I was under the left rear today, inspecting after repairs from rolling over a small fallen tree, when I noticed this bent component. The other side doesn't look bent, but I didn't see it from the same angle. Please back me up on assuming this is bad. Everything else looks good. All bushings are tight and look good at 78k. Nothing moves when pulled or pushed.

And yes, the car is on stands. The jack is there as a backup.

 

I wouldn't say it's too bad since the ball joints are solid. Just change them out if it concerns you. They rear links are pretty cheap and easy to do.

 

I wouldn't worry about it.

 

Thanks for the advice. I'm just thinking it should have been seen and repaired when the body shop and dealer went over it. I assume this would affect the car's handling somewhat at the limit.

 

just buy a new endlink. it cost liek 50 bucks shipepd to your house from getbmwparts

 

meh, its a sway bar end link. if it really bothers you, change it. leaving it like that certainly isn't going to hurt anything.