
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Contents
The fastest way to find information on a partic-
ular topic or item is by using the index, refer to 
page228.
Using this Owner's Manual
4Notes
6Reporting safety defects
At a glance
10Cockpit
16iDrive
21Letters and numbers
22Voice activation system
Controls
26Opening and closing
37Adjustments
46Transporting children safely
49Driving
62Everything under control
75Technology for driving comfort and 
safety
85Lamps
89Climate
94Practical interior accessories
Driving tips
106Things to remember when driving
111BMW M3 engineering
Navigation
116Navigation system
117Destination entry
127Destination guidance
133What to do if …
Entertainment
136On/off and tone
139Radio
142Satellite radio
144CD player and CD changer
151Music collection
155AUX-IN port
156USB-audio interface/mobile phone audio 
interface
Communications
162Telephone
173Contacts
175BMW Assist
Mobility
184Refueling
186Wheels and tires
192Under the hood
197Maintenance
199Care
203Replacing components
210Giving and receiving assistance
Reference
218Technical data
221Short commands for the voice activation 
system
228Everything from A - Z
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At a glance
 15Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
1Microphone for voice activation system* 
and for telephone in hands-free mode*
2SOS: initiating an Emergency Request 
call
*210
3Reading lamps88
4Glass roof, electric
*35
5Interior lamps87
6Passenger airbag status lamp
*83
7Control Display16
8Hazard warning flashers
9Flat Tire Monitor FTM
*78 
Tire Pressure Monitor TPM
*79
10Central locking system29
11Automatic climate control
12CD/DVD drive136
13Changing the audio and entertainment 
sources14Selecting AM or FM waveband
15Changing
>Radio station139
>Track144
17Controller16 
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four 
directions
18Opening start menu on Control Display17
19Dynamic Stability Control DSC76
20Electronic Damper Control EDC
*77
21M Engine Dynamics Control POWER58
22Programmable memory keys20
23Switching audio sources on/off and adjust-
ing volume136
24Ejecting CD/DVD136 Air distribution to the 
windshield90
Air distribution to the upper body 
area90
Air distribution to the footwell90
Automatic air distribution and flow 
rate90
Cooling function91
Automatic recirculated-air control 
AUC91
Recirculated-air mode91
Maximum cooling90
Residual heat mode91
Air flow rate91
Defrosting windows91
Rear window defroster92
16
Heated seats*40
Roller sun blind
*97
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Controls
 27Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
>Calling up the preferred program of the M 
Engine Dynamics Control POWER and 
Electronic Damper Control EDC
* when 
starting the vehicle, refer to Configuring 
settings on page44
>Triple turn signal activation, refer to 
page58
>Settings for the displays on the Control Dis-
play and in the instrument cluster:
>12h/24h format of the clock, refer to 
page69
>Date format, refer to page70
>Brightness of Control Display, refer to 
page73
>Language on the Control Display, refer 
to page73
>Units of measure, refer to page65
>Show visual warning for Park Distance Con-
trol PDC
*, refer to page75
>Light settings:
>Welcome lamps, refer to page85
>Pathway lighting, refer to page86
>Daytime running lamps, refer to page86
>Automatic climate control: activating/deac-
tivating AUTO program, cooling function 
and automatic recirculated-air control, set-
ting temperature, air flow rate and distribu-
tion, refer to page90 ff
>Entertainment:
>Audio volume, refer to page136
>Tone control, refer to page136
>Speed-dependent volume control, refer 
to page137
Central locking system
The concept
The central locking system functions when the 
driver's door is closed.
The system simultaneously engages and 
releases the locks on the following:
>Doors>Luggage compartment lid
>Fuel filler door
Operating from outside
>Via the remote control
>Via the door lock
*
>In cars with convenient access*, via the 
handles on the driver's and front passen-
ger's doors
In addition, if the remote control is used, the 
welcome lamps, interior lamps and the door's 
courtesy lamps
* are switched on or off. The 
alarm system
* is also armed or disarmed.
For further details of the alarm system,
 refer to 
page31.
Operating from inside
By means of the button for central locking, refer 
to page29.
In the event of a sufficiently severe accident, the 
central locking system unlocks automatically. In 
addition, the hazard warning flashers and inte-
rior lamps come on.
Opening and closing:
Using the remote control
Persons or animals in a parked vehicle 
could lock the doors from the inside. You 
should therefore take the remote control with 
you when you leave the vehicle so that the latter 
can be opened from outside.<
Unlocking
Press the   button.
The interior lamps, the courtesy lamps
* and the 
welcome lamps come on.
Setting unlocking characteristics
You can set whether only the driver's door or 
the entire vehicle is to be unlocked when the 
button is pressed for the first time.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1."Settings"
2."Door locks"
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Controls
 89Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Climate
1Airflow directed toward the windshield and 
side windows
2Air to the upper body area 
Draft-free ventilation92
3Air to the footwell
4Air distribution, manual
5Temperature adjustment, left-hand side of 
passenger compartment
6Maximum cooling
7AUTO program
8Air flow rate, manual
9Automatic recirculated-air control AUC/
Recirculated-air mode10Temperature adjustment, right-hand side 
of passenger compartment
11Residual heat
12Defrosting windows and removing conden-
sation
13Switching cooling function on/off manually
14Rear window defroster
15Air grill for interior temperature sensor – 
please keep clear and unobstructed
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Climate
90
Automatic climate control
Comfortable interior climate
AUTO program7 offers the ideal air distribution 
and air flow rate for almost all conditions, refer 
to AUTO program below. All you need to do is 
select an interior temperature which is comfort-
able for you.
The following sections inform you in detail 
about how to adjust the settings.
Most settings are stored for the remote control 
currently in use, refer also to Personal Profile 
settings on page26.
Adjusting air distribution manually
The air distribution can be 
switched on and off manually. The 
air is directed to the windshield, to 
the upper body area and to the 
footwell. Automatic air distribution adjustment 
is deactivated.
The current setting is briefly displayed on the 
Control Display when a button is pressed.
You can switch the automatic air distribution 
back on by pressing the AUTO button. This 
automatically switches on the cooling function 
as well.
Temperature
Set the desired temperatures indi-
vidually for the driver's and front 
passenger's sides.
The automatic climate control 
achieves this temperature as quickly as possi-
ble regardless of the season, using maximum 
cooling or heating power if necessary, and then 
maintains it.
When you switch between different tem-
perature settings in quick succession, the 
automatic climate control does not have 
enough time to achieve the set temperature.<
You can achieve maximum heating power with 
the highest setting, regardless of the outside 
temperature.
The lowest setting effects continuous cooling.
Maximum cooling
At outside temperatures above 
327/06 and when the engine is 
running, you obtain a maximum 
cooling effect as soon as possible.
The automatic climate control goes into recir-
culated-air mode at the lowest temperature. Air 
flows at maximum rate from the vents for the 
upper body area. You should therefore open 
them for maximum cooling.
AUTO program
The AUTO program adjusts the air 
distribution to the windshield and 
side windows, towards the upper 
body area and into the footwell for you. The air 
flow rate and your temperature specifications 
will be adapted to outside influences as a result 
of seasonal changes, e.g. sunlight or window 
condensation.
The cooling is switched on automatically with 
the AUTO program.
Intensity of the AUTO program
Press the AUTO button repeatedly to set the 
intensity of the AUTO program. The current 
setting is displayed on the Control Display 
when the button is pressed.
Select the intensity of the AUTO program:
>Low
>Medium
>High
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Controls
 91Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Adjusting air flow rate manually
Press the left side of the button to 
reduce airflow. Press the right side 
of the button to increase it.
You can reactivate the automatic mode for the 
air flow rate with the AUTO button.
The air flow rate may be reduced or the blower 
may be switched off entirely to save on battery 
power. The display remains the same.
Switching the system on/off
With the blower at its lowest setting, press the 
left side of the button to switch off the auto-
matic climate control. All displays are cleared 
except for the rear window defroster if it is 
switched on.
Press any button except REST or rear window 
defroster to reactivate the automatic climate 
control.
The recirculated-air mode is switched on 
when you switch off the automatic cli-
mate control. If the air quality deteriorates or the 
window fogs over, switch the system back on 
and increase the air volume.<
Automatic recirculated-air control 
AUC/Recirculated-air mode
Switch on the desired operating 
mode by pressing this button 
repeatedly:
>LED off: outside air flows in continuously.
>Left-hand LED on, AUC mode: a sensor 
detects pollutants in the outside air. If nec-
essary, the system blocks the supply of out-
side air and recirculates the inside air. As 
soon as the concentration of pollutants in 
the outside air has decreased sufficiently, 
the system automatically switches back to 
outside air supply.
>Right-hand LED on, recirculated-air mode: 
the supply of outside air is permanently 
shut off. The system then recirculates the 
air currently within the vehicle.
If condensation starts to form on the 
inside window surfaces during operation 
in the recirculated-air mode, you should switch it off while also increasing the air flow rate as 
required. 
The recirculated-air mode should not be used 
continuously for lengthy periods, otherwise the 
quality of the air inside the car will gradually 
deteriorate.<
Via the button on the steering wheel
You can switch quickly between the recircu-
lated-air mode and the previous mode using an 
individually programmable button
 on the steer-
ing wheel, refer to page44.
Residual heat
The heat stored in the engine is 
used to heat the passenger com-
partment, e.g. while stopped at a 
school to pick up a child.
The function can be switched on when the fol-
lowing conditions are met:
>Up to 15 minutes after the engine has been 
switched off
>While the engine is at operating tempera-
ture
>As long as battery voltage is sufficient
>At an outside temperature below 777/
256
The LED is lit when the function is on.
As of radio readiness, you can set the interior 
temperature, the air flow rate and the air distri-
bution.
Defrosting windows and removing 
condensation
Quickly removes ice and conden-
sation from the windshield and 
front side windows.
Switch on the cooling function as well.
Switching cooling function on/off
The cooling function cools and 
dehumidifies the incoming air 
before reheating it as required, 
according to the temperature setting. This 
function is only available while the engine is 
running.
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Controls
 93Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
The air emerges from the air vents for the upper 
body area in the instrument panel. The air vents 
must therefore be open.
The parked car ventilation system is operated 
via iDrive.
Switching on/off directly
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1."Settings"
2."Climate"
3."Activate parked-car vent."
 The parked car ventilation is switched on.
 The symbol on the automatic climate control 
display flashes.
Preselecting switch-on times
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1."Settings"
2."Climate"
3."Activate Timer 1" or "Activate Timer 2"
4."Timer 1:" or "Timer 2:"
5.Turn the controller: set the hours.
6.Press the controller: the setting is 
accepted.
7.Turn the controller: set the minutes.8.Press the controller: the setting is 
accepted.
 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 respective system is switched on 
within the next 24 hours only. After these 
have elapsed, it must be reactivated.<
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Things to remember when driving
106
Things to remember when driving
Break-in period
Moving parts need breaking-in time to adjust to 
each other. Please follow the instructions below 
in order to achieve the optimal service life and 
economy of operation for your vehicle.
Engine and differential
Always obey all official speed limits.
Up to 1,200 miles/2,000 km
Drive at varying engine and road speeds, but do 
not exceed an engine speed of 5,500 rpm and a 
road speed of 105 mph/170 km/h.
Do not depress the accelerator all the way.
From 1,200 miles/2,000 km to 
3,000 miles/5,000 km
Engine and road speeds can be increased grad-
ually up to a traveling speed of 135 mph/
220 km/h. Use the maximum speed only for 
brief intervals, e. g. when passing.
Transmission
The transmission begins functioning at an opti-
mal level only after a distance of approx. 
300 miles/500 km. Do not exceed engine 
speeds of 5,500 rpm during this period.
Tires
Due to technical factors associated with their 
manufacture, tires do not achieve their full trac-
tion potential until after an initial break-in 
period. Therefore, drive cautiously during the 
first 200 miles/300 km.
Brake system
Brakes require an initial break-in period of 
approx. 300 miles/500 km to achieve optimized 
contact and wear patterns between brake pads 
and rotors. Drive cautiously during this break-in 
period.
Clutch
The function of the clutch reaches its optimal 
level only after a distance driven of approx. 
300 miles/500 km. During this break-in period, 
engage the clutch gently.
Following part replacement
The same break-in procedures should be 
observed if any of the components mentioned 
above have to be renewed in the course of the 
vehicle's operating life.
General driving notes
Clearance
Mind the limited clearance of the BMW 
M3, e. g. when driving into underground 
parking garages or over obstacles. If equipped 
with EDC
*, select the "Sport" program, refer to 
page77, when driving off curbs to keep clear-
ance as even as possible. Otherwise the vehicle 
may be damaged.<
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 
page91.
Hot exhaust system
In all vehicles, extremely high tempera-
tures are generated in the exhaust sys-
tem. Do not remove the heat shields installed 
adjacent to various sections of the exhaust sys-
tem, and never apply undercoating to them. 
When driving, standing at idle and while park-
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