2010 BMW 128I CONVERTIBLE rear entertainment

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Parking brake
The parking brake is primarily intended to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling while parked; it
brakes the rear wheels.
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp is lit, and when you
drive off a signal sounds in addition.
The parking brake is still applied.
Indicator lamp for Canadian models.
Applying
The lever locks in position automatically.
Releasing
Pull slightly upwards, press the button and
lower the lever.
In exceptional cases, if the parking brake
has to be used to slow or stop the car, do
not pull the lever up too hard. In doing so, con-
tinuously press the button of the parking brake
lever.
Otherwise, excessive force on the parking
brake can lock up the rear wheels and cause the
rear of the car to swerve.<
To prevent corrosion and one-sided brak-
ing action, occasionally apply the parking
brake lightly when the vehicle is slowly coming
to a stop if the traffic conditions are suitable.
The brake lamps do not light up when the park-
ing brake is applied.<
Manual transmission
When shifting into 5th or 6th gear, press
the gearshift lever to the right. Otherwise,
the engine could be damaged if you inadvert-
ently shift into 3rd or 4th gear.<
Reverse gear
Select this only when the vehicle is stationary.
When the gearshift lever is pressed to the left, a
slight resistance has to be overcome.
Automatic transmission with
Steptronic*
In addition to fully automatic operation, you can
also manually shift with the Steptronic, refer to
page58.
Vehicle parking
To prevent the vehicle from rolling,
always select position P and apply the
parking brake before leaving the vehicle with
the engine running.<
Disengaging the remote control
In order to remove the remote control from the
ignition lock, you must first move the selector
lever to position P and switch off the engine:
interlock. Removing the remote control from
the ignition lock, refer to page55.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –

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Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Coupe: head airbags
3Side airbags in the seat backrests
4Convertible: knee airbags
Protective action
Observe the adjustment instructions on
page43 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 window 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 and
mobile phones.
Do not attach seat covers, cushions or other
objects not specifically approved for seats with
integral side airbags to the front seats. Do not
hang items of clothing such as coats or jackets
over the backrests. Do not attempt to remove the airbag retention system from the vehicle. Do
not modify the individual components of the
system or its wiring in any way. This includes
the upholstered covers on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seats and roof posts, as well
as the sides of the roof lining. Do not attempt to
remove or dismantle the steering wheel.
Do not touch the individual components imme-
diately after the system has been triggered,
because there is a danger of burns.
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation or
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have
the testing, repair, removal and disposal of air-
bag generators executed only by a BMW center
or a workshop that works according to repair
procedures of BMW with correspondingly
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 personal injury.<
Warning notices and information about the air-
bags can also be found on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of the front
passenger airbags
An analysis of the impression in the front pas-
senger seat cushion determines whether and
how the seat is occupied. The front and side air-
bags for the front passenger are activated or
deactivated by the system accordingly.
The indicator lamp above the interior
rearview mirror shows the current status
of the front passenger airbags, deactivated or
activated, refer to Status of front passenger air-
bags below.<

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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 convertible top when the
rollover protection system is in the acti-
vated position.
Do not make any modifications to the individual
components of the rollover protection system
or its cabling.
Work on the rollover protection system should
only be performed by a BMW center.
Incorrectly performed work on the system may
lead to system failure or incorrect operation.
To check the system and ensure flawless long-
term operation, always observe the service
intervals, refer to page67.<

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turn indicator lever toward the high beams
again.
>Use the headlamp flasher as usual with the
low beams switched on.
System limitations
The high-beam assistant cannot serve as
a substitute for the driver's personal judg-
ment of when to use the high beams. Therefore,
manually switch off the high beams in situations
where this is required to avoid a safety risk.<
The system is not fully functional in situations
such as the following, and driver intervention
may be necessary:
>In very unfavorable weather conditions,
such as fog or heavy precipitation
>In detecting poorly-lit road users, such as
pedestrians, cyclists, horseback riders and
wagons; when driving close to train or ship
traffic; and at animal crossings
>In tight curves, on hilltops or in depressions,
in cross traffic or half-obscured oncoming
traffic on highways
>In poorly lit towns and cities and in the pres-
ence of highly reflective signs
>At low speeds
>When the windshield in front of the interior
rearview mirror is fogged over, dirty or cov-
ered with stickers, etc.
>If the sensor is dirty. Clean the sensor on
the front of the interior rearview mirror using
a cloth moistened with a small amount of
glass cleaner.
Switching off via iDrive
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"3."High beam assistant"
The high-beam assistant is activated and is
stored for the remote control currently in use.
Fog lamps*
To switch on/off, press the button.
The parking lamps or low beams must
be switched on for the fog lamps to
operate. The green indicator lamp in
the instrument cluster lights up whenever the
fog lamps are on.
The fog lamps are switched off while you acti-
vate the headlamp flasher or switch on the high
beams.
If the automatic headlamp control is acti-
vated, the low beams will come on auto-
matically when you switch on the fog lamps.<
Instrument lighting
You can adjust the brightness of the instrument
lighting only when the parking lamps or the low
beams are switched on.

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Climate
1Airflow directed toward the windshield and
side windows
2Air to the upper body area:
Draft-free ventilation94
3Air to the footwell
4Air distribution, manual
5Setting the temperature, left side
6Maximum cooling
7AUTO program
8Air volume, manual adjustment; AUTO
intensity
9Display10Automatic recirculated-air control AUC/
Recirculated-air mode
11Setting the temperature, right side
12ALL program
13Defrosting windows and removing conden-
sation
14Switching cooling function on/off manually
15Rear window defroster
16Seat heating
*, right side48
17Interior temperature sensor, please keep
clear
18Seat heating
*, left side48

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automatic climate control is optimized for driv-
ing with the convertible top down. In addition,
the air volume is increased as vehicle speed
increases.
The effectiveness of the Convertible pro-
gram can be enhanced considerably by
installing the wind deflector.<
Adjusting air volume manually
To be able to manually adjust the air volume,
switch off the AUTO program first.
Press the left side of the button to
reduce the air volume. Press the
right side of the button to increase
it.
The air volume may be reduced or the blower
may be switched off entirely to save on battery
power. The display remains the same.
Automatic recirculated-air control
AUC/Recirculated-air mode
You can respond to unpleasant odors or pollut-
ants in the immediate environment by tempo-
rarily suspending the supply of outside air. The
system then recirculates the air currently within
the vehicle.
Press the button repeatedly to
select an operating mode:
>LED off: outside air flows in continuously.
>Left-hand LED on, AUC mode: a sensor
detects pollutants in the outside air and
controls the shut-off automatically.
>Right-hand LED on, recirculated-air mode:
the supply of outside air is permanently
shut off. If the windows fog over, switch off
recirculated-air mode and increase the air
volume, if necessary. Make sure that air can
flow onto the windshield.
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 a
button
on the steering wheel, refer to page11.
ALL program
Press the button.
The current temperature setting
on the driver's side is transferred to
the front passenger side.
If the temperature setting on the driver's side is
changed, the temperature on the front passen-
ger side is changed as well.
The program is switched off when the setting is
adjusted on the front passenger side or the but-
ton is pressed again.
Defrosting windows and removing
condensation
Press the button.
Quickly removes ice and conden-
sation from the windshield and
front side windows.
For this purpose, also switch on the cooling
function.
Switching cooling function on/off
The passenger compartment can only be
cooled while the engine is running.
Press the button.
The air is cooled and dehumidified
and – depending on the tempera-
ture setting – warmed again.
Depending on the weather, the windshield may
fog up briefly when the engine is started.
Pressing the AUTO button automatically
switches on the cooling function.
Rear window defroster
Press the button.
The defroster is switched off auto-
matically after a certain time.
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, the
upper wires serve as an antenna and are not
part of the rear window defroster.

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Coupe: ski bag*
The ski bag is designed for safe, clean transport
of up to 4 pairs of standard skis or up to
2snowboards.
With the ski bag you can stow skis with a length
of up to 6.6ft/2.0m. When skis of 6.6ft/2.0m
length are loaded, the overall capacity of the ski
bag is reduced due to its tapered design.
Loading
Ensure that the skis are clean when they are
loaded into the ski bag. Wrap sharp edges to
prevent damage.
1.Fold down the center panel in the rear seat
backrest.
2.Press the button, reach into the recess and
fold down the cover. To stabilize the cover
in the folded-down position, place the cen-
ter panel underneath it.
3.Open the Velcro fastener, spread the ski
bag between the front seats and insert the
skis or snowboards.
The zip fastener makes objects in the ski
bag easier to reach.
4.Attach the hook of the ski bag retaining
strap to the eyelet on the side of the ski bag
opening.
Securing cargo
After loading, secure the ski bag and its con-
tents. Tighten the retaining strap on the ten-
sioning buckle for this purpose.
Secure the ski bag in the manner
described; otherwise, it could endanger
the car's occupants, e.g. in case of heavy brak-
ing or sudden swerving.<
To store the ski bag, perform the steps
described for loading in reverse order.
Removing the ski bag
The ski bag can be completely removed, e.g. for
faster drying or to allow you to use other inserts.
1.Fold down the center panel in the rear seat
backrest.
2.Pull the handle, arrow1.
3.Pull out the insert, arrow 2.
For more information on the various
inserts available, contact your BMW cen-
ter.<

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Drive defensively
Avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking
maneuvers. To do so, keep an adequate dis-
tance between you and the vehicle in front of
you. A defensive and smooth driving style
keeps fuel consumption down.
Avoid high engine speeds
Only use first gear when setting off. In second
and higher gears, accelerate without hesitation
or pauses. When accelerating, shift up before
reaching high engine speeds.
When you reach the desired speed, shift into
the highest applicable gear and drive with the
engine speed as low as possible and at a con-
stant speed.
As a rule: driving at low engine speeds lowers
fuel consumption and reduces wear.
Coasting
When approaching a red light, take your foot off
the accelerator and coast to a stop in the high-
est applicable gear.
O n a d o w n h il l s lo p e , t a k e y o u r f o o t o f f t h e a c c el -
erator and coast in a suitable gear.
The fuel supply is interrupted when coasting.
Switch off the engine during lengthy
stops
Switch off the engine when stopping for lengthy
periods, e.g. at traffic lights, railroad crossings
or in traffic congestions. You achieve fuel sav-
ings even if standing time is as short as approx.
4 seconds.
Switch off functions you do not need at
the moment
Functions such as the air conditioner, seat
heating or rear window defroster draw large
amounts of power and consume additional fuel.
Especially in city traffic and in stop-and-go driv-
ing they have a considerable impact. Therefore,
switch these functions off when they are not
really needed.
Have the vehicle serviced
Have the vehicle serviced regularly to achieve
good economy and a long vehicle life. BMW
recommends having the vehicle serviced at a
BMW center. Also note the BMW service sys-
tem, refer to page203.
General driving notes
Close the trunk lid
Operate the vehicle only when the trunk
lid is closed. Otherwise, exhaust fumes
could enter the interior of the vehicle.<
If the vehicle must be driven with the trunk 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
page93.
Hot exhaust system
In all vehicles, extremely high tempera-
tures are generated in the exhaust sys-
tem. Do not remove the heat shields installed in
its vicinity, and never apply undercoating to
them. When driving, standing at idle and while
parking, take care to avoid possible contact
between the hot exhaust system and any highly
flammable materials such as hay, leaves, grass,
etc. Such contact could lead to a fire, with the
risk of serious personal injuries and property
damage. Do not touch hot exhaust tail pipes.
Otherwise, there is a risk of burns.<
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce road speed. If you do not, a wedge
of water can form between tires and road sur-
face. This situation, known as hydroplaning,
means that the tire can completely lose contact
with the road surface, so that neither the car can
be steered nor the brake be properly applied.<
The risk of hydroplaning increases with declin-
ing tread depth on the tires, refer also to Mini-
mum tread depth on page195.