Axles
 

Hi all. Anyone have anything good, bad or otherwise to say about non-OEM CV axles? Specifically front right CV shafts. When putting a lift on my X5 I noticed both of my boots on the right are broken open and look to have been that way for quite a while. Car has been an around town bomber for my kids for many years and has been neglected by me. Im throwing parts at it now.

For $100 to $200 I can put a new axle in, unless the aftermarket units fall apart after a couple years. OEM isn’t worth the money as it would be cheaper to redo the joints.

From reading old posts it seems that GKN is the OEM manufacturer and a front right shaft from them runs roughly $280 to $300. PartsGeeks sells a brand named Metelli for $200, which could be a good compromise but I’ve never heard of the brand. After that we are in the $100 range for FEQ and GSP branded units.

Thanks in advance for any lessons learned.

If you haven't heard any noises yet I wouldn't be afraid to re-boot but if you go for replacement I wouldn't throw the old one out. I imagine the other side isn't far behind so take that into consideration as well.

Have you replaced an axle on an E53 X5 yet? THey can be a real PITA and you don't want to do it more than you have to. I just did my driver's front and it was several days of hell getting the old out.

I also made a tool - described in this forum - to pull the new axle into place.

I have bought two E53 axles from CVJ axles in Denver. They sell refurbished OEM axles for the E53 at what I believe is a fair price. There is an add'l core charge of $75 if you don't send your original or OEM axle back, but all-in still a good deal.

Which way to you plan to go? I'm in the same boat. The front right on mine is starting to crack. So far no noises. It's one of my two top priorities to fix now. Non sleep mode and front axels.

Rebooting is a nice option. I've done several car CV replacements. I know what a PIA they can be. Who has a good rebuilt kit? I've been ordering parts from FCP.

I ordered a GKN. OEM Bimmer has the right side for roughly $240ish, which is pretty good I think. I also grabbed a new seal and clip from PartsGeeks.

I looked at my records and I had both axles done back in 2006 with GKNs, and haven't looked at them since. That's not bad longevity given my complete neglect. A quick look at the left side though and shows that those boots look fine. Odd.

Of note, my 93 Grand Cherokee bucket is still running around noise and problem free on the original front axles and all boots have been shredded for the last decade at least. On the other hand, I've had M3s in years past with shredded and noisy CVs after a week or two with torn boots. Bottom line is I'm terrible at keeping up on the boots and therefore end up "flying to failure" with the axles.

I do see that getting the old ones out can be a pain in the butt so my plan is to do it at the auto hobby shop at the Navy base near my house. Every tool known to man and several super knowledgeable guys that have gotten me out of serious trouble in the past. My plan is to do the axle, fuel filter and lower radiator hose in one day. Having a lift will be a huge help, but getting it stuck overnight on the lift is seriously frowned upon.