2016 BMW 3 SERIES SEDAN Owner's Manual

Headlight courtesy delay featureThe low beams stay lit for a short while if the
headlight flasher is switched on after the radio-
ready state is switched off.
Setting the duration
On the Control Display:1."Settings"2."Lighting"3."Pathway lighting:"4.Set length of time.
Settings are stored for the profile currently in
use.
Automatic headlight control
Position of switch
: the low beams are acti‐
vated and off automatically, e.g., in tunnels, in
twilight or if there is precipitation. The indicator
lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
When emerging from a tunnel during the day,
the low beams are not switched off immedi‐
ately but instead only after approx. 2 minutes.
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
lights are activated.
Personal responsibility
The automatic headlight control cannot
serve as a substitute for your personal judg‐
ment in determining when to turn the lights on
in response to ambient lighting conditions.
E. g. the sensors are unable to detect fog or
hazy weather. To avoid safety risks under
these conditions, you should always switch on
the lights manually.◀
Daytime running lights With the ignition switched on, the daytime run‐
ning lights light up in position
, or
. After the ignition is switched off, the park‐
ing lights light up in position
.
Activating/deactivating
In some countries, daytime running lights are
mandatory, so it may not be possible to deacti‐
vate the daytime running lights.
On the Control Display:1."Settings"2."Lighting"3."Daytime running lamps"
Settings are stored for the profile currently in
use.
Roadside parking lights
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.
Switch off Briefly press the lever to the resistance point in
the opposite direction.
Adaptive Light Control The concept
Adaptive Light Control is a variable headlight
control system that enables dynamic illumina‐
tion of the road surface.
Depending on the steering angle and other pa‐ rameters, the light from the headlight follows
the course of the road.
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In tight curves, e.g., on mountainous roads or
when turning, one of the two front fog lights is
switched on as a turning lamp. As a result the
inside of the curve is better lighted.
ActivatingPosition of switch
with the ignition
switched on.
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.
The turning lights are automatically switched
on depending on the steering angle or the use
of turn signals.
When driving in reverse, the turning lights may
be automatically switched on regardless of the
steering angle.
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 activated, this system
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 camera on the front of the interior
rearview mirror. The assistant ensures that the
high beams are activated whenever the traffic
situation allows. The driver can intervene at
any time and switch the high beams non and
off as usual.
Note Personal responsibility
The High-beam Assistant cannot serve
as a substitute for the driver's personal judg‐
ment of when to use the high beams. There‐
fore, manually reel off the high beams in situa‐
tions where required to avoid a safety risk.◀
Activating1.Depending on the equipment, turn the light
switch into position
or .
2.Press button on the turn signal lever, ar‐
row.
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.
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Switching the high beams on and off
manually▷High beams on, arrow 1.▷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.Fog lights
Front fog lights
The low beams must be switched on.
Press button. The green indicator
lamp lights up.
If the automatic headlight control, refer to
page 93, is activated, the low beams will come
on automatically when you switch on the front
fog lights.
When the high beams or headlight flasher are
activated, the front fog lights are not switched
on.
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.Seite 95LightsControls95
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Overview1Interior lights2Reading lamp
Switching the interior lights on and offPress 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.
Selecting color scheme
On the Control Display:
1."Settings"2."Lighting"3."Ambient:"4.Select desired setting.
With a color scheme selected and welcome
lights activated they illuminate in the line's
color when 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.
On the Control Display:1."Settings"2."Lighting"3."Brightness:"4.Adjust the brightness.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 97SafetyControls97
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Ejection MitigationThe head airbag system is designed as an
ejection mitigation countermeasure to reduce
the likelihood of ejections of vehicle occupants
through side windows during rollovers or side
impact events.
Knee airbag The knee airbag supports the legs in a frontal
impact.
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 risk of injury to your hands or
arms as low as possible when the airbag is
triggered.▷There should be no person, 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.▷Dashboard and windshield on the front
passenger side must stay clear - do not at‐
tach adhesive labels or coverings and do
not attach brackets or cables, e. g., for GPS
devices or' 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
might occur when front airbag is activated.▷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
might occur when airbag is activated.▷Do not remove the airbag system.▷Do not remove the steering wheel.▷Do not apply adhesive materials to the air‐
bag cover panels, do not 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 roofliner.◀
Even when you follow all instructions very
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.
Malfunction, deactivation and after de‐
ploying the airbags
Do not touch the individual components imme‐
diately after the system has been triggered;
otherwise, you may risk burns.
Only have the airbags checked, repaired or dis‐
mantled and the airbag generator scrapped by
the service center or an authorized repair shop
for handling explosives.
Non-professional attempts to service the sys‐
tem could lead to failure in an emergency or
unintentional activation of the airbag - both
may lead to injury.◀
Warnings and information on the airbags are also found on the sun visors.
Functional readiness of the airbag
system
When the ignition is reel on, the warn‐
ing lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up briefly and thereby indicates the op‐
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erational 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.
In case of a malfunction have airbag sys‐
tem checked immediately.
In case of a malfunction have airbag system
checked immediately; otherwise, there is a risk
that the system does not function as expected
in case of a severe accident.◀
Automatic deactivation of the front-
seat passenger airbags
The system reads if the front passenger seat is
occupied by measuring the human body's re‐
sistance.
Front, knee and side airbag on the front pas‐
senger's side are either activated or deacti‐
vated.
Leave feet in the footwell
Make sure that the front passenger
keeps his or her feet in the footwell; otherwise,
proper functioning of the front passenger air‐
bag might not be assured.◀
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 for children on the front passenger
seat, see Children.◀
Malfunction of the automatic
deactivation system
When transporting older children and adults,
the front-seat passenger airbags may be deac‐
tivated in certain sitting positions. In this case,
the indicator lamp for the front-seat passenger
airbags lights up.
In this case, change the sitting position so that
the front-seat 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 enable correct recognition of the occupied
seat cushion▷Do not attach covers, cushions, ball mats
or other items to the front passenger seat
unless they are specifically recommended
by your vehicle's manufacturer.▷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-seat
passenger airbags
The indicator lamp for the front-seat passen‐
ger airbags indicates the operating state of the
front-seat passenger airbags.
The lamp indicates whether the airbags are ei‐
ther activated or deactivated.
▷The indicator lamp lights up
when a child is properly
seated in a child restraint fix‐
ing system or when the seat
is empty. The airbags on the
front passenger side are not
activated.▷The indicator lamp does not light up when,
e.g., a correctly seated person of sufficientSeite 99SafetyControls99
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size is detected on the seat. The airbags
on the front passenger side are activated.
Detected child seats
The system generally detects children seated
in a child seat, particularly in child seats re‐
quired by NHTSA when the vehicle was manu‐ factured. After installing a child seat, make
sure that the indicator lamp for the front-seat
passenger airbags lights up. This indicates
that the child seat has been detected and the
front-seat passenger airbags are not activated.
Strength of the driver's and front-seat
passenger airbag
The explosive power that activates driver's/
front passenger's airbags very much depends
on the positions of the driver's/front passeng‐ er's seat.
With a respective message appearing on Con‐
trol Display calibrate the front seats to keep the accuracy of this function over the long-
term.
Calibrating the front seats
A corresponding message appears on the
Control Display.
1.Press the reel and move the respective
seat all the way forward.2.Press the reel forward again. The seat still
moves forward slightly.3.Readjust the seat to the desired position.
The calibration procedure is completed when
the message on the Control Display disap‐
pears.
If the message continues to be displayed, re‐
peat the calibration.
If the message does not disappear after a re‐
peat calibration, have the system checked as
soon as possible.
Unobstructed area of movement
Ensure that the area of movement of the
seats is unobstructed to avoid personal injury
or damage to objects.◀
Tire Pressure Monitor TPM The concept
The system monitors tire inflation pressure in
the four mounted tires. The system warns you
if there is a significant loss of pressure in one
or more tires. For this purpose, sensors in the
tire valves measure the tire inflation pressure
and tire temperature.
Hints Tire damage due to external factors
Sudden tire damage caused by external
circumstances cannot be recognized in ad‐
vance.◀
With use of the system observe further infor‐
mation found under Tire inflation pressure, re‐
fer to page 189.
Functional requirements
The system must have been reset with the
correct tire inflation pressure; otherwise, relia‐
ble signaling of tire inflation pressure loss is
not assured.
Reset the system after each adjustment of the
tire inflation pressure and after every tire or
wheel change.
Always use wheels with TPM electronics to
ensure that the system will operate properly.
Status display
The current status of the Tire Pressure Moni‐
tor TPM can be displayed on the Control Dis‐
play, e.g., whether or not the TPM is active.
On the Control Display:1."Vehicle info"Seite 100ControlsSafety100
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