E70 front CV axle question.

Need a hand here and am looking for answers from qualified people who have done this or similar work on X5s before. (I also have an E61 535ix and had an E91 328ix and never encountered this problem while replacing front suspension parts.) I just replaced the front struts and related bushings on my wife's 2013 X5 (235k miles). I've done work like this dozens of times on BMWs.
Here's the issue: I can't get the front left CV Axle to move in enough to re-attach the top bolt of the wheel carrier to the upper wishbone/control arm. When I put the front suspension back together, I noticed that the driver's side CV joint seemed to have slid out farther than I thought it would. It just won't slide back in enough to reconnect the suspension. At first I thought it just pulled out at the differential splines, but I reached back and and felt and they were in all the way. The play, and there is a ton of it, 3 inches or so, is at the inside U-joint. I'm thinking the CV axle is toast but before I go down that road, I wanted to check to see how much in-and-out play I should have on that axle. It seems like way more than on my E61. Can anyone tell me? I'm probably going to peel the boot back and see what that U-joint looks like but the car is outside and it's a little dark now so it will have to be tomorrow. I appreciate your input!