Driving Through Water; Safe Braking - BMW 318i Owner's Handbook Manual

minutes. Under some circumstances, you may
notice it by the fact that the engine temporarily
runs more roughly and requires a higher engine
speed for normal power development. In addi-
tion, the exhaust may cause some noise and
emit a small amount of smoke, even after the
engine has been switched off.
Mobile communication equipment
BMW advises against the use of mobile
communication devices such as mobile
phones inside the car, unless they are directly
connected to an outside aerial. Mutual interfer-
ence between the vehicle's electronics and
such devices cannot be entirely ruled out.
Moreover, there is no guarantee that the radia-
tion generated when such devices are transmit-
ting will be dissipated out of the vehicle's inte-
rior.<
Climatic comfort windscreen*
Use the area marked in the illustration for your
garage-door opener, electronic devices for toll
logging, or similar. This area does not have an
infrared-reflective coating and is clearly distin-
guishable from inside the car.
Aquaplaning
When driving on wet or slushy surfaces,
reduce speed to prevent a wedge of water
from forming between the tyre and the road.
This situation, known as aquaplaning, means
that the tyre can actually lose contact com-
pletely with the road surface, so that neither the
car can be steered nor the brake be properly
applied.<
Online Edition for Part no. 01 41 0 013 257 - © 02/07 BMW AG
The risk of aquaplaning increases with declin-
ing tread depth on the tyres, see also Minimum
tread depth on page 119.

Driving through water

Drive through water only to a max. depth
of 30 cm, approx. 1 ft, and no faster than
walking pace, otherwise the engine, electrical
system and gearbox may be
Apply the handbrake on uphill
gradients
Never try to prevent the car from rolling
back on an uphill gradient by slipping the
clutch; always apply the handbrake. The clutch
will otherwise wear rapidly.<
In vehicles with 6-cylinder engines, the drive-off
assistant offers additional help, see page 73.

Safe braking

Your BMW is equipped with ABS as standard.
Applying the brakes fully is the most effective
way of braking in situations in which this is
necessary. Since the car remains steerable, you
can avoid obstacles by turning the steering
wheel as smoothly as possible.
The pulsating sensation at the brake pedal,
combined with the sound of the hydraulic sys-
tem operating, indicates that ABS is interven-
ing.
Wet roads
In damp weather or heavy rain, apply the brakes
briefly with light pedal pressure every few kilo-
metres/miles. When doing so, make sure that
no other road user is hindered. The resulting
heat dries the brake discs and pads. The brak-
ing force will then be available immediately if
needed.
Downhill gradients
To avoid impairing the efficiency of the
brake system as a result of overheating,
drive down long or steep descents in the gear
that allows you to keep brake applications to a
minimum. Otherwise even slight, continuous
damaged.<
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