I just torque em good and tight. It's just a stiffening plate, not some critical control arm.

And yeah, the cost of the bolts is the main concern for me— I don't feel like spending a bunch of money on something so non-essential, especially when the X5 (and my 540it) need other, more expensive parts. I just had to spend $160 on a new key for my 540it and like $700 to fix my X5's transfer case and front driveshaft. It's all about priorities, I guess. If the X5 was my only car then maybe I'd consider buying new bolts, but since I have several other cars, I gotta cut corners somewhere.

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2003 X5 4.6 | 2000 540i Touring

Formerly owned:
2004 Range Rover | 2000 M5 | 2000 540i/6
1995 750il | 2003 Mercedes S500 | 2003 540i/6