2012 BMW M3 length

132
ControlsPractical interior accessories
>Rubber strap on the left trim panel for
securing small objects such as a folding
umbrella
> Net for small objects on the right trim panel
of the cargo area
Convertible
Depending on your vehi cle's equipment, the
following storage spaces can be found in the
cargo area:
> Storage compartment on the left side of the
cargo area. To open turn handle by 90°
> Net for securing smaller objects, to be
attached to the mounts on the floor panel
> Rubber strap for subdividing the cargo area;
can be hooked onto th e lateral lashing eyes
> Stowage compartmen t under the floor
panel
Folding up the floor panel
Do not exceed the maximum permissible
load of 55 lbs./25 kg for the storage com-
partment under the floor panel; otherwise, dam-
age may result. <
Coupe
Press the floor panel up and secure it with the
catch.
Convertible
To lift, grab hold of the floor panel at the open-
ing at the rear of the panel.
Lashing eyes
You will find lashing eyelets in the cargo area for
securing luggage items with nets or tensioning
straps, refer to page 143.
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 6.9 ft 10 in/2.10 m. When skis of 6.9 ft
10 in/2.10 m length are loaded, the overall
capacity of the ski bag is reduced due to its
tapered design.
Loading
1.Fold down the center armrest.
2. Press the button, reach into the recess and
fold down the cover.
3. Open the Velcro fastener, spread the ski
bag between the front seats and insert the
skis or snowboards.
4. Clip the hooks of the ski bag retaining strap
into the eyelet.
Only place clean skis in the ski bag. Wrap sharp
edges to prevent damage.
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Practical interior accessories
Controls
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 comple tely 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, arrow 1.
3. Pull out the insert, arrow 2.
For more information on the various
inserts available, contact your BMW cen-
ter. <
Convertible: through-loading
opening with integrated
transport bag
The transport bag is de signed for safe, clean
transport of up to 4 pairs of standard skis or up
to 2 snowboards.
When the rear seat backrest is folded up, you
can remove the insert and use the transport bag
with the regular through-loading opening. To
transport larger objects, you can fold down the
rear seat backrest to create an expanded
through-loading opening.
With the transport bag you can stow skis with a
length of up to 6.2 ft/1.90 m. When skis of 6.2 ft/
1.90 m length are loaded, the overall capacity of
the transport bag is reduced due to its tapered
design.
Loading
1. For loading using the regular through-load-
ing opening:
Press the button down and remove the
insert from the front.
For loading with the through-loading open-
ing expanded:
Fold down the rear seat backrest, refer to
page 130.
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134
ControlsPractical interior accessories
2.Front cover: press the two recesses
together and fold the cover down until it
engages.
3. In the cargo area: press the two recesses
together and fold down the cover.
4. Undo the Velcro fastener and spread out
the transport bag between the front seats.
5. Insert the latch plate of the retaining strap
into the belt buckle under the transport bag.
6. Load the transport bag. The zipper eases
access to the stored items.
Only place clean skis in the transport bag. Wrap
sharp edges to prevent damage.
You can use the snaps to shorten the transport
bag if you do not need its full length.Securing cargo
After loading, secure th e transport bag and its
contents. Tighten the retaining strap on the
tensioning buckle for this purpose.
Secure the transport 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 transport bag, perform the steps
described for loadin g in reverse order.
Removing the front cover
You can remove the fron t cover to use the full
height of the through-loading opening. With the
cover folded down, pull the handle, see arrow,
and remove the cover to ward the front. To
replace, insert the cover at an angle from above
and let it snap it into place.
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139
Things to remember when driving
Driving tips
Check tire inflation pressure regularly
Check the tire inflation pr
essure at least twice a
month and before embarking on a long journey,
and correct it if necessary.
Low tire inflation pressure causes higher rolling
resistance and thus increases fuel consumption
and tire wear.
Set off immediately
Do not let the engine wa rm up while the car is
still standing, but set off immediately at moder-
ate engine speed. This is the fastest way for the
cold engine to reach its operating temperature.
Drive defensively
Avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking
maneuvers. To do so, keep an adequate dis-
tance between you and th e 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, accele rate without hesitation
or pauses. When accelera ting, shift up before
reaching high engine speeds.
When you reach the desi red speed, shift into
the highest applicable ge ar 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 lig ht, take your foot off
the accelerator and coast to a stop in the high-
est applicable gear.
On a downhill slope, take your foot off the accel-
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.
4seconds.
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
your BMW center. Also note the BMW service
system, refer to page 264.
General driving notes
Close the trunk lid
Only drive with the trunk closed. Failure to
do so may endanger passengers or other
road users or may damage the vehicle in the
event of an accident or a braking and evasive
maneuver. In addition, exhaust gas may flow
into the passenger compartment. <
If special circumstances make it absolutely nec-
essary to drive with the trunk open:
1. Close all windows and the glass roof.
2. Greatly increase the ai r volume of the auto-
matic climate control system, refer to
page 118.
3. Drive cautiously.
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Driving tipsThings to remember when driving
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 sect ions of the exhaust sys-
tem, and never apply un dercoating to them.
When driving, standing at idle and while park-
ing, 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 le ad 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. <
Mobile phones in the vehicle
It is not advisable to use wireless devices
such as mobile phones inside the vehicle
without a direct connection to an external aerial.
Otherwise, it is not poss ible to exclude the pos-
sibility of a reciprocal interference occurring
between the vehicle electronics and the wire-
less device. Otherwise, there is no assurance
that the radiation genera ted by the radio trans-
mission will be conveyed out of the passenger
compartment. <
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce road speed. If you do not, a wedge
of water can form betw een 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 brak e be properly applied.<
The risk of hydroplaning increases with declin-
ing tread depth on the tires, refer also to Mini-
mum tread depth on page 256.
Driving through water
Drive through water on the road only if it is
not deeper than 1 ft/30 cm, and then only
at walking speed at the most. Otherwise, the
vehicle's engine, the electrical systems and the
transmission may be damaged. <
Use the parking brake on inclines
On inclines, do not hold the vehicle for a
lengthy period using the clutch; use the
parking brake instead. Otherwise, greater
clutch wear will result. <
For more information about the drive-off assis-
tant, refer to page 100.
Braking safely
Your BMW is equipped with ABS as a standard
feature. Applying the brakes fully is the most
effective way of braking in situations in which
this is necessary. Since the vehicle maintains
steering responsiveness, you can still avoid
possible obstacles with a minimum of steering
effort.
Pulsation of the brake pedal, combined with
sounds from the hydraulic circuits, indicate that
ABS is in its active mode.
Objects in the movement range of the
pedals
Keep floor mats, carpet, and other objects
out of the movement range of the pedals;
otherwise, they may inhi bit the function of the
pedals during driving.
Do not place additional floor mats onto an exist-
ing one or onto other objects.
Only use floor mats that have been approved for
the vehicle and can be appropriately fastened.
Make sure that the floo r mats are securely fas-
tened again after they ha ve been removed, e.g.
for cleaning. <
Driving in wet conditions
When roads are wet or there is heavy rain,
briefly exert gentle pre ssure on the brake pedal
every few miles. Monitor traffic conditions to
ensure that this maneuver does not endanger
other road users. The heat generated in this
process helps dry the pads and rotors to ensure
that full braking efficiency will then be available
when you need it.
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NavigationDestination entry
>Select the symbol.
"Start guidance" or "Add as another
destination"
> "Exit interactive map":
Go back to the map view.
> "View in northern direction" or "View in
driving direction"
> "Display destination": the section of the
map around the destination is displayed.
> "Display current location":
The section of the map around the cur-
rent position is displayed.
> "Find points of interest", refer to
page 153.
Destination entry via voice
General information
For instructions on the voice activation system,
refer to page 25.
> During the destination entry by voice, you
can switch between voice entry and entry
via iDrive at any time. To do so, reactivate
the voice activation system if necessary.
> Having the possible spoken commands
read aloud: {Voice commands }
Saying the entries
>With the Professional navigation system:
City/town, street, and house number can be
entered with a single command. >
Countries, towns and cities, streets and
intersections can be said as whole words or
spelled in the system language, refer to
page 94.
Example: to enter a destination in a US state
as a complete word, the system language
must be English.
> Spell the entry if the language spoken in the
area is different from the system language.
> Say the letters smoothly, and avoid exag-
gerating the pronunciation and inserting
lengthy pauses between the letters.
> The methods of entry depend on the navi-
gation data in use and on the country and
language settings.
Entering an address in a command
1. Press the button on the steering wheel.
3. Wait for a request from the system.
4. Say the address aloud in the suggested
order.
5. Continue making the entry as prompted by
the system.
If necessary, individua lly name the separate
components of the addres s, e.g. the town/city.
Entering a town/city
The town/city name can be spoken as a com-
plete word or spelled.
With the destination entry menu displayed:
1.Press the button on the steering wheel.
3. Wait for the system to prompt you for the
town/city.
4. Say the name of the tow n/city or say at least
the first three letters.
2. {Enter address }
2. {City } or {Spell city }.
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Destination guidance
Navigation
Symbols in the map view
Depending on the scale of the map and the
location of the traffic obstruction along the
route, the symbols for th
e traffic obstructions
are displayed.
Additional information in the map view
Depending on the map scale, a traffic obstruc-
tion's length, direction and impact are displayed
on the map using triangles or gray bars along
the calculated route.
> Red: traffic congestion
> Orange: stop-and-go traffic
> Yellow: heavy traffic
> Green: clear roads
> Gray: general traffic information, e.g. con-
struction zone
The bulletins displayed depend in the respec-
tive traffic information service.
Filtering traffic bulletins
Set which traffic bulletins are displayed on the
map.
1. "Navigation"
2. "Map"
3. Open "Options".
4. "Traffic Info categories"
5. Select the desired categories.
Traffic bulletins from th e selected categories
are displayed on the map. >
Traffic bulletins that lie on the route are
always shown.
> For your personal safety, it is not possible to
hide traffic bulletins that announce a poten-
tial hazard.
Route guidance with traffic bulletins
Semi-dynamic route guidance
With traffic bulletin re ception switched on,
semi-dynamic route guidance is active.
The system takes into ac count the existing traf-
fic bulletins during route guidance. A message
is displayed as a function of the route, the traffic
bulletins, and the possible alternate routes. The
message displays the traffic bulletin and in the
event of a traffic obstruction, suggests an alter-
nate route if possible. The difference in dis-
tance and time between the original route and
the alternate route are also displayed.
Taking an alternate route:
"Detour"
With particular hazards, e.g. objects on the
roadway, a message is displayed without a pos-
sible alternate route.
It is also possible to take alternate routes can
also be taken if the tr affic reports are accessed
via the list:
1. "Navigation"
2. "Map"
3. "Traffic Info"
4. "Detour information"
5. "Detour"
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NavigationDestination guidance
Dynamic destination guidance
The route is automatically changed in the event
of traffic obstructions.
>The system does not point out traffic
obstructions along the original route.
> Traffic bulletins will continue to be dis-
played on the map.
> Depending on the type of road and the
nature and length of th e traffic obstruction,
the route can also be calculated so that you
travel through the traffic obstruction.
> Certain hazards are displayed regardless of
the setting.
To activate dynami c route guidance:
1. "Navigation"
2. Open "Options".
3. "Dynamic guidance"
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 609 333 - \251 08/11 BMW AG