New Guy with questions on front strut towers

[BlackBeauty]

I am a new guy.
I have searched here for a bit and find this to be an informative forum.
I have an issue where the front strut towers are bulged a bit and have pulled away from the inner fender. Obviously the suspension took a hit at some point, but I did not see the result till recently.
I think I can fix it with some spot/rosette welds. I will have a shop do it. I will then install a strut brace.

Close inspection does not reveal any weld in this area, only seam sealer???

My question is how prevelent is this condition , and has anyone come up with an effective realignment of the sheet metal.

DIY preferred, as my neighbor body shop has a welder.

See pics here:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum...d.php?t=703754

TIA

[mullethunter3]

Damn!!! There is physically no way that a jolt from the suspension could have ripped the sheetmetal downward like that. It just doesn't make sense. Side impact looks to be the culprit. As for welding it, it obvisously won't be as strong as before, but since you didn't even notice it until now, I don't think it will be a problem for you.

It doesn't appear to be a weld in that spot, either, probably seam sealer, like you said.

But, if you're taking it to a shop, they should know what to do.

Here's a pic for the lazy people here: