2013 BMW 3 SERIES CONVERTIBLE Control

65
Driving
Controls
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 da maged 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 auto matic operation, you can
also manually shift with the Steptronic, refer to
page 66.
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 page 62.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Displays in the instrument cluster
The selector lever position is displayed and, in
manual mode, the engaged gear, e.g. M4.
Changing selector lever positions
> With the ignition switched on or the engine
running, the selector lever can be moved
out of position P.
> Before moving the lever away from P or N
with the vehicle stationary, first depress the
brake; otherwise, th e selector lever will
refuse to move: shiftlock.
To prevent the vehicle from creeping
after you select a driving position,
depress the brake until you are ready to
start. <

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66
ControlsDriving
A lock prevents you from inadvertently engag-
ing selector lever positions R and P. To cancel
the lock, press the butto n on the front of the
selector lever, see arrow.
P Park
Select this only when th e vehicle is stationary.
The rear wheels are locked.
R Reverse
Select this only when th e vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral
You can select this in a car wash, for example.
The vehicle can roll.
D Drive, automatic position
Position for normal vehicle operation. All
forward gears are selected automatically.
Under normal operating conditions, fuel
consumption is lowest when you are driving in
position D.
Kickdown
Kickdown enables you to achieve maximum
performance.
Press the accelerator pedal beyond the full-
throttle resistance point.
Sport program and manual mode
M/S
Move selector lever from position D toward the
left into the M/S shifting slot; the Sport program
is activated. This positi on is recommended for a
performance-oriented driving style.
DS is displayed in the instrument cluster.
To deactivate the spor t program or manual
mode M/S, move the selector lever to the right
into position D.
Shifting gears via the selector lever
Move selector lever from position D toward the
left into the M/S shifting slot:
When you press the selector lever forwards or
backwards, the manual mode is activated and
Steptronic changes gear.
The engaged gear, e.g. M1 is displayed in the
instrument cluster.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only
when they will result in a plausible combination
of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example,
a downshift that would cause the engine to
overrev will not be executed by the system.
The gear selected is br iefly displayed in the
instrument cluster, followed again by the gear
actually in use.
Changing gears using shifting paddles
on steering wheel
The shift paddles allow you to shift gears
quickly since both hands can remain on the
steering wheel.

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67
Driving
Controls
>
When you use the shift paddles on the
steering wheel to shift gears in automatic
mode, the transmission switches to manual
mode.
> If you do not accelerate or shift gears using
the shift paddles for a certain amount of
time, the transmission switches back to
automatic mode.
If the selector lever is in the M/S gear
plane, manual mode remains active. <
> To upshift, briefly pull the right shift
paddle +.
> To downshift, briefly pull the left shift
paddle –.
Upshifts and downshifts are executed only
when they will result in a plausible combination
of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for example,
a downshift that would cause the engine to
overrev will not be executed by the system.
The gear selected is br iefly displayed in the
instrument cluster, follo wed again by the gear
actually in use.
Overriding selector lever lock
If the selector lever will not move out of
position P even though th e ignition is switched
on, the brake is depressed, and the button on
the selector lever is pre ssed, the selector lever
lock can be overridden:
1. Switch off ignition.
2. Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
3. Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever
until the sleeve is inside out. 4.
Using the screwdriver from the onboard
vehicle tool kit, refer to page 266, press the
red lever and with the button pressed,
simultaneously move the selector lever to
the desired position.
7-gear Sport automatic
transmission with double
clutch
The concept
The 7-gear Sport automatic transmission with
double clutch is an automated manual trans-
mission with two clutches and secondary gear
sets in which the clut ching and shifting is
handled by an electr ohydraulic system.
With the 7-gear Sport automatic transmission
with double clutch, the gears are shifted without
an interruption in driving power.
You operate the 7-gear Sport automatic trans-
mission with double clutch using the selector
lever and two shift paddles on the steering
wheel.
It offers you the following functions:
> Either manual or au tomatic mode: sequen-
tial mode or drive mode
> Automatic downshifting and protection
against incorrect gear selection, even in
sequential mode
> Acceleration assistan t, Launch Control,
refer to page 71
> Automatic intermediate throttle application

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68
ControlsDriving
System limitations
The 7-gear Sport automa tic transmission with
double clutch has an overheating protection
that protects the clutch from extreme loads.
The indicator lamp lights up in yellow if
the transmission becomes too warm.
Avoid high engine loads and frequent
accelerations from zero. If the transmission is
overheated, the indicator lamp lights up in red
and the power flow to the motor is interrupted. It
is only possible to continue driving once the
transmission has cooled down.
Avoid frequent powerful accelerations from
zero and do not hold the vehicle on inclines by
pressing lightly on the accelerator while letting
the clutch slip, as this may cause the transmis-
sion to overheat.
Selector lever positions
P R N D M/S + –
Displays in the instrument cluster
The selector lever posi tion and the engaged
gear are displayed, e.g. M4.
Engaging selector lever positions
> The selector lever can be moved out of
position P only with the engine running:
interlock.
> Before moving the lever away from P or N
with the vehicle stationary, first depress the
brake; otherwise, the desired shift will not
be executed: shiftlock.
Shifting into N, D, R
Briefly push the selector lever in the desired
direction, overcoming a resistance point if
necessary. When shifting out of P or into R,
simultaneously press the button 1.
The engaged selector le ver position is also
displayed on the selector lever.
When you release the sele ctor lever, it returns
to its center position.
Shifting into P
Press the button P.
P Park
Select this only when th e vehicle is stationary.
The rear wheels are locked.
The transmission is shifted into P if, with
the engine running, you open the driver's
door, do not have your safety belt fastened, and
subsequently actuate neither the brake pedal
nor the accelerator. Befo re leaving the vehicle,
make sure that the automatic transmission
selector lever is in the park position. Otherwise,
the vehicle may begin to move. <

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69
Driving
Controls
The transmission is shifted into P as soon
as you switch off the engine, unless the
transmission is in N and the remote control is in
the ignition lock, refer to page 263. As soon as
you remove the remote co ntrol from the ignition
lock, then the transmissi on is shifted into P.<
R Reverse
Select this only when th e vehicle is stationary.
N Neutral
You can select this in a car wash, for example.
The vehicle can roll.
After the engine is switched off, the trans-
mission remains in N if you leave the
remote control in the ignition lock. You can use
this function at a car wash, for example, refer to
page 263.<
D Drive mode
In Drive mode, all forw ard gears are shifted
automatically.
Kickdown
For sudden acceleration maneuvers such as
passing, depress the accelerator past the
resistance point. This provides maximum
acceleration.
Sport program and manual operation
M/S
Push selector lever toward the left from the
selector lever position D, the Sport program is
activated. This position is recommended for a
performance-oriented driving style. The engaged gear, e.g. S1, is displayed in the
instrument cluster.
When you press the selector lever forwards or
backwards, the manual
mode is activated and
Steptronic changes gear.
The engaged gear, e.g. M1 is displayed in the
instrument cluster.
In the following situations, the 7-gear Sport
automatic transmission with double clutch
does the thinking for you:
> Upshifts and downshifts are executed only
when they will result in a plausible combina-
tion of engine and vehicle speed; thus, for
example, a downshift that could cause the
engine to overrev will not be executed by
the system.
> At a stop, the transmission is automatically
shifted down to the first gear.
> Shortly before the spee d falls below a gear-
dependent minimum speed, the transmis-
sion automatically down shifts without your
intervention.
Quick downshifting: even in sequential mode,
you can skip over several gears in order to
achieve an optimum acceleration. To do so,
depress the accelerator past the resistance
point.
To return to automatic mode, push the selector
lever to the right.
Gear shifting
Upshift or downshift using the selector lever or
the shift paddles. You do not need to lift your
foot off the accelerator when doing so.
Using the selector lever
> To upshift, pull the selector lever toward the
rear.
> To downshift, push it toward the front.

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70
ControlsDriving
Using the shift paddl es on the steering
wheel
You can also shift manually using two shift pad-
dles on the steering wheel. The shift paddles
allow you to shift gear s quickly since both
hands can remain on the steering wheel.
> When you use the shift paddles on the
steering wheel to shift gears in automatic
mode, the transmission switches to manual
mode.
> If you do not accelerate or shift gears using
the shift paddles for a certain amount of
time, the transmission switches back to
automatic mode if the selector lever is in
position D.
> To upshift, briefly pull the right shift
paddle +.
> To downshift, briefly pull the left shift
paddle –.
Driving dynamics control
The driving dynamics control permits you, at
the push of a button, to have your BMW react in
an even more sporty fashion when driving:
> Optimal use is made of the engine's speed
range.
> Gear changes occur more quickly.
> The engine reacts mo re spontaneously to
accelerator pedal movements.
Activating the system
Press the SPORT button.
The LED in the button lights up and SPORT
appears in the info display.
Deactivating the system
> Press the SPORT button again.
> Switch off the engine.
The LED in the button goes out and SPORT
disappears from the info display.
Manually unlocking parking lock
In the event of a power supply interrup-
tion such as a discharged or discon-
nected battery or an elec trical malfunction, the
parking lock must be ma nually unlocked; other-
wise, the rear wheels are immobilized and the
vehicle cannot be towed. <
Only unlock the parking lock manually for tow-
ing and make sure to set the parking brake
forcefully beforehand so that the vehicle cannot
roll. Lock the parking lock again after the vehicle
is parked.

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71
Driving
Controls
Releasing
1.
Unclip the sleeve of the selector lever.
2. Pull the sleeve up over the selector lever
until the sleeve is inside out.
3. Using the allen wrench from the tool kit,
refer to page 266, rotate the cover until it
reaches the stop, arrow 1, and remove,
arrow 2.
4. Insert allen wrench into the opening,
arrow 1.
5. Rotate allen wrench until it reaches the
stop, arrow 2. The parking lock is unlocked.
Do not turn allen wrench in the oppo-
site direction; otherwise, you may
damage the mechanism. <6.
Remove allen wrench from the opening.
After parking the vehicle, lock the parking
lock again. Otherwise, there is a danger
that the vehicle will roll.<
Locking
1. Press the button, see arrow.
The parking lock is locked again.
2. Replace cover again.
3. Clip the selector lever sleeve back into
place.
4. Forcefully apply the parking brake.
Jump starting and towing, starting on
page 275.
Launch Control
Launch Control enables an optimum accelera-
tion when starting off on a road surface with
good traction.
Do not use Launch Control too often; oth-
erwise, the powerful stresses on the vehi-
cle will lead to premature component wear.<
Launch Control is availa ble when the engine is
at operating temperature, i.e. after driving
continuously for a pprox. 6.2 miles/10 km.
1. With the engine running, step on the brake
with your left foot.
2. Activate Dynamic Trac tion Control (DTC),
refer to page 98.
3. Activate Driving dynami cs control, refer to
page 70.
4. With the vehicle stationary, activate the
manual mode and select 1
stgear.

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72
ControlsDriving
5.With your right foot, push the accelerator
pedal past the resistance point. The engine
speed for pulling away is adjusted. A flag
symbol appears in the instrument cluster.
6. When you release the brake pedal, the vehi-
cle accelerates. Keep the accelerator pedal
floored.
7. The upshifting occurs automatically as long
as you keep the accelerator pedal pressed
past the resistance point.
Launch Control will be ready for use again after
you drive a certain distance.
Launch Control is not available for use during
the break-in phase, refer to page 136.
To maintain driving stability, keep DSC
activated whenever possible. <
Turn signals/
headlamp flasher
1High beams
2 Headlamp flasher
3 Turn signal
Using turn signals
Press the lever beyond the resistance point.
To turn off manually, press the lever to the
resistance point.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator
lamp indicates that a turn signal indicator
has failed. <
Signaling a turn briefly
Press the lever as far as the resistance point for
as long as you wish to signal a turn.
Triple turn signal activation
Press the lever as far as the resistance point.
The turn signals flash three times.
You can activate or deac tivate this function.
1. "Settings"
2. "Lighting"
3. "Triple turn signal"
The setting is stored for the remote control
currently in use.
Wiper system
Do not switch on the wipers if they immo-
bilized by ice; otherwise, damage to the
wiper blades and wiper motor may occur. <
Do not use the wipers when the window
glass is dry; otherwise, the wiper blades
may experience accelerated wear or damage. <

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