2010 BMW 3 SERIES buttons

At a glance
This overview of buttons, switches and displays
is intended to familiarize you with your vehicle's
operating environment. The section will also
assist you in becoming acquainted with the
control concepts and options available for
operating the various systems.
At a glance

At a glance
11Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
8Instrument cluster12
11Ignition lock5412Buttons on the steering wheel
14Horn, entire surface
15Adjusting the steering wheel48
17Releasing the hood218
18Opening the tailgate/trunk lid30 7
Turn signals58
High beams, headlamp flasher94
High-beam assistant
*94
Roadside parking lamps
*94
Computer71
Settings and information about the
vehicle72
9
Windshield wipers59
Rain sensor
*59
Sports Wagon:
Rear window wiper60
10Switching the ignition on/off and
starting/stopping the engine54
Telephone*:
Accepting and ending a call; dial-
ing
* the selected phone number;
redialing if no phone number is
selected
Volume
Activating/deactivating voice acti-
vation system
*22
Changing the radio station
Interrupting a traffic bulletin
Selecting a music track
Scrolling through the redial list
Next entertainment source
Recirculated-air mode99
13
Steering wheel heating
*49
16
Cruise control
*61
Active cruise control
*62

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
*237
3Reading lamps96
4Glass roof/panorama glass roof
*37
5Interior lamps96
6Passenger airbag status lamp
*91
7Control Display16
8Hazard warning flashers
9Dynamic Traction Control DTC82
10Central locking system30
11Automatic climate control
12CD/DVD drive
*155
13Changing the audio and entertainment
sources
14Selecting AM or FM waveband15Changing
>Radio station147
>Track155
17Controller16
Can be turned, pressed, or moved in four
directions
18Buttons on the controller16
Selecting menus directly
19Programmable memory keys20
20Switching entertainment audio sources on/
off and adjusting volume144
21Ejecting a CD/DVD
*155 Air distribution to the
windshield98
Air distribution to the upper body
area98
Air distribution to the footwell98
Automatic air distribution and flow
rate98
Cooling function99
Automatic recirculated-air control
AUC and recirculated-air mode99
Maximum cooling98
ALL program99
Air volume98
Defrosting windows99
Rear window defroster99
Heated seats
*45
16
Park Distance Control PDC*81
Sedan:
Roller sun blind
*105
Hill Descent Control HDC
*83

iDrive
16
iDrive
iDrive integrates the functions of a large num-
ber of switches. This allows these functions to
be operated from a single central position. The
following section provides an introduction to basic menu navigation. The control of the indi-
vidual functions is described in connection with
the relevant equipment.
Controls
1Control Display
2Controller with buttons
You can use the buttons to open the menus
directly. The controller can be used to
select the menu items and create settings.
>Move in four directions, arrow3
>Turn, arrow 4
>Push, arrow 5
Operate the controller only when traffic
and road conditions allow this, to avoid
endangering the car's occupants and other
road users by being distracted.<

At a glance
17Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Buttons on the controller
Operating principle
With the ignition at radio readiness or beyond,
refer to page54, the following message is dis-
played on the Control Display:
To hide the message:
Press the controller.
The main menu is displayed.
The message is automatically hidden after
approx. 10 seconds.
Opening the main menu
Press the MENU button.
The main menu is displayed.All iDrive functions can be called up via the main
menu.
Selecting a menu item
The menu items shown in white can be
selected.
1.Turn the controller until the desired menu
item is highlighted.
2.Press the controller.
A new menu is displayed or the function is exe-
cuted.
Menu items in the Owner's Manual
In the Owner's Manual, menu items that can be
selected are set in quotation marks, e.g. "Set-
tings".
Changing between panels
After selecting a menu item, e.g. "Radio", a new
menu is displayed on a panel. The panels can
overlap.
ButtonFunction
MENU Open the main menu
RADIO Open the Radio menu
CD Open the CD/Multimedia menu
NAV Open the Navigation menu
TEL Open the Telephone menu
BACK Display the previous menu
OPTION Open the Options menu

Opening and closing
34
Avoiding unintentional alarms
The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion sensor
may be switched off at the same time. This pre-
vents unintentional alarms, e.g. in the following
situations:
>In duplex garages
>During transport on car-carrying trains,
boats/ships or on a trailer
>When animals are to remain in the vehicle
Switching off tilt alarm sensor and
interior motion sensor
Press the button on the remote control
again as soon as the vehicle is locked.
The indicator lamp lights up briefly and then
flashes continuously. The tilt alarm sensor and
the interior motion sensor are switched off until
the next time the vehicle is unlocked and subse-
quently locked again.
Comfort Access*
Comfort Access enables you to enter your vehi-
cle without needing to hold the remote control
in your hand. All you need to do is wear the
remote control close to your body, e.g. in your
jacket pocket. The vehicle detects the corre-
sponding remote control within the immediate
vicinity or in the passenger compartment.
Comfort Access supports the following func-
tions:
>Unlocking/locking the vehicle
>Unlocking the trunk lid/tailgate separately
>Engine starting
>Convenient closing
Functional requirement
>The vehicle or the trunk lid/tailgate can only
be locked when the vehicle detects that the
remote control currently in use is outside of
the vehicle.
>The vehicle cannot be locked or unlocked
again until after approx. 2 seconds.>The engine can only be started when the
vehicle detects that the remote control cur-
rently in use is inside the vehicle.
Comparison to the standard remote
control
In general, there is no difference between using
Comfort Access or pressing the buttons on the
remote control to carry out the functions men-
tioned above. You should therefore first famil-
iarize yourself with the instructions on opening
and closing starting on page26.
Special features regarding the use of Comfort
Access are described below.
If you notice a brief delay while opening or
closing windows or the glass roof/pan-
orama glass roof, the system is checking
whether a remote control is inside the vehicle.
Please repeat the opening or closing proce-
dure, if necessary.<
Unlocking
Grasp the handle on the driver's or front pas-
senger door completely, arrow 1. This corre-
sponds to pressing the button.
Locking
Touch the surface, arrow 2, with your finger for
approx. 1 second. This corresponds to pressing
the button.
To preserve the battery, please make
sure that the ignition and all electrical
consumers are switched off before locking the
vehicle.<

Controls
35Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Convenient closing
For Convenient closing, keep your finger on the
surface, arrow 2.
Unlocking the trunk lid/tailgate
separately
Press the button on the outside of the trunk lid/
tailgate. This corresponds to pressing the
button.
If the vehicle detects that a remote con-
trol has been accidentally left inside the
locked vehicle's cargo area after the trunk lid/
tailgate or rear window is closed, the lid will
reopen. The hazard warning flashers flash and
an acoustic signal
* sounds.<
Switching on radio readiness
Radio readiness is switched on by pressing the
start/stop button, refer to page54.
Do not depress the brake or the clutch;
otherwise, the engine will start.<
Starting the engine
You can start the engine or switch on the igni-
tion when a remote control is inside the vehicle.
It is not necessary to insert a remote control into
the ignition lock, refer to page54.
Switching off the engine in cars with
automatic transmission
The engine can only be switched off when the
selector lever is in position P, refer to page55.
T o s w i t c h t h e e n g i n e o f f w h e n t h e s e l e c t o r l e v e r
is in position N, the remote control must be in
the ignition lock.
Malfunction
Comfort Access may malfunction due to local
radio waves. If this happens, open or close the
vehicle via the buttons on the remote control or
using the integrated key. To start the engine
afterward, insert the remote control into the
ignition lock.
Warning lamps
The warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up when you attempt to
start the engine: the engine cannot
be started. The remote control is not inside the
vehicle or is malfunctioning.
Take the remote control with you inside the
vehicle or have it checked. If necessary, insert
another remote control into the ignition lock.
The warning lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up while the engine is
running: the remote control is no
longer inside the vehicle. After the engine is
switched off, the engine can only be restarted
within approx. 10 seconds.
The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on and a message
appears on the Control Display:
replace the battery in the remote control.
Replacing the battery
The remote control for Comfort Access con-
tains a battery that will need to be replaced from
time to time.
1.Take the integrated key out of the remote
control, refer to page26.
2.Remove the cover.
3.Insert the new battery with the plus side fac-
ing up.
4.Press the cover on to close.
Take the old battery to a battery collec-
tion point or to your BMW center.<

Controls
45Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Depending on the equipment version, it may be
possible to fold down the outer rear head
restraints as well.
Only fold the head restraints down if no
passengers will be sitting in the rear. Fold
up the head restraints before transporting pas-
sengers in the rear.<
Heated seats*
Press the button once per temperature level.
Three LEDs indicate the highest temperature.
To switch off:
Press button longer.
If you continue driving within approx. the next
15 minutes, the seat heating is automatically
activated at the previously set temperature.
The temperature is lowered or the heating is
switched off entirely to save on battery power.
The LEDs stay lit.
Seat and mirror memory*
You can store and call up two different combi-
nations of driver's seat and exterior mirror posi-
tions.
Settings for the backrest width and lumbar sup-
port are not stored in memory.
Storing
1.Switch on radio readiness or the ignition,
refer to page54.
2.Adjust the seat and exterior mirrors to the
desired positions.
3.Press the button.
The LED in the button lights up.
4.Press the desired memory button 1 or 2: the
LED goes out.
The driver's seat and exterior mirror posi-
tions are stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
Call-up
Do not call up the memory while you are
driving; otherwise, unexpected seat
movement could result in an accident.<
Comfort function
1.Unlock and open the driver's door or switch
on radio readiness, refer to page54.
2.Briefly press the desired memory button1
or 2.
The adjusting procedure is halted immediately
when you touch a seat adjustment switch or
one of the memory buttons.
Safety feature
1.Close the driver's door and switch the igni-
tion on or off, refer to page54.
2.Press the desired memory button1 or2
and keep it pressed until the adjustment
process has been completed.
If the button was pressed accidentally:
Press the button again; the LED goes out.