Front Suspension - control arm/ball joint

[bmwbmwfan]

Hello everyone,

I have some play in the area indicated in the pic below (front drivers side)



I was at an independent shop today and they said that the entire arm would need to be replaced because the balljoint cannot be removed or purchased separately? Is this true??

I was looking at realoem and it appears they're sold individually than as a whole. Was the mechanic saying this because its "easier" that way??


RealOEM.com BMW E53 X5 4.4i Frnt axle support,wishbone/tension strut


How hard/long of a job is this? My car is also pulling and may need an alignment after installing the part.

If they could be sold together as a whole, could someone please forward me a link??

My car is an '02 3.0