2009 BMW M3 CONVERTIBLE head rest

Adjustments
42
Adjustments
Sitting safely
The ideal sitting position can make a vital con-
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving. In con-
junction with the safety belts, the head
restraints and the airbags, the seated position
has a major influence on your safety in the event
of an accident. To ensure that the safety sys-
tems operate with optimal efficiency, we
strongly urge you to observe the instructions
contained in the following section.
For additional information on transporting chil-
dren safely, refer to page53.
Airbags
Always maintain an adequate distance
between yourself and the airbags. Always
grip the steering wheel on the rim, with your
hands in the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions,
to minimize the risk of injury to the hands or
arms in the event of the airbag being triggered
off.
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,
e.g. not resting feet or legs on the dashboard,
otherwise leg injuries can occur if the front air-
bag is triggered.
Make sure that passengers do not lean their
heads against the side or head airbags, other-
wise serious injuries could result if the airbags
suddenly deployed.<
Even if you follow all the instructions, injuries
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 page88.
Head restraint
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of neck injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint in such a way
that its center is at approx. ear level. Oth-
erwise, there is an increased risk of injury in the
event of an accident.<
Head restraints, refer to page44.
Safety belt
Before every drive, make sure that all occupants
wear their safety belts. Airbags complement the
safety belt as an additional safety device, but
they do not represent a substitute.
Your vehicle has four seats, each of which is
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 in the lap area sits
low across the hips and does not press against
the abdomen.
The safety belt must not rest against the throat,
run across sharp edges, pass over hard or frag-
ile objects or be pinched. Fasten the safety belt
so that it sits as snugly as possible against the
lap and shoulder without being twisted. Other-
wise the belt could slide over your hips and
injure your abdomen in the event of a frontal
collision.
Avoid wearing bulky clothing and regularly pull
the belt in the upper-body area taut, otherwise
its restraining effect could be impaired.<
Safety belts, refer to page47.
Seats
Note before adjusting
Never attempt to adjust your seat while
the vehicle is moving. The seat could
respond with unexpected movement, and the
ensuing loss of vehicle control could lead to an
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Controls
43Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
accident.
On the front passenger seat as well, do not
incline the backrest too far to the rear while the
vehicle is being driven, otherwise there is a dan-
ger in the event of an accident of sliding under
the safety belt, eliminating the protection nor-
mally provided by the belt.<
Comply with the instructions on head restraint
height on page44, and on damaged safety
belts on page48.
Manual adjustment
Observe the adjustment instructions
above to ensure the best possible per-
sonal protection.<
Thigh support
Pull the lever and move the thigh support for-
ward or back.
Electrical adjustment
Observe the adjustment instructions on
page42 to ensure the best possible per-
sonal protection.<
1Longitudinal direction
2Height
3Angle4Backrest
The head restraints are adjusted manually, refer
to Head restraints below.
Lumbar support*
You can also adjust the contour of the backrest
to obtain additional support in the lumbar
region.
The upper hips and spinal column receive sup-
plementary support to help you maintain a
relaxed, upright sitting position.
>Increase or decrease curvature: press the
switch at the front or rear, respectively.
>Shift curvature up or down: press the switch
at the top or bottom, respectively.
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Adjustments
44
Backrest width*
You can change the width of the backrest to suit
your individual preferences by adjusting the lat-
eral-support pads.
Press the front or rear end of the switch.
Backrest width decreases or increases accord-
ingly.
Longitudinal adjustment from outside/
behind
To move the front seats forward or backward
from outside or from one of the rear seats: with
the door open, press the front end 1 or rear end
2 of the switch.
Head restraints
A correctly adjusted head restraint reduces the
risk of neck injury in the event of an accident.
Adjust the head restraint in such a way
that its center is at approx. ear level. Oth-
erwise, there is an increased risk of injury in the
event of an accident. Only remove a head
restraint if no one will be sitting on the seat in
question. Reinstall the head restraint before
transporting anyone on that seat. Otherwise,
the passenger will be without protection from
the head restraint.<
Front active head restraints
In a rear collision of a sufficient strength, the
active head restraint reduces the distance to
the head.
Do not use seat or head restraint covers
that could impair the function of the active
head restraint. Otherwise, the protective func-
tion of the active head restraint will not be
ensured and its full potential in reducing the risk
of injury in the event of a rear collision may not
be realized.
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation or
triggering of the active head restraints, have the
testing, repair and removal executed only by a
BMW center or a workshop that works accord-
ing to repair procedures of BMW with corre-
spondingly trained personnel and that has the
required explosives licenses. Unprofessional
attempts to work on the system could lead to
failure in an emergency or to undesired airbag
activation, either of which could result in per-
sonal injury.<
For technical reasons, the head restraint
cannot be removed.<
Coupe: front seats
Height adjustment
>To raise: pull up.
>To lower: press the button, arrow1, and
slide the head restraint down.
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Controls
45Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Convertible front seats
Height adjustment
>To raise: press the button upward.
>To lower: press the button downward.
Adjusting the distance to the back of
the head
>Forward: pull up.
>Back: press the button and push the head
cushion toward the rear.
Do not insert objects behind the head
cushion; otherwise, the head restraint
may not function properly.<
Coupe: rear seats
Height adjustment
>To raise: pull up.
>To lower: press the button, arrow1, and
slide the head restraint down.
Removing
1.Pull up as far as it will go.
2.Press the button, arrow 1, tilt the rear seat
backrest slightly forward and pull the head
restraint all the way out.
Only remove the head restraints if no pas-
sengers will be sitting in the rear. Reinstall
head restraints before transporting passengers
in the rear.<
Entering the rear seats
Coupe
Convertible
Seat backrest warning lamp:
Comes on when a seat backrest is not
engaged. In addition, a message
appears on the Control Display.
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Transporting children safely
54 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.<
The anchor points for the lower LATCH
anchors are located behind the labeled protec-
tive caps.
Coupe: child-restraint system with
tether strap
Use the top tether anchors to secure
child-restraint systems only, otherwise
the anchors could be damaged. 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.<
1Direction of travel
2Head restraint
3Hook for upper retaining strap
4Anchor
5Rear window shelf
6Seat backrest
7Upper retaining strap of child-restraint sys-
tem
1.Push the head restraint upward.
2.Guide the upper retaining strap between
the head restraint holders.
3.Use the hook to clip the retaining strap to
the anchor.
4.Push the head restraint into its lowermost
position.
5.Pull the retaining strap taut.
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Driving
64
M Engine Dynamics Control
With M Engine Dynamics Control you can influ-
ence how sportily your vehicle should respond
to movements of the accelerator. Three pro-
grams are available to you.
"Normal" program
In the "Normal" program, the engine responds
gently to accelerator movements, which is ideal
for city traffic or on snow, for example.
"Sport" program
The "Sport" program provides for a more spon-
taneous response of the engine to accelerator
movements.
"Sport Plus" program
In the "Sport Plus" program, the engine
responds to accelerator movements with high
spontaneity and uncompromising sportiness.
The "Sport Plus" program can only be activated
via MDrive, refer to MDrive on page50.
Selecting a program
Press the POWER button to switch between
the "Normal" and "Sport" programs.
For the programs "Sport" and "Sport Plus", the
LED in the POWER button lights up.
You can also set and call up your preferred
program via MDrive, refer to page50.
After the ignition is switched off and the engine
is restarted, the program set for the remote
control in use is active, refer to M Key settings
on page51.
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 indicates that a turn signal indicator
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.
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever as far as the resistance point.
The turn signals flash three times.
You can activate or deactivate this function.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
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Technology for driving comfort and safety
88 At low speeds, steering is assisted strongly, i. e.
less effort is required to turn the vehicle. Steer-
ing assistance lessens with increasing speed.
You can select between two programs
*.
"Normal" program
Select the "Normal" program if you want com-
fort-oriented steering, e. g. in city traffic or when
parking.
"Sport" program
Select the "Sport" program if you want consis-
tently sporty steering.
Selecting a program
You can set and call up your preferred pro-
gram via MDrive, refer to page50.
Brake force display
On the left: normal braking.
On the right: sharp braking.
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Coupe: head airbags
3Head airbags
4Side airbags in the seat backrests
Protective action
Observe the adjustment instructions on
page42 to ensure the best possible per-
sonal protection.<
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 side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The
head air bag supports the head.
The airbags have been designed to not be trig-
gered in every collision situation, e.g. not in
minor accidents 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.
Keep the dashboard and windows on the front
passenger side clear, i.e. do not cover with
adhesive labels or coverings, and do not attach
holders such as for navigation instruments or
mobile phones.
Do not attach seat covers, cushions or other
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Technology for driving comfort and safety
90 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 page55, 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.
As a supplementary system to the reinforced
windshield frame, the rollover protection sys-
tem ensures that the necessary headroom is
maintained for all vehicle occupants.Always keep the area of movement of the
rollover protection system clear.
In minor accidents, you are protected by the
fastened safety belt and, depending on acci-
dent severity, by the safety belt tensioner and
multi-phase airbag retention system.<
Resetting
If the rollover protection system was not
impacted after being automatically activated, it
can be reset by lowering the protection bars to
their original positions. This does not require
tools.
1.Push the locking lever to one side and hold
it there.
2.Push the protection bar halfway down from
above.
3.Release the locking lever.
4.Push the protection bar down until it snaps
into place.
5.Repeat the procedure for the other protec-
tion bar.
Have the rollover protection system checked
after an unexpected activation.
Never move the retractable hardtop when
the rollover protection system is in the
activated position.
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