Rainy weather finally comes to No. Cal.

1. How do I change the time on the dash clock?
There's a knob to the immediate right of the odometer. Turn it to the left (counterclockwise) to move the time back; turn it the other way to move it forward. The longer you have it turned, the faster the numbers change.

2. Can the schedule maintenace indicator comes up can it be reset by an owner or only a dealer?
As far as I know, the only way you can reset the service schedule counter is to take it to a dealership. I'm sure there are ways around this, but I'm not sure what the consequences are if you're caught.

3. Should I get the alarm?
I have the BMW alarm, which is dealer installed. I paid around $700 I think...it's somewhere on my site.
The convertible doesn't have the ultrasonic sensor. The logic behind this was explained to me by another user. Imagine if the top was down and leaves fell inside. A nightmare for the neighbors.

Here's my advice: if you live in a fairly safe neighborhood and don't worry too much in general about someone breaking into your car, don't bother with the alarm. I only bought it because I hang out in some rough neighborhoods and the clown nose (that red thing on the rearview mirror) flashes when you have the alarm installed. Some of the dumber robbers don't understand that the ignition is disabled when you try to hotwire the car.

I was tempted to add a forum to this site recently, but the Yahoo! BMWConvertible group already does a fine job.

Hmmm. Time for another major design update, me thinks.