New front half shafts installed today

[admranger]

As far as the boot durability, I'd be super happy with 80k miles out of the front outer boots. I'm averaging just over 40k miles on mine before they go...

[Scott ZHP]

GKN/Loebro is the OEM supplier to BMW for E53 axles; like Lemforder for chassis bits.

I've used GKN and EMPI/Empire. The outer boots on both split/tear long before the CV joint itself gives any problems. About 70-80k miles seems to be the norm for these. The GKN axles are a really tight fit in the hub, even after religiously cleaning the splines. I actually prefer the EMPI now (new, not rebuilt). I've never had one vibrate and I've used 8 or 9 of them. I won't touch the Autozone stuff, most of that is reman'd in China.

[Deansbimmer]

I've used Cardone axles on a number of jobs. The name is not inherently problematic, but I do pick them out in person to make sure I get a pair of rebuilt OEM cores with good splines. About half of them are rebuilt aftermarket or mangled, but if you have a way to check them before you buy then they're a good way to get two new shafts for way less. I would get a pair of them from Oreilley for $160 with a wholesale account.

[Scott ZHP]

Originally Posted by trader4

Eight or nine? I assume this is on multiple vehicles? How many miles
have you put on them and are they all still OK? How long do the boots
on those last compared to OEM boots?

I agree with the rebuilt stuff from the typical parts store. Many of
them you don't know who rebuilt them or where and you have to
assume the worst, ie they could be Chinese axles rebuilt by anybody.
I read a long thread where people were having problems with Cardone,
where they had mangled splines, so bad they wouldn't go on.

When I had to replace mine, I opted for a small shop rebuilder,
CVJ Axles in Denver that came highly recommended and they only
take OEM axles as core returns, won't accept aftermarket ones.
They looked great, perfect splines, went right on. Have 10K miles
so far and all is well. We'll see how they hold up.

Yes, multiple vehicles. I have an E53 (bought new), and E46 and an E70 and I've done a bunch of work on some friends E53's or E46s. My son has a B8 A4 Quattro, but we won't talk about that one.

The OEM boots seem to average maybe 65k miles. I honestly think boot life is more a factor of how the vehicle is driven and how often the driver uses full steering extension (parallel parking is a boot killer) rather than the specific brand. I noticed the latest set split after about 40k miles, that included many, many training sessions teaching my son to parallel park so he could take his drivers test (one side split, the other was completely seperated all round and flinging grease).

My 01 E53 has gone through 6 axles (original pair, a pair of GKN, and the EMPI in there now) at 155k miles. I can't really comment on the longevity of the axle itself, as I replace the entire thing when a boot splits. The labor to R+R an outer joint and the mess, isn't worth the hassle.

As an aside, I just did the steering rack boots on my E53, I used OEM boots by Lemforder; they're actually plastic, which I found odd. They were not split, but since I had to replace both tierods, I figured why not. It's much easier to R+R rack boots with the axles out, as you can easily get an Oetiker clamp pliers on the inboard clamps. It's almost impossible on the drivers side with the axle in-situ.

Years ago, I called my local transaxle shop to see about rebuilding; they told me they only do heavy commercial stuff.