2009 BMW M3 steering

Cockpit
10
Cockpit
Around the steering wheel: controls and displays
3Folding exterior mirrors in and out*42
4Adjusting exterior mirrors, automatic curb
monitor
*42
1Safety switch for electric rear
windows35
2
Opening and closing windows34 5
Parking lamps/low beams85
Low beams85
Automatic headlamp control
*85
Adaptive Head Light
*86
ba8_E90M3_cic.book Seite 10 Dienstag, 19. August 2008 11:51 11

At a glance
11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
7Instrument cluster12
10Ignition lock49
11Buttons on the steering wheel12Horn: the entire surface
13Adjusting the steering wheel43
15Releasing the hood192
16Opening the luggage compartment lid30 6
Turn signals58
High beams, headlamp flasher87
Roadside parking lamps
*87
Computer63
Settings and information about the
vehicle65
Instrument lighting87
8
Windshield wipers59
Rain sensor
*59
9Switching the ignition on/off and
starting/stopping the engine49
Telephone
*:
>Press: accepting and ending a
call, starting dialing
* selected
phone numbers. Redialing if
no phone number is selected
>Press longer: redialing
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
*22
Changing radio station
Selecting music track
Scrolling through phone book and
lists with stored phone numbers
MDrive
*, calling up individual
settings44
Recirculated-air mode91
14
Cruise control60
ba8_E90M3_cic.book Seite 11 Dienstag, 19. August 2008 11:51 11

Voice activation system
22
Voice activation system
The concept
The voice activation system allows you to con-
trol operation of various vehicle systems with-
out removing your hands from the steering
wheel.
Individual menu items on the Control Display
can be spoken as commands. It is not neces-
sary to use the controller.
The voice activation system transforms your
oral commands into control signals for the
selected systems and provides support in the
form of instructions or questions.
The voice activation system uses a special
microphone located in the area of the interior
rearview mirror, refer to page14.
Precondition
Via iDrive, select the language in which the
voice activation system is operating, so that the
spoken commands can be identified. Selecting
the language for iDrive, refer to page73.
Symbols in the Owner's Manual
Saying commands
Activating voice activation system
1.Press the button on the steering wheel. This symbol on the Control Display and
an acoustic signal indicate that the voice
activation system is ready to receive spo-
ken commands.
2.Say the command.
The command appears on the Control Dis-
play.
This symbol appears on the Control Display
when you can enter additional commands.
If no further commands are possible, continue
by operating the item of equipment via iDrive.
Terminating or canceling voice
activation system
Press the button on the steering wheel
or
In dialogs that call for a text of your choice, the
procedure can only be canceled using the but-
ton on the steering wheel.
Possible commands
The commands available in each case depend
on the menu item selected on the Control Dis-
play.
To have the available commands read aloud:
For example, if "CD/DVD" is selected, the com-
mands for operating CD/Multimedia are read
aloud.
*
{...} Say the specified commands word for
word.
{{...}} Indicates responses of the voice acti-
vation system.
{Cancel}
{Voice commands}
ba8_E90M3_cic.book Seite 22 Dienstag, 19. August 2008 11:51 11

At a glance
23Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Using alternative commands
There are often a number of commands to run a
function, e.g.:
Calling up functions immediately via
short commands
Short commands enable you to perform certain
functions immediately, irrespective of which
menu item is selected, refer to page221.
Example: selecting the track of a CD
1.If necessary, switch on entertainment audio
output.
2.Press the button on the steering wheel.
Setting the voice dialog
You can set whether the system should use the
standard dialog or a shorter variant. In the
shorter variant of the voice dialog, the prompts
and responses from the system are abbrevi-
ated.
1."Settings"
2."Language/Units"
3."Speech mode:"
4.To select the setting:
>"Default"
>"Short"
Notes
For information on voice control of the
telephone, refer also to the separate
Owner's Manual.<
For voice commands, bear in mind the follow-
ing:
>Do not use the voice activation system to
initiate an Emergency Request. In stressful
situations, the voice and vocal pitch can
change. This can unnecessarily delay the
establishment of a telephone connection.
>Pronounce the commands and digits
smoothly and at normal volume, avoiding
excessive emphases and pauses. This also
applies when spelling out and saying a full
word during destination entry.
>When selecting a radio station, use the
standard pronunciation of the station name.
>For entries in the voice-activated phone
book, only use names in the language of the
voice activation system and no abbrevia-
tions.
>Keep the doors, windows and glass roof
closed to prevent interference from outside
noise.
>Avoid ambient noise in the vehicle while
speaking. {Radio on} or {Radio}
3.Select the music track, e.g.:
{CD track 4}
System says:
{{Track 4}}
ba8_E90M3_cic.book Seite 23 Dienstag, 19. August 2008 11:51 11

Opening and closing
26
Opening and closing
Remote control
Each remote control contains a rechargeable
battery that is automatically recharged when it
is in the ignition lock while the car is being
driven. Use each remote control at least twice a
year for longer road trips in order to maintain the
batteries' charge status. In cars with convenient
access
*, the remote control contains a replace-
able battery, refer to page34.
The settings called up and implemented when
the car is unlocked depend on which remote
control is used to unlock the car, refer to Per-
sonal Profile below.
In addition, information about service require-
ments is stored in the remote control, refer to
Service data in the remote control, page197.
Integrated key
Press button1 to release the key.
The integrated key fits the following locks:
>Glove compartment, refer to page97
>Driver's door, refer to page29
New remote controls
Your BMW center can supply new remote con-
trols with integrated keys as additional units or
as replacements in the event of loss.
Personal Profile
The concept
You can set many of your BMW's functions to
suit your personal needs and preferences.
Without any action on your part, Personal Pro-
file ensures that most of these settings are
stored for the remote control currently in use.
When you unlock the car, the remote control
used for the purpose is recognized and the set-
tings stored for it are called up and imple-
mented.
This means that your personal settings will be
activated for you, even if in the meantime your
car was used by someone else with another
remote control and the corresponding settings.
The individual settings are stored for a maxi-
mum of four remote controls. They are stored
for two remote controls if convenient access
* is
in use.
Personal Profile settings
For more information on specific settings, refer
to the specified pages.
>Assignment of programmable memory
keys, refer to page20
>Response of the central locking system
when the car is unlocked, refer to page27
>Automatic locking of the vehicle, refer to
page29
>Automatic call-up of the driver's seat posi-
tion after unlocking, refer to page40
>Programming buttons on the steering
wheel, refer to page44
>MDrive
*, refer to page44
ba8_E90M3_cic.book Seite 26 Dienstag, 19. August 2008 11:51 11

Controls
37Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
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 page46.
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 page82.
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 page39.
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 five 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 page41.
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
ba8_E90M3_cic.book Seite 37 Dienstag, 19. August 2008 11:51 11

Controls
43Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
pressing button3. This can be beneficial in nar-
row streets, for example, or for moving mirrors
that were folded in by hand back out into their
correct positions. Mirrors that were folded in are
folded out automatically at a speed of approx.
25 mph/40 km/h.
Before entering an automatic car wash,
fold in the exterior mirrors manually or
with button3 to prevent them from being dam-
aged, depending on the width of the vehicle.<
Automatic heating*
Depending on the outside temperature, both
exterior mirrors are heated automatically when
the engine is running or the ignition is switched
on.
Passenger-side mirror tilt function –
automatic curb monitor*
Activating
1.Push the switch to the position for the
driver's-side mirror, arrow 1.
2.Engage reverse gear or transmission posi-
tion R.
The glass of the mirror on the passenger
side tilts slightly down. This allows the
driver to see the area immediately adjacent
to the vehicle, e.g. a curb, when backing into
a parking space.
Deactivating
Push the switch to the position for the passen-
ger-side mirror, arrow 2.
Interior and exterior mirrors*,
automatic dimming feature
The automatic dimming feature of the interior
and exterior mirrors
* is controlled by two photo
cells in the interior rearview mirror. One photo
cell is in the mirror frame, see arrow; the other is
on the back of the mirror.
In order to ensure that the system functions
correctly, keep the photo cells clean, do not
cover the area between the interior rearview
mirror and windshield, and do not affix adhesive
labels or stickers of any kind to the windshield
directly in front of the mirror.
Steering wheel
Adjustments
Do not adjust the steering wheel position
while the car is in motion, otherwise there
is a risk of accident due to an unexpected move-
ment.<
1.Fold the lever down.
2.Move the steering wheel to the preferred
height and angle to suit your seated posi-
tion.
3.Swing the lever back up.
ba8_E90M3_cic.book Seite 43 Dienstag, 19. August 2008 11:51 11

Adjustments
44 Do not use force to swing the lever
back up, otherwise the mechanism
will be damaged.<
MDrive*
With MDrive you can configure several individ-
ual settings for your vehicle on the Control Dis-
play and activate them using the button on
the steering wheel.
Configuring settings
You can set MDrive on the Control Display
when the ignition is switched on.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1."Settings"
2."MDrive"
The functions contained in MDrive are dis-
played:
>"Drivelogic:"
M dual clutch transmission with Drivel-ogic: shift modes and Drivelogic drive
programs, refer to page55
>"EDC:"
Electronic Damper Control EDC
* pro-
grams, refer to page77
>"DSC:"
Dynamic Stability Control and
M Dynamic Mode, refer to page76
>"POWER:"
M Engine Dynamics Control programs,
refer to page58
>"Servotronic:"
Servotronic programs, refer to page81
>"Shift lights:"
Shift Lights, refer to page56
3.Select the desired function.
4.Select the desired setting.
"Unchanged" retains the current setting
made outside of MDrive.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Activating the settings
Press the button on the steering wheel.
ba8_E90M3_cic.book Seite 44 Dienstag, 19. August 2008 11:51 11