Controls and features -> Manual transmission for your BMW 3 Series 1997-2006

70 Parking brake  
Manual transmission  
If exceptional circumstances  
make it necessary to engage the  
parking brake while the vehicle is in  
motion, do not pull it with excessive  
pressure. Keep your thumb pressed  
against the release button while care-  
fully pulling the lever up.  
Excessive pressure can lead to over-  
braking and loss of traction – fishtailing  
– at the rear axle.  
The brake lamps do not come on when  
the parking brake is engaged.  
Always engage the parking brake when  
parking on downhill roads. Engaging a  
gear may not sufficiently secure the  
vehicle against rolling.<  
When shifting gears in the  
fifth/sixth gear plane, be sure to  
press the gearshift lever to the right in  
order to prevent inadvertent selection  
of a gear in the third/fourth gear plane.  
Do not hold the vehicle in place on  
slopes by slipping or "riding" the clutch.  
Use the parking brake instead. Riding  
the clutch causes the clutch assembly  
to wear out sooner.<  
To avoid corrosion and one-sided  
braking, apply the parking brake  
lightly from time to time when coasting  
to a standstill – at a traffic signal, for  
example – provided that it is safe to do  
so.<  
Reverse  
Select only when the vehicle is station-  
ary. Press the shift lever to the left to  
overcome the resistance.  
As you do this, the backup lamps will  
light up automatically when the ignition  
key is in position 2.