Originally Posted by tankowner

I suspect there will be some variation here, with some ball joints coming out easier than others. My X5 is real close to 200,000 miles and these have never been changed. I wire brushed all around the top, sprayed liberally with PB Blaster, let it soak over night and I still can't get the thing to budge. (Yes, for the record, I did remove the two bolts holding it in.) I will happily hook up the control arm again and pound on it with a 10 lb sledge, but I don't think that is going to gain me anything.