Reman CV Axle Shafts

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I was doing a front brake job on a neighbor's 08 Elantra this morning and noticed that the outer boot on the LF axle was leaking a ton of grease.

There's no warranty coverage for this since it has 87k; 10/100k warranty only covers the joint itself, boots are only covered for 5/60k.

I know that A1 Cardone stuff should be avoided (based on personal experience), so what's a good option? Hyundai does not have a reman axle program, or else I would've gone with that option right away.

Thanks.
 
Is the axle itself actually bad? If not, I would just replace the boot. No sense replacing an axle that isn't bad. If the axle is bad and no one has what you need, check if there's any place in your area that rebuilds them. I had to do that when I owned an Audi. The shafts I needed were nowhere to be found, even at a dealer. I ended up taking mine and having them rebuilt.
 
Originally Posted By: KD0AXS
Is the axle itself actually bad? If not, I would just replace the boot. No sense replacing an axle that isn't bad. If the axle is bad and no one has what you need, check if there's any place in your area that rebuilds them. I had to do that when I owned an Audi. The shafts I needed were nowhere to be found, even at a dealer. I ended up taking mine and having them rebuilt.


The axle is fine, from what I can tell. Rebooting an axle just seems like an awful mess and I don't know how long it has been leaking grease....as the grease is everywhere.

Does anyone have experience with the NAPA MaxDrive axles? Those seem to get somewhat okay reviews.
 
I'm sure the NAPA ones are just fine, but then again the ones from AZ/AAP are probably just fine too. As said previously, get the new one if the extra cost is minimal. Otherwise, get the cheapest reman that comes with a lifetime warranty.
 
If I were in this situation I'd probably just replace the boot and grease if the joint wasn't making noise.

Raxles may also be a good choice, if they have axles for that application. They actually replace the joint in the axle, instead of regrinding.

http://www.raxles.com/

I probably wouldn't personally take a gamble with a parts store axle, new or rebuilt. As many of you know, "new" from an auto parts store doesn't necessarily mean good quality or equivalent quality to the original part.
 
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See your point on rebooting, but this is not my car and I have no experience with refurbishing CV axles. I can already imagine this turning into a big mess.
 
http://www.thmmanagementco.com/2010ExcitingNewProducts.html

It looks like Cardone makes the NAPA Max Drive new axles. I suppose it is safe to assume that they also do the Max Drive reman axles.

NAPA is $77, Autogroan's Duralast axles are $68. O'Reilly is out because there's are only 1 yr warranty, while the others are lifetime.

Given the hit/miss nature of these axles, it's probably best to stay local.
 
If the joint is covered in grease then it is likely it happened fairly recently. As when the boot splits the grease will get "thrown" out by the spinning motion of the driveshaft.

If there is no dirt or contaminants inside the cv then I would swap the boot.

Especially if you can get hold of one of the split type boots that you place over Nd bond together.

If it needs a new cv in a years time then that is all good, but you will get another year out of this one.

I torn cv boot is a fairly common annual MOT failure in the UK and fixed by swapping the boot.

I understand why you my want to swap out the entire cv and driveshaft as it is a belt and braces fix.

Boot or entire driveshaft, you are not wrong taking either path.
 
Try to find a new axle from AAP and use one of their codes to make the price reasonable.
You could also check rock.
I've used Cardone axles in the past with no problems.
You could just replace the boot. If you do this, obtain the correct moly grease as well as a proper boot, not a split one.
Replacement would involve removing the outer joint, which I've done in the past using a heavy hammer.
The grease is messy and clings persistently to everything.
It's much easier and not a lot more expensive just to replace the entire assembly.
A final thought.
I find in amusing that Hyundai warrants the CV joint but not the boot, since the boot is the normal failure point and it really shouldn't be considered a wear item.
What if the owner just continues to drive the car is blissful ignorance until the joint gets really noisy?
Would Hyudai consider that to be a warrantied repair?
After all, unless you actually removed a wheel and looked, you'd probably not know that you had a split boot.
 
Is it possible to buy a new joint and boot, and just rejoint the existing axle?

VW's axles are frankly excellent and all of the Chinese Replacement Auto Parts that folks replace them with from NAPA/AZ/AAP/OAP/etc... when a boot goes bad frequently require annual replacements. "Lifetime warranty" is great and all but it only means that you will be stuck doing the labor every time the replacement joint goes grindy. Yes, it is more messy work to disassemble a CV joint & replace the balls/cages/grease/boot but the end result is as good as OE.

I have also heard good things about Raxles but have never used them myself.
 
CVJ in Denver is the best bet if longevity is important. The cheapo rebuilds grind through the case hardening in the bearing races and elsewhere and destroy the shafts.

For an elantra that may not last, it may not be an issue, but I'd not want to do the job twice.

http://www.cvjreman.com/axles.php

The boots on my German cars last around 30 years before cracking. If a boot is cracked, the cv is done. If not cracked, it can be serviced and re-booted. I guess 30 vs a couple years is how hyundai hits their price point with lack of quality. They know it too, else they would warrant the whole unit...
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I guess 30 vs a couple years is how hyundai hits their price point with lack of quality. They know it too, else they would warrant the whole unit...

Not being a Hyundai fan boy here, but this kind of thing can and does happen. It simply doesn't matter the manufacturer. To say that the cause is poor quality is speculation at best as I don't think you're accounting for the possibility of road hazard damage or fluke flaws in molding. And I'm sure you're also well aware that Hyundai themselves probably don't make the boot, or even the whole axle assy. It's probably outsourced like everything else in this world. I'm also sure that you're aware that it can can be hard to predict long term reliability of a part. How long do you think testing lasted? 2,3 years? The failed part in question is now five years old and has how many miles on it?

I think that Critic should re-boot it. Basically ALL the "new" axles from the parts stores are Cardone Chinese junk.

Rebooting an axle is super easy. In fact, getting the axle out is probably tougher than replacing the boot - not that removing it is that hard. The most you'd run into is the stub is retained to the shaft with a clip of some form.

At most you'll have to buy a clamping tool... And what self respecting guy turns down a chance to buy a new tool?
 
I've had good luck with the split type boots, some lasted longer than original. Grease it with the grease that comes with the kit, just pushing into joint with toung depresser (it works it self into joint in use) glue/clip together and install bands. Much less work than disassembly for boot or unit replacement. If you're going into a drive across the outback don't do it, but in an Elantra, around town, why not...failure gives weeks of noise allowing them to plan replacement!


Good luck.
 
Torn boots that show a lot of grease seem to last a short time - like weeks. Esp if dirt or water is present.
They go bad fast.
Sure, it may work with just a new boot, but clicks and groans and failure are very likely.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
CVJ in Denver is the best bet if longevity is important. The cheapo rebuilds grind through the case hardening in the bearing races and elsewhere and destroy the shafts.

For an elantra that may not last, it may not be an issue, but I'd not want to do the job twice.

http://www.cvjreman.com/axles.php

The boots on my German cars last around 30 years before cracking. If a boot is cracked, the cv is done. If not cracked, it can be serviced and re-booted. I guess 30 vs a couple years is how hyundai hits their price point with lack of quality. They know it too, else they would warrant the whole unit...

Which German cars? I rarely have to replace one on an RWD German car, but I have replaced plenty on an FWD German car....

And the vast majority of CV axles are on FWD cars...
 
Ummm, each of my w123 MBs has two, and my E30 BMW has two also, coming off the differential.

Last I checked, my 135i doesnt have a Dana rear, so it likely has two as well...
 
Guys, thanks for the suggestion to reboot, but given my lack of time, need for immediate turnaround and lack of facilities - it isn't an option.

As far as the reman/new axles, is the consensus that the NAPA MaxDrive axle is the best choice locally, and raxle is the upgrade option? Thanks.
 
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