I have a 325i BMW 2001 and it has been in storage over 18 months. What forseeable problems will there be upoon removing the BMW out of long term storage?
Unless a product like Sta-bil was added to the gas tank prior to storage, the fuel system now contains a varnish-like liquid. That would be a significant problem.
I would also recommend that you have the brake fluid changed. It now likely contains a lot of water, as a result of the hygroscopic nature of brake fluid.
I would just add that in addition to the brake fluid, all the maintenance items including timming belt, tyres oil change etc that have a mileage and time maintenance schedule have had their clock running all this time so consider all scheduled maintenance. Not driving a car is harder on some parts than driving it.
In agreement, the problems you will have are directly related to the precautions you took to prepare your car. If there was a lot of humidity, be prepared for brake problems beyond brake fluid. Assuming you also took the fuel and electrical preparation to heart, after start up, DO NOT drive very far from home and be ready to have it towed to a service station. Frozen brakes and clogged passageways from rodent infestation to potential tire problems are all good reasons to drive very conservatively for a few days, with triple A card in hand.
Was the FUEL stabilized? If not, siphon out a sample and see what you have…If its dark orange in color and smells like old paint thinner, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO START THE ENGINE!! Siphon it ALL out, replace with fresh fuel and purge the fuel lines.
A new battery, pump up the tires, replace any flat ones, check the fluids, fire it up…
Take Dagosa’s advice. A colleague of mine in Houston inherited an XJS Jaguar from his late father in law in Chicago.
He flew down on a one way ticket, and “drove the car home”. It took a week and $4200 in repairs en route to get it home. Not sure how long the Jag was “in storage”, but problably too long.