*Upgraded DRIVESHAFT install/solution *

[sipelgas]

Originally Posted by dentprotony@gmail.com

Keep in mind you adding a plate/additional part (spacer) that is exposed to temp fluctuations, vibrations, rotational stress. Another thing to remember is you are pushing worn out 19mm splines into tcase (i dont know how far but probably 10mm or so) therefore you are gaining 10-15mm new splines engaged by 10-15mm of the wore stock shaft. Spline engagement is still 19mm vs double that with my shaft plus new splines vs stock 19mm wore. I dont see where you are winning anything with this, might be a little time if that. But definitely a nice option to have otherwise

Yes, I agree that the new upgraded shaft is better option for a larger amount of money.

I chose to buy new basic shaft for 100$ (just because both U-joints were bad) and spacer for 80$ instead of upgraded shaft for 790$ plus shipping. This combo reduced the slack enough so I can drive with confidence with the splines being all the way in the transfer case. I’m confident that it’s much better option than to drive with just the OEM shaft.

[BAD-F85]

I'd be thinking, fix it right the first time and then not have to worry at all.

Thanks again to Tony for taking the time and effort to create a solution (to a problem, I unfortunately have had happen). This will at least ensure many more years of not having to in the back of my mind of when will this happen.

[dentprotony@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by sipelgas

Yes, I agree that the new upgraded shaft is better option for a larger amount of money.

I chose to buy new basic shaft for 100$ (just because both U-joints were bad) and spacer for 80$ instead of upgraded shaft for 790$ plus shipping. This combo reduced the slack enough so I can drive with confidence with the splines being all the way in the transfer case. I’m confident that it’s much better option than to drive with just the OEM shaft.

Well shipping is included in the shaft price, have you seen chinese shafts ripped apart on here ? Where guy tried to pull a stump with his x5 and his dorman unit separated like a piece of paper. But either way its hard for me to compare chinese unit made with a chinese tube, ujoints, questionable balancing technique and rust issues to usa built shaft.
I had 8 people at this point that said they would wait and that their shaft is probably still ok , but 2-3 weeks later they post a hole in the side of their transmission asking where is the best place to find a new unit. That 200 dollars can become very expensive very quickly, ive seen it many times. But yes i agree if it works it works, with a new shaft and spacer engagement is definitely better , im with you 100%

[zeroping]

I invested in Tony's shaft because the money was worth the peace of mind. I would not trust a cheap shaft on a 600hp trunk where the damage could easily hit 5 figures to repair. Engine oil pan, transmission, transfer case, front diff, and hydraulic lines are all in that area.

[sipelgas]

Originally Posted by dentprotony@gmail.com

Well shipping is included in the shaft price, have you seen chinese shafts ripped apart on here ? Where guy tried to pull a stump with his x5 and his dorman unit separated like a piece of paper. But either way its hard for me to compare chinese unit made with a chinese tube, ujoints, questionable balancing technique and rust issues to usa built shaft.
I had 8 people at this point that said they would wait and that their shaft is probably still ok , but 2-3 weeks later they post a hole in the side of their transmission asking where is the best place to find a new unit. That 200 dollars can become very expensive very quickly, ive seen it many times. But yes i agree if it works it works, with a new shaft and spacer engagement is definitely better , im with you 100%

Yes, I definitely wouldn’t recommend chinese shafts, I got myself one that’s made in Germany with high quality.

The upgraded shaft is certainly a more secure and long-term solution, but the spacer is a good option for someone who either can't afford the upgraded shaft right now or prefers a more budget-friendly fix. It effectively reduces the significant slack in the transfer case, offering a temporary improvement in drivability and confidence. For someone who discovers the same issue, the spacer can serve as a reliable fix until they are ready to invest in the upgraded shaft.

[Chilled]

Originally Posted by sipelgas

Yes, I definitely wouldn’t recommend chinese shafts, I got myself one that’s made in Germany with high quality.

$100 USD for a German made drive shaft? I think that sticker says "German Made in China".

[GotV8?]

We all can agree...that everyone is looking to protect our pride and joy...IMO...Tonys driveshaft solution is the best of both world...addressing the issue with a brand new quality product...vs adding an alternative solution with your use/old part....We all want the peace of mind...but in the end...its your money....however, why settle for temporary fix when you can address it 100%. Thanks again Tony. Appreciate your contribution to our forum. Have a great day everyone.

[fsd350]

Hey Tony, thank you for delivering such a terrific product!

I bought a 2014 e71 X6M for my wife's 10 year anniversary. I got under the car to change tranny fluid, mechatronic seals, t_case and diff fluids. I noticed/thought the U joints were no longer serviceable, although shaft looked new. removed bolts and wiggled around a little more and could not believe the spines were so loose, it was not the joints. Ordered a Febi and found it was Chinesium so no go. Not sure how I found this topic as I spend most of my time on the diesel forums, we have a couple deleted d's too. Remember even if a part has a lifetime warranty, they will not cover a catastrophic failure, including smashing your T-case or tranny.

Tony has engineered an amazing product at a good value addressing an essential need for an OE improvement. In fact, in all my years wrenching, on my many Bimmers and other vehicles, I have never seen that kind of slop in any driveline spines. It's also cool that the joints are serviceable themselves. As far as I know there is no BMW that comes from the factory that way, you must always have the driveshaft rebuilt by an experienced individual or buy a new BMW unit, they are balanced very precisely as a set with the center bearing in the rear.

Tony was easy and great to communicate with, knowledgeable, friendly and had my driveshaft delivered within a matter of a days! It truly is a nicely engineered and fabricated piece of equipment. He has spent a lot of time in R&D with several suppliers to get this right. He is a great dude.

Just know if you have an e70/e71 you will need to drop the exhaust. I went all willy nilly before looking in ISTA first like a dumbass. Haha Luckily, I ordered my bolts for the driveshaft and reinforcement pan from FCP for the lifetime warranty. By the way, replacements bolts are coated stretch bolts, and you must follow the torque and angle. At least on an e series. Coat splines with NLGI2 grease. Very important to replace the bolts on your reinforcement pan and torque to spec with proper torque angle also. They are stretch bolts. The pan is not just a skid, it reinforces the subframe!

Thanks again Tony! And thanks for the great service!
OYKYK! Don't hesitate! If you can afford to purchase and maintain your Bimmer, you can afford this.

[dentprotony@gmail.com]

Originally Posted by fsd350

Hey Tony, thank you for delivering suck a terrific product!

I bought a 2014 e71 X6M for my wife's 10 year anniversary. I got under the car to change tranny fluid, mechatronic seals, t_case and diff fluids. I noticed/thought the U joints were no longer serviceable, although shaft looked new. removed bolts and wiggled around a little more and could not believe the spines were so loose, it was not the joints. Ordered a Febi and found it was Chinesium so no go. Not sure how I found this topic as I spend most of my time on the diesel forums, we have a couple deleted d's too. Remember even if a part has a lifetime warranty, they will not cover a catastrophic failure, including smashing your T-case or tranny.

Tony has engineered an amazing product at a good value addressing an essential need for an OE improvement. In fact, in all my years wrenching, on my many Bimmers and other vehicles, I have never seen that kind of slop in any driveline spines. It's also cool that the joints are serviceable themselves. As far as I know there is no BMW that comes from the factory that way, you must always have the driveshaft rebuilt by an experienced individual or buy a new BMW unit, they are balanced very precisely as a set with the center bearing in the rear.

Tony was easy and great to communicate with, knowledgeable, friendly and had my driveshaft delivered within a matter of a days! It truly is a nicely engineered and fabricated piece of equipment. He has spent a lot of time in R&D with several suppliers to get this right. He is a great dude.

Just know if you have an e70/e71 you will need to drop the exhaust. I went all willy nilly before looking in ISTA first like a dumbass. Haha Luckily, I ordered my bolts for the driveshaft and reinforcement pan from FCP for the lifetime warranty. By the way, replacements bolts are coated stretch bolts, and you must follow the torque and angle. At least on an e series. Coat splines with NLGI2 grease. Very important to replace the bolts on your reinforcement pan and torque to spec with proper torque angle also. They are stretch bolts. The pan is not just a skid, it reinforces the subframe!

Thanks again Tony! And thanks for the great service!
OYKYK! Don't hesitate! If you can afford to purchase and maintain your Bimmer, you can afford this.Attachment 3571567

Awesome, thank you for the shout out, i always have huge respect for people that keep their vehicles in top notch shape, enjoy the product and i am always here is you got any questions or ready for a big brake kit !!!

[BAD-F85]

I'd like to say a BIG thank you to Tony who took his time to engineer a proper solution to BMW's poorly designed front drive shaft. Such a pleasure to deal with and can't recommend him enough. Thank you Tony!

Unfortunately for myself, it was an after thought after my front drive shaft decided that it didn't want to play any longer and not only destroyed itself, but my gearbox, my flywheel and a part of the block as well.

1 used gearbox. 1 used flywheel and 1 Tony drive shaft later, my baby is back on the road...

WARNING TO ALL, check your drive shaft and if in doubt, please buys Tony's as it is not only better than factory, the UNI joint is serviceable and for me, it was a third of the dealers price for a new genuine one and that's including shipping to Australia!

Thanks again Tony!

[jcm3]

normally you see some corrosion on the u joint...yours looks pretty decent...how many many miles on it

[BAD-F85]

It had 103,000km’s. Weirdest part was when it occurred, I took of from lights and didn’t even boot it. Could you imagine how much the damage would’ve been at higher rpm’s? Probably wouldn’t be driving it ever again I think…

[Kmooney927]

Got my driveshaft and installed it in my e70, looks alot better than stock and should hold up a lot better. Big thanks to tony.

[Bobby_Drake]

dentprotony@gmail.com
Looking into proactively replacing mine as well. How difficult is this DIY?
Since I am now in Hawaii, it's challenging to find a good shop that won't charge $$$ M tax. One shop quoted me $150 for an oil change for an X5 but when I stopped by, he saw it's an M and changed the price to $300. lol.

I told him changing the oil of a 4 cyl BMW and an M is the same process. You just add more oil for the M.

[dentprotony@gmail.com]

Thank you for all the support and all the work guys!!!! It is crazy that now even at 7 shafts per week i can barely keep up with the demand bot in usa and overseas!
As for Bobby_Drake question, install is fairly simple, shop should charge about and hour labor for this (around 120in usa) and should take them about 30-40 min to replace. Hardest part is to pass the shaft by the front brace if your motor mounts are shot or tired, easy way to go about this us either use a jack at the tranny and carefully lift it (you literally need less than an inch clearance) or use pliers/vice grips and bend the brace edge just a little to clear the shaft and then bend it back.
As far as the pay goes, i would ask the dealership what is the labor charge for a certain job. Oil change should pay 0.8 to an hour maybe (not sure sorry) and this is a standard charge. Same with driveshaft, ask how much time does it take to remove snd install driveshaft and multiply by shop hour charge. There is a labor standard for every job. Only difference is shop hour cost and how fast they can get through this job without damaging anything (again shaft is an easy job for an experienced tech)

Originally Posted by Bobby_Drake

dentprotony@gmail.com
Looking into proactively replacing mine as well. How difficult is this DIY?
Since I am now in Hawaii, it's challenging to find a good shop that won't charge $$$ M tax. One shop quoted me $150 for an oil change for an X5 but when I stopped by, he saw it's an M and changed the price to $300. lol.

I told him changing the oil of a 4 cyl BMW and an M is the same process. You just add more oil for the M.

[LateParty2018X535d]

Important note, please verify for yourself but passing along what I’ve been told regarding proper install of the front drive shaft:

NOTE: DO NOT USE ANTI SEIZE (Contains Metallic Substance) on the Driveshaft Splines at Transfer Case Spline Sleeve.

NLGI NO. 2 Red Grease Was Recommended.

Apparently, this will help to repel rust since it is a grease, but does not contain the metallic substance. This is contrary to the YouTube videos on this install, which show anti-seize, apparently this is not a good idea.