Axle install - semi DIY with pain points

[GrandMarkie]

This was supposed to be easy!

My inner cv boot was busted so I gave Marty at Raxles a call. Great guy, packaging and axle looks top notch, cant comment on how it feels just yet.

A few notes on Raxles:

- I read reviews that the axle comes with all new bolts, tool bits, gloves and towels. I only received the bolts, tool bits are by request only. I was kinda bummed since i had to buy these last minute. These were older reviews that I read, so I guess not as many freebies anymore. Not a dealbreaker, just worth noting.

- The axle was $336 shipped. This was more than i was expecting. He had to charge $50 extra since I'm on coilovers and needed "a beefier boot"

- You have to send your original axle back, free shipping.

I did a good amount of research for tips on installation, and all was going well until i had to put the new axle back in.

The basic rundown:
1. Loosen axle bolt while wheel is still on the ground - Check!
2. Jack up car and remove wheel - EZ!
3. Remove 6 bolts holding axle - A little tricky to access, but with a little PB, no prob!
4. Chalk steering wheel opposite the side you're working on and jack up hub as far as you can to allow more access - K!
5. Wiggle out axle - took a few wiggles, but this is EZ!
6. Drink a beer, get your new axle and bolts ready - Chug!
7. Install in reverse order - Yay, im going to do this in record time! Wait, maybe not...

I must have spent 4 hours trying to finagle this thing back in. I tried raising and lowering the hub, raising and lowering my coilovers, turning the wheel in every way, but holy hell if theres a will theres a way. Determination and brute force was the method of success. Removing the axle heat shield would have given me more room, but I dont even see how I could access those bolts.

One extra millimeter of space would have saved me hours, take a look at how close i was for the longest time.

In summary, totally worth it






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[Stealthsi009]

Man great job. I know how u feel about those extra 4 hours when things get hard. Sometimes it helps to take a break and clear your mind take a step back and go at it again. At the end its worth it and you feel like you can easily do it all over again. What chassis is this for?


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[Peter1.8t]

Marty makes good axles! Used them on a few cars over the years. With more and more Chinese, poorly made, axles on the market in sure he will be getting my business when it comes time for the RS4.

[your daddy]

marty is good. have raxles on my a4, and installed in customer cars. Next time if you decide you time is worth more to you, I can put the axle in ;)

[BenSti]

Another recommendation for Raxles (Marty). He went above and beyond for me after one of my EMPI axles snapped. Will get business from me in the future.

[VinnysS4]

Great job! One question for you.... why didn't you just spend 20 bucks and replace the boot? Ive done a dozen or so and they are pretty easy to replace. Just did the passenger side last month and am getting ready to do the drivers side next.

[K2R1D3R]

I hope you guys know you can get original Axels from dismantles for less than half that price shipped..
www.car-part.com or ebay


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[ven0m]

Same question from my side as Vinny. Why not just change the boot, or did you drive with a broken boot for so long that the axle was already grinding itself apart?

I also tore both my front inner boots at the same time on a dyno last year. Imagine the cloud of smoke when it threw the grease all over the hot exhaust...
I have a friend at the Audi Stealership and they hooked me up with 4 new boots (might as well change the outside boots, if the axles are out already) and the OEM Audi boot kits also included the axle bolts, which is best to exchange. I helped the tech wrench on the car, because I had some other work of my own to finish up and when we loosened all the bolts we also loosened the bottom control arm pinch bolt to be able to freely move the wheel bearing carrier. This way in/out was a 5min job.





Old axle with new boots:

[GrandMarkie]

My original intention was to just replace the boot, I even purchased the boot and its in my garage. After seeing how torn the boot was and knowing my luck, i didnt want to take any chances. Strictly peace of mind.

[GrandMarkie]

marty is good. have raxles on my a4, and installed in customer cars. Next time if you decide you time is worth more to you, I can put the axle in ;)

Yeah, yeah. That probably would have been a tad easier

[ven0m]

My original intention was to just replace the boot, I even purchased the boot and its in my garage. After seeing how torn the boot was and knowing my luck, i didnt want to take any chances. Strictly peace of mind.

That's a reasonable decision. I would have done the same if my boots were torn the way yours were and I wouldn't notice it right away.

[BenSti]

I hope you guys know you can get original Axels from dismantles for less than half that price shipped..
www.car-part.com or ebay


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If you are going to do the labor to replace the axle, it's worth spending a bit more for new/reman ones rather than used ones of unknown condition out of a crashed car.

[sti2relaxxin]

I had the same experience but luckily discovered the solution a little sooner. I figured out that there is a sweet spot between the upper and lower most travel points of the hub where there is just barely enough room to slide the axle past that metal part you were stuck on for so long. By slightly raising and lowering my jack I was able to finally find the sweet spot and complete the install. I was pretty pissed about this unexpected set back.

My car spent most of its life in Texas out of the elements so the pinch bolts easily come apart, but I was under the impression this will throw off the alignment which is why I didn't remove them to allow easy access.

[MantanaB6]

I'm gonna dig this thread up a little (since it's the most recent axle diy). I just attempted to replace the passenger side axle on my S4 today. It didn't got well. I have replaced a B5 Passat and two B6 A4 axles with new ones from Raxles and never had any issues. On the S4, I couldn't get a single one of the inner triple square bolts to budge. Also could get the caliper carrier bolts off. I Pb blasted, cursed, tried all the tricks in the book (besides heat. And air tools...). My car is rust free. Don't know why this is so much harder.


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