2003 BMW 330Ci CONVERTIBLE power steering

Contents

Notes

About this Owner's Manual4
Symbols used4
Your individual vehicle4
Status at time of printing5
For your own safety5
Symbol on vehicle parts6
Service and warranty6
Reporting safety defects6

Overview

Cockpit14
Instrument cluster16
Indicator and warning lamps18
Steering wheel with multifunction
buttons*22
Hazard warning triangle*23
First-aid kit*23
Refueling24
Fuel specifications25
Tire inflation pressure25

Controls and features

Opening and closing:

Keys30
Central locking system30
Opening and closing – via the
remote control31
Opening and closing – via the
door lock33
Opening and closing – from the
inside34
Luggage compartment lid35
Luggage compartment37
Alarm system*38
Electric power windows40
Manual convertible top41
Fully-automatic convertible
top*46
Wind deflector*50

To adjust:

Safe seating position52
Seats52
Adjusting electric power
seats53
Lumbar support*53
Head restraints54
Entering the rear55
Safety belts56
Seat and mirror memory*57
Seat heating*58
Steering wheel59
Mirrors59

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52To adjust
Safe seating positionFor relaxed and fatigue-free driving you
should select a sitting position that
reflects your personal requirements. In
combination with the safety belts and
airbags, the correct seating position
plays an important role in enhancing
occupant safety in the event of an acci-
dent. To ensure that the vehicle's safety
systems provide you with optimal pro-
tection, we request that you direct your
careful attention to the following sec-
tion.
For supplementary information on
transporting children, refer to page 63.Sitting safely with airbags
Always maintain an adequate dis-
tance between yourself and the
airbags. Always hold the steering wheel
by the rim to keep any chance of injury
to hands or arms to an absolute mini-
mum should the airbag be deployed.
Never allow any objects, individuals or
animals to obstruct the areas between
passengers and airbags. Never use the
front airbag's cover as a storage tray or
support for objects of any kind. Never
allow front passengers to rest their feet
or legs on the airbag cover.<
For airbag locations and additional
information on airbags, refer to
page 61.Sitting safely with safety belts
Never allow more than one person
to wear a single safety belt. Never
allow infants or small children to ride in
a passenger's lap. Avoid twisting the
belt while routing it firmly across the
hips and shoulder, wear it as snugly
against your body as possible. Do not
allow the belt to rest against hard or
fragile objects. Do not route the belt
across your neck, or run it across sharp
edges. Be sure that the belt does not
become caught or jammed. Avoid
wearing bulky clothing and pull on the
lap belt periodically to retension it over
your shoulders. In the event of a frontal
impact, a loose lap belt could slide over
your hips, leading to abdominal injury.
In addition, the safety belt's restraint
effectiveness is reduced if it 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 pres-
sure against the abdominal area.<
For information on using the safety
belts, refer to page 56.
SeatsWhen adjusting your seat, always
observe the following precautions
Never try to adjust your seat while
operating the vehicle. The seat
could respond with unexpected move-
ment, and the ensuing loss of vehicle
control could lead to an accident. Never
ride with the backrest reclined to an
extreme angle. This is especially impor-
tant for the front passenger to remem-
ber. If you do so, there is a risk that you
will slide under the safety belt in an
accident, thus reducing the protection
provided by the safety belt.
With the wind deflector in place:
To avoid damaging the wind deflector
never push the front seats all the way
back.<
Seat adjustment>Power seat adjustment, refer to
page 53
>Head restraint, refer to page 54
>Entering the rear, refer to page 55.
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124
Brake systemBrake fluid levelIf the brake fluid level is too low and
brake pedal travel has become longer,
there may be a defect in one of the
brake system's hydraulic circuits.
Proceed to the nearest autho-
rized BMW center. It may be nec-
essary to apply higher levels of pres-
sure to the pedal when stopping and
braking distances may also be longer.
Please remember to adapt your driving
style accordingly. with the vehicle parked or in storage,
and operating conditions in which brak-
ing is restricted to gentle, low-pressure
applications will all increase the ten-
dency for corrosion to form on the
rotors; this is often accompanied by a
simultaneous accumulation of contami-
nation on the brake pads. The pads
must exert a certain minimal level of
pressure against the rotors for the disc
brakes' inherent self-cleaning effect to
remain effective.
If the brake rotors are corroded, they
will tend to respond to braking with a
pulsating effect that even extended
brake applications will fail to cure.
When driving in heavy rain and on wet
roads it is useful to apply light pressure
to the brake pedal every few miles.
Monitor traffic conditions to ensure that
this maneuver does not pose a hazard
to you or to other road users. The heat
generated in this process helps dry the
pads and rotors to ensure that your
brake system will respond with undi-
minished efficiency when you need it.
When descending steep hills and
extended grades, downshift to a gear
that will allow you to continue safely
with only a minimal amount of braking.
By minimizing the loads placed on the
brake system, this strategy helps
ensure that optimal brake system
response will remain available at all
times. Use care to avoid exceeding the
approved engine-speed range, refer to
page 81.
Do not coast with the clutch
depressed or with the transmis-
sion or selector lever in Neutral. Do not
coast with the engine shut off. The
engine provides no braking effect when
the clutch is depressed and there is no
power-assist for braking or steering
when the engine is not running.
Never allow floor mats, carpets or any
other objects to protrude into the area
around the accelerator, clutch and
brake pedals and obstruct their move-
ment. For your own safety: use only
brake pads that BMW has
released for your particular vehicle
model. BMW cannot evaluate non-
approved brake pads to determine if
they are suitable for use, and therefore
cannot ensure the operating safety of
the vehicle if they are installed.<
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137
Adding engine oilWait until the level has dropped to just
above the lower mark before adding oil.
However, you should never let the oil
drop below the lower mark.
BMW engines are designed to
operate without oil additives; the
use of additives could lead to damage
in some cases. This also applies to the
manual transmission, the automatic
transmission, the differential, and the
power steering system.<
Recommendation: have the oil changed
at your BMW center.
Continuous exposure to used oil
has caused cancer in laboratory
testing. For this reason, any skin areas
that come into contact with oil should
be thoroughly washed with soap and
water.
Always store oil, grease, etc., out of
reach of children. Comply with all warn-
ing labels and information on lubricant
containers.<
Comply with the applicable envi-
ronmental laws regulating the dis-
posal of used oil.<
Specified engine oilsThe quality of the engine oil is
extremely important for the operation
and service life of an engine. Based on
extensive testing, BMW has approved
only certain grades of engine oil.
Use only approved BMW High Perfor-
mance Synthetic Oil.
If an approved BMW High Performance
Synthetic Oil should be unavailable, you
may use small amounts of other syn-
thetic oils for topping up between oil
changes. Use only oils with the specifi-
cation API SH or higher.
Ask your BMW center for details
concerning the specific BMW
High Performance Synthetic Oil or syn-
thetic oils that have been approved.<
You can also call BMW of North Amer-
ica toll-free at 1-800-831-1117 or visit
this website: www.bmwusa.com to
obtain this information.
Viscosity ratingsViscosity is the oilflow rating as estab-
lished in SAE classes.
The selection of the correct SAE class
depends on the climatic conditions in
the area where you drive your BMW.
Approved oils are in SAE classes
5W-40 and 5W-30.<
These kinds of oil may be used for driv-
ing in all ambient temperatures.
Engine oil
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
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Everything from A to ZOil additives 137
Oil change intervals, refer to
the Service and Warranty
Information Booklet for US
models/Warranty and Ser-
vice Guide Booklet for
Canadian models
Oil consumption 136
Oil dipstick 136
Oil filter change 165
Oil level
checking 136
indicator lamp 19
warning lamp 18
Oil pressure
warning lamp 18
OIL SERVICE 83
Oil types 137
Onboard computer, refer to
the Owner's Manual for
Onboard Computer
Onboard tool kit 146
Opening and closing
from the inside 34
via the door lock 33
via the remote control 31
Operating elements 14
Outlets, ventilation 104
Outside temperature dis-
play 85P
Panic mode, trigger alarm
32
Park Distance Control
(PDC) 87
Parking aid 87
Parking brake 72
Parking lamps 96
replacing bulb 148
PDC Park Distance
Control 87
Pocket flashlight 109
Pollen 103, 108
Power output 162
Power seat 53
Pressure, tires 25, 92, 127
monitoring 92
R
Radiator 165
Radio, refer to the Owner's
Manual for Radio
Rain sensor 78
Range 86
Reading lamps
front 98
rear 98
Rear lamps 149
Rear window defroster
102, 107
Rearview mirror 59Recirculated-air mode
102, 107
Refueling 24
Remote control 31
Remote control keys 30
Replacement key 30, 31
Reporting safety defects 6
Reserve indicator lamp 82
Restraint system 63
Reverse 73
Rims 130
Rollover protection
system 67
indicator lamp 19
lowering 67
Roof load capacity 164
Roof-mounted luggage rack
118, 125
Run Flat tires 129, 155
S
Safe seating position 52
Safety belts 56
seat-integrated safety belt
system (SGS) 55
Seat
rear entry aid 55
Seat adjustment 52
lumbar support 53
thigh support 53
Seat heating 58
Seat memory 57Securing cargo 116
Securing child-restraint sys-
tem 65
Securing devices 117
Selector lever, automatic
transmission 74
Service and Warranty Infor-
mation Booklet 140
Service Engine Soon
warning lamp 19
Service interval display
83, 140
Setting
clock 84
Shiftlock 74
Side airbags 61
Side turn signal indicators
replacing bulb 149
Size 163
Ski bag 115
Snow chains 131
Socket 114
Spare key 30
Spare tire 151
Speedometer 16
Standing lamps 97
Starting problems 70
Starting the engine 70
Steering wheel lock 70
Steering wheel with multi-
function buttons 22
Steering wheel, adjusting 59
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