I was not aware of this...
 

Today, I heard a blend of a buzzing/humming sound from my dashboard, then all my instrument gauges collapsed, except for the speedometer.

Because the car was still running and I was able to stop and restart it, my initial panic gave way to common sense and I checked the fuse box -- where #5 had blown (with a hairline fracture that was not noticeable until I pulled the fuse and pressed the metal).

What I was not aware of was that the dashboard would hum/buzz if the #5 fuse blew (and I wonder why there is no similar audio warning for low fuel, hot coolant, etc.)

Has anyone else got "I was not aware of that" experiences they would like to sahre? I thought this one was kind of neat.

hmmmmm, could you hum a few bars......
William Rogers.......

do you think it was meant to humm or was that a fluke ?

I think it was intentional. It sounded like a buzzer that had gone weak from never being used. It would also occur at regular intervals, so I am sure it is an intentional warning. That would make sense since it is important for drivers to know that their instrument cluster has just died. :)

In another thread, someone discovered you can close/open your windows Volkswagen-style via the door locks and I think this is just another one of those little surprises that MB never bothered to tell anyone about.

To test it, W124 owners can simply pull the #5 fuse and listen for results. I am thinking it would also be nice to be able to disable this on demand -- to get out of speeding tickets:
"I am so sorry officer; my instrument panel fuse just blew and I am on my way to get a new one. See for yourself (holding up blown decoy fuse). " :p

(In my first post, I mentioned the speedometer worked, but I was wrong. Something else was still active but I am not sure what.)