I need to do this for the fronts of my brother's '05 X5, but I'm a little hesitant as to which approach is easier.

After reading this entire thread twice, I still can't decide which way to tackle this chore.
If I were to disconnect at the inner cv joint, I may run into problems with pulling-off/pressing-on of the tri-headed bearing segment.

If I were to disconnect at the outer cv joint, I may run into problems with pulling-off/pressing-on/hammering of the joint and fiddling with the circlip.

Can those of you who did this job push me in the right direction?

thanks

btw, I bought the cv boots (GKN Lobro) from rmeuropean.com, good prices and fast shipping.