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EnglishDriving tips -> Things to remember when driving for your BMW 3 Series 2018-2025
Driving tips
Things to remember when driving
Things to remember when driving
Drive conservatively for the first
200 miles/300 km.
Vehicle equipment
All standard, country-specific and optional
equipment that is offered in the model series is
described in this chapter. Therefore, equip‐
ment is also described that is not available in a
vehicle, e. g., because of the selected optional
equipment or country variant. This also applies
for safety-related functions and systems.
Brake system
Brakes require an initial break-in period of ap‐
prox. 300 miles/500 km to achieve optimized
contact and wear patterns between brake
discs and brake pads. Drive moderately during
this break-in period.
Clutch
Breaking-in period
The function of the clutch reaches its optimal
level only after a distance driven of approx.
300 miles/500 km. During this break-in period,
engage the clutch gently.
General information
Moving parts need to be broken in to adjust to
each other.
The following instructions will help achieve a
long vehicle life and good economy.
Following part replacement
The same breaking in procedures should be
observed if any of the components mentioned
above have to be renewed in the course of the
vehicle's operating life.
Engine and differential
Always obey the official speed limit.
Up to 1,200 miles/2,000 km
General driving notes
Do not exceed the maximum engine and road
speed:
Closing the trunk lid
▷
For gasoline engine 4,500 rpm and
100 mph/160 km/h.
Drive with the trunk lid closed
▷
For diesel engine 3,500 rpm and
93 mph/150 km/h.
Only drive with the tailgate closed; other‐
wise, in the event of an accident or braking and
evasive maneuvers, passengers and other road
users may be injured, and the vehicle may be
damaged. In addition, exhaust fumes may en‐
ter the passenger compartment.◀
Avoid full load or kickdown under all circum‐
stances.
From 1,200 miles/2,000 km
The engine and vehicle speed can gradually be
increased.
If driving with the tailgate open cannot be
avoided:
▷
▷
▷
Close all windows and the glass sunroof.
Greatly increase the blower speed.
Drive moderately.
Tires
Due to technical factors associated with their
manufacture, tires do not achieve their full
traction potential until after an initial breaking-
in period.
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Things to remember when driving
Driving tips
generated during transmission will be dis‐
charged from the vehicle interior.◀
Hot exhaust system
Hot exhaust system
High temperatures are generated in the
exhaust system.
Hydroplaning
On wet or slushy roads, a wedge of water can
form between the tires and road surface.
Do not remove the heat shields installed and
never apply undercoating to them. Make sure
that flammable materials, e. g. hay, leaves,
grass, etc. do not come in contact with the hot
exhaust system during driving, while in idle po‐
sition mode, or when parked. Such contact
could lead to a fire, and with it the risk of seri‐
ous personal injury as well as property dam‐
age.
This phenomenon is referred to as hydroplan‐
ing. It is characterized by a partial or complete
loss of contact between the tires and the road
surface, ultimately undermining your ability to
steer and brake the vehicle.
Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads, re‐
duce your speed to prevent hydroplaning.◀
Do not touch hot exhaust pipes; otherwise,
there is the danger of getting burned.◀
Driving through water
Diesel particulate filter
Drive though calm water only and only if it is
not deeper than. 9.8 inches/25 cm and at this
height, no faster than walking speed, up to
6 mph/10 km/h.
The diesel particulate filter collects soot parti‐
cles and burns them periodically at high tem‐
peratures.
During the cleaning time of several minutes,
the following may occur:
Adhere to water depth and speed limita‐
tions
▷
Temporarily, the engine may run less
smoothly.
Do not exceed this water depth and walking
speed; otherwise, the vehicle's engine, the
electrical systems and the transmission may
be damaged.◀
▷
Noises and a slight amount of smoke com‐
ing from the exhaust until shortly after the
engine is shut down.
▷
A somewhat higher engine speed is neces‐
sary to achieve the accustomed perform‐
ance.
Braking safely
Your vehicle is equipped with ABS as a stand‐
ard feature.
Applying the brakes fully is the most effective
way of braking in situations when this is neces‐
sary.
Mobile communication devices in the
vehicle
Mobile communication devices in the ve‐
hicle
The vehicle maintains steering responsive‐
ness. You can still avoid any obstacles with a
minimum of steering effort.
It is advised that you do not use mobile com‐
munication devices, e.g., mobile phones, in‐
side the vehicle without connecting them di‐
rectly to the external antenna. Otherwise, the
vehicle electronics and mobile communication
devices can interfere with each other. In addi‐
tion, there is no assurance that the radiation
Pulsation of the brake pedal and sounds from
the hydraulic circuits indicate that ABS is in its
active mode.
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Driving tips
Things to remember when driving
Do not drive in neutral
Objects in the area around the pedals
Do not drive in neutral or with the engine
stopped, as doing so disables engine braking.
In addition, steering and brake assist is un‐
available with the engine stopped.◀
No objects in the area around the pedals
Keep floor mats, carpets, and any other
objects out of the area of motion of the pedals;
otherwise, the function of the pedals could be
impeded while driving
Brake disc corrosion
The corrosion on the brake discs and the con‐
tamination on the brake pads are furthered by:
Do not place additional floor mats over existing
mats or other objects.
Only use floor mats that have been approved
for the vehicle and can be properly fixed in
place.
▷
▷
Low mileage.
Extended periods when the vehicle is not
used at all.
Ensure that the floor mats are securely fas‐
tened again after they were removed for clean‐
ing, for example.◀
▷
Infrequent use of the brakes.
Corrosion occurs when the minimum pressure
that must be exerted by the pads during brake
applications to clean the discs is not reached.
Driving in wet conditions
When roads are wet coated with road salt or
there is heavy rain, briefly exert gentle pres‐
sure on the brake pedal every few miles.
Should corrosion form on the brake discs, the
brakes will tend to respond with a pulsating ef‐
fect that generally cannot be corrected.
Ensure that this action does not endanger
other road users.
Condensation under the parked
vehicle
When using the automatic climate control,
condensation water develops that exits under‐
neath the vehicle.
The heat generated in this process helps dry
the brake discs and pads.
In this way braking efficiency will be available
when you need it.
Traces of water under the vehicle like this are
normal.
Hills
Drive long or steep downhill gradients in the
gear in which the least braking is required.
Otherwise, the brake system may overheat, re‐
sulting in a reduction in the brake system effi‐
ciency.
You can increase the engine's braking effect
by shifting down, going all the way to first gear,
if necessary.
Avoid load on the brakes
Avoid placing excessive load on the
brake system. Light but consistent brake pres‐
sure can lead to high temperatures, brake wear
and possibly even brake failure.◀
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