So I have read that aftermarket rear axles for the 300d are very poor quality and don't last in comparison to o.e. axles. Does anyone have experience using a brand that is decent? The application is an 85 300d. My axle boots are old and I worry they will start to leak soon, and I don't want to deal with re-booting them if I can just throw new ones on when they start to fail.

I believe the GKN brand is OEM. They will run you ~$500 each!

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Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

I was looking into these and they are "better than new Chinese", but re-did my originals myself. Not difficult but still a PITA.

CVJ Axles - CV Axles & Steering Racks for all your needs

In recent years the number of complaints about the cheaper axles has died down. Buying the cheapest of the cheap is probably not a smart move but GKN are probably going to be OK.

Last year I bought a new axle for my W201 and it just so happened that the dealership (of all places) had the best price. There was a sale on - which was nice - 20 or 30 euros cheaper than GKN...

...may be you'll get lucky - may be you won't. Best of luck to you!

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

I have a set from Autozone, lifetime guarantee. NO issues. they have around 500 miles on them. As I may be swapping them out as I just picked up a pair of CJVs, would you be interested in buying them for $100 plus shipping? I can document their purchase and I have CC insurance so I don't drive that much. I am not sure the warranty is transferable.

If you're able to go without your car for a few weeks and your old CV axle boots haven't ripped open yet, you can send your axles to the CVJ guys and they'll rebuild the entire thing for you.

It's best to use the same joints again, but realistically these tend to fail before you have the opportunity to remove them. Once the oil has leaked out it's game over and they need to be replaced.

I did the repair. It was my first real repair on my old 300D. Not difficult, but it can take a few days of dedicated car repair work to finish.

There's a great pictorial somewhere on here that has instructions for every step of the way.

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-Typos courtesy of my mobile phone.

I have a good used one for sale here also. Negotiable price.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DCNRO9W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

51 bucks. Free shipping and limited lifetime warranty. Seems like a no brainier. Installed fine in my 85 wagon.

If you buy aftermarket likely China Axles get them locally and save the paperwork so you can get a no hassle exchange.

If you order the aftermarkets online and they need to be returned you are going to hassle with the seller over who is going to pay the shipping back and forth.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Other comments. I bought cardone rebuilt (original axles rebuilt). The Axles themselves worked fine but after 5 years the boots started cracking. Rather then trying to exchange (I ought them from Kragens Auto Parts which was ought out by Oreilley's Auto Parts) I rebooted them myself and have had no issues with them.

If you bought the aftermarket axles from NAPA you might be better quality. I say that because NAPA supplies parts to a lot of the local shops and the School District I briefly worked at.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

My point is kind of, for 51 bucks, I could buy what, 6-8 of these versus one oem one. and the job is not hard to swap them out that even if I had to get a 2nd one down the road I would still be saving $$$

Note that the rebuilt CVJ ones have an extremely good rep but do cost more then $51. But you also need the time to wait for them.


The Cardone rebuilt Mercedes Axles I got locally are also sold by Autozone. If someone is willing go get 5 years use before the boots start cracking then that is also an option if someone does not mind pulling them and getting the free exchange axles under the lifetime warranty (save the paperwork). So there is other options.


Just opinion.
I understand but if you buy online you pay shipping. If you need to return an axle who pays the shipping back to the seller and then to ship the replacement to you?
If you buy the axle locally you won't have the shipping issue and you have someone on the other side of the counter to deal with.


Not hard to swap them out. That depends on the individual and how many times they are willing to do that. I also think that someone that is unwilling or doubts their skill to re-boot an axle is real likely not to want to repeat the axle installation over and over.


Also the aftermarket annular axles have had the bolts that hold the axle come loose if you don't remove the bolts and apply something like Loctite. If an annular axle comes apart on the road (it has happened) it could be a safety issue and dealing with it on the side of the road is more then I would want.


Also the aftermarket axles often do not fit with the original Spacers (of you have spacers) that you already have. Some members have had to do work on the spacers for the Spacer to fit on the axle as it is supposed to.


It is a matter of exercising freedom of choice. I am just trying to give some facts on what happens when you make certain choices.


I suffered through the re-booting issue and if I need to change boots again I will do that in order to keep good working axles. But that was my choice.
.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Diesel911, thanks for some good info. For an extra $250 it seems entirely worth it to go with the cjv axles and have them last a long long time. Im the type that hates to repeat a job. Since my axles arent leaking yet i think ill just wait until the boots do crack and then order cjv axles.

On second thought, Im considering using the slip on astoria boots and using a cone installer instead of spending for that air expander. Does anyone know what size cone expander will work?

Im going to try using these boots:
https://www.amazon.com/Flexx-Boot-FB3001-Blue-Universal/dp/B00C2M795I

I haven't fully decided (although a decision is imminent as my CVs are starting to "click") Im leaning toward replacing mine with annular axles. At least to replace them, should the need arise, I won't need to open the diff. I'm aware of the reported issues with quality and bolts backing out, but that's easily addressed with a lifetime warranty and safety wire. Since mine are clicking getting them rebuilt is off the table.

Axle threads seem to be kind of like oil, filter and additive threads with lots of options and no real consensus.

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