BMW Repair: M3 squeaking steering wheel repair, clock spring, ribbon cable

Question
Hi, I recently bought a '99 M3 with 60k on it. It has the squeaky wheel syndrome so I need to remove the steering wheel to lubricate a few spots. Lubing the lower spindle bearing did not work.

If I disconnect the battery & wait 30 minutes before pulling the airbag off, is that enough time to avoid deployment? Also beyond resetting the radio codes, is there anything else that I need to reset when I hook the battery up again?

thanks in advance for your time,

Larry  

Answer
Larry, waiting 30 minutes after disconnecting battery will be fine. If you turn the key on with the airbag disconnected you will through an airbag light. You will need to have cleared if that happens. Dont turn the steering shaft with out taking off the clock spring assembly due to risk of damage to the internal ribbon cable. In having said that most of the noise complaints that I see involving the column are traced to the clock spring itself.
-Evan