Semi-New BMW owner intro thread! (pics soon)

[gario]

I'll post pics as soon as I'm allowed to.

So, after lurking on the forums for almost a year, I think it's time to start posting. I bought a 5sp titanium silver 1997 528i not too long ago for an extremely good deal, and of course with used cars comes with its problems.

The car came with 156k miles, the airbag light was on and the glovebox handle doesn't seem to work (takes a lot of wrestling and effort to open it).

My previous car was an s13 240sx, which I did all of the work on myself (engine swap, maintenance, coilovers, exhaust, bushings, etc), and my other car is a lexus sc300. I usually do all of my own work and figure out stuff, but this would be my first euro experience.

Today I jacked up the car and the under-engine splash panel wasn't even there, and shining a light in there revealed some NASTY SLUDGE on the x-member and sway bar, pretty much everywhere. What is the best way to effectively clean up the sludge?

Then, what are the most common leaks (looks thick, like oil), and where to start looking after the sludge is taken care of?

After reading a bunch on the forums, it seems like the cooling system is one of the main headaches that come with the car. At 156k it is running superb with no ticking or overheating, can I assume that an overhaul has been done? The second concern is the airbag light, and I hear that costs tons of money and can only be done by the dealership and replacing the airbag module... if so, forget it.

Thanks, looks like a good crowd here.


-G

[gario]

pics of sludge






Sorry about the quality, pics taken by phone.

[FP5241]

Hi.


Congrats on the deal.
Looks like oil... these cars also have valve cover leaks. that may be oil tricking down and building up down there. Also, at 156K, i'd think the cooling systems been done already... unless she was a garage queen...