BMW i3 2014 User Manual

Contents

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A-Z

THE BMW i3. OWNER'S MANUAL.

BMW i.

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BMW i SUSTAINABILITY.

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AUTOMOBILITY. REINVENTED.

THE SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT

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LIFE CYCLE OF BMW i.

01. DEVELOPMENT

• Redefine design principles for purpose-built e-mobility.

• Reshape aerodynamics for less drag.

• Replace traditional materials with recycled and renewable materials.

04. RECYCLING

• Retain used batteries as temporary storage units, e.g. for solar energy.

• Recycle carbon 󷴲 bers by returning them to the production process.

03. UTILIZATION

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• Recharge battery with innovative BMW eDrive technology.

• Receive power from clean energy producers for zero emission driving.

• Reduce CO2 emissions by 50% throughout the product life cycle by using energy from renewable sources.

02. PRODUCTION

• Use clean electric power for BMW i plants.

• Reduce energy consumption in BMW i production.

01. DEVELOPMENT

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FOR OVER THREE QUARTERS OF

A CENTURY, THE BASIC IDEA BEHIND

THE CAR WAS LEFT UNTOUCHED.

Until now. Today, the BMW i3 introduces a wealth of new ways to create the ultimate sustainable electric car. One key innovation is LifeDrive: the 󷴲rst serial production passenger cell made of light and extremely robust carbon 󷴲ber. It substantially reduces the weight of the vehicle for maximum electric range. Moreover, stream󷴳ow aerodynamics reduce drag and energy consumption.

The interior of the BMW i3 features natural-󷴲ber based raw materials in the instrument panel and door trim surfaces. Textiles for the seats are made of up to 100% recycled materials. The leather components are tanned with natural olive leaf extract, which gives the leather a unique, fresh scent. The interior wood panels are made of open-pore eucalyptus wood. All wood is sourced from responsible forestry and certi󷴲ed by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®).

Innovation is also built into the BMW i3 product development process itself: To ensure a truly sustainable product, measurable targets were already set in the early strategic phase of development to de󷴲ne environmental guidelines for the entire product life cycle – from the sourcing of raw materials to production, utilization and recycling. These were agreed to and monitored throughout the development phase of the vehicle. The life cycle assessment process and the results have been certi󷴲ed by a third party according to ISO 14040/14044. Further details can be found online at bmw-i.com.

The Life module

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is made of ultra-light carbon 󷴲 ber.

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lighter than steel.

lighter than aluminum.

The interior of the BMW i3 includes a variety of premium-quality, sustainable materials. Approximately 25% of the thermoplastics used are composed of recyclates or have been replaced by renewable materials.

02. PRODUCTION

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THE BMW i3: FORGED BY THE POWER OF WIND AND WATER.

The BMW i3 not only produces zero emissions while driving; all electricity that goes into its production in Leipzig is generated from renewables. BMW factories have been leading the way in sustainable production for a long time now, but BMW i has gone even further and signi󷴲cantly improved its facilities. The BMW i factory in Leipzig produces its own renewable energy – right on the premises – and operates on 100% clean electric power at zero emissions. It also consumes signi󷴲cantly less resources.

And consider the unique approach to carbon 󷴲ber production: It has been located in Moses Lake, USA, so that all operations can be powered completely by renewable energy from the numerous hydroelectric plants nearby.

For BMW i, sustainable production is not only an environmental consideration but also a social one, creating future-proof job pro󷴲les and training BMW i’s suppliers to comply with advanced sustainability standards.

-5 0

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energy input

-70

100

renewable energy

water consumption

Energy and resource consumption per BMW i3 produced*

* compared to the industry-

leading BMW average

03. UTILIZATION

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THE ORIGIN OF EMISSION-FREE DRIVING: POWER FROM RENEWABLE

RESOURCES.

With zero local emissions while driving, the BMW i3 helps reduce air pollution in urban areas. When charged with clean power – generated from renewables – the positive impact is greater still. This is because, throughout the entire product life cycle, driving the new BMW i3 on energy from renewable sources can potentially reduce emissions (CO2 equivalents) by up to 50%, when compared to a highly ef󷴲cient vehicle of the same class with a combustion engine. That’s why BMW i recommends clean energy producers, to help make an even bigger difference. Further details can be found online at bmw-i.com/sustainability.

As if that weren’t enough, the innovative eDrive technology of the BMW i3 also features all sorts of ef󷴲ciency enhancers: from state-ofthe-art brake energy recuperation to range-increasing ECO PRO+ driving mode, which can boost the driving range by up to 40km at the touch of a button.

In terms of its performance throughout the entire

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product life cycle – from the sourcing of raw materials to production, use and recycling – how does the BMW i3 compare to a vehicle with a high-ef󷴲 ciency combustion engine?

fewer CO2 equivalents when driving with EU-25 or comparable energy mixes.

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fewer CO2 equivalents when driving on electricity from renewable sources.

04. RECYCLING

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AT BMW i WE NOT ONLY PIONEER NEW MATERIALS, WE ALSO TAKE CARE OF THEIR RECYCLING.

Recycling is a given at BMW i. Production residues from carbon 󷴲ber production, carbon components and body parts, for instance, are valuable materials. That’s why they are either reused as secondary raw materials for the in-house BMW i production cycle or recycled for other automotive or non-automotive applications. And the early production stage of a BMW i3 marks a 󷴲rst for the automotive industry – the 󷴲rst time recycled carbon 󷴲ber is being used for a vehicle passenger cell. Together with partners, BMW i is pioneering closed loops for up to 100% of carbon 󷴲ber from production residues or end-of-life vehicles.

BMW i is also branching out in new directions when it comes to the recycling of other components and materials. For example, there are many possible ways to reuse the high-capacity BMW i lithium ion battery pack. A very simple and effective one is as temporary energy storage for solar power or wind energy to make renewably produced energy available when it is needed.

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100

of used battery packs could, for example, be reused as temporary storage units for solar power equipment and wind energy systems.

To 󷴲 nd out more about the sustainability

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philosophy behind your BMW i, please visit:

bmw-i.com/sustainability

Owner's Manual for Vehicle

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Thank you for choosing a BMW i. The more familiar you are with your vehicle, the better control

you will have on the road. We therefore strongly suggest: Read this Owner's Handbook before starting off in your new

BMW i. Also use the Integrated Owner's Manual in your vehicle. It contains important information on vehicle operation that will help you make full use of the technical features available in your BMW i. The manual also contains information designed to en‐ hance operating reliability and road safety, and to contribute to maintaining the value of your BMW i.

Any updates made after the editorial deadline can be found in the appendix of the Owner's Handbook for Vehicle.

We wish you a safe and enjoyable ride. BMW AG

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Aktiengesellschaft Munich, Germany Reprinting, including excerpts, only with the written consent of BMW AG, Munich. US English X/14, 11 14 490 Printed on environmentally friendly paper, bleached without chlorine, suitable for recycling.

Contents

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The fastest way to find information on a partic‐ ular topic or item is by using the index, refer to page 208.

6 Notes

At a glance

14 Cockpit 18 iDrive 26 Voice activation system 29 Integrated Owner's Manual in the vehicle 31 BMW eDRIVE

Controls

36 Opening and closing 51 Adjusting 58 Transporting children safely 62 Driving 74 Displays 89 Lights 92 Safety 106 Driving stability control systems 109 Driving comfort 127 Climate control 134 Interior equipment 138 Storage compartments

Mobility

156 Charging vehicle 165 Refueling 168 Fuel 170 Wheels and tires 179 Under the hood 181 Engine oil 183 Coolant 185 Maintenance 187 Replacing components 193 Breakdown assistance 198 Care

Reference

204 Technical data 206 Appendix 208 Everything from A to Z

Driving tips

144 Things to remember when driving 148 Loading 150 Increase range

Notes

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Notes

The special features of your BMW i

High-voltage system

Your BMW i is an electric vehicle. The vehicle features a high-voltage system that consists of an electric motor and a high-voltage battery among other things. Optionally, the vehicle has a combustion engine that generates electrical energy via a generator and thereby increases the range. This combustion engine is called the Range Extender.

Carbon body

The vehicle consists of two different functional units: the drive module made from aluminum and the life module made from carbon fiber re‐ inforced plastic (carbon).

Using this Owner's Manual

Orientation

The fastest way to find information on a partic‐ ular topic is by using the index.

An initial overview of the vehicle is provided in the first chapter.

Symbols

Indicates precautions that must be followed precisely in order to avoid the possibility of personal injury and serious damage to the vehicle.

◄ Marks the end of a specific item of information.

Refers to measures that can be taken to help protect the environment.

"..." Identifies display texts in vehicle used to select individual functions.

›...‹ Verbal instructions to use with the voice activation system.

››...‹‹ Identifies the answers generated by the voice activation system.

Symbols on vehicle components

Indicates that you should consult the relevant section of this Owner's Manual for information on a particular part or assembly.

Updates made after the editorial deadline

Any updates made after the editorial deadline can be found in the appendix of the printed Owner's Handbook for Vehicle.

User's manual for Navigation, Entertainment, Communication

The topics Navigation, Entertainment, Com‐ munication and the short commands of the voice activation system can be retrieved on the Control Display via the Integrated Owner's Handbook.

Indicates, on certain parts or assemblies, that incorrect use of high-voltage equipment or of orange-colored high-voltage components re‐ sults in the risk of life-threatening injury from electric shock.

Vehicle features and options

This Owner's Manual describes all models and all standard, country-specific and optional

Notes

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equipment that is offered in the model series. Therefore, in this Owner's Manual, we also de‐ scribe and illustrate features that are not avail‐ able in your vehicle, e.g., because of the se‐ lected optional features or the country-specific version.

This also applies to safety-related functions and systems.

On right-hand drive vehicles, some controls are arranged differently from what is shown in the illustrations.

Status of the Owner's Manual

Basic information

The manufacturer of your vehicle pursues a policy of constant development that is con‐ ceived to ensure that our vehicles continue to embody the highest quality and safety stan‐ dards. In rare cases, therefore, the features de‐ scribed in this Owner's Manual may differ from those in your vehicle.

Updates made after the editorial deadline

Any updates made after the editorial deadline can be found in the appendix of the printed Owner's Handbook for Vehicle.

For your own safety

there. Further information can be obtained from your Service Centre.

Working on the vehicle, maintenance and repairs

Advanced technology, especially the use of high-performance high-voltage electronics and modern materials such as carbon, requires special knowledge when making modifications to and working on the vehicle, as well as cus‐ tomized maintenance and repair work.

Modifications and work on the vehicle, espe‐ cially maintenance and repairs to the high-volt‐ age system and carbon body as well as the ret‐ rofitting of accessories, may only be carried out by an authorized BMW i service center or one that operates according to BMW i specifi‐ cations with personnel trained accordingly.

Body work and working on the high-volt‐ age system

Do not perform any modifications or work on the vehicle, especially maintenance and repair work on the high-voltage system and the car‐ bon body and avoid retrofitting accessories.

If work is not carried out properly, there is the risk of fire and fatal injury from electrocution due to the high-voltage system's high voltage.

Modifications and work on the vehicle may only be carried out by an authorized BMW i service center or one that operates according to BMW i specifications with personnel trained accordingly.◀

Warranty

Your vehicle is technically configured for the operating conditions and registration require‐ ments applying in the country of first delivery homologation. If your vehicle is to be operated in a different country it might be necessary to adapt your vehicle to potentially differing oper‐ ating conditions and permit requirements. If your vehicle does not comply with the homolo‐ gation requirements in a certain country you cannot lodge warranty claims for your vehicle

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Parts and accessories

BMW recommends using parts and accesso‐ ries approved by BMW for this purpose.

Your BMW center is the right contact for genu‐ ine BMW parts and accessories, other prod‐ ucts approved by BMW and related qualified advice.

BMW has tested these products for safety and suitability in relation to BMW vehicles.

BMW can assume responsibility for them. However, we cannot assume any responsibility whatsoever for parts and accessories that have not been specifically approved by BMW.

BMW cannot evaluate whether each individual product from another manufacturer can be used with BMW vehicles without presenting a safety hazard. This guarantee is also not appli‐ cable when country-specific government ap‐ proval has been granted. Testing of this kind may fail to embrace the entire range of poten‐ tial operating conditions to which components might be exposed on BMW vehicles. Such products could conceivably fail to comply with BMW's own stringent quality standards.

California Proposition 65 Warning

California laws require us to state the following warning:

Engine exhaust and a wide variety of automo‐ bile components and parts, including compo‐ nents found in the interior furnishings in a vehi‐ cle, contain or emit chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects and reproductive harm. In addition, certain fluids contained in vehicles and certain products of component wear contain or emit chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other repro‐ ductive harm. Battery posts, terminals and re‐ lated accessories contain lead and lead com‐ pounds. Wash your hands after handling. Used engine oil contains chemicals that have caused

cancer in laboratory animals. Always protect your skin by washing thoroughly with soap and water.

Service and warranty

We recommend that you read this publication thoroughly. Your vehicle is covered by the fol‐ lowing warranties:

▷ New Vehicle Limited Warranty. ▷ Rust Perforation Limited Warranty. ▷ Federal Emissions System Defect War‐

ranty.

▷ Federal Emissions Performance Warranty. ▷ California Emission Control System Lim‐

ited Warranty. Detailed information about these warranties is

listed in the Service and Warranty Information Booklet for US models or in the Warranty and Service Guide Booklet for Canadian models.

Your vehicle has been specifically adapted and designed to meet the particular operating con‐ ditions and homologation requirements in your country and continental region in order to de‐ liver the full driving pleasure while the vehicle is operated under those conditions. If you wish to operate your vehicle in another country or region, you may be required to adapt your ve‐ hicle to meet different prevailing operating conditions and homologation requirements. You should also be aware of any applicable warranty limitations or exclusions for such country or region. In such case, please contact Customer Relations for further information.

Maintenance

Maintain the vehicle regularly to sustain the road safety, operational reliability and the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Specifications for required maintenance meas‐ ures:

▷ BMW Maintenance system ▷ Service and Warranty Information Booklet

for US models

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▷ Warranty and Service Guide Booklet for

Canadian models

If the vehicle is not maintained according to these specifications, this could result in seri‐ ous damage to the vehicle. Such damage is not covered by the BMW New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Data memory

Many electronic components on your vehicle are equipped with data memories that tempo‐ rarily or permanently store technical informa‐ tion about the condition of the vehicle, events and faults. This technical information generally records the state of a component, a module, a system or the environment:

▷ Operating mode of system components, fill

levels for instance.

▷ Status messages for the vehicle and from

its individual components, e.g., wheel rota‐ tion speed/vehicle speed, deceleration, transverse acceleration.

▷ Malfunctions and faults in important sys‐

tem components, e.g., lights and brakes.

▷ Responses by the vehicle to special situa‐

tions such as airbag deployment or engag‐

ing the stability control system.

▷ Ambient conditions, such as temperature.

This data is purely technical in nature and is used to detect and correct faults and to opti‐ mize vehicle functions. Motion profiles over routes traveled cannot be created from this data. When service offerings are used, e.g., re‐ pair services, service processes, warranty claims, quality assurance, this technical infor‐ mation can be read out from the event and fault memories by the service personnel, in‐ cluding the manufacturer, using special diag‐ nostic tools. You can obtain further information there if you need it. After an error is corrected, the information in the fault memory is deleted or overwritten on a continuous basis.

With the vehicle in use there are situations where you can associate these technical data with individuals if combined with other infor‐ mation, e.g., an accident report, damage to the vehicle, eye witness accounts — possibly with the assistance of an expert.

Additional functions that are contractually agreed with the customer - such as vehicle emergency locating - you can transmit certain vehicle data from the vehicle.

Event Data Recorder EDR

This vehicle is equipped with an event data re‐ corder EDR. The main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa‐ tions, such as an air bag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist in under‐ standing how a vehicle’s systems performed. The EDR is designed to record data related to vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short period of time, typically 30 seconds or less.

The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record such data as:

▷ How various systems in your vehicle were

operating.

▷ Whether or not the driver and passenger

safety belts were fastened.

▷ How far, if at all, the driver was depressing

the accelerator and/or brake pedal.

▷ How fast the vehicle was traveling.

These data can help provide a better under‐ standing of the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur.

EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if a nontrivial crash situation occurs; no data are recorded by the EDR under normal driving conditions and no personal data, e.g., name, gender, age, and crash location, are recorded.

However, other parties, such as law enforce‐ ment, could combine the EDR data with the

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type of personally identifying data routinely ac‐ quired during a crash investigation.

To read data recorded by an EDR, special equipment is required, and access to the vehi‐ cle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the ve‐ hicle manufacturer, other parties, such as law enforcement, that have the special equipment, can read the information if they have access to the vehicle or the EDR.

Vehicle identification number

The vehicle identification number can be found under a cover under the front passenger seat.

The vehicle identification number can also be found behind the windshield.

safety defect exists in a group of vehicles, it may order a recall and remedy campaign.

However, NHTSA cannot become involved in individual problems between you, your dealer, or BMW of North America, LLC.

To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go to http:// www.safercar.gov; or write to: Administrator, NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washing‐ ton, DC 20590. You can also obtain other in‐ formation about motor vehicle safety from http://www.safercar.gov.

For Canadian customers

Canadian customers who wish to report a safety-related defect to Transport Canada, De‐ fect Investigations and Recalls, may call the toll-free hotline 1-800-333-0510. You can also obtain other information about motor vehicle safety from http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety.

Reporting safety defects

For US customers

The following only applies to vehicles owned and operated in the US.

If you believe that your vehicle has a defect which could cause a crash or could cause in‐ jury or death, you should immediately inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis‐ tration NHTSA, in addition to notifying BMW of North America, LLC, P.O. Box 1227, West‐ wood, New Jersey 07675-1227, Telephone 1-800-831-1117.

If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may open an investigation, and if it finds that a

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At a glance

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These overviews of buttons, switches and displays are intended to familiarize you with your vehicle. You will also become quickly acquainted

with the available control concepts and options.

At a glance Cockpit

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Cockpit

Vehicle features and options

This chapter describes all standard, countryspecific and optional features offered with the series. It also describes features that are not

All around the steering wheel

necessarily available in your car, e. g., due to the selected options or country versions. This also applies to safety-related functions and systems.

1 Power windows 48 2 Exterior mirror operation 55 3 Unlocking hood 42

Unlock tailgate 43 With Range Extender: vent fuel tank 165

4 Lights

Parking lights 89

Low beams 89

Automatic headlight con‐ trol 90

Daytime running lights 90 Instrument lighting 90

5 Left steering column stalk

Turn signal 69

High beams, head‐ light flasher 69

Cockpit At a glance

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Roadside parking lights 90

Computer 85

6 Instrument cluster 74 7 Switch drive readiness on and

off 62

8 Selector lever 64 9 Right steering column stalk

Wiper 70

Rain sensor 71

Clean the windshields and head‐ lights 71

10 Steering wheel buttons, right

Entertainment source

Volume

Voice activation 26

Telephone

Thumbwheel for selection lists 84

11 Adjust steering wheel 57 12 Steering wheel buttons, left

Store speed 115

Resume speed 117

Cruise control on/off, interrupt‐ ing 116

Active Cruise Control on/off, in‐ terrupting 109

Cruise control, adjust dis‐ tance 109

Cruise control rocker reel 116

13 Horn, total area

At a glance Cockpit

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All around the center console

1 Control Display 18 2 Radio/Multimedia, refer to Integrated Own‐

er's Handbook

3 Glove compartment 138 4 Climate control 127 5 Hazard warning system 193

Intelligent Safety 99

6 Controller with buttons 18 7 Parking brake 68 8 PDC Park Distance Control 117

Rearview camera 120 Parking assistant 122

9 Driving Dynamics Control 107

All around the roofliner

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Cockpit At a glance

1 Intelligent Emergency Re‐

quest 193

2 Glass sunroof, powered 49

3 Indicator lamp, front-seat pas‐

senger airbag 94

4 Reading lights 91

5 Interior lights 91

At a glance iDrive

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iDrive

Vehicle features and options

This chapter describes all standard, countryspecific and optional features offered with the series. It also describes features that are not necessarily available in your car, e. g., due to the selected options or country versions. This also applies to safety-related functions and systems.

The concept

The iDrive combines the functions of many switches. Thus, these functions can be oper‐ ated from a central location.

Using the iDrive during a trip

To avoid becoming distracted and pos‐ ing an unnecessary hazard to your vehicle's occupants and to other traffic, never attempt to use the controls or enter information unless traffic and road conditions allow it.◀

Control elements at a glance

Control Display

Hints

▷ To clean the Control Display, follow the

care instructions.

▷ Do not place objects close to the Control

Display; otherwise, the Control Display or other surfaces can be damaged.

▷ In the case of very high temperatures on

the Control Display, e.g. due to intense so‐ lar radiation, the brightness may be re‐ duced down to complete deactivation. Once the temperature is reduced, e.g. through shadow or climate control system, the normal functions are re-established.

Switching on

Turn on operations.

2. Press the controller.

Switch off

1. Press button.

2. "Turn off control display"

Control elements

1 Control Display 2 Controller with buttons and, depending on

the equipment version, with touchpad

Controller

The buttons can be used to open the menus directly. The controller can be used to select menu items and enter the settings.

Some iDrive functions can be operated using the touchpad on the controller.

+ 200 hidden pages