QuestionQUESTION: i got a 1996 bmw 328i
and i think the gas gage, speed gage and milage arnt working
everythign else in the cluster work that i know of. is there
anyway to fix that or if i replace the whole cluster will
that fix the problem?
ANSWER: There's no way they all failed at once, so there must be some other cause. Most cars have a thing called an "instrument cluster voltage regulator." Some gauges, the gas gauge in particular, require precisely regulated voltages to work accurately. The regulation provided by the alternator isn't fine enough, so they put a special regulator in the instrument cluster to take care of that. It usually doesn't affect the speedometer but, since it's a BMW, anything is possible. The reason mechanics love BMWs is that they are hard to fix and break frequently and catastrophically. As nice as they are to drive, they are definitely not friendly to the do-it-yourselfer. That's why used ones are cheap and rapidly lose their value.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: im srry but its 1995 bmw 740i if they changes anything and
what do u suggest doing or looking for whats wrong then?
Answer Well, my answer would be pretty much the same, except for this: if you buy a used seven-series bimmer that is no longer under warranty, then you'd better be good friends with a BMW mechanic, 'cause they are the most obscure and difficult to repair vehicles in the world. It is easier to get info and parts for a Tatra than a seven-series, and a lot cheaper.
