2008 BMW M6 airbag

At a glance
15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Microphone for hands-free mode for
telephone
*
and voice command system*23
Convertible: microphone on steering
column
2Reading lamps100
3SOS: initiating an emergency request224
4Interior lamps100
5Passenger airbag status lamp91
6Control Display16
7Hazard warning flashers
8Central locking system32
9Automatic climate control101
10Changing
>radio station165 165
>track165 165
11Ejecting
>navigation DVD
*124
>audio CD165 165
12Programmable memory/direct selection
buttons2113Drive for navigation DVD in Professional
*
navigation system124
14Drive for audio CDs165 165
15Entertainment sound output on/off
and adjusting volume165 165
17Bracket for cup holder
*111
18Controller16
Turn, press or move horizontally in four
directions
19Opening start menu on Control Display17
20Drivelogic of Sequential Manual
Transmission63
21EDC Electronic Damper Control for
Sequential Manual Transmission85
22DSC Dynamic Stability Control for
Sequential Manual Transmission83
23M Engine Dynamic Control POWER for
Sequential Manual Transmission64
24EDC Electronic Damper Control for
manual transmission
*85
25MDM
>M Dynamic Mode for manual
transmission
*83
>Switching DSC on and off in manual
transmission
*84 Temperature setting,
left/right101
Automatic air distribution and
volume102
Cooling function104
AUC Automatic recirculated-air
control/recirculated-air mode104
Maximum cooling104
Residual heat mode105
Switching off automatic climate
control105
Air volume103
Defrosting windows and removing
condensation103
Rear window defroster101
16
Heated seats51
PDC Park Distance Control
*81
Flat Tire Monitor86
Convertible: opening the convert-
ible top41
Convertible: closing the convertible
top41

Controls
45Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Adjusting
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In the
interaction with the safety belts, the head
restraints and the airbags, the seat position
plays an important role in an accident. To
ensure that the safety systems operate with
optimal efficiency, we strongly urge you to fol-
low the instructions contained in the following
section.
For additional information on Transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page56.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance
between yourself and the airbags. Always
hold the steering wheel by its rim with hands at
the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to mini-
mize the risk of injuries to your hands and arms
in the event of airbag deployment.
No one and nothing is to come between the air-
bags and the seat occupant.
Do not use the cover of the front airbag on the
front passenger side as a storage area. Make
sure that the front passenger is sitting correctly
and does not rest feet or legs on the instrument
panel, otherwise leg injuries can occur if the
knee and front airbags are triggered.
Make sure that occupants do not rest their head
on the side or head airbags; otherwise, injuries
can occur if the airbags are triggered.<
Even if you adhere to all the instructions, inju-
ries resulting from contact with airbags cannot
be fully excluded, depending on the circum-
stances. The ignition and inflation noise may
provoke a mild hearing loss in extremely sensi-
tive individuals. This effect is usually only tem-
porary.
For airbag locations and additional information
on airbags, refer to page90.
Head restraints
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of injury to cervical vertebrae in an accident.
Adjust the head restraint so that its center
is approx. at ear level. Otherwise, there is
increased danger of injury in the event of an
accident.<
Head restraints, refer to page48.
Safety belt
Before every drive, make sure that safety belts
are being worn at all of the occupied seats. Air-
bags complement the safety belt as an addi-
tional safety device, but they do not represent a
substitute.
Your vehicle has four seats that are each
equipped with a safety belt.
Never allow more than one person to
wear a single safety belt. Never allow
infants or small children to ride in a passenger's
lap. Make sure that the belt lies low around the
hips in the lap area and does not press on the
abdomen. The safety belt must not lie across
the neck, rub against sharp edges, be routed
over solid or breakable objects or be pinched.
Wear the safety belt without twisting, snugly
across the lap and shoulders, as close to the
body as possible. Otherwise, the belt can slip
over the hips in the lap area in a frontal impact
and injure the abdomen. Avoid wearing clothing
that prevents the belt from fitting properly and
pull the shoulder belt upward periodically to
readjust the tension across your lap in order to
avoid a reduction in the restraining effect of the
safety belt.<
Safety belts refer to page50.

Transporting children safely
56
Transporting children safely
The right place for children
Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle; otherwise, they could endanger
themselves and other persons, e.g. by opening
the doors.<
Children always in the rear
Accident research shows that the safest place
for children is in the back.
Children younger than 13 years of age or
with a height under 5 ft/150 cm may only
be transported in the rear in child restraint sys-
tems which correspond to the age, weight and
height of the child. Otherwise, there is an
increased danger of injury in an accident.<
Children 13 years of age or older must wear a
safety belt as soon as a suitable child restraint
system can no longer be used due to 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, knee and side airbags on the
passenger side must be deactivated before
doing so. Otherwise, there is an increased risk
of injury to the child if the airbags are triggered,
even with a child restraint system.<
For more information on automatic deactivation
of the front passenger airbags, refer to page91.
Installing child restraint
systems
Follow child restraint system manufac-
turer's instructions for the selection,
installation and use of child restraint systems.
Otherwise, the degree of protection they offer
may be reduced.<
On front passenger seat
After mounting a child restraint system on
the front passenger seat, make sure that
the front and side airbags on the front passen-
ger side are deactivated, as otherwise there is
an increased risk of injury if the airbags are trig-
gered.<
Backrest width
Before mounting a child restraint system
on the front passenger seat, the backrest
width adjustment must be completely open.<
1.Adjust the backrest width to the fully open
position, refer to page46.
2.Install child's seat.
Child seat security
All rear safety belts and the safety belt for the
front passenger can be locked against pulling
out to secure child restraint systems.
Locking safety belt
1.Secure the child restraint system with the
belt.
2.Pull out the belt webbing completely.
3.Allow the belt webbing to be pulled in and
pull taut against the child restraint system.
The safety belt is locked.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
90
Brake force display
>On the left: normal braking.
>On the right: heavy braking.
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Coupe: Head airbags
3Side airbags
4Knee airbag
5Knee airbag
Protective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
please follow the adjustment instructions on
page45.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and
front passenger by responding to frontal
impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When needed, the
head and side airbags help provide protection in
the event of a side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The head airbag supports the head. The knee
airbag protects the legs from colliding with the
cockpit.
The airbags are deliberately not triggered in
every impact situation, e. g. less severe acci-
dents or rear-end collisions.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or
modify them in any other way. Do not attempt to
remove the airbag restraint system from the
vehicle. Do not modify or tamper with either the
wiring or the individual components in the air-
bag system. This category includes the uphol-
stery in the center of the steering wheel, on the
instrument panel, the side trim panels on the
doors and on the Coupe, the roof pillars along
with the sides of the headliner. Do not attempt
to remove or dismantle the steering wheel.
Do not touch the individual components
directly after the system has been triggered,
because there is a danger of burns.

Controls
91Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation, or
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have
the testing, repair, removal, and disposal of air-
bag generators carried out only by a BMW cen-
ter or a workshop that works according to BMW
repair procedures with appropriately trained
personnel and has the required explosives
licenses. Otherwise unprofessional attempts to
service the system could lead to failure in an
emergency or undesired airbag triggering,
either of which could result in personal injury.<
Warnings and information on the airbags is also
provided on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of front
passenger airbags
The occupation of the seat is detected by eval-
uating the impression on the occupied seat sur-
face of the front passenger seat. The system
correspondingly activates or deactivates the
front, knee and side airbags on the front pas-
senger side.
The current status of the front passenger
airbags, i.e. deactivated or activated, is
indicated by the indicator lamp over the interior
rearview mirror, refer to Operating state of front
passenger airbags below.<
Before transporting a child in the front
passenger seat, read the safety informa-
tion and follow the instructions under Trans-
porting children safely, refer to page56.
The front, knee and side airbags on the front
passenger side can be deactivated for teenag-
ers and adults in certain sitting positions; the
indicator lamp for the front passenger airbags
lights up when this occurs. In these cases,
change the sitting position so that the front pas-
senger airbags are activated and the indicator
lamp goes out. If the desired status cannot be
produced by changing the sitting position,
transport the corresponding person in the rear
seat.
Do not fit seat covers, seat cushion padding,
beaded mats or other items onto the front pas-
senger seat unless they are specifically recom-
mended by BMW. Do not place objects under
the seat which could press against the seat from below. Otherwise, a correct evaluation of
the occupied seat surface cannot be ensured.<
Operating state of front passenger
airbags
The illustration here shows a possible arrange-
ment in the Coupe. With some vehicle equip-
ment packages or in the Convertible, the
arrangement of the switches and indicator
lamps may differ somewhat.
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air-
bags indicates the operating status of the front,
knee and side airbags on the front passenger
side depending on whether the seat is occu-
pied. The indicator lamp shows whether the
front passenger airbags are activated or deacti-
vated.
>The indicator lamp lights up when a child in
a child restraint system intended for the
purpose is properly detected on the seat.
The front, knee and side airbags on the front
passenger side are deactivated.
Most child seats are detected by the sys-
tem. Especially the child seats required
by the NHTSA at the time the vehicle is manu-
factured. After installing a child seat, make sure
that the indicator lamp for the front passenger
airbags lights up. This indicates that the child
seat has been detected and the front passenger
airbags are not activated.<
>The indicator lamp does not light up when,
for example, a correctly seated person of
sufficient height is detected on the seat.
The front, knee and side airbags on the front
passenger side are activated.
>The indicator lamp does not light up when
the seat is empty.

Technology for comfort, convenience and safety
92 But the front, knee and side airbags on the
front passenger side are still deactivated.
Operational readiness of airbag system
From radio readiness, refer to page59, the
warning lamp lights up briefly, indicating the
operational readiness of the entire airbag sys-
tem and the safety belt tensioners.
Airbag system malfunction
>Warning lamp does not light up as of radio
readiness.
>Warning lamp lights up continuously.
Have the airbag system checked immedi-
ately in case of a malfunction; otherwise,
there is a danger that the airbag system may not
respond in the expected manner in an accident
despite an impact of corresponding intensity.<
Convertible: rollover
protection system
The rollover protection system is automatically
activated in the event of an accident or a critical
driving situation, extreme inclination on the lon-
gitudinal axis, or loss of ground contact. The
rollover bars located behind the rear head
restraints are deployed within fractions of a sec-
ond.
As a supplement to the rollover bar integrated
into the windshield frame, the rollover protec-
tion system ensures that all vehicle occupants
have the necessary headroom.
Always keep the path of movement of the
rollover protection system clear.
In less severe accidents, you are protected by
the fastened safety belt and, depending on the severity of the accident, the belt tensioner and
the multistage airbag restraint system.<
Lowering
If the rollover protection system experienced no
impact after automatic activation, then it can be
lowered again. No tools are necessary for this
purpose.
1.Press the release backward and hold in that
position.
2.Press the rollover protection unit halfway
down from above.
3.Let go of the release.
4.Press the rollover protection unit down until
it snaps into place.
5.Use the same procedure for the second roll-
over protection unit.
Have the rollover protection system checked
after unexpected triggering.
Never move the convertible top when the
rollover protection system is raised.
No changes of any nature may be made to the
individual components of the rollover protec-
tion system and wiring.
Work on the rollover protection system may
only be performed at a BMW center.
Unprofessional attempts to service the system

Everything from A to Z
240
Everything from A to Z
Index
"..." Identifies Control Display
texts used to select
individual functions, and
indicates where to find them
in the text.
A
ABS Antilock Brake
System82
– indicator lamp84
Accepted calls184
Accessories6
Accident, refer to Emergency
request224
Activated-charcoal filter for
automatic climate
control105
Activating hour signal78
"Activation time" for parked-
car ventilation106
Active front head restraints48
Adapter for spare key28
Adaptive brake lamps, refer to
Brake force display90
Adaptive Head Light98
"Add digits" for mobile
phone184
Additives
– coolant213
– engine oil, refer to Approved
engine oils212
"Address book" for navigation
system134
Address for navigation
– deleting135
– entering126,129
– selecting134
– storing134
– storing current position134
"Add to address book"133
"Add to destination
list"129,131Adjusting interior
temperature102
Adjusting thigh support46
Adjusting tone in audio mode,
refer to Tone control151
"After door opened"48
"After unlocking"48
Airbags90
– deactivating, refer to
Exception for front
passenger seat56
– indicator/warning lamp92
– indicator lamp for front
passenger airbags91
– sitting safely45
Air distribution
– automatic102
– manual103
Airing, refer to Ventilation105
Air outlets, refer to
Ventilation105
Air recirculation, refer to AUC
Automatic recirculated-air
control104
"Air recirculation on / off"53
Air supply, automatic climate
control101
Air volume103
AKI, refer to Fuel
specifications201
Alarm system35
– avoiding unintentional
alarms36
– interior motion sensor36
– switching off alarm35
– switching off tilt alarm
sensor and interior motion
sensor36
– tilt alarm sensor36
"All channels"162
"All doors"30
All-season tires, refer to
Winter tires206"All stations", calling up with
radio154,157
Alterations, technical, refer to
For your own safety6
"AM", reception
range150,154
Antenna, refer to Caring for
your vehicle brochure
Antenna for mobile phone176
Antifreeze
– coolant213
– washer fluid67
Antilock Brake System
ABS82
Anti-theft alarm system, refer
to Alarm system35
Anti-theft system, refer to
Central locking system30
Approved axle loads, refer to
Weights235
Approved engine oils212
Approved gross vehicle
weight, refer to Weights235
Armrest, refer to Center
armrest110
Around the center console14
Around the steering wheel10
Arrival time
– refer to Computer71
– refer to Starting destination
guidance138
"Arrow display" for navigation
system139
"Arrow display pop-up
instructions"125
Ashtray111
Assist, refer to
BMW Assist191
Assistance systems, refer to
Driving stability control
systems82
Assistance window20

Everything from A to Z
246 ESP Electronic Stability
Program, refer to DSC
Dynamic Stability
Control83
Event data recorders215
Exhaust system, refer to Hot
exhaust system117
Exterior mirrors51
– adjusting51
– automatic dimming
feature52
– automatic heating51
– folding in and out51
– tilting down passenger-side
mirror52
External audio device110
Eye for tow-starting and
towing, refer to Tow
fitting226
Eyes for lashing, refer to
Securing cargo119
F
"Fader", refer to Tone
control152
Fader, refer to Tone
control152
Failure messages, refer to
Check Control74
False alarm
– refer to Avoiding
unintentional alarms36
– refer to Switching off
alarm35
Fastening safety belts, refer to
Safety belts50
Fastest route for
navigation136
Fast forward
– CD changer168
– CD player168
"Fast route" for
navigation136
"Favorites", calling up with
radio157
Filler neck for washer fluid67Filling bottle, refer to
M Mobility System218
Filter, refer to Microfilter/
activated-charcoal filter105
Fine wood, refer to Caring for
your vehicle brochure
First aid, refer to First-aid
kit225
First-aid kit225
Flashing when locking and
unlocking, refer to Setting
confirmation signals31
Flashlight, refer to
Rechargeable flashlight110
Flat tire
– Flat Tire Monitor86
– M Mobility System218
– run-flat tires88
– spare wheel221
– Tire Pressure Monitor87
– warning lamp87,88
Flat Tire Monitor86
– false alarms86
– initializing system86
– limits of system86
– snow chains207
– warning lamp87
Floor mats, refer to Caring for
your vehicle brochure
Floor mats/carpets, refer to
Caring for your vehicle
brochure
Fluid reservoir, refer to Filler
neck for washer fluid67
"FM", reception
range150,154
FM, waveband154
Folding into raised position
convertible top
compartment floor,
Convertible35
Footbrake, refer to Braking
safely117
Footwell lighting, refer to
Interior lamps100
For specified oil grades, refer
to Approved engine oils212
For your own safety6Freeway, refer to Route
criteria136
Front airbags90
Front passenger airbags,
deactivating91
"FTM"87
FTM, refer to Flat Tire
Monitor86
Fuel
– average consumption71
– display70
– fuel specifications201
– high-quality brands201
– quality201
– specifications201
– tank contents, refer to
Capacities235
Fuel display, refer to Fuel
gauge70
Fuel filler door200
– releasing in the event of
electrical malfunction200
Fuel gauge70
Full mobile phone preparation
package176
Full screen display, refer to
Switching assistance
window off20
Fuses223
G
Garage-door opener, refer to
Integrated universal remote
control108
Gasoline
– refer to Average fuel
consumption71
– refer to Fuel
specifications201
– refer to Required fuel201
Gasoline display, refer to Fuel
gauge70
Gear changes63
Gear display, refer to Displays
in instrument cluster63
Gearshift lever, manual
transmission61