2014 BMW 3 SERIES SEDAN Owner's Manual

LampsVehicle equipment
All standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equip‐
ment is also described that is not available in a
vehicle, e. g., because of the selected optional
equipment or country variant. This also applies
for safety-related functions and systems.
At a glance1Rear fog lamps2Front fog lamps3Automatic headlamp control, Adaptive
Light Control, High-beam Assistant, Wel‐
come lamps, Daytime running lights4Lamps off, daytime running lights5Parking lamps, daytime running lights6Low beams, welcome lamps, High-beam
Assistant7Instrument lighting
Parking lamps/low beams,
headlamp control
General information Switch position: 0,
,
If the driver door is opened with the ignition
switched off, the exterior lighting is automati‐
cally switched off at these switch settings.
Parking lamps
Switch position
: the vehicle lamps light
up on all sides, e.g., for parking.
Do not use the parking lamps for extended pe‐
riods; otherwise, the vehicle battery may be‐
come discharged and it would then be impos‐
sible to start the engine.
When parking, it is preferable to switch on the
one-sided roadside parking lamps, refer to
page 90.
Low beams Switch position
with the ignition switched
on: the low beams light up.
Welcome lamps When the vehicle is parked, leave the switch in
position
or : parking and interior lamps
come on briefly when the vehicle is unlocked
depending on the ambient light.
Activating/deactivating
1."Settings"2."Lighting"3."Welcome lights"
The setting is stored for the remote control
currently in use.
Headlamp courtesy delay feature
The low beams stay lit for a short while if the
headlamp flasher is switched on after the igni‐
tion is switched off.
Setting the duration
1."Settings"2."Lighting"Seite 89LampsControls89
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3."Pathway lighting:"4.Set the duration.
The setting is stored for the remote control
currently in use.
Automatic headlamp control
Switch position
: the low beams are
switched on and off automatically, e.g., in tun‐
nels, in twilight or if there is precipitation. The
indicator lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up.
A blue sky with the sun low on the horizon can
cause the lights to be switched on.
The low beams always stay on when the fog
lamps are switched on.
Personal responsibility
The automatic headlamp control cannot
serve as a substitute for your personal judg‐
ment in determining when the lamps should be
switched on in response to ambient lighting
conditions.
For example, the sensors are unable to detect
fog or hazy weather. To avoid safety risks, you
should always switch on the lamps manually
under these conditions.◀
Daytime running lights With the ignition switched on, the daytime run‐
ning lights light up in position 0,
or .
After the ignition is switched off, the parking
lamps light up in position
.
Activating/deactivating
In some countries, daytime running lights are
compulsory, so it may not be possible to deac‐
tivate the daytime running lights.
1."Settings"2."Lighting"3."Daytime running lamps"
The setting is stored for the remote control
currently in use.
Roadside parking lamps
The vehicle can be illuminated on one side.
Switching on With the ignition switched off, press the lever
either up or down past the resistance point for
approx. 2 seconds.
Switching off Briefly press the lever to the resistance point in
the opposite direction.
Adaptive Light Control The conceptAdaptive Light Control is a variable headlamp
control system that enables dynamic illumina‐
tion of the road surface.
Depending on the steering angle and other pa‐
rameters, the light from the headlamp follows
the course of the road.
In tight curves, e.g., on mountainous roads or
when turning, one of the two front fog lamps is
switched on as a cornering lamp. As a result
the inside of the curve is better lighted.
Activating Switch position
with the ignition switched
on.
The cornering lamps are automatically
switched on depending on the steering angle
or the use of turn signals.
Seite 90ControlsLamps90
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To avoid blinding oncoming traffic, the Adap‐
tive Light Control does not swivel to the driv‐
er's side when the vehicle is at a standstill.
When driving in reverse, only the cornering
lamp is active.
Malfunction
A Check Control message is displayed.
Adaptive light control is malfunctioning or has
failed. Have the system checked as soon as
possible.
High-beam Assistant The concept
When the low beams are switched on, this sys‐
tem automatically switches the high beams on
and off or suppresses the light in the areas that
blind oncoming traffic. The procedure is con‐
trolled by a sensor on the front of the interior
rearview mirror. The assistant ensures that the
high beams are switched on whenever the traf‐
fic situation allows. The driver can intervene at
any time and switch the high beams on and off as usual.
Activating
The High-beam Assistant can be activated
when the low beams are switched on.
1.Turn the light switch to or .2.Press the button on the turn signal lever,
arrow.The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up.
When the low beams are on, the lights are au‐
tomatically brightened or dimmed.
The system responds to light from oncoming
traffic and traffic driving ahead of you, and to
adequate illumination, e.g., in towns and cities.
The blue indicator lamp in the instru‐
ment cluster lights up when the system
switches on the high beams. Depend‐
ing on the version of the system in the vehicle, the high beams may not switch off for oncom‐
ing vehicles, but may only be dimmed in the
areas that blind oncoming traffic. In this case,
the blue indicator light will stay on.
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 reacti‐
vate the High-beam Assistant, press the but‐
ton 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,
manually switch off the high beams in situa‐
tions where this is required to avoid a safety
risk.◀
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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 depres‐
sions, in cross traffic or half-obscured on‐
coming traffic on freeways.▷In poorly-lit towns and cities and in the
presence of highly reflective signs.▷At low speeds.▷When the windshield behind the interior
rearview mirror is fogged over, dirty or cov‐
ered with stickers, etc.
Camera
The camera is located near the base of the
mirror.
Keep the windshield in the area behind the in‐
terior rear view mirror clean and clear.
Fog lamps
Front fog lamps The low beams must be switched on.
Press the button. The green indicator
lamp lights up.
If the automatic headlamp control, refer to
page 90, is activated, the low beams will come
on automatically when you switch on the front
fog lamps.
When the high beams or headlamp flasher are
activated, the front fog lamps are not switched
on.
Instrument lighting Adjusting The parking lamps or low beams
must be switched on to adjust
the brightness.
Adjust the brightness using the
thumbwheel.
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 lamps2Reading lampSeite 92ControlsLamps92
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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.
Ambient light
Depending on the equipment, the lighting can
be adjusted in the interior for some lights.
Selecting color scheme1."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 the color of the line
when the vehicle is unlocked.
Setting the brightness The brightness of the ambient light can be ad‐
justed via the thumbwheel for the instrument
lighting or on the Control Display.
1."Settings"2."Lighting"3."Brightness:"4.Adjust the brightness.Seite 93LampsControls93
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SafetyVehicle equipment
All standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equip‐ment is also described that is not available in a
vehicle, e. g., because of the selected optional
equipment or country variant. This also applies
for safety-related functions and systems.
Airbags
1Front airbag, driver2Front airbag, front passenger3Head airbag4Side airbag5Knee airbagsFront 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 airbagThe knee airbag supports the legs in a frontal
impact.Seite 94ControlsSafety94
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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 trig‐
gered.▷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
instruments and mobile phones.▷Make sure that the front passenger is sit‐
ting 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
jackets, 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
hearing 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;
otherwise, there is the danger of burns.
Only have the airbags checked, repaired or dis‐
mantled and the airbag generator scrapped by
the service center or a workshop that has the
necessary authorization for handling explo‐
sives.
Non-professional attempts to service the sys‐
tem could lead to failure in an emergency or
undesired 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 switched on, the
warning lamp in the instrument cluster
lights up briefly and thereby indicates
the operational 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.Seite 95SafetyControls95
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When there is a malfunction, have the
airbag 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
expected in the event of an accident despite
corresponding 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
accordingly.
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 pas‐
senger seat, refer to the safety notes and in‐
structions under Children on the front passen‐
ger seat.◀
Malfunction of the automaticdeactivation system
When transporting older children and adults,
the front passenger airbags may be deacti‐
vated in certain sitting positions. In this case,
the indicator lamp for the front passenger air‐
bags 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
unless 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.▷No moisture in or on the seat.
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
passenger side are not acti‐
vated.▷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.Seite 96ControlsSafety96
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