Bad CV Joints? Axles?

[mikob]

e34 '92 525i
Hey guys, the handling on my car has been inaccurate to say the least and there is a faint thumping noise coming from the rear when I drive. Also, the car has been thumping into gear a little obnoxiously.

I was replacing my rear-brakes pads earlier today and noticed that one of my cv boots had a gashing wound and the boot looked dry on the outside (maybe it has been that way for a while). I also noticed that the bushings for the (trailing arm? I believe) were definitely worn. This was all in the rear, although I am pretty sure my tie rods are worn in the front and thats why my steering is off.

Do these seem like good diagnosis' for my problems?
Thumping noise-CV joint
Weird Steering-Tie rod ends

How would I know if I need to replace just the CV boot, or the entire axle? Where can I get these parts? PelicanParts is out of stock. Am I ****ed?

[Bruno]

Two things that can help with the troubleshooting:
1- Jack up the rear end and turn the wheel by hand, see if you can notice any resistance or noise.
2- More dangerous, jack up all 4 corners then put the car in drive, check any rubbing or noise.

If your axle is dry and dirt got into it, change the whole thing, I am sure that there is a lot of them available used as they rarely fail. I don't even bother taking them from parts cars...

[mikob]

Thanks Bruno. The first thing I did when I returned from work today was jack up my car and remove the tires to have another look at those CV boots. Guess what? I didn't see any signs of CV boot failure. I think because it was dark last night I saw the pinchpoint of the mold on the rubber and thought it was a gash--jumped to drastic conclusions. However, I definitely still hear a faint thumping from the rear that increases with speed. Could this be the worn bushings plaguing my backend?

TL;DR I'm a complete idiot and didn't have a thorough look before posting.

[Tiger]

Thunking in the back is a couple of things...

Upper strut mounts
Dogbones
subframe bushing
bad struts

[Bruno]

Could be the driveshaft rubbing on something also. Best is to get the car on all 4 jack stand and run it.