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  #1  
Old 04-07-2014, 07:21 PM
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Re-boot or replace?

What's the conventional wisdom here? The boots on the CV's are known to split after some-time. Do you re-boot it or replace the whole assembly?

Here's why I ask. About 2 years ago or so - I noticed that the drivers outer CV boot was split and it had flung grease everywhere. At that time I decided to re-boot the CV and had picked up one from the stealership at around $50.

I read about the short-cut procedure to remove the axle from the CV - rather than disassemble the entire
mess, so i decided to try that. After much trouble I finally hit the magic-spot for the axle to pop out of the CV and I simply rebooted the axle and re-assembled.

Or did I?

I never could get the axle to seat back into the CV correctly - although it seemed okay on assembly. The first time I took it for a ride - I got to the end of my street and could hear the axle popping and grinding on stuff. I unsuccessfully tried to reinstall it a few times. I ended up taking it to a local Indy and he replaced the whole axle. I want to say the bill was about $500 with new transmission control software updates as well.

Anyway - so fat forward to today. The passengers side CV is torn and I need to do something about it.

Do I re-try the quick and easy procedure or go the entire disassembly route? (which looks like a giant pain in the ass from what I recall - and requires special tools?)

What have you done?


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  #2  
Old 04-07-2014, 08:31 PM
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rebuild- rebuild.
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  #3  
Old 04-07-2014, 08:35 PM
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If the joint is making noise, replace the axle. Otherwise try rebuilding it if you don't mind the mess of repacking the grease.
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  #4  
Old 04-07-2014, 09:00 PM
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Have you had luck with the quick disassembly procedure? Or did you have to do the full disassembly?


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  #5  
Old 04-08-2014, 12:56 AM
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Well if the axle or CV joint is grinding and the boot is just torn as you know they sell the boot kits. However I think your problem was really the process and not the parts. In the last case the axle/joint could have been going depending how long the boot was ripped open exposed to the elements like water, sand, and round grime so it could have been on it's way out anyway.
Did your local mechanic give an explanation why he just replaced the whole axle other than "might as well". He could have just been trying to make a few extra bucks which is a complete assumption on my part he could be the most honest guy in the world lol
I've had other imports in the past and the boots have ripped a good rule of thumb on them was if you catch earlier you can save some money with a cv boot kit for like $50 vs buying a whole new axle.
On our BMW's the axles are more expensive than other cars where as the whole axle can cost as low as 100 bucks lol So it's normally just worth it to replace the whole thing vs buying a 50 dollar kit being you have the whole thing apart already.
With all that bullshit said if your axle is clicking or making any noise whether it be on turns or not the axle is already done anyway and just doing a boot kit would be pointless.

I think your hang up is "Do I want to waste money buying a CV Boot Kit again just to end up bringing to my local mechanic in the end?"
Hence wasting money on the kit in a effort of futility. So sounds like your doubt lies in the ability to DIY being burnt once already.
For you it comes down to this.
1.) Does the axle need replacing? If no see (2.) If yes see (3.)
2.) Can I trust myself with second attempt on a boot kit?
3.) Do I let my mechanic replace the axle for me again?

Oh you might be able to get a boot kit cheaper other than the dealer just depends on the part store. I'm in a good unique position though my friend runs a local parts warehouse where the dealers get their parts so I get some good deals. Even though most warehouse parts places sell to the general public and are cheaper anyway as they just deal strictly with parts (no tools or other crap just OE/Aftermarket parts).
I would just see if there is a specific OE brand you need and ask if they can get it if this is your concern.
Hope this helps your position
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Old 04-08-2014, 08:19 AM
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If the joint has already popped and spewed grease everywhere, you can buy a new outer joint from the dealer for about $160, and re-boot as well. Once the joint is exposed to the elements it is compromised in my opinion.

I changed both my outer boots last year BEFORE they split completely, they had some small cracks in the folds, disassembled and cleaned out the outer joints completely and packed with fresh grease, boots and clamps (GKN Loebro, our OE manufacturer). Been running great since and I expect many more trouble free years out of them, as long as you check the boots periodically for cracks and replace BEFORE they spew grease everywhere.


Otherwise, my method above would work with getting a new outer joint and boot from BMW and rebuilding your stock axle. However, at the price for the outer joint from the dealer and the boot kit, you're almost better off using a QUALITY, OEM axle and do full replacement.

You can get GKN Loebro axles for about $250, I do not endorse using the China made $60 "brand new" aftermarket axles as I think their quality is hit or miss.


For what its worth, GKN Loebro is the OE manufacturer for our axles and CV boots, I bought the GKN Loebro brand boot kits for $12.50 apiece from Pelican Parts, the dealer wants $40 per boot kit, the same kit, in a BMW box.
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Old 04-08-2014, 09:32 AM
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I'd say I am mostly unsure about the procedure to replace - because as you can see I did get bit before a couple years ago. I just got done replacing VC gaskets, front timing cover gaskets, valley-pan and all cooling hoses. An axle boot should be a piece of cake comparatively speaking....

Not really sure what went wrong last time. I was under pressure to get the car back on the road at the time - so maybe that was a factor in it. I just couldn't get the axle to snap-back into the CV correctly. There is no pressure to fix it within a certain window of time now.

I drove it 7 miles to my Indy - (making only 1 left-turn to get there) and suggested he replace the axle. It was making some horrible noises as I assume the axle was popping in and out of the CV - I assumed it was damaged to some extent after this. It was fine before. I think he charged me $120 for the new axle (made in Spain) and 2.5 hours of labor. Not too bad.

With regards to the passengers side now - Overall the boot is in the early stages of failure. It's a bit greasy all the way around the boot (about 1/4 inch wide) - but hasn't spewed grease everywhere yet. I think this happened within the last few months as I recall checking it in the fall and all was well then.

I'll probably reboot based on the feedback here. I need to read-up on the procedure again - it's been a couple years since I've looked at it.

Just trying to figure out if I do it the easy-way or the hard-way. From memory I think the hard-way required some specialized tooling and much-much more disassembly.


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Old 04-08-2014, 10:20 AM
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I think it's advanced or autozone that lend/rent tools. Your local independent parts store might as well. If you can find a kit for less that 13 bucks like Ricky claimed I know which route I would take lol
Oh sometimes cars are funny like that everything will go smooth on one side you get to the other and you find a surprise I would give yourself more credit and give it a go.
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  #9  
Old 04-08-2014, 10:45 AM
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All I had to do was remove the axle nut, press the axle stub out of the hub, disconnect the lower strut bolts to let the spindle hang free, and remove caliper and rotor, you can then swing the axle out and sideways and have access to the outer joint while the inner axle stays connected. find the sweet spot and whack the joint with a deadblow hammer to get it free from the stub, repair your joint/repack if needed and reattach the outer joint to the stub when done, then clamp your boot and reinstall the axle into the hub and put on new nut.

I used a free slide hammer rental set from Advance Auto which had a flange which bolted on the hub and came with a threaded rod that I pushed into the axle to get it out of the hub, easy.

There are videos on reinstalling the joint onto the axle stub with some tips on Youtube if you need help, there is a sweet spot which will make disassembly and reinstall of the joint onto the stub much easier. Basically if you hit it right it should pop on, and if you hit it in the right spot it should pop off easy.
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  #10  
Old 04-08-2014, 10:52 AM
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I'll look that $13 kit-up for sure. I need some belts anyway and it looks like pelican has better prices than my local parts store on those. I might as well add a boot to the list.

Still curious if folks are using the "pop the axle out of the CV" method - or are they doing the full disassembly from the wheel-side which I believe is the "official" procedure

Not sure if local parts stores have the correct tool if going the full disassemble-route. I need to read-up on the procedure when I get home - the details are a bit fuzzy now.


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