BMW Repair: BMW warning light symbols, bob jordan, pad life

Question
I have a warning light coming on spasmotically (flickering)The symbol is a circle with three dashes on each side. on my 520i it is the farthest symbol to the left of the oil brake etc warning symbols. I bought the car with no manual. Can you tell me what the light is for. Sorry for such a trivial question.
Many Thanks
Bob Jordan

Answer
Bob, what color is the light? It sounds like you are describing the yellow brake lining light warning. Does it come on with hard braking? Check your brake lining thicknesses. You have one sensor on the front left inner brake pad and one on the rear right inner brake pad. The warning tells you that you have 3mm left of pad life left and they need to be changed and measure the thickness of the rotors.
-Evan