274
MobilityGiving and receiving assistance
Convertible
The warning triangle is located in a holder in the
trunk lid. Press the tabs to take it out.
Jump-starting
If the car's own battery is flat, your BMW's
engine can be started by connecting two
jumper cables to another vehicle's battery. You
can also use the same method to help start
another vehicle. Only use jumper cables with
fully-insulated clamp handles.
Do not touch any electrically live parts
when the engine is running, or a fatal acci-
dent may occur. Carefully adhere to the follow-
ing sequence, both to prevent damage to one or
both vehicles, and to guard against possible
personal injuries. <
Preparation
1.Check whether the battery of the other
vehicle has a voltage of 12 volts and
approximately the same capacitance in Ah.
This information can be found on the bat-
tery.
2. Switch off the engine of the assisting vehi-
cle.
3. Switch off any consumers in both vehicles.
There must not be any contact between
the bodies of the two vehicles; otherwise,
there is a danger of shorting. <
Connecting jumper cables
Connect the jumper cables in the correct
order, so that no sparks which could
cause injury occur. <
Your BMW has a jump-s tarting connection in
the engine compartment which acts as the bat-
tery's positive terminal, refer also to the Engine
compartment overview on page 255. The cap is
marked with +.
1. Pull the cap of the BMW jump-starting con-
nection up to remove.
2. Attach one terminal clamp of the plus/+
jumper cable to the positive terminal of the
battery or a starting-aid terminal of the vehi-
cle providing assistance.
3. Attach the second terminal clamp of the
plus/+ jumper cable to the positive terminal
of the battery or a starting-aid terminal of
the vehicle to be started.
4. Attach one terminal clamp of the minus/–
jumper cable to the negative terminal of the
battery or to an engine or body ground of
the assisting vehicle.
Your BMW has a special nut as body ground
or negative pole.
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275
Giving and receiving assistance
Mobility
5.
Attach the second terminal clamp of the
minus/– jumper cable to the negative termi-
nal of the battery or to the engine or body
ground of the vehicle to be started.
Starting the engine
1.Start the engine of the donor vehicle and
allow it to run for a few minutes at slightly
increased idle speed.
2. Start the engine on the other vehicle in the
usual way.
If the first start attempt is not successful,
wait a few minutes before another attempt
in order to allow the discharged battery to
recharge.
3. Let the engines run for a few minutes.
4. Disconnect the jumper cables by reversing
the above connecting sequence.
If necessary, have the battery checked and
recharged.
Never use spray fluids to start the
engine. <
Tow-starting, towing away
Observe the applicable laws and regula-
tions for tow-starting and towing vehi-
cles. <
Do not transport any passengers other
than the driver in a vehicle that is being
towed. <
Using a tow fitting
The screw-in tow fitting must always be carried
in the car. It can be screwed in at the front or
rear of the BMW.
Coupe: it is stored in the onboard vehicle tool kit
underneath the cover on the right-hand side of
the trunk, refer to page 266.
Convertible: it is stored in the onboard vehicle
tool kit underneath the trunk floor, refer to
page 266. Use only the tow fitting provided with the
vehicle and screw it all the way in. Use the
tow fitting for towing on paved roads only. Avoid
lateral loading of the tow fitting, e.g. do not lift
the vehicle by the tow fitting. Otherwise, the
tow fitting and the vehicle could be damaged. <
Access to screw thread
Release the cover panel in the bumper:
Press on the upper part of the cover panel.
Front
Rear
Being towed
Make sure that the ignition is switched on,
refer to page60; otherwise, the low-beam
headlamps, tail lamps, turn signal indicators and
windshield wipers may be unavailable.
Power steering assistance is not available when
the engine is not running. Thus, braking and
steering will require increased effort. Active
steering is not active and it will be necessary to
turn the steering wheel further. <
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