PSA: if you wheel, don't buy aftermarket CV axles :/

[grave]

when i purchased my '06 in september, the driver's side CV boot looked like it had been deteriorating for a while. there was no clamp and grease was everywhere. i knew it needed to get done so a couple weeks later i took it to my mechanic to have it replaced. "oh yeah, no, yeah the "premium" axles i use are just as good as OEM, i can do it for $200"

cool, thanks. i'll bring it by tomorrow. that was october. this past may, it started happening on the passenger side. after some forum searching and talking to fellow 4R owners, they said to stick with OEM. aftermarket are garbage, no matter what your mechanic says. i said eeehhhh but it's so damn expensive! i'll just get it done by my mechanic. boom. $200.

last sunday i was out wheeling and i heard a very loud CRACK. it was my CV. i put it in 2WD and rolled backward to a flat spot and looked underneath to see this:

took the axle off, zip tied some rags around the openings, and headed down the trail in 2WD. the toyota dealer next to my work wanted $890. through some friends i got it replaced at toyota HB for significantly cheaper, but still paid more than i wanted to! now i am just waiting on the passenger side CV to do the same some day.

TL;DR - i didn't listen to the advice of you fine folk and paid the price. don't cheap out on CVs! OEM is life, buy nice or buy twice.

 

[04rnr]

Not trying to be a a$$, but in 10 years of wheeling every weekend, Ive only snapped 2 CVs, first one was OEM the second was from NAPA with a lifetime warranty.. I know some that snap at least 2 CVs every year, (again, not trying to be an a$$) but learn to wheel, stay off the skinny pedal. It does stink swapping a CV on the trail but its doable. Hope you got home ok

 

[grave]

nice assumptions, but i know how to wheel and "stay off the skinny pedal." low and slow is my motto. shitty parts break and this shitty part broke ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[wtmtnrunner]

My dealer put in an aftermarket axle, when they were fixing the transfer case, cost me nothing but I now really hope it lasts...

 

[dagen]

I had a similar thing happen with a NAPA aftermarket axle. Went out wheeling and it snapped in two. Bit the bullet on an OEM replacement and never looked back. For what it's worth, you can see that the cup shape is completely different between the two axles.

 

[NJck22]

For newbies like me, it's good that there's plenty of posts evidencing the reasons to buy OEM

 

[CXS]

Not trying to be a a$$, but in 10 years of wheeling every weekend, Ive only snapped 2 CVs, first one was OEM the second was from NAPA with a lifetime warranty.. I know some that snap at least 2 CVs every year, (again, not trying to be an a$$) but learn to wheel, stay off the skinny pedal. It does stink swapping a CV on the trail but its doable. Hope you got home ok

For a guy “not trying to be an a$$” you’re not doing a very good job of it.

Lighten up.