First off, thanks for this DIY. Pics and description were awesome.
I am pretty good friends with the service guy at my dealership and he offered to replace just the optical disc for $150 using the SZL Repair Kit:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BMW-SZL-Re...-/300880850396
He said it had a 70-80% chance of working and thankfully it did.
To tell you truth, the DIY was so well written, I was tempted to do it myself, but my friend said that you need to be careful with static electricity and dust on the disc...I figured $150 was a fair price anyway so had him do it.
When I got the disc back, I understood why the IR sensor was having a hard time calibrating...it was coated with the white, crystal-like substance you mentioned...like a bunch of snowflakes. Pic 1 is a close up of this.
Thanks again for your DIY.
