2008 BMW 128I CONVERTIBLE lights

Technology for driving comfort and safety
90 vated by adolescents and adults sitting in cer-
tain positions; the indicator lamp for the front
passenger airbags comes on. In such cases, the
passenger should change his or her sitting
position so that the front passenger airbags are
activated and the indicator lamp goes out. If the
desired airbag status cannot be achieved by
changing the sitting position, transport the rele-
vant passenger on a rear seat. Do not attach
seat covers, seat cushion padding, ball mats or
other items to the front passenger seat unless
they are specifically recommended by BMW.
Do not place any items under the seat which
could press against the seat from below. Other-
wise a correct analysis of the seat cushion is not
ensured.<
Status of front passenger airbags
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags shows the functional status of the front
passenger's front and side airbags in accor-
dance with whether and how the front passen-
ger seat is occupied. The indicator lamp shows
whether the front passenger airbags are acti-
vated or deactivated.
>The indicator lamp lights up when a child in
a specially designated child-restraint sys-
tem is detected, as intended, on the seat.
The front and side airbags for the front pas-
senger are not activated.
Most child seats are detected by the
system, especially child seats
required by the NHTSA at the time of vehi-
cle production. After mounting a child seat,
ensure that the indicator lamp for the front
passenger airbag is lit. It indicates that the
child seat has been detected and that the
front passenger airbags are deactivated.<>The indicator lamp does not come on as
long as a person of sufficient size and in a
correct sitting position is detected on the
seat.
The front and side airbags for the front pas-
senger are activated.
>The indicator lamp does not come on if the
seat is empty.
The front and side airbags for the front pas-
senger are not activated.
Operational readiness of airbag system
As of radio readiness, refer to page58, the
warning lamp comes on briefly to indicate that
the entire airbag system and the belt tensioners
are operational.
Airbag system malfunction
>Warning lamp does not light up at radio
readiness or beyond.
>Warning lamp remains permanently on.
In the event of a fault in the airbag system,
have it checked without delay, otherwise
there is the risk that the system will not function
as intended even if a sufficiently severe acci-
dent occurs.<
Convertible: rollover
protection system
The rollover protection system is activated
automatically in the event of an accident, a crit-
ical driving situation, an extreme tilt in the car's
longitudinal axis or upon loss of ground contact.
The protection bars behind the rear head
restraints deploy within fractions of a second.

Lamps
94 until "Lighting" is selected and press the
controller.
6.Select "Daytime running lamps" and press
the controller.
The daytime running lamps are
switched on.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Adaptive Head Light*
The concept
Adaptive Head Light is a variable headlamp
control system that enables better illumination
of the road surface. Depending on the steering
angle and other parameters, the light from the
headlamp follows the course of the road.
In tight curves at speeds up to 40 mph/70 km/h,
e.g. on mountainous roads or when turning, an
additional, corner-illuminating lamp is switched
on that lights up the inside area of the curve.
Activating Adaptive Head Light
With the ignition switched on, turn the light
switch to position 3, refer to page92.
The corner-illuminating lamp is switched on
automatically, depending on the steering wheel
angle or turn signal indicator.
To avoid blinding oncoming traffic, the Adaptive
Head Light directs light towards the front pas-
senger side when the vehicle is at a standstill.
When you are reversing, only the corner-illumi-
nating lamps are active and switched on on
both sides.
Malfunction
The LED next to the symbol for automatic head-
lamp control flashes. Adaptive Head Light is
malfunctioning or has failed. Have the system
checked as soon as possible.
High beams/roadside parking
lamps*
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Roadside parking lamps
*
Roadside parking lamps, left or right*
There is an additional option of switching on the
lamps on the side of the car facing the road
when parked.
Switching on
After parking the vehicle, press the lever up or
down beyond the pressure point for approx.
1second, arrow 3.
The roadside parking lamps drain the bat-
tery. Therefore, do not leave them on for
unduly long periods of time, otherwise the bat-
tery might not have enough power to start the
engine.<
Switching off
Press the lever in the opposite direction to the
pressure point, arrow 3.

Controls
95Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
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Mobility
Fog lamps*
To switch on/off, press the button.
The parking lamps or low beams must
be switched on for the fog lamps to
operate. The green indicator lamp in
the instrument cluster lights up whenever the
fog lamps are on.
The fog lamps are switched off while you acti-
vate the headlamp flasher or switch on the high
beams.
If the automatic headlamp control is acti-
vated, the low beams will come on auto-
matically when you switch on the fog lamps.<
Instrument lighting
You can adjust the brightness of the instrument
lighting only when the parking lamps or the low
beams are switched on.
1.Push button 1 in the turn indicator lever up
or down repeatedly until the appropriate
symbol appears in the display, accompa-
nied by the brightness level and the word
"SET".
2.Press button 2.3.Push button 1 up or down to select the
desired brightness level.
4.Press button 2.
The display again shows the outside tem-
perature and the time.
Interior lamps
The interior lamps, footwell lamps*, entry
lamps
*, cargo bay lamp and courtesy lamps*
are controlled automatically.
The LEDs for the courtesy lamps
are set in the
door handles and illuminate the ground in front
of the doors.
To avoid draining the battery, all lamps
inside the car are switched off about
8 minutes after the ignition is switched off, refer
to Start/stop button on page58.<
Switching interior lamps on/off
manually
Interior lamps, front and rear*:
To switch on and off, press the button.
To switch off the interior lamps, footwell
lamps
*, entry lamps* and courtesy lamps* per-
manently, press the button for the front interior
lamps for about 3 seconds.

Climate
102 6.Turn the controller to set the hours.
7.Press the controller to select the minutes
setting.
8.Turn the controller to set the minutes.
Activating switch-on times
Move the controller to the left or right to select
"Timer 1" or "Timer 2" and press the controller.
The switch-on time is activated.
The symbol on the automatic climate control
display lights up.
The symbol on the automatic climate control
display flashes when the system has switched
on.
The parked car ventilation system is
switched on within the next 24 hours only.
After that, the time setting must be reacti-
vated.<

Driving tips
115Reference
At a glance
Controls
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Mobility
Drive defensively
Avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking
maneuvers. To do so, keep an adequate dis-
tance to the forward vehicle. A defensive and
smooth driving style keeps fuel consumption
down.
Avoid high engine speeds
Only use first gear when setting off. In second
and higher gears, accelerate without hesitation
or pauses. When accelerating, shift up before
reaching high engine speeds.
When you reach the desired speed, shift into
the highest applicable gear and drive with the
engine speed as low as possible and at a con-
stant speed.
As a rule: driving at low engine speeds lowers
fuel consumption and reduces wear.
Coasting
When approaching a red light, take your foot off
the accelerator and coast to a stop in the high-
est applicable gear.
O n a d o w n h il l s lo p e , t a k e y o u r f o o t o f f t h e a c c el -
erator and coast in a suitable gear.
The fuel supply is interrupted when coasting.
Switch off the engine during lengthy
stops
Switch off the engine when stopping for lengthy
periods, e.g. at traffic lights, railroad crossings
or in traffic congestions. You achieve fuel sav-
ings even if standing time is as short as approx.
4 seconds.
Switch off functions you do not need at
the moment
Functions such as the air conditioner and the
seat or rear window heating draw large amounts
of power and consume additional fuel. Espe-
cially in city traffic and in stop-and-go driving
they have a considerable impact. Therefore,
switch these functions off when they are not
really needed.
Have the vehicle serviced
Have the vehicle serviced regularly to achieve
good economy and a long vehicle life. BMW
recommends having the vehicle serviced at a
BMW center. Also note the BMW service sys-
tem, refer to page217.
General driving notes
Close the luggage compartment lid
Operate the vehicle only when the lug-
gage compartment lid is closed. Other-
wise, exhaust fumes could enter the interior of
the vehicle.<
If the vehicle must be driven with the luggage
compartment lid open:
1.Close all windows and the glass roof.
2.Greatly increase the air volume of the auto-
matic climate control system, refer to
page99.
Hot exhaust system
In all vehicles, extremely high tempera-
tures are generated in the exhaust sys-
tem. Do not remove the heat shields installed in
its vicinity, and never apply undercoating to
them. When driving, standing at idle and while
parking, take care to avoid possible contact
between the hot exhaust system and any highly
flammable materials such as hay, leaves, grass,
etc. Such contact could lead to a fire, with the
risk of serious personal injuries and property
damage. Do not touch hot exhaust tail pipes.
Otherwise there is a risk of burns.<
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce road speed. If you do not, a wedge
of water can form between tires and road sur-
face. This situation, known as hydroplaning,
means that the tire can completely lose contact
with the road surface, so that neither the car can
be steered nor the brake be properly applied.<

Maintenance
218
Socket for On-Board
Diagnosis OBD
Primary components that make up exhaust
emissions can be checked by a device via the
OBD socket.
This socket is located on the driver's side to the
left, on the bottom of the instrument panel
underneath a cover.
Exhaust emission values
The warning lamp lights up:
The exhaust emission values have
worsened. Have the car checked as
soon as possible.
Canadian models display this warning
lamp.
The lamp flashes under certain conditions. This
indicates excessive misfiring in the engine. If
this happens, you should reduce your speed
and visit your nearest BMW center as soon as
possible. Severe engine misfiring can quickly
lead to serious damage of emissions-related
components, especially the catalytic converter.
The warning lamp comes on if the gas
cap is not properly tightened and the
OBD system assumes that fuel vapor
is escaping. If the gas cap is then tightened, the
warning lamp should go out within a few days.
Event data recorders
Your vehicle may be equipped with one or sev-
eral measuring or diagnostic modules or a
device for recording or sending certain vehicle
data or information. In addition, if you have signed a service contract for BMW Assist, cer-
tain vehicle data may be transmitted or
recorded in order to facilitate the corresponding
services.

Mobility
229Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Giving and receiving assistance
Emergency Request*
Conditions for an Emergency Request:
>Full preparation package mobile phone: this
equipment makes it possible to send an
Emergency Request even if no mobile
phone is paired with the vehicle.
>BMW Assist is activated. Activating
BMW Assist, refer to page196.
>Radio readiness is on.
>The BMW Assist system is logged on to a
mobile phone network.
>The Emergency Request system is opera-
ble.
Once your service contract for BMW Assist
expires, the BMW Assist system can be deacti-
vated by a BMW center without you having to
visit a workshop. Once the BMW Assist system
has been deactivated, Emergency Requests
are not possible. The BMW Assist system can
be reactivated by a BMW center after a new
contract has been signed.
Sending an Emergency Request
1.Briefly press the cover flap to open.
2.Press the SOS button for at least
2seconds.
The LED in the button lights up. As soon as the
voice connection to the BMW Assist Response
Center has been established, the LED flashes.
Once the BMW Assist Response Center has
received your Emergency Request, the
BMW Assist Response Center contacts you and takes further steps to help you. Even if you
are unable to respond, the BMW Assist
Response Center will be able to initiate further
steps to assist you under certain conditions.
If the circumstances allow this, remain in the
vehicle until the connection has been estab-
lished. You will then be able to provide a
detailed description of the situation.
If the current location of your vehicle can be
determined, it will be transmitted to the BMW
Assist Response Center.
If the LED is flashing but the BMW Assist
Response Center cannot be heard over the
hands-free system, it is possible that the
hands-free system is malfunctioning. You may
still be heard by the BMW Assist Response
Center, however.
Under certain conditions, an Emergency
Request is sent automatically immediately after
a severe accident. This Automatic Collision
Notification is not affected by the button being
pressed.
For technical reasons, the Emergency
Request service cannot be guaranteed
for the most unfavorable conditions.<
Roadside Assistance
The BMW Roadside Assistance is there to
assist you around the clock in the event of a
breakdown, including on weekends and public
holidays.
The phone numbers of the Roadside Assis-
tance in your home country can be found in the
Contact brochure.
In vehicles equipped with BMW Assist, you can
establish contact with BMW Roadside Assis-
tance for breakdown assistance directly via
iDrive, refer to page192.