Some people have cleverly reroute the box that sits under the cd slot (the screen and buttons) and re-homed it either in the glove box or the rear trunk if you want to keep these functions.

There are a ton of tutorials out there and I will see if I have a relevant one saved somewhere for you.

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BMW X5 E53 3.0 Diesel Sport | Sapphire Black Dakota Beige Leather interior | Year 2004

What I had updated
Carbon Effect Steering Wheel
Panoramic Sunroof Fix
PVC Replacement
All glowplugs and glowplug regulator
New discs and pads all round
All new front suspension links, bushes and rods