Front Wishbone DIY?

[mcurcio1989]

I ordered a replacement front wishbone as the ball joint is worn on mine. I haven't had any luck searching for a diy for this. It looks like a really easy job (aside from the standard fun of freeing a ball joint) but I am curious if anyone has any tips or tricks. I am planning on using a pickle fork to free the ball joint or a ball joint press if that won't fit / work and if possible and necessary I may apply some heat. The direction and location of this ball joint makes me think it is going to be a pain to free up if it is stubborn.

I also wanted to post my symptoms so that others can diagnose this if they have them. A few months ago I noticed a thumping sound (metal bumping metal) primarily if I was turning left into an inclined driveway. It felt loose and it was an annoying feeling. It seemed so subtle that I decided to wait till it got worse (plus I didn't feel like dealing with it). I jacked it up yesterday and crawled under. Started jostling the driver side tire and I noticed significant movement in this ball joint. Upon further research (bmw but not x5 specific) I found that this is a common symptom when this ball joint fails. Passenger side does not have any play like this.

Not replacing them as a pair - The passenger side has no play and replacing them as a pair will not make the job any easier or cheaper. My experience with ball joints (and cv joints for that matter) is that they typically only fail if the rubber seal is compromised.