Anyone replace this part on their steering column?

[g300d]

#1 in this diagram?




I'm looking for the cause of rattle/clunking in the steering column.

With the steering wheel centered, turning it left or right very slightly will cause a rattle/clunk you can feel through the steering wheel. It occurs engine running or not.

I see posts referencing the steering coupling (#2 in diagram above). I checked this by having someone turn the wheel back and forth with my hand on the coupling. I could hear the clunk but could not feel any problem with the coupling so I ruled it out for now.

This clunking/rattling problem occurs on e46's as well, and on those cars it can be caused by a part they call the steering coupler, which is a rubber bushed steering joint whose riveted parts can fail and cause looseness and noise. I was looking for it's equivalent on E53's and it looks to to be integrated at the end of part #1 on the diagram above (it's a separate part on E46's). This turns what is a $30 repair for E46 owners to a $200 repair for us E53 owners. .

Anyway, so I am wondering if anyone has replaced this part because of noise/excessive steering play? I havent seen this part referenced by any E53 owner yet.