Technology For Driving Comfort And Safety; Pdc Park Distance Control - BMW SERIE 3 SEDAN 2005 Owner's Manual

Technology for driving comfort and safety

PDC Park Distance Control*

The concept
The PDC assists you with maneuvering in tight
parking spaces. Acoustic signals warn you of
the presence of an object in front of
your car. To measure the distance, there are
four ultrasonic sensors in each bumper. The
*
sensors at the front and at the two rear corners
have a range of approx. 24 in/60 cm; the rear
middle sensors have approx. 5 ft/1.50 m.
PDC is a parking aid that can indicate
objects when they are approached
slowly, as is usually the case when parking.
Avoid approaching an object at high speed, as
otherwise physical circumstances may lead to
the system warning being issued too
Automatic mode
With the engine running or the ignition switched
on, the system is activated automatically after
approx. 1 second when you engage reverse
gear or move the automatic transmission selec-
tor lever to position R. Wait this short period
before driving.
Manual operation *
Press the button, the LED lights up.
Deactivating manual mode
Press the button again; the LED goes out.
The system is automatically deactivated once
the vehicle travels approx. 165 ft/50 m or
exceeds a speed of roughly 20 mph or 30 km/h;
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the LED goes out. You can reactivate the sys-
tem manually as needed.
Signal tones
When nearing an object, its position is indicated
correspondingly by an interval tone. For exam-
*
or behind
ple, the tone sounds at the rear if the system
detects an object behind the car. As the dis-
tance between vehicle and object decreases,
the intervals between the tones become
shorter. If the distance to the nearest object
falls to below roughly 1 ft/30 cm, then a contin-
uous tone sounds.
The warning signal is canceled after approx.
3 seconds, if you are moving parallel to a wall.
Malfunction
late.<
To avoid this problem, keep the sensors clean
and free of ice or snow in order to ensure that
they will continue to operate effectively.
Manual mode
The LED above the button flashes in addition.
System limitations
Even with PDC, final responsibility for
estimating the distance between the
vehicle and any obstructions always remains
with the driver. Even when sensors are pro-
vided, there is a blind spot in which objects can
no longer be detected. The system is also sub-
ject to the physical limits that apply to all forms
of ultrasonic measurement, such as those
encountered with trailer towbars and couplings,
thin and wedge-shaped objects, etc. Low
objects already indicated, such as a curb, may
enter the sensors' dead areas before a continu-
ous audible signal is given. Higher, protruding
objects, such as ledges, may not be detectable.
The indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on. PDC is malfunc-
tioning. Have the system checked.