RAxles replacement failed @ 1 years 2 months 24 days, 3,874

[MoRbiD]

So if you recall in my last thread here I needed to replace the DS rear outer cv joint, but Audi stopped selling them. They also stopped selling the rear axles or the remans. So I went with RAxles.com. Price was decent and the part installed without any problems.

Fast forward to today. I'm leaving a store when I hear the loud noise coming from the rear of the car. The noise is like a poping/clanking sound and matches the rotation of the wheels (gets louder the faster I go.)
I get the car home, put the DS Rear Wheel up in the air first. Shake the wheel up/down and in/out. No play

I crawled under the car an look at the outer CV joint. Looks OK. Then I look at the inner cv joint. I can see the grease already covering the bottom of the heat shield. Not good.
I tried moving the shaft in and out, not much play.

I'm pretty sure the ds inner cv joint is the source of the problem though.

So now I'm out of $379.80 and back to sourcing parts that Audi stopped making.
That didn't take long.

[old guy]

Clicky click®️

[MoRbiD]

Thanks for the link. I went to their website and they are closed till January 2nd 2023.

I was able to source another axle via the dealership's part's dept. Apparently the only one in the System in the US.
I told him to go ahead and order it. More than Raxles but most likely my only resource right now.

[Audibot]

Sorry you had that experience. I had both front axles done on my Allroad back in 2016 by Raxles. They were still fantastic when I sold the car in 2020.

[walky_talky20]

Rear axle is a pretty low-failure item due to the easy angles they see. I would feel very comfortable obtaining a used OEM axle from a junkyard for this application. Always super cheap and available due to very low junkyard demand on this part. I can have 4 of them today for $35 each.

I do notice that B5's will sometimes kill a rear DS inner joint due to having no heat shield over the axle and eventually drying out the grease. I believe I sourced a junkyard passenger side axle to fix mine some years ago.

[EuroxS4]

The best axles for these cars are the factory axles period. I know people swear by raxels and so on. However what I find usually with aftermarket axles is that they have cheap china cv joints they are using that I wouldn't use to prop up a hood let alone install in a vehicle. Just saying.

[MoRbiD]

Judging by the noise, clunking that get's louder as the wheels spin faster, and seeing grease all over the heat shield, I'm pretty sure it's that inner cv joint. I still have the original axle/inner cv joint on the passenger rear. I had to replace the outer cv joint on that side a long time ago, ABS Ring failed.

I didn't look to see if any boneyard had an axle. I'm not sure there are any B6's left in the pick and pull's.

I resigned myself to spending the money for that 8E0501203SX the dealer parts dept found for me. If not the cheapest, it's certainly the quickest way to get back on the road.
Winters are too hard up here to be without a ride.

[shurur9]

As far as Raxles goes..a warranty is great, but who wants to keep replacing axle-drive shafts?

As EuroxS4 said:
I think a lot if companies are sourcing parts from China as there may be no place else to go. And there is zero quality control in most Chinese mfg.

I am just now installing GSP axles in my front, because I need it on the road soon.

I am keeping my ripped boot oem axles and replacing the puter CV and boot this Summer or picking up an Used OEM set.

[MoRbiD]

That's something I don't get either. Why are there still front cv joint's and axles available for our cars from both audi and GKN.

[walky_talky20]

I am keeping my ripped boot oem axles and replacing the puter CV and boot this Summer or picking up an Used OEM set.

This is the way.

[Fast4esT]

I only replace my axles with oem used ones, they generally last a long time

[Puddin Tane]

I can have 4 [junkyard OEM axles] today for $35 each.

Could you share your online resource showing you this and your search argument? car-part.com doesn't walk the walk. Lots of "hits," sure, but then yard after yard gives you every kind of run-around.

[walky_talky20]

Yes car-part.com, and I'm just familiar with most of yards in driving distance.

The really local places (near Erie, PA):

Green Place: Hometown Heroes that have great prices, but you'll have to inspect things to make sure the condition is reasonable. No returns.
Red Place: Have literally everything, but think their junk is gold. Only a last resort.

Places near Pittsburgh that are awesome. Will do local deliveries to shops and will ship stuff across USA in most cases:

Purple Place: Legends. Crazy good prices, great parts. But they move stuff real fast, so call quick.
Orange Place: The Audi Parts promised land (in this area). Pretty good prices, too.

[Kevin C]

Could you share your online resource showing you this and your search argument? car-part.com doesn't walk the walk. Lots of "hits," sure, but then yard after yard gives you every kind of run-around.

Odd. I have used them with decent results. Some yards work like what you expect from a used parts yard, oh yea that price and let me check. It may take a day but it usually happens. Most times I have gotten what I was looking for. Then there is pick and pull and ebay. Used rear axles are easy.

[Puddin Tane]

I recently had an inner joint go bad on a front axle ('05 1.8TQ). After many false starts including Raxles, went with a Genuine VAG replacement kit for just the joint (p/n 4E0-498-103; boot and unusual Genuine grease included). More expensive than I liked but way less than a Genuine axle, and even Raxles & GKN were clearly a big step down in quality.

A key detail here is the odd Genuine grease only VAG sells (p/n G-052-186-A3). Everybody else (including GKN) sells the usual MoS2 joint grease for that joint, whether you're getting axle assemblies, joint kits, boot kits, whatever, but VW & GKN determined long ago that tripod joints need a much lower viscosity grease, light brown, more like syrup.

Sure enough, my joint that went bad had been rebooted using MoS2 grease and the boot had blown and the bearing races were worn. The same joint on the other side was still factory. When I rebooted that side (with a Genuine kit) the old boot was less deteriorated and the bearing races were perfect like the day they were machined (after 17 yrs & 168K miles). That weird Genuine grease couldn't have a better sales pitch.

Also of note, the Genuine tripod race cup is stamped GKN, but GKN's aftermarket cup for this joint is NOT the same quality. The mounting flange is welded on with very messy welds; on the Genuine cup it's brazed. Raxles sources these messy aftermarket joints for their rebuilds, I was dismayed to see. I'll wager they don't put the right grease inside either.

Can't recall what the inner joints are like on the rear axles (tripods or sliding rzeppas) and don't know if they're available as kits.

[Puddin Tane]

Thanks for posting those sources. Pure gold.

@Kevin C:
That's been my YMMV experience with them. My searches are usually sorted by distance for northeast Georgia; maybe all the nearby yards are just unprofessional yo-yos...

[walky_talky20]

I often joke about the level of customer service at most junkyards, especially the old-school places.
- They answer the phone with one, *maybe* 2 words: "<unintelligible> Auto" or just "Johnny's". That's it.
- You shall reply with "Hey it's Jim Bob from <local Shop Name>" or "Hi I have a <Make,Model,Year> and need a <correct industry part name>" All else is an incorrect response.
- Asking them if they have a specific rare part you need (B5 2.8 5MT Left transmission bracket.) They don't have time for that, they're trying to work!
- Small parts? Engine or Trans, or you get the hold music.
- Interior parts? LOL. Interior parts in a *matching color* that isn't black? That's hilarious. 2 different shades of Beige? Get out.
- Check a paint code? "I told you - it's gray. "

I think they don't worry about repeat retail customers. Their main customers (shops) are locked in based on geography and their inventory, so they needn't provide good service to keep them.
There are definitely exceptions. The bigger, high-volume places have actual sales staff that make commission. So they aim for repeat business across a wide area.

[Kevin C]

I recently had an inner joint go bad on a front axle ('05 1.8TQ). After many false starts including Raxles, went with a Genuine VAG replacement kit for just the joint (p/n 4E0-498-103; boot and unusual Genuine grease included). More expensive than I liked but way less than a Genuine axle, and even Raxles & GKN were clearly a big step down in quality.

A key detail here is the odd Genuine grease only VAG sells (p/n G-052-186-A3). Everybody else (including GKN) sells the usual MoS2 joint grease for that joint, whether you're getting axle assemblies, joint kits, boot kits, whatever, but VW & GKN determined long ago that tripod joints need a much lower viscosity grease, light brown, more like syrup.

Sure enough, my joint that went bad had been rebooted using MoS2 grease and the boot had blown and the bearing races were worn. The same joint on the other side was still factory. When I rebooted that side (with a Genuine kit) the old boot was less deteriorated and the bearing races were perfect like the day they were machined (after 17 yrs & 168K miles). That weird Genuine grease couldn't have a better sales pitch.

Also of note, the Genuine tripod race cup is stamped GKN, but GKN's aftermarket cup for this joint is NOT the same quality. The mounting flange is welded on with very messy welds; on the Genuine cup it's brazed. Raxles sources these messy aftermarket joints for their rebuilds, I was dismayed to see. I'll wager they don't put the right grease inside either.

Can't recall what the inner joints are like on the rear axles (tripods or sliding rzeppas) and don't know if they're available as kits.

My 2003 front OEM GKN inners are welded and I have been running the M0s2 grease for five years without issue. My take is the the oem grease was to reduce NVH, I have read a lot of claims and info and have my own experience. I have OEM inner boots and grease and will swap over at some point. I also have a set from a 2004, same thing welded inner. Another point is if the weld does not look neat but does not fail do we really care? I will say the welds on mine look to be machine done but they are defiantly welded. That may have been an OEM high volume tooling setup that went away.

Used parts yards are what they are. The thing with Car-part is it helps to put you in contact with yards that might be able to help. After that your on your own. Its also a great resource on what swaps over.

I often joke about the level of customer service at most junkyards, especially the old-school places.
- They answer the phone with one, *maybe* 2 words: "<unintelligible> Auto" or just "Johnny's". That's it.
- You shall reply with "Hey it's Jim Bob from <local Shop Name>" or "Hi I have a <Make,Model,Year> and need a <correct industry part name>" All else is an incorrect response.
- Asking them if they have a specific rare part you need (B5 2.8 5MT Left transmission bracket.) They don't have time for that, they're trying to work!
- Small parts? Engine or Trans, or you get the hold music.
- Interior parts? LOL. Interior parts in a *matching color* that isn't black? That's hilarious. 2 different shades of Beige? Get out.
- Check a paint code? "I told you - it's gray. "

I think they don't worry about repeat retail customers. Their main customers (shops) are locked in based on geography and their inventory, so they needn't provide good service to keep them.
There are definitely exceptions. The bigger, high-volume places have actual sales staff that make commission. So they aim for repeat business across a wide area.

That is exactly what I meant.... I have been dealing with old school yards since I was a kid. It's just how they are. When I bought my 02X it was easy. Big part that was worth enough to get their attention. They don't have time for BS.

[MoRbiD]

Well my Audi reman axle came in at the dealership. I asked and found out there is a $160.00 core charge. Something they didn't mention when I placed the order.
I paid $379.80 for the axle from raxles.

So either I let Audi keep the axle on the car, and have no warranty claim from raxles. I would be out of $219.00
Or wait until after New Years till Raxles is open and start the warranty process with them, My car will be laid up a couple more weeks at least.

[MoRbiD]

Also of note, it's not just the cv joints or boots that have issues. Both my rear axles had problems with the ABS reluctor rings (rotten out).
AFAIK you had to replace the whole outer cv joint to get a new ring.

[Kevin C]

I would be looking at Ebay used for about $50 to either cover a core charge or use as a temp. There are a lot of them listed.

[MoRbiD]

@Kevin C that's a good suggestion.
But buying another used axle for $50.00 and having it shipped might still only save me half of the core charge.
I could then give audi the ebay axle and send the old one back to raxles, which I'm guessing I would have to pay the shipping and insurance.

[Puddin Tane]

Both my rear axles had problems with the ABS reluctor rings (rotten out).

Ah yes, good ol Upstate road salt... Don't miss it one tiny bit.

[Gin+]

Ah yes, good ol Upstate road salt... Don't miss it one tiny bit.

It's the worst.

For what it's worth, I generally have good luck calling yards directly after locating a part on car-part.com. Warranty on engines and transmissions can be dicey though if you don't own a licensed repair shop, I did get burned once.