Expert: Don Berlan - 1/25/2009

Question
HELLO!
I hope that you could give me a bit of advice, I am not local or I would come in.
I just bought a 1988 325i conv. in Fla ...On the 1200 miles drive home - odometer,,tripometer,cruise control just stopped while working after 58 miles, then I heard the warning "BING" sound-like when you shut car and leave key in ign. or lights on "warning bing",  next day it all came BACK ON again after a bing sound and worked FINE for 250 miles then a BING then stopped...later started again for 1 mile...then stopped dead again..now for next 500 miles did not come back on...so..no cruise control, no odometer,no mpg guage. IS IT A RELAY GETTING HOT AND GOING DEAD?  I DIDN'T KNOW , but apparently the - CRUISE & ODOMETER & MPG GUAGE ARE LINKED SOMEHOW?  PLEASE ADVISE, WHAT HAS GONE BAD OR COME LOOSE?  
Thank you very much for the help! Kurt

Answer
Welcome to the world of owning an old BMW.The tach,odometer,and cruise are connected.You have a couple of issues to look at first.You need to check your grounds,ALL of them and maybe even disconnect and reconnect the connecters on the speedometer.The warning "bing",I know up here in Maine it has been rather cold and BMW's will set the alarm when temperatures are under 37 degrees to tell the driver of possible black ice(frozen roads). Could this be happening?