And on to the next problem. Blower is starting to be really weak. Barely goes at 1 and 2 so I usually crank it to 3. At 4, I sometimes feel a vibration near my feet, so I don't turn it there.

A little searching turns up this useful thread:
http://www.bimmer.info/forum/showthread.php?p=59066

So my general question... is this the only way to get to the blower and see what's up?:
http://www.nmia.com/~dgnrg/page_15.htm

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