GSK Axles - NOT WORTH IT, no matter how low the price - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

swheele2 · #1 09-29-2009, 12:13 PM

Wow. For those of you that don't want to read the details below, here are the highlights from my experience with GSP Axles from Advance Autoparts:

-1 axle failed after 0 miles (outer joint assembled wrong, so it fell apart as I was installing the axle)
-Outer boot on other axle started leaking on initial test drive
-Inner joint came completely apart after about 3000 miles.

The low price and "lifetime guarantee" are very attractive, but there seem to be very, very serious quality control problems with these axles.

Now for the full story:

When I purchsed the 84 300D the boots on both CV axles were torn, so I went ahead and purchased two new GSP axles from Advance Autoparts a few months ago. Left axle installed fine, after removing the spacer ring. The right axle was a bit more trouble, since it required me grinding the inside of the spacer ring a bit so that it would sit flush with the new axle. After installing the right axle I gave the tire a spin to make sure everything felt right and just heard a "clunk, clunk, clunk." The outer joint had separated. I got the axle off and cut into the boot. The C-clip on the outer joint has never been installed, so the joint just fell apart as I bolted the axle to the hub.

I had AA order a free replacement. This took a full week due to some unfortunate screw-ups, but eventually I got the new axle, which installed without issue.

Since then, my wife and I have driven the car about 3000 miles, including a 1200 mile round trip to FL (this trip to FL was the main motivation for replacing the axles in the first place, since I didn't know the condition of the old axles with the torn boots and didn't want an axle failing while cruising down I-75.) Today, my wife was driving down the road back to our house (55 mph country road, but with a decent amount of traffic) when she heard a rapid thump, thump, thump. She was about to turn into our neighborhood, and was only half a mile from the house, so went ahead and kept going. Once in the neighborhood, she was heading up a hill when she went over a speedbump and the car suddenly would't drive. Moreover, putting it in park had no effect.

So my wife (who is physically handicapped, by the way), is stuck in the middle of the road on this hill with a car that won't go forward and won't go into park. She put it in neutral and drifted down the hill a
bit and got the car off of the road and into someone's yard. She then hobbled home.

I found a ride home from work (my wife had driven me in this morning) and crawled up under the car. The inner joint on the left axle had come completely unbolted (I suspect the bolts came loose when she was going 55, resulting in the "thump, thump, thump", then going over the speedbump pulled the axle completely apart), and the axle was sitting on top of the exhaust (I'll post pictures later). All of the bolts were there, so I bolted the joint back together and drove the car the 100 yards back to the garage. I'm ordering rebuilt axles from CVJaxles this afternoon. I'll see if AA will let me return the axles for a refund.

So, the moral of the story: No matter how attractive the price is on these GSP axles, please, please just bite the bullet and buy quality rebuilt axles. Luckily, this axle waited until my wife was going 25 mph through the neighborhood to completely fail, rather than failing while going 55 with some fool tailgating her.

junqueyardjim · #2 09-29-2009, 12:45 PM

I bought and installed 4 "rebuilt" axles from Advance Auto in the past 2 years and I have experienced no difficulty. Do you think yours are rebuilds or are they low cost imports?

benhogan · #3 09-29-2009, 12:48 PM

AAParts axles' quality control stinks.

My record is 4 returns for the same part for reasons ranging from poor fit to torn boots within months.

MB axles are expensive for sure. Does anyone have any tips on where to get new/rebuilt axles that are acceptable.

swheele2 · #4 09-29-2009, 01:06 PM

They were supposedly new parts, not rebuilt. I had read on the forum about quality issues with these, but figured that would just translate into axles that lasted 100K rather than 200K. I had no idea I'd have two fail within two months.

By they way, I should have said "GSP" not "GSK". I guess I was a bit too frustrated to think/type correctly.

dieseldan44 · #5 09-29-2009, 01:25 PM

CVJ Axles out of Denver does quality rebuilding work.

I have had great luck with mine, as have other forum members. The company is a pleasure to deal with.

$150 per axle after returning the core. 3 year, unlimited mileage warranty.

swheele2 · #6 09-29-2009, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieseldan44

CVJ Axles out of Denver does quality rebuilding work.

That's what I am counting on. Just ordered a pair over the phone.

benhogan · #7 09-30-2009, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieseldan44

CVJ Axles out of Denver does quality rebuilding work.

I have had great luck with mine, as have other forum members. The company is a pleasure to deal with.

$150 per axle after returning the core. 3 year, unlimited mileage warranty.

How do you return the core? Wouldn't the shipping be pretty high?

pawoSD · #8 09-29-2009, 03:07 PM

I re-booted my existing axles a few months ago with Flexx Boots, cost about $70 total. No leaks, no noise. Original axles still in perfect shape despite 283k on them. On my dad's SD, it had grinding original axles....so we swapped in a set from the junk yard (after re-booting them) from a 500SEL.....they have been great so far, and looked to be in excellent shape. The car they came from had 330k on it!

lupin..the..3rd · #9 09-29-2009, 03:23 PM

x2 on rebooting and regreasing your existing axles. A simple hydraulic press can separate the CV from the axle.

winmutt · #10 09-30-2009, 03:34 PM

I had the same problem with the bolts on mine backing out and shearing what was left. When I got the replacement they had started qa'ing the bolts as seen by the marker marks now on them. Think you have complaints? Mine went out on my wifes wagon and took one of the SLS lines with it.......

swheele2 · #11 09-30-2009, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by winmutt

I had the same problem with the bolts on mine backing out and shearing what was left. When I got the replacement they had started qa'ing the bolts as seen by the marker marks now on them. Think you have complaints? Mine went out on my wifes wagon and took one of the SLS lines with it.......

I suppose I am lucky there was no damage when the axle came loose.

mobetta · #12 10-01-2009, 10:08 AM

re-boot the german ones.

Mark DiSilvestro · #13 10-01-2009, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mobetta

re-boot the german ones.

That's what CVJ does - for a price.
If my axles had the bolt-together inner joint, I might have been able to reboot them, but my 240D axles have all the joints sealed inside two-piece steel cans. To reboot those the factory way, requires a special crimp-tool to assemble the new cans. (Though some have claimed success using pliers)
I tried the Dorman boots, but didn't have the special orange installation cone, and couldn't get them home with a tranny funnel. Plus, I needed the car up and running soon, without wasting more time, or one of the new boots, experimenting. So I got my $80 back for the boots, and got the CVJ rebuilts.

Happy Motoring, Mark

cook · #14 10-01-2009, 08:54 PM

Tobybul...

Please give us details about how you slid the boot down the funnel.

Is your red funnel just a reglar ol' plastic funnel?

I tried the Dorman Flexx boots. Got one on, never could get the second one, it ripped up. I don't recall if I used Pledge or not. I may have used something like ArmorAll. It felt pretty slick.

eyeguy · #15 10-01-2009, 09:06 PM

I purchased axles from Napa 2 years ago (they looked like the GSP axle in the picture), and I had the same thing happen on one of them where it separated like that when I was making a left turn. I returned them and ordered some from CVJ and haven't had any problems since.