Nicos

Welocme to the club mate. I have had my X5 (E53) 56 plate for about a month now and I am getting about 25 mpg on country runs, but as others have already said - who cares, as it is a great car. The 2007 + models have better fuel consumption I believe, but the cost is a lot more. So why not pay much less for a 56 plate with lowish miles. The saving of a few thousand will counteract the extra fuel cost over a 57 or 58 plate. Enjoy.

Hi Mate, I tried Autosol over the weekend and the running boards are much better, but still not great. NB. The car retailer said not to use alloy wheel cleaner, just in case anyone was thinking of doing so - due to acid content - cos its to get rid of brake dust on the alloys etc.

Hi Christian, thanks for your help mate. The running boards are quite bad, so if I can replace the aluminium covers, then this is probably best. If you can keep your eyes open and if I get to hear of a good cleaner or a good price for the aluminium covers or the complete running boards, then I will let you know. Cheers

Thanks - no I haven't tried Duraglit - thanks for the tip.

Hi, Just bought my first X5 and it's a great car. Whilst it's in very good condition, the running boards aluminium cover is tarnished. Can anyone recommend a good cleaning and/or varnish lacquer to bring them back up . Or can I buy just the aluminium covers and bolt them onto the existing framework. Thanks