Washing in automatic car washes

Give preference to cloth car washes or those that use soft brushes in order to avoid paint damage.

Notes

Note the following:

▷ Make sure that the wheels and tires are not damaged by the transport mechanisms.

▷ Fold in the exterior mirrors; otherwise, they may be damaged, depending on the width of the vehicle.

▷ Deactivate the rain sensor, to avoid unintentional wiper activation.

▷ In some cases, an unintentional alarm can be triggered by the interior motion sensor of the alarm system. Follow the instructions on avoiding an unintentional alarm

Avoid car washes with guide rails higher Guide rails in car washes
Avoid car washes with guide rails higher than 4 in/10 cm; otherwise, the vehicle body could be damaged.◀

Before driving into a car wash

In order to ensure that the vehicle can roll in a car wash, take the following steps:

Manual transmission:

1. Release the parking brake.
2. Drive into the car wash.
3. Shift to neutral.
4. Switch the engine off.
5. Switch on the ignition.

Automatic transmission:

1. Release the parking brake, and deactivate Automatic Hold.
2. Drive into the car wash.
3. Depress the brake pedal as needed.
4. Engage transmission position N.
5. Switch the engine off. In this way, the ignition remains switched on, and a Check-Control message is displayed.

off Transmission position P with the ignition off
When the ignition is switched off, position P is engaged automatically. When in an automatic car wash, for example, ensure that the ignition is not switched off accidentally.◀

The vehicle cannot be locked from the outside when in transmission position N.

A signal is sounded when an attempt is made to lock the vehicle.

Transmission position

Transmission position P is engaged automatically:

▷ When the ignition is switched off.
▷ After approx. 15 minutes.

    See also:

    Operating from the outside
    ▷ Via the remote control. ▷ Via the driver's door lock. ▷ Via the door handles. ▷ Via the button in the trunk lid. The following takes place simultaneously when locking/u ...

    Aerodynamic optimisation of underside panelling
    As the excellent drag coefficient (cd = 0.26) would suggest, the aerodynamics of the new BMW 3-Series have been intensively honed in a state-of-the-art wind tunnel. The optimised aerodynamics also ...

    Software Update
    The vehicle supports various external devices depending on the current software version. With a software update, the vehicle can support new cell phones or new external device, for example. The ...