2003 BMW M3 COUPE Owner's Manual

81
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)The conceptDSC maintains vehicle stability, even in
critical driving situations.
The system optimizes vehicle stability
during acceleration and when starting
from a full stop, as well as optimizing
traction. In addition, it recognizes
unstable vehicle conditions, such as
understeering or oversteering, and,
within physically feasible limits, helps
keeping the vehicle on a steady course
by reducing the engine speed and
brake applications to the individual
wheels.
DSC starts up automatically each time
you start the engine.
The laws of physics cannot be
repealed, even with DSC. The
results of driving irresponsibly rest with
the driver. We therefore urge you to
avoid using the additional safety margin
of the system as an excuse for taking
risks.
Do not make any modifications to the
DSC system. Allow only authorized
technicians to perform service proce-
dures on the DSC. At first, you may
need some time to become accus-
tomed to this system's intervention.
However, it guarantees optimum drive
force and at the same time, the best
possible vehicle stability. The indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster will go out shortly
after the ignition has been
switched on, refer to page 20.
>Indicator lamp flashes: DSC is active
and is controlling the drive torque
based on driving conditions
>If the indicator lamp fails to go out
after the engine has been started, or
if it comes on during normal driving
and stays on: DSC has been deacti-
vated via the button or is defective.
You can continue to drive the vehicle
normally, but without DSC. Please
consult your BMW center for repairs.
To deactivate DSCPress the button briefly; the indicator
lamp comes on and stays on.
The vehicle does not execute the stabil-
ity-enhancement and traction-control
functions when DSC is deactivated.
We recommend that you deactivate
DSC for increased traction:
>When rocking the vehicle or starting
off in deep snow or on loose surfaces
>When driving with snow chains
>When driving on snow-covered
grades, in deep snow, or on a snow-
covered surface that has been
packed down from being driven on.
To maintain vehicle stability,
always drive with the DSC acti-
vated on whenever possible.<
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
handbook.book Page 81 Saturday, July 27, 2002 1:12 PM

82
To reactivate DSCPress the button again; the indicator
lamp goes out.Dynamic Brake Control (DBC)DBC is an integral component of the
DSC system.
If you apply the brakes rapidly, this sys-
tem automatically generates maximum
braking force boost and thus helps to
achieve the shortest possible braking
distance in panic braking situations. All
of the benefits of the ABS system are
exploited under these circumstances.
Do not reduce the pressure on the
brake pedal for the duration of the
brake application. When the brake
pedal is released, the DBC is deacti-
vated.
Flat Tire MonitorThe conceptAs you drive, the Flat Tire Monitor
keeps track of pressure levels in all four
tires The system detects whenever the
inflation pressure in a tire drops off sig-
nificantly.
Controlling the tire pressure is based
on monitoring the rpm that the tires
have relative to each other. A flat tire is
detected and reported because the rpm
suddenly deviate drastically from one
another.
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)
handbook.book Page 82 Saturday, July 27, 2002 1:12 PM

83
Initializing the systemInitializing is necessary to familiarize the
system with the correct inflation pres-
sures.
Repeat this process after any changes
in tire inflation pressure, tire rotation or
replacement.
1. Check the tire inflation pressures in
all the tires, comparing them with the
inflation pressure table on page 25,
and adjust them if necessary
2. Turn the ignition key to position 2
3. Press button as long as you need to
until the indicator lamp in the instru-
ment cluster lights up. After a little
while, the indicator lamp will go out
by itself
4. After a few minutes, the Flat Tire
Monitor will accept the current infla-
tion pressures as the values to be
measured against, and from that
point on can detect and report a flat
tire.
To activate/deactivate the systemThe system is automatically activated in
ignition key position 2 and conse-
quently is on whenever the vehicle is
operated.
To deactivate the system: tap the but-
ton, the indicator lamp will light up yel-
low.
To activate the system: tap the button
again; the indicator lamp goes out.
Deactivate the system when snow
chains are mounted, since false warn-
ings and undetected losses in pressure
are possible under these kinds of con-
ditions.
Flat Tire Monitor
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
handbook.book Page 83 Saturday, July 27, 2002 1:12 PM

84
Flat tire
The red warning lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up to
warn of pressure loss and tire
failure. In addition, an acoustic signal is
sounded. To come to an immediate
stop, reduce speed, while avoiding any
sudden, jerky braking or steering
maneuvers.
Fix the flat tire using the M Mobility sys-
tem, refer to page 133.
To reset the warning lamp: the red indi-
cator lamp has to be switched off man-
ually after putting on a new wheel. At
this point, hold the Flat Tire Monitor
button down until the indicator lamp
goes out. Reinitialize the system after-
ward.
The Flat Tire Monitor cannot pro-
vide you with advance warning of
sudden and severe tire damage caused
by external factors.
Another factor which the Flat Tire Moni-
tor does not recognize is the balanced
and very gradual pressure loss that
takes place in all tires over an extended
period of time.<
Check tire inflation pressures on a
regular basis, correcting them as
necessary, refer to page 25.
Under certain circumstances, there
may be false warnings or a delayed
detection of losses in pressure when
driving on snow-covered or slippery
road surfaces.
Performance-oriented driving, slip at
the drive wheels and high levels of lat-
eral acceleration can also delay the
appearance of status reports in the Flat
Tire Monitor's display panel.<
System malfunctionsAs long as there is still a malfunction,
the indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster will stay lit up yellow.
Please contact your BMW center for
additional information.
Flat Tire Monitor
handbook.book Page 84 Saturday, July 27, 2002 1:12 PM

85
M Engine dynamics controlThe system – Sport mode – will cause
the engine to respond more spontane-
ously to any motion of the accelerator
pedal.Activating/deactivating Sport
modeActivating: with the ignition key in posi-
tion 2, press the SPORT button. The
indicator lamp will come on.
When the system is activated the
vehicle may gain speed without
any additional pressure on the acceler-
ator pedal.<
Deactivating: press the SPORT button
again; the indicator lamp will go out.
The Sport mode is deactivated every
time the engine is started.
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
handbook.book Page 85 Saturday, July 27, 2002 1:12 PM

86Lamps
Parking lamps/Low beamsParking lamps
The front, rear and side vehicle
lighting is switched on. You can
use this to signal the position of
the vehicle when it is parked. For light-
ing on one side for parking as an addi-
tional feature, refer to page 87.
Low beams
When you switch the ignition off
with the low-beam headlamps
on, only the parking lamps will
remain on.
Follow me home lampsWhen you activate the headlamp
flasher after parking the vehicle and
switching off the lights, the low beams
will come on for a brief period.
You can also have this function
deactivated.<
LIGHTS ON warningWhenever you open the driver's door
after having turned the ignition key to
position 0, you will hear an acoustic
signal for a few seconds to remind you
that the lamps have not been switched
off.Daytime driving lamps*If you desire, the light switch can be left
in the low-beam position: when the
ignition is switched off, the external
lighting is also switched off.
When required, switch on the parking
lamps as usual as described under
Parking lamps.
You can have the activation set-
tings for the daytime driving lamps
programmed on your vehicle. When the switch is in this posi-
tion the system automatically
responds to changes in ambient
light – in tunnels, at dusk, etc. – and in
the event of rain and snow – by switch-
ing the low beams on or off.
The vehicle's external lamps
remain on constantly when you
switch on the front fog lamps after the
headlamps have come on automati-
cally.<
Automatic headlamp control can-
not serve as a substitute for your
personal judgement in determining
when the lamps should be switched on.
For example, the sensors are not able
to detect fog. In such situations switch
on the lamp manually, as otherwise a
safety hazard will result.<
You can have the sensitivity of
your vehicle's automatic head-
lamp control adjusted.<
handbook.book Page 86 Saturday, July 27, 2002 1:12 PM

87
Instrument lightingTurn the rotary dial with the parking/low
beam lamps on to adjust the illumina-
tion intensity.
High beams/Standing lamps1High beams – blue indicator lamp
2Headlamp flasher – blue indicator
lamp
3Standing lampsStanding lamps, left or right*As an additional feature, you can illumi-
nate your vehicle on either side for
parking, if you wish to do so:
With the ignition key in position 0, push
the lever in the appropriate direction.
The lever engages in the turn signal
position.
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex
handbook.book Page 87 Saturday, July 27, 2002 1:12 PM

88
Fog lampsFront fog lamps
The green indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up to
indicate that the front fog lamps
are on.
If the automatic headlamp control
is on, the low beams will come on
automatically whenever you activate
the front fog lamps.<
Interior lampsThe interior lamps operate automati-
cally.To switch the interior lamps on
and off manuallyPress button 1 briefly.
If you want the interior lamps to remain
off all the time, press and hold the but-
ton for approx. 3 seconds.
Press the button briefly to revert to nor-
mal operation.Front reading lampsSwitch on and off with the button 2
adjacent to each lamp.
Rear reading lampsSwitch on and off with the button adja-
cent to each lamp.
In order to prevent battery dis-
charge, all of the lamps in the
vehicle are automatically switched off
approx. 15 minutes after you turn the
ignition key to position 0.<
handbook.book Page 88 Saturday, July 27, 2002 1:12 PM