I did it the odd way - cut the bushing and insert one end, work the other end into the hole, takes less than a minute, The bushing almost has no load hence does not affect its working.

I have used this pliers tool on the 722.4 for another car, and to get to the trans bit, I needed to remove the transmission cross member, to drop the trans slightly and reach from behind, I could not find any bolt to remove the lever on the transmission itself.

Its also a good idea to check the shift lever bushings themselves, they also wear out after 15 years and cause erratic behaviour.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)