2011 BMW 3 SERIES Owners Manual

Switching the high beams on and off
manually
▷High beams on, arrow 1.
▷High beams off/headlamp flasher, arrow 2.
The High-beam Assistant can be switched off
when manually adjusting the light. To reactivate
the High-beam Assistant, press the button on
the turn signal lever.
System limits
Personal responsibility
The high-beam assistant cannot serve as
a substitute for the driver's personal judgment
of when to use the high beams. Therefore, man‐
ually 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 freeways.
▷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.
Camera
The camera is located near the base of the mir‐
ror.
Keep windshield clean and clear in the area in
front of the interior rear view mirror.
Fog lamps
Front fog lamps
The parking lamps or low beams must be
switched on.
Press the button. The green indicator
lamp lights up.
If the automatic headlamp control, refer to
page 87, is activated, the low beams will come
on automatically when you switch on the front
fog lamps.
Instrument lighting
Adjusting
The parking lamps or low beams
must be switched on to adjust the
brightness.
Adjust the brightness using the
thumbwheel.
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Interior lamps
General information
The interior lamps, footwell lamps, entry lamps
and courtesy lamps are controlled automati‐
cally.
The brightness of some of these lamps is influ‐
enced by the thumbwheel for the instrument
lighting.
1Interior lamps
2Reading lamp
Switching the interior lamps on and off
Press the button.
To switch off permanently: press the button for
approx. 3 seconds.
Switch back on: press button.
Reading lamps
Press the button.
Reading lamps are located at the front and rear
next to the interior lamps.
With the interior lamps shut off, the reading
lamps cannot be switched on.
Ambient light
Depending on the equipment, the lighting can
be individually adjusted in the interior for some
lights.
Selecting color scheme
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
3."Ambient:"
4.Select the desired setting.
If the color scheme of the line is selected and the
welcome lamps are activated, the welcome
lamps are displayed in color when unlocking the
vehicle.
Setting the brightness
The brightness of the ambient light can be ad‐
justed via the thumbwheel for the instrument
lighting but also independently of it.
1."Settings"
2."Lighting"
3."Brightness"
4.Adjust the brightness.
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Safety
Vehicle equipment
All standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equipment
is also described that is not available in a vehicle,
e. g., because of the selected optional equip‐
ment or country variant. This also applies for
safety-related functions and systems.
Airbags
1Front airbag, driver
2Front airbag, front passenger
3Head airbag
4Side airbag
5Knee airbags
Front airbags
Front airbags help protect the driver and front
passenger by responding to frontal impacts in
which safety belts alone cannot provide ade‐
quate restraint.
Side airbags
In a lateral impact, the side airbag supports the
side of the body in the chest and lap area.
Head airbags
In a lateral impact, the head airbag supports the
head.
Knee airbag
The knee airbag supports the legs in a frontal
impact.
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Protective action
Airbags are not triggered in every impact situa‐
tion, e.g., in less severe accidents or rear-end
collisions.
Information on how to ensure the optimal
protective effect of the airbags
▷Keep at a distance from the airbags.
▷Always grasp the steering wheel on the
steering wheel rim, holding your hands at
the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, to keep
the danger of injury to your hands or arms as
low as possible if the airbag is triggered.
▷There should be no people, animals, or ob‐
jects between an airbag and a person.
▷Do not use the cover of the front airbag on
the front passenger side as a storage area.
▷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 instru‐
ments and mobile phones.
▷Make sure that the front passenger is sitting
correctly, i.e., keeps his or her feet and legs
in the footwell; otherwise, leg injuries can
occur if the front airbag is triggered.
▷Do not place slip covers, seat cushions or
other objects on the front passenger seat
that are not approved specifically for seats
with integrated side airbags.
▷Do not hang pieces of clothing, such as jack‐
ets, over the backrests.
▷Make sure that occupants keep their heads
away from the side airbag and do not rest
against the head airbag; otherwise, injuries
can occur if the airbags are triggered.
▷Do not remove the airbag restraint system.
▷Do not remove the steering wheel.
▷Do not apply adhesive materials to the air‐
bag cover panels, cover them or modify
them in any way.
▷Never modify either the individual compo‐
nents or the wiring in the airbag system. This
also applies to steering wheel covers, the
dashboard, the seats, the roof pillars and the
sides of the headliner.◀
Even when all instructions are followed closely,
injury from contact with the airbags cannot be
ruled out in certain situations.
The ignition and inflation noise may lead to
short-term and, in most cases, temporary hear‐
ing impairment in sensitive individuals.
In the case of a malfunction, deactivation
and after triggering of the airbags
Do not touch the individual components imme‐
diately after the system has been triggered; oth‐
erwise, there is the danger of burns.
Only have the airbags checked, repaired or dis‐
mantled and the airbag generator scrapped by
your service center or a workshop that has the
necessary authorization for handling explosives.
Non-professional attempts to service the sys‐
tem could lead to failure in an emergency or un‐
desired triggering of the airbag, either of which
could result in injury.◀
Warnings and information on the airbags are
also found on the sun visors.
Functional readiness of the airbag
system
When the ignition is switch on, the warn‐
ing lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up briefly and thereby indicates the op‐
erational readiness of the entire airbag system
and the belt tensioner.
Airbag system malfunctioning
▷Warning lamp does not come on when the
ignition is turned on.
▷The warning lamp lights up continuously.
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When there is a malfunction, have the air‐
bag system checked immediately
When there is a malfunction, have the airbag
system checked immediately; otherwise, there
is a risk that the system does not function as ex‐
pected in the event of an accident despite cor‐
responding severity of the accident.◀
Automatic deactivation of the front
passenger airbags
The system determines whether the front pas‐
senger seat is occupied by measuring the re‐
sistance of the human body.
The front, knee, and side airbag on the front
passenger side are activated or deactivated ac‐
cordingly.
Leave feet in the footwell
Make sure that the front passenger keeps
his or her feet in the footwell; otherwise, the front
passenger airbags may not function properly.◀
Child restraint fixing system in the front
passenger seat
Before transporting a child on the front passen‐
ger seat, see the safety notes and instructions
under Children on the front passenger seat.◀
Malfunction of the automatic
deactivation system
When transporting older children and adults, the
front passenger airbags may be deactivated in
certain sitting positions. In this case, the indica‐
tor lamp for the front passenger airbags lights
up.
In this case, change the sitting position so that
the front passenger airbags are activated and
the indicator lamp goes out.
If it is not possible to activate the airbags, have
the person sit in the rear.
To make sure that the occupied seat cushion
can be evaluated correctly
▷Do not attach covers, cushions, ball mats or
other items to the front passenger seat un‐
less they are specifically recommended by
the manufacturer of your vehicle.
▷Do not place any electronic devices on the
passenger seat if a child restraint system is
to be installed on it.
▷Do not place objects under the seat that
could press against the seat from below.
Indicator lamp for the front passenger
airbags
The indicator lamp for the front passenger air‐
bags indicates the operating state of the front
passenger airbags.
The lamp indicates whether the airbags are ac‐
tivated or deactivated.
▷The indicator lamp lights up
when a child who is properly
seated in a child restraint fix‐
ing system intended for that
purpose is detected on the
seat or the seat is empty. The
airbags on the front passen‐
ger side are not activated.
▷The indicator lamp does not light up when,
for example, a correctly seated person of
sufficient size is detected on the seat. The
airbags on the front passenger side are ac‐
tivated.
Detected child seats
The system generally detects children seated in
a child seat, especially in the child seats that
were required by NHTSA when the vehicle was
manufactured. After installing a child seat, make
sure that the indicator lamp for the front pas‐
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senger airbags lights up. This indicates that the
child seat has been detected and the front pas‐
senger airbags are not activated.
Strength of the driver's and front
passenger airbag
The strength with which the driver's and front
passenger airbags are triggered depends on the
position of the driver's and front passenger
seats.
To maintain the accuracy of this function over
the long-term, calibrate the front seats when a
corresponding message appears on the Control
Display.
Calibrating the front seats
A corresponding message appears on the Con‐
trol Display.
1.Move the respective seat forward all the
way.
2.Move the respective seat forward again. It
moves forward briefly.
3.Readjust the seat to the desired position.
The calibration procedure is completed when
the message on the Control Display disappears.
If the message continues to be displayed, repeat
the calibration.
If the message does not disappear after a repeat
calibration, have the system checked as soon as
possible.
Unobstructed area of movement
Ensure that the area of movement of the
seats is unobstructed to avoid personal injury or
damage to objects.◀
Tire Pressure Monitor TPM
The concept
The tire inflation pressure is measured in the
four mounted tires. The system notifies you if
there is a significant loss of pressure in one or
more tires.
Functional requirements
The system must have been reset when the in‐
flation pressure was correct; otherwise, reliable
signaling of a flat tire is not ensured. Always use
wheels with TPM electronics to ensure that the
system will operate properly. Reset the system
after each correction of the tire inflation pres‐
sure and after every tire or wheel change.
System limits
Sudden tire damage
Sudden serious tire damage caused by
external influences cannot be indicated in ad‐
vance.◀
The system does not operate correctly if it has
not been reset. For example, a flat tire may be
indicated despite correct tire inflation pres‐
sures.
The system is inactive and cannot indicate a flat
tire:
▷For a mounted wheel without TPM electron‐
ics.
▷When the TPM is disturbed by other sys‐
tems or devices with the same radio fre‐
quency.
Status display
The current status of the Tire Pressure Monitor
TPM can be displayed on the Control Display,
e.g., whether or not the TPM is active.
1."Vehicle Info"
2."Vehicle status"
3. "Tire Pressure Monitor - TPM"
The status is displayed.
Status display
The tire and system status is indicated by the
color of the tires.
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A change in the tire inflation pressure during
driving is taken into account.
A correction is only necessary if this is indicated
by the TPM
Wheels, green
The tire inflation pressure is equal to the target
state.
One wheel is yellow
A flat tire or major drop in inflation pressure in
the indicated tire.
All wheels are yellow
▷A flat tire or major drop in inflation pressure
in several tires.
▷The system was not reset after a wheel
change and thus warns based on the infla‐
tion pressures initialized last.
▷A flat tire in one or more tires while the sys‐
tem is being reset.
Wheels, gray
The system cannot detect a flat tire. Reasons for
this may be:
▷TPM is being reset.
▷Disturbance by systems or devices with the
same radio frequency.
▷Malfunction.
Resetting the system
Reset the system after each correction of the
tire inflation pressure and after every tire or
wheel change.
1."Vehicle Info"
2."Vehicle status"
3. "Reset"
4.Start the engine - do not drive away.
5.Reset the tire pressure using "Reset".
6.Drive away.
The tires are shown in gray and "Resetting
TPM..." is displayed.
After driving for a few minutes, the set tire infla‐
tion pressures are applied as set values. The re‐
setting process is completed automatically dur‐
ing driving. The tires are shown in green and
"TPM active" is shown on the Control Display.
The trip can be interrupted at any time. If you
drive away again, the process resumes auto‐
matically.
If a flat tire is detected during a reset, all tires are
displayed in yellow.
Low tire pressure message
The yellow warning lamp lights up. A
Check Control message is displayed.
▷There is a flat tire or a major loss in
tire inflation pressure.
▷The system was not reset after a wheel
change and thus warns based on the infla‐
tion pressures initialized last.
1.Reduce your speed and stop cautiously.
Avoid sudden braking and steering maneu‐
vers.
2.Check whether the vehicle is fitted with reg‐
ular tires or run-flat tires.
Run-flat tires, refer to page 271, are labeled
with a circular symbol containing the letters
RSC marked on the tire sidewall.
Do not continue driving without run-flat
tires
Do not continue driving if the vehicle is not
equipped with run-flat tires; continued driving
may result in serious accidents.◀
When a low inflation pressure is indicated, DSC
Dynamic Stability Control is switched on if nec‐
essary.
Actions in the event of a flat tire
Normal tires
1.Identify the damaged tire.
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Do this by checking the air pressure in all
four tires.
If the tire inflation pressure in all four tires is
correct, the Tire Pressure Monitor may not
have been initialized. In this case, initialize
the system.
If an identification is not possible, please
contact the service center.
2.Rectify the flat tire.
Use of tire sealant, e.g., the Mobility System,
may damage the TPM wheel electronics. In
this case, have the electronics checked at
the next opportunity and have them re‐
placed if necessary.
Run-flat tires
Maximum speed
You can continue driving with a damaged tire at
speeds up to 50 mph/80 km/h.
Continued driving with a flat tire
If continuing to drive with a damaged tire:
1.Avoid sudden braking and steering maneu‐
vers.
2.Do not exceed a speed of 50 mph/80 km/h.
3.Check the air pressure in all four tires at the
next opportunity.
If the tire inflation pressure in all four tires is
correct, the Tire Pressure Monitor may not
have been initialized. In this case, initialize
the system.
Possible driving distance with complete loss of
tire inflation pressure:
The possible driving distance after a loss of tire
inflation pressure depends on the cargo load
and the driving style and conditions.
For a vehicle containing an average load, the
possible driving distance is approx. 50 miles/
80 km.
When the vehicle is driven with a damaged tire,
its handling characteristics change, e.g., re‐
duced lane stability during braking, a longer
braking distance, and altered self-steering
properties. Adjust your driving style accord‐
ingly. Avoid abrupt steering maneuvers or driv‐
ing over obstacles, e.g., curbs, potholes, etc.
Because the possible driving distance depends
on how the vehicle is used during the trip, the
actual distance may be smaller or greater de‐
pending on the driving speed, road conditions,
external temperature, cargo load, etc.
Continued driving with a flat tire
Drive moderately and do not exceed a
speed of 50 mph/80 km/h.
A loss of tire inflation pressure results in a
change in the handling characteristics, e.g., re‐
duced lane stability during braking, a longer
braking distance and altered self-steering prop‐
erties.◀
Final tire failure
Vibrations or loud noises while driving can
indicate the final failure of the tire. Reduce speed
and stop; otherwise, pieces of the tire could
come loose and cause an accident. Do not con‐
tinue driving, and contact your service center.◀
Message when the system was not
reset
A Check Control message is displayed.
The system detected a wheel change but was
not reset.
Warnings regarding the current tire inflation
pressure are not reliable.
Check the tire inflation pressure and reset the
system.
Malfunction
The yellow warning lamp flashes and
then lights up continuously. A Check
Control message is displayed. No flat
tire can be detected.
Display in the following situations:
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