I wish I had a BMW so that I could help mate...if you ever need help on old crappy Peuget cars, I know all about those...

I had also a BMW E36. It will chime every time the temperature climbs above 3° and then comes back below 3°. I can not remeber it chiming for any other reason.

I agree - mine chimes at 3deg too ...  it also clunks rattles and groans so I would be happy with jsut a chime  ;-)  I dont think it is a problem Eveyansas 

At least you will know, when it's 3 degrees C outside your car!

I get the chiming at 3 degrees and that's just fine. But it's the other chiming that comes for no apparent reason that I'm asking about. I don't have an owners' manuel because I bought the car second-hand and the seller didn't have it. As an alternative, can anyone recommend a BMW garage I can call, perhaps with someone who speaks English as I'm not sure my French is proficient enough to explain and understand this. Thank you again.

Well, the warning bell does ring, with blinking temp meter, at 3 degrees. The 10 chimes are exactly the same sound as the chimes for 3 degrees, but there are just three chimes for the temp, not 10. I regularly put in 95 gas - so you think I should put in 98?
The car has about 240,000 (if I recall). It's a '93. Rides beautifully. Had the oil filter changed about a year ago, when I bought it. The oil gauge shows nothing strange (ie, it doesn't run hot). I haven't change the oil in teh meantime, but as it's a second car, it doesn't get nearly as much mileage as the first car, though admittedly I have used it rather more than last couple of months. Wouldn't there be some light to tell me if it's oil?

Everything else should also have a warning light. If the sound comes from the centre of the dash, near the radio console, I would not worry about it. I had this making lots of chimes one winter too. The other winters it was fine.

Aah, that is good to hear (though it's frustrating not to know what the cause is)! It does come from the center of the dash, not the engine. Thank you!

Thank you! I will check whether the oil lamp works - but if there is an oil problem, wouldn't the gauge show it moving toward the red (as opposed to the blue)? The needle goes just below the center once the car is warmed up and driving a lot. But I will check the oil and brake fluid anyway, as that is just a good idea. It's a 316 (two door).

Found the BMW E36 user manual at http://www.bimmerwerkz.com/forum/3-series-e36/bmw-e36-bentley-service-manual-pdf-67601.html  You can download it from there.  Good Luck

Terrific - thank you so much!

I can't go to that website for some reason - blocked by my company's security system - but I will check it out tonight at home. Many thanks!