Need new axles - quick question
 

was told both from axles are shot. I'm going to get the parts and had a couple of quick questions

1. Are reman axles from NAPA decent enough if I only plan to keep the car another year or so (and I only drive about 6K miles a year)

2. Do I need anything other than the axles, like the output seals? Do the axles usually come with nuts/clips/etc...

3. Is this simple enough that a normal mechanic should have no issues, or should I plan on taking it to my local BMW specialist? Its a pain to get to, and there are some pretty decent local shops that do more domestic work than euro work.

It's a pretty simple job. Most people will suggest GNK or OE axles. I was in a pinch and needed my X the next day when I found a split boot, so I bought a reman axle from NAPA and installed it. I expected to replace it once it failed with a quality piece, but it is still going strong 10k miles later. I did have to go through a couple at the store to find one that wasn't either defective or damaged.

^What Josh said, its a gamble with Napa but can be done. You shouldn't need new seals, they should come with a new axle nut.

My motto is do it right or do it twice however

I replaced my front passenger side axle with an EMPI and it is holding up great after almost two years and 23,000 miles. The youtube video below shows how to dislodge the pass side axle which is the reason for the other access port on the plate underneath the engine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIbk1mv5hkQ

thanks - I can get the reman NAPA axle for 50 a side.

I can get new for 100 a side

my indy shop wanted to do them for about 800.

seems excessive, so I figured I could pay a local shop a lot less....

I can sell you two brand new GKN Axles for $490 shipped. That's $100 less then I've found them online.
If anyone is interested.

If you want to read a little about my experience with an FEQ axle recently (cost me a steering rack, axle, etc) see here:
http://www.xoutpost.com/1036424-post12.html

Fwiw- I tried axles from advanced auto and couldn't even get them to slide in. The splines on the cheap axles are often real bad. You might get lucky. I didn't want to go back and forth so bought GKN axles which are the original part maker (I paid around $280 each).

It is a pretty standard procedure to replace them on the X5 - I think any shop could do it.

I'd be looking for an estimate around 3 hours to do both sides plus parts (maybe you supply...). There's a guy here who posted a video rebooting one (which I think is harder) in 30 minutes...so it's definitely possible to do it faster if you have a good plan before you start.

jgold, when he says "both axles are shot", what does that mean?

Because I'll be honest, unless the boot is split, grease is spewed everywhere, and the CV joint is clicking, I think your mechanic is full of shit.

If the boots have cracks but haven't split yet, just pay your indy to reboot the outer joints with GKN boot kits for $20 a side, then you will actually keep your Genuine, high quality GKN axles going for another 100k miles.

My .02, but yes I agree with most above, I don't screw with Chinese axles considering the tolerances and weight of our E53's

I'll second RB. First choice should be rebooting. The first axles I rebooted were on my x5, and I wish I had started eons ago.

Some shops don't do it as their business model is about pushing new parts, but then you've learned something important about the shop.