new to bmws...question about A M button

[tylervan14]

hi i just got a 95 325ic and i like it a lot. im just trying to learn about all of the features because it didnt come with a manual. can anyone tell me about the A M button to the left of the gear selector. the person i got the car from said they thought it switched it from auto to manual or something like that. thanks and any other features or hints would be good too. thanks a lot

[Gryz]

Your car is not a manual, so I recommend just staying away from it. Many have had issues after using it obsessively and driving like it acts as a 5 speed, when it clearly does not. But yes, it puts it into manual mode without a clutch, so for me it was never fun or exciting or worth using...

[WhoNew]

That is exactly what is does. A is automatic (normal operation) M manual. In my experiance, the M setting keeps the car in the current gear. (if you manually shift the trans with the gear select.) if you put it on M on accident, you will notice the car won't shift. BE CAREFULL, I have heard stories of people hitting this button when they roll the windows down. And driving the car for long distances in a high gear and blowing up the trans. Now, I don't see how anyone could possibly do that, but I have read it.

[tylervan14]

alright thanks. i was just curious ill prob never use it.

[WhoNew]

I never do, thats why autos have a kickdown..... IMO

[E36 Phantom]

There is a time and place for it. Driving around town and using it to downshift is NOT one of them.

The M is great for 2 main situations I've found (dad's E38 has it, too, and I do use it fairly regularly). One is in heavy traffic. Just putting it in M and the selector in 2 or 3 saves tons of wear and tear on the tranny. In heavy traffic that doesn't ever quite stop, it will keep it from making hundreds of useless shifts.
The other use is on windy mountain roads where you want to hold a gear or two. However, you have to be going very slow before you can downshift, or it will out too much wear on the tranny. There is no quicker way to kill an auto than downshifting into too low a gear. It's not like a manual where you can shift into 5,000 RPMs.