Hi. My front left axle is done. Was wondering if anybody had any suggestions as to OEM vs non-OEM replacement axles (things to consider such as cost, quality of parts etc). Also, would you consider this replacement a relatively easy DIY (I'm pretty handy with changing oil, brake fluids, rotors, pads, filters, jacking up car etc but have never dealt with suspension or drive train)….
Thanks in advance

 

I imagine that it is the CV joint and/or boot that has gone bad. Is it just the outer, or the inner as well? I just bought an '03 Allroad and discovered that the outer CV boots were toast, but that the joints themselves were in good condition. The boots themselves are easy to replace, and the replacement of the joint itself is the same procedure. I purchased aftermarket boots from Partsgeek.com I think. (they were about $10.50, the dealer wants over $100) I did have to borrow a slide hammer from autozone to complete this task. The good thing is that the threads on the end of the slide hammer thread right into the CV joint, this makes things even easier. If you bought a new joint, you would just replace the old with the new at this point.

I found that the clean up took twice as long as the replacement of the boot. If you can change rotors etc, then you should have no problems here.

I followed this DIY from the DIY section:

https://www.audiforums.com/forum/diy...nt-diy-164329/

Here is a couple pics of the finished product.