42 High-speed driving, downhill gradients, towing atrailer. foreign travel
An old but valuable hint: after a lengthy
period of mouhtainipass or high-speed
driving at wide throttle openings, do not
swil:ch off the engine as soon as you stop
the car, but allow it to idle (or drive very
gently) for a few minutes, so that heat
pockets in the engine and resulting loss
of coolant are avoided.
Warning: Allow the engine to cool
(coolant thermometer needle in center of
white zone) before unscrewing the
radiator overflow tank cap. To open, turn
the cap a quarter-turn anti-clockwise, to
the first stop. AIlow time for excess
pressure to escape, then unscrew further
and remove. To seal the radiator overflow
tank, screw on the cap as far as the
second stop.
When driving do`hriihill, the engine's
braking action can be increased by shift-
ing down to a lower gear ratio. Never
drive downhill with the clutch pedal de-
pressed, the gear or selector lever in
neutral or -more dangerous still -with
the ignition switched off.
After a lengthy period on wet roads, in
rajn or slush, be prepared for the first
brake application to need rather more
pedal pressure than usual.
The brake booster servo on your BMW
operates pneumaticaJly, so that the
necessary partial vacuum is available
only when the engine is running. When
being towed with the engine stopped,
more pedal pressure than usual will be
needed to achieve the desired braking
effect.
Towjng a tra]Ier is always more demand-
ing for both driver and vehicle. Should
you already be an experienced driver of
trailer or caravan outfits, our recommen-
dations will of course already be familiar
to you .
Oh no acoouht ex¢eed the maximum
towbar downthrust or trailer we!9ht.
Have a factory-tested and approved
trailer coupling installed by your BMW
service station, and the necessary addi-
tional electrical wiring and modifications
carried out at the same time. ln many
countries, for instance in Federal Ger-
many, the attachment of a trailer coup-
ling to the car must be recorded in the
registration documents.
lf the size or shape of your trailer or
caravan prevents you from obtaining a
clear view of events behind your outfit
with the standard mirrors, a second
mirror should be attached.
Before stariing the journey, check the
rear lights on the trailer in the usual way
(note that the car's "Check-Control" can
only indicate failure of the car's own rear
lights).
Fìaise tlre pressures to the values
specified for maximu m load.
Uniform weight distribution within the
trai ler or caravan not only affects the load
exerted at the towbar, but also governs
the outfit's handling and road safety in
general terms. You should therefore
measure towbar downthrust, with a
suitable spring balance or bathroom
scale§, and distribute the load on the
trailer in such a way as to keep the down-
thrust within the permitted limits. For
example, very heavy items such as an
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slipping, or else stowed inside the car.
However, the carriage of heavy objects in
the car, coupled with the additional
towbar load of the trailer, must not be
permitted to exceed either the gross
weight limit or the specified maximum
axle loads.
Always drive at moderate speed, and
comply with local speed limits for cars
towing trailers. ln your own interest we
recommend not exceeding a speed of 80
km/h (50 mile/h).
During the journey, nobody §hould
remain in the caravan or on the trailer.
When towing a trailer, the car's luggage
compartment lid should remain closed in
order to prevent toxic exhaust fumes
from being drawn into the car via the air
extraction system. Should you be obliged
to carry a load which prevents the lid
from being closed, we recommend leav-
ing all the windows (and the sliding roof
if fitted) open and running the heater
blower at medium or high speed to
ensureadequateaircirculation.
For maj.or journey§ abroad, we suggest
that certain spare paris be carried a§ a
precaution -bulbs, fuses, V-belts, spark
plugs, gaskets etc. Your BMW service
station will gladly assist you in selecting a
suitable range of items.
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