Owner's Manual For The Vehicle.: With A Quick Reference Guide For Your Convenience

Owners Manual for the vehicle.
With a quick reference guide

for your convenience.
Contents
A - Z
Online Edition for Part-No. 01 41 0 155 149 - 08/99 BMW AG

Z3 roadster 2.3
Z3 roadster 2.8
Z3 coupe 2.8
M roadster
M coupe

model l

Congratulations , and thank you for choos ing a BMW.
Thorough familiarity with your ve hicle will provide you with e nhance d control and
s e curity whe n you drive it. We the re fore have this re que s t:
Ple as e take the time to re ad this Owne r's Manual and familiarize yours e lf with the
information that we have compile d for you be fore s tarting off in your ne w car.
It contains important data and ins tructions inte nde d to as s is t you in gaining maxi-
mum us e and s atis faction from the unique range of te chnical fe ature s on your BMW.
The manual als o contains information on care and mainte nance de s igne d to e n-
hance ope rating s afe ty and contribute to maintaining the value of your BMW
throughout an e xte nde d s e rvice life .
This manual is s upple me nte d by a Se rvice and Warranty Information Bookle t
(US mode ls ) or a Warranty and Se rvice Guide Bookle t (Canadian mode ls ). We
re comme nd that you re ad this publication thoroughly.
Your BMW is cove re d by the following warrantie s :
Ne w Ve hicle Limite d Warranty
Limite d Warranty Rus t Pe rforation
Fe de ral Emis s ions Sys te m De fe ct Warranty
Fe de ral Emis s ions Pe rformance Warranty
California Emis s ions Control Sys te m Limite d Warranty
De taile d information about the s e warrantie s is lis te d in the Se rvice and Warranty
Information Bookle t (US mode ls ) or in the Warranty and Se rvice Guide Bookle t
(Canadian mode ls ).
We wis h you an e njoyable driving e xpe rie nce .
BMW AG

Pr ef ace

1999 BMW AG
Munich, Ge rmany
Re printing, including e xce rpts , only with the
writte n cons e nt of BMW AG, Munich.
Orde r no. 01 41 0 155 149
US Englis h IX/99
Printe d in Ge rmany
Printe d on e nvironme ntally frie ndly pape r
(ble ache d without chlorine , s uitable for re cycling).

4n

Notes on the Owner's Manual

We have made e ve ry e ffort to e ns ure
that you are able to find what you ne e d
in this Owne r's Manual as quickly as
pos s ible . The fas te s t way to find ce rtain
topics is by us ing the de taile d inde x at
the e nd. If you wis h an initial ove rvie w
of your ve hicle , this can be found in the
firs t chapte r. The de taile d lis t of con-
te nts that dire ctly follows the s ummary
of conte nts is inte nde d to s timulate
your curios ity re garding your BMW and
to e ncourage you to re ad the manual.
Should you wis h to s e ll your BMW at
s ome time in the future , ple as e re me m-
be r to pas s the Owne r's Manual on to
the ne w owne r the manual re pre s e nts
a le gally-re quire d e le me nt of the ve hi-
cle .
If you have additional que s tions , a
BMW ce nte r will be glad to advis e you.

Symbols used

The s e s e ctions contain vital infor-
mation ple as e re ad the accom-
panying te xt pas s age s care fully, both
for the your own s afe ty and to pre ve nt
damage to your BMW.

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The s e pas s age s contain informa-
tion on s pe cial and unique fe a-
ture s of your ve hicle .

<

Indicate s s pe cial information con-
ce rning re cycling.

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Indicate s the e nd of a note .

*

Indicate s s pe cial e quipme nt, coun-
try-s pe cific e quipme nt and optional
e xtras .

The individual vehicle

On buying your BMW, you have de -
cide d in favor of a mode l with individu-
alize d e quipme nt and fe ature s . This
Owne r's Manual de s cribe s all mode ls
and e quipme nt that BMW offe rs within
the s ame group.
We hope you will unde rs tand that
e quipme nt and fe ature s are include d
which you might not have chos e n for
your ve hicle . Any diffe re nce s can e as ily
be ide ntifie d, s ince all optional acce s -
s orie s and s pe cial e quipme nt are
marke d with an as te ris k

*

.
If your BMW fe ature s e quipme nt which
is not de s cribe d in this Owne r's Manual
(a car radio or te le phone , for ins tance ),
Supple me ntary Owne r's Manuals are
e nclos e d. We as k you to re ad the s e
manuals as we ll.

Not es on t he Ow ner ' s Manual
Symbol s used
The i ndi vi dual vehi cl e

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Status at time of printing

BMW purs ue s a policy of continuous ,
ongoing de ve lopme nt which is con-
ce ive d to e ns ure that our ve hicle s con-
tinue to e mbody the highe s t quality
s tandards combine d with advance d,
s tate -of-the -art te chnology. For this
re as on, it is pos s ible that the fe ature s
de s cribe d in this Owne r's Manual could
diffe r from thos e on your ve hicle . Nor
can e rrors and omis s ions be e ntire ly
rule d out. You are the re fore as ke d to
appre ciate that no le gal claims can be
e nte rtaine d on the bas is of the data,
illus trations or de s criptions in this man-
ual.

6n

For your own safety

Us e unle ade d gas oline only. Fue ls
containing up to and including
10% e thanol or othe r oxyge nate s with
up to 2.8% oxyge n by we ight (i.e . 15%
MTBE or 3% me thanol plus an e quiva-
le nt amount of co-s olve nt) will not void
the applicable warrantie s re s pe cting
de fe cts in mate rials or workmans hip.
Fie ld e xpe rie nce has indicate d s ignifi-
cant diffe re nce s in fue l quality (i.e . vola-
tility, compos ition or additive s , e tc.).
among gas oline s offe re d for s ale in the
Unite d State s and Canada. The us e of
poor-quality fue ls may re s ult in drive -
ability, s tarting and s talling proble ms
e s pe cially unde r ce rtain e nvironme ntal
conditions s uch as high ambie nt te m-
pe rature and high altitude .
Should you e ncounte r drive ability prob-
le ms that you s us pe ct could be re late d
to the fue l you are us ing, we re com-
me nd that you re s pond by s witching
to a re cognize d high-quality brand.
Failure to comply with the s e re com-
me ndations may re s ult in uns che dule d
mainte nance .
Follow the re le vant s afe ty rule s whe n
you are handling gas oline .

<

Important s afe ty information!
For your own s afe ty, us e ge nuine parts
and acce s s orie s approve d by BMW.
Whe n you purchas e acce s s orie s te s te d
and approve d by BMW and Original
BMW Parts , you s imultane ous ly acquire
the as s urance that the y have be e n thor-
oughly te s te d by BMW to e ns ure opti-
mum pe rformance whe n ins talle d on
your ve hicle .
BMW warrants the s e parts to be fre e
from de fe cts in mate rial and workman-
s hip.
BMW will not acce pt any liability for
damage re s ulting from ins tallation of
parts and acce s s orie s not approve d
by BMW.
BMW cannot te s t e ve ry product made
by othe r manufacture rs to ve rify if it can
be us e d on a BMW s afe ly and without
ris k to e ithe r the ve hicle , its ope ration,
or its occupants .
Original BMW Parts , BMW Acce s s orie s
and othe r products approve d by BMW,
toge the r with profe s s ional advice on
us ing the s e ite ms , are available from
all BMW ce nte rs .

Ins tallation and ope ration of non-BMW
approve d acce s s orie s s uch as alarms ,
radios , amplifie rs , radar de te ctors ,
whe e ls , s us pe ns ion compone nts , brake
dus t s hie lds , te le phone s (including
ope ration of any portable ce llular phone
from within the ve hicle without us ing an
e xte rnally mounte d ante nna) or trans -
ce ive r e quipme nt (s uch as C.B., walkie -
talkie , ham radio or s imilar) may caus e
e xte ns ive damage to the ve hicle , com-
promis e its s afe ty, inte rfe re with the
ve hicle 's e le ctrical s ys te m or affe ct the
validity of the BMW Limite d Warranty.
Se e your BMW ce nte r for additional in-
formation.

<

Mainte nance , re place me nt, or
re pair of the e mis s ion control
de vice s and s ys te ms may be pe rforme d
by any automotive re pair e s tablis hme nt
or individual us ing any ce rtifie d auto-
motive part.

<

Symbol on vehicle parts

Indicate s that you s hould cons ult
the re le vant s e ction of this Owne r's
Manual for information on a particular
part or as s e mbly.

7n
The following only applie s to ve hicle s owne d and ope rate d in the US.

REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS

If you be lie ve that your ve hicle has a de fe ct which could caus e a cras h or could caus e injury or de ath, you s hould
imme diate ly inform the National Highway Traffic Safe ty Adminis tration (NHTSA) in addition to notifying BMW of
North Ame rica, Inc., P.O. Box 1227, We s twood, Ne w Je rs e y 07675-1227, Te le phone (201) 307-4000.
If NHTSA re ce ive s s imilar complaints , it may ope n an inve s tigation, and if it finds that a s afe ty de fe ct e xis ts in a
group of ve hicle s , it may orde r a re call and re me dy campaign. Howe ve r, NHTSA cannot be come involve d in indi-
vidual proble ms be twe e n you, your de ale r, or BMW of North Ame rica, Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may e ithe r call the Auto Safe ty Hotline toll-fre e at 1-800-424-9393 (or 202-366-0123 in
Was hington, D.C. are a) or write to: NHTSA, U.S. De partme nt of Trans portation, Was hington, D.C. 20590. You can
als o obtain othe r information about motor ve hicle s afe ty from the Hotline .

8n

Overview
Controls and features
Operation, care
and maintenance
Owner service procedures
Technical data
Index
Advanced technology

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Contents

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Cockpit 16
Ins trume nt clus te r
Z3 roads te r, Z3 coupe 18
Ins trume nt clus te r
M roads te r, M coupe 20
Indicator and warning lamps 22
Hazard warning flas he rs 26
Warning triangle 26
Firs t-aid kit 27
Re fue ling 27
Fue l s pe cifications 28
Tire inflation pre s s ure (table ) 29

Opening and closing:

Ke ys 34
Ele ctronic ve hicle
immobilize r 35
Ce ntral locking s ys te m 36
Ope ning and clos ing from the
outs ide 36
ins ide 37
Luggage compartme nt lid 38
Ele ctric powe r windows 39
Sunroof, coupe 40
Conve rtible top 41

Adjustments:

Se ats 50
Mirrors 51

Safety systems:

Safe ty be lts 53
Airbags 55
Child re s traint s ys te ms 57

Driving:

Ste e ring/Ignition lock 59
Starting the e ngine 60
Switching off the e ngine 61
Parking brake 61
Manual trans mis s ion 62
Automatic trans mis s ion 63
Turn s ignals /High be ams 65
Wipe r/Was he r s ys te m 66
Re ar window de fros te r 67
Cruis e Control 68

Everything under control:

Odome te r 69
Tachome te r 69
Fue l gauge 69
Te mpe rature gauge 70
Se rvice Inte rval Dis play 70
Auxiliary ins trume nts ,
Digital clock, Z3 coupe 72
Analog clock, Z3 roads te r 72
Onboard compute r 73

Technology for safety and
convenience:

Automatic Stability Control
plus Traction (ASC+T)/Dynamic
Stability Control (DSC) 76

Lamps:

Parking lamps /Low be am 77
Fog lamps 78
Inte rior lamps 78
Re ading lamps 79

Controlling the climate
for pleasant driving:

He ating and ve ntilation 80
He ating and ve ntilation/
Air conditioning 84
Se at he ating 89

Cont ent s

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O
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Cabin convenience:

Glove compartme nt 90
Additional s torage are as 90
Storage boxe s 90
Be ve rage holde r 91
As htray 91
Cigare tte lighte r 92

Loading and transporting:

coupe :
Roll-up cove r 93
Se paration ne t 93
Cargo loading 94
Roof-mounte d luggage
rack 95

Special operating instructions:

Bre ak-in proce dure 98
Driving note s 99
Catalytic conve rte r 100
Antilock Brake Sys te m
(ABS) 101
Dis c brake s 103
Brake s ys te m 104
Winte r ope ration 105
Powe r s te e ring 106
Ce llular phone 107
Radio re ce ption 107
Hardtop roads te r 108

Wheels and tires:

Note s on inflation pre s s ure 110
Tire condition 110
Tire re place me nt 111
Tire rotation 113
Whe e l and tire
combinations 114
Snow chains 115
Winte r tire s 115
Approve d whe e l and tire
s pe cifications 116

In the engine compartment:

Hood 119
Engine compartme nt 120
Fluids for the was he r
s ys te ms 124
Was he r nozzle s 124
Engine oil 125
Coolant 128
Brake fluid 130
Ve hicle Ide ntification 130

Care and maintenance:

The BMW Mainte nance
Sys te m 131
Caring for your car 132
Airbags 139
Storing your ve hicle 140

Laws and regulations:

Te chnical modifications
to the ve hicle 141
OBD conne ctor 142

Contents

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Replacement procedures:

Onboard tool kit 146
Winds hie ld wipe r blade s 146
Lamps and bulbs 147
Mas te r ke y with batte ry
lamp 154
Tire change Z3 roads te r,
Z3 coupe 155
Re pairing a flat tire ,
Batte ry 166
Fus e s 169

In case of electrical
malfunction:

Powe r conve rtible top 170
Fue l fille r door 170

Assistance, giving and
receiving:

Jump-s tarting 170
Towing the ve hicle 172
Adaptive Trans mis s ion Control
(ATC) 176
Airbags 176
Automatic Stability Control plus
Traction (ASC+T)/Dynamic
Safe ty be lt te ns ione r 178
Inte rior re arvie w mirror with
automatic dimme r 178
Limite d s lip diffe re ntial 179
Engine s pe cifications 182
Dime ns ions 183
We ights 184
Capacitie s 185
Ele ctrical s ys te m 186
Drive be lts 186

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Eve rything from A to Z 190
Owne r s e rvice proce dure s 195

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Overview
Operation, care
and maintenance
Technical data
Index
Advanced technology

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Cockpit 16
Ins trume nt clus te r Z3 roads te r,
Z3 coupe 18
Ins trume nt clus te r M roads te r,
M coupe 20
Indicator and warning lamps 22
Warning triangle 26
Firs t-aid kit 27
Re fue ling 27
Fue l s pe cifications 28
Tire inflation pre s s ure (table ) 29

Over vi ew

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Cockpit

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1 Parking lamps /Low be am 77
2 Horn
3 Wipe r/Was he r s ys te m 66
4 Hazard warning flas he rs 26
5 Cruis e control

*

68
6

>

Turn s ignals 65

>

High be am 65

>

He adlamp flas he r 65

>

Onboard compute r

*

73
7 Fog lamps 78
8 Hood re le as e 119

Cockpit

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Instrument cluster Z3 roadster, Z3 coupe
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Instrument cluster Z3 roadster, Z3 coupe

1 Fue l gauge with indicator lamp
for re s e rve range 69
2 Indicator lamp for turn s ignals 25
3 Spe e dome te r
4 Indicator and warning lamps for:

>

Batte ry charge curre nt 22

>

High be am 25

>

Engine oil pre s s ure 22
5 Tachome te r 69
6 Coolant te mpe rature gauge 70

>

Brake pad we ar 24

>

Brake hydraulic s ys te m 22, 23

>

Parking brake 23

>

Airbags 23

>

Se rvice Engine Soon 24

>

Automatic trans mis s ion

*

24

>

Safe ty be lts 23

>

Engine oil le ve l 23, 24

>

(ABS) 23, 24
9 Indicator lamp for Automatic
Stability Control plus Traction
(ASC+T)/Dynamic Stability
Control (DSC)

*

23, 24
10 Trip odome te r 69
11 Se rvice Inte rval Dis play 70, 131
12 Odome te r 69

>

Front fog lamps

*

25

>

Ele ctronic Engine Powe r Control
(EML) 24
14 Trip odome te r re s e t button 69
The illus tration s hows the ins trume nt
clus te r in the US ve rs ion. In the Cana-
dian mode ls , s ome of the indicator and
warning lamps have a diffe re nt appe ar-
ance . Re fe r to page s 22 to 25.

20n

Instrument cluster M roadster, M coupe
3
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M roads te r

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Instrument cluster M roadster, M coupe

1 Fue l gauge with a lamp for the
re s e rve tank 69
2 Indicator lamp for turn s ignals 25
3 Spe e dome te r

>

Batte ry charge curre nt 22

>

High be am 25

>

5 Tachome te r 69
6 Engine coolant gauge 70

>

Brake pad we ar 24

>

Brake hydraulic s ys te m 22, 23

>

Parking brake 23

>

Airbags 23

>

Se rvice Engine Soon 24

>

Safe ty be lts 23

>

Antilock Braking Sys te m
(ABS) 23, 24
9 Indicator lamp for Automatic
Stability Control plus Traction
(ASC+T)/Dynamic Stability
Control (DSC)

*

23, 24
10 Trip odome te r 69
11 Se rvice Inte rval Dis play 70, 131
12 Odome te r 69
13 Trip odome te r re s e t button 69
The illus tration s hows the ins trume nt
clus te r in the US ve rs ion. In the Cana-
dian mode ls , s ome of the indicator and
warning lamps have a diffe re nt appe ar-
ance . Re fe r to page s 22 to 25.

22n

Indicator and warning lamps

Technology that monitors itself

Many of the s ys te ms of your BMW
monitor the ms e lve s automatically, both
during e ngine s tarts and while you are
driving. Indicator and warning lamps
that are ide ntifie d by "

G

" are te s te d for
prope r functioning whe ne ve r the igni-
tion ke y is turne d. The y e ach light up
once for diffe re nt pe riods of time .
If a fault s hould occur in one of the s e
s ys te ms , the corre s ponding lamp doe s
not go out afte r the e ngine is s tarte d or
it lights up while the ve hicle is moving.
You will s e e how to re act to this be low.

Red: Stop immediately

Batte ry charge curre nt

G

The batte ry is no longe r be ing
charge d. The alte rnator drive
be lt is de fe ctive or the re is a malfunc-
tion in the charging circuit of the alte r-
nator. Ple as e contact the ne are s t BMW
ce nte r.
If the drive be lt is de fe ctive , do not
continue driving. The e ngine could
be damage d due to ove rhe ating. In-
cre as e d force is re quire d to s te e r the
ve hicle if the drive be lt is de fe ctive .

<

Engine oil pre s s ure

G

Stop the ve hicle and s witch off
the e ngine imme diate ly. Che ck
the e ngine oil le ve l. Top up as re quire d.
If oil le ve l is corre ct: Ple as e contact the
ne are s t BMW ce nte r.
Do not continue driving. The
e ngine could be damage d be -
caus e of inade quate lubrication.

<

Brake hydraulic s ys te m

G

The brake fluid le ve l is too low.
Be fore driving furthe r, be s ure to
re ad the note s on page s 104 and 130.
Warning lamp, brake hydraulic
s ys te m for Canadian mode ls .
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Yellow: Stop immediately
Engine oil le ve l*
Come s on while driving: Stop
the ve hicle and s witch off the
e ngine imme diate ly. The oil le ve l is at
the abs olute minimum.
Do not continue driving. If you do,
the e ngine could be damage d due
to inade quate lubrication.<
Red and yellow: Continue to drive;
drive cautiously
If the re d warning lamp for the
brake hydraulic s ys te m come s
on toge the r with the ye llow indi-
cator lamps for ABS and
ASC+T/DSC*: The e ntire ABS
and ASC+T/DSC control s ys te m
has faile d. Continue to drive ;
drive cautious ly and de fe ns ive ly
and avoid full brake applica-
tions . Have the s ys te m che cke d by your
BMW ce nte r as s oon as pos s ible .
For additional information: Re fe r to
page s 76 and 102.
Warning lamps for Canadian
mode ls .
Red: An important reminder
Parking brake
Come s on whe n the parking
brake is applie d.
page 61.
Parking brake warning lamp for
Canadian mode ls .
Ple as e fas te n your s afe ty be lt G
Toge the r with an acous tic s ignal.
Come s on until the s afe ty be lts
are fas te ne d. For additional information
on s afe ty be lts : Re fe r to page 53.
Airbags G
Ple as e have the s ys te m in-
s pe cte d by your BMW ce nte r.
page s 55 and 176.
24nIndicator and warning lamps
Yellow: Check as soon as
possible
Antilock Brake Sys te m (ABS) G
Come s on during normal ve hicle
ope ration: ABS has be e n de ac-
tivate d in re s pons e to s ys te m malfunc-
tion. Conve ntional braking e fficie ncy
is available without limitations . Ple as e
have the s ys te m ins pe cte d by your
BMW ce nte r. For additional information:
Re fe r to page 101.
Antilock Brake Sys te m warning
lamp for Canadian mode ls .
Engine oil le ve l*
Come s on afte r the e ngine has
be e n s hut off: Che ck the e ngine
oil le ve l. For additional information:
Automatic trans mis s ion*
Be caus e of a malfunction, the
automatic trans mis s ion s hifts
only in the e me rge ncy program. Ple as e
cons ult the ne are s t BMW ce nte r.
page 64.
Brake pads G
Have the brake pads che cke d.
For additional information:
Traction (ASC+T)/Dynamic Sta-
bility Control (DSC)* G
ASC+T/DSC has be e n s witche d off or
has be e n de activate d be caus e of a mal-
function. In the e ve nt of a malfunction,
have the s ys te m che cke d as s oon as
pos s ible by your BMW ce nte r.
page 76.
Se rvice Engine Soon G
If the indicator lamp come s on
e ithe r continuous ly or inte rmit-
te ntly, this indicate s a fault in the e mis -
s ions -re late d e le ctronic s ys te ms . Al-
though the ve hicle re mains ope rational,
you s hould have the s ys te ms che cke d
by your BMW ce nte r at the e arlie s t pos -
s ible opportunity.
page 142.
"Se rvice Engine Soon" warning
Ele ctronic Engine Powe r Control
(EML)* G
Malfunction in the EML*.
During braking, gre ate r pe dal pre s s ure
may be re quire d and pe dal trave l may be
incre as e d. Ple as e have the s ys te m in-
s pe cte d by your BMW ce nte r.
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Green: For your information
Turn s ignals
Flas he s whe n the turn s ignals
are in ope ration. Rapid flas hing
indicate s a s ys te m malfunction.
page 65.
Front fog lamps *
Lights up whe ne ve r you s witch
on the front fog lamps .
page 78.
Blue: For your information
High be ams
Lights up whe n the high be ams
are on or the he adlamp flas he r
is actuate d.
page 65.
26nHazard warning flashers Warning triangle*
The pus h-button flas he s rhythmically
whe n the hazard flas he rs are on.
To he lp you locate the s witch in an
e me rge ncy, the button is als o illumi-
nate d whe ne ve r the car lamps are on.
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Z3 coupe
The warning triangle is locate d in the
luggage compartme nt unde r the floor
mat s o that it is re adily acce s s ible (re fe r
to the illus tration).
Gras p the floor mat by the s traps on the
le ft and right. Pull it upward and re move
it.
Z3 roadster, M roadster
The warning triangle is locate d in the
luggage compartme nt in the are a of the
s ill.
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Z3 coupe
M coupe
The warning triangle is locate d at the
right in the luggage compartme nt be -
hind a trim pane l.
Loos e n the cove r pane l:
1 Fold the luggage compartme nt floor
mat up.
2 To loos e n, turn the four mounting
clips (arrows ) of the right-hand trim
pane l on the re ar wall of the luggage
compartme nt approx. 1/4 of a turn
with a coin or s cre wdrive r.
3 Pull out the clips and re move the trim
pane l.
Comply with le gal re quire me nts
which cove r the availability of a
hazard warning triangle in the car.<
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First-aid kit* Refueling
Z3 coupe, M coupe
In the luggage compartme nt at the le ft
re ar. Re le as e the Ve lcrofas te ne rs .
Z3 roadster
In the luggage compartme nt on the
right in a s torage tray.
M roadster
In a s torage tray in the luggage com-
partme nt at the le ft. Swing the re taining
bar upward.
Some of the article s in the firs t-aid
kit may be us e d within a limite d
time only. For this re as on, che ck the
e xpiration date s of e ach of the ite ms
re gularly, and re place any whos e e xpi-
ration date s have pas s e d.
You can acquire re place me nts in any
drugs tore or pharmacy.
Comply with le gal re quire me nts which
cove r availability of a firs t-aid kit in the
car.<
Be fore filling the tank, s hut off the
e ngine . If you do not, fue l cannot
flow into the tank and the "Se rvice
Engine Soon" warning lamp may come
on. Re fe r to page 24.<
Ope n the fue l fille r cap:
Ope n the fue l fille r door, turn the fue l
fille r cap counte rclockwis e and re move
the cap. Place the fille r cap in the
bracke t attache d to the fue l fille r door.
Ope n the fille r cap care fully. If you
do not, fue l could s pray out.<
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Whe n re fue ling, ins e rt the fille r nozzle
comple te ly into the fille r pipe . Pulling
the nozzle out of the pipe during re fue l-
ing
> re s ults in pre mature s hutoff
> and will re duce the e ffe ct of the vapor
re cove ry s ys te m.
If the fille r nozzle is ope rate d corre ctly,
the fue l tank is full whe n it s huts off the
firs t time .
Tank capacity: Re fe r to page 185.
Clos e the fue l fille r cap:
Pos ition the cap on the ne ck. Turn the
cap clockwis e to the s top.
Clos e the fue l fille r cap care fully.
If you do not, fue l may e s cape and
the "Se rvice Engine Soon" warning
lamp may come on. Re fe r to page 24.<
Clos e the fue l fille r door.
Whe n handling fue ls , comply with
all of the applicable s afe ty pre -
cautions and re gulations pe rtaining to
fue ls .
Ne ve r carry s pare fue l containe rs in
your ve hicle . Whe the r the y are e mpty or
full, the s e containe rs can le ak, caus e an
e xplos ion, or le ad to fire in the e ve nt of
a collis ion.<
28nFuel specifications
Z3 roadster, Z3 coupe
The e ngine us e s le ad-fre e gas oline
only. Howe ve r, you can re fue l with dif-
fe re nt fue l qualitie s s ince the e ngine is
e quippe d with a knock s e ns or.
In orde r to achie ve rate d value s for e n-
gine pe rformance and fue l cons ump-
tion:
> Supe r le ad-fre e pre mium gas oline
(91 AKI).
The minimum fue l quality is :
> Re gular le ad-fre e gas oline (87 AKI)
> Be caus e of the e ngine 's de s ign, you
s hould re fue l with this gas oline only
as an e xce ption.
Do not us e le ade d fue ls . The us e
of le ade d fue ls will caus e pe rma-
ne nt damage to the s ys te m's oxyge n
s e ns or and the catalytic conve rtor.<
AKI = Anti Knock Inde x
M roadster, M coupe
The e ngine us e s le ad-fre e gas oline
only. Howe ve r, you can re fue l with dif-
fe re nt fue l qualitie s s ince the e ngine is
e quippe d with a knock s e ns or.
In orde r to achie ve rate d value s for e n-
gine pe rformance and fue l cons ump-
tion:
> Supe r le ad-fre e pre mium gas oline
(91 AKI).
The minimum fue l quality is :
> Le ad-fre e pre mium gas oline (89 AKI)
> Be caus e of the e ngine 's de s ign, you
s hould re fue l with this gas oline only
as an e xce ption.
Do not us e le ade d fue ls . The us e
of le ade d fue ls will caus e pe rma-
ne nt damage to the s ys te m's oxyge n
s e ns or and the catalytic conve rtor.<
AKI = Anti Knock Inde x
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Tire inflation pressure
The inflation pre s s ure s are indicate d on
a labe l attache d to the B-pillar be hind
the drive r's door (vis ible with door
ope n).
Check tire pressures
All pre s s ure s pe cifications are indicate d
in ps i (Kilopas cal [kPa]) with the tire s at
ambie nt te mpe rature (re fe r als o to the
ne xt page s ).
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Che ck tire inflation pre s s ure s re g-
ularly at le as t e ve ry two we e ks
and be fore be ginning a longe r trip. In-
corre ct tire pre s s ure can othe rwis e le ad
to tire damage and accide nts .
Che ck the air pre s s ure of the s pare tire
(Z3 roads te r, Z3 coupe ) as we ll. Re fe r
to the following table s and page 110.<
Comply with tire approval
specifications
The inflation pre s s ure s in the table apply
to tire s made by BMW-approve d manu-
facture rs . Your BMW ce nte r is familiar
with the s e pre s s ure s . Highe r pre s s ure s
may be s pe cifie d for tire s made by othe r
manufacture rs . You will find a lis t of
approve d tire s be ginning on page 116.
Your ve hicle is e quippe d with tire s that
me e t both US s tandards and Europe an
s tandards . We re comme nd the e xclu-
s ive us e of BMW-approve d tire s .
30nTire inflation pressure
BMW Tire s
All tire pre s s ure s are in ps i
(kilopas cals [kPa])
Z3 roads te r 2.3
225/50 R 16 92 V
225/50 ZR 16
29 (200) 32 (220)
Front: 225/45 ZR 17
Re ar: 245/40 ZR 17
29 (200)
32 (220)
205/60 R 15 91 Q M+S
205/55 R 16 91 Q M+S
225/50 R 16 92 Q M+S
225/45 R 17 91 Q M+S
32 (220) 35 (240)
Spare tire :
T 125/90 R 15 96 M
60 (420) 60 (420)
Z3 roads te r 2.8
Z3 coupe 2.8
225/50 ZR 16
225/50 R 16 92 W
29 (200) 32 (220)
Front: 225/45 ZR 17
Re ar: 245/40 ZR 17
29 (200)
32 (220)
205/60 R 15 91 Q M+S
205/55 R 16 91 Q M+S
225/50 R 16 92 Q M+S
225/45 R 17 91 Q M+S
32 (220) 35 (240)
Spare tire :
T 125/90 R 15 96 M
60 (420) 60 (420)
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Tire inflation pressure
Have the winte r tire s change d at
your BMW ce nte r or at a tire
s e rvice .<
BMW Tire s
All tire pre s s ure s are in
ps i (kilopas cals [kPa])
M roads te r
M coupe
Front: 225/45 ZR 17
Re ar: 245/40 ZR 17
32 (220)
32 (220)
35 (240)
38 (260)
225/45 R 17 91 H M+S 32 (220) 35 (240) 35 (240) 38 (260)
32n
Opening and closing:
Ke ys 34
Ele ctronic ve hicle
immobilize r 35
outs ide 36
ins ide 37
Luggage compartme nt lid 38
Sunroof, coupe 40
Conve rtible top 41
Adjustments:
Se ats 50
Mirrors 51
Safety systems:
Safe ty be lts 53
Airbags 55
Child re s traint s ys te ms 57
Driving:
Ste e ring/Ignition lock 59
Parking brake 61
Turn s ignals /High be ams 65
Cruis e control 68
Cont r ol s
Overview
Operation, care
and maintenance
Technical data
Index
Advanced technology
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Everything under control:
Odome te r 69
Tachome te r 69
Fue l gauge 69
Te mpe rature gauge 70
Se rvice Inte rval Dis play 70
Auxiliary ins trume nts ,
Digital clock, Z3 coupe 72
Analog clock, Z3 roads te r 72
Technology for safety
and convenience:
Automatic Stability Control
plus Traction (ASC+T)/Dynamic
Lamps:
Parking lamps /Low be am 77
Fog lamps 78
Inte rior lamps 78
Re ading lamps 79
Controlling the climate
for pleasant driving:
He ating and ve ntilation 80
He ating and ve ntilation/
Air conditioning 84
Se at he ating 89
Cabin convenience:
Additional s torage are as 90
Storage boxe s 90
Be ve rage holde r 91
As htray 91
Loading and transporting
cargo:
coupe :
Roll-up cove r 93
Se paration ne t 93
Cargo loading 94
Roof-mounte d luggage
rack 95
34nKeys
1 Mas te r ke y with batte ry-powe re d
lamp (s witch on by pre s s ing the BMW
s ymbol)
2 Mas te r ke y without lamp
3 Spare ke y for s torage in a s afe place
s uch as your walle t. This ke y is not
inte nde d for continuous us e
4 Door and ignition ke y
The luggage compartme nt lid and the
s torage boxe s * cannot be ope ne d
with this ke y this is us e ful for vale t
parking, for ins tance
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Replacement keys
Re place me nt ke ys are available e xclu-
s ive ly through your BMW ce nte r. Your
BMW ce nte r is obligate d to e ns ure that
a pe rs on re que s ting a ke y is authorize d
to do s o s ince the ke ys be long to a s e -
curity s ys te m (re fe r to "Ele ctronic ve hi-
cle immobilize r" on the following page ).
Whe ne ve r you re ce ive a ne w
re place me nt ke y, turn that ke y to
pos ition 2 in the ignition lock once (igni-
tion s witche d on) and the n back. This
allows the e le ctronic ve hicle immobi-
lize r to "le arn" the ne w ke y.<
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Electronic vehicle immobilizer
The key to security
The e le ctronic ve hicle immobilization
unit incre as e s the anti-the ft prote ction
of your BMW you do not have to ad-
jus t or activate anything. This e le ctronic
immobilization s ys te m is de s igne d to
re duce the s us ce ptibility of the ve hicle
to the ft by making it impos s ible to s tart
the e ngine us ing any me ans othe r than
the s pe cial ke ys furnis he d with the ve -
hicle .
Your BMW ce nte r can cance l the e le c-
tronic s ys te m authorization for individ-
ual ke ys (in the e ve nt a ke y is los t, for
ins tance ). A de activate d ke y can no
longe r be us e d to s tart the e ngine .
How the electronics work
At the he art of this s ys te m is an e le c-
tronic chip which is inte grate d into the
ke y. The lock me chanis m its e lf is actu-
ally a dual-function de vice , s imulta-
ne ous ly s e rving as a communications
inte rface de s igne d to allow the s e curity
s ys te m to maintain a continuous s tre am
of variable , ve hicle -s pe cific s ignals with
the e le ctronic circuitry in the ke y. The
s ys te m will not re le as e the ignition, fue l
inje ction and s tarte r unle s s it re cog-
nize s an "authorize d" ke y.
Force applie d to the ke y can dam-
age the inte grate d e le ctronic cir-
cuitry. A damage d ke y can no longe r be
us e d to s tart the e ngine .<
For US owners only
The trans mitte r and re ce ive r units com-
ply with part 15 of the FCC (Fe de ral
Communications Commis s ion) re gula-
tions . Ope ration is gove rne d by the fol-
lowing:
FCC ID: LX8EWS
Compliance s tate me nt:
This de vice complie s with part 15 of the
FCC Rule s . Ope ration is s ubje ct to the
following two conditions :
> This de vice may not caus e harmful
inte rfe re nce , and
> this de vice mus t acce pt any inte rfe r-
e nce re ce ive d, including inte rfe re nce
that may caus e unde s ire d ope ration.
Any unauthorize d modifications
to the s e de vice s could void the
us e r's authority to ope rate the e quip-
me nt.<
36nCentral locking system Opening and closing from the outside
The concept
The ce ntral locking s ys te m be come s
ope rational whe n the doors are clos e d.
The s ys te m s imultane ous ly e ngage s
and re le as e s the locks on the
> doors
> luggage compartme nt
> fue l fille r door.
The ce ntral locking s ys te m can be
ope rate d
> from outs ide via the door locks and
the luggage compartme nt lock
(M coupe : Ope n only)
> from ins ide via the s afe ty lock
buttons (locks doors only).
The alarm s ys te m is automatically
arme d whe ne ve r you activate the ce n-
tral locking s ys te m from outs ide the
ve hicle . It pre ve nts the doors from be -
ing unlocke d with the lock buttons or
re le as e handle s .
The ce ntral locking s ys te m unlocks
automatically in the e ve nt of an acci-
de nt. In addition, the hazard warning
flas he rs and inte rior lamps come on.
With the key
If the ve hicle has be e n locke d
from the outs ide , pe rs ons re main-
ing ins ide the ve hicle cannot unlock it.<
Convenience locking mode
Ele ctrically powe re d windows can als o
be clos e d from the door locks :
Whe n the doors are clos e d, hold the
ke y in the "Lock" pos ition.
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Watch the clos ing proce s s care -
fully and be s ure that no one is
trappe d by the clos ing motion. The
move me nt s tops whe n you re le as e the
ke y.<
Manual operation
(in the e ve nt of e le ctrical failure )
Turn the ke y all the way to the e xtre me
le ft or right to unlock/lock the door.
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Opening and closing from the inside
To unlock and open the doors
> Pull the door handle of a door twice
(the initial pull unlocks the door, and
the s e cond ope ns it).
To engage the locks
Whe n the lock button of any door is
pre s s e d down, the doors and luggage
compartme nt are locke d. The anti-the ft
s ys te m is not activate d.
The fue l fille r door als o re mains un-
locke d to allow re fue ling.
To avoid be ing accide ntally locke d out
of the car:
> The ve hicle cannot be locke d with
the lock button whe n the drive r's
door is ope n.
> The lock button on the pas s e nge r's
door only ope rate s the ce ntral lock-
ing s ys te m if both doors are clos e d.
Childre n might be able to lock the
doors from the ins ide . For this re a-
s on, take the ve hicle 's ke ys with you s o
that the ve hicle can be ope ne d again
from the outs ide at any time .<
38nLuggage compartment lid
The lock
The illus tration de picts the luggage
compartme nt lock of the Z3 roads te r
as an e xample .
The controls and function for the
Z3 coupe , M coupe (ope n only) and
the M roads te r are the s ame as for
the Z3 roads te r.
Only the mas te r ke ys (re fe r to page 34)
will fit in the luggage compartme nt lock.
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Z3 roads te r
Locking separately
(not for the M coupe )
Turn the mas te r ke y to the right until the
s lot is horizontal, the n re move the ke y.
This locks the luggage compartme nt
and dis e ngage s it from the ce ntral lock-
ing s ys te m. If you the n s urre nde r only
the door and ignition ke y (re fe r to
page 34), acce s s to the ve hicle through
the luggage compartme nt is not pos s i-
ble (for vale t parking, for ins tance ).
Manual operation
(in the e ve nt of e le ctrical failure )
Turn the mas te r ke y in the lock of the
luggage compartme nt lid to the le ft to
the s top the luggage compartme nt
ope ns e as ily.
The luggage compartme nt is locke d
again as s oon as it is clos e d.
To close
The illus tration de picts the luggage
compartme nt lid of the Z3 coupe or
M coupe .
The handle re ce s s in the inte rior trim
pane l of the luggage compartme nt lid
(arrow) make s it e as ie r to pull the lid
down.
On the Z3 roads te r and M roads te r, the
handle re ce s s is locate d to the le ft of
the lock me chanis m.
To avoid injurie s , be s ure that the
trave l path of the luggage com-
partme nt lid is cle ar whe n it is clos e d,
as with all clos ing proce dure s .<
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Luggage compartment lid Electric power windows
Do not drive with the luggage
compartme nt lid ope n, s ince e x-
haus t fume s could pe ne trate the inte rior
of the ve hicle . Should it be abs olute ly
ne ce s s ary to ope rate the ve hicle with
the luggage compartme nt lid ope n
(coupe ; roads te r with clos e d conve rt-
ible top):
> Clos e all windows . On the coupe ,
clos e the s unroof.
> Incre as e the air s upply of the he ating
and ve ntilation s ys te m to a high le ve l.
Re fe r to page 80 or 84.<
Opening and closing windows
From ignition ke y pos ition 1 and up:
> De pre s s the rocke r s witch until you
fe e l re s is tance .
The window continue s moving for as
long as you maintain pre s s ure on the
s witch.
> Pre s s the rocke r s witch be yond the
pre s s ure point (one -touch mode ):
The window move s automatically.
Pre s s the s witch a s e cond time to
s top the window.
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Afte r the ignition has be e n s witche d off:
Actuation is s till pos s ible for up to
15 minute s in ignition ke y pos ition 0 or
if the ignition ke y has be e n re move d, as
long as no doors have be e n ope ne d.
Be caus e the powe r windows are
s e ale d at high pre s s ure to pre ve nt
wind nois e whe n clos e d, a powe rful
motor is re quire d for e fficie nt clos ing.
Whe n clos ing the windows , always e n-
s ure that the y are not obs tructe d in any
way. Uns upe rvis e d us e of the s e s ys -
te ms can re s ult in s e rious pe rs onal in-
jury. Re move the ignition ke y to de acti-
vate the e le ctric powe r windows whe n-
e ve r you le ave the car. Ne ve r le ave the
ke ys in the car with uns upe rvis e d chil-
dre n.
Ne ve r place anything that could ob-
s truct the drive r's vis ion on or ne xt to
the windows .<
For conve nie nce clos ing via the door
lock, re fe r to page 36.
40nElectric power windows Sunroof*, coupe
J am protection
If one of the windows come s into con-
tact with an obje ct be twe e n the window
and roof frame whe n it is clos ing, the
clos ing cycle is inte rrupte d imme diate ly
and the window will ope n again s lightly.
You can ove rride this jam prote c-
tion function (if the re is an at-
te mpte d unauthorize d e ntrance from
the outs ide , for ins tance ) by pre s s ing
the s witch be yond the re s is tance point
and holding it.<
Lifting Closing
From ignition ke y pos ition 1 and up:
To lift: Pre s s button 1.
To clos e : Pre s s button 2.
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Z3 coupe , M coupe
To pre ve nt injurie s , e xe rcis e care
whe n clos ing the s unroof. Ke e p it
in your fie ld of vis ion until it is clos e d.<
To avoid pre s s ure or drafts in the pas -
s e nge r compartme nt whe n the s unroof
is ope n, ke e p the air ve nts in the das h-
board ope n and incre as e the air s upply
if ne ce s s ary. Re fe r to page s 82 and 86.
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Weather protection
The conve rtible top combine s re liable
prote ction from the e le me nts with s im-
ple , conve nie nt ope ration. He re are a
fe w tips to e ns ure that you have ple a-
s ure with your roads te r.
It is advis able to clos e the conve rtible
top whe n the ve hicle is parke d. The
clos e d conve rtible top not only prote cts
the pas s e nge r compartme nt from un-
fore s e e able damage from the we athe r,
it als o provide s a ce rtain de gre e of the ft
prote ction. In addition, ke e p valuable s
only in the locke d luggage compart-
me nt, e ve n with the conve rtible top
clos e d.
Ne ve r mount a roof-mounte d luggage
rack on the conve rtible top. Ple as e con-
tact your BMW ce nte r for s uitable s e -
curing de vice s and additional acce s s o-
rie s .
To pre ve nt damage , do not ope rate the
conve rtible top at te mpe rature s be low
32 7 (0 6).
To open
1 With the doors clos e d, lowe r the s ide
windows a fe w inche s (ce ntime te rs ).
2 Re le as ing the conve rtible top: Pull
the le ve rs outward on the le ft and the
right of the conve rtible top frame
(re fe r to the illus tration).
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3 Rais e the conve rtible top approx.
8 inche s (20 cm) from the conve rtible
top frame on the ins ide to re lie ve te n-
s ion on the top. Re fe r to arrow 1.
Be s ure that the conve rtible top
folds at the front linkage joints firs t
(re fe r to arrow 2). If it doe s not, the con-
ve rtible top linkage could be be nt.<
4 Continue to rais e the top at the front
and pus h it toward the re ar into the
conve rtible top we ll.
In the proce s s , make s ure the re ar
window is laid down e ve nly and fre e
of cre as e s . To pre ve nt the re ar win-
dow from be ing s cratche d, a s oft
cloth s hould be laid in the window
fold.
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42nManual convertible top, roadster
5 Fold the re le as e le ve r agains t the
conve rtible top frame .
In orde r to avoid s ubs e que nt
mois ture damage , do not ope n
and s tore the conve rtible top whe n it is
we t (re fe r als o to the chapte r on ve hicle
care ).<
To mount the cover
The illus tration de picts a re pre s e ntative
s che matic of the fas te ne rs for the con-
ve rtible cove r.
To s e cure , pre s s the oute r ring of the
cove r fas te ne r onto the mating pie ce on
the ve hicle (re fe r to the arrows ).
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The attachme nt points of the cove r are
indicate d by the four arrows in the illus -
tration.
1 Pos ition the conve rtible cove r on the
conve rtible top we ll and align the
uppe r portions of the fas te ne rs with
the lowe r portions on the ve hicle .
2 Lift the cove r at the re ar, re ac h
unde rne ath it and e ngage the two
middle fas te ne rs .
3 Attach the front fas te ne rs .
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4 Pus h the pe riphe ral frame of the
cove r unde r the e dge of the con-
ve rtible top we ll.
5 Che ck the conve rtible cove r to be
s ure it is prope rly s e cure d.
In orde r to avoid s oiling of the in-
s ide of the conve rtible top, always
drive with the cove r s e cure d in place .<
Be s ure that the cove r is s e cure d
prope rly on the ve hicle . If it is not
firmly s e cure d, the flow of air while driv-
ing could loos e n the cove r at highe r
s pe e ds .<
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To close
1 To re move the conve rtible top cove r:
> Loos e n the fas te ne rs . Pull the cap
of the latch upward. Re fe r to the
arrow.
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> Loos e n the front fas te ne rs (oute r
arrows ).
> Pull the oute r frame of the cove r
unde r the e dge of the conve rtible
top we ll.
> Lift the cove r from the re ar and re -
le as e the middle fas te ne rs (middle
arrows ).
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44nManual convertible top, roadster
> To avoid damage , care fully fold the
cove r and s tore it in the luggage
compartme nt.
Do not pos ition he avy obje cts on
the cove r.
If you s tore the cove r away from the
ve hicle , the cove r s hould be s pre ad
out.<
2 Whe n the doors are clos e d, lowe r the
s ide windows s lightly.
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3 Pull the re le as e le ve r away from the
frame as far as pos s ible .
4 Holding the conve rtible top at the
front conve rtible top frame , lift it out
of the conve rtible top we ll and fold it
forward.
Whe n folding the conve rtible top
forward, do not gras p it by the
s ide linkage . If you do s o, the re is a ris k
of injury to your hands and finge rs .<
5 Ins e rt the pins 1, on the le ft and the
right, into the guide s in the wind-
s hie ld frame . Us ing the handle re ce s s
in the ce nte r of the conve rtible top
frame , pull the conve rtible top down.
Hold the top in this pos ition and
s e cure both fas te ne rs (re fe r als o to
page 109).
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Be s ure that the fas te ne r hooks 2
on the le ft and right are s e cure ly
e ngage d in the frame of the winds hie ld.
If the y are not, the conve rtible top could
ope n while the ve hicle is moving.<
At highe r s pe e ds , it may occur
that the lowe r air pre s s ure which
is cre ate d in the pas s e nge r compart-
me nt will caus e the top or the re ar win-
dow to flutte r. Incre as e the air s upply
via the ve ntilation controls s o that a
vacuum doe s not occur in the ve hicle .<
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Power convertible top, roadster*
Weather protection
The conve rtible top combine s re liable
prote ction from the e le me nts with s im-
ple , conve nie nt ope ration. He re are a
fe w tips to e ns ure that you have ple a-
s ure with your roads te r.
It is advis able to clos e the conve rtible
top whe n the ve hicle is parke d. The
clos e d conve rtible top not only prote cts
the pas s e nge r compartme nt from un-
fore s e e able damage from the we athe r,
it als o provide s a ce rtain de gre e of the ft
prote ction. In addition, ke e p valuable s
only in the locke d luggage compart-
me nt, e ve n with the conve rtible top
clos e d.
Ne ve r mount a roof-mounte d luggage
rack on the conve rtible top. Ple as e con-
tact your BMW ce nte r for s uitable s e -
curing de vice s and additional acce s s o-
rie s .
To pre ve nt damage , do not ope rate the
conve rtible top at te mpe rature s be low
32 7 (0 6).
To cons e rve the batte ry, it is advis able
to ope rate the top only with the e ngine
running.
Ope rate the conve rtible top only
whe n the ve hicle is s tationary.
Do not lay obje cts on the conve rtible
top, s ince the y would fall off whe n the
conve rtible top is ope rate d and caus e
damage or injurie s .
Do not re ach into the conve rtible top
me chanis m during ope ning and clos ing.
Ke e p childre n away from the moving
parts of the conve rtible top during
ope ration.
The automatic s e que nce is inte rrupte d
imme diate ly if the button for actuating
the top (page 46 and 49) is re le as e d.
The s e que nce can be continue d in the
de s ire d dire ction by pre s s ing the but-
ton.<
To open
1 With the doors clos e d, lowe r the s ide
windows a fe w inche s (ce ntime te rs ).
2 Re le as ing the conve rtible top: Pull
the le ve rs outward on the le ft and the
right of the frame of the top (re fe r to
the illus tration).
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46nPower convertible top, roadster*
3 Rais e the conve rtible top approx.
8 inche s (20 cm) from the conve rtible
top frame on the ins ide to re lie ve te n-
s ion on the top. Re fe r to arrow 1.
Be s ure that the conve rtible top
folds at the front linkage joints firs t
(re fe r to arrow 2). If it doe s not, the con-
ve rtible top linkage could be be nt.<
4 Pre s s the re le as e le ve r agains t the
frame of the top.
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5 Hold the footbrake down during the
e ntire ope ning proce dure .
6 Lift the conve rtible top frame . Pre s s
and hold the button for conve rtible
top ope ration in the "Ope n" dire c-
tion (2) until the ope ning proce s s is
comple te d and the cnve rtible top is
folde d into the conve rtible top we ll.
De pe nding on the ve hicle mode l, the
arrange me nt and appe arance of the
buttons may vary. Ple as e re fe r to the
individual s ymbols for s e le cting the
de s ire d function.
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If the conve rtible top has not be e n
lifte d far e nough, or if the foot-
brake is not applie d, the motor which
ope rate s the conve rtible top will not
ope rate .<
In orde r to avoid s ubs e que nt
mois ture damage , do not le ave
the conve rtible top ope n whe n it is we t
(re fe r als o to the chapte r on ve hicle
care ).<
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To mount the cover
The illus tration de picts a re pre s e ntative
s che matic of the fas te ne rs for the con-
ve rtible cove r.
To s e cure , pre s s the oute r ring of the
cove r fas te ne r onto the mating pie ce on
the ve hicle (re fe r to the arrows ).
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7
4
The attachme nt points of the cove r are
indicate d by the four arrows in the illus -
tration.
1 Pos ition the conve rtible cove r on the
conve rtible top we ll and align the up-
pe r portions of the fas te ne rs with the
lowe r portions on the ve hicle .
2 Lift the cove r at the re ar, re ach
unde rne ath it and e ngage the two
middle attachme nts .
3 Attach the front fas te ne rs .
3
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s
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4 Pus h the pe riphe ral frame of the
cove r unde r the e dge of the conve rt-
ible top we ll.
5 Che ck the conve rtible cove r to be
s ure it is prope rly s e cure d.
In orde r to avoid s oiling of the in-
s ide of the conve rtible top, always
drive with the cove r s e cure d in place .<
Be s ure that the cove r is s e cure d
prope rly on the ve hicle . If it is not
firmly s e cure d, the flow of air while driv-
ing could loos e n the cove r at highe r
s pe e ds .<
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48nPower convertible top, roadster*
To close
1 To re move the conve rtible top cove r:
> Loos e n the fas te ne rs . Pull the cap
of the latch upward. Re fe r to the
arrow.
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> Re le as e the front fas te ne rs (oute r
arrows ).
> Pull the oute r frame of the cove r
unde r the e dge of the conve rtible
top we ll.
> Lift the cove r from the re ar and re -
le as e the middle fas te ne rs (middle
arrows ).
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> To avoid damage , care fully fold the
cove r and s tore it in the luggage
compartme nt.
Do not pos ition he avy obje cts on
the cove r.
The cove r s hould be s pre ad out if you
s tore it away from the ve hicle .<
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2 Whe n the doors are clos e d, lowe r the
s ide windows s lightly.
3 Pull the re le as e le ve r away from the
frame as far as pos s ible .
4 Hold the footbrake down during the
e ntire clos ing proce dure .
5 Pre s s and hold the button for con-
ve rtible top ope ration in the "Clos e "
dire ction (1) until the clos ing proce s s
is comple te d and the conve rtible top
frame has docke d agains t the wind-
s hie ld frame .
buttons may vary. Ple as e re fe r to the
s pe cific s ymbols for s e le cting the
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6
6
6 Ins e rt the pins 1, on the le ft and the
right, into the guide s in the winds hie ld
frame . Us ing the handle re ce s s in the
ce nte r of the conve rtible top frame ,
pull the conve rtible top down. Hold the
top in this pos ition and s e cure both
fas te ne rs (re fe r als o to page 109).
If the footbrake is not applie d, the
motor which ope rate s the con-
ve rtible top will not ope rate .<
Be s ure that the fas te ne r hooks 2
on the le ft and right are s e cure ly
e ngage d in the frame of the winds hie ld.
If the y are not, the conve rtible top could
ope n while the ve hicle is moving.<
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At highe r s pe e ds , it may occur
that the lowe r air pre s s ure which
is cre ate d in the pas s e nge r compart-
me nt will caus e the top or the re ar win-
dow to flutte r. Incre as e the air s upply
via the ve ntilation controls s o that a
vacuum doe s not occur in the ve hicle .<
50n
For maximum s afe ty, ple as e comply
with the following:
Ne ve r try to adjus t your s e at while
ope rating the ve hicle . The s e at
could re s pond with an une xpe cte d
move me nt, and the e ns uing los s of ve -
hicle control could re s ult in an accide nt.
Be s ure that the s afe ty be lt is fas te ne d
firmly agains t your body at all time s . In
the e ve nt of a frontal impact, a loos e lap
be lt could s lide ove r your hips , le ading
to abdominal injury. In addition, the
s afe ty be lt's re s traint e ffe ctive ne s s is
re duce d if the be lt is worn loos e ly.
Whe n adjus ting your s e at, s e le ct a po-
s ition that provide s the maximum dis -
tance be twe e n you and the s te e ring
whe e l, ins trume nt pane l and door while
s till allowing comfortable and s afe
acce s s to all ve hicle controls .<
Correct sitting posture
To re duce s train on your s pinal column,
s it all the way back in the s e at and re s t
your back fully agains t the backre s t.
In the ide al s itting pos ture , your he ad
e xte nds along a s traight line from your
s pine .
For long-dis tance driving, you may wis h
to incre as e the backre s t tilt angle
s lightly to re duce mus cular te ns ion.
You s hould als o be able to gras p the
highe s t point of the s te e ring whe e l with
your arms s lightly be nt.
Afte r a s e at adjus tme nt in the coupe ,
adjus t the he ight of the s afe ty be lt als o.
Re fe r to page 53.
1 He ight*
2 Backward/Forward adjus tme nt
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Seat adjustment
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Seat adjustment Mirrors
Backrest angle
Pull the le ve r and apply or re move
we ight as re quire d.
Re ad and comply with the adjus t-
me nt ins tructions on page 50.
Failure to do s o can re s ult in diminis he d
pe rs onal s afe ty.<
Head restraints
The he ad re s traints are inte grate d into
the backre s ts .
He ad re s traints re duce the ris k of s pinal
injury in the e ve nt of an accide nt.
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Exterior mirrors
Make adjus tme nts with the large , four-
dire ctional mirror s witch.
Change to the othe r re arvie w mirror
with the s malle r s witch.
> Pus h the s witch up mirror on the
drive r's s ide .
> Pus h the s witch down mirror on the
pas s e nge r's s ide .
You can als o adjus t the mirrors manu-
ally by pre s s ing agains t the oute r e dge s
of the ir le ns e s .
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The mirror on the pas s e nge r's
s ide fe ature s a le ns with a more
conve x s urface than the mirror ins talle d
on the drive r's s ide . Whe n e s timating
the dis tance be twe e n yours e lf and
othe r traffic, be ar in mind that the ob-
je cts re fle cte d in the mirror are clos e r
than the y appe ar. This me ans that e s ti-
mations of the dis tance to following
traffic s hould not be re garde d as pre -
cis e .<
Electric defrosting*
Both mirrors are de fros te d automa-
tically whe n the ignition ke y is in pos i-
tion 2.
52nMirrors
Interior rearview mirror
To re duce the glare e ffe ct from the re ar
while driving at night, tilt the mirror by
moving the s mall le ve r.
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Z3 roads te r, Z3 coupe
Interior rearview mirror
M roadster, M coupe
This mirror dims automatically through
an infinite ly-variable range by re s pond-
ing to the e ffe cts of light (ambie nt light
and he adlamp glare ).
The mirror automatically re ve rts to its
cle ar, undimme d s e tting whe ne ve r you
s e le ct "Re ve rs e ."
The two photoce lls s hould be ke pt
cle an and unobs tructe d to e ns ure that
the mirror continue s to ope rate prop-
e rly. One photoce ll (arrow) is on the
lowe r e dge , while the othe r is on the
oppos ite s ide of the mirror.
For an e xplanation of the e le ctrochro-
mic te chnology us e d in this mirror, re fe r
to page 178.
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M roads te r, M coupe
Vanity mirrors
Fold the s un vis ors down and pus h the
cove r (coupe only) to the s ide .
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Fas te n your s afe ty be lt be fore be gin-
ning e ve ry trip.
To fas te n: Make s ure you he ar the
catch e ngage in the be lt buckle .
To re le as e : Pre s s the re d button in the
buckle . Hold the be lt and guide it back
to its re e l.
The s afe ty be lt locks als o:
> In an abrupt s top or a collis ion
> Whe n you pull it s harply
> During s udde n braking or acce le ra-
tion
> In curve s
> Whe n the ve hicle is at an e xtre me
angle .
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Make s ure the s afe ty be lts are route d
through the be lt guide loops on the s e at
backre s ts .
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Z3 roads te r, M roads te r
Safety belt height adjustment
Z3 coupe, M coupe
You can adjus t the s afe ty be lts to fit
your own phys ical dime ns ions by us ing
the s afe ty be lt he ight adjus tme nt me ch-
anis m.
Downward adjus tme nt:
Pre s s the button down (arrow 1).
Upward adjus tme nt:
Gras p the de fle ction fitting on the s ide
and s lide it upward (arrows 2).
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Z3 coupe , M coupe
Safety belts
54nSafety belts
Comply with the following ins truc-
tions for we aring s afe ty be lts . If
you do not, maximum pe rs onal prote c-
tion will not be provide d and the s afe ty
function of the be lt is limite d. The s e in-
s tructions als o apply for ve hicle pas -
s e nge rs :
Ne ve r allow more than one pe rs on to
we ar a s ingle s afe ty be lt. Ne ve r allow
infants or s mall childre n to ride in a pas -
s e nge r's lap.
Avoid twis ting the be lt while routing it
firmly acros s your hips and s houlde r.
Do not allow the be lt to re s t agains t
hard or fragile obje cts in your pocke ts .
Do not route the be lt acros s your ne ck,
or run it acros s s harp e dge s . Be s ure
that the be lt doe s not be come caught
or jamme d.
Be s ure that the s afe ty be lt is fas te ne d
firmly agains t your body at all time s . For
this re as on, avoid we aring bulky cloth-
ing which will pre ve nt prope r be lt fit.
Pull the s afe ty be lt acros s your s houl-
de rs fre que ntly to re -te ns ion it. In the
e ve nt of a frontal impact, a loos e lap
be lt could s lide ove r your hips , le ading
to abdominal injury. In addition, the
s afe ty be lt's re s traint e ffe ctive ne s s is
re duce d if the be lt is worn loos e ly.
Expe ctant mothe rs s hould als o we ar
the ir s afe ty be lt at all time s , taking care
to e ns ure that the lap be lt fits agains t
the lowe r hips and doe s not e xe rt pre s -
s ure on the abdominal are a.<
For care and cle aning, re fe r to page 137.
If the s afe ty be lt s ys te m has be e n
s tre s s e d as a re s ult of an accide nt
or if it has be e n damage d in any othe r
way: Have the be lt s ys te m, including
the s afe ty be lt te ns ione r re place d by an
BMW ce nte r. In addition, have your
BMW ce nte r ins pe ct the s afe ty be lt
anchors .
If a child re s traint s ys te m was in your
ve hicle during an accide nt, cons ult the
manufacture r's ins tructions re garding
re place me nt.<
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Airbags
1 Front airbags for drive r and front
pas s e nge r
2 Side airbags
Protective effect
The front airbags he lp prote ct the drive r
and pas s e nge r in the e ve nt of a he ad-
on collis ion whe re the prote ction pro-
vide d by the s afe ty be lt alone would not
be ade quate . The s ide airbags he lp
provide prote ction in the e ve nt of a s ide
collis ion. Each s ide airbag provide s
s upport to the s ide che s t are a.
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The illus tration de picts s che matically
the primary dire ctions of ve hicle impact
which initiate airbag de ployme nt.
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Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp dis plays the
ope rational re adine s s of the air-
bag s ys te m from ignition ke y
pos ition 1 and up.
Sys te m ope rational:
> The indicator lamp come s on brie fly.
Sys te m malfunction:
> The indicator lamp fails to come on.
> The indicator lamp come s on brie fly
be fore going out and the n lighting up
again.
A s ys te m malfunction could pre ve nt the
s ys te m from re s ponding to a high-in-
te ns ity frontal impact occurring within
its normal re s pons e range .
Ple as e have your BMW ce nte r ins pe ct
and re pair the s ys te m as s oon as pos s i-
ble .
56nAirbags
Sitting correctly with airbags
For your s afe ty, comply with the
following ins tructions for the air-
bags . If you do not, the airbags may not
be able to provide the ir maximum pro-
te ction. All pas s e nge rs in the ve hicl e
s hould be aware of and comply with this
information:
The airbags are s upple me ntal re s traint
de vice s de s igne d to provide e xtra pro-
te ction; the y are not a s ubs titute for
s afe ty be lts . We ar your s afe ty be lt at all
time s . The airbags will not be trigge re d
in the e ve nt of a minor accide nt, a ve hi-
cle roll-ove r, or collis ions from the re ar.
In the s e ins tance s , the s afe ty be lt pro-
vide s optimal prote ction.
Airbags are locate d unde r cove r pane ls
in the s te e ring whe e l, in the das hboard
and in the s ide trim pane ls of the doors .
Adjus t your s e at to a pos ition that pro-
vide s maximum dis tance be twe e n you
and the s te e ring whe e l, the ins trume nt
pane l and the door while s till allowing
comfortable and s afe acce s s to all
ve hicle controls .
To avoid s us taining hand and arm inju-
rie s , always gras p the s te e ring whe e l on
the rim with the hands at the 9 and
3 o'clock pos itions . Do not place your
hands on the ce nte r pad.
Ne ve r allow any obje cts to obs truct the
are a be twe e n the airbag and an occu-
pant.
Do not us e the cove r pane l above the
pas s e nge r-s ide airbag as a s torage
are a.
If you us e a child re s traint s ys te m, re ad
care fully and comply with the ins truc-
tions on page 57.
Be s ure that child re s traints are mounte d
corre ctly and provide d with the gre at-
e s t-pos s ible dis tance be twe e n the air-
bags in the s ide trim pane ls . Do not
allow childre n to le an out of the child's
s e at in the dire ction of the s ide trim pan-
e ls . If the y do s o, s e rious injurie s can
occur if the airbag is trigge re d.<
Eve n whe n you have complie d with all
of the s e guide line s , the re is s till a s mall
re s idual ris k of minor facial, hand and
arm injurie s from airbag de ployme nt
occurring in is olate d ins tance s .
The ignition and inflation nois e may
caus e a mild te mporary he aring los s in
e xtre me ly s e ns itive individuals .
Corre s ponding airbag s afe ty pre cau-
tions are provide d on both s un vis ors
and the ins trume nt pane l (US mode ls ).
For additional information conce rning
the airbag s ys te m, re fe r to page s 139
and 176.
This is the corre ct way for a child to s it
in a child re s traint whe n s ide airbags
(arrow) are provide d.
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Airbags Child restraint systems*
This is the corre ct way for a large r child
to s it we aring the s afe ty be lt whe n s ide
airbags (arrow) are provide d.
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Be fore ins talling any child re s traint
de vice or child s e at, ple as e re ad
the following:
Ne ve r ins tall a re arward-facing child
re s traint s ys te m in the pas s e nge r s e at
of this car.
If the airbag de ploys and hits the back-
re s t of the re ar-facing child s e at (of the
kind de s igne d for infants unde r 1 ye ar
and 20 lbs ./9 kg), it is like ly that the
child s itting in the re ar-facing child s e at
will be s e rious ly injure d or kille d.
If it is ne ce s s ary for a child (not an in-
fant) to ride in the car, ce rtain pre cau-
tions s hould be take n. Firs t, move the
pas s e nge r s e at as far away from the
das hboard as pos s ible . This important
pre caution is inte nde d to maximize the
dis tance be twe e n the airbag and the
child. Olde r childre n s hould be tightly
s e cure d with the s afe ty be lt. Younge r
childre n s hould be s e cure d in an appro-
priate forward-facing child re s traint
s ys te m that has firs t be e n prope rly s e -
cure d with a s afe ty be lt.
In the inte re s t of the child's s afe ty,
ple as e re ad care fully and comply with
the ins tructions for ins tallation and us e
provide d by the child re s traint's manu-
facture r whe ne ve r your us e s uch a
de vice .
Do not allow childre n to le an out of a
child re s traint s ys te m toward the door
or das hboard, as othe rwis e s e rious in-
jurie s may re s ult if the airbag de ploys .
Always e ns ure that all occupants (of all
age s ) re main prope rly and s e cure ly re -
s traine d at all time s .
Re ad care fully and comply with the
s afe ty pre cautions cove ring s afe ty be lts
on page s 53 and 54. If you do not, the
prote ctive function of the s afe ty be lts
will be limite d.<
58nChild restraint systems*
Child restraint installation
The s afe ty be lt on the pas s e nge r s ide
can be locke d for mounting and s e cur-
ing child re s traint s ys te ms .
A labe l with ope rating ins tructions is
attache d to the be lt ne xt to the s liding
latch plate .
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To lock the belt
Extract the e ntire le ngth of the be lt from
the ine rtia re e l me chanis m. Allow the
re e l to re tract the be lt s ome what and
e ngage the buckle , the n tighte n the be lt
agains t the child re s traint s ys te m. The
re traction me chanis m is now locke d.
The be lt cannot be re tracte d furthe r.
Comply with the ins tallation ins tructions
provide d by the manufacture r of the
child re s traint s ys te m.
To release the belt
Re le as e the buckle , re move the child
re s traint s ys te m and allow the ine rtia
re e l to re tract the be lt comple te ly.
Z3 coupe, M coupe
For the us e of child re s traint s ys te ms
with a te the r s trap, an additional mount-
ing point is provide d in the coupe at the
right re ar on the roof frame . Attach the
te the r s trap hook to the mounting point.
Adjus t the te the r s trap according to the
child re s traint manufacture r's ins truc-
tions .
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Z3 coupe
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Steering/Ignition lock
0 Steering lock engaged
This is the only pos ition in which the
ignition ke y can be ins e rte d and re -
move d.
An acous tic warning s ounds whe n you
fail to re move the ignition ke y afte r
ope ning the drive r's door.
Afte r re moving the ke y, turn the s te e r-
ing whe e l s lightly to the le ft or right until
you he ar the lock e ngage .
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Ve hicle s with automatic trans mis s ion*:
Your ve hicle is e quippe d with an inte r-
lock. This me ans that the ignition ke y
can not be turne d to pos ition 0 and re -
move d until the s e le ctor le ve r is in pos i-
tion "P."
Furthe rmore , the s e le ctor le ve r is
locke d in pos ition "P" whe n the ignition
ke y is in pos ition 0 or re move d from the
ignition s witch.
To turn the ke y back to pos ition 0 or to
re move it, firs t move the s e le ctor le ve r
to pos ition "P."
1 Steering lock disengaged
You will ofte n find that it is e as ie r to turn
the ignition ke y from pos ition 0 to 1 if
you move the s te e ring whe e l s lightly to
he lp dis e ngage the de te nt.
Individual e le ctrical e quipme nt and
acce s s orie s are available for us e .
2 Ignition on
All e le ctrical e quipme nt and acce s s o-
rie s are available for us e .
3 Starting the engine
Ve hicle s with manual trans mis s ion:
Whe n s tarting, de pre s s the clutch,
s ince a lock othe rwis e pre ve nts the
e ngine from be ing s tarte d.
60n
Before starting
> Engage the parking brake .
> Be s ure that the trans mis s ion s e le c-
tor is in "Ne utral" (or "Park" if ve hicle
is e quippe d with automatic trans mis -
s ion).
> De pre s s the clutch pe dal.
Do not run the e ngine in e nclos e d
s pace s . The e xhaus t gas e s con-
tain carbon monoxide , an odorle s s and
colorle s s , but highly toxic gas . Bre ath-
ing the e xhaus t gas e s pos e s an e x-
tre me he alth ris k, and can le ad to un-
cons cious ne s s and de ath.
Do not le ave the car unatte nde d with
the e ngine running. An unatte nde d
ve hicle with a running e ngine re pre -
s e nts a pote ntial s afe ty hazard.<
Starting the engine
> Start the e ngine . Do not pre s s the
acce le rator pe dal.
Do not actuate the s tarte r for too
s hort a time . Do not turn it for
more than approx. 20 s e conds . Re le as e
the ignition ke y imme diate ly afte r the
e ngine s tarts . Do not allow the e ngine
to warm up by allowing it to run while
the ve hicle re mains s tationary. Ins te ad,
be gin driving imme diate ly at a mode r-
ate e ngine s pe e d.<
Should the e ngine fail to s tart on the
firs t atte mpt (if it is ve ry hot or cold, for
ins tance ):
> Pre s s the acce le rator pe dal halfway
down while e ngaging the s tarte r.
Cold s tarts at ve ry low te mpe rature s ,
from approx. +5 7 (15 6) and at
altitude s above approx. 3,300 ft
(1,000 me te rs ):
> On the firs t s tart atte mpt, e ngage the
s tarte r for a longe r pe riod (approx.
10 s e conds ).
> Pre s s the acce le rator pe dal halfway
down while e ngaging the s tarte r.
If the s e te mpe rature c onditions are an-
ticipate d for a longe r pe riod, have the
e ngine oil change d to a s pe cial oil (s e e
page 126). Ple as e contact your BMW
ce nte r for additional information.
Us ually, it is not ne ce s s ary to de pre s s
the acce le rator pe dal. Howe ve r, at high
altitude s or in ve ry hot or ve ry cold
we athe r, de pre s s the pe dal halfway
down whe n s tarting the e ngine .
Engine idle s pe e d is controlle d by the
e ngine compute r s ys te m. Incre as e d
s pe e ds at s tart-up are normal and
s hould de cre as e as the e ngine warms
up. If e ngine s pe e d doe s not de cre as e ,
s e rvice is re quire d.
To pre ve nt the batte ry from dis charg-
ing, always s witch off any acce s s orie s
which are not re quire d. Switch off the
ignition whe n the ve hicle is not be ing
drive n.
Starting the engine
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Switching off the engine Parking brake
Turn the ignition ke y to pos ition 1 or 0.
Ne ve r withdraw the ignition ke y
while the ve hicle is rolling. The
s te e ring locks and it is impos s ible to
s te e r the ve hicle .
Always re move the ignition ke y and e n-
gage the s te e ring lock be fore le aving
the ve hicle .
Always e ngage the parking brake whe n
parking on s lope s and incline d s ur-
face s , s ince placing the le ve r in 1s t
ge ar or re ve rs e may not provide ade -
quate re s is tance to rolling.
Ve hicle s with automatic trans mis s ion:
Place the s e le ctor le ve r in "Park."<
To engage
The lock e ngage s automatically whe n
you lift the le ve r, and the indicator lamp
in the ins trume nt pane l come s on whe n
the ignition ke y is in pos ition 2. Re fe r to
page 23.
To release
Pull up s lightly on the le ve r, pre s s the
button and lowe r the le ve r.
The parking brake is de s igne d primarily
to pre ve nt the ve hicle from rolling whe n
parke d. It ope rate s agains t the re ar
whe e ls .
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If, in e xce ptional circums tance s ,
it s hould be ne ce s s ary to e ngage
the parking brake while the ve hicle is
in motion, do not pull it with e xce s s ive
pre s s ure . Ke e p your thumb pre s s e d
agains t the re le as e button while care -
fully pulling up the le ve r to apply mod-
e rate pre s s ure . Exce s s ive pre s s ure can
le ad to ove rbraking and los s of traction
(fis htailing) at the re ar.
The brake lamps do not come on whe n
the parking brake is e ngage d.
Always e ngage the parking brake whe n
parking on s lope s and incline d s ur-
face s , s ince placing the le ve r in 1s t
ge ar or re ve rs e may not provide ade -
quate re s is tance to rolling.
Ve hicle s with automatic trans mis s ion:
Place the s e le ctor le ve r in "Park."<
To avoid corros ion, apply the parking
brake lightly from time to time whe n
coas ting to a s tands till (at a traffic s ig-
nal, for ins tance ), provide d that it is s afe
to do s o.
62nManual transmission
The s hift le ve r's ne utral plane is locate d
be twe e n 3rd and 4th ge ar.
Whe n s hifting from e ach ge ar into
"Ne utral," the s hift le ve r re turns auto-
matically to this ne utral pos ition be -
caus e of its s pring loading.
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Reverse
Se le ct re ve rs e only whe n the ve hicle is
s tationary. Pre s s the s hift le ve r to the
le ft to ove rcome the re s is tance .
As you do this , the backup lamps will
turn on automatically whe n the ignition
ke y is in pos ition 2.
Do not hold the ve hicle in place on
s lope s by s lipping or "riding" the
clutch. Us e the parking brake ins te ad. A
s lipping clutch incre as e s clutch we ar.<
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Automatic transmission*
Adaptive Transmission Control
ATC* (Z3 roadster 2.3, 2.8,
Z3 coupe)
The automatic trans mis s ion of your
BMW is e quippe d with an Adaptive
Trans mis s ion Control (ATC). This s ys -
te m re acts with pre cis ion to your indi-
vidual driving s tyle and the curre nt driv-
ing conditions . Diffe re nt s hift programs
are utilize d to achie ve this .
For de tails conce rning ATC, ple as e re fe r
to the chapte r de s cribing "Advance d
te chnology" on page 176.
Selector lever positions
P R N D 3 2 1
Shift programs
Pre s s the s witche s :
> E (Economy)
> M (Manual)
Se le ctor le ve r in pos ition 3:
> S (Sport Program)
Starting the engine
The e ngine can only be s tarte d in pos i-
tions "P" or "N."
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Range selection
A de te nt pre ve nts inadve rte nt s hifts to
the "Re ve rs e " or "Park" s e le ctor le ve r
pos itions . To dis e ngage the de te nt,
pre s s the button on the front s ide of the
s hift knob (arrow in the illus tration on
the le ft).
While the ve hicle is s tationary and
be fore s hifting out of "Park" or
"Ne utral," de pre s s the footbrake in
orde r to dis e ngage the s e le ctor le ve r's
lock me chanis m (Shiftlock).
Hold the footbrake down until s tarting
off. The ve hicle will othe rwis e "cre e p"
whe n a drive pos ition is e ngage d.<
Be fore e xiting the ve hicle whe n
the e ngine is running, place the
s e le ctor le ve r in the "Park" or "Ne utral"
pos ition and apply the parking brake . If
you do not, the ve hicle can move .
Do not le ave the car unatte nde d with
the e ngine running. An unatte nde d ve -
hicle with a running e ngine re pre s e nts a
pote ntial s afe ty hazard. If you s hould
accide ntally s e le ct "Ne utral" while trav-
e ling at high s pe e d, re move your foot
from the acce le rator pe dal imme diate ly.
Allow the e ngine s pe e d to drop to idle
be fore s e le cting the de s ire d drive pos i-
tion. Damage could othe rwis e occur
due to e xce s s ive e ngine s pe e d.<
64nAutomatic transmission*
P Park
Se le ct "Park" only whe n the ve hicle is
s tationary. The trans mis s ion locks to
pre ve nt the re ar whe e ls from turning.
R Reverse
Se le ct "Re ve rs e " only whe n the ve hicle
is s tationary.
N Neutral
Se le ct "Ne utral" only if your journe y is
inte rrupte d for a longe r pe riod.
D Drive (automatic shift
program)
This pos ition is de s igne d for driving
unde r all normal ope rating conditions .
All forward ge ars are available ; the
ATC* is fully ope rational.
3 Sport Program
This program is de s igne d for pe rfor-
mance -orie nte d driving. It e mploys de -
laye d s hift points for full utilization of
the ve hicle powe r re s e rve s .
2 and 1 Mountain ascents and
engine braking
Se le ct the s e range s to pre ve nt unde s -
ire d s hifts and us e the e ngine braking
e ffe ct to maximum advantage on moun-
tain roads or e xte nde d uphill and down-
hill s tre tche s . The trans mis s ion s hifts
up only as far as the s e le cte d ge ar.
Kickdown (automatic downshift)
In the "Kickdown" mode , you achie ve
the maximum e ngine pe rformance in
pos ition "D."
Pre s s the acce le rator pe dal pas t the
incre as e d re s is tance point at the full-
throttle pos ition.
E Economy
For e conomical driving. This is the initial
pos ition whe ne ve r the e ngine is s tarte d.
M Manual program
This program is for driving conditions
unde r which the s e le cte d ge ar is to be
re taine d. The trans mis s ion the n re -
mains in this ge ar both whe n s tarting off
and during acce le ration. With this pro-
gram, you drive only in 4th ge ar whe n in
pos ition "D."
Electronic transmission control
module
If the indicator lamp come s on,
the re is a malfunction in the
trans mis s ion s ys te m.
Bring the ve hicle to a s top, s e le ct trans -
mis s ion pos ition "Park," s e t the parking
brake and turn the e ngine off (ignition
ke y to pos ition 0). Wait a fe w s e conds ,
the n s tart the e ngine .
If the indicator lamp goe s out again afte r
a fe w s e conds , normal trans mis s ion
pe rformance has be e n re s tore d. Con-
tinue to drive normally.
If the indicator lamp doe s not go out, all
s e le ctor le ve r pos itions can s till be s e -
le cte d. Howe ve r, the ve hicle has limite d
pe rformance in the forward drive pos i-
tions be caus e the trans mis s ion utilize s
only 3rd ge ar (pos ition 1 or 2) or 4th
ge ar (pos ition 3 or "D").
In this s ituation, avoid s e ve re loads and
take the car to the ne are s t BMW ce nte r
without de lay.
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Automatic transmission* Turn signals/High beams
Do not pe rform s e rvice ope rations
in the e ngine compartme nt with a
drive pos ition e ngage d. If you do s o,
the ve hicle could move .<
For towing and jump-s tarting, re fe r to
page s 170 and 172.
1 High be am (blue indicator)
2 He adlamp flas he r (blue indicator)
3 Turn s ignal indicator (gre e n indicator
lamp and rhythmic clicking of the
blinke r re lay)
If the indicator lamp and the clicking
from the re lay are both fas te r than nor-
mal, one of the turn indicators has
faile d.
3
6
7
u
s
0
2
4
To signal briefly
Pre s s the le ve r up to but not be yond
the de te nt. It the n re turns to the ce nte r
pos ition whe n re le as e d.
66nWiper/Washer system
Windshield
0 Wipe rs re tracte d
1 Inte rmitte nt wipe
2 Normal wipe
3 Fas t wipe
4 Brie f wipe
5 Automatic window was he r
Rear window
Z3 coupe, M coupe only
6 Inte rmitte nt wipe /
Automatic window was he r
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0 Wipers retracted
The wipe rs are partially hidde n be hind
the hood. To bring the wipe rs up into
the ir ve rtical pos ition (important whe n
changing the blade s , or folding up
whe n fros t is e xpe cte d):
Switch on the wipe rs and s witch off the
ignition whe n the wipe rs are approxi-
mate ly ve rtical.
Fold the wipe rs down onto the
winds hie ld be fore turning on the
ignition ke y. Failure to do this could re -
s ult in damage to the wipe r/was he r s ys -
te m and hood.<
1 Intermittent wipe
The le ngth of the inte rval is varie d auto-
matically according to the car's actual
road s pe e d.
2 Normal wiper speed
The wipe rs automatically re ve rt to inte r-
mitte nt ope ration whe n the ve hicle is
s tationary.
3 Fast wiper speed
Whe n the ve hicle is s tationary, the s ys -
te m doe s not s witch to a lowe r wipe r
s pe e d.
4 Brief wipe
The wipe rs move once acros s the wind-
s hie ld.
5 Automatic windshield washer
The s ys te m s prays was he r fluid agains t
the winds hie ld and activate s the wipe rs
for a brie f pe riod.
If you only pull the le ve r brie fly, the s ys -
te m s prays was he r fluid onto the wind-
s hie ld without activating the wipe rs .
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Wiper/Washer system Rear window defroster
6 Intermittent wipe/
Automatic rear window washer
Pre s s the le ve r brie fly:
The inte rmitte nt s e tting of the re ar win-
dow wipe r is s witche d on or off.
Pre s s and hold the le ve r:
The s ys te m s prays was he r fluid agains t
the re ar window and activate s the
wipe r. Afte r the le ve r is re le as e d, the
wipe r continue s to cycle for a fe w s e c-
onds .
To change the wipe r blade s , re fe r to
page 146.
Headlamp washers*
If the he adlamps are on, the y will als o
be cle ane d e ve ry fifth time you activate
the automatic winds hie ld was he r.
Do not us e the was he rs if the re is
any dange r that the fluid will fre e ze
on the winds hie ld, othe rwis e vis ion
could be obs cure d. For this re as on, us e
an antifre e ze age nt. Re fe r to page 124.
Do not us e the was he rs whe n the re s e r-
voir is e mpty, othe rwis e damage to the
was he r pump could re s ult.<
Windshield washer jets
The winds hie ld was he r je ts are he ate d
automatically* whe n the ignition ke y is
in pos ition 2.
The Z3 coupe (illus tration) and M coupe
both have a re ar window de fros te r.
s witche s may vary. Ple as e re fe r to the
individual s ymbol for s e le cting the
To activate
Pre s s the button, the indicator lamp
come s on.
To deactivate
Pre s s the button if the indicator lamp is
on.
M coupe : Activation duration:
8 minute s maximum.<
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Z3 coupe , M coupe
68nCruise control*
You can s tore and automatically main-
tain any de s ire d ve hicle s pe e d above
approx. 25 mph (40 km/h).
The s ys te m is s witche d off and the
s tore d s pe e d de le te d from its me mory
whe n you turn the ignition ke y to pos i-
tion 0.
To store and maintain speed/
to accelerate
Pre s s the le ve r brie fly in dire ction 1:
The s ys te m re cords and maintains the
curre nt ve hicle s pe e d. Eve ry time you
brie fly pre s s the le ve r, the s pe e d in-
cre as e s by approx. 0.6 mph (1 km/h).
3
6
5
u
s
0
5
9
Hold the le ve r in pos ition 1:
The ve hicle acce le rate s without pre s -
s ure on the acce le rator pe dal. Whe n
you re le as e the le ve r, the s ys te m me m-
orize s and maintains the curre nt s pe e d.
If, on a downhill gradie nt, the
e ngine braking e ffe ct is not s uffi-
cie nt, the controlle d s pe e d can be
e xce e de d. Spe e d can drop on uphill
grade s if the e ngine output is ins uffi-
cie nt.<
To decelerate
If you are alre ady driving with active
cruis e control, the s pe e d is de cre as e d
by approx. 0.6 mph (1 km/h) e ve ry time
you brie fly touch the le ve r.
Hold the le ve r in pos ition 2:
With the cruis e control active , the s ys -
te m automatically re duce s the throttle
ope ning to s low the ve hicle . Whe n you
re le as e the le ve r, the s ys te m me mo-
rize s and maintains the curre nt s pe e d.
Activate stored setting (resume)
The ve hicle acce le rate s to and main-
tains the las t s pe e d s tore d.
To cancel
The cruis e control is de activate d imme -
diate ly.
In addition, the s ys te m is als o automati-
cally de activate d in re s pons e to the fol-
lowing conditions :
> Whe n you apply the brake s
> Whe n you de pre s s the clutch or move
the automatic trans mis s ion s e le ctor
le ve r from "D" to "N"
> If you e xce e d or fall be low the pro-
gramme d s pe e d for an e xte nde d pe -
riod (by de pre s s ing the acce le rator,
for e xample ).
Do not us e cruis e control on twis t-
ing roads , whe n high traffic de n-
s ity pre ve nts driving at a cons tant
s pe e d, whe n the road s urface is s lick
(s now, rain, ice ), or whe n the road s ur-
face is loos e (rocks or grave l, s and).<
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1 Odometer
You can activate the dis plays s hown in
the illus tration with the ignition ke y in
pos ition 0 by pre s s ing the button in the
ins trume nt clus te r (arrow).
2 Trip odometer
To re s e t the trip odome te r to ze ro,
pre s s the button (arrow) with the igni-
tion ke y in pos ition 1 and up.
3
6
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s
3
4
7
Ne ve r allow the e ngine to ope rate with
the ne e dle in the re d ove rs pe e d s e ctor
of the gauge .
To prote ct the e ngine , the Engine Man-
age me nt s ys te m automatically inte r-
rupts the fue l s upply in this range ; you
will notice a los s of powe r.
3
6
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0
5
Whe n you s witch on the ignition, the
indicator lamp come s on brie fly to con-
firm that the s ys te m is ope rational.
Once the indicator lamp s tays on con-
tinuous ly, the re are s till approx. 2.1 gal-
lons (8 lite rs ) of fue l in the fue l tank.
Tank capacity: Page 185.
If the tilt of the ve hicle varie s (e xte nde d
driving in mountainous are as , for
e xample ), the ne e dle may fluctuate
s lightly.
Ple as e re fue l e arly, s ince driving
to the las t drop of fue l can re s ult in
damage to the e ngine and/or catalytic
conve rte r.<
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Odometer Tachometer Fuel gauge
70nTemperature gauge Service Interval Display
Blue
The e ngine is s till cold. Drive at mode r-
ate e ngine and ve hicle s pe e ds .
Red
Whe n you s witch on the ignition, the
warning lamp come s on brie fly to con-
firm that the s ys te m is ope rational.
Come s on while driving: The e ngine is
ove rhe ate d. Switch off the e ngine im-
me diate ly and allow it to cool down.
3
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7
Between the blue and red zones
Normal ope rating range . It is not un-
us ual for the ne e dle to ris e as far as the
e dge of the re d zone in re s pons e to
high outs ide te mpe rature s or s e ve re
ope rating conditions .
Che cking coolant le ve l: Page 128.
Green lamps
The numbe r of illuminate d lamps de -
cre as e s as the time for your ne xt main-
te nance vis it approache s .
Yellow lamp
This fie ld appe ars toge the r with
OILSERVICE or INSPECTION.
This ale rts you that mainte nance is due .
Ple as e arrange for an appointme nt with
your BMW ce nte r.
Red lamp
Mainte nance is ove rdue .
3
6
7
u
s
3
4
6
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Auxiliary instruments, M roadster, M coupe
Motor oil temperature
Unde r normal ope rating conditions , the
te mpe rature of the e ngine oil is be -
twe e n 175 7 and 250 7 (80 6 and
120 6). During pe rformance -orie nte d
driving, do not e xce e d the maximum
te mpe rature of 265 7 (130 6).
Until the oil te mpe rature re ache s
140 7 (60 6), do not e xce e d an
e ngine s pe e d of 4,000 RPM.
3
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0
3
Analog clock
To adjus t the time on the clock, s imulta-
ne ous ly pre s s and turn the button in the
ce nte r.
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8
0
Voltmeter
The dis play is provide d at ignition ke y
pos ition 1 and above .
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4
8
72nDigital clock, Z3 coupe Analog clock, Z3 roadster
pos ition 1 and above . In ignition ke y
pos ition 0 and whe n the ve hicle lighting
is off, the dis play is not illuminate d.
Afte r a powe r los s , 0:00 appe ars in the
dis play.
Time e ntrie s are made with the ke y
for s e tting the hour and with the
ke y for s e tting the minute s .
Each time a ke y is pre s s e d, the dis play
is incre as e d by one . Holding down the
ke y s tarts the rapid advance . The time
be gins to run e xactly on the s e cond
e ach time is pre s s e d.
3
6
7
u
s
0
8
0
Z3 coupe
To corre ct the time :
De pe nding on the corre ction, pre s s the
ke y for hours or the ke y for
minute s .
Switching the time dis play into the
12 or 24-hour mode :
If you pre s s the and ke ys s i-
multane ous ly, the dis play conve rts from
the 12-hour mode to the 24-hour mode .
Whe n you s e le ct the 12-hour mode , AM
or PM will appe ar to the right of the
time .
You can corre ct the time by pre s s ing
the buttons (arrows ) with a s harp obje ct
s uch as a ball-point pe n.
Se t the clock forward by pre s s ing the
right button; s e t the clock back by
pre s s ing the le ft button.
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8
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Z3 roads te r
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Onboard computer*
Mode selection
You can call up the onboard compute r
data in the dis play from ignition s witch
pos ition 1 with the turn indicator le ve r.
Pre s s the button brie fly to s e le ct the
ne xt dis play mode .
In addition, you can change the time by
pre s s ing the ke y.
With the ke y, the calculations for
ave rage fue l cons umption and s pe e d
are re s e t and be gin again.
3
6
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u
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4
1
The illus tration de picts the on-
board compute r of the Z3 coupe
as an e xample . The onboard compute r
of the Z3 roads te r has minor diffe r-
e nce s in appe arance .<
Time
pos ition 1 and above . In ignition ke y
pos ition 0, the time is dis playe d for
approx. 8 s e conds by pre s s ing the
ke y.
Following a powe r los s , the clock auto-
matically s witche s to the s e tting mode :
The colon flas he s . Two das he s are dis -
playe d for e nte ring the hour.
3
6
7
u
s
0
4
0
Z3 coupe
To enter the time
Ente r the numbe rs for hours and min-
ute s by pre s s ing the ke y.
Ente r the hour firs t. Each time the ke y is
pre s s e d, the hour dis play incre as e s by
one . Pre s s ing and holding the ke y
s tarts the rapid advance .
Confirm the time s e t with the ke y.
Now e nte r the minute s whe n two ze ros
appe ar.
Ente r the minute s in the s ame manne r
as the hours .
Pre s s the s ave ke y : The time is
s tarte d e xactly on the s e cond. The two
dots s top flas hing.
To reset the time
Pre s s and hold the ke y for approx.
3 s e conds : Ente r the hour whe n the co-
lon be gins to flas h.
Ente r the numbe rs by pre s s ing the
ke y in the s ame manne r as whe n e nte r-
ing the time .
74nOnboard computer*
Setting the 12-hour or 24-hour
mode
Pre s s and hold the ke ys s imul-
tane ous ly for approx. 1 s e cond.
The n pre s s the ke y. Now, the mode
change s from 12 to 24 hours whe ne ve r
you pre s s the ke y.
Whe n you s e le ct the 12-hour mode ,
AM or PM will appe ar on the right-hand
s ide of the dis play pane l.
The las t mode s e le cte d is adopte d
whe n you pre s s or automatically
s tore d approx. 5 s e conds afte r the las t
s e tting.
Outside temperature
If the outs ide te mpe rature drops to
approx. +37.5 7 (+3 6), a warning
s ignal s ounds (ice warning). The te m-
pe rature dis play appe ars automatically
and flas he s for 8 s e conds .
The warning is re pe ate d whe ne ve r the
te mpe rature climbs to at le as t +43 7
(+6 6) and the n drops to +37.5 7
(+3 6) again.
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7
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4
2
Z3 coupe
The ice warning doe s not alte r the
fact that s urface ice can form at
te mpe rature s above +37.5 7 (+3 6),
on bridge s or s hade d road s urface s , for
ins tance.<
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Onboard computer*
Average fuel consumption
The computation is made whe n the e n-
gine is running. Pe riods whe n the ve hi-
cle is parke d and the e ngine is not run-
ning are not include d.
Ne w computation:
Whe n this function has be e n activate d
and you pre s s the ke y, the fue l
cons umption is re calculate d from that
point in time .
3
6
7
u
s
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4
3
Z3 coupe
Estimated cruising range
The compute r bas e s its calculations of
the cruis ing range on the rate of fue l
cons umption in the pe riod imme diate ly
pre ce ding your data re que s t.
Whe n thre e das he s flas h in the dis play,
the cruis ing range is be low 9 mile s
(15 km). You s hould re fue l as s oon as
pos s ible .
Re fue ling is re gis te re d by the onboard
compute r with the ignition ke y in pos i-
tion 1 or highe r.
If the ve hicle has be e n parke d at
an angle , the cruis ing range can-
not be dis playe d accurate ly. The dis -
play will be corre cte d while the ve hicle
is moving.<
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6
7
u
s
0
4
4
Z3 coupe
Average speed
Pe riods whe n the ve hicle is parke d and
the e ngine is not running are not in-
clude d in the computation.
At s pe e ds be low 100 mph (100 km/h),
the dis play include s de cimals .
Ne w computation:
Whe n this function has be e n activate d
and you pre s s the ke y, the ave rage
s pe e d is re calculate d from that point in
time .
3
6
7
u
s
0
4
5
Z3 coupe
76n
Traction (ASC+T)/Dynamic
Stability Control (DSC)*
This s ys te m he lps provide additional
dynamic s tability, particularly whe n
acce le rating and corne ring.
The DSC e nhance s the be ne fits of the
ASC+T. In addition to optimizing ve hi-
cle s tability and traction during acce le r-
ation or whe n s tarting from a s tands till,
a furthe r be ne fit is re alize d in corne ring.
This , of cours e , is true only within
phys ically fe as ible limits .
The s ys te m activate s automatically
e ach time you s tart the e ngine .
Indicator lamp
The indicator lamp in the ins tru-
me nt clus te r goe s out s hortly
afte r you s witch on the ignition.
Re fe r to page 24.
Indicator lamp flas he s :
The s ys te m is active ly re gulating drive
torque in re s pons e to monitore d ve hicle
ope rating conditions .
If the indicator lamp fails to go out afte r
the e ngine is s tarte d, or come s on dur-
ing the cours e of normal ve hicle ope ra-
tion:
The re is a s ys te m fault or the s ys te m
has be e n s witche d off. The ve hicle re -
mains ope rational, but without ASC+T/
DSC.
For re pairs , ple as e cons ult your BMW
ce nte r.
To deactivate the system
Pre s s the s witch (arrow) the indicator
lamp come s on and s tays on.
De pe nding on e quipme nt options , the
button is marke d with ASC or DSC.
The illus tration de picts the button
for the Z3 roads te r. De pe nding on
the ve hicle mode l, the arrange me nt and
appe arance of the button may vary.
Ple as e re fe r to the s pe cific s witch s ym-
bols for s e le cting the de s ire d function.<
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0
1
Z3 roads te r
ASC+T/DSC*
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ASC+T/DSC* Parking lamps/Low beam
In the following e xce ptional circum-
s tance s , we re comme nd that you de ac-
tivate the ASC+T/DSC s ys te m:
> Whe n "rocking" the ve hicle to fre e it
or whe n s tarting from a full s top in
de e p s now or on loos e s urface s
> or whe n driving with s now chains .
Re fe r als o to page 105.
To reactivate the system
Pre s s the button again; the indicator
lamp goe s out.
Not e ve n ASC+T/DSC can s us -
pe nd the normal laws of phys ics .
A driving s tyle that is appropriate for the
conditions is always the re s pons ibility
of the drive r. For this re as on, do not
take ris ks , us ing the additional s afe ty
margin provide d by the s ys te m as an
e xcus e .<
For additional de tails conce rning
ASC+T/DSC, ple as e re fe r to the chap-
te r title d "Advance d te chnology" on
page 177.
Parking lamps (position lamps/
side marker lamps)
Pos ition 1
With the s witch in this pos ition,
ve hicle lighting on both s ide s is on.
Low beam headlamps
Pos ition 2
Whe n you s witch the ignition off
while the low be ams are s till on,
only the parking lamps (pos ition lamps /
s ide marke r lamps ) re main on.
Instrument panel lighting
With the lamp s witch in the "On" pos i-
tion, turn the s witch to adjus t the illumi-
nation inte ns ity.
3
6
7
u
s
0
2
1
"LIGHTS ON" warning
Whe n you ope n the drive r's door afte r
turning the ignition ke y to pos ition 0,
a warning s ignal s ounds for a fe w s e c-
onds to re mind you that the he adlamps
have not be e n s witche d off.
Daytime running lamps*
The he adlamps are automatically
s witche d on for daylight driving at igni-
tion ke y pos ition 2.
78nFog lamps Interior lamps
Front fog lamps*
A gre e n indicator lamp appe ars
in the ins trume nt clus te r to
indicate that the front fog lamps
are on.
It is not pos s ible to s witch on the front
fog lamps toge the r with the high
be ams .
3
6
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u
s
0
2
3
1 Continuous ly off
2 Automatically controlle d
3 Continuous ly on
3
6
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2
6
Z3 coupe, M coupe front
1 Continuous ly on
2 Continuous ly off
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1
7
Z3 coupe , M coupe
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Interior lamps Reading lamps
Z3 coupe, M coupe rear
1 Continuous ly on
2 Continuous ly off
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6
Z3 coupe , M coupe
The Z3 coupe and M coupe have re ad-
ing lamps :
1 Continuous ly on
2 Continuous ly off
In orde r to cons e rve the batte ry,
all of the lamps in the ve hicle are
s witche d off automatically about
15 minute s afte r the ignition ke y is
turne d to pos ition 0.<
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1
8
Z3 coupe , M coupe
80n
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Heating and ventilation
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1 Air flow toward the winds hie ld and
s ide windows
2 Air flow toward uppe r body
The rotary dials allow infinite ly-vari-
able re gulation of the air s upply. You
can change the airflow dire ction with
the le ve r in the ce nte r of the ve nt or
by rotating the ve nt grille 82
3 Front footwe ll ve ntilation
4 Air dis tribution onto the
> windows
> uppe r body
> footwe ll
All inte rme diate pos itions are
pos s ible 82
5 Te mpe rature 82
6 Air s upply
The he ating and ve ntilation are ope r-
ational be ginning with pos ition 1 82
82nHeating and ventilation
Air distribution
You can dire ct the flow of air
onto the windows , toward
the uppe r body and into the
footwe ll . Any inte rme diate s e tting is
pos s ible . In this pos ition , a s mall
volume of air is dire cte d onto the win-
dows in orde r to ke e p the m fre e of con-
de ns ation.
A "6 o'clock" pos ition is re comme nde d
as the normal ope rating s e tting.
Temperature
In orde r to incre as e the te mpe r-
ature of the pas s e nge r compart-
me nt, turn to the right (re d). For
rapid he ating, turn comple te ly to the
right. The n s e le ct an inte rior te mpe ra-
ture which is comfortable for you.
Air supply
You can s e le ct blowe r s pe e ds
from 1 to 4. Both he ating and
ve ntilation be come more e ffe c-
tive as the air flow rate is incre as e d. In
pos ition 0, the blowe r and the he ate r
are s witche d off.
Draft-free ventilation
The outle ts for the occupants ' uppe r
body are a can be adjus te d to s uit your
pe rs onal pre fe re nce s :
Us e the rotary dial (2) to ope n and clos e
the ve nt throughout an infinite ly-vari-
able range . With the le ve rs (1), you can
dire ct the air flow to the s ide . Adjus t the
air flow up or down by rotating the ve nt
grill.
Se t the outle ts s o that the air flows pas t
you and is not dire cte d s traight at you.
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Rapid ventilation
1 Se t the blowe r s pe e d control for the
air flow rate to pos ition 4.
2 Turn the rotary te mpe rature control
comple te ly to the le ft (blue ). The n s e -
le ct an inte rior te mpe rature which is
ple as ant for you.
3 Rotary control for air dis tribution in
pos ition .
4 Ope n the outle ts for the uppe r body
are a.
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Rapid heat-up
comple te ly to the right (re d). The n s e -
le ct an inte rior te mpe rature which is
ple as ant for you.
3 Rotary dial for air dis tribution in pos i-
tion .
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Heating
This s e tting is re comme nde d if the win-
dows are fre e of ice or conde ns ation:
2 Us e the rotary te mpe rature control to
s e le ct an inte rior te mpe rature which
is comfortable for you.
pos ition .
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To defrost the windshield and
side windows
comple te ly to the right (re d).
pos ition .
4 To de fros t the re ar window on the
coupe , s witch on the re ar window
de fros te r.
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84nHeating and ventilation/Air conditioning*
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Heating and ventilation/Air conditioning*
1 Air flow toward the winds hie ld and
s ide windows
2 Air flow toward uppe r body
The rotary dials allow infinite ly-vari-
able re gulation of the air s upply. You
can change the airflow dire ction with
the le ve r in the ce nte r of the ve nt or
by rotating the ve nt grille 87
3 Front footwe ll ve ntilation
4 Air dis tribution onto the
> windows
> uppe r body
> footwe ll
All inte rme diate pos itions are
pos s ible 86
5 Te mpe rature 86
6 Air s upply
The he ating and ve ntilation are ope r-
ational be ginning with pos ition 1 86
7 Air conditioning 86
8 Re circulate d air mode 86
Air distribution
You can dire ct the flow of air
onto the windows , toward
the uppe r body and into the
footwe ll . Any inte rme diate s e tting is
pos s ible . In this pos ition , a s mall
volume of air is dire cte d onto the win-
dows in orde r to ke e p the m fre e of con-
de ns ation.
A "6 o'clock" pos ition is re comme nde d
as the normal ope rating s e tting.
Temperature
In orde r to incre as e the te mpe r-
ature of the pas s e nge r compart-
me nt, turn to the right (re d). For
rapid he ating, turn comple te ly to the
right. The n s e le ct an inte rior te mpe ra-
ture which is comfortable for you.
Air supply
You can s e le ct blowe r s pe e ds
from 1 to 4. Both he ating and
ve ntilation be come more e ffe c-
tive as the air flow rate is incre as e d. In
pos ition 0, the blowe r and the he ate r
are s witche d off.
De pe nding on the ve hicle mode l,
the arrange me nt and appe arance
of the s witche s may vary. Ple as e re fe r
to the s pe cific s witch s ymbols for s e -
le cting the de s ire d function.<
Air conditioning
The air is coole d and de humidi-
fie d and de pe nding on the
te mpe rature s e tting warme d
again whe n the air conditione r s ys te m
is s witche d on. De pe nding on the
we athe r, the winds hie ld may fog ove r
brie fly whe n the e ngine is s tarte d.
At outs ide te mpe rature s be low approx.
41 7 (+5 6), s witch off the air condi-
tioning. This will he lp to pre ve nt the
windows from fogging up.
If the windows fog ove r afte r s witching
the air conditioning off, s witch it back
on.
Conde ns ation forms in the air
conditione r s ys te m during ope ra-
tion, which the n e xits unde r the ve hicle .
Trace s of conde ns e d wate r of this kind
are thus normal.<
Recirculated air mode
If the re are unple as ant odors in
the outs ide air, you can te mpo-
rarily block the flow of air. The
s ys te m the n re circulate s the air cur-
re ntly within the ve hicle .
If the windows fog ove r in the
re circulate d air mode , s witch this
mode off and incre as e the air s upply as
re quire d.<
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Heating and ventilation/Air conditioning*
Draft-free ventilation
The outle ts for the occupants ' uppe r
body are a can be adjus te d to s uit your
pe rs onal pre fe re nce s :
Us e the rotary dial (2) to ope n and clos e
the ve nt throughout an infinite ly-vari-
able range . With the le ve rs (1) you can
dire ct the air flow to the s ide , and up or
down by rotating the ve nt grill.
Se t the outle ts s o that the air flows pas t
you and is not dire cte d s traight at you.
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The illus tration de picts the
s witche s of the Z3 coupe an
e xample . De pe nding on the ve hicle
mode l, the arrange me nt and appe ar-
ance of the s witche s may vary. Ple as e
re fe r to the s pe cific s ymbols for s witch
functions .<
Rapid ventilation
2 Switch on the air conditioning*.
comple te ly to the le ft (blue ). The n
is ple as ant for you.
pos ition .
are a.
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Z3 coupe
Cooling
2 Switch on the air conditioning*.
pos ition .
are a.
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Heating
This s e tting is re comme nde d if the win-
dows are fre e of ice or conde ns ation:
pos ition .
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Z3 coupe
Rapid heat-up
comple te ly to the right (re d). The n
is ple as ant for you.
3 Rotary dial for air dis tribution in pos i-
tion .
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Z3 coupe
To defrost the windshield and
side windows
comple te ly to the right (re d).
pos ition .
4 To de fros t the re ar window on the
coupe , s witch on the re ar window
de fros te r.
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Z3 coupe
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Seat heating*
The illus tration de picts the
s witche s of the Z3 roads te r as an
e xample . De pe nding on the ve hicle
mode l, the arrange me nt and appe ar-
ance of the s witche s may vary. Ple as e
re fe r to the s pe cific s witch s ymbols for
the de s ire d function.<
The s e at cus hion and backre s t can be
he ate d at ignition ke y pos ition 2.
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Z3 roads te r
Pre s s the s witche s with the he ating
s ymbols :
Rapid he at-up as long as the
s witch come s on brightly. Auto-
matic change ove r to re gular
he ating.
He ating as long as the s witch
come s on brightly. He ating
s witche s off automatically.
To s witch ove r while he ating:
Pre s s the s e ction of the s witch
that is dimly lit.
To s witch off e arly: Pre s s the s e ction of
the s witch that is brightly lit.
90n
To open
Pull the handle and pus h down the
door.
To close
Pus h the door up.
To pre ve nt injury in the e ve nt of
an accide nt, clos e the glove com-
partme nt imme diate ly afte r us e .<
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Storage compartme nts are locate d in
the ce nte r cons ole , in the doors and, on
the Z3 coupe and M coupe , be twe e n
the backre s ts (re fe r to the illus tration).
A coin box* is locate d in the door
pocke t on the drive r's s ide .
A s torage ne t is mounte d on the pas -
s e nge r s ide of the ce nte r cons ole .
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Z3 coupe , M coupe
The Z3 roads te r and M roads te r have
locking s torage boxe s *:
Small storage box
Pre s s button 1 to ope n the box.
Large storage box
Pre s s button 3 and lift the lid of the box.
Both of the s torage boxe s can be
locke d with the mas te r ke ys (re fe r to
page 34) at lock 2.
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Glove compartment Additional storage areas Storage boxes*
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Beverage holder* Ashtray*
The be ve rage holde r is locate d in the
ce nte r cons ole ne xt to the parking
brake .
You will find a coin box* in front of the
be ve rage holde rs .
In the M roads te r and M coupe , the
coin box is locate d in the door pocke t
on the drive r's s ide .
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To open
Pre s s down on the le ft of the lid (arrow).
To e xtinguis h a cigare tte , tap off the
as h and ge ntly pre s s the tip into the
funne l.
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To empty
Ope n the lid and pre s s down (arrow):
The as htray ins e rt pops up and can be
re move d.
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92nCigarette lighter*
Pre s s in. Re move as s oon as the lighte r
pops up.
Hold or touch the hot cigare tte
lighte r by the knob only. Holding
or touching it in othe r are as could re s ult
in burns .
The cigare tte lighte r re mains ope ra-
tional whe n the ignition ke y has be e n
re move d. For this re as on, childre n
s hould ne ve r be le ft in the car unat-
te nde d.<
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Cigarette lighter socket
This s ocke t can be us e d for conne cting
a as hlight, car vacuum cle ane r, or
othe r appliance s up to approx.
200 watts at 12 volts . Do not damage
the s ocke t by ins e rting plugs of a diffe r-
e nt s hape or s ize.
Non-smoker's equipment
package*
On ve hicle s with the non-s moke r's
e quipme nt package , the s ocke t is con-
ce ale d by a cove r.
For acce s s to the s ocke t: Lift the cove r
off.
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Pull out the roll-up cove r and hook it
into the holde rs at the re ar.
The roll-up cove r can carry light ite ms
s uch as article s of clothing.
Do not place he avy or hard ob-
je cts on the roll-up cove r. The s e
obje cts could e ndange r ve hicle occu-
pants during he avy brake applications
and e vas ive action or in a cras h.
Do not allow the roll-up cove r to s nap
back whe n it is re tracte d. This could
damage it.<
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Z3 coupe , M coupe
Pull the s e paration ne t out by the s trap.
Gras p the bar on both s ide s and e n-
gage it in the holde rs .
Do not allow the s e paration ne t to
s nap back whe n it is re tracte d. If
this is done , the re is a ris k of pe rs onal
injury, and the s e paration ne t could be
damage d.<
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Roll-up cover Separation net*
94nCargo loading
Stowing cargo
If you are trans porting cargo in your
coupe :
> Load he avy cargo as far forward as
pos s ible dire ctly be hind the lug-
gage compartme nt partition and as
low as pos s ible .
> Cove r s harp e dge s and corne rs .
> Do not pile obje cts highe r than the
top e dge of the backre s t.
> Pull the s e paration ne t* out (re fe r to
page 93). Be s ure that no ite ms are
able to pe ne trate the s e paration ne t.
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Z3 coupe , M coupe
Securing the load
For s e curing s uitcas e s , you can obtain
load-s e curing de vice s * from your BMW
ce nte r. The las hing e ye s locate d in the
luggage compartme nt s e rve for mount-
ing the s e load-s e curing de vice s .
Comply with the information e nclos e d
with the load-s e curing de vice s .
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Z3 coupe , M coupe
Always pos ition and s e cure the
load corre ctly. If you do not, it can
e ndange r the pas s e nge rs during brak-
ing or e vas ive mane uve rs , for e xample .
Do not e xce e d the pe rmis s ible gros s
we ight and the pe rmis s ible axle loads
(re fe r to page 184). If you do s o, the
ope rating s afe ty of the ve hicle is no
longe r e ns ure d, and you are in violation
of the law.
Do not carry hard or he avy obje cts un-
s e cure d in the pas s e nge r compartme nt.
If you do s o, the y may be proje cte d
through the air during braking and e va-
s ive mane uve rs , for e xample , thus e n-
dange ring ve hicle occupants .<
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Roof-mounted luggage rack
A s pe cial luggage s ys te m is available
for your coupe as an optional acce s -
s ory. Ple as e comply with the pre cau-
tions include d with the ins tallation in-
s tructions .
Be caus e roof racks rais e the ce nte r of
gravity of the car whe n loade d, the y
e xe rcis e a major e ffe ct on its handling
and s te e ring re s pons e .
You s hould the re fore always re me mbe r
not to e xce e d the approve d roof we ight,
the approve d gros s ve hicle we ight or
the axle we ights whe n loading the rack.
You will find the s pe cifications for this
unde r "Te chnical Data" on page 184.
Make s ure that the load is not too he avy,
and atte mpt to dis tribute it e ve nly.
Always load the he avie s t pie ce s firs t
(on the bottom). Be s ure that ade quate
cle arance is maintaine d for rais ing the
s unroof, and that obje cts do not proje ct
into the ope ning path of the luggage
compartme nt lid.
Las h the roof luggage down corre ctly
and s e cure ly to pre ve nt it from s hifting
or be ing los t during driving this would
e ndange r following traffic.
Drive s moothly and avoid s udde n
acce le ration or braking. Do not corne r
at high s pe e ds .
The roof load incre as e s the ae rody-
namic re s is tance . Incre as e d fue l con-
s umption and additional s tre s s e s on the
ve hicle 's body re s ult from this .
96n
Overview
Operation, care
and maintenance
Technical data
Index
Advanced technology
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Special operating instructions:
Bre ak-in proce dure 98
Driving note s 99
(ABS) 101
Dis c brake s 103
Brake s ys te m 104
Winte r ope ration 105
Ce llular phone 107
Hardtop roads te r 108
Wheels and tires:
Note s on inflation pre s s ure 110
Tire condition 110
Tire rotation 113
Whe e l and tire
combinations 113
Winte r tire s 115
Snow chains 115
Approve d whe e l and tire
s pe cifications 116
In the engine compartment:
Hood 119
Fluids for the was he r
s ys te ms 124
Was he r nozzle s 124
Engine oil 125
Coolant 128
Brake fluid 130
Ve hicle Ide ntification 130
Care and maintenance:
The BMW Mainte nance
Sys te m 131
Caring for your car 132
Airbags 139
Storing your ve hicle 140
Laws and regulations:
Te chnical modifications to the
ve hicle 141
OBD conne ctor 142
Car car e
98n
To e ns ure that your ve hicle provide s
maximum e conomy throughout a long
s e rvice life , we re que s t that you ob-
s e rve the following:
Engine and differential
Up to 1,200 mile s (2,000 km):
Drive with varying e ngine and road
s pe e ds , but do not e xce e d 4,500 RPM
or 100 mph (150 km/h).
Comply with local and s tate maximum
s pe e d limits .
Re frain from us ing full throttle and avoid
pre s s ing the acce le rator be yond the
kickdown point.
Afte r you have drive n 1,200 mile s
(2,000 km), you can gradually incre as e
the e ngine and road s pe e ds .
You s hould als o comply with the s e
bre ak-in proce dure s if the e ngine or dif-
fe re ntial is re place d late r in the cours e
of the ve hicle 's s e rvice life .
Tires
Due to te chnical factors as s ociate d with
the ir manufacture, tire s do not achieve
the ir full traction pote ntial until an initial
bre ak-in pe riod has e laps e d. You s hould
the re fore drive with extra caution during
the initial 200 mile s (300 km).
Comply with local and s tate maximum
s pe e d limits .
Whe n the ve hicle is ope rate d on
we t or s lus hy roads , a we dge of
wate r may form be twe e n the tire and
the road s urface . This phe nome non is
re fe rre d to as aquaplaning or hydro-
planing, and can le ad to partial or com-
ple te los s of traction, ve hicle control
and braking e ffe ctive ne s s . Re duce
your s pe e d on we t roads .<
Brake system
Approximate ly 300 mile s (500 km) mus t
e laps e be fore the brake pads and ro-
tors achie ve the optimal s urface and
we ar patte rn.
To bre ak in the s e parate parking brake
drums , apply the parking brake lightly
whe n coas ting to a s tands till (at a traffic
s ignal, for ins tance ), provide d that traf-
fic conditions allow you to do s o.
To avoid corros ion, re pe at this proce -
dure from time to time .
The brake lamps do not light up
whe n the parking brake is applie d.
Vacuum for the brake s ys te m boos te r
on your BMW is available only whe n the
e ngine is running. Whe n you move the
car with the e ngine off for ins tance , by
towing s ubs tantially highe r le ve ls of
pe dal force will be re quire d to brake the
ve hicle .<
Break-in procedure
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Driving notes
Brake s :
Do not drive with your foot re s ting
on the brake pe dal. Eve n light but con-
s is te nt pe dal pre s s ure can le ad to high
te mpe rature s , brake we ar and pos s ibly
e ve n brake failure .
Aquaplaning:
Whe n driving on we t or s lus hy roads ,
re duce ve hicle s pe e d. If you do not, a
we dge of wate r may form be twe e n the
tire s and the road s urface . This phe -
nome non is re fe rre d to as aquaplaning
or hydroplaning. It is characte rize d by a
partial or comple te los s of contact be -
twe e n the tire s and the road s urface .
The ultimate re s ults are los s of s te e ring
and braking control.
Driving through wate r:
Whe n the re is wate r on the roads , do
not drive in it if it is de e pe r than 1 foot
(30 cm). If the wate r is at that de pth,
drive only at walking s pe e d, othe rwis e
the ve hicle can s us tain damage to the
e ngine , the e le ctrical s ys te ms and the
trans mis s ion.
Clothe s hook (coupe ):
Hang ite ms of clothing on the hooks in
s uch a manne r that the y do not obs truct
the drive r's vis ion. Do not hang he avy
obje cts on the hooks . If you do s o, the y
could caus e pe rs onal injury during
braking and e vas ive mane uve rs or in a
cras h, for e xample .<
100nCatalytic converter
The catalytic conve rte r re duce s harmful
e xhaus t e mis s ions .
It is de s igne d for us e with unle ade d fue l
only.
Eve n minute quantitie s of le ad would be
e nough to pe rmane ntly damage both
the catalytic conve rte r and the s ys te m's
oxyge n s e ns or.
To e ns ure e fficie nt, trouble -fre e e ngine
ope ration and avoid pote ntial damage :
> Be s ure to comply with the s che dule d
mainte nance re quire me nts .
> Fill the fue l tank we ll be fore it is
e mpty.
> If the e ngine runs roughly, s hut it off
as s oon as pos s ible .
> Tow-s tart the ve hicle only whe n the
e ngine is cold. Tow-s tarting whe n the
e ngine is warm could caus e unburne d
fue l to ignite in the catalytic conve rte r,
re s ulting in s ignificant damage . It is
be tte r to s tart the ve hicle with an out-
s ide s tarting aid.
> Avoid any othe r s ituations in which
the fue l would not be (comple te ly)
burne d, for ins tance :
Fre que nt or cons e cutive e xte nde d
s tarting atte mpts or re pe ate d s tarting
atte mpts whe n the e ngine fails to
s tart. (Shutting down and re s tarting
an e ngine which is running prope rly
doe s not pre s e nt a proble m.)
Ne ve r le t the e ngine run with any of
the s park plug cable s dis conne cte d.
Be s ure to comply with the in-
s tructions above to pre ve nt un-
burne d fue l from re aching the catalytic
conve rte r. This could caus e ove rhe at-
ing, le ading to s e rious damage of the
catalytic conve rte r.
Extre me te mpe rature s occur at the cat-
alytic conve rte r on this and e ve ry cata-
lys t-e quippe d ve hicle . He at s hie lds are
ins talle d adjace nt to s ome s e ctions of
the e xhaus t s ys te m. Ne ve r re move
the s e s hie lds ; do not apply unde rcoat-
ing to the ir s urface s .
Whe n driving, s tanding while the e ngine
is idling, or whe n parking, be care ful to
avoid contact be twe e n the hot e xhaus t
s ys te m and e as ily-flammable mate rials
(hay, dry gras s , le ave s , e tc.). Such con-
tact could caus e a fire , re s ulting in pe r-
s onal injurie s and prope rty damage .<
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Antilock Brake System (ABS)
The concept
ABS incre as e s active s afe ty by pre ve nt-
ing the whe e ls from locking whe n brak-
ing. The re as on: Locke d whe e ls are
dange rous . Whe n the front whe e ls
s lide , the drive r los e s s te e ring control
ove r the ve hicle . Traction los s at the
re ar whe e ls can caus e the re ar e nd to
bre ak into an uncontrolle d s kid.
ABS is de s igne d to me e t two e s s e ntial
re quire me nts during e ve ry brake appli-
cation:
> To he lp provide ve hicle s tability.
> As s ure d ability to s te e r and mane uve r
on the various road s urface s
(as phalt, concre te , dirt, we t
conditions , s now, ice ).
The s ys te m can achie ve the s horte s t
braking dis tance s pos s ible unde r mos t
conditions (on s traight-aways and in
curve s , on as phalt, ice , we t road s ur-
face s , e tc.).
Braking with ABS
The s ys te m is ope rative once the ve hi-
cle e xce e ds a s pe e d of approx. 6 mph
(10 km/h). It is inactivate d once again
be low approx. 4 mph (6 km/h). The re -
fore , the whe e ls could the ore tically te nd
to lock in the final phas e of a braking
action, but this is ins ignificant in actual
practice .
If you are in a s ituation which re quire s
full braking, you will e xploit the full
be ne fits of the ABS s ys te m if you apply
maximum brake pre s s ure ("panic s top").
Since the ve hicle maintains s te e ring
re s pons ive ne s s , you can avoid pos s ible
obs tacle s with a minimum of s te e ring
e ffort, de s pite the full brake application.
De pre s s the brake pe dal with s te ady
pre s s ure and do not re le as e it. Do not
pump the brake s .
The ABS clos e d-loop control circuit
cycle s in fractions of a s e cond. The
puls ation at the brake pe dal, toge the r
with s ounds ge ne rate d by the hydraulic
control s ys te m, indicate to you that the
ve hicle is approaching its maximum
braking range . It is a re minde r to you
that you mus t adapt the ve hicle 's road
s pe e d to e xis ting road conditions .
On road s urface s that have a loos e
s urface laye r on a firm bas e with good
traction (on grave l, de e p s and or s now,
for e xample ), braking dis tance s may be
longe r than with locke d whe e ls . This
als o applie s for driving with s now
chains . Howe ve r, ABS continue s to
provide e nhance d ve hicle s tability and
s te e ring re s pons e unde r the s e condi-
tions .
102nAntilock Brake System (ABS)
Information for your safety
Not e ve n ABS can s us pe nd the laws
of phys ics . ABS alone cannot pre ve nt
accide nts if the brake s are applie d
without an ade quate , s afe dis tance
be twe e n ve hicle s or if the s pe e d limit
has be e n e xce e de d in curve s . Nor can
it pre ve nt the hazards of aquaplaning.
Re s pons ibility for the s e type s of s itua-
tions re mains in the hands (and at the
fe e t) of the drive r. You s hould ne ve r
allow the adde d s afe ty of ABS to lull
you into a fals e s e ns e of s e curity, or
mis le ad you into taking incre as e d ris ks
that could affe ct your own s afe ty and
that of othe rs .
Do not make any modifications to
the ABS s ys te m.
Se rvice proce dure s on ABS are to be
pe rforme d by authorize d te chnicians
only.<
In the event of a fault
If the ABS warning lamp in the
ins trume nt clus te r come s on,
re fe r to page 24. The brake s ys -
te m the n re ve rts to conve ntional
ope ration as on ve hicle s without
ABS. Howe ve r, have the brake
s ys te m che cke d by your BMW ce nte r
as s oon as pos s ible . To pre ve nt unde -
te cte d de fe cts and cumulative faults
from adve rs e ly affe cting the brake s ys -
te m, re fe r any proble ms to your BMW
ce nte r at the e arlie s t opportunity.
If the re d warning lamp for the
brake hydraulic s ys te m come s
on toge the r with the ye llow indi-
cator lamps for ABS and
ASC+T/DSC* (re fe r to page 24),
the e ntire ABS and ASC+T/DSC
control s ys te m has faile d. Con-
tinue to drive ; drive cautious ly
and de fe ns ive ly. Avoid full brake
applications be caus e the ve hicle could
be come uns table and go out of control.
Have the s ys te m che cke d by your BMW
ce nte r as s oon as pos s ible .
Warning lamps for Canadian
mode ls .
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Disc brakes
Dis c brake s furnis h optimum de ce le ra-
tion and braking control and gre ate r
fade re s is tance unde r he avy us e .
Whe n the ve hicle is drive n only occa-
s ionally, during e xte nde d pe riods whe n
the ve hicle is not us e d at all, or in ope r-
ating conditions whe re brake applica-
tions are le s s fre que nt, the re is an in-
cre as e d te nde ncy for corros ion of the
rotors and accumulation of contamina-
tion on the brake pads . This occurs be -
caus e the minimal pre s s ure which mus t
be e xe rte d by the pads to cle an the
rotors by brake applications is not
re ache d.
The pads mus t e xe rt a minimal pre s s ure
agains t the rotors for the brake s to
cle an the ms e lve s e ffe ctive ly; unde r the
conditions de s cribe d above , this may
not happe n. If the brake rotors are cor-
rode d, the y will te nd to re s pond to
braking with a puls ating e ffe ct which
e ve n e xte nde d application will fail to
cure .
For your own s afe ty: Us e only
brake pads that BMW has ap-
prove d for your s pe cific ve hicle mode l.
BMW cannot e valuate non-approve d
brake pads to de te rmine if the y are
s uite d for us e , and the re fore cannot e n-
s ure the ope rating s afe ty of the ve hicle
in the e ve nt of the ir us e .<
Driving notes
While driving in we t conditions and in
he avy rain, it is a good ide a to apply
light pre s s ure to the brake pe dal e ve ry
fe w mile s watch traffic conditions to
e ns ure that this mane uve r doe s not e n-
dange r othe r road us e rs . The he at ge n-
e rate d in this braking proce s s he lps dry
the brake pads and rotors .
Maximum braking force is obtaine d
while the whe e ls continue to rotate ,
pe aking whe n the whe e ls re main on the
ve rge of locking without actually doing
s o. ABS maintains this s tate automati-
cally. If the ABS fails , you s hould re ve rt
to the s tagge re d braking te chnique
de s cribe d be low on page 106.
Exte nde d or s te e p mountain de s ce nts
do not ne ce s s arily have to le ad to re -
duce d braking e fficie ncy; s hift down to
a ge ar in which only minimal pe riodic
brake applications are re quire d (you can
move the s e le ctor le ve r to the appropri-
ate lowe r range if your car is e quippe d
with an automatic trans mis s ion).
You can continue to incre as e the
e ngine 's braking e ffe ct by s e le cting
progre s s ive ly lowe r ge ars , s hifting
down as far as 2nd or 1s t for e xtre me
de s ce nts , or pos ition 1 or 2 with auto-
matic trans mis ion.
Should e ngine braking prove inade -
quate , you s hould s till avoid e xte nde d,
continuous braking. Ins te ad, de ce le rate
the ve hicle with incre as e d pre s s ure on
the brake pe dal (watch for following traf-
fic), re le as e the pe dal and the n re pe at
the brake application (s tagge re d brak-
ing). This s tagge re d braking te chnique
allows the brake s to cool in the inte rvals
be twe e n active braking phas e s , pre -
ve nting ove rhe ating and e ns uring that
full braking capacity re mains available at
all time s .
Do not allow the ve hicle to coas t
whe n the clutch is de pre s s e d or
by s hifting into ne utral while moving. Do
not drive whe n the e ngine is s witche d
off. The e ngine provide s no braking
control whe n the clutch is de pre s s e d or
the trans mis s ion is in ne utral and the re
is no powe r as s is t for the brake s whe n
the e ngine is s hut off.
Ne ve r allow floor mats , carpe ts or any
othe r obje cts to protrude into the are a
around the acce le rator, clutch and
brake pe dals and obs truct the ir move -
me nt.<
104nBrake system
Brake fluid level
If the warning lamp for the hy-
draulic brake s ys te m come s on:
The brake fluid le ve l is too low in
the re s e rvoir (re fe r to page 130).
If the brake fluid le ve l is too low
and brake pe dal trave l is notice -
ably longe r, the re may be a de fe ct in
one of the two hydraulic brake circuits .
Proce e d to the ne are s t BMW ce n-
te r. Highe r brake application pre s -
s ure may be ne ce s s ary unde r the s e
conditions , and brake pe dal trave l may
be s ignificantly longe r. Ple as e re me m-
be r to adapt your driving s tyle accord-
ingly.<
Brake pads
If the warning lamp for the brake
pads come s on:
The brake pads have re ache d
the ir minimum pad thickne s s . Proce e d
to the ne are s t BMW ce nte r as s oon as
pos s ible to have the pads re place d.
For your own s afe ty: Us e only
brake pads that BMW has ap-
prove d for your s pe cific ve hicle mode l.
BMW cannot e valuate non-approve d
brake pads to de te rmine if the y are
s uite d for us e , and the re fore cannot e n-
s ure the ope rating s afe ty of the ve hicle
in the e ve nt of the ir us e .<
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Winter operation
The ons e t of winte r is ofte n accompa-
nie d by rapid change s in we athe r.
Adaptations in driving s tyle s hould be
accompanie d by pre parations on the
ve hicle its e lf to e ns ure that your ve hicle
ope ration through the winte r re mains
s afe and trouble -fre e .
Coolant
Ens ure that the coolant contains the
ye ar-round 50 : 50 ratio of wate r and
antifre e ze with corros ion inhibitor. This
mixture provide s prote ction agains t
fre e zing down to approximate ly 34 7
(37 6). Re place the coolant e ve ry
thre e ye ars .
Locks
BMW door lock de ice r can be us e d to
fre e the doors if the y are froze n. This
de ice r als o contains lubricant.
Afte r us ing de ice r, tre atme nt with BMW
lock cylinde r gre as e is re comme nde d.
Rubber seals and components
In orde r to pre ve nt fre e zing, apply
rubbe r tre atme nt or s ilicone s pray to
we athe r-s tripping on the doors , hood,
luggage compartme nt and to conve rt-
ible top s e als .
A full range of car-care products is
available from your BMW ce nte r.<
Snow chains
BMW s now chains * can be mounte d on
both s umme r and winte r tire s . Mount
the m in pairs on the re ar whe e ls only.
Comply with the manufacture r's s afe ty
pre cautions . Do not e xce e d a maximum
s pe e d of 30 mph (50 km/h) whe n driv-
ing with chains . As an e xce ption in this
s ituation, we re comme nd that you de -
activate the ASC+T/DSC* s ys te m whe n
s now chains are mounte d. Re fe r to
page 76.
Starting off
Whe n s tarting from a full s top or "rock-
ing" fre e in de e p s now, we re comme nd
that you de activate the ASC+T/DSC*
s ys te m. Re fe r to page 76.
Driving on low-traction road
surfaces
Us e s mooth, ge ntle pre s s ure to control
the acce le rator pe dal. Avoid e xce s s ive
e ngine s pe e ds and s hift to the ne xt
highe r ge ar at an e arly point. Shift down
into the ne xt lowe s t ge ar whe n ap-
proaching uphill or downhill grade s .
Maintain an ade quate dis tance be twe e n
yours e lf and the car ahe ad.
Brakes
Winte r road conditions s ubs tantially
re duce the traction available be twe e n
the tire s and the road s urface . Re me m-
be r that in e ve ry s ituation braking
dis tance s will be s ignificantly longe r as
a re s ult of this .
ABS is inte nde d to pre ve nt the whe e ls
from locking during brake applications ,
thus he lping to maintain ve hicle s tability
and s te e ring re s pons e .
106nWinter operation Power steering
If it s hould occur that the ABS doe s not
re s pond in a critical braking s ituation
and the whe e ls lock: Re duce the pre s -
s ure on the brake pe dal until the whe e ls
jus t s tart to roll again while s till main-
taining e nough force to continue brak-
ing. Following that, incre as e pe dal
pre s s ure again. Re duce the pre s s ure as
the whe e ls lock, the n re apply pre s s ure .
Re pe at this proce s s .
This type of s tagge re d braking will
lowe r the braking dis tance , and the
ve hicle s till re mains re s pons ive to
s te e ring.
You can s till atte mpt to s te e r around
hazards once you have re duce d the
pre s s ure on the brake pe dal.
Do not s hift down on s lick road
s urface s . Doing s o could caus e
the re ar whe e ls to los e traction and
s kid, which could re s ult in the los s of
ve hicle control.<
De pre s s the clutch during hard
braking on road s urface s which
provide only poor or une ve n traction.<
Skid control
Re le as e the acce le rator pe dal and de -
pre s s the clutch pe dal. Counte rs te e r
care fully and atte mpt to re gain control
of the ve hicle .
Parking
Engage 1s t or re ve rs e ge ar. If your car is
e quippe d with an automatic trans mis -
s ion, place the s e le ctor le ve r in Park. On
ve hicle s with manual trans mis s ion, als o
apply the parking brake whe n parking
on incline d s urface s . In orde r to pre ve nt
the parking brake pads from locking due
to fros t or corros ion, dry the m by ge ntly
applying the parking brake as the ve hi-
cle is coming to a s top. Make s ure that
following traffic is not e ndange re d.
The brake lamps do not light
up whe n the parking brake is
applie d.<
Change s in s te e ring re s pons e
(high s te e ring e ffort, for e xample ):
Cons ult a BMW ce nte r to have the
s ys te m che cke d.
If the powe r s te e ring fails , in-
cre as e d e ffort will be re quire d
to s te e r the ve hicle .<
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Cellular phone* Radio reception
Mobile communications s ys te ms (ce llu-
lar phone s , two-way radios , e tc.) are
approve d only up to a powe r output of
10 watts . None the le s s , the y may caus e
inte rfe re nce in the ope ration of your
ve hicle if the y are not s pe cifically de -
s igne d for us e in your ve hicle . BMW
can ne ithe r te s t nor as s ume re s pons i-
bility for e ve ry individual product be ing
offe re d on the marke t. We re comme nd
that you cons ult your BMW ce nte r be -
fore purchas ing any de vice of this kind.
To e ns ure that your BMW continue s to
provide re liable and trouble -fre e ope ra-
tion, re frain from us ing a ce llular phone
or othe r radio de vice with an ante nna
locate d ins ide the pas s e nge r compart-
me nt. The ante nna s hould always be
fitte d on the outs ide of the ve hicle .
Be fore loading the ve hicle on
a car-carrie r train or driving it
through a car-was h, re move the
ante nna.<
The re ce ption and s ound quality
obtaine d from mobile radios varie s
according to a varie ty of factors , includ-
ing the broadcas t range of the trans mit-
te r and the dire ctional orie ntation of the
ante nna. Inte rfe re nce factors s uch as
high-te ns ion powe r line s , buildings and
natural obs tructions can all le ad to un-
avoidable re ce ption inte rfe re nce , re -
gardle s s of how we ll the ve hicle 's
s ound s ys te m is ope rating. Climatic
factors s uch as inte ns e s olar radiation,
fog, rain and s now can als o inte rfe re
with re ce ption.
Ce llular phone s without official BMW
approval can als o ge ne rate inte rfe re nce
during us e . This phe nome non as s ume s
the form of a low-pitche d hum e manat-
ing from the s pe ake r s ys te m.
Ple as e re fe r to the Owne r's Manual
provide d with your s ound s ys te m for
de taile d information on its us e .
Whe ne ve r ne ce s s ary (whe n e nte r-
ing a car was h, for ins tance ), re -
move the rod ante nna* (re fe r als o to
page 132). To re move the ante nna,
gras p the rod at the bottom and un-
s cre w it to the le ft from the ante nna
bas e .<
108nHardtop* roadster
The fabric top doe s not have to be re -
move d e ve n in winte r, whe n the hardtop
is normally in cons tant us e . In orde r to
pre ve nt wate r s pots and milde w s tains ,
the fabric top mus t be comple te ly dry
be fore it is s tore d in the conve rtible top
we ll.
Two pe ople are ne ce s s ary for the in-
s tallation and re moval of the hardtop.
Work with e xtre me caution during this
ope ration to avoid paint damage and
damage to the body and hardtop.
You may purchas e a Hardtop Lift* from
your BMW ce nte r. This acce s s ory is
e s pe cially de s igne d to facilitate ins talla-
tion and re moval of the hardtop.
Installation
Hook the prote ctive fabric on the con-
ve rtible top linkage (arrow).
Ope n the conve rtible top and fold it
down in the conve rtible top we ll. Re fe r
to page s 41 and 45.
Whe n doing this , make s ure the re ar
window is laid down e ve nly and fre e
of cre as e s . To pre ve nt the re ar window
from be ing s cratche d, pos ition the pro-
te ctive fabric in the window fold.
Do not ins tall the conve rtible cove r.
Lowe r the s ide windows and re move
the rod ante nna if ne ce s s ary to avoid
damage .
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Rotate the cove r pane l which is locate d
in the right and le ft trim pane ls be hind
the s e ats in the dire ction of the arrow
until the ope ning for the hardtop mount
is comple te ly fre e .
Re move the hardtop from the prote c-
tive cove r. Cle an any dirt and dus t from
the contact s urface s be twe e n the hard-
top and the ve hicle body in orde r to
prote ct agains t abras ion.
Pos ition the hardtop on the mounts with
the as s is tance of a s e cond pe rs on.
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Hardtop* roadster
Us ing the wre nch from the onboard tool
kit (fas te ne d to the jack with a Ve lcro
s trip), turn the s cre w (arrow) two to
thre e turns into the winds hie ld frame on
the right and le ft s ide s .
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Turn the right and le ft locking le ve rs of
the re ar hardtop mounting fas te ne rs in
the dire ction of the arrow to the s top.
The re ar mounting fas te ne rs are
locke d corre ctly whe n the locking
le ve rs e ngage audibly and point to the
re ar of the ve hicle .<
Finally, tighte n the s cre ws in the wind-
s hie ld frame (re fe r to the le ft column)
and s e cure the wre nch in the onboard
tool kit.
Afte r you have drive n approx.
30 to 60 mile s (50 to 100 km),
che ck the front hardtop fas te ne rs to be
s ure that the y are s e ate d s e cure ly.<
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Removal
Re ve rs e the above proce dure for re -
moval of the hardtop.
The two s cre ws of the front hard-
top fas te ne rs re main pe rmane ntly
in the winds hie ld frame of your ve hicle
to pre ve nt the ir los s .<
Following the initial de live ry of the ve hi-
cle , or afte r the hardtop has be e n in us e
for an e xte nde d pe riod, clos ing the con-
ve rtible top re quire s incre as e d e ffort.
You may find this ope ration e as ie r with
the as s is tance of a s e cond pe rs on. Fol-
lowing that, the conve rtible top s hould
re main clos e d for at le as t 12 hours .
110n
Information for your safety
The factory-approve d radial tire s are
matche d to the car and have be e n s e -
le cte d to provide optimum s afe ty and
driving comfort on your car.
In a ve ry re al s e ns e , both tire life and
your own s afe ty are riding on corre ct
tire s pe cifications and inflation pre s -
s ure s . Re fe r to page 29.
Incorre ct inflation pre s s ure is a fre que nt
caus e of tire damage . It als o s ignifi-
cantly influe nce s the roadholding ability
of your BMW.
Che ck the tire pre s s ure s includ-
ing the s pare tire * re gularly (at
le as t e ve ry two we e ks and be fore you
be gin an e xte nde d journe y). If this is not
done , incorre ct tire pre s s ure s may
caus e tire damage and accide nts .<
Check the inflation pressure of
the spare tire*
For che cking tire pre s s ure s on the
Z3 roads te r and Z3 coupe , the re is a
valve e xte ns ion (arrow) on the s torage
tray of the s pare whe e l which is acce s -
s ible from outs ide .
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Tire tread Tire damage
Ins pe ct your tire s fre que ntly for tre ad
we ar, s igns of damage and for fore ign
obje cts lodge d in the tre ad.
The tre ad de pth s hould be at le as t
0.12 in (3 mm), although the le gally
pe rmis s ible minimum tre ad de pth is
0.063 in (1.6 mm). We ar indicators
appe ar in the tre ad at 0.063 in (1.6 mm)
to indicate that the le gally pe rmis s ible
we ar limit has be e n re ache d. The re is a
s ignificantly incre as e d ris k of aquaplan-
ing at highe r s pe e ds whe n the tre ad
de pth is be low 0.12 in (3 mm), e ve n if
the re is only a s mall amount of wate r on
the road s urface .
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Notes on inflation pressure Tire condition
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Tire condition Tire replacement
Ne ve r continue driving on a de -
flate d (flat) tire . A flat tire gre atly
impairs s te e ring and braking re s pons e ,
and can le ad to comple te los s of con-
trol ove r the ve hicle .
Avoid ove rloading the ve hicle s o that
the pe rmitte d load on the tire s is not
e xce e de d. This can le ad to ove rhe ating
and incre as e s the rate at which damage
de ve lops ins ide the tire s . The ultimate
re s ult can as s ume the form of a s udde n
air los s .
Unus ual vibrations e ncounte re d during
normal ve hicle ope ration can indicate
tire failure or s ome othe r ve hicle de fe ct,
as can variations in normal ve hicle re -
s pons e , s uch as a pronounce d te n-
de ncy to pull to the le ft or right. Should
this occur, re s pond by re ducing your
s pe e d imme diate ly. Drive care fully to
the ne are s t BMW ce nte r or profe s s ional
tire de ale r, or have the ve hicle towe d in
to have it and its tire s ins pe cte d.
Tire damage (up to and including s ud-
de n and comple te air los s ) can pos e an
e xtre me hazard for both ve hicle occu-
pants and othe r road us e rs .<
To maintain good handling and ve hicle
re s pons e , us e only tire s of a s ingle tre ad
configuration from a s ingle manufac-
ture r. BMW te s ts and approve s whe e l-
tire combinations . Re fe r to page 116.
DOT Quality Grades
Tre ad we ar
Traction AA A B C
Te mpe rature A B C
All pas s e nge r car tire s mus t con-
form to Fe de ral Safe ty Re quire -
me nts in addition to the s e grade s .<
Tread wear
The tre ad we ar grade is a comparative
rating bas e d on the we ar rate of the tire
whe n te s te d unde r controlle d condi-
tions on a s pe cifie d gove rnme nt te s t
cours e .
For e xample , a tire grade d 150 would
we ar one and one -half (1- g) time s as
we ll on the gove rnme nt cours e as a tire
grade d 100. The re lative pe rformance
of tire s de pe nds upon the actual condi-
tions of the ir us e , howe ve r, and may
de part s ignificantly from the norm due
to variations in driving habits , s e rvice
practice s and diffe re nce s in road char-
acte ris tics and climate .
Traction
The traction grade s , from highe s t to
lowe s t, are AA, A, B and C.
Thos e grade s re pre s e nt the tire 's ability
to s top on we t pave me nt as me as ure d
unde r controlle d conditions on s pe ci-
fie d gove rnme nt te s t s urface s of as -
phalt and concre te . A tire marke d C
may have poor traction pe rformance .
The traction grade as s igne d to
this tire is bas e d on s traight-
ahe ad braking traction te s ts , and doe s
not include acce le ration, corne ring,
hydroplaning, or pe ak traction charac-
te ris tics .<
112nTire replacement
Temperature
The te mpe rature grade s are A (the
highe s t), B and C, re pre s e nting the
tire 's re s is tance to the ge ne ration of
he at and its ability to dis s ipate he at
whe n te s te d unde r controlle d condi-
tions on a s pe cifie d indoor laboratory
te s t whe e l.
Sus taine d high te mpe rature can caus e
the mate rial of the tire to de ge ne rate
and re duce tire life , and e xce s s ive te m-
pe rature can le ad to s udde n tire failure .
The grade C corre s ponds to a le ve l of
pe rformance which all pas s e nge r car
tire s mus t me e t unde r the Fe de ral Mo-
tor Ve hicle Safe ty Standard No. 109.
Grade s B and A re pre s e nt highe r le ve ls
of pe rformance on the laboratory te s t
whe e l than the minimum re quire d by
law.
The te mpe rature grade for this tire
is e s tablis he d for a tire that is
prope rly inflate d and not ove rloade d.
Exce s s ive s pe e d, unde r-inflation, or e x-
ce s s ive loading, e ithe r s e parate ly or in
combination, can caus e he at buildup
and pos s ible tire failure .<
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Quality grade s can be found whe re ap-
plicable on the tire s ide wall be twe e n
tre ad s houlde r and maximum s e ction
width. For e xample :
Tre ad we ar 200 Traction AA
Te mpe rature A
Do not us e re tre ade d tire s as this
could ne gative ly affe ct driving
s afe ty. This is due to the pos s ible varia-
tions in cas ing s tructure s and, in s ome
cas e s , to the ir e xtre me age , factors
which can le ad to a de cre as e in the ir
durability.<
Tire age
The date on which the tire was manu-
facture d is indicate d by the code on the
s ide wall:
DOT ... 109 indicate s that the tire was
manufacture d in We e k 10 of 1999.
BMW re comme nds the re place me nt of
all tire s whe n the tire s are no more than
6 ye ars old, e ve n if a tire life of 10 ye ars
is pos s ible .
Spare tire s ove r 6 ye ars old s hould be
us e d only in cas e of e me rge ncy. A tire
of this age s hould be re place d by a ne w
tire imme diate ly, and s hould not be
fitte d toge the r with ne w tire s .
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Tire rotation
Between the axles
The tre ad we ar patte rns at the front e nd
diffe r from thos e at the re ar the actual
patte rns will vary according to individ-
ual driving conditions . In the inte re s t
of s afe ty and optimal ve hicle re s pons e ,
we advis e agains t rotating tire s from
front to re ar and vice ve rs a.
If rotating the tire s be twe e n the axle s is
unde r cons ide ration for e conomic re a-
s ons , the cos ts for re mounting the
whe e ls mus t be calculate d agains t any
s avings which might re s ult from the
anticipate d e xte ns ion in tire life . Rota-
tion s hould always be carrie d out at
s hort inte rvals , with a maximum of
3,000 mile s (5,000 km). Cons ult your
BMW ce nte r for more information.
Should you de cide to rotate the tire s ,
it is e s s e ntial to comply with the follow-
ing:
Rotate whe e ls on the s ame s ide of the
car only, othe rwis e braking e fficie ncy
and road grip could be adve rs e ly
affe cte d.
Following rotation, corre ct the tire infla-
tion pre s s ure .
If tire s with diffe re nt s ize s are
mounte d on the front and re ar
axle s (re fe r to the information be ginning
on page 116), the whe e ls may not be
rotate d from one axle to the othe r.<
114nWheel and tire combinations
The right choice
Us e only tire s which have be e n ap-
prove d by BMW. Re fe r to the informa-
tion be ginning on page 116.
Be caus e of the pote ntial high s pe e ds
which this ve hicle can re ach, the us e of
s pe cific brands , s pe cifications and di-
me ns ions is mandatory. Cons ult any
BMW ce nte r for de tails .
Comply with national, s tate or provin-
cial re gulations .
The corre ct whe e l-tire combina-
tion affe cts diffe re nt s ys te ms s uch
as ABS and ASC+T/DSC*. The function
of the s e s ys te ms is impaire d if imprope r
whe e l-tire combinations are us e d.
For this re as on, us e only tire s made by
the s ame manufacture r which have the
s ame tre ad configuration. If you mus t
de viate from this (following a flat tire , for
ins tance ), re s tore the approve d whe e l-
tire combination as s oon as pos s ible .<
Codes on tires and wheels
The tire code s will aid you in s e le cting
the corre ct tire .
Code s on radial tire s :
The s pe e d rating indicate s the ap-
prove d maximum s pe e d for the tire .
Summe r tire s :
S = up to 112 mph (180 km/h)
T = up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
H = up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
V = up to 149 mph (240 km/h)
W = up to 167 mph (270 km/h)
Y = up to 186 mph (300 km/h)
ZR = ove r 149 mph (240 km/h)
Example :
Nominal width
in mm
As pe ct ratio in %
Be lt rating ID code
for radial tire s
Whe e l diame te r in inche s
Load rating
(not on ZR tire s )
Spe e d rating
(be fore R on ZR tire s )
205/60 R 15 91 H
All-Se as on and winte r tire s :
Q M+S = up to 100 mph (160 km/h)
T M+S = up to 118 mph (190 km/h)
H M+S = up to 130 mph (210 km/h)
Code s s tampe d on light-alloy whe e ls :
Prote ct valve ins e rts agains t dirt by
us ing valve caps . Dirt in the valve s
fre que ntly le ads to s low le aks .
Example :
Rim width
in inche s
Code le tte r for
flange type
Symbol for full-drop
ce nte r rim
Rim diame te r in inche s
Hump on the 2 rim s houlde rs
7 x 15 H 2 J
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Winter tires Snow chains*
Choosing the right tire
BMW re comme nds winte r tire s (M+S
radial tire s ) for driving in adve rs e winte r
road conditions . While tire s known as
all-s e as on tire s (M+S de s ignation) pro-
vide be tte r winte r traction than s umme r
tire s with load ratings H, V, W, Y and
ZR, the y ge ne rally do not achie ve the
pe rformance of winte r tire s .
In the inte re s ts of s ure tracking and s afe
s te e ring re s pons e , mount winte r tire s
which are made by the s ame manufac-
ture r and which have the s ame tre ad
configuration at all four whe e ls .
Mount only winte r tire s which have
be e n approve d by BMW. Any BMW
ce nte r will be glad to provide you with
information on the be s t winte r tire s for
your particular driving conditions .
Comply with recommended speed
Ne ve r e xce e d the maximum
s pe e d for which the tire s are
rate d.
Unprofe s s ional atte mpts by layme n to
s e rvice tire s can le ad to damage and
accide nts .
Have this work pe rforme d by s kille d
profe s s ionals only. Any BMW ce nte r
has the re quire d te chnical knowle dge
and the prope r e quipme nt and will be
happy to as s is t you.<
Tire condition, tire pressure
Once the tire we ars to be low 0.16 in
(4 mm), winte r tire s dis play a pe rce pti-
ble de cre as e in the ir ability to cope with
winte r driving conditions , and s hould be
re place d in the inte re s t of s afe ty.
Comply with the s pe cifie d tire inflation
pre s s ure s and be s ure to have the
whe e l and tire as s e mblie s balance d
e ve ry time you change the tire s .
Storage
Store tire s in a cool, dry place , away
from light whe ne ve r pos s ible . Prote ct
the tire s agains t contact with oil, gre as e
and fue l.
Small-link BMW s now chains * can be
mounte d on s umme r and winte r tire s .
Ins tall on the re ar tire s only. Do not in-
s tall s now chains on the front. Always
comply with the manufacture r's s afe ty
re comme ndations whe n mounting
chains .
116nApproved wheel and tire specifications
Us e the s pare tire only for s hort dis -
tance s (to re ach the ne are s t BMW ce n-
te r, for ins tance ). Due to the alte re d
handling characte ris tics , do not e xce e d
a maximum s pe e d of 50 mph (80 km/h).
Mounting s now chains on the s pare tire
is not pos s ible . Be s ure that all tire s are
prope rly inflate d. Re fe r to page 30.
Tire s pe cifications Suitable for
s now chains
Ste e l rim
(whe e l rim)
Light-alloy
whe e l
Z3 roads te r 2.3
Summe r
225/50 R 16 92 V
225/50 ZR 16
6 7Jx16
Front: 225/45 ZR 17 7.5Jx17
Re ar: 245/40 ZR 17 8.5Jx17
Winte r (M+S)
205/60 R 15 91 Q 6 6.5Jx15 7Jx15
205/55 R 16 91 Q
225/50 R 16 92 Q
6 7Jx16
225/45 R 17 91 Q 6 7.5Jx17
8Jx17
Spare tire
T 125/90 R 15 96 M 3.5Bx15
Comply with the s pe cifications for tire s
and whe e ls in the ve hicle 's manuals . If
tire s with s pe cifications not approve d
by the factory are us e d, an e ntry in the
ve hicle docume ntation may be re quire d.
The us e of rims and lug bolts that
do not me e t the s pe cifications of
the original factory-ins talle d e quipme nt
will affe ct the s afe ope ration of your ve -
hicle and may caus e an accide nt and
pe rs onal injury.
Ne ve r mix tire s of diffe re nt de s ign, s uch
as s te e l-be lte d radials with bias -be lte d
or bias -ply tire s , e tc. Mixing tire type s
will adve rs e ly affe ct road-holding and
can le ad to los s of ve hicle control.<
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Approved wheel and tire specifications
Us e the s pare tire only for s hort dis -
tance s (to re ach the ne are s t BMW ce n-
te r, for ins tance ). Due to the alte re d
handling characte ris tics , do not e xce e d
a maximum s pe e d of 50 mph (80 km/h).
Mounting s now chains on the s pare tire
is not pos s ible . Be s ure that all tire s are
prope rly inflate d. Re fe r to page 30.
Tire s pe cifications Suitable for
s now chains
Ste e l rim
(whe e l rim)
Light-alloy
whe e l
Z3 roads te r 2.8, Z3 coupe 2.8
Summe r
225/50 R 16 92 W
225/50 ZR 16
6 7Jx16
Front: 225/45 ZR 17 7.5Jx17
Re ar: 245/40 ZR 17 8.5Jx17
Winte r (M+S)
205/60 R 15 91 Q 6 6.5Jx15 7Jx15
205/55 R 16 91 Q
225/50 R 16 92 Q
6 7Jx16
225/45 R 17 91 Q 6 7.5Jx17
8Jx17
Spare tire
T 125/90 R 15 96 M 3.5Bx15
The us e of rims and lug bolts that
do not me e t the s pe cifications of
the original factory-ins talle d e quipme nt
will affe ct the s afe ope ration of your ve -
hicle and may caus e an accide nt and
pe rs onal injury.
Ne ve r mix tire s of diffe re nt de s ign, s uch
as s te e l-be lte d radials with bias -be lte d
or bias -ply tire s , e tc. Mixing tire type s
will adve rs e ly affe ct road-holding and
can le ad to los s of ve hicle control.<
118nApproved wheel and tire specifications
Have the winte r tire s change d at
your BMW ce nte r or at a tire s e r-
vice s hop.<
Tire s pe cifications Suitable for s now
chains
Light-alloy whe e l
Summe r
Front: 225/45 ZR 17
Re ar: 245/40 ZR 17
7.5Jx17 AH 2
9Jx17 AH 2
Winte r
225/45 R 17 91 H M+S Front: 7.5Jx17 AH 2
Re ar: 8Jx17 AH 2
Wheel with asymmetrical hump
(AH)
If the rim has a s o-calle d as ymme trical
hump in place of the us ual s ymme trical
hump, the tire will re main on the rim
much longe r if air pre s s ure is los t, thus
e nabling the car to be brake d to a
s tands till more e as ily. A furthe r advan-
tage of the as ymme trical hump whe e l
rim is that s pe cial tire s are not ne e de d.
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To release
Pull the le ve r locate d unde r the le ft-
hand s ide of the ins trume nt pane l.
Do not work on your ve hicle with-
out appropriate s kills . Always
s witch off the e ngine and allow it to
cool down be fore working in the e ngine
compartme nt.
Always dis conne ct the batte ry be fore
working on any e le ctrical s ys te ms or
e quipme nt, e s pe cially whe n the s e are
locate d within the e ngine compartme nt.
Comply with all applicable ins tructions
and warnings . If you are not familiar
with all guide line s , have the work pe r-
forme d by your BMW ce nte r. Othe r-
wis e , s afe ty hazards for ve hicle occu-
pants and othe r road us e rs may occur
as a re s ult of imprope r handling of com-
pone nts and mate rials .<
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To open
Gras p the hood on both s ide s on the
le ve l of the latch (arrow 1); pre s s the
latch upward and s imultane ous ly lift the
hood with both hands .
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To close
Allow the hood to fall from a he ight of
about 12 inche s (30 cm) s o that it audi-
bly e ngage s .
To avoid injurie s , be s ure that the
trave l path of the hood is cle ar
whe n it is clos e d, as with all clos ing
proce dure s .
If it is de te rmine d that the hood is not
comple te ly clos e d while driving, s top
imme diate ly and clos e it s e cure ly.<
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120nEngine compartment Z3 roadster 2.3, 2.8, Z3 coupe 2.8
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Engine compartment Z3 roadster 2.3, 2.8, Z3 coupe 2.8
1 Auxiliary te rminal for jump-s tarting
pos itive te rminal 171
2 Engine oil dips tick 125
3 Brake fluid re s e rvoir 130
4 Coolant e xpans ion tank 128
5 Fus e box 169
6 Engine oil fille r ne ck 125
7 Re s e rvoir for winds hie ld and
he adlamp* was he r fluid 124
ne gative te rminal 171
122nEngine compartment M roadster, M coupe
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Engine compartment M roadster, M coupe
pos itive te rminal 171
2 Engine oil dips tick 125
3 Brake fluid re s e rvoir 130
4 Fus e box 169
5 Engine oil fille r ne ck 125
6 Coolant e xpans ion tank 128
7 Re s e rvoir for winds hie ld and
he adlamp* was he r fluid 124
ne gative te rminal 171
124nFluids for the washer systems Washer nozzles
Headlamp* and windshield
washer system
Capacity: Approx. 5.3 US quarts
(5.0 lite rs ).
Fill with wate r and if re quire d with a
was he r antifre e ze (according to the
manufacture r's re comme ndations ).
We re comme nd that you mix the
was he r fluid be fore adding it to
the re s e rvoir.<
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Antifre e ze age nt for the was he r
s ys te ms is inflammable . For this
re as on, ke e p it away from s ource s of
flame and s tore it only in its original
containe r. Store it s o that it is inacce s -
s ible to childre n. Comply with the in-
s tructions on the containe rs .<
Windshield washer system
Winds hie ld:
The s pray from the nozzle s s hould be
dire cte d s o as to e ns ure e ffe ctive
cle aning, e ve n at high s pe e ds .
If ne ce s s ary, corre ct the adjus tme nt
with a ne e dle , or have the adjus tme nt
made by your BMW ce nte r.
Re ar window Z3 coupe , M coupe
only:
Have this s ys te m adjus te d by your
BMW ce nte r as re quire d.
Headlamp washer system*
Have this s ys te m adjus te d by your
BMW ce nte r as re quire d.
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Engine oil
Checking oil level
1 Park the ve hicle on a le ve l s urface .
2 Shut the e ngine off afte r it has
re ache d normal ope rating te mpe ra-
ture .
3 Afte r approx. 5 minute s , pull the dip-
s tick out and wipe it off with a cle an
lint-fre e cloth, pape r towe l, or s imilar
mate rial.
4 Pus h the dips tick care fully all the way
into the guide tube and pull it out
again.
5 The oil le ve l s hould be be twe e n the
two graduations on the dips tick.
As with fue l e conomy, oil cons umption
is dire ctly influe nce d by your driving
s tyle and ve hicle ope rating conditions .
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The s pace be twe e n the two marks on
the dips tick corre s ponds to approx.
1.1 US quarts (1 lite r). Do not fill be yond
the uppe r mark on the dips tick. Exce s s
oil will damage the e ngine .
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To add oil
Wait until the le ve l has droppe d to jus t
above the lowe r mark be fore adding oil.
Do not wait until the oil drops be low the
lowe r mark.
BMW e ngine s are de s igne d to
ope rate without oil additive s ; the
us e of additive s could le ad to damage
in s ome cas e s . This als o applie s to the
manual and automatic trans mis s ion, the
diffe re ntial and the powe r s te e ring s ys -
te m.<
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126nEngine oil
The quality of the e ngine oil which is
s e le cte d has critical s ignificance for the
ope ration and s e rvice life of an e ngine .
Bas e d on e xte ns ive te s ting, BMW has
approve d only ce rtain e ngine oils .
Specified engine oils for the
Z3 roadster and Z3 coupe
Us e approve d "BMW High Pe rformance
Synthe tic Oil" only.
If you are unable to obtain "BMW High
Pe rformance Synthe tic Oil," you may
us e s mall volume s of the "s pe cial oils "
approve d by BMW for topping up be -
twe e n oil change s . You may us e s yn-
the tic oils with the s pe cification API SH
or highe r only if the s pe cial oils are als o
not available .
As k your BMW ce nte r for de tails
conce rning the s pe cific "BMW
High Pe rformance Synthe tic Oil" or
"s pe cial oils " that have be e n ap-
prove d.<
You can als o call BMW of North Ame r-
ica at 1-800-831-1117 or vis it this we b-
s ite : www.bmwus a.com to obtain this
information.
Specified engine oils for the
M roadster and M coupe
Always re fe r to the API s pe cifications
whe n s e le cting oil.
Re quire d quality:
API SH
APISH/CD
APISH/CE
Viscosity Definition
Vis cos ity is the oil flow rating as e s tab-
lis he d in SAE clas s e s .
The s e le ction of the corre ct SAE clas s
de pe nds on the climatic conditions in
the are a whe re you drive your BMW.
SAE classes for the Z3 roadster
and Z3 coupe
Approve d oils are in SAE clas s e s
5W-40 and 5W-30.<
The s e oils may be utilize d in all ambie nt
te mpe rature s . Re fe r to right s ide of the
chart.
SAE classes for the M roadster
and M coupe
Re fe r to the le ft half of the chart for the
corre ct SAE clas s .
You can continue to ope rate the ve hicle
for s hort pe riods of time at te mpe ra-
ture s be yond the range for the SAE
rating of the oil be ing us e d.
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Engine oil
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Comply with the applicable e nvi-
ronme ntal laws re gulating the dis -
pos al of us e d oil.<
Re comme ndation: Have the oil change d
by your BMW ce nte r only.
Continuous e xpos ure to us e d oil
has caus e d cance r in laboratory
te s ting. Any s kin are as that come in
contact with oil s hould thus be thor-
oughly was he d with s oap and wate r.
Store oil, gre as e , e tc., out of re ach of
childre n. Comply with warning labe ls
and information on containe rs .
If you us e SAE 15W-40 e ngine oil in low
te mpe rature s (be low 14 7/10 6), the
e ngine may be come difficult to s tart.
Spe cial e ngine oils individually ap-
prove d by BMW are pre fe rre d for us e in
your e ngine . Ple as e contact your BMW
ce nte r for de tails .<
128nCoolant
Do not add coolant to the cooling
s ys te m whe n the e ngine is hot. If
you do, e s caping coolant can caus e
burns .
To avoid the pos s ibility of damage late r
on, do not us e anything othe r than fac-
tory-approve d, nitrite and amino-fre e
e xte nde d-duty antifre e ze with corros ion
inhibitor which can be us e d with alumi-
num radiator core s . Your BMW ce nte r
is familiar with the approve d s pe cifica-
tions .
Antifre e ze and anti-corros ion age nts
are hazardous to he alth. Store the m in
the ir original containe rs . Ke e p the con-
taine rs tightly clos e d and out of re ach
of childre n.
Exte nde d-duty antifre e ze with corro-
s ion inhibitor contains the flammable
s ubs tance e thyle ne glycol. For this re a-
s on, do not s pill e xte nde d-duty anti-
fre e ze with corros ion inhibitor on hot
e ngine compone nts . If you do, it could
be ignite d and caus e s e rious burns .<
pos al of e xte nde d-duty antifre e ze with
corros ion inhibitor.<
Checking coolant level
Z3 roads te r 2.3, 2.8, Z3 coupe 2.8:
The corre ct coolant le ve l whe n the
e ngine is cold (approx. 68 7/20 6):
Uns cre w the cap from the e xpans ion
tank.
The coolant le ve l is corre ct whe n the
uppe r e nd of the re d float is at le as t
e ve n with the uppe r e dge of the fille r
ne ck (re fe r to the arrow in the illus tra-
tion), but no more than 0.8 inche s
(2 cm) above it that is , up to the s e c-
ond mark on the float (re fe r als o the
s che matic diagram ne xt to the fille r
ne ck).
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Coolant
M roads te r, M coupe :
The corre ct coolant le ve l whe n the
e ngine is cold (approx. 68 7/20 6):
Up to the KALT/COLD mark (arrow) of
the trans pare nt e xpans ion tank.
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To add coolant
Wait until the e ngine cools be fore re -
moving the cap from the e xpans ion
tank. The ne e dle of the coolant gauge
in the ins trume nt clus te r mus t be lo-
cate d in the blue fie ld; othe rwis e , the re
is a dange r of s calding.
1 Turn the cap s lightly counte rclock-
wis e in orde r to allow accumulate d
pre s s ure to e s cape . The n ope n.
2 If the coolant is low, s lowly add
coolant until the corre ct le ve l is
re ache d do not ove rfill.
The coolant is a mixture of wate r and
e xte nde d-duty antifre e ze with corros ion
inhibitor. Always maintain the pre -
s cribe d all-s e as on 50 : 50 mixture ratio
for ye ar-round prote ction agains t inte r-
nal corros ion. No othe r additive s are re -
quire d.
Re place the coolant re gularly. Re fe r to
the Se rvice and Warranty Information
Bookle t (US mode ls ) or the Warranty
and Se rvice Guide (Canadian mode ls ).
130nBrake fluid Vehicle Identification
If the warning lamp for the brake
hydraulic s ys te m come s on:
Che ck the brake fluid le ve l. Add brake
fluid to the uppe r mark ("MAX") if ne c-
e s s ary. For this , re fe r als o to the in-
s tructions on page 104.
To e liminate the caus e of the brake fluid
los s , ple as e cons ult a BMW ce nte r. You
can als o re ce ive information conce rning
approve d brake fluids (DOT 4) the re .
Brake fluid los s may re s ult in e xte nde d
brake pe dal trave l. If this occurs , re fe r
to the note s on page 104.
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Brake fluid is hygros copic, that is ,
it abs orbs mois ture from the air
ove r time .
In orde r to e ns ure the ope rating s afe ty
and re liability of the brake s ys te m, have
the brake fluid change d e ve ry two ye ars
by an BMW ce nte r. Re fe r als o to the
Se rvice and Warranty Information
and Se rvice Guide (Canadian mode ls ).
Brake fluid is toxic and will damage the
ve hicle 's paint. You s hould always s tore
it in its original containe r and in a loca-
tion which is inacce s s ible to childre n.
Avoid brake fluid s pills . Do not fill brake
fluid be yond the "MAX" le ve l in the re s -
e rvoir. The brake fluid could ignite upon
contact with hot e ngine parts and
caus e s e rious burns .<
pos al of brake fluid.<
The Ve hicle Ide ntification Numbe r is lo-
cate d in the e ngine compartme nt be low
the winds hie ld and on the top of the in-
s trume nt pane l.
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The BMW Mainte nance Sys te m has
be e n de s igne d as a re liable me ans of
providing maximum driving and ope rat-
ing s afe ty and as cos t-e ffe ctive ly as
pos s ible for you.
Ple as e ke e p in mind that re gular main-
te nance is not only ne ce s s ary for the
s afe ty of your ve hicle , but als o plays a
s ignificant role in maintaining the re s ale
value of your ve hicle .
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Service Interval Display
Advance d te chnology is e mploye d to
calculate the optimal mainte nance in-
te rvals , which are the n indicate d in the
Se rvice Inte rval Dis play. While conve n-
tional s ys te ms re ly s ole ly on dis tance
trave le d to de te rmine whe n s e rvice is
due , the BMW Mainte nance Sys te m
cons ide rs the actual conditions unde r
which the ve hicle ope rate s .
From the point of vie w of mainte nance ,
62,000 mile s (100,000 km) accumulate d
in s hort-dis tance urban driving are not
the e quivale nt of the s ame dis tance
cove re d at mode rate s pe e ds in long-
dis tance highway trave l. In re s pons e
to this fact, the BMW Mainte nance Sys -
te m monitors ope rating conditions as
the bas is for de te rmining the optimum
s e rvice inte rvals for your individual
ve hicle .
The BMW Mainte nance Sys te m in-
clude s the Engine Oil Se rvice as we ll as
Ins pe ctions I and II.
De te rmining the mainte nance inte rvals
according to the actual loads on the c ar
cove rs eve ry kind of ope rating s ituation.
Howeve r, s ince oil de te riorate s ove r time
re gardle s s of us e, eve n thos e who drive
only s hort dis tance s s ignicantly le s s
than 6,200 mile s (10,000 km) annually
s hould have the e ngine oil change d re g-
ularly. Re fe r to the Se rvice and Warranty
Information Bookle t (US mode ls ) or to
the Warranty and Se rvice Guide Bookle t
(Canadian mode ls ).
The BMW Maintenance System
132nThe BMW Maintenance System Caring for your car
Service and Warranty Information
Booklet (US models)/Warranty
and Service Guide (Canadian
models)
For de taile d information on re quire d
mainte nance ite ms and the work in-
volve d, ple as e re fe r to the Se rvice and
Warranty Information Bookle t (US mod-
e ls ) or to the Warranty and Se rvice
Guide Bookle t (Canadian mode ls ).
De pe nding upon ope rating conditions ,
it might be a good ide a to have the
body che cke d for damage from rocks
or grave l at the s ame time as a pre cau-
tion agains t rus t.
Have your BMW ce nte r do the
mainte nance and re pair.
Your BMW ce nte r is always informe d on
the late s t mainte nance work and re pair
te chnique s and is e quippe d with the re -
quire d s pe cial tools . In addition, che ck-
ing parts known from e xpe rie nce to be
s ubje ct to we ar is a pe rmane nt part of
the mainte nance s pe cifications . Be
s ure that all mainte nance work is con-
firme d in the Se rvice and Warranty In-
formation Bookle t (US mode ls ) or the
Warranty and Se rvice Guide Bookle t
(Canadian mode ls ). The s e e ntrie s will
cons titute your proof that the ve hicle
has re ce ive d re gular mainte nance . The y
are als o re quire d for warranty claims .<
Washing your car
You can was h your BMW by hand or in
an automatic car was h e ve n whe n it is
ne w. Car was h s ys te ms that do not e m-
ploy brus he s are pre fe rable .
Wipe away tough dirt and loos e n and
re move de ad ins e cts be fore was hing
the car.
To pre ve nt s pots , avoid was hing whe n
the hood is s till warm, or imme diate ly
afte r and during e xpos ure to s trong
s unlight.
If a brus hle s s car was h is unavailable
and a brus h car was h mus t be us e d,
mode rn s ys te ms with s oft brus he s are
pre fe rable . In orde r to prote ct the con-
ve rtible top, s pe cial waxing programs
may not be s e le cte d for the Z3 roads te r
and the M roads te r. The s mall amount
of be ading wax always us e d in auto-
matic car was he s will not harm your
ve hicle 's finis h.
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Caring for your car
Whe n us ing an automatic car was h, be
s ure that:
> The car was h s ys te m is s uite d for the
dime ns ions of your ve hicle .
> No damage will occur on ve hicle s
with attache d body acce s s orie s (s uch
as s poile rs or ante nnas ). Cons ult the
car was h ope rator if ne ce s s ary.
> The whe e ls and tire s of your ve hicle
cannot be damage d by the conve y-
ance de vice s of the car was h s ys te m.
> The ve hicle is cle ane d with minimum
brus h pre s s ure , and ample wate r is
available for was hing and rins ing.
Parts of the car which are inacce s s ible
to the automatic was he r s uch as door
s ills , door and hood e dge s , e tc. s hould
be cle ane d by hand.
In the winte r months , it is e s pe cially im-
portant to e ns ure that the car is was he d
on a re gular bas is . Large quantitie s of
dirt and road s alt are difficult to re move ,
and the y als o caus e damage to the
ve hicle .
If s pray wands or high-pre s s ure
was he rs are us e d, be s ure to
maintain an ade quate dis tance be twe e n
the s pray s ource and the ve hicle 's s ur-
face . Inade quate cle arance and e xce s -
s ive pre s s ure can damage or we ake n
the finis h, making it more s us ce ptible to
s ubs e que nt attack. In addition, mois -
ture could pe ne trate to ve hicle compo-
ne nts , le ading to long-te rm damage .<
Whe n cle aning the he adlamps ,
ple as e obs e rve the following:
> Do not cle an by wiping with a dry
cloth (this caus e s s cratche s ). Ne ve r
us e abras ive s or s trong s olve nts to
cle an the cove rs .
> Re move dirt and contamination (s uch
as ins e cts ) by s oaking with BMW Car
Shampoo and the n rins ing with ple nty
of wate r.
> Always us e a de ice r s pray to re move
accumulate d ice and s now ne ve r
us e a s crape r.<
Afte r was hing the car, apply the
brake s brie fly to dry the m. Braking
e fficie ncy might othe rwis e be re duce d
by the mois ture and the brake rotors
could als o be corrode d.<
134nCaring for your car
Cleaning and care of the
convertible top, Z3 roadster
and M roadster
The appe arance and life of the conve rt-
ible top are highly de pe nde nt on its
prope r care and ope ration. You s hould
pay particular atte ntion to the following
ins tructions if your car has a light-col-
ore d top.
Prote ct the ve hicle from e xpos ure to
inte ns e s unlight whe ne ve r pos s ible by
parking it in the s hade . This will pre ve nt
the paint, rubbe r and fabric-cove re d
parts from be ing attacke d.
Ne ve r fold up the conve rtible top and
s tore it in the conve rtible top we ll whe n
we t, dirty or froze n, s ince milde w s tains
and rub s pots may re s ult.
To pre ve nt the formation of cre as e s in
the re ar window and milde w s tains in
the fabric, do not le ave the top folde d
in the conve rtible top we ll for e xte nde d
pe riods .
If the ve hicle will be parke d for le ngthy
pe riods in an e nclos e d s pace , be s ure
that the conve rtible top is dry and that
the re is ade quate ve ntilation.
Cle an off bird droppings imme diate ly,
s ince the y attack the conve rtible top
and caus e the rubbe r s e als to s we ll due
to the ir caus tic characte ris tics .
Be s ide s wate r, tre at rubbe r s e als only
with talcum powde r, rubbe r care prod-
ucts or s ilicone s pray, particularly whe n
the y fe e l dry or te nd to s tick.
Eliminate nois e s s uch as s que aks with
lubricant s pray.
Ne ve r us e s harp-e dge d obje cts to
cle an s now or ice from the re ar window.
The us e of de icing s pray is not ap-
prove d. Due to the dange r of damage
and dis coloration, do not apply adhe -
s ive tape , s ticke rs , e tc., to the window
or cove r it with plas tic film.
De pre s s ions and dis coloration may
occur in the conve rtible top as a re s ult
of imprope r mainte nance and cle aning
or as the re s ult of s tre s s e s from e xce s -
s ive us e . The conve rtible top and its
s e ams may als o de ve lop le aks . The s e
occurre nce s are not cove re d by the
warranty. For re pairs , ple as e cons ult
your BMW ce nte r.
Special wash for the top
In the cas e of more e xte ns ive dirt, which
is e s pe cially vis ible on light-colore d top
mate rials , cle an the top with the BMW
Conve rtible Cle aning Se t. Ple as e pro-
ce e d as follows :
Spray the conve rtible top with the cle an-
ing age nt and the n rub with a we ll-damp-
e ne d s ponge us ing circular motions until
a foam de ve lops . The n you can finis h
was hing the ve hicle in an automatic car
was h. Afte r thre e to five was hings the
conve rtible top s hould be tre ate d with a
s pe cial impre gnating s pray. Ple as e fol-
low the ins tructions on the s pray can.
Us e the cle aning and car-care
products that you can obtain at
your BMW ce nte r.<
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Caring for your car
Rear window cleaning
While the roads te r's re ar window has
the advantage of be ing e xtre me ly fle xi-
ble , the re is the dis advantage that it has
a re lative ly-s oft s urface . For this re a-
s on, cle an the re ar window only with a
s oft, antis tatic cloth or with BMW Con-
ve rtible Re ar Window Cle ane r.
If you was h the ve hicle fre que ntly in
brus h car was he s , and in particular in
thos e with hard brus he s , faint s cratche s
in the re ar window may re s ult. With the
window re place me nt s ys te m you can
re place a he avily s cratche d window at a
re lative ly low price . Ple as e contact your
BMW ce nte r for additional information.
Do not us e s pot re move rs , paint
thinne rs , s olve nts , gas oline or
s imilar s ubs tance s for re moving s pots
from the conve rtible top or from the
re ar window. The s e mate rials de s troy
the rubbe r s e als , which will le ad to
le aks . Us e only BMW-approve d cle an-
e rs .<
Exterior finish
To provide e ffe ctive corros ion prote c-
tion, multilaye r paintwork is applie d at
the factory. Cataphore tic imme rs ion
priming te chnique s are s upple me nte d
us ing s pe cial body-cavity prote ctants ,
with the application of s pe cially-de ve l-
ope d and e xte ns ive ly te s te d mate rials .
A laye r of fle xible PVC is firs t applie d
to the unde rcarriage . Following this , a
compre he ns ive unde rcoating tre at-
me nt with a wax-bas e d prote ctant is
applie d.
Re gular mainte nance make s an impor-
tant contribution to maintaining the
s afe ty and value of your ve hicle .
Incre as ing aware ne s s of the e ffe cts of
harmful e nvironme ntal factors on ve hi-
cle finis he s have le d paint and ve hicle
manufacture rs to initiate programs de -
s igne d to furthe r improve the durability
of the ir finis he s . De s pite this , e nviron-
me ntal factors which occur locally or
re gionally can have ne gative e ffe cts on
the finis h of your ve hicle . The s e s hould
guide you in de te rmining the fre que ncy
and e xte nt of your e fforts to maintain
the ve hicle finis h.
De pe nding upon mate rial and type
of impact (pe rforation of paint laye r),
phys ical s tre s s e s from s and, road s alt,
grave l, e tc., can caus e corros ion to
s tart e xte nding be ne ath the finis h, s tart-
ing at the point of impact.
Road dirt, tar s pots , de ad ins e cts , ani-
mal droppings (s trong alkali conce ntra-
tion) and tre e e xcre tions (re s ins and
polle n) all contain s ubs tance s capable
of caus ing damage whe n allowe d to
re main on the finis h of your car for any
pe riod of time (s pots , e tching, flaking,
s e paration in the top coat).
In indus trial are as , de pos its of flue dus t,
lime , oily s oot, pre cipitation containing
s ulfur-dioxide (acid rain) and othe r e nvi-
ronme ntal pollutants will damage the
car's finis h unle s s ade quate care is pro-
vide d e ve n though this is ge ne rally
limite d to the outs ide horizontal s ur-
face s .
In coas tal re gions , high le ve ls of atmo-
s phe ric s alt and humidity promote cor-
ros ion.
In the tropics , in addition to ultra-viole t
radiation and high humidity, te mpe ra-
ture s ove r 105 7 (40 6) in the s hade
are common. Unde r thos e conditions ,
light paints can re ach te mpe rature s up
to 175 7 (80 6) and dark paints up to
250 7 (120 6).
Caring for the vehicle finish
Re gular was hing is a pre ve ntive me a-
s ure agains t long-te rm e ffe cts from
s ubs tance s which are harmful to the
ve hicle 's finis h, e s pe cially if you drive
your ve hicle in are as with high le ve ls of
air pollution or aggre s s ive natural s ub-
s tance s (tre e re s ins , polle n).
Ne ve rthe le s s , you s hould imme diate ly
re move e s pe cially aggre s s ive s ub-
s tance s . Failure to do s o can le ad to
change s in the paint's che mical s truc-
ture or to dis coloration. Gas oline s pille d
during re fue ling, oil, gre as e and brake
fluid s hould always be cle ane d away
imme diate ly, as s hould bird droppings
(finis h damage ).
Any contamination re maining on the
s urface of the ve hicle will be e s pe cially
cons picuous afte r was hing. Us e cle an-
ing fluid or alcohol with a cle an cloth or
cotton pad to re move . Re move tar
s pots with tar re move r. Afte r cle aning,
the affe cte d are as s hould be waxe d to
e ns ure continue d prote ction.
your BMW ce nte r.<
Waxing your car
Prote ct the finis h us ing carnauba or
s ynthe tic-bas e d waxe s only.
The be s t way to de te rmine whe n the
finis h ne e ds to be waxe d is by noting
whe n wate r s tops be ading on the s ur-
face .
You can us e a glas s cle ane r to re move
any wax or s ilicone that may have be e n
le ft on the windows during waxing.
your BMW ce nte r.<
Paint damage
You can touch up minor paint flaws with
BMW s pray paint or a BMW touchup
s tick.
The color code for your ve hicle is pro-
vide d on a tag locate d ne ar the ve hicle
data plate and on the firs t page of the
Se rvice and Warranty Information
and Se rvice Guide Bookle t (Canadian
mode ls ).
Damage caus e d by flying s tone s ,
s cratche s , e tc., mus t be touche d up
without de lay to pre ve nt rus t from form-
ing.
If corros ion has s tarte d to form in an
are a with paint damage , re move all rus t
and cle an the are a. Finally, apply the
finis h coat. Wait a fe w days , the n polis h
the re paire d are a. Finis h by applying a
wax pre s e rvative .
More e xte ns ive paint damage s hould
be re paire d profe s s ionally in accor-
dance with the manufacture r's ins truc-
tions . Your BMW ce nte r us e s original
BMW finis h mate rials in accordance
with approve d re pair proce dure s .
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Caring for your car
Window care
You can us e window and glas s cle ane r
to cle an ins ide window s urface s and
mirrors without s me aring and s tre aking.
Ne ve r us e polis hing pas te s or abras ive
(quartz) cle ans e rs on mirror le ns e s !
Cle an the wipe r blade s with s oapy
wate r. The wipe r blade s s hould be re -
place d twice a ye ar, be fore and afte r
the cold s e as on.
Us e only wipe r blade s which have
be e n approve d by BMW.<
Caring for other vehicle
components and materials
Light-alloy whe e ls s hould be tre ate d
with alloy whe e l cle ane r, particularly
during the winte r months . Do not us e
aggre s s ive products containing acids ,
s trong alkalis or abras ive s . Alloy whe e ls
s hould not be cle ane d with a s te am je t
ope rating at te mpe rature s in e xce s s of
140 7 (60 6). Follow the manufac-
ture r's ins tructions .
If your ve hicle is e quippe d with chrome d
parts * s uch as window frame s , door
handle s , e tc., cle an the s e parts thor-
oughly with ple nty of wate r and, if the y
are e xpos e d to the e ffe cts of s alt, als o
with a s hampoo additive . Us e chrome
polis h for additional tre atme nt.
Plas tic compone nts , vinyl uphols te ry,
the he adline r of the coupe , lamp
le ns e s , the cle ar cove r of the ins tru-
me nt pane l and compone nts with a
s praye d dull black s urface can be
cle ane d with wate r (add plas tic s ham-
poo as re quire d). Do not allow mois ture
to s oak through the s e ats or he adline r.
Ne ve r us e s olve nts s uch as lacque r
thinne r, he avy-duty gre as e re move r,
fue ls , e tc.
Rubbe r compone nts s hould be cle ane d
with wate r only; a rubbe r tre atme nt or
s ilicone s pray may als o be applie d.
The s afe ty be lts s hould be cle ane d with
a mild s oap and wate r s olution without
be ing re move d from the car. Ne ve r at-
te mpt che mical or dry cle aning, s ince
this could caus e damage to the be lt
fabric.
Afte r cle aning, ne ve r allow the ine rtia
re e l to re tract the be lts until the y are
comple te ly dry. Dirty s afe ty be lts pre -
ve nt the ine rtia re e l me chanis m from
re tracting the s trap prope rly, and thus
cons titute a s afe ty hazard.
He avily s oile d floor carpe ts and mats *
can be cle ane d with an inte rior cle ane r.
The floor mats can be re move d from
the ve hicle for cle aning.
Ple as e us e only a damp cloth to cle an
woode n fas cia pane ls and compone nts .
Follow up by drying with a s oft cloth.
your BMW ce nte r.<
Care of upholstery materials
De pre s s ions forme d in the uphols te re d
mate rials in the cours e of e ve ryday us e
can be brus he d up working with a
lightly dampe ne d brus h "agains t the
nap."
The te nde ncy of the pile to lie in a par-
ticular dire ction on ve lour uphols te ry
is not a quality de fe ct, and, jus t as on
home te xtile s or clothing, cannot be
avoide d.
Fuzz on uphols te ry mate rials , rubbe d-in
fabric or s ue de re s idue s can be re -
move d with a fuzz or Ve lcrobrus h. A
cle aning glove is available for particu-
larly "s tubborn" lint. Re move s pots and
large r s oile d are as imme diate ly with
luke -warm wate r, an inte rior cle ane r, or
a s pot re move r. Brus h the fabric afte r-
wards to re s tore its appe arance .
If the ve hicle will be s tore d for an e x-
te nde d pe riod or if it is e xpos e d to in-
te ns e s unlight, cove r all the s e ats or the
windows to pre ve nt fading (roads te r:
Conve rtible top clos e d).
your BMW ce nte r.<
The buildup of an e le ctros tatic charge
on the s e at cove rs , particularly if atmo-
s phe ric humidity is low, can give the
occupants an unple as ant e le ctric s hock
if the y touch me tal body parts afte r
le aving the ve hicle . Although this is
not dange rous in any way, it can be
avoide d by touching a bare or polis he d
me tal part of the car while ge tting out.
If ne ce s s ary, antis tatic products can be
us e d to e liminate this e ffe ct to a large
e xte nt.
Leather care
The le athe r uphols te ry* us e d by BMW
is a natural product of the highe s t qual-
ity, proce s s e d us ing s tate -of-the -art
me thods to e ns ure that it will maintain
its high quality for ye ars to come , pro-
vide d that it is prope rly care d for.
As this product is manufacture d us ing
natural mate rials , you mus t make allow-
ance s for s pe cial characte ris tics and
pos s ible s urface irre gularitie s . You
s hould als o be ar in mind that this kind
of mate rial re quire s s pe cial care and
atte ntion.
Re gular cle aning and care are e s s e n-
tial, s ince dus t and road dirt act as
abras ive s in the pore s and cre as e s of
the mate rial. This le ads to we ar s pots
and pre mature brittle ne s s on the s ur-
face of the le athe r. We the re fore s ug-
ge s t that you cle an the le athe r with a
vacuum cle ane r or dus t cloth at fre -
que nt inte rvals .
For cle aning, us e BMW le athe r cle aning
foam.
Since dirt and gre as e gradually attack
the prote ctive laye r of the le athe r, the
cle ane d s urface s s hould be tre ate d
with BMW le athe r care age nt. This als o
acts as an antis tatic age nt.
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Caring for your car Airbags
To prote ct the le athe r from dampne s s
or mois ture , you can tre at it with a
BMW impre gnating age nt.
We re comme nd that you pe rform this
proce dure twice a ye ar on le athe r e x-
pos e d to normal us e .
Spille d liquids s hould be wipe d up im-
me diate ly, and gre as y and oily s tains
dabbe d with a s tain re move r.
If the uphols te ry is to be e xpos e d to
inte ns e s unlight or if the ve hicle is to be
s tore d for an e xte nde d pe riod, cove r all
le athe r s urface s (or, be tte r ye t, the win-
dows ) to pre ve nt fading.
your BMW ce nte r.<
Cle aning age nts can contain s ub-
s tance s which are dange rous or
which pos e he alth ris ks . The re fore ,
always comply with the warnings and
dange r notice s on the package .
Ope n the doors or windows on your
ve hicle whe n cle aning the inte rior (or
whe n the roads te r's conve rtible top is
clos e d). Ne ve r cle an your ve hicle with
s olve nts or othe r mate rials not s pe cifi-
cally inte nde d for this application.<
1 Front airbags for drive r and
pas s e nge r
2 Side airbags
Important safety notices
Do not atte mpt to re move the gas
ge ne rators of the airbag re s traint
s ys te m from the ve hicle or to dis as s e m-
ble the m.
Have ins pe ction and s e rvice proce -
dure s pe rforme d by s pe cially-traine d
pe rs onne l only.
If the airbag re s traint s ys te m malfunc-
tions , is de activate d or trigge re d as a
re s pons e to an accide nt, have the s ys -
te m re paire d by an BMW ce nte r only.
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Do not make modifications of any kind
to the individual compone nts or s ys te m
wiring. The s e include the uphols te re d
cove rs on the s te e ring whe e l hub, in the
ins trume nt pane l and in the s ide trim
pane ls of the doors . Ne ve r apply adhe -
s ive mate rials to the s e compone nts or
cove r or modify the m in any way. Do
not atte mpt to dis as s e mble the s te e ring
whe e l its e lf.
To e ns ure compliance with applicable
s afe ty re gulations , have the airbag ge n-
e rators dis pos e d of by an BMW ce nte r
only.
Unprofe s s ional atte mpts to s e rvice the
s ys te m could le ad to failure in an e me r-
ge ncy or unde s ire d airbag activation,
e ithe r of which could re s ult in pe rs onal
injury.<
140nStoring your vehicle
If you inte nd to s tore the ve hicle for
longe r than thre e months , have the
mainte nance ope rations de s cribe d on
this page pe rforme d.<
Preparation for storage
Have the following ope rations pe r-
forme d by your BMW ce nte r:
1 Clean and apply a rus tproong agent or
other treatment to the engine, engine
compartment, undercarriage, axles
and major components in accordance
with approved repair procedures . Was h
the vehicle, clean the interior and treat
painted and chromed parts. Clean the
rubber s eals around the hood, luggage
compartment and doors.
2 Change the e ngine oil and oil lte r
with the e ngine at ope rating te mpe ra-
ture. As an additional corros ion pro-
te ction me as ure, an anticorros ive
age nt can be adde d to the e ngine in
accordance with the manufacture r's
ins tructions .
3 Che ck the coolant leve l and conce n-
tration and top up if ne c e s s ary.
4 Che ck the uid leve l of the winds hie ld
was he r uid re s e rvoir; top up if ne c-
e s s ary.
5 Fill the fue l tank comple te ly to pre -
ve nt the formation of conde ns ation.
6 Incre as e the tire ination pre s s ure to
51 ps i (350 kPa).
Before parking the vehicle for
storage
1 Dry the parking brake and footbrake
by brake applications to pre ve nt the
brake dis cs and drums from corrod-
ing.
2 Park the ve hicle in a cove re d, dry,
and we ll-ve ntilate d room. Place the
trans mis s ion in 1s t ge ar or s e t the s e -
le ctor le ve r to the "P" pos ition. Chock
the whe e ls to pre ve nt the ve hicle
from rolling if ne ce s s ary. Do not s e t
the parking brake .
3 Re move the batte ry, charge it com-
ple te ly and s tore it in a cool (but
fros t-fre e ) room.
Z3 roads te r/M roads te r:
4 Re move the hardtop * and s tore it
s e parate ly. Re fe r to page 109.
5 Clos e the conve rtible top.
During storage
Re charge the batte ry e ve ry s ix months .
If it is not re charge d, it will not be s e r-
vice able . Eve ry time the batte ry is dis -
charge d, e s pe cially ove r e xte nde d pe ri-
ods , its s e rvice life is re duce d.
Removing the vehicle from
storage
Re charge the batte ry if the "Magic Eye "
turns black. Re fe r to page 167.
The n have Ins pe ction I pe rforme d by
your BMW ce nte r, including a brake
fluid re place me nt if ne ce s s ary. Re fe r to
the Se rvice Manual.
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Any BMW ce nte r will be happy to advis e
you conce rning the advis ability, le gal
implications and factory re comme nda-
tions for te chnical modifications to the
ve hicle . For this purpos e , the BMW
ce nte r will re quire the Ve hicle Ide ntifi-
cation Numbe r. The e ngine numbe r is
als o re quire d in s ome ins tance s .
Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)
Light-e mitting diode s ins talle d be hind
trans luce nt le ns e s s e rve as the light
s ource for many of the controls and dis -
plays in your ve hicle . The s e LEDs are
s imilar to las e r te chnology and are le -
gally clas s ifie d as "Clas s 1 light e mitting
diode s ."
Do not re move the prote ctive le ns
and avoid s taring dire ctly at the
unfilte re d be am for e xte nde d pe riods
(s e ve ral hours ), s ince inflammation of
the iris could re s ult.<
Technical modifications to the vehicle
142nOBD connector
Acce s s to the conne ctor for the
Onboard Diagnos tic s ys te m (OBD):
Lift off the s ide cove r in the ce nte r con-
s ole on the pas s e nge r's s ide (arrow).
The purpos e of the OBD s ys te m is to
e ns ure prope r ope ration of the e mis -
s ion control s ys te m throughout the
ve hicle 's life time by monitoring e mis -
s ion-re late d compone nts and s ys te ms
for de te rioration and malfunction.
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An Illuminate d indicator informs
you of the ne e d for s e rvice , but
not of the ne e d to s top the ve hi-
cle . Howe ve r, the s ys te ms s hould be
che cke d by your BMW ce nte r at the
e arlie s t pos s ible opportunity.
Unde r ce rtain conditions , the indicator
will blink or flas h. This indicate s a rathe r
s e ve re le ve l of e ngine mis fire . Whe n
this occurs , you s hould re duce s pe e d
and cons ult the ne are s t BMW ce nte r as
s oon as pos s ible . Se ve re e ngine mis fire
ove r only a s hort pe riod of time can
s e rious ly damage e mis s ion control
compone nts , e s pe cially the catalytic
conve rte r.
"Se rvice Engine Soon" warning
Whe n the fille r cap is not prope rly
tighte ne d, the OBD s ys te m can
de te ct the vapor le ak and the indicator
will light up. If the fille r cap is s ubs e -
que ntly tighte ne d, the indicator s hould
go out within a fe w days .<
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144n
Overview
Operation, care
and maintenance
Technical data
Index
Advanced technology
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Replacement procedures:
Winds hie ld wipe r blade s 146
Lamps and bulbs 147
Mas te r ke y with batte ry
lamp 154
Tire change
Z3 roads te r, Z3 coupe 155
Batte ry 166
Fus e s 169
In case of electrical
malfunction:
Powe r conve rtible top 170
Assistance, giving and
receiving:
Jump-s tarting 170
Towing the ve hicle 172
Repai r s
146n
The onboard tool kit is locate d in the
luggage compartme nt, unde r the floor
mat.
Z3 coupe , M coupe :
Gras p the floor mat by the s traps on the
le ft and right. Pull it upward and re move
it.
Z3 roads te r, M roads te r:
Lift the floor mat from the re ar by the
s trap and fold it forward.
Front
1 Pos ition the wipe rs ve rtically. To do
this , s witch on the wipe rs and s witch
off the ignition whe n the wipe rs are
approximate ly ve rtical.
2 Rais e the wipe r arm comple te ly.
3 Pre s s the s pring re taine r (arrow) and
e xtract the blade , pulling toward the
wipe r arm.
4 Ins e rt a ne w wipe r blade and apply
pre s s ure until you he ar it e ngage .
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Rear window wiper, Z3 coupe,
M coupe
Follow the s ame proce dure as that
de s cribe d for changing the front wipe r
blade s , e xce pt that the wipe r doe s not
have to be pos itione d ve rtically.
Fold the wipe r back onto the win-
dow be fore you turn the ignition
ke y to pos ition 1 or 2.<
Us e only wipe r blade s which have
be e n approve d by BMW.<
Onboard tool kit Windshield wiper blades
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Lamps and bulbs
The lamps and bulbs make e s s e ntial
contributions to the s afe ty of your ve hi-
cle . The re fore , comply fully with the fol-
lowing ins tructions during bulb re place -
me nt. If you are not familiar with any of
the proce dure s , cons ult your BMW
ce nte r.
Do not touch the glas s portion of
a ne w bulb with your bare hands
s ince e ve n s mall amounts of impuritie s
burn in to the s urface and re duce the
s e rvice life of the bulb. Us e a cle an
cloth, pape r napkin, or a s imilar mate -
rial, or hold the bulb by its me tallic
bas e .<
A re place me nt bulb s e t is available from
your BMW ce nte r.
Be fore pe rforming any work on
the e le ctrical s ys te m, s witch off
the affe cte d acce s s orie s or dis conne ct
the cable from the ne gative te rminal of
the batte ry. Failure to do s o could re s ult
in s hort circuits in the e le ctrical s ys te m.
To pre ve nt injurie s and damage , com-
ply with any ins tructions provide d by
the bulb manufacture r.<
The illus tration de picts the right s ide
of the e ngine compartme nt.
1 High beams
HB3, 65-watt bulb
2 Low beam headlamps
HB4, 55-watt bulb
The bulb is pre s s urize d. The re -
fore , we ar s afe ty glas s e s and pro-
te ctive glove s . Failure to comply with
this pre caution could le ad to injury if the
bulb is accide ntally damage d during re -
place me nt.<
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1 Turn the bulb holde r with the bulb to
the le ft and re move toward the re ar.
2 Pull off the plug.
3 Pus h the ne w bulb holde r with bulb
onto the plug e ns ure prope r lock-
ing.
4 Re ins tall in re ve rs e orde r.
Whe n cle aning the he adlamps ,
ple as e obs e rve the following:
> Do not cle an by wiping with a dry
cloth (this caus e s s cratche s ). Ne ve r
us e abras ive s or s trong s olve nts to
cle an the cove rs .
> Re move dirt and contamination (s uch
as ins e cts ) by s oaking with BMW Car
Shampoo and the n rins ing with ple nty
of wate r.
> Always us e a de ice r s pray to re move
accumulate d ice and s now ne ve r
us e a s crape r.<
148nLamps and bulbs
Position lamps
5-watt bulb
1 Us e finge r pre s s ure agains t the inne r
e dge of the le ns (arrow) to pre s s it
outward for re moval.
the right and re move it from the lamp.
3 Applying light pre s s ure , turn the bulb
to the le ft. Re move and e xchange the
bulb.
4 Ins tall in the re ve rs e orde r.
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Front turn signals
21-watt bulb
the le ft and re move toward the re ar.
bulb.
3 Ins e rt the bulb holde r and turn to the
right as far as pos s ible .
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Side turn signals
5-watt bulb
1 Us e finge r pre s s ure agains t the re ar
e dge of the le ns (arrow) to pre s s it
toward the re ar for re moval.
the right and re move it from the lamp.
bulb.
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Lamps and bulbs
Front fog lamps*
H1, 55-watt bulb
1 Unclip the plas tic cove r (on the ins ide
of the fog lamp) with a s cre wdrive r.
2 Loos e n two s cre ws , tilt the fog lamp
outward and re move it.
3 Re le as e the plas tic cap on the back
of the fog lamp and re move it.
4 Re move the plug.
5 De tach the wire clamp.
6 Re place the bulb.
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Tail lamp assembly Z3 roadster
Tail lamp, s ide marke r lamp:
5-watt bulbs
Re maining bulbs : 21 watts
1 Turn s ignal ye llow
2 Brake lamp re d
3 Backup lamp white
4 Tail lamp, re fle ctor re d
5 Side marke r lamp re d
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Z3 roads te r
1 Ope n the quick-re le as e fas te ne r
(arrow) and re move the cove r.
2 Turn the corre s ponding bulb holde r
to the le ft and re move it.
3 Pre s s the de fe ctive bulb ge ntly and
turn it to the le ft. Re move the bulb
and re place it.
5 Se cure the cove r.
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150nLamps and bulbs
Tail lamp assembly M roadster
5-watt bulbs
2 Backup lamp white
4 Brake lamp re d
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M roads te r
1 Turn the bulb holde r re taine r to the
le ft (arrow) and re move bulb holde r.
2 Pull the bulb holde r for the s ide
marke r lamp toward the front and out
of the tail lamp as s e mbly.
and re place it.
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Tail lamp assembly Z3 coupe,
M coupe
5-watt bulbs
2 Backup lamp white
4 Brake lamp re d
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Lamps and bulbs
1 Lift up the luggage compartme nt floor
mat.
2 To loos e n, turn the mounting clips
(arrows ) of the right-hand trim pane l
on the re ar wall of the luggage com-
partme nt approx. 1/4 turn with a coin
or s cre wdrive r.
pane l.
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Z3 coupe , M coupe
4 Turn the corre s ponding bulb holde r
to the le ft (arrow) and re move it.
and re place it.
Side marke r lamp:
Pull the bulb holde r out of the tail lamp
as s e mbly toward the front.
7 Re ins tall the trim pane l in the oppo-
s ite orde r:
Ins e rt the clips and turn the m approx.
1/4 turn to s e cure the m.
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Center (high-mount) brake lamp
Z3 roadster
In the e ve nt of a malfunction, ple as e
cons ult your BMW ce nte r.
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152nLamps and bulbs
M roadster
Se ve n 5-watt bulbs
1 Ope n the luggage compartme nt lid.
2 Re move the cove r (us e a s cre wdrive r
if ne ce s s ary).
3 Pre s s the de fe ctive bulb ge ntly on the
bulb s ocke t, turn it to the le ft and re -
move .
4 Pull the bulb out of the bulb s ocke t
and re place .
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Z3 coupe, M coupe
In the e ve nt of a malfunction, ple as e
cons ult your BMW ce nte r.
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License plate lamps
5-watt bulb
1 Pre s s the lamp to the le ft and re move
it.
the le ft and re move it from the lamp.
and re place .
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Lamps and bulbs
License plate lamps
M roadster, M coupe
5-watt bulb
1 Pre s s down and re move the lamp on
the top s ide (s e e arrow).
the le ft and re move it from the lamp.
and re place it.
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Interior lamp
10-watt bulb
1 Us e a s cre wdrive r to pre s s out the
le ns at the le ft re ce s s .
2 Pull the bulb out of the contact lugs .
Whe n re ins talling the le ns , firs t
pos ition it on the le ft, the n s nap it
into place .<
Luggage compartment lamp
5-watt bulb
The lamp is locate d above in the lug-
gage compartme nt.
1 Us e a s cre wdrive r to pry out the
lamp.
2 Pull the bulb out of the contact lugs .
Interior lamps
Z3 coupe, M coupe
Front:
15-watt bulb
lamp at the le ft re ce s s .
2 Pre s s back the plas tic tab on the re -
fle ctor, ope n the re fle ctor and re place
the bulb.
Re ar:
10-watt bulb
lamp at the s ide re ce s s .
2 Pre s s back the plas tic tab on the re -
fle ctor, ope n the re fle ctor and re place
the bulb.
Reading lamps
Z3 coupe, M coupe
10-watt bulbs
lamp at the le ft re ce s s .
and re place it.
154nMaster key with battery lamp
If light inte ns ity drops , re ne w the bat-
te ry to s afe guard agains t acid e s caping.
Battery change
1 Re move the cove r on the back of the
ke y with a s cre wdrive r.
2 Ins e rt a ne w batte ry of the s ame type
(CR 2025; re fe r to the illus tration) s o
that it touche s the contacts .
3 Snap the cove r into place and apply
uniform pre s s ure to s e at it.
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Re turn us e d batte rie s to a
re cycling point or to your BMW
ce nte r.<
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Tire change Z3 roadster, Z3 coupe
Safe ty me as ure s in the e ve nt of a
bre akdown or flat tire :
Stop the ve hicle on a firm, le ve l s urface
as far as pos s ible from the flow of
traffic. Turn on the hazard warning
flas he rs .
Turn the s te e ring whe e l to the s traight-
ahe ad pos ition, re move the ke y and e n-
gage the s te e ring lock. Shift into 1s t or
re ve rs e (s e le ctor le ve r in "Park" with
automatic trans mis s ion) and e ngage
the parking brake .
All pas s e nge rs s hould be outs ide the
car and we ll away from your imme diate
working are a (for ins tance , be hind the
guardrail).
If a warning triangle or portable hazard
warning lamp is available , s e t it up on
the roads ide at an appropriate dis tance
from the re ar of the ve hicle . Comply
with all s afe ty guide line s and re gula-
tions .
Change the whe e l only on a le ve l, firm
s urface which is not s lippe ry. Avoid
jacking the car on a s oft or s lippe ry
s upport s urface (s now, ice , tile s , loos e
grave l, e tc.), s ince it could s lide s ide -
ways .
Place the jack on a firm s upport s ur-
face .
Do not place woode n blocks or s imilar
obje cts unde r the jack. If this done , the
jack might not be able to re ach its full
s upport capacity be caus e of the limite d
he ight.
Do not lie unde r the ve hicle or s tart the
e ngine whe n the ve hicle is s upporte d
by the jack. This cre ate s the ris k of fatal
injury.<
What you will need
The illus tration de picts an e xample of
the onboard tool kit of the Z3 coupe .
Othe r than the warning triangle , the
s ame tools are arrange d s ome what dif-
fe re ntly in the s torage compartme nt of
the Z3 roads te r.
In orde r to avoid rattling nois e s late r,
note the pos ition of the tools whe n you
re move the m and re turn the m to the ir
original pos ition whe n you are through
us ing the m.
> Car jack
Re le as e the Ve lcrofas te ne r in the
luggage compartme nt unde r the floor
mat.
Afte r us e , wind down the jack com-
ple te ly.
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156nTire change Z3 roadster, Z3 coupe
> We dge (whe e l chock)
Ne xt to the jack.
> Lug wre nch, ce nte ring pin, s park-
plug wre nch and lifting handle
In the luggage compartme nt unde r
the floor mat.
> Spare tire
Store d unde r the luggage compart-
me nt on the ve hicle floor and pro-
te cte d with a s torage tray.
Remove the spare tire
Z3 coupe :
Re move the floor of the s torage com-
partme nt (arrow) at the right in the lug-
gage compartme nt.
Re le as e the Ve lcrofas te ne r and re -
move the warning triangle .
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Z3 coupe
Z3 roads te r:
Loos e n the s cre w conne ction on the
floor of the s torage tray (arrow) at the
right in the luggage compartme nt and
re move the compartme nt.
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Rais e and s e cure the floor pane l in the
luggage tray.
The s pare tire is s e cure d at two mount-
ing points .
Le ft-hand attachme nt point arrow 1
Right-hand attachme nt point arrow 2
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Right-hand attachme nt point:
Place the s park plug wre nch on the
he xagon nut and, us ing the alignme nt
tool to as s is t you, loos e n the he xagon
nut. Re move the he xagon nut and the
prote ctive cap.
Place the he xagon nut in a s e cure
location.<
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Le ft-hand attachme nt point:
Take the lifting handle from the tool kit,
lowe r it on the rope and fit it on the
he xagon nut. Hold the rope at the top
and uns cre w the nut with the lifting
handle .
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Pull the lifting handle downward until
the s pare whe e l tray is lifte d s lightly. At
the s ame time , compre s s the locking
s pring (arrow). This re le as e s the s pare
tire (we ight: approx. 8.8 lb./4 kg). The
s pare tire mus t the n be he ld with the
lifting handle .
Us ing the lifting handle , lowe r the s pare
tire bracke t with s torage tray and s pare
tire and place it on the ground.
Do not put your fe e t be ne ath the
re ar of the ve hicle be caus e the
s pare tire could fall as it is be ing low-
e re d.<
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Pull the s torage tray with the s pare tire
comple te ly out of the s pare tire bracke t
toward the re ar.
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Lift the s pare tire at the front. Lay it
down toward the re ar ne xt to the s tor-
age tray and with the valve facing up-
ward. Quickly uns cre w the valve e xte n-
s ion from the valve of the s pare tire .
Uns cre w the valve cap from the s torage
tray and mount it on the s pare tire .
Whe n the valve e xte ns ion is
s cre we d onto or off of the s pare
tire , you may he ar a brie f his s ing as air
e s cape s .<
The proce dure for re moving the s pare
tire is als o illus trate d with pictographs
locate d on the floor mat of the luggage
compartme nt.
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The whe e l with the flat tire cannot
be place d in the s pare tire bracke t
in the place of the s pare tire .<
The re is a plas tic bag in the onboard
tool kit. Put the flat tire and the s torage
tray into this bag.
Do not re pos ition the s torage tray
in the s pare tire bracke t without
the s pare tire .<
Us ing the lifting handle , pull the s pare
tire bracke t upward until the s pring re -
taine r catche s . Se cure the bracke t with
the he xagon nut e ns ure that it is s nug.
The s pare tire is re turne d to its original
pos ition in the s ame manne r as it is re -
move d, howe ve r in the re ve rs e orde r.
Whe n doing s o, make s ure that:
> The valve e xte ns ion is mounte d on
the s pare tire valve .
> The s torage tray is facing toward the
re ar (s e e arrow) with the valve e xte n-
s ion pointing to the ins ide le ft to e n-
s ure that it is pos s ible to che ck the
tire inflation pre s s ure .
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Mount the spare tire
1 Se cure the ve hicle to pre ve nt it from
rolling:
Place the we dge agains t the re ar
s urface of the front tire on the s ide
oppos ite the s ide be ing rais e d. If
the ve hicle is parke d on a down-
ward s lope , place the we dge s e -
cure ly in front of the tire . If the
whe e l mus t be change d on a s ur-
face with a more s e ve re s lope , take
additional pre cautions to s e cure the
ve hicle from rolling.
2 Whe e ls with full whe e l cove rs *:
Re ach into the ve ntilation ope nings
and pull the cove r off.
3 For whe e ls e quippe d with hub cov-
e rs *: Pos ition a s cre wdrive r in the
s lot and pry the hub cove r off.
4 Loos e n the lug bolts 1/2 turn.
5 Pos ition the jack on the ve hicle :
> Plas tic e le me nts are mounte d on
the ve hicle floorpan for pos ition-
ing the car jack. The s e pos itions
(re fe r to the arrows ) are locate d
approximate ly 16 inche s (40 cm)
from the front whe e l ope ning and
10 inche s (25 cm) from the re ar
whe e l ope ning.
> If ne ce s s ary, re move s now, ice or
mud from the plas tic e le me nts .
> Scre w the jack arm up until the
car jack jus t fits unde r the ve hicle .
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> Pos ition the jack at the jacking
point clos e s t to the flat tire s o that
the jack bas e is ve rtically be low
the jacking point and the e ntire
s urface of the he ad of the jack will
move s quare ly into the re ce s s of
the plas tic e le me nt whe n the jack
is cranke d.
> Crank the jack until the whe e l you
are changing is off of the ground.
6 Uns cre w the lug bolts and re move
the whe e l.
7 Re move accumulations of mud or
dirt from the mounting s urface s of
the whe e l and hub. Cle an the lug
bolts .
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8 Take the ce nte ring pin from the ve -
hicle tool kit. Ins e rt the ce nte ring
pin toge the r with the plas tic cap
into one of the bolt s ocke ts .
9 Pos ition the s pare whe e l and s cre w
at le as t two lug bolts into oppos ite
bolt s ocke ts . Re move the ce nte ring
pin.
10 Scre w in the re maining lug bolts .
Tighte n all the bolts s nugly.
11 Lowe r the jack and re move it from
be ne ath the car.
12 Tighte n the lug bolts in a diagonal
patte rn.
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13 Whe e ls with full whe e l cove rs :
Place the whe e l cove r with the valve
ope ning ove r the valve . Us e both
hands to pre s s the cove r s e cure ly
onto the rim.
14 Che ck and corre ct the air pre s s ure
at the e arlie s t opportunity.
Us e only the full whe e l cove r in-
s talle d by the factory. Othe r whe e l
cove rs may not fit s e cure ly. The full
whe e l cove r may not be ins talle d on the
s pare whe e l be caus e the cove r could
be damage d.<
The ve hicle jack is de s igne d for
changing tire s only. Do not at-
te mpt to lift a diffe re nt ve hicle mode l or
any othe r type of load with the jack. To
do s o could le ad to prope rty damage or
pe rs onal injury.
To e ns ure continue d s afe ty, che ck the
tightne s s of the lug bolts at the e arlie s t
opportunity (torque s pe cification:
72 ft.lbs [100 Nm]).<
If light-alloy whe e ls othe r than Original
BMW light-alloy whe e ls have be e n
mounte d, it may be ne ce s s ary to us e
diffe re nt lug bolts for thos e whe e ls .
Re place the de fe ctive tire as s oon as
pos s ible and have the ne w whe e l/tire
balance d.
Driving with the spare tire
Drive cautious ly and do not e xce e d a
s pe e d of 50 mph (80 km/h).
Be aware that ve hicle handling will be
alte re d. Slowe r brake re s pons e time ,
longe r braking dis tance s and change d
s te e ring characte ris tics may be antici-
pate d whe n approaching limit condi-
tions .
Only one s pare tire may be
mounte d at any time . Mount a
whe e l and tire with the s ame s ize and
s pe cifications as the othe rs at the e arli-
e s t pos s ible opportunity. Maintain the
s pe cifie d tire pre s s ure s . Re fe r to
page 29.<
Changing a tire, M roadster,
M coupe
The M roads te r and M coupe do not
have a jack or lug wre nch whe n the y
are s hippe d from the factory.
Have the winte r tire s change d at your
BMW ce nte r or at a tire s e rvice s hop.
For changing a flat tire , re fe r to
page 162.
162nRepairing a flat tire, M roadster, M coupe
Safe ty me as ure s in the e ve nt
of a flat tire :
Stop the ve hicle as far as pos s ible from
the flow of traffic. Turn on the hazard
warning flas he rs .
Engage the s te e ring lock with the
whe e ls in the s traight-ahe ad pos ition.
Se t the parking brake and e ngage
e ithe r firs t ge ar or re ve rs e ge ar.
All pas s e nge rs s hould be outs ide the
car and we ll away from your working
are a (be hind a guard rail, for ins tance ).
If a warning triangle or portable hazard
warning lamp is available , s e t it up on
the roads ide at an appropriate dis tance
from the re ar of the ve hicle .
Comply with all s afe ty guide line s and
re gulations .<
M Mobility system
In place of a s pare tire , the M roads te r
and the M coupe have the M Mobility
Sys te m.
It is locate d at the right-re ar of the lug-
gage compartme nt. In the M coupe , it is
be low a cove r pane l. Re fe r to page 163.
Be fore us ing the M Mobility Sys -
te m, care fully re ad the warning
and dange r information on the de vice .
Always we ar the e nclos e d prote ctive
glove s and the prote ctive goggle s . Fail-
ure to comply with this information can
le ad to ris ks to pe rs onal s afe ty.<
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M roads te r
The us e of the M Mobility Sys te m
is not e ffe ctive if the damage d
are a in the tire is large r than approx.
0.15 inche s (4 mm). Ple as e cons ult the
ne are s t BMW ce nte r if the tire cannot
be te mporarily re paire d with the
M Mobility Sys te m or contact BMW
Roads ide As s is tance at 1-800-332-
4269.<
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Repairing a flat tire, M roadster, M coupe
Loos e n the cove r pane l, M coupe :
1 Fold the luggage compartme nt floor
mat up.
2 To loos e n, turn the four mounting
clips (arrows ) of the right-hand trim
pane l on the re ar wall of the luggage
compartme nt approx. 1/4 of a turn
with a coin or s cre wdrive r.
pane l.
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M coupe
To apply the s ys te m, us e the grab han-
dle to re move it from the luggage com-
partme nt.
The s ys te m cons is ts of:
1 Grip with button, cable and plug con-
ne ctor for the compre s s or actuator
ignite r.
2 Black conne ction hos e from the com-
pre s s or to the s e alant bottle .
3 Pre s s ure indicator.
4 Cle ar conne ction hos e from the s ys -
te m to the whe e l.
5 Prote ctive goggle s .
6 Prote ctive glove s (no illus tration).
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Using the M Mobility system
If pos s ible , do not re move fore ign
obje cts that have pe ne trate d the
tire .<
1 Re move the maximum s pe e d warn-
ing s ticke r from the top of the de vice
and affix it to the s te e ring whe e l.
2 Re move the cable s and hos e s from
the de vice .
3 Put on the prote ctive glove s and
goggle s .
4 Conne ct the black hos e (2) to the
conne ction as s hown in the illus tra-
tion.
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164nRepairing a flat tire, M roadster, M coupe
5 Re move the cle ar hos e (4) from the
plas tic bag. Uns cre w the valve cap
from the tire valve of the whe e l with
the de fe ctive tire and s cre w hos e (4)
onto the valve .
6 Attach the fre e e nd of the cle ar
hos e (4) to the conne ction on the
de vice as s hown in the illus tration.
7 Plug the conne ctor (1) into the ciga-
re tte lighte r s ocke t in the ve hicle 's
inte rior. Re fe r to page 92.
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8 Pre s s and hold the button for com-
pre s s or actuation. While doing this ,
care fully monitor the pre s s ure indi-
cator. As long as the pre s s ure indi-
cator dis plays a value be twe e n
approx. 75 to 120 ps i (517 to
827 kPa), the s ys te m is forcing
s e alant into the tire .
Whe n the pre s s ure indicator's dis -
playe d value falls s ignificantly be -
low approx. 75 to 120 ps i (517 to
827 kPa) while the compre s s or is
actuate d, all of the s e alant has
be e n force d into the tire , and air
is flowing in.
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9 Continue to inflate until the pre s s ure
re ache s a re ading of 35 ps i (250 kP).
This may re quire s e ve ral minute s .
10 Re le as e the button to che ck the tire
inflation pre s s ure that has be e n
re ache d.
11 Afte r the tire has be e n inflate d, un-
plug the conne ctor (1) from the cig-
are tte lighte r s ocke t. Re move the
black hos e (2) from the de vice and
de tach the cle ar hos e (4) from the
de vice . To do this , pre s s the oute r
ring of the conne ction toward the
de vice .
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Repairing a flat tire, M roadster, M coupe
12 The n uns cre w the cle ar hos e (4)
from the tire valve . Scre w the valve
cap back onto the valve .
13 Place the cle ar hos e (4) in the plas -
tic bag and s tore the M Mobility
Sys te m in the luggage compart-
me nt.
Following us e of the M Mobility
Sys te m, re s ume driving for a dis -
tance of at le as t 1.2 mile s (2 km) s o that
the s e alant will be dis tribute d uniformly
in the tire . Drive at a s pe e d of at le as t
15 mph (20 km/h), but do not e xce e d
35 mph (60 km/h). Finally, che ck and
corre ct the tire inflation pre s s ure as
s oon as pos s ible (at the ne are s t filling
s tation, for e xample ). Re fe r to page 29.
If the tire doe s not re tain inflation pre s -
s ure , do not continue driving. Cons ult
the ne are s t BMW ce nte r or tire de ale r.<
Re place the de fe ctive tire as s oon as
pos s ible and have the ne w whe e l/tire
balance d. Have the M Mobility Sys te m
re fille d.
For this , ple as e cons ult the ne are s t
BMW ce nte r.
Ple as e note that the s e alant bottle of
the s ys te m mus t be re place d e ve ry
thre e ye ars by your BMW ce nte r if the
de vice is not us e d.
You will find corre s ponding ins tructions
for the us e of the M Mobility Sys te m on
the de vice .
166nBattery
Installation location, Z3 roadster
and Z3 coupe
The batte ry is locate d in the luggage
compartme nt unde r the floor mat.
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Z3 d Z3
Installation location, M roadster
and M coupe
The batte ry is locate d in the luggage
compartme nt unde r the floor mat and
a cove r.
In orde r to gain acce s s to the batte ry,
lift up or re move the floor mat. Uns cre w
the nuts on the cove r (arrows ) and re -
move the cove r.
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Maintenance
The batte ry is comple te ly mainte nance -
fre e . That me ans that the original e le c-
trolyte will normally las t for the s e rvice
life of the batte ry unde r mode rate cli-
matic conditions .
Symbols
You will find the following s ymbols on
your car batte ry. To avoid injury, ple as e
comply with the corre s ponding pre cau-
tions whe ne ve r you work with or ne ar
the batte ry.
Ple as e re ad the following infor-
mation be fore working with the
batte ry.
We ar e ye prote ction. Do not al-
low particle s containing batte ry
acid or le ad to come into con-
tact with your e ye s , your s kin, or your
clothing.
Batte ry acid is e xtre me ly corro-
s ive . We ar e ye prote ction and
prote ctive glove s . Do not tip the
batte ry. Batte ry acid can le ak from the
ve ntilation ope nings .
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Battery
Ens ure that childre n ke e p we ll
away from batte rie s and batte ry
acid.
Do not allow s parks or ope n
flame ne ar the batte ry. Do not
s moke ne ar the batte ry. Avoid
s parks from e le ctrical cable s or e le ctri-
cal e quipme nt. Turn the ke y to pos i-
tion 0 in the s te e ring lock whe n the bat-
te ry is dis conne cte d or conne cte d. Do
not s hort circuit the batte ry te rminals .
This cre ate s a ris k of pe rs onal injury
from high-voltage s parks .
A highly-e xplos ive gas is ge ne r-
ate d whe n the batte ry is charge d .
If acid is accide ntally s plas he d
into your e ye s , rins e the m thor-
oughly for 15 minute s with cle ar
wate r. Following that, cons ult a phys i-
cian imme diate ly. If acid s plas he s onto
your s kin or clothing, rins e imme diate ly
with ample cle an wate r. If acid is acci-
de ntally s wallowe d, cons ult a phys i-
cian imme diate ly.
In orde r to prote ct the batte ry
cas e from ultraviole t radiation,
do not place it in dire ct s unlight.
A dis charge d batte ry can fre e ze . Store
the batte ry in are as whe re te mpe rature
re mains above fre e zing.
Charge condition
The illus tration de picts the batte ry in-
s tallation location in the Z3 roads te r as
an e xample .
You can re ad the charge condition of
the batte ry with the "Magic Eye "
(a hydrome te r):
> Gre e n: Ade quate charge .
> Black: Not charge d ade quate ly.
The batte ry mus t be re charge d.
Ple as e contact your BMW ce nte r.
> Ye llow: Re place the batte ry.
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Z3 roads te r
The proje cte d s e rvice life of the
batte ry can only be re ache d if the
batte ry is fully-charge d at all time s .
Che ck the charge condition of the bat-
te ry fre que ntly if the ve hicle is us e d pri-
marily for driving s hort dis tance s . <
Charging the battery
Charge the batte ry in the ve hicle only
whe n the e ngine is off. Charge the bat-
te ry us ing the auxiliary jump-s tart te rmi-
nal and a ground in the e ngine com-
partme nt (re fe r to jump-s tarting on
page 170).
Be fore pe rforming any work on
the e le ctrical s ys te m, dis conne ct
the cable from the ne gative te rminal. If
you do not, s hort circuits can cre ate the
ris k of fire or pe rs onal injury.<
If you plan to park the ve hicle for longe r
than 4 we e ks , dis conne ct the batte ry
from the ve hicle e le ctrical s ys te m by
dis conne cting the cable at the ne gative
te rminal. The n re charge the batte ry with
an appropriate batte ry charge r.
168nBattery
If you inte nd to s tore your car for longe r
than twe lve we e ks : Re move the batte ry,
charge it and s tore it in a cool (but fros t-
and dus t-fre e ) room. Eve ry thre e months
and be fore re ins talling the batte ry, have
it re charge d. If it is not re charge d, it
will not be s e rvice able . Eve ry time the
batte ry is dis charge d, e s pe cially ove r
e xte nde d pe riods , its s e rvice life is
re duce d. Re fe r als o to page 140.
Re turn us e d batte rie s to a re cy-
cling point or your BMW ce nte r.
Maintain the batte ry in an upright pos i-
tion for trans port and s torage . Se cure
the batte ry agains t tilting whe n trans -
porting.<
Removal and installation
Do not dis conne ct the batte ry ca-
ble s whe n the e ngine is running.
Dis conne cting the batte ry cable s whe n
the e ngine is running will caus e a volt-
age s urge which will damage the ve hi-
cle 's onboard e le ctronics .
Do not make any modifications in the
wire s le ading to the pos itive te rminal. If
you do s o, the Batte ry Safe ty Te rminal's
s afe ty function will no longe r be guaran-
te e d. Re pair and dis pos al mus t be pe r-
forme d by traine d te chnicians only.<
Whe n re moving the batte ry, dis conne ct
the ne gative te rminal firs t, the n the pos -
itive te rminal.
Uns cre w the batte ry re taining clamp.
Z3 coupe : Loos e n the s cre w (arrow) on
the batte ry s afe ty bar and re move the
bar.
Whe n ins talling the batte ry, conne ct the
pos itive te rminal firs t, the n conne ct the
ne gative te rminal.
Whe n ins talling a batte ry, be s ure
that the batte ry, the s afe ty bar
(Z3 coupe ) or the cove r (M roads te r,
M coupe ) are mounte d prope rly. If this
is not done , the batte ry will not be ade -
quate ly s e cure d in cas e of an acci-
de nt.<
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Fuses
If an e le ctrical acce s s ory s hould fail,
s witch it off and che ck the fus e .
The fus e box (e le ctrical dis tribution
ce nte r), which contains s pare fus e s ,
re lays and plas tic twe e ze rs , is locate d
on the le ft-hand s ide of the e ngine
compartme nt. Re fe r to page 120 for-
ward.
1 Pre s s the re taining flap in and lift off
the cove r.
2 Us e the plas tic twe e ze rs to re move
the fus e for the acce s s ory or e quip-
me nt that has s toppe d working.
3 If the fus e is burne d through ("blown"),
the me tal s trip will have me lte d and
s e parate d. Re place the blown fus e
with a ne w fus e of the s ame ampe re
rating (color code ).
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A lis ting of the fus e s , the ir re s pe ctive
ampe re ratings and the e quipme nt in
the ir circuits is provide d on the cove r of
the fus e box.
Whe n you clos e the fus e box, be s ure
that the cove r is s e ate d s e cure ly.
Do not atte mpt to re pair a burne d
fus e or re place it with a fus e hav-
ing a diffe re nt color or ampe rage rating.
To do this could caus e a fire in the ve hi-
cle re s ulting from a circuit ove rload.<
If a fus e burns through again, have the
s ource of the fault che cke d and cor-
re cte d by an BMW ce nte r.
170nPower convertible top* Fuel filler door J ump-starting
Manual closing
For roads te rs with e le ctrical powe r con-
ve rtible top*, the conve rtible top drive
unit is locate d in the luggage compart-
me nt be hind the le ft s ide trim pane l.
Turn the clip at the top of the trim pane l
to the le ft or right and s wing the trim
pane l to the s ide .
Turn the T-pin a half turn to the le ft
(re fe r to illus tration).
The conve rtible top drive unit is dis e n-
gage d and the conve rtible top can be
ope rate d manually. Re fe r to page 41.
Ple as e have your BMW ce nte r e liminate
the de fe ct and re -e ngage the drive .
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Releasing manually
M roads te r, M coupe : Re move the
M Mobility Sys te m (s e e page 162) from
the mounting.
Pull the button at the right in the lug-
gage compartme nt s harply (arrow).
Ple as e cons ult your BMW ce nte r to
have the de fe ct corre cte d.
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Z3 roads te r
Ne ve r us e s pray s tarte r fluids to s tart
the e ngine .
If the batte ry is dis charge d, the e ngine
can be s tarte d with the us e of two
jumpe r cable s and the batte ry of
anothe r ve hicle . Always us e jumpe r
cable s with fully ins ulate d handle s on
the te rminal clamps .
Do not touch voltage -carrying
compone nts whe n the e ngine is
running. To do s o cre ate s a ris k of fatal
injury.<
Care fully comply with the following in-
s tructions to avoid pe rs onal injury and
damage to one or both ve hicle s :
1 Ens ure that the batte ry on the s up-
port ve hicle is als o rate d at 12 volts ,
and that the capacitie s of the two
batte rie s (Ah) are roughly comparable
(printe d on cas ing).
2 Le ave your batte ry conne cte d to the
car e le ctrical s ys te m.
3 Make s ure that the re is no contact
be twe e n the bodywork of the two
ve hicle s . This cre ate s the ris k of
s hort-circuiting.
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J ump-starting
4 Start by conne cting the jumpe r cable
from the pos itive te rminal of the s up-
port ve hicle to the pos itive te rminal
conne ctor locate d in your BMW's e n-
gine compartme nt. The cove r of the
auxiliary te rminal for jump-s tarting is
indicate d by a "+" s ign. Re fe r to the
illus tration. To ope n the cove r on the
M roads te r, fold it forward; fold up-
ward on the M coupe .
The illus tration de picts the auxiliary
te rminal for jump-s tarting on the
Z3 roads te r and Z3 coupe as an
e xample .
For the auxiliary te rminal to jump-
s tart the M roads te r and M coupe ,
re fe r to Engine compartme nt,
page 122.
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5 The n conne ct the ne gative te rminals .
Firs t attach the cable to e ithe r the
s upport ve hicle 's ne gative batte ry te r-
minal (), or to a s uitable ground on its
e ngine or body. The n conne ct the
othe r te rminal of the cable to a ground
on the e ngine or on the body of the
ve hicle which is to be s tarte d. This a
s pe cial nut which is provide d on the
s us pe ns ion s trut dome of the BMW.
Re fe r to the arrow in the illus tration.
Follow the s ame s e que nce whe n
conne cting jumpe r cable s if you
are as s is ting anothe r ve hicle . If you do
not, the re is a ris k of pe rs onal injury
from s park ge ne ration at the batte ry.<
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6 Start the s upport ve hicle 's e ngine
and le t it run.
7 Start the e ngine on the ve hicle ne e d-
ing the jump-s tart, and allow it to run
as us ual. If the firs t s tart atte mpt is
not s ucce s s ful, wait a fe w minute s
be fore anothe r atte mpt in orde r to
allow the dis charge d batte ry to re -
charge .
8 Be fore dis conne cting the jumpe r
cable s from your BMW, turn on the
lamps , s e t the blowe r at the highe s t
s pe e d and run the e ngine for at le as t
10 s e conds . This will pre ve nt a volt-
age s urge at the voltage re gulator.
9 The n dis conne ct the jumpe r cable s in
re ve rs e s e que nce .
De pe nding on the caus e of the fault,
re charge the batte ry.
172nTowing the vehicle
Tow fitting
The s cre w-in tow fitting is s tore d in the
onboard tool kit; be s ure that it re mains
in the ve hicle at all time s . This fitting
is de s igne d for ins tallation in the tow
s ocke ts locate d at the front and re ar of
the ve hicle , and is inte nde d for towing
on pave d road s urface s only.
It s hould not be us e d to pull a ve hicle
out of de e p s now, mud, s and, e tc.
Comply with all applicable towing laws
and re gulations at all time s .
Access to tow sockets
Front:
Us e a s cre wdrive r to pre s s the cove r
out.
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Re ar:
Us e a s cre wdrive r to pre s s the cove r
out.
Scre w the tow fitting in until it is
tight agains t the s top. If you do
not, the thre ads can be damage d.
Do not tow the ve hicle by any compo-
ne nts of the running ge ar, or las h the m
down in any way. If you do s o, the com-
pone nts could be damage d, le ading to
pos s ible accide nts .<
Us e only a nylon towing s trap to tow
the ve hicle , s ince the inhe re nt re s il-
ie nce of this mate rial he lps prote ct both
ve hicle s from s udde n je rking move -
me nts .
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The towe d ve hicle s hould always
be the lighte r of the two ve hicle s .
If this is not the cas e , it will not be pos -
s ible to control ve hicle handling.<
Tow-starting
It is be tte r to s tart the ve hicle 's e ngine
by jump s tarting. For ins tructions on
jump-s tarting, re fe r to page 170.
Ne ve r atte mpt to us e your ve hicle to
pus h anothe r ve hicle . This could re s ult
in damage to the e ne rgy-abs orbing
bumpe rs .
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Towing the vehicle
Towing a vehicle with automatic
transmission
1 Place the s hift le ve r into "Ne utral."
2 Le ave the ignition ke y at pos ition 1 to
e ns ure that the brake lamps , turn
s ignals , horn and winds hie ld wipe rs
re main ope rational and to pre ve nt the
s te e ring lock from e ngaging.
3 Switch on the hazard-warning s ys te m
(comply with applicable le gal re gula-
tions ).
Find s ome me ans of ide ntifying the ve -
hicle in tow. Place a s ign or warning tri-
angle in the re ar window, for ins tance .
Eve n whe n the e le ctrical s ys te m
has faile d, make s ure that the igni-
tion ke y re mains in pos ition 1 to pre ve nt
the s te e ring lock from e ngaging.
The s te e ring and brake s are without
powe r as s is t whe n the e ngine is off.
This me ans that incre as e d e ffort is re -
quire d for s te e ring and braking.<
Towing with a commercial tow
truck
> Do not tow with s ling-type
e quipme nt.
> Us e a whe e l-lift or flatbe d e quipme nt.
> Comply with applicable towing laws .
Ne ve r allow pas s e nge rs to ride in
a towe d ve hicle for any re as on.
Ne ve r attach tie -down hooks , chains ,
s traps , or tow hooks to tie rods , control
arms , or any othe r part of the ve hicle
s us pe ns ion, as s e ve re damage to the s e
compone nts will occur, le ading to pos -
s ible accide nts .<
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174n
Overview
Operation, care
and maintenance
Technical data
Index
Advanced technology
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Advanced technology:
Adaptive Trans mis s ion Control
(ATC) 176
Airbags 176
Traction ASC+T/Dynamic
Stability Control DSC 177
Ins ide re arvie w mirror with
automatic dimme r 178
Technol ogy
176n
For ve hicle s with automatic trans mis -
s ion, Adaptive Trans mis s ion Control
(ATC) make s the optimum ge ar s e le c-
tion bas e d on a numbe r of factors . This
s ys te m re acts to your individual driving
s tyle and the curre nt driving conditions .
The ATC re cognize s your individual
driving s tyle from the pos itions and
move me nts of the acce le rator pe dal,
de lays during braking, and the ve hicle 's
late ral acce le ration whe n corne ring.
ATC make s the appropriate s e le ction
from diffe re nt s hift characte ris tics
which range from comfort-orie nte d to
pe rformance -orie nte d.
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In orde r to take driving conditions into
account, ATC re gis te rs corne rs and
road gradie nts . In orde r to e xploit
powe r re s e rve s more fully, the trans -
mis s ion doe s not s hift up until highe r
e ngine s pe e ds are re ache d if you main-
tain s pe e d through a curve .
De ce le ration s e ns ors continuous ly
monitor the phys ical force s acting upon
the ve hicle . In the e ve nt of a s e ve re
frontal impact, the gas ge ne rators of
the drive r-s ide and pas s e nge r-s ide air-
bags are ignite d s imultane ous ly. How-
e ve r, the pas s e nge r-s ide airbag is only
trigge re d if an additional s e ns or has
re cognize d that the pas s e nge r s e at is
occupie d.
In the e ve nt of a s ide collis ion, only s ide
airbags are trigge re d if ne ce s s ary.
Only the s ide airbag locate d on the col-
lis ion s ide is trigge re d.
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The airbags locate d unde r the marke d
cove rs inflate and unfold in a matte r of
a fe w millis e conds . In this proce s s the y
te ar through the de s igne d bre aking
points of the uphols te re d cove rs or
pre s s the m out.
Be caus e the inflation proce s s mus t be
virtually ins tantane ous , it is ne ce s s arily
accompanie d by a ce rtain amount of
ignition and inflation nois e . The gas
re quire d to inflate the airbags is not
dange rous , and it dis s ipate s toge the r
with the as s ociate d s moke .
The e ntire proce s s is comple te d within
one twe ntie th of a s e cond.
Pre cis ion s e ns ors monitor the numbe r
of re volutions of the whe e ls . Whe n
e quippe d with DSC, the y als o monitor
s te e ring angle , late ral acce le ration,
brake pre s s ure and the move me nt of
the ve hicle around its ve rtical axis .
If diffe re nce s in the whe e l s pe e ds oc-
cur, the s ys te m counte racts the dange r
of whe e ls pin by re ducing the torque
flow. If ne ce s s ary, the s ys te m als o re -
s ponds with additional braking inte r-
ve ntion at all four whe e ls .
In addition, DSC pe rmane ntly monitors
the ve hicle 's curre nt ope rating condi-
tion and compare s it with an ide al con-
dition that is calculate d from the s e n-
s or's s ignals . If de viations from this
occur (unde rs te e ring or ove rs te e ring,
for ins tance ), DSC can s tabilize the
ve hicle in fractions of a s e cond by re -
ducing e ngine output and with the
as s is tance of braking inte rve ntion at in-
dividual whe e ls . As a re s ult, dange rous
s kids can be pre ve nte d e ve n as the y
are jus t be ginning.
You may ne e d s ome time to be come
accus tome d to this s ys te m's inte rve n-
tion. Howe ve r, it provide s optimum
propuls ive force and driving s tability.
The braking inte rve ntion may be ac-
companie d by a ce rtain de gre e of
nois e .
The AM fre que ncy bands (me dium-
wave , long-wave and s hort-wave ) make
it pos s ible to re ce ive s tations from a
gre at dis tance , be caus e the broadcas t
s ignals trave l not only along the ground
as s urface wave s , but als o as atmos -
phe ric wave s that are re fle cte d from the
ionos phe re .
Fre que ncy-modulation (FM) provide s
s ubs tantially be tte r s ound quality than
AM. Howe ve r, be caus e FM trans mis -
s ions re ly on line -of-s ight broadcas t
wave s , the ir e ffe ctive re ce ption range
is limite d.
The limitations which are inhe re nt to ra-
dio re ce ption in a moving ve hicle have
be e n minimize d by the us e of innova-
tive s ys te ms .
3
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Airbags ASC+T/DSC* Radio reception
178nSafety belt tensioner Inside rearview mirror with automatic dimmer*
The s afe ty be lt te ns ione r re s ponds to
s e ve re collis ions by tighte ning the be lts
to e ns ure that occupants re main firmly
pos itione d in the ir s e ats . A gas -pre s -
s ure s ys te m re tracts the buckle as s e m-
bly to te ns ion the s houlde r and lap be lts
within fractions of a s e cond. This te nds
to re duce the te nde ncy to s lide unde r
the lap be lt e ve n more .
3
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The inte rior re arvie w mirror with auto-
matic dimming fe ature re duce s glare
from following traffic by adapting the in-
te ns ity of the re fle cte d image s to corre -
s pond to le ve ls of light re gis te re d by
the unit's s e ns ors . The mirror re ve rts to
its undimme d s e tting as s oon as the
light s ource dis appe ars . One light s e n-
s or is mounte d on the front of the mirror
hous ing. This s e ns or, which is dire cte d
forward, me as ure s light inte ns ity in the
are a ahe ad of the ve hicle . A s e cond
light s e ns or is locate d on the lowe r
e dge of the mirror. The e le ctronic con-
trol s ys te m compare s the light inte ns ity
from front and re ar. The diffe re nce pro-
vide s the bas ic parame te r us e d to mod-
ulate an e le ctrical curre nt and induce
che mical change s in a s e mis olid laye r
incorporate d in the le ns .
3
6
7
d
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9
8
The s e mis olid re acts che mically to this
e le ctrical curre nt, thus providing infi-
nite ly-variable dimming of the mirror
(e le ctrochromic te chnology).
As a re s ult, it is no longe r ne ce s s ary to
dim the mirror manually, and the drive r
can conce ntrate comple te ly on traffic
conditions .
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With unfavorable road conditions , the
drive force s that s hould be trans fe rre d
may not accommodate d by the tradi-
tional diffe re ntial, and the re fore one
whe e l s pins . Such whe e ls pin is large ly
pre ve nte d by the limite d s lip diffe re ntial
(locking value approx. 25 X).
Unde r actual driving conditions , this
me ans be tte r traction characte ris tics
whe n s tarting and acce le rating unde r
adve rs e road conditions as de s cribe d
as we ll as during pe rformance -orie nte d
driving on winding roads .
Howe ve r, in the cas e of e xtre me ly dy-
namic driving, the ve hicle may te nd at
the s ame time to s pin around its ve rtical
axis in the ve hicle ce nte r of gravity on
road s urface s with diffe re nt adhe s ion
characte ris tics . Controlling this rotation
te nde ncy place s gre ate r de mands on
the drive r and the re fore re quire s s pe cial
ale rtne s s .
The limite d s lip diffe re ntial is automati-
cally activate d unde r actual driving
conditions .
180n
Overview
Operation, care
and maintenance
Technical data
Index
Advanced technology
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Dime ns ions 183
We ights 184
Capacitie s 185
Drive be lts 186
Dat a
182n
Z3 roads te r 2.3 Z3 roads te r 2.8,
Z3 coupe 2.8
M roads te r,
M coupe
Dis place me nt
Numbe r of cylinde rs
cu in (cm
3
) 152.2 (2,494)
6
170.4 (2,793)
6
192.3 (3,152)
6
Max. output
at e ngine s pe e d
hp
rpm
170
5,500
193
5,500
240
6,000
Max. torque
at e ngine s pe e d
lb-ft (Nm)
rpm
181 (245)
3,500
206 (280)
3,500
236 (320)
3,800
Compre s s ion ratio e 10.5 10.2 10.5
Stroke
Bore
in (mm)
in (mm)
2.95 (75.0)
3.31 (84.0)
3.31 (84.0)
3.31 (84.0)
3.53 (89.6)
3.40 (86.4)
Fue l-inje ction s ys te m Digital-e le ctronic Engine Manage me nt s ys te m
Engine specifications
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Z3 roads te r 2.3, 2.8 Z3 coupe 2.8
Le ngth in (mm) 159.4 (4,050) 158.5 (4,025)
Width in (mm) 68.5 (1,740) 68.5 (1,740)
He ight (unloade d) in (mm) 50.9 (1,293) 51.4 (1,306)
Whe e lbas e in (mm) 96.3 (2,446) 96.3 (2,446)
Track, front in (mm) 55.6 (1,413) 55.6 (1,413)
Track, re ar in (mm) 58.8 (1,494) 58.8 (1,494)
Min. turning circle dia. ft (m) 32.8 (10.0) 32.8 (10.0)
M roads te r M coupe
Le ngth in (mm) 158.5 (4,025) 158.5 (4,025)
Width in (mm) 68.5 (1,740) 68.5 (1,740)
He ight (unloade d) in (mm) 49.8 (1,266) 50.4 (1,280)
Whe e lbas e in (mm) 96.8 (2,459) 96.8 (2,459)
Track, front in (mm) 56.0 (1,422) 56.0 (1,422)
Track, re ar in (mm) 58.7 (1,492) 58.7 (1,492)
Min. turning circle dia. ft (m) 34.1 (10.4) 34.1 (10.4)
Dimensions
184nWeights
Z3 roads te r 2.3 Z3 roads te r 2.8 Z3 coupe 2.8
Curb we ight (with one pe rs on, re ady for ope ration, full tank of fue l, options not include d)
with manual trans mis s ion
with automatic trans mis s ion
lbs . (kg)
lbs . (kg)
2,899 (1,315)
2,987 (1,355)
2,910 (1,320)
2,998 (1,360)
2,943 (1,335)
3,031 (1,375)
Approve d gros s ve hicle we ight
lbs . (kg)
lbs . (kg)
3,450 (1,565)
3,538 (1,605)
3,461 (1,570)
3,549 (1,610)
3,494 (1,585)
3,582 (1,625)
Approve d front axle we ight lbs . (kg) 1,830 (830) 1,830 (830) 1,830 (830)
Approve d re ar axle we ight lbs . (kg) 1,918 (870) 1,918 (870) 1,918 (870)
Approve d maximum roof load lbs . (kg) 77 (35) 77 (35) 165 (75)
Luggage compartme nt capacity cu ft (lite rs ) 5.8 (165) 5.8 (165) 7.2-14.3 (205-405)
M roads te r M coupe
Curb we ight (with one pe rs on, re ady for ope ration, full tank of fue l, options not include d)
lbs . (kg)
lbs . (kg)
3,086 (1,400)
3,131 (1,420)
Approve d gros s ve hicle we ight

lbs . (kg)
lbs . (kg)
3,638 (1,650)
3,682 (1,670)
Approve d front axle we ight lbs . (kg) 1,808 (820) 1,874 (850)
Approve d re ar axle we ight lbs . (kg) 1,918 (870) 1,962 (890)
Approve d maximum roof load lbs . (kg) 77 (35) 165 (75)
Luggage compartme nt capacity cu ft (lite rs ) 5.8 (165) 7.2-13.9 (205-395)
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Capacities
Note s
Fue l tank
re s e rve
gal. (lite rs )
gal. (lite rs )
approx. 13.5 (approx. 51)
approx. 2.1 (approx. 8.0)
Fue l s pe cification: Page 28
Winds hie ld was he r s ys te m/
He adlamp was he r s ys te m quarts (lite rs ) approx. 5.3 (approx. 5.0)
For de tails : Page 124
Cooling s ys te m including he ate r circuit quarts (lite rs ) 11.1 (10.5) Z3 roads te r 2.3,
Z3 roads te r 2.8,
Z3 coupe 2.8
11.4 (10.8) M roads te r,
M coupe
For de tails : Page 128
Engine oil and filte r change quarts (lite rs ) 6.9 (6.5) Z3 roads te r 2.3,
Z3 roads te r 2.8,
Z3 coupe 2.8
6.3 (6.0) M roads te r,
M coupe
Approve d HD oil for gas oline
e ngine s
Spe cifications : Page 126
Manual trans mis s ion, automatic
trans mis s ion
Life time fluid, no fluid change
re quire d.
Diffe re ntial quarts (lite rs ) Z3 roads te r 2.3,
Z3 roads te r 2.8,
Z3 coupe 2.8
1.5 (1.4) M roads te r,
M coupe
Life time fluid, no fluid change
re quire d.
Approve d hypoid ge ar oil
(any BMW ce nte r can provide
information on oil s pe cifications )
186nElectrical system Drive belts
Battery
12 V, 70 Ah
Spark plugs
Z3 roads te r, Z3 coupe :
NGK BKR 6 EQUP
Bos ch FGR 8 KQC
This s park ignition s ys te m me e ts all
re quire me nts of the Canadian Inte rfe r-
e nce -Caus ing Equipme nt Re gulations
(ICES-2).
Z3 roads te r 2.3, 2.8, Z3 coupe 2.8:
AC alte rnator Wate r pump Powe r
s te e ring
Drive be lt, 6 PK x 1538
A/C compre s s or
AC alte rnator Wate r pump Powe r
s te e ring
Drive be lt, 6 K x 1515
Compre s s or for air conditioning s ys -
te m and s e condary air pump
Se condary air pump (without air condi-
tione r) Drive be lt, 5 K x 785
You can obtain Original BMW
Parts and Acce s s orie s , as we ll as
profe s s ional advice from your BMW
ce nte r.<
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188n
Overview
Operation, care
and maintenance
Technical data
Index
Advanced technology
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Eve rything from A to Z 190
Owne r s e rvice proce dure s 195
I ndex
Everything from A to Z
A
ABS (Antilock Brake
Sys te m) 101
Acce s s orie s 6
Adaptive Trans mis s ion
Control (ATC) 63, 176
Adding e ngine oil 125
Adding was he r fluid 124
Adjus ting the backre s t 51
Adjus ting the was he r
nozzle s 124
Air conditione r 86
Air dis tribution 82, 86
Air outle ts 80
Air pre s s ure 29, 110
Air ve nts 84
Airbags 23, 55, 139, 176
Airflow rate 82, 86
All Se as on Traction (AST)/
(ASC+T) 76, 177
Analog clock 71, 72
Ante nna 107
Antifre e ze 129
Antifre e ze prote ction,
radiator 105, 128
(ABS) 101
Anti-the ft prote ction 36
Approve d gros s ve hicle
we ight 184
Aquaplaning 99, 110
As htray 91
Automatic car was h 132
Automatic cruis e control 68
Automatic re ar window
was he r 66
Automatic winds hie ld
was he r 66
Ave rage fue l cons ump-
tion 75
Ave rage s pe e d 75
Axle we ights 184
B
Backup lamps 62
Bulb
re place me nt 149, 150
Batte ry 166, 186
Capacity 186
Charge condition 167
Charging 167
Dis charge d 170
Re moval and
ins tallation 168
Batte ry change , ke ys 154
Batte ry Safe ty Te rminal
(BST) 168
Body-cavity prote ctant 135
Brake fluid 130
Brake hydraulic s ys te m 22
Brake lamps , bulb
Brake pads 24
Brake s 103
Bre ak-in 98
Bre aking in the ve hicle 98
Bulb re place me nt 147
C
Capacitie s 185
Car care , e xte rior 132
Car care , inte rior 137
Car ke ys 34
Car radio
re fe r to the s e parate
Owne r's Manual
Car radio
re ce ption 107, 177
Car was h 132, 134
Care , e xte rior 136
Care , inte rior 137
Cargo loading 94
Caring for the ve hicle
finis h 136
Cas s e tte mode
re fe r to the Radio Owne r's
Manual
Ce llular phone 107
Owne r's Manual
Ce nte r (high-mount) brake
lamp 151, 152
Changing a tire 155
Charge condition of the
batte ry 167
Charge indicator light 22
Chas s is numbe r 130
Che cking oil le ve l 125
Che cking tire
pre s s ure 29, 110
Child re s traints
Ins tallation 58
Cle aring fogge d
windows 83, 88
Clock 71, 72
Cockpit 16
Code
Manual
Cold s tart 60
Compartme nts 90
Compute r 73
Conne cting a car vacuum
cle ane r 92
Controls 16
Conve rtible top care 134
Conve rtible top
ope ration 41, 45
Coolant 105, 129
Coolant te mpe rature 70
Coolant, antifre e ze
prote ction 105
Cove r 42, 47
Cruis e control 68
Cruis ing range 75
Curb we ight 184
Ever yt hi ng f r om A t o Z
Everything from A to Z 191n
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D
Das hboard 16
Data link conne ctor for
Onboard Diagnos tics 142
Date
Manual
Daytime -driving lamps 77
De e p wate r 99
De fros t pos ition 83, 88
De fros te r, re ar window 67
De fros ting windows 83, 88
Digital clock 72
Dime ns ions 183
Dips tick, e ngine oil 125
Dirty s pots on
paintwork 135
Dis c brake s 103
Dis place me nt 182
Dis play lighting 77
Dis plays 18, 20
Door ke y 34
Doors
Manual ope ration 36
Unlocking and locking 36
DOT Quality Grade s 111
Drive be lts 186
Driving through wate r 99
DSC (Dynamic Stability
Control) 76, 177
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC) 76, 177
E
Ele ctric conve rtible top
ope ration 45
Ele ctronic immobilize r 35
Eme rge ncy ope ration
Conve rtible top 170
Doors 36
Luggage compartme nt
lid 38
Engine coolant 129
Engine knock control 28
Engine oil grade s 126
Engine oil le ve l 23, 24
Engine oil te mpe rature 71
Engine oil te mpe rature
gauge 71
Engine output 182
Es timate d cruis ing range 75
Exte rior finis h 135
F
Failure of an e le ctrical
acce s s ory 169
Fan 82, 86
Fille r cap cove r 27
Filling the was he r
re s e rvoir 124
Filling the winds hie ld was he r
re s e rvoir 124
Firs t-aid kit 27
Fittings for tow-s tarting and
towing 172
Flat tire 111
Flat tire , M roads te r,
M coupe 162
Fog lamps 78
Folding top 41
Footbrake 103
Front fog lamps 78
Fros t prote ction,
radiator 105
Fue l 28
Fue l fille r door
Eme rge ncy ope ration 170
Fue l gauge 69
Fue l quality, M roads te r,
M coupe 28
Fue l quality, Z3 roads te r,
Z3 coupe 28
Fue l tank capacity 185
Fus e s 169
G
Gas oline 28
Glas s s unroof 40
Grille s 80, 84
Gros s ve hicle we ight 184
H
Hardtop 108
Hazard warning s ys te m 26
Hazard warning triangle 26
He ad re s traints 51
He adlamp cle aning
s ys te m 124
He adlamp cove r,
care 133, 147
He adlamp flas he r 65
He adlamp was he rs 67
He ate d s e ats 89
He ating and
ve ntilation 80, 84
He at-up, rapid 83, 88
He ight 183
He ight adjus tme nt, s e ats 50
He lp with jump s tarting 170
High be ams 25, 65
Highbe am he adlights
High-pe rformance s ynthe tic
oils 126
Horn 17
Hubcap 159
I
Ice warning 74
Ide ntification numbe r of the
ve hicle 130
Ide ntification, tire s 114
Ignition ke y 34
Ignition s witch 59
Indicator lamps 22
Inflation pre s s ure s 29, 110
INSPECTION 70
Ins trume nt clus te r 18, 20
Ins trume nt lighting 77
Ins trume nt pane l lighting 77
Ins trume nts 18, 20
Inte rior lamps 78
Inte rior re arvie w mirror 52
Inte rlock 59
Inte rmitte nt wipe s witch 66
J
Jack 155
K
Ke ys 34
Kickdown 64
L
Lamp s witch 77
Las hing e ye s 94
Le athe r care 138
Le ngth 183
Lice ns e plate lamps
Bulb
Light-alloy whe e l 116
LIGHTS ON warning 77
Load-s e curing de vice s 94
Lock buttons 37
Locks , care 105
Low be am he adlamps 77
Low-fue l indicator lamp 69
Lug bolts 159, 160
Lug wre nch 156
Luggage compartme nt 38
Capacity 184
Locking s e parate ly 38
Luggage compartme nt lamp
lid 38
Luggage ne t 93
M
M + S tire s 115
M Mobility Sys te m 162
Magic Eye
re fe r to Batte ry charge
condition 167
Mainte nance 131
Malfunction, ce llular
te le phone 107
Manual ope ration
Conve rtible top 41
Doors 36
lid 38
Mirror de fros ting 51
Mirrors 51
Mobile phone s 107
Mobile te le phone
Owne r's Manual
Modifications ,
te chnical 6, 141
Multifunction s witch 65
N
Ne t 93
Non-s moke r's e quipme nt
package 92
Note s on driving 99
O
OBD data link
conne ctor 142
Odome te r 69
Oil additive s 125
Oil change inte rvals , re fe r to
the Se rvice and Warranty
Information Bookle t (US
mode ls ) or the Warranty
and Se rvice Guide
(Canadian mode ls )
Oil cons umption 125
Oil dips tick 125
Oil grade s 126
Oil le ve l, indicator
lamp 23, 24
Oil pre s s ure , indicator
lamp 22
Oil te mpe rature 71
OILSERVICE 70
Old batte rie s 168
Ope ning and clos ing
From outs ide 36
From the ins ide 37
Ope ration 140
Output 182
Outs ide mirrors 51
Outs ide te mpe rature in the
onboard compute r 74
P
Paint damage 136
Paint, prote ction 136
Parking brake 23, 61
Parking lamps 77
Parking, winte r 106
Ple as e we ar your s afe ty be lt
warning lamp 23
Pos ition lamps
Powe r s e at adjus tme nt 50
Pre s s ure , tire s 29, 110
Prote ction, paint 136
Everything from A to Z 193n
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Radio
Owne r's Manual
Re ading lamps 79
Re ar window wipe r 66
Wipe r blade
re place me nt 146
Re arvie w mirrors 51
Re circulate d air mode 86
Re fue ling 27
Re le as ing the hood 119
Re mote control for onboard
compute r 73
Re place me nt, tire s 111
Re placing winds hie ld wipe r
blade s 146
Re porting Safe ty De fe cts 7
Re s e rvoir, was he r
s ys te m 124
Re s traint s ys te ms 56, 57
Re ve rs e ge ar 62
Rims 114
Roll-up cove r 93
Roof load capacity 184
Roof rack 95
Rubbe r s e als and
compone nts 105, 137
S
Safe ty be lts 53
Se at adjus tme nt 50
Se at he ate rs 89
Se curing cargo 94
Se le ctor le ve r, automatic
trans mis s ion 63
Se paration ne t 93
Se rvice and Warranty
Information Bookle t
(US mode ls ) 132
Se rvice Inte rval
Dis play 70, 131
Se t te mpe rature 82, 86
Shiftlock 63
Side airbags 55
Side marke r lamps
Bulb re place -
me nt 149, 150, 151
Skid control 106
Slippe ry roads 105
Snow chains 105, 115
Socke t 92
Spare ke ys 34
Spare tire 156
Spare whe e l 156
Spark plugs 186
Spe cial oils 126
Spe e d control 68
Spe e dome te r 18, 20
Starting 60
Starting as s is tance 170
Starting prob-
le ms 60, 100, 170, 172
Ste e l whe e l 116
Ste e ring 106
Ste e ring whe e l lock 59
Storage boxe s 90
Storage trays 90
Storing the ve hicle 140
Summe r tire s 114
Sunroof 40
Symbols 4, 166
T
Tachome te r 69
Tail lamp as s e mbly, bulb
Tail lamps 149, 150
Taillights 149, 150
Tank capacity 185
Te chnical Data 181
Te chnical
modifications 6, 141
Te le phone
Owne r's Manual
Te mpe rature dis play, e ngine
coolant 70
Te mpe rature dis play, e ngine
oil 71
Te mpe rature dis play,
outs ide te mpe rature 74
Te mpe rature
laye ring 82, 87
Third brake lamp 151, 152
Tire code s 114
Tire condition 110
Tire damage 110
Tire failure , Z3 roads te r,
Z3 coupe 155
Tire inflation
pre s s ure s 29, 110
Tire rotation be twe e n front
and re ar 113
Tire s ize 116
Tire tre ad 110
Tools 146
Torque 182
Tow fittings 172
Towing 172
Tow-s tarting 172
Track width 183
Traction control s ys te m
re fe r to ASC+T/DSC 76
Trans mis s ion 62, 63
Tre ad de pth, tire s 110
Trip odome te r 69
Trunk
Capacity 184
Turn s ignals 25, 65
Bulb re place -
me nt 148, 149, 150
Turning circle 183
Two-way radios 107
U
Uniform Tire Quality
Grading 112
Uphols te ry care 138
V
Valve caps 114
Vanity mirrors 52
Ve hicle batte ry 166, 186
Ve hicle Ide ntification
Numbe r 130
Ve hicle immobilize r 35
Ve hicle s torage 140
Ve lour care 138
Ve ntilation 80, 82, 84, 87
Ve ntilation outle ts ,
ve ntilation 80, 84
Ve ntilation, draft-fre e 82, 87
Ve nts 80, 84
Vinyl uphols te ry, care 137
Vis cos ity 126
Voltme te r 71
W
Warm fe e t cool
he ad 82, 87
Warning lamps 22
Warning triangle 26
Warranty and Se rvice Guide
(Canadian mode ls ) 132
Was hing your car 132
We ights 184
Whe e lbas e 183
Whe e ls and tire s 114, 116
Width 183
Wind blocke r
Owne r's Manual
Windows , conve nie nce
clos ing mode 36
Winds hie ld was he r
nozzle s 124
Winds hie ld wipe rs 66
Winte r driving 105
Winte r tire s 115
Wipe rs 66
Working in the e ngine
compartme nt 119
Owner service procedures 195n
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Adding brake fluid 130
Adding coolant 129
Adding e ngine coolant 129
Adding oil 125
Adding was he r fluid 124
Adjus ting was he r
nozzle s 124
Air pre s s ure 110
Antifre e ze prote ction,
radiator 129
B
Backup lamps
Bulb re place -
me nt 149, 150
Batte ry change , ke ys 154
Batte ry charge
condition 167
Batte ry, dis charge d 170
Brake lamps
Bulb re place -
me nt 149, 150
Brake s , malfunctions 104
C
Changing a tire , M roads te r,
M coupe 161
Changing a tire , Z3 roads te r,
Z3 coupe 155
Charge condition of the
batte ry 167
Charging the batte ry 167
Che cking oil le ve l 125
Che cking tire
pre s s ure 29, 110
Cle ar fogge d
windows 83, 88
Conve rtible top, e le ctrical
de fe ct 170
D
De fros ting windows 83, 88
Difficult s te e ring 106
Doors , manual ope ration 36
E
Ele ctrical de fe ct
Eme rge ncy ope ration
Doors 36
lid 38
Engine oil grade s 126
F
Failure of an e le ctrical
acce s s ory 169
Filling the winds hie ld was he r
re s e rvoir 124
Firs t-aid kit 27
Fittings , tow-s tarting and
towing 172
Flat tire , M roads te r,
M coupe 162
Flat tire , Z3 roads te r,
Z3 coupe 155
Front fog lamps
Fue l fille r door, e le ctrical
de fe ct 170
H
Hazard warning triangle 26
He adlamp cove r,
care 133, 147
High be ams
Hood re le as e 119
I
Indicator lamps 22
Inflation pre s s ure s 29
Inte rior lamps , bulb
re place me nt 153
J
Jump-s tarting 170
K
Ke y, batte ry change 154
L
Lice ns e plate lamps
Bulb re place -
me nt 152, 153
Low be am he adlamps
Lug wre nch 156
Luggage compartme nt lamp
Luggage compartme nt lid,
manual ope ration 38
M
M Mobility Sys te m 162
Mainte nance 70, 131
Manual ope ration
Conve rtible top 41
Doors 36
lid 38
Mas te r ke y, batte ry
change 154
O
Oil grade s 126
Owner servi ce procedures
P
Pos ition lamps
Pre s s ure , tire s 29, 110
R
Re ar lamps 149, 150
Re ar window wipe r, wipe r
blade re place me nt 146
Re le as ing the hood 119
Re place me nt ke y 34
Re placing fus e s 169
Re s e rvoir, was he r
s ys te m 124
S
Side marke r lamps
Bulb re place -
me nt 149, 150, 151
Snow chains 105, 115
Spare ke y 34
Spare tire 156
Spare whe e l 156
Starting as s is tance 170
Starting difficultie s 170
Starting
proble ms 60, 100, 172
T
Tail lamp as s e mbly
Bulb re place -
me nt 149, 150
Tail lamps
Bulb re place -
me nt 149, 150
Thaw windows 83, 88
Tire change 155, 161
Tire damage 110
Tire inflation
pre s s ure s 29, 110
Tools 146
Tow fittings 172
Towing 172
Tow-s tarting 172
Turn s ignals
Bulb re place -
me nt 148, 149, 150
U
Us e of antifre e ze 129
W
Warning lamps 22
Winds hie ld wipe r blade
re place me nt 146
Wipe r blade re place -
me nt 146
Working in the e ngine
compartme nt 119
So that you will have important
s pe cifications available whe n you
s top to re fue l, we re comme nd that
you s upple me nt this table with data
which apply to your ve hicle .
Fuel
Engine oil
The s pace be twe e n the two marks on
the dips tick corre s ponds to approx.
1.1 US quarts (1 lite r).
De s ignation
AKI: minimum
AKI: for rate d pe rformance
AKI: for e nhance d
pe rformance
Quality
Tire inflation pressure Summe r Winte r
Front Re ar Front Re ar
1 2 pas s e nge rs
2 pas s e nge rs plus luggage
Refueling
The Ultimate Driving Machine
0
1
4
1
0
1
5
5
1
4
9
U
S

E
n
We wish you an enjoyable
driving experience.

Owner's Manual For The Vehicle.: With A Quick Reference Guide For Your Convenience

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