New front half shafts installed today

[AV8R4AA]

Found a local Indy here in Dallas.
Former dealer line mechanic with 20 years experience.
I helped (parts washer) and learned a lot.
I don't have the tools he had so I didn't try DIY.

The old grease was slung everywhere.
My job was to scrape it off. Icky stuff.

He said I have a clean X5 in great shape.
That made me feel good.

I do have a misting passenger side valve cover. Some
oil is leaking, not a lot, but not bone dry.


I think I am going to wash up the engine with degreaser and monitor it.
All-in-all, I made a new friend today and got the most pending job off the list.





Glad that's a one and done job.

[Joshdub]

Sweet deal. Keep up the good work

[itscoo2pyopants]

its nice to find a good indy that you can trust. I don't mind kicking them some extra work especially if I don't have time to DIY.

dealerships on the other hand..

[upallnight]

Hopefully you also replace the seal to the differential while you had the axle out. If it wasn't leaking, most people wouldn't bother, but I always do them since it just a 10-minute job to pried them out and pound a new seal in.

[Deansbimmer]

Originally Posted by upallnight

Hopefully you also replace the seal to the differential while you had the axle out. If it wasn't leaking, most people wouldn't bother, but I always do them since it just a 10-minute job to pried them out and pound a new seal in.

^This. A good indy would do this. Especially since these seals are easily damaged when removing and inserting the shafts.

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by AV8R4AA

Found a local Indy here in Dallas.
Former dealer line mechanic with 20 years experience.
I helped (parts washer) and learned a lot.
I don't have the tools he had so I didn't try DIY.

The old grease was slung everywhere.
My job was to scrape it off. Icky stuff.

He said I have a clean X5 in great shape.
That made me feel good.

I do have a misting passenger side valve cover. Some
oil is leaking, not a lot, but not bone dry.


I think I am going to wash up the engine with degreaser and monitor it.
All-in-all, I made a new friend today and got the most pending job off the list.





Glad that's a one and done job.

Greg did you go with the GKN half shafts?

[AV8R4AA]

The parts were delivered from worldpac.
The quality was very good.
I didn't notice the manufacturer.
The parts were not cheap junk.

I seriously thought the new shafts were much quieter than
The drive over verse the return trip.

My guy also bought the BMW brand axel nuts.
The supplied nuts were okay, he wanted the 12 point nuts.
I feel the X5 is ready for a road trip.

[AV8R4AA]

The half shafts I used were solid and rigid.
The dead factory ones were floppy. They still had a lot
of grease in them.
I think they will last longer than the BMW ones did.
80K and already torn?
That's not saying much for BMW Parts.

The parts I used were not rebuilt, they were new.

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by trader4

Which AFAIK, means they would have to be either BMW, GKN or Chinese.
The first two are excellent, the latter not so much.

Having torn boots at 80K or less isn't unusual. A torn boot doesn't mean
the axle is bad or needs to be replaced. But if you don't catch it
in time or let it go, then the grease goes out, water and dirt go in and
the CV joint is compromised. Even at that point, the axle itself is
still OK, it's just the CV joint parts. I think you'll find
most people here would overwhelmingly agree that if you have an OEM
axle and catch the boot in time, then replacing just the boot is the
best option. Those OEM axles typically last a long time, no indicaton
from anything I've seen from all the experiences here that there is
any problem with the axles. The boots on the other hand, I would
agree they don't last as long as most boots on other cars.

Well said and on point. The OEM axle half shafts are superior to the chinese built ones. I just replaced my boots a few weeks ago and the joints on those axles are solid. They are the original BMW ones. Worldpac axle parts for this vehicle most likely the chinese built ones . The price for axles would let you know which ones you have. Turner sells the nice GKN ones but of course they are more pricey than the chinese built ones.

[X53Jay4.8is]

Originally Posted by trader4

I guess it would if the price for an axle is well under $280. That's
the lowest price I've seen for a GKN and BMW is much more. If
it's $150, then it's almost certainly Chinese. On the other hand,
nothing says you can't charge $280 for a Chinese axle.

Not saying anything about this particular repair shop, this guy
can be 100% honest, but in general
you have to wonder how many places fudge on what they are really
putting in. I think you could do it and not even be violating the law
if you're smart about it, ie just show the BMW part #. Does that
mean that you're saying it's actually from BMW? Most auto parts
places show the BMW # on the description for aftermarket parts.

IT would be interesting to hear what his bill says and what the charge
was.

Yeah it all depends what you want to spend. Even the Indys that get their parts from worldpac can also have access to upgraded parts such as the GKN half shafts. if you don't specify what you want back in their then typically you get the standard grade worldpac part.