the adjacent
section can be preset for automatic
adjustment using the Vehicle or Key
Memory.<

50n
Drive with your safety belt onFasten your safety belt at the beginning
of every trip.
To fasten:
Make sure you hear the lock engage in
the belt buckle.
To release:
Press the red button in the buckle. Hold
the belt and guide it back into its reel. 520de020
For your safety, please comply
with the following instructions for
wearing safety belts. Otherwise, your
personal safety will be diminished, and
the safety belts' protective function
impaired. 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 pelvis and shoulder,
wear it as snugly against your body as
possible. Do not allow the belt to rest
against hard or fragile objects in your
pockets. Never route the belt across
your neck, do not run it across sharp
edges and ensure that the belt does not
become caught or jammed.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing and pull
on the belt periodically to retension it
over your shoulder. 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.<
For care instructions, refer to page 121.
If the safety belt system has been
subjected to the stresses involved
in an accident or damaged in any other
way, have the complete mechanism
replaced by your BMW center,
including the safety belt tensioner and
the belt anchorages checked. If a child-
restraint system
* is in the vehicle
during an accident, consult the manu-
facturer's instructions regarding
replacement.<
Child-restraint systems
*
Since your vehicle is equipped
with an airbag for the front
passenger, never use any rear-facing
child-restraint systems on the front
passenger seat, otherwise serious inju-
ries can occur if the airbag is triggered.
Never modify a child-restraint system in
any way, as the result could be reduced
protection for your child.<
Safety belts

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Airbags 1 Front airbag on driver and passenger
side
2 Side airbags on driver and passenger
sideProtectionThe front airbags protect the driver and
passenger in the event of severe frontal
impacts in which a safety belt alone is
not enough to provide optimal protec-
tion. The side airbags help provide
protection in the event of a collision
from the side. Each of the side airbags
is designed to help support the seat
occupant's upper body.520de021
The illustration shows the system's
effective response range; major
impacts occuring within this area will
initiate airbag deployment.
The airbags do not respond to
minor impacts, if the vehicle rolls
over, or if the vehicle is hit from the
rear.<520de022
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster comes on to
confirm the system's operational
status from ignition key position 1.
System operational:
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
then goes out.
System malfunction:
>The indicator lamp fails to come on
>The indicator lamp comes on briefly
before going out and then lighting up
again.
A system malfunction could prevent the
system from responding to a high-
intensity impact sustained within its
normal response range.
Have your BMW center inspect the
system immediately.

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AirbagsSitting correctly with airbags
Comply with the following instruc-
tions for the airbags, otherwise,
the airbags may not be able to provide
their maximum protection, with
resulting risks to personal safety. All
passengers in the vehicle should be
aware of and comply with this informa-
tion:
The airbag is a supplemental restraint
device; it is not a substitute or replace-
ment for your safety belt, which you
should continue to wear at all times.
When adjusting your seat, assume a
comfortable driving posture allowing
comfortable and secure access to all of
the vehicle's controls. Avoid sitting too
close to the steering wheel.
Always hold the steering wheel by the
rim Ð hands in the "9 o'clock" and
"3 o'clock" positions Ð otherwise, your
hands or arms could be injured if the
airbag is triggered.
Never allow any other passengers,
animals or objects to intrude into the
area between the airbag and the driver
or front passenger.
Do not use the cover panel above the
front passenger airbag as a storage
area.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the
cover panels of the airbags, or cover or
modify them in any other way.
Do not use a rear-facing child seat in
the front passenger seat. If you use a
child-restraint system, carefully read
and comply with the instructions on
page 53.
Be sure that child seats are installed
correctly and with the greatest possible
distance between them and the side
airbag. 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 trig-
gered.<
Even when all these guidelines are
observed, there is still a small residual
risk of injury to the face, hands and
arms occurring from airbag deployment
in isolated instances.
The ignition and inflation noise may
cause a mild temporary hearing loss in
extremely sensitive individuals.
You will find the proper airbag safety
precautions on both sun visors and on
the instrument cluster (US models).
For additional information concerning
the airbag system, refer to pages 123
and 150.The illustration shows the correct
seating position for a child in a child-
restraint system
* with sufficient
distance between the child and the side
airbag (arrow).
520de115

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Airbags Transporting children safelyThe illustration shows the correct
seating position for an older child
wearing a safety belt with sufficient
distance between the child and the side
airbag (arrow).520de116
Before installing any child-
restraint device or child seat,
please read the following:
Never install a rear-facing child-
restraint system in the passenger seat
of this vehicle.
If the airbag deploys and hits the back-
rest of the rear-facing child seat, it is
likely that the child sitting in the rear-
facing child seat will be seriously
injured or killed.
If it is necessary for a child (not an
infant) to ride in the vehicle, certain
precautions should be taken. First,
move the passenger seat as far away
from the dashboard 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 secured with a safety belt.
In the interest of the child's safety,
please 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.
Do not allow children to lean out of a
child-restraint system toward the door
or dashboard, as otherwise serious
injuries may result if the airbag deploys.
Always ensure that all occupants (of all
ages) remain properly and securely
restrained at all times.
Read carefully and comply with the
safety precautions covering safety belts
on page 50. If you do not, the protec-
tive function of the safety belts will be
limited.<

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Transporting children safelyChild seat securityThe safety belt on the passenger side
can be locked for mounting and
securing child-restraint systems.
A label with operating instructions is
attached to the belt next to the sliding
latch plate.520us003
To 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 retracted further.
Comply with the installation instructions
provided by the manufacturer of the
child-restraint system.To release the beltRelease the buckle, remove the child-
restraint system and allow the inertia
reel to retract the belt completely.

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IndexDataTechnologyRepairsCar careControlsOverview
Your vehicle is equipped with an elec-
trically powered steering lock mecha-
nism.To activate the electrical power
supply and release the steering>Insert key at position 1. The steering
detent can be heard disengaging. If
you encounter any resistance when
turning the key to the right this indi-
cates that the detent is still engaged:
turn the steering wheel slightly to free
the mechanism and turn the key.
The vehicle immobilizer is deacti-
vated
>The sound system and other elec-
trical accessories are available for
use when the ignition key is in posi-
tion 1 520de023
>Turning the key to position 2 provides
electrical power to the ignition and all
remaining electrical systems.
Removing the key The key is removed in position 0. Turn
the steering wheel to engage the
steering lock and activate the electronic
vehicle immobilizer.
With a discharged or discon-
nected battery, the steering
column will not be locked or unlocked.
Leaving the key in the ignition uses up a
minimal amount of power. In order to
avoid discharging the battery, remove
the key if the vehicle is to be parked for
an extended period of time.<
If the steering is locked and the
battery discharged or discon-
nected, do not tow the vehicle, as it will
not be possible to turn the steering
wheel.<
Ignition and steering lock

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Starting the engine Before starting>Engage the parking brake
>Make sure that the transmission is in
neutral
>Depress the clutch pedal
>Turn ignition key to position 2.
Do not allow the engine to run in
enclosed areas. 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 unattended
vehicle with a running engine repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.<520de141
Do not press the accelerator pedal
while starting the engine (pressing the
starter button).
Do not actuate the starter button
for too short a time, but do not
keep it pressed for more than approx.
20 seconds.<
Do not allow the engine to warm up by
leaving it running while the vehicle
remains stationary. Instead, begin to
drive immediately at a moderate engine
speed.
Cold starts at very low temperatures,
from approx. +5 7 (Ð15 6) and at alti-
tudes above 3,300 ft (1,000 meters):
>On the first start attempt, engage the
starter for a longer period (approx.
10 seconds).
Engine idle speed is controlled by the
electronic engine-management system.
A fast idle immediately after starting is
normal and should decrease as the
engine warms up. If the idle does not
return to normal as the engine reaches
normal operating temperature, 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.