What should I do (CV axle replacement)?

[stratman]

This is my passenger side CV axle. It looks like something somehow hit the boot and caused this gash which has led to a ton of grease coming out of it.

Not sure how long it has been like this, but the car is shaking at highway speeds. I don't notice any clicks or clunks, but can hear a somewhat faint whirring sound on the highway.

Option 1: Take it to dealer, buy new axle (@ $576) and have them install. Total cost around $700.

Option 2: Take it to discount tire/big o/local mechanic and have it regreased and new boot put on. Total cost would be $150 or so, but I don't know if the joint has too much damage and would need replacement anyway.

Option 3: Get axle from raxles.com and have it installed by local mechanic or attempt it myself. I like this option a lot, however raxles is currently closed due to plane crash. Not sure when they are going to be back up and running.

I don't want to use the cheap autozone/napa axle as I've heard nothing good about them and I'm not even sure if raxles offers speed3 axles.

Any advice or help on what I should do. I'm thinking about just making an appointment with the dealer and being done with it, but $700 for an axle replacement hurts!

 

[MSMS3]

Sorry to hear about Raxles being closed, hopefully temporarily. That company is a class act. I've used their CV joints on three different vehicles. Their work is superb. They ship immediately, give you the special tools needed and provide the return packaging and labeling, all included in the price. I've never had a vendor more on top of their customers than Raxles.

But if you can get a local shop to put one of those replacement split boot kits on and wait a bit for Raxles to reopen, that might be a better option that the stealer dealer.

 

[RunAroundNekid]

There is no reason to replace that axles, unless the joint inside has locked up. The clamp has cut into the boot, I've seen this a thousand times. Buy a boot kit, which comes with the boot / clamps / grease pack, and replace the boot. Should take an experienced mechanic no more than 2 hours, and will save you a lot of $$$.

 

[stratman]

Sorry to hear about Raxles being closed, hopefully temporarily. That company is a class act. I've used their CV joints on three different vehicles. Their work is superb. They ship immediately, give you the special tools needed and provide the return packaging and labeling, all included in the price. I've never had a vendor more on top of their customers than Raxles.

But if you can get a local shop to put one of those replacement split boot kits on and wait a bit for Raxles to reopen, that might be a better option that the stealer dealer.

Was one of the three the speed3, or do you happen to know if Raxles does the axle for the speed3? I know there are a few applications they don't do and figured this might be one of them considering the luck I'm having in locating the part...

 

[stratman]

There is no reason to replace that axles, unless the joint inside has locked up. The clamp has cut into the boot, I've seen this a thousand times. Buy a boot kit, which comes with the boot / clamps / grease pack, and replace the boot. Should take an experienced mechanic no more than 2 hours, and will save you a lot of $$$.

My concern with that is the shaking that the car is doing at speeds of 55mph and up. I was thinking this might indicate that the joint is damaged in which case I don't want to spend the money to replace only the boot and then have to do the axle anyway. Do you think that just being dry without being damaged would cause the car to shake on the highway still? I would really love to replace the boot alone, but because of the shaking I fear that the joint is damaged too.

 

[spdjnke]

If I were you I would replace it, they are only $80 bucks online, take it to a local shop that specializes in Japanese cars and you should be done for a few hundred bucks. the other 2 options I say your just wasting your money...get it done right the first time saves time, money and headache down the road.

 

[MSMS3]

Was one of the three the speed3, or do you happen to know if Raxles does the axle for the speed3? I know there are a few applications they don't do and figured this might be one of them considering the luck I'm having in locating the part...

No, not on the Speed3. VW's and Saab. I don't know if they have our axles in stock. For that matter, I don't even know if our axles are different than the regular 3. Whatever we have, they seem to be pretty stout, as I don't hear about very many axle failures even with significant mods.

Back on topic, I say just replace the boot for now (after inspection of the joint and relube, if necessary) and hope that Raxles comes back soon. That high speed vibration you describe does worry me, but I'm inclined to believe that whatever you hit or ran over probably knocked off a wheel weight or knocked your suspension alignment out on that side.

 

[stratman]

Thanks for the responses. I contacted a few places and none were able to offer a quality axle. One company actually gave a lengthy response about how they recommended a OEM one from the dealer and are unable to offer one of comparable quality (which I thought was awesome customer service).

I scheduled an appointment with the dealer for Friday. I'm not going to bother with any low quality products. The dealer is going to remove and inspect the axle. If it's repairable they will clean and re-grease, then install with a new boot...if not then they will replace the axle. They are also going to check if anything else might be causing the shaking.

I'm expecting a huge repair bill, but hopefully the joint is still good and it's just the boot.

 

[spdjnke]

GOOD LUCK and let us know what the end result is.