I bought them for the look. never thought about them touching my pants but did notice it a few times.

I keep the car clean most of the time so this is not a big deal to me. I also use them to get up and clean the roof. I also use the rear tire as a step too.

Hi everyone. i actually just picked my new 3.0 up on Friday. It did not come with the running boards but i wanted to add them. Does anyone know if this is a dyi or will i have to bring it to the dealer to get done?

I got them for my space grey because I thought they would look great with this color. I think that there is good bang for your buck on these. I think I only paid $300 or $400 for them. They are a relatively inexpensive option that does alot to customize the look of the X5.

X5 without running boards look like Pamela Anderson with clothes on......odd and just not right :rofl:

hey just wanted to ask if you ran into a "staining" issue with the running boards after washing the vehicle? I did but polish seems to get it out....it was a cloudy/stain type of film

We got the running boards because we have young kids, and it makes getting in and out of the car SO much easier for them. Plus you find that when parking, you avoid "dings" in your doors, because other drivers doors will hit the running boards before your door, so they offer good protection. My wife is 5'7", I am 6'2", and neither of us suffer from getting dirt on our trousers whilst entering or leaving the car. The boards aren't that big. If you can't step over them, you must be REALLY short ;) They look good, they are practical in many ways, I 100% recommend them!

Running boards have always had this problem. I'm not sure if anyone in the history of SUV running boards has ever actually used them to get in and out of a vehicle because it was too tall.

EDIT>> I mean drivers.

As mentioned by another poster, they are useful for small children, but for adults they tend to get in the way since they are too small to use them and they do leave marks on your pants. If you keep your car spotless it's not a problem, but it's not good when you have to enter/exit when it's been raining. They do look good on a E70 with the 20's though!