Did the annual 1000 mile round-trip to Toronto, ON and the X5 held up without a hitch. The weather was well below freezing but it fired up every day without problem. Replacing the seal behind the throttle body resolved the idle issue completely.

On a different note, recently bought a DA polisher, one of my other cars was delivered with too much swirl in the clear coat and I decided this spring I am going to give it a good polish. To practice I figured the hood of the E53 would be a good object. I could never get it to truly shine no matter how much I used rubbing compound.

So, started by claying the hood (very little contamination this time around) and then got the buffer and the medium pad out. Used Chem Guys VSS. After a couple of passes I figured it was good enough and washed the VSS off. After a pass with Butter Wet wax (from CG as well) it looked like below. Since I am not a trained detailer I am not confident to go after the deeper scratches, don't want to burn thru the clear. Still, I am pleased with how it came out.

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2003 4.4i black ext./black int./black headliner (kid's runabout)
2014 535d X-drive, M package, silver/black interior

Sold but not forgotten:
2009 E70 35d, black ext./black int./black headliner (sold 2021)
2006 4.8iS Le Mans blue/cream int./black headliner, SOLD in 2012 sadly...

Other hardware:
2015 Cayenne S (wife's new DD and definitely wroooommmmm)
2016 Tundra 1794 edition crew cab, luxo hauler
2005 Tundra crew cab, weekend hauler. Sold after 150k very happy miles.