BMW 323ci Convertible (2000 year). Instruction - part 6
70n
Steering/Ignition lock
Starting the engine
1 Steering lock disengaged
> Engage the parking brake
> Ensure that the transmission selector
Turning the steering wheel slightly to
is in "Neutral" ("Park" or "Neutral" if
the right or left often makes it easier to
the vehicle is equipped with auto-
turn the key from 0 to 1.
matic transmission*)
Individual electrical equipment is ready
> Step on the clutch pedal when tem-
for operation.
peratures are low
> Start the engine. Do not press the
2 Ignition on
accelerator pedal.
All electrical equipment and accesso-
ries is ready for use.
Do not actuate the starter for too
short a time, but do not turn it for
3 Starting the engine
more than approx. 20 seconds. Release
0 Steering lock engaged
the ignition key immediately when the
The key can be inserted or removed in
Vehicles with manual transmis-
engine starts.
this position only.
sion: depress the clutch when
Do not allow the engine to warm up by
After removing the key, turn the steer-
starting the vehicle. A lockout prevents
leaving it running while the vehicle re-
the engine from starting if the clutch is
ing wheel slightly to the left or right until
mains stationary. Instead, drive off im-
the lock engages.
not depressed.<
mediately at a moderate engine
speed.<
Vehicles with automatic transmis-
sion*:
Do not run the engine in enclosed
Do not move the selector lever from the
areas. The exhaust gases contain
"Park" position until the engine is run-
carbon monoxide, an odorless, color-
ning (ignition key at position 2).
less, yet highly toxic gas. Breathing the
In order to turn the key back to position
exhaust gases poses an extreme health
0 or to remove it, move the selector
risk, and can lead to unconsciousness
lever into position "Park" first (Inter-
and death.
lock).<
Never leave the vehicle unattended
with the engine running. An unattended
vehicle with a running engine repre-
sents a potential safety hazard.<
Starting the engine
Switching off the engine
71n
If the engine does not start on the first
Turn the ignition key to position 1 or 0.
attempt (if it is very hot or cold, for in-
stance):
Do not remove the ignition key
while the vehicle is still moving. If
> Press the accelerator pedal halfway
you did, the steering lock would engage
down while engaging the starter.
when the steering wheel is turned.
Cold start at extremely low tempera-
When you leave the vehicle, always re-
tures, from approx. +5 7 (-15 6)
move the ignition key and engage the
and at elevations above 3,300 feet
steering lock.
(1,000 meters):
Vehicles with manual transmission:
> On the first start attempt, engage the
Always engage the parking brake when
starter for a longer period (approx.
parking on slopes and inclined sur-
10 seconds)
faces, since placing the lever in 1st
> Press the accelerator pedal halfway
gear or reverse may not provide ade-
down while engaging the starter.
quate resistance to rolling.
Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
Place the selector lever in "Park".<
72nParking brake
sure. Keep your thumb pressed against
the release button while carefully pull-
ing the lever up to apply moderate
pressure.
Excessive pressure can lead to over-
braking and loss of traction (fishtailing)
at the rear axle.
The brake lamps do not come on when
the parking brake is engaged.
Vehicles with manual transmission:
Always engage the parking brake when
parking on slopes and inclined sur-
faces, since placing the lever in 1st
To engage
gear or reverse may not provide ade-
The lock engages automatically when
quate resistance to rolling.
you lift the lever, and the indicator lamp
Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
in the instrument cluster comes on
Place the selector lever in "Park".<
when the ignition key is in position 2.
Refer to page 21.
To avoid corrosion and one-sided brak-
ing, apply the parking brake lightly from
To release
time to time when coasting to a stand-
Pull up slightly on the lever, press the
still (at a traffic signal, for instance), pro-
button and lower the lever.
vided that it is safe to do so.
The parking brake is designed primarily
to prevent the vehicle from rolling when
it is parked. It operates against the rear
wheels.
If in rare instances, it should be
necessary to engage the parking
brake while the vehicle is in motion, do
not pull the lever with excessive pres-
Manual transmission
73n
Reverse
Select reverse only when the vehicle is
stationary. Press the shift lever to the
left to overcome a resistance.
As you do this, the backup lamps will
turn on automatically when the ignition
key is in position 2.
Do not hold the vehicle in place on
slopes by slipping or "riding" the
clutch. Use the parking brake instead. A
slipping clutch increases clutch wear.<
The shift lever's neutral plane (dot in the
illustration) is located between 3rd and
4th gears.
When shifting from each gear into
"Neutral", the shift lever returns auto-
matically to this gear plane because of
its spring loading.
74nAutomatic transmission with Steptronic*
You have the option of driving with a
While the vehicle is stationary and
normal automatic transmission or
before shifting out of "Park" or
switching to manual.
"Neutral," depress the footbrake, other-
wise the selector lever gets blocked
When you move the selector lever from
(Shiftlock).
the "D" position to the left into the M/S
Hold the footbrake down until starting
range, the performance-oriented shift
off. Otherwise the vehicle will "creep"
programs of the automatic transmission
when a drive position is engaged.<
are engaged. As soon as you briefly
touch the selector lever in the "+" or "-"
If you leave the vehicle with the
direction, Steptronic changes the gear.
engine running, move the selector
The manual mode is engaged. When-
lever to the "Park" or "Neutral" position
ever you want to use automatic again,
and apply the parking brake. If you fail
just shift the selector lever toward the
Selector lever positions
to do this, the vehicle could move. Do
right to position "D".
P R N D M/S + -
not leave the vehicle unattended with
The automatic transmission with Step-
the engine running. An unattended ve-
tronic is equipped with ATC (Adaptive
Starting the engine
hicle with a running engine represents a
Transmission Control). ATC reacts with
The engine can only be started in
potential safety hazard.<
precision to your individual driving style
selector lever positions P ("Park") or
and the current driving conditions. To
N ("Neutral").
P Park
achieve this, different shift programs
Select reverse only when the vehicle is
are engaged.
Range selection
stationary. The transmission locks to
For additional details concerning ATC,
A detent prevents inadvertent shifts into
prevent the rear wheels from turning.
please refer to the chapter describing
certain selector lever positions. To dis-
"Advanced technology" on page 172.
engage the detent, press the button on
R Reverse
the front of the shift knob (arrow).
Select reverse only when the vehicle is
stationary.
N Neutral
Select "Neutral" only if your journey is
interrupted for a longer period.
Automatic transmission with Steptronic*
75n
D Drive (automatic shift program)
Upshifts or downshifts will only be car-
ried out by the ATC at appropriate en-
This position is designed for driving un-
gine speeds and road speeds. If the en-
der all normal operating conditions. All
gine speed is too high, for instance, a
forward gears are available.
downshift will not be executed. The
gear selected will appear briefly in the
"Kickdown"
instrument cluster followed by the cur-
In the "Kickdown" mode, you achieve
rent gear.
maximum performance and the top
speed in position "D".
To accelerate quickly in the man-
To activate this mode, depress the ac-
ual mode (to pass another vehi-
celerator pedal beyond the full-throttle
cle), shift down manually or employ the
position, going beyond the point of re-
"Kickdown" mode.<
sistance.
M/S Manual mode and Sport
Program
Shifting from M/S to the selector lever
Shifting from D into M/S activates the
positions P, R and N is possible only by
Sport Program. This is indicated by
going through D.
"SD" in the gear selection display. This
position is recommended for a perfor-
mance-oriented driving style.
With the first brief touch, the automatic
transmission shifts from the Sport Pro-
gram to the manual mode.
When you move the selector lever for-
ward in the "+" direction, the transmis-
sion shifts up. When the lever is moved
back in the "-" direction, the transmis-
sion shifts down. M1 to M5 appear in
the gear indicator.
76nAutomatic transmission with Steptronic*
In the following situations, the Step-
Bring the vehicle to a stop. Move the
tronic "thinks" for you in the manual
transmission selector lever to "P". Set
mode:
the parking brake and turn the engine
off (ignition key to position 0).
> In order to prevent the engine from
overrevving, the transmission shifts
Wait a few seconds, then start the
automatically to the next higher gear
engine.
just before the RPM cutoff point
If the indicator lamp goes out after a
> If you do not do anything to inter-
few seconds, normal transmission per-
vene, it will automatically downshift
formance has been restored. You may
at lower speeds
continue to drive as usual. If the indica-
> In the "Kickdown" mode, the trans-
tor lamp does not go out, you can put
mission shifts down to the lowest
the selector lever in all positions. How-
gear which is possible, depending on
Available displays
ever, the vehicle will now only operate
the engine speed
in 3rd and 4th gear.
P R N D SD M1 M2 M3 M4 M5
> Depending on the situation - when
If this happens, avoid extreme engine
driving in adverse winter conditions,
Electronic transmission control
loads and consult the nearest BMW
for example - you may also start out
module
center.
in 2nd or 3rd gear.
If the indicator lamp comes on,
Do not work in the engine com-
there is a malfunction in the
partment when a drive gear (for-
transmission system.
ward or reverse) is engaged. If you do
this, the vehicle could move.<
For towing and jump-starting the
vehicle, refer to page 168
Turn signal indicator/Headlamp flasher
Washer/Wiper system
77n
To signal briefly
Press the lever up to but not beyond
the detent. It then returns to the center
position when released.
1 High beam
0 Wipers retracted
(blue indicator lamp)
1 Intermittent wipe or rain sensor*
2 Headlamp flasher
2 Normal wipe
(blue indicator lamp)
3 Fast wipe
3 Turn signal indicator (green indicator
4 Brief wipe
lamp accompanied by periodic click-
ing sound from the relay).
5 Automatic windshield washer
If the indicator lamp and the clicking
6 Rotary dial for control of the wipe
from the relay are both faster than nor-
interval or the sensitivity of the rain
mal, one of the turn signal indicators
sensor*
has failed.
78nWasher/Wiper system
fully on the traffic conditions. This is
2 Normal wiper speed
especially important under adverse
When the vehicle is stationary, the
weather conditions.
wipers switch automatically to inter-
To activate the rain sensor:
mittent wipe (not on vehicles with rain
From ignition key position 1 and up,
sensor).
move the lever to position 1. The wipers
travel once across the windshield, re-
3 Fast wiper speed
gardless of the weather.
When the vehicle is stationary, the
You can leave the lever permanently in
wipers operate at normal speed (not
position 1. It is then only necessary to
on vehicles with rain sensor).
activate the rain sensor from ignition
key position 1 and up. To do this,
5 Automatic windshield washer
1 Intermittent wipe or rain
> turn rotary dial 6 briefly or
The system sprays washer fluid against
sensor*
> use the automatic windshield
the windshield and activates the wipers
Intermittent wipe:
washer 5.
for a brief period.
You can use rotary dial 6 to select from
To adjust the sensitivity of the rain
If you only pull the lever briefly, the sys-
four wipe intervals.
sensor:
tem sprays washer fluid onto the wind-
In addition, the wipe interval automati-
Turn rotary dial 6.
shield without activating the wipers.
cally adapts to variations in road speed.
Rain sensor:
Turn the rain sensor off when
passing through an automatic car
The rain sensor is located on the wind-
wash. Failure to do so could result in
shield, directly in front of the interior
damage caused by undesired wiper
rearview mirror. When the rain sensor is
activation.<
activated, the windshield wiper is con-
trolled automatically, depending on the
degree of wetness of the windshield (in
both snow and rain). You do not have to
be concerned with switching the wind-
shield wiper on or off or adjusting the
wipe interval between intermittent and
full wipe. Instead, you can concentrate
Washer/Wiper system
Rear window defroster
79n
Headlamp washers*
To deactivate
If the headlamps are on, they will also
If the indicator lamp is still on, press the
be cleaned every fifth time you activate
button.
the automatic windshield washer.
Do not use the washers if there is
any danger that the fluid will
freeze on the windshield. If you do so,
your vision could be obscured. Use an
antifreeze agent. Refer to page 132.
Do not use the washers when the reser-
voir is empty. If you do so, the washer
pump could be damaged.<
To activate
With the convertible top closed or with
Windshield washer jets
the hardtop* mounted, press the but-
The windshield washer jets are heated*
ton: as long as the indicator lamp re-
automatically when the ignition key is in
mains on, the rear window defroster
position 2.
continues at high-output (rapid thaw).
After the indicator lamp goes out, the
defroster continues operating at re-
duced power for a limited period before
deactivating automatically.
80nCruise control
To store and maintain speed or
To decelerate
to accelerate
Press button 2 briefly:
Press button 3 briefly:
If you are already driving with active
The system registers and maintains the
cruise control, the speed is decreased
current vehicle speed. Every time you
by approx. 0.6 mph (1 km/h) every time
briefly touch the button, the speed in-
you briefly press the button.
creases by 0.6 mph (1 km/h).
Press and hold button 2:
Press and hold button 3:
With the cruise control active, the sys-
The vehicle accelerates without pres-
tem automatically reduces the throttle
sure on the accelerator pedal. When
opening to slow the vehicle. When you
you release the button, the system reg-
release the button, the system registers
isters and maintains the current speed.
and maintains the current speed.
The vehicle can store and automatically
maintain any desired vehicle speed
If, on a downhill gradient, the
above approx. 20 mph (30 km/h) that
engine braking effect is not suffi-
you input.
cient, the controlled speed can be
exceeded. Speed can drop on uphill
To activate the system
grades if the engine output is
From ignition key position 2:
insufficient.<
Press button 1. The indicator lamp in
the instrument cluster comes on. You
can now use the cruise control.
Cruise control
81n
To cancel the cruise control
To resume the stored setting
To deactivate the system
When the system is activated, press
Press button 4:
When the cruise control has been can-
button 1. The indicator lamp stays on.
The vehicle accelerates to and main-
celed, press button 1 again. The indica-
You can use the cruise control again as
tains the last speed stored. When you
tor lamp goes out and the stored speed
required.
turn the ignition key to position 0, the
is deleted.
stored speed is deleted and the system
In addition, cruise control is canceled
is deactivated.
Do not use cruise control on twist-
automatically:
ing roads, when high traffic den-
> If the brakes are applied
sity prevents driving at a constant
> If the clutch pedal is depressed or
speed, when the road surface is slick
the automatic transmission* selector
(snow, rain, ice), or when the road sur-
lever is moved from "D" to "N"
face is loose (rocks, sand).<
> If you exceed or fall below the pro-
grammed speed for an extended pe-
riod, for example by depressing the
accelerator.
82n
Odometer
Tachometer
Energy Control
1 Odometer
Avoid engine speeds that fall within the
Indicates current fuel consumption in
You can activate the displays shown in
gauge's red warning zone.
mpg (in liters per 100 km on Canadian
the illustration with the ignition key in
To protect the engine, the fuel supply is
models). You can check your current
position 0 by pressing the button in the
automatically interrupted in this zone;
driving style to see whether it is condu-
instrument cluster (arrow).
you will notice a loss of power.
cive to economy and minimum exhaust
emissions.
2 Trip odometer
When the vehicle is stationary, the
To reset the trip odometer to zero,
needle goes to "Maximum" (zero on
press the button (arrow) with the
Canadian models).
ignition key in position 1 and up.
Fuel gauge
Coolant temperature gauge Service Interval Display
83n
When you switch on the ignition, the
Blue
Remaining distance for service
indicator lamp lights up briefly as an
The engine is still cold. Drive at moder-
The displays shown in the illustration
operation check.
ate engine and vehicle speeds.
appear for a few seconds when the
Once the indicator lamp stays on con-
ignition key is in position 1 or after the
tinuously, there are still approx. 2.1 gal-
Red
engine is started.
lons (8 liters) of fuel left in the fuel tank.
When you switch on the ignition, the
The next service due appears with the
For fuel tank capacity, refer to page 185.
warning lamp comes on briefly to con-
message OILSERVICE or INSPECTION,
firm that the system is operational.
together with the remaining distance
If the tilt of the vehicle varies (extended
before scheduled service.
driving in mountainous areas, for exam-
If the lamp comes on while operating
The computer bases its calculations of
ple), there may be slight fluctuations of
the vehicle the engine is overheated.
the remaining distance on the rate of
the needle.
Shut off the engine immediately and
fuel consumption in the period immedi-
allow it to cool down.
ately preceding your data request.
Please refuel early, since driving
to the last drop of fuel can result in
Between the blue and red zones
A flashing display and a "-" in front of
damage to the engine and/or catalytic
the number indicate that service inter-
Normal operating range. It is not un-
converter.<
val has already been exceeded by the
usual for the needle to go as far as the
distance shown in the display. Please
edge of the red zone in response to
contact your BMW center for an
high outside temperatures or severe
appointment.
operating conditions.
Checking coolant level, refer to page 135.