I was in the same predicament while doing the exact same thing as you, but I gave up after much struggle and fear I'd mess up the splines or something. Others input are spot on, and how do I know? I had my vehicle towed to an Indy shop and $120 later, all was well and the mechanic said all I had to do was make sure to align the axle real good while pushing in - naturally, easier said than done! I made an insurance claim for the towing (insurance rate never went up). Not dissuading you from trying, but just an option to consider and save yourself much angst.

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'05 E53 X5 4.4i, '97 E39 528, '07 E92 335i, '16 F86 X6M.