2011 BMW 3 SERIES ESP

Voice activation system
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.
The concept
▷Most functions that are displayed on the
Control Display can be operated by spoken
commands via the voice activation system.
The system prompts you to make your en‐
tries.
▷Functions that can only be used when the
vehicle is stationary cannot be operated us‐
ing the voice activation system.
▷The system uses a special microphone on
the driver's side.
▷›...‹ Verbal instructions in the Owner's
Manual to use with the voice activation sys‐
tem.
Requirements
Via the Control Display, set a language that is
also supported by the voice activation system
so that the spoken commands can be identified.
Set the language, refer to page 84.
Using voice activation
Activating the voice activation system
1. Press the button on the steering
wheel.
2.Wait for the signal.
3.Say the command.
The command is displayed in the instrument
cluster.
This symbol in the instrument cluster indi‐
cates that the voice activation system is active.
If no other commands are available, operate the
function in this case via iDrive.
Terminating the voice activation
system
Briefly press the button on the steering
wheel or ›Cancel‹.
Possible commands
Most menu items on the Control Display can be
voiced as commands.
The available commands depend on which
menu is currently displayed on the Control Dis‐
play.
There are short commands for functions of the
main menu.
Some list entries, e.g. Phone book entries, can
also be selected via the voice activation system.
Speak these list entries exactly as they are dis‐
played in the respective list.
Having possible commands read aloud
You can have the available commands read out
loud for you: ›Voice commands‹
For example, if the "Settings" menu is displayed,
the commands for the settings are read out loud.
Executing functions using short
commands
Functions on the main menu can be performed
directly by means of short commands, nearly ir‐
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respective of which menu item is currently se‐
lected, e.g., ›Vehicle status‹.
List of short commands of the voice activation
system, refer to page 306.
Help dialog for the voice activation
system
Calling up help dialog: ›Help‹
Additional commands for the help dialog:
▷›Help with examples‹: information about the
current operating options and the most im‐
portant commands for them are announced.
▷›Help with voice activation‹: information
about the principle of operation for the voice
activation system is announced.
Example: playing back a CD
1.Switch on the Entertainment sound output
if necessary.
2. Press the button on the steering
wheel.
3.›C D and multimedia‹
The medium last played is played back.
4. Press the button on the steering
wheel.
5.›C D track ...‹ e.g., CD track 4.
Setting the voice dialog
You can set whether the system should use the
standard dialog or a shorter version.
In the shorter variant of the voice dialog, the an‐
nouncements from the system are issued in an
abbreviated form.
On the Control Display:
1."Settings"
2."Language/Units"
3."Speech mode:"
4.Select the setting.
Adjusting the volume
Turn the volume button while giving an instruc‐
tion until the desired volume is set.
▷The volume remains constant even if the
volume of other audio sources is changed.
▷The volume is stored for the remote control
currently in use.
Notes on Emergency
Requests
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 tel‐
ephone connection.
Instead, use the SOS button, refer to
page 290, in the vicinity of the interior mirror.
Environmental conditions
▷Say the commands, numbers, and letters
smoothly and with normal volume, empha‐
sis, and speed.
▷Always say commands in the language of
the voice activation system.
▷When selecting a radio station, use the com‐
mon pronunciation of the station name:
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Take the used battery to a recycling cen‐
ter or to your service center.
New remote controls
You can obtain new remote controls from your
service center.
Loss of the remote controls
Lost remote controls can be blocked by your
service center.
Emergency detection of remote control
It is possible to switch on the ignition or start the
engine in situations such as the following:
▷Interference of radio transmission to remote
control by external sources.
▷Discharged battery in the remote control.
▷Interference of radio transmission by mobile
devices in close proximity to the remote
control.
▷Interference of radio transmission by
charger while charging items such as mobile
devices in the vehicle.
A Check Control message is displayed if an at‐
tempt is made to switch on the ignition or start
the engine.
Starting the engine in case of
emergency detection of remote control
Automatic transmission: if a corresponding
Check Control message appears, hold the re‐
mote control, as shown, against the marked area
on the steering column and press the Start/Stop
button within 10 seconds while pressing the
brake.
Manual transmission: if a corresponding Check
Control message appears, hold the remote con‐
trol, as shown, against the marked area on the
steering column and press the Start/Stop button
within 10 seconds while pressing the clutch.
Personal Profile
The concept
Personal Profile concept
You can set several of your vehicle's functions
to suit your personal needs and preferences.
▷The settings are automatically saved in the
profile currently activated.
▷When the vehicle is unlocked, the profile that
was last detected and called up with the re‐
mote control is used.
▷Your personal settings will be recognized
and called up again even if the vehicle has
been used in the meantime by someone else
with another remote control.
The individual settings are stored for three Per‐
sonal Profiles and one guest profile.
Transmitting the settings
Your personal settings can be taken with you to
another vehicle equipped with the Personal Pro‐
file function. For more information, contact your
service center.
Transmission takes place via:
▷The USB interface in the glove compart‐
ment or the center console on a USB me‐
dium.
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▷The next unlocking and locking cycle is not
possible until after approx. 2 seconds.
▷The engine can only be started if the remote
control is inside the vehicle.
Comparison with ordinary remote
control
The functions can be controlled by pressing the
buttons of the remote control or Comfort Ac‐
cess.
Unlocking
Grasp the door handle on the driver's or front
passenger door completely, arrow 1. This cor‐
responds to pressing the button.
Locking
Press the area on the door handle, arrow 2, with
your finger for approx. 1 second.
This corresponds to pressing the button.
To save battery power, ensure that the ignition
and all electronic systems and/or power con‐
sumers are switched off before locking the ve‐
hicle.
Convenient closing
Press the area on the door handle, arrow 2, with
the finger and hold it down.
In addition to locking, the windows and the glass
sunroof are closed.
Monitor the closing process
Monitor the closing process to ensure that
no one becomes trapped.◀
Unlocking the trunk lid separately
Press the button on the exterior of the trunk lid.
This corresponds to pressing the button.
Do not place the remote control in the
cargo area
Take the remote control with you and do not
leave it in the cargo area; otherwise, the remote
control is locked inside the vehicle when the
trunk lid is closed.◀
Open trunk lid with no-touch activation
With Comfort Access, the trunk lid can be
opened with no-touch activation using the re‐
mote control you are carrying.
A sensor detects a directed foot motion in the
center of the area at the rear of the car and the
trunk lid opens.
During opening, the trunk lid pivots back and up.
Ensure that adequate clearance is available be‐
fore opening.
Do not touch vehicle
With the foot motion, make sure there is
steady stance and do not touch the vehicle; oth‐
erwise, there is a danger of injury, e. g. from hot
exhaust system parts.◀
1.Position in the center behind the vehicle.
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2.Move foot in the direction of travel under‐
neath the bumper and immediately back.
The trunk lid opens, regardless of whether it was
previously locked or unlocked.
Malfunction
Comfort Access may not function properly if it
experiences interference from external sources
such as mobile phones, metal objects, overhead
power lines, transmission towers, etc.
In this case, open or close the vehicle using the
buttons on the remote control or use the
integrated key in the door lock.
If there is a malfunction, open the trunk lid with
the remote control button or with the button on
the trunk lid.
Alarm system
The concept
The vehicle alarm system responds to:
▷Opening of a door, the hood or the trunk lid.
▷Movements in the vehicle.
▷Changes in the vehicle tilt, e.g., during at‐
tempts to steal a wheel or when towing the
car.
▷Interruptions in battery voltage.
The alarm system briefly indicates tampering:
▷By sounding an acoustic alarm.
▷By switching on the hazard warning system.
▷By flashing the daytime running lights.
Arming and disarming the alarm
system
General information
When you lock or unlock the vehicle, either with
the remote control or at the door lock, the alarm
system is armed or disarmed at the same time.
Door lock and armed alarm system
The alarm system is triggered when the door is
opened, if the vehicle is unlocked via the door
lock.
In order to terminate this alarm, unlock vehicle
with the remote control or switch on the ignition,
if necessary, by emergency detection of the re‐
mote control.
Trunk lid and armed alarm system
The trunk lid can be opened using the remote
control, even if the alarm system is armed.
Press the button on the remote control
for approx. 1 second.
After the trunk lid is closed, it is locked and
monitored again by the alarm system. The haz‐
ard warning system flashes once.
In some vehicle equipment variants, the trunk lid
can only be opened using the remote control if
the vehicle was unlocked first.
Panic mode
Press the button on the remote control
for at least 3 seconds.
Switching off the alarm
▷Unlock the vehicle using the remote control.
▷With Comfort Access: if you are carrying the
remote control with you, pull on the door
handle.
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Indicator lamp on the interior rearview
mirror
▷The indicator lamp flashes briefly every
2 seconds:
The system is armed.
▷The indicator lamp flashes after locking:
The doors, hood or trunk lid is not closed
properly, but the rest of the vehicle is se‐
cured.
After 10 seconds, the indicator lamp flashes
continuously. Interior motion sensor and tilt
alarm sensor are not active.
▷The indicator lamp goes out after unlocking:
The vehicle has not been tampered with.
▷The indicator lamp flashes after unlocking
until the engine is started, but no longer than
approx. 5 minutes:
An alarm has been triggered.
Tilt alarm sensor
The tilt of the vehicle is monitored.
The alarm system responds in situations such
as attempts to steal a wheel or when the car is
towed.
Interior motion sensor
The windows and glass sunroof must be closed
for the system to function properly.
Avoiding unintentional alarms
The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion sensor
can be switched off together, such as in the fol‐
lowing situations:
▷In automatic car washes.
▷In duplex garages.
▷During transport on car-carrying trains, at
sea or on a trailer.
▷When animals are to remain in the vehicle.
Switching off the tilt alarm sensor and
interior motion sensor
Press the remote control button again
within 10 seconds as soon as the vehicle
is locked.
The indicator lamp lights up for approx. 2 sec‐
onds and then continues to flash.
The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion sensor
are switched off until the vehicle is locked again.
Power windows
General information
Take the remote control with you
Take the remote control with you when
leaving the vehicle so that children, for example,
cannot operate the power windows and injure
themselves.◀
Opening
▷ Press the switch to the resistance
point.
The window opens while the switch is held.
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middle of the opening in the roof, or from the
tilted position during closing.
The glass sunroof opens again slightly.
Danger of pinching even with pinch pro‐
tection
Despite the pinch protection system, check that
the roof's closing path is clear; otherwise, the
closing action may not be interrupted in certain
extreme situations, such as when thin objects
are present.◀
Closing without the pinch protection
system
For example, if there is an external danger, pro‐
ceed as follows:
1.Press the switch forward beyond the resist‐
ance point and hold.
Pinch protection is limited and the roof re‐
opens slightly if the closing force exceeds a
certain value.
2.Press the switch forward again beyond the
resistance point and hold until the roof
closes without pinch protection.
Initializing after a power failure
After a power failure during the opening or clos‐
ing process, the roof can only be operated to a
limited extent.
Initializing the system
The system can be initialized when the vehicle
is stationary and the engine is running.
During the initialization, the roof closes without
pinch protection.
Danger of pinching
Monitor the closing process and make
sure that the closing path of the glass sunroof is
clear; otherwise, injuries may result.◀
Press the switch up and hold it
until the initialization is complete:
▷Initialization begins within
15 seconds and is completed
when the sunroof is com‐
pletely closed.
▷The roof closes without pinch protection.
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Adjusting
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.
Sitting safely
The ideal seating position can make a vital con‐
tribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving.
The seating position plays an important role in
an accident in combination with:
▷Safety belts, refer to page 48.
▷Head restraints, refer to page 49.
▷Airbags, refer to page 91.
Seats
General information
Do not adjust the seat while driving
Do not adjust the driver's seat while driv‐
ing, or the seat could respond with unexpected
movement and the ensuing loss of vehicle con‐
trol could lead to an accident.◀
Do not incline the backrest too far to the
rear
Also on the front passenger side, do not incline
the backrest on the front passenger side too far
to the rear during driving, or there is a risk of
slipping under the safety belt in the event of an
accident. This would eliminate the protection
normally provided by the belt.◀
Manually adjustable seats
At a glance
1Forward/backward
2Thigh support
3Seat tilt
4Backrest width
5Lumbar support
6Height
7Backrest tilt
Forward/backward
Pull the lever and slide the seat in the desired
direction.
After releasing the lever, move the seat forward
or back slightly to make sure it engages prop‐
erly.
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