As I said tie rod replacement is a pretty easy job. When you remove the old one count how many turns it takes to get it out so as you can put the new one in with as many turns. In that way you will keep your alignment close to what it was but you will still need an alignment as soon as possible.

I seem to have the same problem, I thought it was from my lower control arms but when I turn the steering wheel I hear a fairly loud creaking sound. Let me know if the tie rod repair fixes the sound.

My BMW dealer found a fix for this same issue however it was only temporary and after 6 mnths it has started to come back, albeit not as frequent as before and it's generally when the suspension is in the lowest setting. I'm just learning to live with it.