BMW: 96 BMW 328i, bmw 328i, ac controls

Question
My heater/AC flickers on and off unexpectedly (without touching the controls).  The blower will come on even when I have the system turned off and the display is blank.  I suspect a short in the wiring.  Is there anything I can do to check this before I take it in to a mechanic?

Answer
Do you have the digital AC controls or the Analog ones (digital have an amber display for the power level ... the analog one has two dials one on each side that mechanically open the blower motor)

If it is the digital one there is nothing you can do , the unit must be replaced. I would buy it off ebay for $50 or so and pay a mechanic to install it (no more then 1 hour of labor)

If it is the analog one you can trace back the cable make sure that the cable (which acts like a bicycle brake line) is still connected properly, this requires that you take out the majority of the dashboard and well its a ton of work.

Hope this helps

Manu