2003 BMW M3 COUPE steering

60Driving
Ignition lockIgnition key positions0Steering locked
1Steering unlocked
2Ignition switched on
3Starting engineSteering lockedThe key can be inserted or removed in
this position only.
After removing the key, turn the steer-
ing wheel slightly to the left or right until
the lock engages.
If the key is not removed, an acoustic
signal is sounded after the driver's door
has been opened.
Once the ignition has been switched
off, ignition key in position 0 or key
removed, the radio functions are still
available for approx. 20 minutes. Turn
the radio back on to use it.Steering unlockedYou will find that it is often easier to turn
the ignition key from position 0 to posi-
tion 1 when you move the steering
wheel slightly to help disengage the
lock.
Individual electrical accessories are
ready for operation.
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63
Switching off the engine
You should never remove the igni-
tion key when the vehicle is in
motion, as the steering lock could
engage.
When you leave the vehicle, always
remove the ignition key and engage the
steering lock.<
Always engage the parking brake
when parking on downhill roads.
Engaging a gear may not sufficiently
secure the vehicle against rolling.<
Manual transmissionTurn the ignition key to position 1 or 0.Sequential M gearbox SMG IIIf you turn the ignition key to position 1
or 0 with the selector lever in the for-
ward or reverse position, a gear auto-
matically remains engaged.
If you turn the ignition key to position 1
or 0 with the selector lever in position 0,
a warning tone and the flashing gear
indicator in the SMG display remind you
that the vehicle is not secured against
rolling.
The 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.
Parking brakeThe parking brake is designed primarily
to prevent the vehicle from rolling when
it is parked. It operates against the rear
wheels.To engageThe detent engages automatically, and
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 – see arrow – and lower the
lever.
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65
Sequential M gearbox SMG II*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, refer to page 68
>Upshift display and shift lights, refer
to page 69
>RPM matching on downshifts
>Driving dependent functions:
The respective driving situation, e.g.
cornering, mountain driving or brak-
ing, is detected by sensors and taken
into account for shifting, e.g. to
achieve optimum gear selection dur-
ing deceleration and subsequent
acceleration
>Slip recognition at the rear axle for
increasing driving stability, e.g. dur-
ing downshifting on slippery road
surfaces
>Operating safety through protection
against misshifting.Under normal operating conditions, fuel
consumption is lowest when driving in
the first driving program of the auto-
mated shifting mode.
Selector lever positionR: Reverse position
0: Position 0 (Neutral)
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 two or higher.
For your safety, it is only possible to
engage a driving position with the vehi-
cle stopped approx. two seconds after
engaging position 0 with the footbrake
depressed – shift-lock function.
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66
SMG display in instrument clusterThe selector lever position, currently
engaged gear and selected driving pro-
gram are displayed in the instrument
cluster.
1Engaged gear
2Selected driving program, corre-
sponds to the number of illuminated
fields, refer to page 68
3Tapping the selector lever to the right
switches over into the displayed shift
mode
4"A" indicates an activated automated
shift mode
R – Reverse position Only engage with the vehicle stopped
or at low speed, e.g. for rocking free in
deep snow.
An intermittent signal tone indi-
cates that the reverse position has
been engaged.<0 – Position 0 (Neutral)Always 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 – 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.
Sequential M gearbox SMG II*
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67
Shifting gears with shift paddles on
steering wheel:
>To upshift, briefly pull the right pad-
dle +
>To downshift, briefly pull the left pad-
dle –.
Shift paddles with various widths
matched to the shape of your
hand are available from your BMW cen-
ter.<
Shifting gears with selector lever:
>To upshift, pull the selector lever
backward in the "+" direction
>To downshift, push the selector lever
in the "–" direction.
No automatic upshifting is carried out in
the sequential mode.
You accelerate from higher gears, e.g.
during passing, by manually downshift-
ing.
In the following situations the SMG II
helps you think in the sequential mode:
>Upshifts and downshifts are only exe-
cuted when the new gear will provide
a suitable combination of vehicle and
engine speed, i.e., downshifts 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 with-
out you taking any action.A – 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 66.
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.
Sequential M gearbox SMG II*
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78
ComputerMode selectionWith the ignition key in position 1 and
higher, you can use the button in the
turn signal lever to retrieve information
from the computer for display in the
instrument cluster. Each time you press
the button briefly in the direction of the
steering column, a new function is
called up in the display.
The displays appear in the following
order:
Time of day, outside temperature, aver-
age fuel consumption, cruising range,
average vehicle speed.
When the ignition key is in position 1 or
higher, the last active setting is dis-
played.
Outside temperatureYou can change the units of measure
6/7 for the outside temperature dis-
play by pressing the right-hand reset
button in the instrument cluster while
the temperature display is active. The
units of measure 6/7 in the tempera-
ture display of the automatic climate
control change automatically, refer to
page 90.Ice warningIf the outside temperature drops to
about 37.57/+36, then the computer
will automatically switch to a display of
the outside temperature. In addition, a
signal sounds as a warning and the dis-
play flashes for a brief period.
After giving an ice warning, the
display returns to the previous
setting.<
The ice warning does not alter the
fact that surface ice can form at
temperatures above 37.57/+36, on
bridges or shaded road surfaces, for
instance.<
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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.<
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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
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