Its a well detailed bear of a process to get the axles in and out, and its not easy. I should know, I did my front wheel bearings this past summer along with the outer CV boots.
If you installed a reman axle I'd venture to say it was probably decent quality as long as the boots and grease are good, most reman axles are made from BMW OE cores. Its the "new axles" for $60 that are Chinese aftermarket stuff, I'm not a big fan. I caught my tear in the boots way early so not a drop of grease spilled out, and I replaced the boots preventatively.
This is the tool I made per the Bimmerforums post which worked amazing at pulling the hub back in, all you need is about 15 mins with an angle grinder, a little bit of welding skill, a new 36mm 12 pt axle nut, and a 27mm impact socket from harbor freight ($3)
If you don't want to tap the new Axle with a hammer as shown in the DIY, there is a much easier tool to make.
- Notice that when the axle barely engages the hub, the outer end of the axle is flushed with the hub in your picture. The "Smooth part" of the Axle is about 6-7mm in width.
- Now notice the anatomy of the Axle Nut:
* Smooth Part = 7mm
* 12-Point Part = 6mm
* Washer Part = 2mm
- During install, I reversed the new 36-mm nut but it barely caught the threads on the axle.
- BTW, the Special BMW tool (PN 33 2 110)costs some $300 from BMW dealer, not worth it IMHO for something you may (or may not) need every 10 years.
- So here is a ghetto tool that everyone should try for cheap:
* New 36-mm Nut: $6-10 at dealer (I guess you can use the old nut, just break off the "staked parts")
* Spark Plug (or appropriate size) Socket: $2-3
* Take it to muffler shop and ask them to weld them together as shown. This probably costs you some $10 (or free if your buddy has welding equipment).
* Bring it home and use a Bench Grinder to reduce the "12-Point" Part of the Nut so it has the same (or a bit thicker) diameter than the "Smooth Part" of the nut. This is essential so the tool can slide in the hub.
* Now you have a tool that can reach 13mm inward, plenty to catch the first few threads.
Sounds good? Someone should try this and report back the result:
I did it this way and did no hammering on my hub whatsoever on reinstallation, or removal as I used a hub puller to press the axle stub inwards.
