Front axles replacement at 85k?

[madge69]

Hi all,

Had my 85k service done at the dealership and they say my axle seals and CV boots are leaking. They're saying that both front axles need to be replaced, as it's cheaper to replace the axles along with the boots in one go rather than replacing the boots which apparently involves a lot of labor costs. Does this sound correct? They're saying the axle job alone would be about $1400, plus the seals for ~$300 IIRC.

Please let me know...

Thanks,

madge69

 

[VA4Runner09]

Hi all,

Had my 85k service done at the dealership and they say my axle seals and CV boots are leaking. They're saying that both front axles need to be replaced, as it's cheaper to replace the axles along with the boots in one go rather than replacing the boots which apparently involves a lot of labor costs. Does this sound correct? They're saying the axle job alone would be about $1400, plus the seals for ~$300 IIRC.

Please let me know...

Thanks,

madge69

That is an obnoxious amount of money for two axles to be replaced. Not sure how you feel about OEM parts but go on Rock Auto's website and you can get a brand new pair of cardone axels for like 80 bucks, these come with the dust covers at the hub side and the diff side (really important that you get these if you dont want to reuse your old ones) and yea the seals for the hub and diff aren't cheap from the dealer probably end up spending another 80 there. So 160 in parts plus another 30 for some fluid to change out your front diff. Might as well while you are at it. So maybe 2 hundo for parts and misc. And it is 100% not labor intensive. If you are experienced it would take at best an hour each side and that is being generous. If you have the tools, I would recommend doing it yourself, if you dont have the tools I would go buy them and save yourself 800 dollars. But just my .02

Good Luck!

 

[brianhuntRVA]

Hi all,

Had my 85k service done at the dealership and they say my axle seals and CV boots are leaking. They're saying that both front axles need to be replaced, as it's cheaper to replace the axles along with the boots in one go rather than replacing the boots which apparently involves a lot of labor costs. Does this sound correct? They're saying the axle job alone would be about $1400, plus the seals for ~$300 IIRC.

Please let me know...

Thanks,

madge69

My mechanic (non dealership) quoted me 500 total for both fronts. Doesn't include axle seals though. Even that seems high to me so I'm leaning toward DIY.

 

[LobstaMobsta]

I run an independent shop and replaced a pair on an fj cruiser yesterday which is pretty much the same rig…i think the shaft was about 100 and it took 45 minutes to change it out, it isnt always necessairy to replace the seals btw…especially the hub side….1300 is a complete highway robbery and i would do no less than scream all the way out the door, absolutely sick of so many dealers trying to rob all these customers….total bs

 

[Burnzy]

Hi all,

Had my 85k service done at the dealership and they say my axle seals and CV boots are leaking. They're saying that both front axles need to be replaced, as it's cheaper to replace the axles along with the boots in one go rather than replacing the boots which apparently involves a lot of labor costs. Does this sound correct? They're saying the axle job alone would be about $1400, plus the seals for ~$300 IIRC.

Please let me know...

Thanks,

madge69

Depending on the brand of shaft used that should cost around $450 - $600.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

If you plan on offroading, I would suggest factory axles.

That price is too high, the labor is more to reboot the CVs but shouldn't be that high at all. I would buy the boot kit for both axles and have another dealer or shop do them; I would imagine if you shopped around you'd find a better deal.

 

[lathamb]

I did both of mine at about 90k after my outer boots both exploded within a 100 miles or so of each other. I ordered Oem axles. following the write ups here and on the fj forums it was quite easy. I plan on rebooting the original ones for spares, since the joints themselves are still in good shape. I'd not pay anyone to do this after doing it once myself.

 

[CNJ Runner]

I wouldnt do anything any of the these previous individuals posted. 1 dont do anything not deemed warranty work at a dealership unless you cant find a local mechanic capable of doing the job, or enjoy paying obscene amounts of money for somehing that should be priced way less.
Secondly, get your new axles and cv boots here, CVJ Axles - CV Axles & Steering Racks for all your needs . reputable company, good craftsmanship. good quality. get those, find a qualified mechanic, thank me later

 

[BlackWorksInc]

I wouldnt do anything any of the these previous individuals posted. 1 dont do anything not deemed warranty work at a dealership unless you cant find a local mechanic capable of doing the job, or enjoy paying obscene amounts of money for somehing that should be priced way less.
Secondly, get your new axles and cv boots here, CVJ Axles - CV Axles & Steering Racks for all your needs . reputable company, good craftsmanship. good quality. get those, find a qualified mechanic, thank me later

Why would you not recommend rebooting the existing axles if the only thing wrong with them is the boots are torn? I won't argue the cost of dealership work as far more often than not you're getting gouged for not much more than a skilled 3rd party shop will provide (even good shops will warranty their work for a year or so like a dealership will.)

But in this owner's case, it may be more cost effective to buy two CV boot kits from say BOOT KIT, FRONT DRIVE SHAFT, IN & OUTBOARD, LH; BOOT KIT, FRONT DRIVE made by Toyota. #0442760140 for about $80, then find a shop that's willing to spend the 2 or 3 hours tops to remove, tear down, clean, and reassemble perfectly good factory axles. All in all they should be out of pocket under $500 (hell, I'd be surprised if the dealership could justify $400 in labor if they provided their own parts, our labor rate is like $150 an hour IIRC.)

This is all assuming of course that the dealership is up-selling them axles out of laziness/knowing that they'll get more money for axles than rebooting, which is what it sounds like.

 

[ARunner]

I agree with rebooting. The quality of your factory axles will not be met with a set of aftermarket rebuilds. There are also numerous threads about resulting oil leaks resulting from the shafts not being to the same exact tolerance as factory. I rebooted mine (first for the reboot process for me), so the time to change them was roughly double what it would be for a simpler removal and replacement, but IMO worth it