Front Left CV Axle replacement?

[Kurzgesagt]

Hello there,

Forgive me if this isn't proper forum posting etiquette. I have a bad front left CV axle that needs to be replaced and BMW is charging me near 6 grand for parts and labor. I am looking at doing the job myself but can't seem to find any DIY reference material. Anyone have any ideas or can point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance!

[yupetc]

Sign up an account at Newtis.info and go from there.

[tlow98]

Realoem.com is the parts microfiche site. Find the part then price out online. Genuine BMW axles are expensive, and aftermarket are not worth the effort most of the time… just a heads up from my 15 years of wrenching.

Newtis mentioned above are the factory instructions showing how to change the part.

I’d consider an Indy for this job. Prolly around $2k+.

If you don’t have all the large tools etc. Otherwise go for it!

[Kurzgesagt]

Originally Posted by tlow98

Realoem.com is the parts microfiche site. Find the part then price out online. Genuine BMW axles are expensive, and aftermarket are not worth the effort most of the time… just a heads up from my 15 years of wrenching.

Newtis mentioned above are the factory instructions showing how to change the part.

I’d consider an Indy for this job. Prolly around $2k+.

If you don’t have all the large tools etc. Otherwise go for it!

Thank you both for the responses!

May I ask what's wrong with after market axles? I don't drive the X5 that much, really just for hauling the canoe and going up to the mountains for camping/ hikes. Are after market axles just not reliable or just don't last that long? I also plan on trading the X5 toward the end of the year.

[yupetc]

Be careful when you're buying aftermarket. Even Autozone and AdvanceAutoParts get them wrong at times. Many of the aftermarket axles are rebuilt units, and there are instances of them using substandard pieces in their build. There are also fitment issues at times. Lastly, if you're heavily tuned and there are no upgradable choices available, then stick with genuine axles for durability. Aftermarket axles can fail miserably because they didn't presume to build them for a tuned car.

Lastly, I'll say that I have good luck on my own aftermarket axle from O-Reiley's, but it took me two purchases to finally get it working well. The first one crapped out after 3 months. Then they almost refused to accept the warranty swap because they claimed something to be wrong with my suspension setup. Granted, yes, I did drop in some Bilstein shocks w/Eibach springs, but I also added adjustable camber control arms to have it aligned correctly. Anyway, it's been a good 6 months of using the passenger side aftermarket CV axle so far and all are good. The driver side outer boot did start slinging grease, so last week I took it out and changed out to a new boot, regreased it, and clamped it down, did my own rebuild. All are well.

[shimmy23]

OP, how many miles are on your x5? curious at what milestone we would start to see these go out?

[Tomcat_F15_STL]

It's not an awful job if you have done some wrenching. Not even close to a $6k job - they are either attempting to screw you or there is a big piece missing in your story.

I have described it along the way in my Oil Pan Gasket DIY.

Post #117: https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/b....784620/page-6

This is for an E70, but essentially the same job. Once you get up to step 26, they just pop out for removal. You can see it ready to come out in Photos #18 & #21.

[Kurzgesagt]

Originally Posted by yupetc

Be careful when you're buying aftermarket. Even Autozone and AdvanceAutoParts get them wrong at times. Many of the aftermarket axles are rebuilt units, and there are instances of them using substandard pieces in their build. There are also fitment issues at times. Lastly, if you're heavily tuned and there are no upgradable choices available, then stick with genuine axles for durability. Aftermarket axles can fail miserably because they didn't presume to build them for a tuned car.

Lastly, I'll say that I have good luck on my own aftermarket axle from O-Reiley's, but it took me two purchases to finally get it working well. The first one crapped out after 3 months. Then they almost refused to accept the warranty swap because they claimed something to be wrong with my suspension setup. Granted, yes, I did drop in some Bilstein shocks w/Eibach springs, but I also added adjustable camber control arms to have it aligned correctly. Anyway, it's been a good 6 months of using the passenger side aftermarket CV axle so far and all are good. The driver side outer boot did start slinging grease, so last week I took it out and changed out to a new boot, regreased it, and clamped it down, did my own rebuild. All are well.

Duly noted! Thanks Yupetc. Stock vehicle, no mechanical modifications.

[Kurzgesagt]

Originally Posted by shimmy23

OP, how many miles are on your x5? curious at what milestone we would start to see these go out?

160k - A lot of road trips across CONUS and through Canada. Haven't really had many issues either, knock-on-wood. Only things gone wrong were cracked valve cover, HVAC blower motor and now this all relatively simultaneous.

[Kurzgesagt]

Originally Posted by Tomcat_F15_STL

It's not an awful job if you have done some wrenching. Not even close to a $6k job - they are either attempting to screw you or there is a big piece missing in your story.

I have described it along the way in my Oil Pan Gasket DIY.

Post #117: https://www.bimmerfest.com/threads/b....784620/page-6

This is for an E70, but essentially the same job. Once you get up to step 26, they just pop out for removal. You can see it ready to come out in Photos #18 & #21.

Full story - 2400 per front axle and then 1200 for labor is what they quoted me. Apparently, they have a warning in their system to replace both axles in the event of a singular failure.

[Tomcat_F15_STL]

Another option may be to pull your axles and have them regreased & rebooted.

As long as they aren’t clunking, and haven’t had the grease completely washed away, they’re probably not actually damaged other than the torn boot.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by Kurzgesagt

Thank you both for the responses!

May I ask what's wrong with after market axles? I don't drive the X5 that much, really just for hauling the canoe and going up to the mountains for camping/ hikes. Are after market axles just not reliable or just don't last that long? I also plan on trading the X5 toward the end of the year.

They just don’t last. Some fail almost immediately, others some number of months. Like yupetc said

[Kurzgesagt]

Originally Posted by tlow98

They just don’t last. Some fail almost immediately, others some number of months. Like yupetc said

Thanks for letting me know! Will look at OEM instead then.

[yupetc]

Originally Posted by Kurzgesagt

Full story - 2400 per front axle and then 1200 for labor is what they quoted me. Apparently, they have a warning in their system to replace both axles in the event of a singular failure.

Dang, if you drive all the way down to Houston, and if we go get a set of O-Reiley axles for 400 bucks (both sides). And I do the job for you at half the labor cost, totaling 1000 dollars, still way ahead of that dealership's total; even if you factor the cost of the entire road trip, you're still well on top. <-- Hypothetically speaking.

Crazy charges, this is why I do my own work and many of my friends/families come knocking on my door for such type of help.

[Kurzgesagt]

Originally Posted by yupetc

Dang, if you drive all the way down to Houston, and if we go get a set of O-Reiley axles for 400 bucks (both sides). And I do the job for you at half the labor cost, totaling 1000 dollars, still way ahead of that dealership's total; even if you factor the cost of the entire road trip, you're still well on top. <-- Hypothetically speaking.

Crazy charges, this is why I do my own work and many of my friends/families come knocking on my door for such type of help.

Man if I knew my car could make down to Houston with a busted front axle I would definitely take you up on that haha

[yupetc]

Originally Posted by Kurzgesagt

Man if I knew my car could make down to Houston with a busted front axle I would definitely take you up on that haha

I hear ya, bro. Tough times, tough decisions. Best luck and happy motoring, these X5's aren't bad cars, just need love quite frequently.

[Tomcat_F15_STL]

Go get a price from an independent BMW Specialist. Ask them if they can reboot yours.

[Chilled]

Originally Posted by Kurzgesagt

Full story - 2400 per front axle and then 1200 for labor is what they quoted me. Apparently, they have a warning in their system to replace both axles in the event of a singular failure.

Dude at $2,400 a piece, they are fucking with you. Each drive shaft is only worth $1-$1,400

Go here, https://www.realoem.com punch in your vin or pick mode. and go to front
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...mm-31607629882 $1,363
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...mm-31607629883 $1,363

Or a BMW dealer shop front (this is the first link in google for the P/N. not a recommendation, pick your closes cheapest.
https://parts.bmwofsouthatlanta.com/...ly-31607622883 $1,189

[Tomcat_F15_STL]

Those boot kits are all that is needed - along with some labor you can count on.

Boot Kits on FCPEuro.com

[mrrsharma@yahoo.com]

GKN is the oem mfg for BMW on the CV axles. Try to find GKN axles and you can save a lot.

They are out there, not sure what GKN’s part number is

Also if you can but just the cv, it is attached to the axle spline by a clip, you could just replace the cv and reuse the axle.

Back with my e53, that’s what I did, I pulled both axles and rebooted the back and degreased inspected and rebooted the front cv. They have like 1 inch ball bearings in them. Took me a bunch of time but parts were under $100 for the whole job.

[k3nny]

You should definitely contact https://www.raxles.com/ and see if they make anything for the F15. I’ve purchased a driver side axle for my 4th gen 4Runner a few years ago and they were pleasant to deal with and the remanufactured axle was high quality.

[Kurzgesagt]

Thank you all for the support!!!