Can't remove the wiper arm
 

2005 X5 3.0i

I removed the rubber cap and unscrewed but the arm would not budge even with gentle hammer tapping. How do I pull it out?

is it seized on there? Pb blaster on the bolt, let it sit for a few mins, and a couple gentle taps should get it off

I had a similar problem. I bought a little wiper arm puller off eBay. Not the best tool I ever bought. In fact it was a crappy POS, that needed to be ground a bit to fit...but it DID pop the arm off. This is the tool I used:

Great Neck 25319 Windshield Wiper Arm Puller Brand New | eBay


There are also much better tools one can buy for this job...but this is a cheap solution. I needed to hit this one with the die grinder a bit to make it work on the E53. Here's an example of a much more upscale set:

Wiper Arm Puller Tool Set Fits BMW Audi Merc VW GM Peugeot Ford Great Set | eBay

You do know that you can just take off the wiper and renew them with new wiper and you don't have to replace the entire arm.

When I got our X5, the wiper arms were not in the proper place. Apparantly in an attempt to fix the racket the wipers were making, some prior hack mechanc had taken the arms off, messed with the mechanism, and put them back in the wrong position. I found the wiper motor ready to fall off. Once that was tightened, the wipers worked perfectly...but the arms needed to be repositioned. It's very easy to put them on in the wrong spot for some reason.

Also, it is highly likely that anytime the windshield gets replaced, the arms would get removed then.

Go the cheap one I reckon - $140 just to take a wiper arm off, may as well buy some silk scarves to wipe the grease off your hands afterwards........

I just fit my balljoint puller on it. It fit, and made quick work of it.

A battery cable terminal puller will also work.

A pair of mole-grips, (dont know if Americans call them by the same name)
tighten in place twist and pull.

I think we call them Vice Grips.