Driving home from a trailhead I was on a dirt road which had a lot of washboard surfaces. On the drive a small front end clunk became a front end bang-bang. When I got back onto paved roads the clunking continued so I knew something let go. When closer to home and stopped at a red light I did notice the smell of raw diesel which I thought was odd but I didn't think too much about it .....until I got home and noticed a trail of fuel in the driveway. lol

As it turns out the Phantom fuel system (which is like a small fuel filter) which was installed in-line near the OEM fuel filter had it's connection rattled loose and was leaking. For simplicity and reliability I removed the unit. This was originally installed since it is intended to "excite" the fuel and improve combustibility and therefore improve economy and performance. Hard to really extrapolate data to confirm that since there are so many variables in the mix but I figured with it now removed I can see if there are any noticeable differences.

I figured the clunking was from the Phantom fuel sysytem banging around since it was loose and was only secured with a couple zip ties. When removing the Phantom fuel system I also swapped in a fresh OEM fuel filter.

Better to have a fuel leak under the vehicle instead of the engine bay!


Phantom system which was removed


We replaced our utility sink with a dog wash for our good boi Oliver.


Dog-wash also = auto parts and wheel washer!


Going for a drive after addressing the fuel system it became very clear I did NOT resolve the clunking. Time to go back in...


rugh rough


RUGH ROUGH!!!



Found the problem! Sturt mounts had 40k on them but this damage was caused by an installation error ...by me. Turns out I didn't install the metal washer on the underside of the strut mount, therefore on the rubber was keeping the strut shaft from poking through, if the washer was installed it would bottom out on the strut mount and squish the foam rings. Whoops!!



I had some sturt mounts shipped from FCP and while I waited for them to arrive I took advantage of having the X5 in the garage and did some other maintenance.

Cabin (and recirc) filters


New passenger handle




Added some more sound deadening material (felt tape) to various locations on the dash to known creaky locations, back of Nav screen shown here.


The metal grills on my P3 vent gauge were once black but have become copper-ish from, I assume, UV. So it was refreshed with Plasti Dip.




On a side-note this style jack stand does well on the Swisstrax floor and doesn't deform or damage it.



Time for the long overdue leather cleaning. I previously used Leatherique on my wife's Q7 which has awesome Valcona leather and the results were awesome.

Q7 leather BEFORE


Q7 After



Shortly after coating all of the leather in Leatherique I realized I wasn't sure is Dakota was even real leather. As it turns out it's a real leather but has a coating on top which renders Leatherique not as effective. Thankfully my leather is perforated so the cleaner can penetrate there. I followed through with the procedure knowing it's unlikely the results would be as spectacular and in the end I am happy with the results but this really makes me want to track down an X5M interior with Merino leather. No doubt the Dakota is durable but I am not a fan of the way it feels, it reminds me of Crayons and plastic.

Anywho, back to pictures!


Here are BEFORE photos





Leatherique Rejuvinator applied. 2.5 coats and let it sit overnight.




Leatherique Pristine Clean applied and then leather was agitated with a horse-hair brush, wiped, and buffed. It's always a fun transformation to observe, notice how the leather has a nice matte finish.




Steering wheel stitching before


Stitching after


Wheel after. There is still some shiny-ness (dirt and grease) up top so I may reapply later but overall it's a dramatic change.


Bucket before cleaning driver seat and steering wheel


...After


Pokey pokey!




Rear seat During/After


AFTER



New strut mounts arrived. I couldn't find my OEM strut dust shields/washers and FCP/BMW wanted $35 per washer *pfft* get outta here, to the local yard I went for some recycling.


New strut mounts AND WASHERS installed, we're back in business.


Yea, that's some nice rubbing. You gotta pay the the 295/45/20 tax in order to enjoy the benefits of those cushy sidewalls.