Front axle wear symptoms?

[Multibeemer]

I tried doing a search, but I keep getting an error message - not sure if the problem is on my end, or with the forum, but in any event, my apologies if this has already been covered.

My wife took our 03 4.4i (102K miles) into the local dealer for their free diagnostic check-up special. One of the things they recommended was replacing the front axles. This is my worst nightmare, because just last November, I replaced both of the front outer CV boots, which was a HUGE job (none of the tricks and shortcuts described on this site worked on my car, so I had to do it the hard way - took me six hours per side). I confirmed that there was still plenty of grease left in the joints, and that the axles at least appeared to be in good shape. There are no noises or vibrations of any kind coming from the front end. There are few things I would be less excited about doing than doing the axle job over again, so I'm wondering what type of symptoms worn axles would give before tearing into this.

I'm suspicious because the dealer also said the thrust rod bushings are torn, which is highly unlikely, because I replaced them less than 20,000 miles ago with the heavy duty Meyle bushings, and yes, I torqued the bolts with the full weight of the car on the tires. This was a very easy job, so that aspect of it doesn't concern me, but it's virtually inconceivable that they'd be worn out so soon, especially since, again, there are no noises or vibrations or any symptoms of any kind from the front end.

So, I suspect the dealer is trying to pull a fast one (the quote for the two jobs is a chest-clutching $2753). Are there any tests or inspections you guys would recommend to check the integrity of the front axles? Thanks.

[TriX5]

I got my '03 back from an alignment and the bill contained approximately $5000 dollars worth of recommended repairs which included 2000 for the front axles.........

The VC gaskets indeed need replacement but the 2000 for the axles was a lot of BS.

Can't tell about yours but I would get a second opinion if you're not able to tell for yourself.

GL.

[Multibeemer]

Interesting - makes we wonder if front axle replacement recommendation is a widespread scam (makes me sound like a conspiracy theorist...). Are you experiencing any symptoms, such as clunks, vibrations, shimmy, or anything else that might make you suspect problems with your front axles? I greased the joints up very thoroughly when I replaced the boots, and didn't feel or see any signs of wear anywhere in the axles, but I'm not sure how I would go about testing for that.

Anyone else have any ideas as to how to check them? I'm hesitant to take the car to somebody else, because if they ended up agreeing with the dealer, I'd replace them myself for a tiny fraction of what a mechanic would charge.