Cardone CV Driveshafts - anygood?

[Merkava_4]

I found out from NAPA that Cardone (pronounced car-doan) makes new drive shafts as well as re-manufactured driveshafts. I kinda' wanted to get new ones because I'm not sure if I have total confidence in the quality of the reMANs ... am I being overly concerned about that you think?

And I kinda' wanted to keep the old original driveshafts so that I can dissect them and see how they go together.

 

[Tarheelgarage]

The new CV axles are made in china. I had a bad experience a year ago with a new chinese made cv axle from NAPA. The OD on the input side was not correct. I took it back to NAPA and showed them and got a refund.

No more chinese cv axles for me. I have been using remans from cardone without any problems. They also supply the masterpro (?) brand to oreilly's IIRC

 

[rsanter]

I either rebuild my own or take and have them done for me and just do the R&R

bob

 

[35mastr]

Merk,Are the joints already clicking when you are at lock and turning and moving either direction?

If not then they are rebuildable.

Just buy the boot kits from the dealer and do them your self. Aftermarket ones usually never fit right and almost always leak.

Just need some Ring Plyers,Vise and a BFH.

Can do them at home in a few hours. Takes longer to get them out of the car than it does to replace the boots.

 

[nate379]

This is on a driveshaft or axleshaft?? You say driveshaft but it sounds like you mean axleshaft.

 

[35mastr]

Front wheel drive half shafts.

 

[nate379]

Ok.

Not even worth reuilding the thing most of the time. CV shaft is $30-40 for most of the stuff I have replaced. Boot kit is $10-15 plus often having to fight with it.

 

[ATTappman]

You might want to give raxles a try. It's a small operation in Florida that sells CV shafts with brand new CV joints on a reman'ed axle. They're a bit pricier than a NAPA axle, but well worth it. The owner's name is Marty - when you order from them you get Marty on the phone. Their axles are as good as OEM.

 

[rhandwor]

http://www.cvsource.com/ I always used this company when I had a shop. The rebuilt was cheaper than I could buy boots.

 

[bgott]

If they aren't rattling going around corners all you need are a good cleanout and new grease and boots. Rebuilt axles are OK, you'll get a bad one once in a while but it's rare. I worked in a shop once that rebuilt CV axles. There isn't much to it, they had a ***** looking stone on a die grinder they used to grind any marks out of the stub end. For re- assembly they had buckets of all sorts of different sized balls and they had new cages to hold 'em. They just grind the axle parts to the next sized balls, nothing technical to it.

 

[bmwpower]

I need new axles for my car, too. Was just about to get the ones from NAPA. I will try out those other links first.

Boot kits for my car is more than the price of the reman axles, too.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

This is on a driveshaft or axleshaft?? You say driveshaft but it sounds like you mean axleshaft.

Front wheel drive half shafts.

I guess we all have our own terminology, to me there's driveshafts (front/four wheel drives shafts from gearbox to hubs) driveshafts (front/four wheel drive from gearbox to rear diff) and half shafts (live axles from diff to hubs)

You might want to give raxles a try.

YES.

 

[nate379]

Drive shaft connects the trans to a differential.

Axle shaft connects tires to differential. In the case of the FWD stuff the diff is in the trans and axle shaft goes in the trans.

 

[Merkava_4]

In the case of the FWD stuff the diff is in the trans and axle shaft goes in the trans.

But the transmission is still driving the wheel via a shaft.

 

[fordracing200]

The new CV axles are made in china. I had a bad experience a year ago with a new chinese made cv axle from NAPA. The OD on the input side was not correct. I took it back to NAPA and showed them and got a refund.

No more chinese cv axles for me. I have been using remans from cardone without any problems. They also supply the masterpro (?) brand to oreilly's IIRC

thats common at NAPA, worst parts store in the country. I always get the wrong part, chevy manifold gaskets when I asked for 95 f150 302 intake gaskets, out tie rod end that didnt even fit my spindle, etc. etc. JUNK. 3 wheelbearings in 2 months, and they were lifetime warranty, imagine the cheaper ones? rediculous

 

[Moose-LandTran]

Drive shaft connects the trans to a differential.

Axle shaft connects tires to differential. In the case of the FWD stuff the diff is in the trans and axle shaft goes in the trans.

terminology..

what do you call the links that go from the anti-roll bar (sway bar?) to the wishbone? (lower control arm?)

I call them drop links. It's all just terminology, there's no right and wrong, within reason.

 

[Merkava_4]

thats common at NAPA, worst parts store in the country.

Would you please recommend me a parts store then?

Out here we got AutoZone, Carquest, Kragen's, NAPA, PepBoys, and some independents.

 

[fordracing200]

Would you please recommend me a parts store then?

Out here we got AutoZone, Carquest, Kragen's, NAPA, PepBoys, and some independents.

might be just local, but I love my carquest, I always get the right part, and its always priced pretty competitively or atleast relatively decent compared to my other local stores, and it always fits and performs as good as or better then OEM. I also have used advance and autozone, but advance has had problems like napa with putting wrong size like newer 05+ ford super duty brake rotors in a box with the older p/n on it, so they're about 2" in diameter too large for the 99-04 trucks....just an example of what I had happen to me. However I'm in a rural area with Fisher auto, Napa, and Carquest and only use Carquest. When I go to the city (30min away) I stop at autozone.

 

[fordracing200]

terminology..

what do you call the links that go from the anti-roll bar (sway bar?) to the wishbone? (lower control arm?)

I call them drop links. It's all just terminology, there's no right and wrong, within reason.

sway bar end links..

 

[autoace]

The new CV axles are made in china. I had a bad experience a year ago with a new chinese made cv axle from NAPA. The OD on the input side was not correct. I took it back to NAPA and showed them and got a refund.

No more chinese cv axles for me. I have been using remans from cardone without any problems. They also supply the masterpro (?) brand to oreilly's IIRC

+1 Get the reman., the remans were original equipment rebuilt. The new China axles have poor tolerances. On Subaru, they don't even drill the roll pin hole in the right place, and the splines are sometimes not adequate in machine tolerances.

 

[nate379]

sway bar end links.

terminology..

what do you call the links that go from the anti-roll bar (sway bar?) to the wishbone? (lower control arm?)

I call them drop links. It's all just terminology, there's no right and wrong, within reason.

 

[TangoFoxTrot]

I've also heard really good things about Raxles from some picky people.

 

[A_Pmech]

I went through this several years ago. Auto zone and NAPA buy their rebuilt CV axles from the same outfit. Supposedly, the only outfit in America that rebuilds CV shafts. Somewhere in TN, as I recall.

I bought one from Auto Zone, and it fell apart in my hands. No circlip on the inner CV joint to the shaft!

I took it back and bought another one. It had **** rattling around in the box when I bought it. Once reassembled, I installed it on the car. On the last step before putting the wheel on, torquing the axle hub bolt, the threads on the CV hub shaft ripped off 40 ft-lbs before reaching torque.

So, I went to NAPA and ordered one. I got the first one I returned to Auto Zone the previous week! No kidding! Same greasy fingerprints on the box, same missing circlip, everything.

Finally, I ordered some NOS joints from a VW parts supplier and rebuilt the shafts myself. If you keep re-lube the joint and replace the boots promptly when they tear, a CV joint will last a LONG time. Well over a hundred thousand miles in my experience. The key to boot life? No tight turns!

 

[nate379]

Why?

I imagine it just filters out the tards that would otherwise call them with stupid things. I do the same with Craig's Lists ads I post.

A1 Candone has been around since the mid 70s. Must be doing something right.

 

[nissan_crawler]

Merk,Are the joints already clicking when you are at lock and turning and moving either direction?

If not then they are rebuildable.

Just buy the boot kits from the dealer and do them your self. Aftermarket ones usually never fit right and almost always leak.

Just need some Ring Plyers,Vise and a BFH.

Can do them at home in a few hours. Takes longer to get them out of the car than it does to replace the boots.

I disagree, there's no way in hell I'm chucking a 100k+ mile cv back in with worn parts and new boots after all that damn work. You're putting lipstick on a pig. Get reman.

thats common at NAPA, worst parts store in the country. I always get the wrong part, chevy manifold gaskets when I asked for 95 f150 302 intake gaskets, out tie rod end that didnt even fit my spindle, etc. etc. JUNK. 3 wheelbearings in 2 months, and they were lifetime warranty, imagine the cheaper ones? rediculous

So, the timken bearings at napa are a poorer grade than the ones at other parts stores? The entire national brand ***** when a store can't get you the right parts? Come on.

Ironically, the carquest you tout so much...gives a WAY undersized cv shaft o.d. for my old pickup. they snap like toothpicks. Napa has the same o.d. as stock.

 

[tam85]

I never encountered problem with remans from NAPA.. but some of my friends really disappointed they always got the wrong parts..lol.. well i suggest just try the quality of remans because you can save money from it but if not just refund your money..

 

[Elroy]

The key to boot life? No tight turns!

You have got to be kidding.

 

[bmwpower]

I hope that is not true.
It's like the key to headlight life is not turning them on.
The key to the life of your engine....don't start it!

 

[volvo420coupe]

I hope that is not true.
It's like the key to headlight life is not turning them on.
The key to the life of your engine....don't start it!

Now now, Elroy didn't say NO turns, just no tight ones.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

My Plymouth Breeze has 193+K on it. When I recently pulled the transaxle, I looked over the half shafts and found nothing wrong with them save a slight powdery rust on the splines from the hub. Cleaned with a fine wire brush, coated with antiseize and put them back in. Did NOTHING to them. The boots are stiff, appear to be polyethylene, certainly not any kind of rubber. The joints don't make any noise, and are not loose, they just work.

Only boot I've ever replaced was on a Chevy Celebrity. It had just split and I cleaned up everything, squirted it full of grease and installed one of those glue together, boots (they are polyethylene) and it ran who knows how long after that.

Charles

 

[bmwpower]

I finally broke down and bought new ones made by FEQ. Salesperson said they were made in the USA, so I figured $70+ each shipped to my door can't be that bad. We'll see. If they're ****, they're going back on their dime!

 

[kythri]

For my '99 Explorer, the price difference at NAPA between the new CV shafts vs. the remans was REALLY close.

When I lifted my Explorer in 2008, I bought new shafts, and put the old ones back in the boxes to save in the event I broke one when pretending to 4-wheel.

They've been on the truck for 2 years. The truck has been off road quite a bit, slamming around, extending quite a bit, and it's driven quite regularly.

I've had absolutely zero issue with the shafts. They're super good and cheap.

 

[bmwpower]

For my '99 Explorer, the price difference at NAPA between the new CV shafts vs. the remans was REALLY close.

When I lifted my Explorer in 2008, I bought new shafts, and put the old ones back in the boxes to save in the event I broke one when pretending to 4-wheel.

They've been on the truck for 2 years. The truck has been off road quite a bit, slamming around, extending quite a bit, and it's driven quite regularly.

I've had absolutely zero issue with the shafts. They're super good and cheap.

Yea, I tried NAPA (new and reman) and although they listed them on their site, they were nowhere to be found in the warehouses. Go figure.

 

[crewchief888]

i replaced 1 axle shaft on my s-10 blazer with a NEW one from autozone. same price as a reman, but with a lifetime warranty.
i had the torsion bars cranked up, and was running 35" mud terrians. everybody swore i'd re replacing cv shafts constantly. but never had a problem.
keeping the front spider gears inside the front diff case is a whole 'nother story

 

[porcupine73]

I've seen reports of the parts store rebuilt axles causing vibration issues on some of the imports, especially Subaru. Mainly when used as front axles on an auto trans many people complain of a vibration when stopped in drive afterward on Subaru's.

Cardone actually remanufactures axles for Subaru (and these don't seem to have the vibration issue). I'm not sure if Cardone sells the same axle to the parts stores that they remanufacture for Subaru to Subaru's spec.

+1 Get the reman., the remans were original equipment rebuilt. The new China axles have poor tolerances. On Subaru, they don't even drill the roll pin hole in the right place, and the splines are sometimes not adequate in machine tolerances.

 

[mrholeshot]

I bought my CV axles through NAPA. For about 6 months we had a rash of bad ones and out NAPA changed suppliers and the New ones (from 2005 on) were great. They were 100% new and not reman. Flat 44.95 each for any app is what I got them for, The only problem with them was when they (or me) got the application wrong. People use to bring me the ones they bought from Advance and I hated to put them in. I would try to talk them out of it but If I didn't put it in the money just went down the street. The good thing is no warranty on customer supplied parts. They could pay me as many times as they wanted to put that junk in.

 

[wafrederick]

I agree,get a high quality Reman and is not worth the time rebuilding them.there is a chance dirt and crud got in the joint.The core charge is more than the axle itself most of the time.

 

[srmofo]

You might want to give raxles a try. It's a small operation in Florida that sells CV shafts with brand new CV joints on a reman'ed axle. They're a bit pricier than a NAPA axle, but well worth it. The owner's name is Marty - when you order from them you get Marty on the phone. Their axles are as good as OEM.

X2 if you want some nice axles. The ones I bought were all new, nothing was remaned. I also paid around$350 shipped but I got tired of breaking the **** from parts stores. Napa, AZ, advanced....they all **** and they know it. Thats why they give you a lifetime warranty.

…they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of s***. That’s all it is, isn’t it? Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I’ve got spare time. But for now, for your customer’s sake, for your daughter’s sake, ya might wanna think about buying a quality product from me.

+1 Get the reman., the remans were original equipment rebuilt. The new China axles have poor tolerances. On Subaru, they don't even drill the roll pin hole in the right place, and the splines are sometimes not adequate in machine tolerances.

This isnt entirely true depending on the age of the vehicle. Once they have been around a while those cheap china axles start getting back into the reman'ed pool of parts. Ive never replaced one on a subaru though, just hondas fords chevys, toyotas, and most every other variety of vehicle...not too many subbys around here, besides the rice boys and they do their own work most of the time.

 

[sickboi55]

ive done ALOT of reading about axles for VW's, seems none of the new or reman are any good, except raxles. dont know what it is, but seems like the vibration issue is mentioned alot. in the end mine werent making noise so i rebuilt them, so far so good.

 

[Toolhorder]

We recommend new axles at my shop. I'm sure they are China new but they seem to work better than remans. Most of the cars we work on are pretty crappy anyway so I doubt they'll be on the road another 30K.