2015 BMW M3 Drive train

On right-hand drive vehicles, some controls
are arranged differently from what is shown in
the illustrations.
Status of the Owner's
Manual
Basic information
The manufacturer of your vehicle pursues a
policy of constant development that is con‐
ceived to ensure that our vehicles continue to
embody the highest quality and safety stan‐
dards. In rare cases, therefore, the features de‐
scribed in this Owner's Manual may differ from
those in your vehicle.
Updates made after the editorial
deadline
Any updates made after the editorial deadline
for the Owner's Manuals are found in the ap‐
pendix of the printed Quick Reference for the
vehicle.
For your own safety Warranty
Your vehicle is technically configured for the
operating conditions and registration require‐
ments applying in the country of first delivery -
homologation. If your vehicle is to be operated
in a different country it might be necessary to
adapt your vehicle to potentially differing oper‐
ating conditions and permit requirements. If
your vehicle does not comply with the homolo‐
gation requirements in a certain country you
cannot lodge warranty claims for your vehicle
there. Further information can be obtained
from your Service Centre.
Maintenance and repairs Advanced technology, e.g., the use of modern
materials and high-performance electronics,
requires suitable maintenance and repair work.Therefore, have this work performed only by a
BMW center or a workshop that works accord‐
ing to BMW repair procedures with appropri‐
ately trained personnel.
If work is not carried out properly, there is a
danger of subsequent damage and related
safety hazards.
Parts and accessories
BMW recommends using parts and accesso‐
ries approved by BMW for this purpose.
Your BMW center is the right contact for genu‐
ine BMW parts and accessories, other prod‐
ucts approved by BMW and related qualified
advice.
BMW has tested these products for safety and
suitability in relation to BMW vehicles.
BMW can assume responsibility for them.
However, we cannot assume any responsibility
whatsoever for parts and accessories that have
not been specifically approved by BMW.
BMW cannot evaluate whether each individual
product from another manufacturer can be
used with BMW vehicles without presenting a
safety hazard. This guarantee does not apply
when country-specific government approval
has been granted. Testing of this kind may fail
to embrace the entire range of potential oper‐
ating conditions to which components might
be exposed on BMW vehicles. Such products
could conceivably fail to comply with BMW's
own stringent quality standards.
California Proposition 65 Warning California laws require us to state the following
warning:
Engine exhaust and a wide variety of automo‐
bile components and parts, including compo‐
nents found in the interior furnishings in a vehi‐
cle, contain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and birth
defects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and certain
products of component wear contain or emitSeite 7Notes7
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AdjustingVehicle features and options
This chapter describes all standard, country-
specific and optional features offered with the
series. It also describes features that are not
necessarily available in your car, e. g., due to
the selected options or country versions. This
also applies to safety-related functions and
systems. The respectively applicable country
provisions must be observed when using the
respective features and systems.
Sitting safely The ideal seating position can make a vital
contribution to relaxed, fatigue-free driving.
The seating position plays an important role in
an accident in combination with:▷Safety belts, refer to page 53.▷Head restraints, refer to page 54.▷Airbags, refer to page 98.
Seats
Hints 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
control could lead to an accident.◀
Do not incline the backrest too far to the
rear
Do not incline the backrest too far to the rear
while driving, or there is a risk of slipping under
the safety belt in the event of an accident. This
would eliminate the protection normally pro‐
vided by the belt.◀
Keep the movement area unobstructed
When changing the seat position, keep
the seat's area of movement unobstructed;
otherwise, people might get injured or objects
damaged.◀
Manually adjustable seats
At a glance1Forward/backward2Seat tilt3Backrest width4Lumbar support5Height6Backrest tilt
Forward/backward
Pull the lever and slide the seat in the desired
direction.
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Buckling the belt
Make sure you hear the latch plate engage in
the belt buckle.
Unbuckling the belt
1.Hold the belt firmly.2.Press the red button in the belt buckle.3.Guide the belt back into its roll-up mecha‐
nism.
Safety belt reminder for driver's and
passenger's seat
The indicator lamp lights up and a sig‐
nal sounds. Make sure that the safety
belts are positioned correctly. The
safety belt reminder is active at speeds above
approx. 6 mph/10 km/h. It can also be activated
if objects are placed on the front passenger
seat.
Damage to safety belts Wear and tear after accidents or when dam‐
aged otherwise:
Have the safety belts, including the safety belt
tensioners, replaced and have the belt anchors
checked.
Check and replace safety belts
This should only be done by your service
center; otherwise, this safety feature might not
work properly.◀
Headrests
Removing The head restraints cannot be removed.
Seat and mirror memory Hints Do not retrieve the memory while driving
Do not retrieve the memory setting while
driving, as an unexpected movement of the
seat could result in an accident.◀
Keep the movement area unobstructed
When changing the seat position, keep
the seat's area of movement unobstructed;
otherwise, people might get injured or objects
damaged.◀
The concept
Two driver's seat and exterior mirror positions
can be stored per profile, refer to page 35, and
called up. Settings for the backrest width and
lumbar support are not stored in memory.
At a glance
Storing
1.Switch on the ignition.2.Set the desired position.Seite 54ControlsAdjusting54
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1Direction of travel2Upper retaining strap3Head restraint4Rear window shelf5Mounting point/eye6Hook for upper retaining strap
Attaching the upper retaining strap to
the mounting point
1.Lift the cover over the mounting point.2.Guide the upper retaining strap over the
head restraint.3.Attach the hook of the retaining strap to
the mounting eye.4.Tighten the retaining strap by pulling it
down.
Locking the doors and
windows
Rear doors
Push the locking lever on the rear doors down.
The door can now be opened from the outside
only.
Safety switch for the rear Press button on the driver's door if
children are being transported in the
rear.
This locks various functions so that they can‐
not be operated from the rear: safety switch,
refer to page 47.Seite 61Transporting children safelyControls61
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▷High beams off/headlight 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
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.▷When 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.
Instrument lighting
Adjusting The parking lights or low beams
must be switched on to adjust
the brightness.
Adjust the brightness with the
thumbwheel.
Interior lights
General information
The interior lights, footwell lights, access lights
and courtesy lights are controlled automati‐
cally.
Thumb wheel for the instrument lighting con‐ trols brightness of some of these features.
Overview1Interior lights2Reading lamp
Switching the interior lights on and off Press button.
To reel off permanently: press the button for
approx. 3 seconds.
Switch back on: press button.
Reading lights Press button.
Reading lights are located at the front and rear
next to the interior lights.
Ambient light Depending on your optional features lighting
can be adjusted for some lights in the interior.
Seite 96ControlsLights96
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SafetyVehicle features and options
This chapter describes all standard, country-
specific and optional features offered with the
series. It also describes features that are not
necessarily available in your car, e. g., due tothe selected options or country versions. This
also applies to safety-related functions and
systems. The respectively applicable country
provisions must be observed when using the
respective features 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 would not provide ad‐
equate 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.Seite 98ControlsSafety98
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Brake force display
The concept▷During normal brake application, the outer
brake lights light up.▷During heavy brake application, the inner
brake lights light up in addition.
Attentiveness assistant
The concept The system can detect increasing lack of alert‐
ness or fatigue of the driver during long, mo‐
notonous journeys, e.g., on highways. In this
situation, it is recommended that the driver
takes a break.
Note Personal responsibility
The system cannot act as a substitute for
the personal assessment of one's physical
state and may not detect an increasing lack of
alertness or fatigue or may not detect it cor‐
rectly. Therefore, make sure that the driver is
rested and alert; otherwise, risks may be de‐
tected too late and an accident be caused as a
result.◀
Function
The system is activated each time the engine
is started and cannot be switched off.
After travel has begun, the system is trained
about the driver, so that increasing lack of
alertness or fatigue can be detected.
This procedure takes the following criteria into
account:▷Personal driving style, e.g., steering behav‐
ior.▷Driving conditions, e.g., length of trip.
Starting at approximately 43 mph/70 km/h, the
system is active and can display a recommen‐
dation to take a break.
Break recommendation
If the driver becomes increasingly less alert or
fatigued, a message is displayed in the Control
Display with the recommendation to take a
break.
A recommendation to take a break is displayed
only once during an uninterrupted trip.
After a break, another recommendation to take
a break cannot be displayed until after approxi‐
mately 45 minutes.
System limits
The function may be limited in the following
situations, for instance, and will either output
an incorrect warning or no warning at all:
▷When the clock is set incorrectly.▷When the vehicle speed is mainly below
about 43 mph/70 km/h.▷With a sporty driving style, such as during
rapid acceleration or when cornering fast.▷In active driving situations, such as when
changing lanes frequently.▷When the road surface is poor.▷In the event of strong side winds.Seite 113SafetyControls113
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Drivetrain
With this vehicle, particular value was placed
on the direct connection from engine to the
drivetrain. Due to the torsionally rigid design of
the drivetrain, as is typical in a sports car, the
transmission of the torque also gives acoustic
feedback.
When there are load changes, this may result
in clicking noises. The do not cause any im‐
pairment of the operation or the service life of
the components.
Driving on racetracks
Requirements
Before driving on a racetrack:▷Participation in BMW Driver Experience
Training.▷Check engine oil fill level and replenish as
necessary.▷Have vehicle checked at a service center.
Hints
Racetrack operation leads to increased wear.
The vehicle is not designed for motorsports
competitive use. This wear is not covered by
the warranty.
The standard brake linings and the wear indi‐
cators are not designed for racetrack opera‐
tion. For more information and advice, contact
your service center.
Seite 155BMW M3 technologyDriving tips155
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