General driving notes – BMW 128i Convertible 2011 User Manual

Page 115

113

Drive defensively

Avoid unnecessary acceleration and braking
maneuvers. To do so, keep an adequate dis-
tance between you and the vehicle in front of
you. A defensive and smooth driving style
keeps fuel consumption down.

Avoid high engine speeds

Only use first gear when setting off. In second
and higher gears, accelerate without hesitation
or pauses. When accelerating, shift up before
reaching high engine speeds.
When you reach the desired speed, shift into
the highest applicable gear and drive with the
engine speed as low as possible and at a con-
stant speed.
As a rule: driving at low engine speeds lowers
fuel consumption and reduces wear.

Coasting

When approaching a red light, take your foot off
the accelerator and coast to a stop in the high-
est applicable gear.
On a downhill slope, take your foot off the accel-
erator and coast in a suitable gear.
The fuel supply is interrupted when coasting.

Switch off the engine during lengthy
stops

Switch off the engine when stopping for lengthy
periods, e.g. at traffic lights, railroad crossings
or in traffic congestions. You achieve fuel sav-
ings even if standing time is as short as approx.
4 seconds.

Switch off functions you do not need at
the moment

Functions such as the air conditioner, seat
heating or rear window defroster draw large
amounts of power and consume additional fuel.
Especially in city traffic and in stop-and-go driv-
ing they have a considerable impact. Therefore,
switch these functions off when they are not
really needed.

Have the vehicle serviced

Have the vehicle serviced regularly to achieve
good economy and a long vehicle life. BMW
recommends having the vehicle serviced at a
BMW center. Also note the BMW service sys-
tem, refer to page

207

General driving notes

Close the trunk lid

Operate the vehicle only when the trunk
lid is closed. Otherwise, exhaust fumes

could enter the interior of the vehicle.

If the vehicle must be driven with the trunk lid
open:

Close all windows and the glass roof.

Greatly increase the air volume of the auto-
matic climate control system, refer to
page

Hot exhaust system

In all vehicles, extremely high tempera-
tures are generated in the exhaust sys-

tem. Do not remove the heat shields installed in
its vicinity, and never apply undercoating to
them. When driving, standing at idle and while
parking, take care to avoid possible contact
between the hot exhaust system and any highly
flammable materials such as hay, leaves, grass,
etc. Such contact could lead to a fire, with the
risk of serious personal injuries and property
damage. Do not touch hot exhaust tail pipes.
Otherwise, there is a risk of burns.

Hydroplaning

When driving on wet or slushy roads,
reduce road speed. If you do not, a wedge

of water can form between tires and road sur-
face. This situation, known as hydroplaning,
means that the tire can completely lose contact
with the road surface, so that neither the car can
be steered nor the brake be properly applied.

The risk of hydroplaning increases with declin-
ing tread depth on the tires, refer also to Mini-
mum tread depth on page

199