2008 BMW 128I COUPE ECU

128i
135iOwner's Manual for Vehicle
Congratulations, and thank you for choosing a BMW.
Thorough familiarity with your vehicle will provide you with
enhanced control and security when you drive it. We therefore
have this request:
Please take the time to read this Owner's Manual and familiarize
yourself with the information that we have compiled for you
before starting off in your new vehicle. It contains important data
and instructions intended to assist you in gaining maximum use
and satisfaction from your BMW's unique range of technical fea-
tures. The manual also contains information on maintenance
designed to enhance operating safety and contribute to main-
taining the value of your BMW throughout an extended service
life.
This manual is supplemented by a Service and Warranty Informa-
tion Booklet for US models or a Warranty and Service Guide
Booklet for Canadian models.
We wish you an enjoyable driving experience.
BMW AG

At a glance
19Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Operating principle at a glance
The following is a general description of opera-
tions using iDrive. For an exemplary step-by-
step application, refer to page74.
1Selecting a menu item:
>Turn the controller; the highlight marker
moves
>Menu items in white can be selected by
highlighting them
2Activating a menu item:
>Press the controller
>New menu items are displayed or the
function is executed
3Selecting a menu item: refer to 14Switching between fields:
>Briefly move the controller to the left,
right, forward, or backward
>Release the controller
>The active field is brighter in color
5Adjusting settings:
>Turn the controller
>Graphic display, numerical value or text
displays can be changed
>Confirm by changing the field

At a glance
21Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
The various conditions are shown on the
Control Display.
6.Select the desired conditions and press the
controller:
>When there is an incoming call:
"Call"
>When an important Check Control mes-
sage is displayed:
"Check Control message"
>When there is a navigation system mes-
sage:
"Navigation info"
>When the voice command system is
started:
"Speech input"
>When the ignition is switched on:
"Ignition on"
>When the Park Distance Control is dis-
played:
"PDC Display on"
The condition is selected.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Programmable memory keys
Using the programmable memory keys, you can
store and execute certain iDrive functions:
>Navigation
* destinations
>Entertainment:
>Radio stations
>CD
>CD compartment of CD changer
>AUX
>Telephone: phone numbers
The assignment of the programmable memory
keys is stored for the remote control currently in
use.
Storing functions
Navigation* destinations
1.Select the navigation destination, e.g. in the
destination list or address book.
2. ... Press the key longer than
2seconds.
Special features of the Professional navigation
system:
>If destination guidance and the map view
have been started, the current destination is
stored.
>If the destination is entered via map, the
coordinates in the cross-hairs are stored,
not the current destination.
Telephone, phone numbers
1.Enter the phone number or select the num-
ber from a list of stored phone numbers, e.g.
the A-Z list.
2. ... Press the key longer than
2seconds.
If the phone number is associated with a name,
the name is also stored.
Entertainment
The item stored in the Entertainment menu is
the source that is playing at the time of storage,

iDrive
22 e.g. a radio station, irrespective of what was
selected on the Control Display.
1.Select the desired function, e.g. radio sta-
tion or CD.
2. ... Press the key longer than
2seconds.
If the car is equipped with two drives and a
CD with compressed audio files is played,
the current track is stored.<
Executing a function
... Press the key.
The function is executed immediately. This
means that, for example, if a phone number is
selected, the connection is established, or if a
navigation destination is called up, destination
guidance is started.
Displaying memory key assignments
You can have the assignment of a memory key
displayed by touching the key with your finger.
Please do not wear gloves when doing so.
Touching the keys with an object such as a pen
will not work.
Displaying brief information
... Touch the key.
The key assignment is displayed.
Navigation destination
Entertainment source
Telephone, phone number
Not assigned
Displaying detailed information
... Touch the key for a longer
period.
Clearing key assignments
1.Press the button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the menu.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Vehicle / Tires" and press the con-
troller.
5.Select "Programmable Memory Keys" and
press the controller.
6.Select "Delete assignment of all memory
keys" and press the controller.
7.Select "Yes" and press the controller.

Controls
55Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Transporting children safely
The right place for children
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, otherwise they could endanger
themselves and/or other persons by opening
the doors, for example.<
Children always in the rear
Accident research has shown that the safest
place for children is on the rear seat.
Children under the age of 13 or smaller
than 5 ft/150 cm may be transported only
in the rear in suitable child-restraint systems
appropriate for their age, weight and size. Oth-
erwise there is an increased risk of injury in the
event of an accident.<
Children 13 years of age or older must be buck-
led in with a safety belt as soon as there no
longer is any child-restraint system that is
appropriate for their age, size and weight.
Exception for front passenger seat
Should it be necessary to use a child-
restraint system on the front passenger
seat, the front and side airbags for the front pas-
senger must be deactivated. Otherwise, a child
traveling on that seat will face a significant risk
of injury if the airbags are triggered off, even
with a child-restraint system.<
For more information on automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags refer to page88.
Installing child-restraint
systems
Observe the child-restraint system man-
ufacturer's instructions when selecting,
installing and using child-restraint systems.
Otherwise the protective effect may be dimin-
ished. <
Standard child-restraint systems are designed
to be secured with a lap belt or with the lap-belt
section of a lap-and-shoulder belt. Incorrectly or improperly installed child-restraint systems
can increase the risk of injury to children.
Always follow the installation instructions for
the system with the greatest care.
On the front passenger seat
After installing a child-restraint system on
the front passenger seat, make sure that
the front and side airbags for the front passen-
ger are deactivated, otherwise there is an
increased risk of injury if the airbags deploy.<
Backrest width*
The backrest width of the front passen-
ger's seat must be at its widest possible
setting. Do not change the setting after install-
ing the child seat. Otherwise the child seat's
stability on the front passenger's seat is lim-
ited.<
1.Adjust the backrest width to its widest set-
ting, refer to page47.
2.Install the child seat.
Child seat security
The rear safety belts and the front passenger's
safety belt can be prevented from being pulled
out in order to fasten child-restraint systems.
To lock the safety belt
1.Secure the child-restraint system with the
belt.
2.Pull the belt strap all the way out.

Transporting children safely
56 3.Allow the belt strap to retract and pull it taut
against the child-restraint system.
The safety belt is locked.
To unlock the safety belt
1.Open the belt buckle
2.Remove the child-restraint system.
3.Allow the safety belt strap to retract all the
way.
LATCH child-restraint fixing
system
LATCH: Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHil-
dren.
To install and use the LATCH child-
restraint system, follow the operating and
safety instructions provided by the manufac-
turer of the system, otherwise the protective
function of the seat may be compromised.<
Before installing the child seat, pull the belt out
of the area for the child-restraint fixing system.
Ensure that both lower LATCH anchors
are correctly engaged and that the child-
restraint system is resting firmly against the
backrest, otherwise the protective function of
the seat may be compromised.<
Coupe: rear seats
The anchor points for the lower LATCH
anchors are located behind the labeled protec-
tive caps.
Convertible: rear seats
The anchor points for the lower LATCH
anchors are located at the positions indicated
by arrows, in the gap between the seat and the
backrest.
Coupe: child-restraint system with
tether strap
Use the top tether anchors to secure
child-restraint systems only, otherwise
the anchors could be damaged.<
For child-restraint systems with tether straps
there are two additional anchors, see arrows.
Coupe: placement of the tether strap
Make sure the upper retaining strap does
not run over sharp edges and is not
twisted as it passes to the top anchor. Other-
wise the strap will not properly secure the child-
restraint system in the event of an accident.<

Controls
61Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Changing selector lever positions
>With the ignition switched on or the engine
running, the selector lever can be moved
out of position P: interlock.
>Before moving the lever away from P or N
with the vehicle stationary, first depress the
brake; otherwise the selector lever will
refuse to move: shiftlock.
To prevent the vehicle from creeping
after you select a driving position,
depress the brake until you are ready to
start.<
A lock prevents you from inadvertently engag-
ing selector lever positions R and P. To cancel
the lock, press the button on the front of the
selector lever, see arrow.
P Park
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
The drive wheels are locked.
R Reverse
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral, idle
You can select this in a car wash, for example.
The vehicle can roll.
D Drive, automatic position
Position for normal vehicle operation. All for-
ward gears are selected automatically.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel con-
sumption is lowest when you are driving in posi-
tion D.
Kick-down
Kick-down enables you to achieve maximum
performance.
Press the accelerator pedal beyond the full-
throttle resistance point.
Sport program and manual operation
M/S
Move selector lever from position D toward the
left into the M/S shifting slot:
The sport program is activated and DS is dis-
played on the instrument cluster. This position
is recommended for a performance-oriented
driving style.
To use the automatic mode again, move the
selector lever to the right into position D.
Shifting gears via the selector lever
When you press the selector lever forwards or
backwards, the manual mode is activated and
Steptronic changes gear. M1 through M6 are
displayed on the instrument cluster.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only
when they will result in a plausible combination
of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example,
a downshift that would cause the engine to
overrev will not be executed by the system. The
gear selected is briefly displayed in the instru-
ment cluster, followed by the gear actually in
use.
Shifting gears via shift paddles* on the
steering wheel
The shift paddles allow you to shift gears
quickly since both hands can remain on the
steering wheel.

Driving
62 >When you use the shift paddles on the
steering wheel to shift gears in automatic
mode, the transmission switches to manual
mode.
>If you do not accelerate or shift gears using
the shift paddles for a certain amount of
time, the transmission switches back to
automatic mode.
If the selector lever is in the M/S gear
plane, manual mode remains active.<
>To shift up: pull one of the shift paddles.
>To shift down: press one of the shift pad-
dles.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only
when they will result in a plausible combination
of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example,
a downshift that would cause the engine to
overrev will not be executed by the system. The
gear selected is briefly displayed in the instru-
ment cluster, followed by the gear actually in
use.
Overriding selector lever lock
Should the selector lever refuse to move out of
position P although the button on the selector
lever is pressed, the selector lever lock can be
overridden:1.Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2.Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever
until the sleeve is inside out.
3.Using the screwdriver from the onboard
tool kit, refer to page216, press the red
lever while moving the selector lever to the
desired position.
Turn signals/
headlamp flasher
1High beams
2Headlamp flasher
3Turn signals
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To turn off manually, press the lever to the
resistance point.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator
lamp and the turn signals indicates that
one of the turn signal bulbs has failed.<
Indicating a turn briefly
Press the lever as far as the resistance point for
as long as you wish to indicate a turn.