I followed the instructions in newtis when I did the one on my 2019 M40i. They have you pull the entire box which honestly was pretty easy. And like the OP I prefer to take a look under the box, clean and inspect stuff, etc. Then again, when I do something like this my time is my own and I'm under no pressure to get things done.

The torque on the strut bolts is only 56nm or ~41ft-lbs. On my 2023 m40i looks like the e-head bolts are gone IIRC.

Even with an extension there's one or two of the screws that hold the cover on are a "bit-h" to get too........very doable but still a PITA.