ended up leaving the old pulleys on because i forgot to order them. oh well. i did end up changing the upper and lower radiator hoses. did i mention that i HATE anti-freeze?!

Russian blue are you russian? I live in charlotte as well

Yippee ! 6 groove serpentine belt decided to let go this morning. At least it was in the hotel parking lot. No BMW dealers in Worthington, MN but O'riely's Autoparts ordered me a belt and it is supposed to be in town by 2:30pm this afternoon. Be nice to be able to find a decent how too article or video but cannot find 1 for the 2006 E53 4.4i. Guess I will just have to figure it out when the belt gets here. None of the pulleys feels damaged and all pulleys turn so nothing locked up. Inspect mor when I get home b have 3.5 hour drive to get their. Dont think the battery would last that long with no alternator turning.

Looks like you covered just about everything. When was the last time your DVanos seals were replaced? It's not a very hard job and if your doing valve cover you're already in there. Have fun and enjoy the new ride.