Best replacement cv axles?

[bigjae46]

I see 74 and 41 on the inner boot clamps.

can anyone verify if the outers are the same as the inners

[elrichmeister]

I replaced all of my boots...forget how I did the outer. I want to say I removed the inner CV, lubed the shaft and slid the boot down...lol...and then completed inner.

Oh...the pinch clamps that came with the GKN kit weren't big enough. I bought a pack of 25 from McMaster Carr. I likely have extras if you need some.

On second, thought i will be providing the shop with boots, so ill make sure i have all the correct clamps. Reaching out via DM

[Riley]

Reviving this thread. What is consensus on Driveshaft Shop Rear CV Axles

After clicking the link you posted from dss it seems they also have revised their design. They use to only offer rebuild/upgrade services and you would have to send in oem cores for e46.

[Riley]

Haven’t installed them yet as im waiting until I rebuild my spare diff but I ended up buying the geforce axles from seems legit garage. I opted for these because they are 100% brand new construction as opposed to driveshaft shop which reuses the cv joints and only upgrades the axle shaft.

https://www.seemslegitgarage.com/product-page/e46-axle-and-stub-upgrade?utm_source=google&utm_medium=wix_google_fe ed&utm_campaign=freelistings&gad_source=1&gad_cam p aignid=23044901421&gclid=CjwKCAiA4KfLBhB0EiwAUY7GA Z-yv37m54ehB6vc-GVX9ny2QP8NkLrJUXY2vFd3sUfxFoQuue8t2RoCEMIQAvD_BwE

[bigjae46]

Thanks for the offer but ill be getting the work done at a shop. Ill most likely have them do the boots than replace the axles.

No reason to replace if the bearings and races in the CV and the shaft itself are fine.

Everyone should have at least had the grease in the axle CVs cleaned out and repacked once. If not, the grease is probably as runny as water. Probably not lubricating much.

[elrichmeister]

I replaced all of my boots...forget how I did the outer. I want to say I removed the inner CV, lubed the shaft and slid the boot down...lol...and then completed inner.

Oh...the pinch clamps that came with the GKN kit weren't big enough. I bought a pack of 25 from McMaster Carr. I likely have extras if you need some.

Thanks for the offer but ill be getting the work done at a shop. Ill most likely have them do the boots than replace the axles.

[Big Nodge]

I am not sure if it's exactly the same so take with a grain of salt . . .but I just did a full axle re-grease on my E36 M3 and it sounds similar as the outers are technically not rebuildable. But, it is possible to de-crimp the cup holding the balls in the joint from the inside with a small screwdriver, and then remove it without destroying it completely. I was able to file down any rough spots on the inside and re-use them. This is re-using all your original internals though if they are in decent shape, so really just a re-grease/torn boot fix. You can still find pics on the procedure for the E36 buried on the last page of this thread. Getting the ball bearings aligned in the outer is a huge pain . . .. .it prob took me 3hrs fiddling with the first one to figure out the trick. Other side took like 10 min lol.

I also had to get bigger clamps . . ... that was kind of a pain as even with the Oetiker (sp?) clamp style the little tab stuck out too far and so was impacting the trailing arm when I installed them. Had to tap them flat with a hammer.

https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?2103389-DIY-Half-shaft-R-amp-R-Outer-CV-Joint-Rebuild/page3

[bigjae46]

I replaced all of my boots...forget how I did the outer. I want to say I removed the inner CV, lubed the shaft and slid the boot down...lol...and then completed inner.

Oh...the pinch clamps that came with the GKN kit weren't big enough. I bought a pack of 25 from McMaster Carr. I likely have extras if you need some.

[0-60motorsports]

For that $, I would go OEM, I will be attempting a full rebuild (or refresh rather) of my axles in the comming months.
I have new inner CV's/ boots and new outer boots.

Tuner used to sell an outer rebuild kit that had the parts that will likely be ruined while doing the outers, but hopefully I can figure something out.

That's awesome would love to see that and do the same

[Cubieman]

For that $, I would go OEM, I will be attempting a full rebuild (or refresh rather) of my axles in the comming months.
I have new inner CV's/ boots and new outer boots.

Tuner used to sell an outer rebuild kit that had the parts that will likely be ruined while doing the outers, but hopefully I can figure something out.

[elrichmeister]

Reviving this thread. What is consensus on Driveshaft Shop Rear CV Axles?
I just did a diff rebuild, but then my outer boots are slinging grease on both axles. Im pretty sure theyre original contemplating replacing both axles as i have 177k miles on the car.
New Axles from BMW are about the same price

https://driveshaftshop.com/product/bmw-e46/

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-axle-assembly-genuine-bmw-33217839465

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-axle-assembly-genuine-bmw-33217839466

[ugaexploder]

the Cotswold ones are back in stock on fleabay

[PSUEng]

BW just raised the price this week on the right axle 13%.

I bought a pair of these from Cotswold a little over a year ago. Packing could have been better, but I digress. At the time I had asked one of the more well known dealer sellers online if they'd match the price; they couldn't. They told me different market, different pricing and that if they were in fact genuine parts, that was a great deal.

The Right axle shows NLA on one of the dealer sites I buy from, so go figure, raise the price, of course! I have a hunch at this point, BMW is having GKN build these in batches. Maybe once a year or so.

[OldRanger]

BW just raised the price this week on the right axle 13%.

[0-60motorsports]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115395975689?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=x3zlNW7UQiq&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=KkzrLETyTvq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

it says they are out of stock but i believe they should be getting more in from my understanding

Awesome! Thank you.