
 
Contents
 
9
 
Passenger safety systems:
 
Airbags61
Transporting children safely63
Rollover protection system67
Vehicle Memory, Key 
Memory69
 
Driving:
 
Ignition lock70
Starting the engine70
Switching off the engine72
Parking brake72
Manual transmission73
Automatic transmission with 
Steptronic*74
Turn signal indicator/Headlamp 
flasher77
Washer/wiper system/Rain 
sensor*78
Cruise control*79
 
Everything under control:
 
Odometer81
Tachometer81
Energy control81
Fuel gauge82
Engine coolant temperature 
gauge82
Service interval display83
Check Control83
Clock84
Computer85
 
Technology for safety and 
driving convenience:
 
Park Distance Control (PDC)*87
Automatic Stability Control plus 
Traction (ASC+T)*88
Dynamic Stability Control 
(DSC)*90
Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM)*92
Flat Tire Monitor*93
 
Lamps:
 
Parking lamps/Low beams96
Instrument lighting97
High beams/Standing lamps97
Fog lamps*98
Interior lamps98
 
Controlling the climate for 
pleasant driving:
 
Air conditioning100
Automatic climate control*104
 
Interior conveniences:
 
Glove compartment109
BMW Universal Transmitter*110
Storage compartments112
Cellular phone*113
Ashtray, front*113
Ashtray, rear*114
 
Loading and transporting:
 
Ski bag*115
Cargo loading116
Roof-mounted luggage rack for 
the hardtop*118
 
Controls and features
 
handbook.book  Page 9  Wednesday, July 31, 2002  9:29 AM 

 
15
1Parking lamps/Low beams96
2
 
>
 
Turn signal indicators77
 
>
 
Standing lamps97
 
>
 
High beams97
 
>
 
Headlamp flasher77
 
>
 
Computer85
3Washer/wiper system/Rain 
sensor78
4Hazard warning flashers
5Central locking system30
6Rear window defroster102, 107
7Horn: the entire surface
8Adjusting the steering wheel59
9Fog lamps98
 
Cockpit
 
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
 
handbook.book  Page 15  Wednesday, July 31, 2002  9:29 AM 

25
Close the fuel filler cap carefully 
after refueling until a click is 
heard. While closing, be sure not to 
squeeze the strap which is fastened to 
the cap. A loose or missing cap will 
activate the CHECK FILLER CAP 
lamp.<
Fuel tank capacity>Approx. 16.6 gal./63 liters, of which
>approx. 2.1 gal./8 liters are reserve 
capacity.
Do not drive to the last drop of 
fuel. This can prevent the engine 
from operating properly and result in 
damage.<
Fuel specificationsThe engine uses lead-free gasoline 
only.
Required fuel:
>Premium Unleaded Gasoline,
min. 91 AKI.
AKI = Anti Knock Index
Never use leaded fuel, as it would 
cause permanent and irreversible 
damage to the oxygen sensor and the 
catalytic converter.<
Tire inflation pressureThe specified inflation pressures are 
provided on a sticker attached to the 
B-pillar and are visible with the driver's 
door open.Checking tire pressuresAll pressures are specified in the stan-
dard units of pressure, psi and kilopas-
cal, and apply to cold tires, that is tires 
at ambient temperature. Refer to tire 
pressure table at the end of this chap-
ter.
Vehicles with Tire Pressure Monitor 
(TPM)/Flat Tire Monitor:
After correcting the inflation pressures, 
reinitialize the system, refer to 
pages 92, 93.
Refueling
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
handbook.book  Page 25  Wednesday, July 31, 2002  9:29 AM 

31
Opening and closing – via the remote controlThe conceptThe remote control gives you an excep-
tionally convenient method for unlock-
ing and locking your vehicle. Further-
more, it provides two additional 
functions:
>To switch on interior lamps, refer to 
page 32.
With this function you can also 
search for the vehicle when parked in 
an underground garage, for instance
>To open the luggage compartment 
lid, refer to page 32.
The luggage compartment lid will 
open slightly, regardless of whether it 
was previously locked or unlocked.
Whenever you unlock or lock the vehi-
cle, you simultaneously deactivate/acti-
vate the anti-theft system, disarm/arm 
the alarm system and switch the interior 
lamps on/off.
You can have a signal set to con-
firm that the vehicle's locks have 
engaged securely.<
Master keys with remote control
Persons or animals inside the 
vehicle may be able to lock the 
doors from the inside. For this reason, 
you should always take the vehicle keys 
with you so that the vehicle can be 
opened again from the outside at any 
time.<
If it is no longer possible to lock 
the vehicle via the remote control, 
the battery is discharged. Use this key 
while driving for an extended period in 
order to recharge the battery.
To prevent unauthorized use of the 
remote control, surrender only the 
spare key or the door and ignition key 
when leaving the vehicle for valet park-
ing, for example.
In the event of a system malfunction, 
please contact your BMW center. You 
can also obtain replacement keys 
there.<
1Unlock, disarm alarm system
2Lock and secure, arm alarm system, 
activate interior lamps, disarm tilt 
alarm sensor and interior motion sen-
sor
3Open the luggage compartment lid, 
Panic mode – trigger alarmTo releasePress the button once to unlock the 
driver's door.
Press the button a second time to 
disengage all vehicle locks.<
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
handbook.book  Page 31  Wednesday, July 31, 2002  9:29 AM 

32
To lock and securePress the button.To switch on the interior lampsWith the vehicle locked, press the but-
ton.To deactivate the tilt alarm* and 
interior motion sensors*Press the button a second time imme-
diately after locking.
For additional information, refer to 
page 39.To open the luggage 
compartmentPress the button.
The luggage compartment lid will open 
slightly, regardless of whether it was 
previously locked or unlocked.
Before and after a trip, be sure 
that the luggage compartment lid 
has not been opened unintentionally.<
Panic mode – trigger alarmProvided that the alarm system is 
armed, you can respond to imminent 
danger by holding down the button for 
more than seconds.
To switch off the alarm:
Press the button.External systemsThe remote control system's operation 
may be affected by other units or 
equipment operating in the immediate 
vicinity of your vehicle.
If this should occur, you can still open 
and close the vehicle using the master 
key in either the door or luggage com-
partment lid locks.
For US owners onlyThe transmitter and receiver units com-
ply with part 15 of the FCC Federal 
Communications Commission regula-
tions. Operation is governed by the fol-
lowing:
FCC ID:
>LX8EWS 
>LX8FZVS 
>LX8FZVE.
Compliance statement:
This device complies with part 15 of the 
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the 
following two conditions:
>This device may not cause harmful 
interference
>This device must accept any interfer-
ence received, including interference 
that may cause undesired operation.
Any unauthorized modifications to 
these devices could void the 
user's authority to operate the equip-
ment.<
Opening and closing – via the remote control
handbook.book  Page 32  Wednesday, July 31, 2002  9:29 AM 

38
Before lowering the convertible 
top, refer to page 41 or 46, always 
check to ensure that the luggage com-
partment panel has returned to its origi-
nal position. Attempts to lower the top 
with the panel folded up can lead to 
vehicle damage.<
Alarm system*The conceptThe vehicle alarm system responds:
>When a door, the hood or the lug-
gage compartment lid is opened
>To movements 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 – tilt alarm sensor
>To interruption of battery voltage.
The system responds to unauthorized 
vehicle entry and attempted theft by 
simultaneously activating the following:
>The acoustic alarm sounds for 
30 seconds
>The hazard warning flashers are acti-
vated for approx. five minutes
>The high beams flash on and off in 
rhythm with the hazard warning flash-
ers.To arm and disarm the alarm 
systemWhen the vehicle is locked or unlocked 
via the driver's door lock or with the 
remote control, the alarm system is also 
simultaneously armed or disarmed.You can have different acknowl-
edgment signals set to confirm 
arming and disarming.<
You can open the luggage compart-
ment lid when the system is armed by 
pressing the remote control button, 
refer to page 32. The lid is once again 
secured when it is closed.
Luggage compartment
handbook.book  Page 38  Wednesday, July 31, 2002  9:29 AM 

39
Indicator lamp displays>The indicator lamp below the interior 
rearview mirror flashes continuously:
the system is armed
>The indicator lamp flashes during 
arming: the door(s), the hood or the 
luggage compartment lid are not 
completely closed. Even if you do not 
close the alerted area(s), the remain-
ing areas are secured, and the indi-
cator lamp will flash continuously 
after 10 seconds. However, the inte-
rior motion sensor is not activated
>The indicator lamp goes out when the 
system is disarmed: no manipulation 
or attempted intrusions have been 
detected in the period since the sys-
tem was armed
>The indicator lamp flashes for 
10 seconds when the system is dis-
armed: an attempted entry has been 
detected in the period since the sys-
tem was armed.
Following triggering of an alarm, the 
indicator lamp will flash continuously.Avoiding unintentional alarmsThe tilt alarm sensor and interior motion 
sensor may be switched off at the same 
time. You can do this to prevent a false 
alarm from being triggered in garages 
with elevator ramps, for instance, or 
when the vehicle is transported by train:
Lock the vehicle twice to arm the sys-
tem. Press the button on the remote 
control twice in succession or lock the 
vehicle twice with the key.
The indicator lamp lights up briefly and 
then flashes continuously. The tilt alarm 
sensor and the interior motion sensor 
are deactivated as long as the system is 
armed.Interior motion sensor*Deactivate the interior motion sensor – 
refer to Avoiding unintentional alarms – 
if persons or animals are to remain in 
the vehicle.
The system deactivates the tilt-
alarm sensor and the interior 
motion sensor if the convenience clos-
ing of windows is interrupted in the first 
10 seconds and then restarted. The 
alarm must then be disarmed and reac-
tivated before it will resume opera-
tion.<
Alarm system*
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
handbook.book  Page 39  Wednesday, July 31, 2002  9:29 AM 

78
Washer/wiper system/Rain sensor*0Wipers retracted
1Intermittent mode or rain sensor
2Normal wipe
3Fast wipe
4Brief wipe
5Rotary dial for control of the wipe 
interval or the sensitivity of the rain 
sensorIntermittent modeNot on vehicles with rain sensor.
You can select any of four sweep inter-
vals with rotary dial 5.
In addition, the wipe interval varies 
automatically depending on road 
speed.
Rain sensor*The rain sensor is located on the wind-
shield directly behind the rearview mir-
ror.
To activate the rain sensor:
>With the ignition key in position 1 
or higher, move the lever to position 
1. The wipers will make at least one 
sweep across the windshield.
You can leave the lever in position 1 
at all times. With the ignition key in 
position  1 or higher, all you then need 
to do to activate the rain sensor is
>briefly turn the rotary dial 5, or
>clean windshield 1, refer to page 79.
To adjust the sensitivity of the rain sen-
sor: turn rotary dial 5.
To switch off the rain sensor:
Return lever to position 0.
Turn the rain sensor off in auto-
matic car washes. Failure to do so 
could result in damage caused by 
undesired wiper activation.
wipe – not on vehicles with rain sensor.
Fast wiper speedWhen the vehicle is stationary, the wip-
ers operate at normal speed – not on 
vehicles with rain sensor.
handbook.book  Page 78  Wednesday, July 31, 2002  9:29 AM