5
Notes
Indicates that you should consult
the relevant section of this
Owner's Manual for information on a
particular part or assembly.
Your individual vehicle
On purchasing your BMW, you have
decided in favor of a model with individ-
ualized equipment and features. This
Owner's Manual will describe all of the
equipment that the BMW M3 Convert-
ible has to offer you.
We hope you will understand that
equipment and features are included
that you might not have chosen for your
vehicle. You can easily identify any dif-
ferences with the aid of the asterisk
used to identify all optional equipment
and accessories.
If your BMW features equipment that is
not described in this Owner's Manual,
such as a car radio or telephone, we
have enclosed Supplementary Owner's
Manuals. We ask you to read these
manuals as well.
Status at time of printing
BMW pursues a policy of continuous,
ongoing development that is conceived
to ensure that our vehicles continue to
embody the highest quality and safety
standards combined with advanced,
state-of-the-art technology. In excep-
tional cases, the features described in
this Owner's Manual could therefore
differ from those on your vehicle.
7
Notes
wheels, suspension components, brake
dust shields, telephones, including
operation of any mobile phone from
within the vehicle without using an
externally mounted antenna, or trans-
ceiver equipment, for instance, CBs,
walkie-talkie, ham radio or similar
accessories, may cause extensive dam-
age to the vehicle, compromise its
safety, interfere with the vehicle’s elec-
trical system or affect the validity of the
BMW Limited Warranty. Contact your
BMW center for additional information.
Do not use key or remote control to
lock doors or luggage compartment
with anyone inside the car. Refer to the
Owner’s Manual for more details.
<
Maintenance, replacement, or
repair of the emission control
devices and systems may be performed
by any automotive repair establishment
or individual using any certified auto-
motive part.
<
Service and warranty
This manual is supplemented by a Ser-
vice and Warranty Information Booklet
for US models or a Warranty and Ser-
vice Guide Booklet for Canadian mod-
els.
We recommend that you read this pub-
lication thoroughly.
Your BMW is covered by the following
warranties:
>
New Vehicle Limited Warranty
>
Rust Perforation Limited Warranty
>
Federal Emissions System Defect
Warranty
>
Federal Emissions Performance War-
ranty
>
California Emission Control System
Limited Warranty.
Detailed information about these war-
ranties is listed in the Service and War-
ranty Information Booklet for US mod-
els or in the Warranty and Service
Guide Booklet for Canadian models.
Reporting safety defects
The following only applies to vehicles
owned and operated in the US.
If you believe that your vehicle has a
defect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you should
immediately inform the National High-
way Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA in addition to notifying BMW of
North America, LLC, P.O. Box 1227,
Westwood, New Jersey 07675-1227,
telephone toll-free 1-800-831-1117.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it
may open an investigation, and if it
finds that a safety defect exists in a
group of vehicles, it may order a recall
and remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved in indi-
vidual problems between you, your
dealer, or BMW of North America, LLC.
To contact NHTSA, you may either call
the Auto Safety Hotline toll-free at
1-800-424-9393 or 366-0123 in the
Washington, D.C. area, or write to:
NHTSA, U.S. Department of Transpor-
tation, Washington, D.C. 20590. You
can also obtain other information about
motor vehicle safety from the Hotline.
Contents
9
Passenger safety systems:
Airbags55
Transporting children safely58
Rollover protection system62
Vehicle Memory, Key
Memory64
Driving:
Ignition lock65
Starting the engine and driving
off66
Switching off the engine68
Parking brake68
Manual transmission69
Sequential M gearbox with
Drivelogic*70
Turn signal indicator/Headlamp
flasher75
Washer/wiper system/Rain
sensor*76
Cruise control77
Everything under control:
Odometer79
Tachometer79
Engine oil temperature79
Fuel gauge80
Engine coolant temperature
gauge80
Service interval display81
Check Control81
Clock82
Computer83
Technology for safety and
driving convenience:
Park Distance Control (PDC)*85
Dynamic Stability Control
DSC86
Flat Tire Monitor87
M Engine dynamics control89
Brake force display89
Lamps:
Parking lamps/Low beams90
Instrument lighting91
High beams/Standing lamps91
Front fog lamps92
Interior lamps92
Reading lamps92
Controlling the climate for
pleasant driving:
Automatic climate control94
Interior conveniences:
Glove compartment99
Storage compartments99
Microphone*100
Ashtray, front*100
Ashtray, rear*101
Loading and transporting:
Ski bag*102
Cargo loading104
Roof-mounted luggage rack for
the hardtop*107
Operation, maintenance
Special operating instructions:
Break-in procedures110
General driving notes111
Antilock Brake System
(ABS)113
Hardtop*113
Wheels and tires:
Tire inflation pressure116
Tire code118
Tire condition119
New wheels and tires120
Snow chains*122
In the engine compartment:
Hood123
Engine compartment
essentials124
Washer fluids126
Engine oil126
Coolant128
Brake fluid129
Maintenance:
BMW Maintenance System130
OBD interface socket132
Controls and features
22
Buttons in steering wheel
These buttons let you operate the fol-
lowing functions quickly and without
being distracted from traffic conditions:
>
Selected radio functions
>The cruise control
>Selected telephone functions*
>The voice command system*.
The controls are active only when
the corresponding systems and
accessories are switched on.<
Press briefly:
Receive a phone call, initiate dialing,
terminate a call.
Extended pressure:
Activate and deactivate voice com-
mand.
Display/hide telephone book. Display
the entries one after another with the
forward/backward buttons.
Forward:
>Radio
Press briefly: next station in station
memory
Extended pressure: station search
>CD
Press briefly: jump to next track
Extended pressure: search function
in track
>Cassette
Press briefly: jump to next track or
stop fast forward
Extended pressure: fast forward
>Phone
Scan personal phone book.
Rewind: same functions as forward.
Volume.
Cruise control: select a stored setting.
Cruise control: store and accelerate +
or decelerate and store –.
Cruise control: activate/interrupt/deac-
tivate.
100
Beverage holders, coin boxA coin box and two beverage holders
are provided in the center console.
Do not place any glass containers
in the beverage holders, as this
increases the risk of injury in the event
of an accident.<
Microphone*Hands-free systemOn vehicles that are wired for a tele-
phone* or equipped with a voice com-
mand system*, the hands-free micro-
phone is located on the steering
column.
For additional information on using your
car phone, cellular phone or voice com-
mand system, refer to the respective
separate Owner's Manual.
Ashtray, front*To emptyPress on the edge of the open cover.
you can now pull the ashtray upward for
removal.Extinguishing cigarettesTap off the ash and gently press the tip
into the funnel.Cigarette lighter
Hold or touch the hot cigarette
lighter by the knob only. Holding
or touching it in other areas could result
in burns.
The cigarette lighter remains opera-
tional when the ignition key has been
removed. For this reason, children
should never be left in the vehicle unat-
tended.<
Storage compartments
112
Inclines:
To prevent overheating and, as a
result, diminished braking effec-
tiveness, drive down long or steep
downhill grades in a gear which
requires the least braking. Otherwise,
even light but consistent pedal pres-
sure can lead to high temperatures,
brake wear and possibly even brake
failure.<
The braking power of the engine can be
further enhanced by downshifting the
automatic transmission in manual
mode, if necessary, into first gear. This
helps avoid placing excessive loads on
the brake system.
Do not coast with the clutch
depressed or with the transmis-
sion or selector lever in Neutral. Do not
coast with the engine switched off. Oth-
erwise, the engine provides no braking
effect while the transmission is in idling
position, and there is no power-assist
for braking or steering when the engine
is off.
Floor mats, floor carpets or other
objects must not be in the area near the
brake or accelerator pedal, as this
could impair the movement of the ped-
als.<
Corrosion on the brake rotorsLimited vehicle use, extended periods
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 and contamination to accumulate
on the brake pads. This occurs because
the minimal pressure which must be
exerted by the pads to clean the rotors
by brake applications is not reached.
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.
Brake pads
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.<
Portable phone in the vehicle
BMW advises against using
mobile equipment, e.g. cellular
phones, inside the vehicle without con-
necting them directly to an outside
antenna. Otherwise, it cannot be ruled
out that vehicle electronics and the
mobile equipment interfere with one
another. In addition, it is not ensured
that the radio waves emitted during
transmission are directed outside of the
vehicle interior.<
General driving notes
146Giving and receiving assistance
Receiving assistanceThe BMW Group's Mobile Service
offers you 24-hour assistance in the
event of a breakdown, even on week-
ends and holidays.
The telephone numbers of the Mobile
Service control center in your country
are listed in the Contact brochure.
If your vehicle has the necessary equip-
ment, you can contact the Mobile Ser-
vice or issue an emergency call using
buttons in the interior rearview mirror.
When an emergency call is initiated, a
telephone connection is established
with the BMW Assist response center.Fold down the cover.
1Emergency call
2Mobile Service
Requirements for initiating an emer-
gency call or contacting Mobile Service:
>Ignition key in position 1 or higher
>The car phone must be registered
with a mobile network
>The emergency call system must be
operational.
Initiating an emergency call*Press button 1 for at least 2 seconds.
The indicator lamp above the buttons
lights up. As soon as a telephone con-
nection has been set up to the BMW
Assist response center, the indicator
lamp flashes.
If the situation permits you to do so,
wait in the vehicle until the voice con-
nection is established. You can then
provide detailed information to the
response center.
If your vehicle is equipped with an acti-
vated BMW Assist and the current loca-
tion of the vehicle can be determined,
this location is transmitted to the BMW
Assist response center.
If the navigation system has failed,
the current location of the vehicle
is not transmitted.<
If the indicator lamp is flashing but you
cannot hear the BMW Assist response
center over the hands-free system, it is
possible that e.g. the hands-free sys-
tem is malfunctioning. The BMW Assist
response center can still hear you,
however.
If certain requirements are met, an
emergency call is automatically initiated
after a serious accident. The automatic
emergency call will not be hindered by
pressing the button.
For technical reasons, the emer-
gency call function cannot be
guaranteed in certain unfavorable con-
ditions.<
147
Mobile Service*To establish contact with the BMW
Group's Mobile Service:
Press button 2 for at least 2 seconds.
The indicator lamp above the buttons
lights up. As soon as a telephone con-
nection has been set up with the Mobile
Service, the indicator lamp flashes.
Depending on the country you are in,
your vehicle's current location will also
be transmitted if your vehicle is
equipped with an activated BMW Assist
function.
Jump-startingWhen your battery is discharged, you
can use two jumper cables to start your
vehicle with power from the battery in a
second vehicle. You can also use the
same method to help start another
vehicle. Use only jumper cables with
fully insulated handles on the terminal
clamps.
Do not touch high-voltage wiring
and cables on a running engine.
Contact with components carrying high
voltage can be harmful or fatal.
Carefully observe the following instruc-
tions to avoid personal injury and/or
damage to one or both vehicles.
approximately the same capacity –
measured in Ah. This information is
provided on the battery
2. Stop the engine of the support vehi-
cle
3. Switch off all consumers in both
vehicles.
Make absolutely certain that there
is no contact between the body-
work of the two vehicles, otherwise
there is a short circuit hazard.<
Connecting the jumper cables
Be sure to connect the jumper
cables in the right order; other-
wise there is a risk of injury due to
sparks being created near the battery.<
The jump-starting terminal located in
your BMW's engine compartment
serves as the positive battery terminal;
refer also to the engine compartment
overview on page 124. The cover of this
auxiliary terminal is marked with a +.
1. Open the cover of the BMW jump-
starting terminal. Do so by pulling the
tab – see arrow 1
2. Connect one terminal clamp of the
plus/+ jumper cable to the positive
terminal of the battery or to a jump-
starting terminal in the donor vehicle
Receiving assistance
OverviewControlsMaintenanceRepairsDataIndex