[GuimMess]

So, I went to Marty at raxles to get a refurb. Turns out, 15yo car parts aren't really kept in stock anymore. So I chose to buy a refurb from detriotaxle on ebay.

This thing is gross looking. It looks like they just replaced the boots and joints (maybe) and spray painted it. Like everywhere. Would you guys recommend using this? Or should I sell it to Marty for a loss and have them refurb it?

 

[GuimMess]

bump

 

[ylwagon]

I guess try it out and see if it's OK, as long as you have it. Try to find radial play in either joint, in which case it wouldn't be worth the effort.

 

[V6er]

If they replaced the joints and boots you should be good to go.
What it looks like does not matter, no one is going to see it.
Make sure all paint is removed from the splines prior to fitting.

Never heard of that company, did it come with a warranty?
$47! damn that's too cheap to be be reliable.
You get what you pay for, give it a go and let us know how it works out.

New boots are easy to spot. Show us a photo of those

 

[GuimMess]

Zero warranty besides ebays protection. The boots are good. Mostly I'm worried about the contact points (races?) between the boot and splines. Should I remove that paint? And if so, how would be the safest for the axle?

Oh, and no radial play. So joints are likely good.

 

[sirwired]

They painted the tone ring for the ABS system with a thick coat; that's not going to end well... the tolerances between ring and sensor are too tight. The paint will likely destroy your ABS sensor.

On another note, they CLEARLY have no idea what they are doing... the tone ring is not bright, shiny, polished aluminum because VW wanted to make a part nobody other than mechanics ever see look nice. They should have recognized the ring, and masked it off. (Or, better yet, not painted anything... why would you paint the boot or end of a joint on an axle?)

 

[ylwagon]

Or, better yet, not painted anything... why would you paint the boot or end of a joint on an axle?

Depending on how this outfit is managed- or not managed, there may be little or no thought or even consistency on what and when to paint axles. A $47 sales price, which besides their profit, covers the original core cost, cost of the new parts, and business overhead doesn't leave much for labor. So the guy doing the rebuilding probably doesn't have much motivation.

This is why the DIY angle is emphasized so much; you can take as much time as you need to clean, inspect, and assemble those joints, and include a nice gloss black paint job on the axle if you want to.

 

[GuimMess]

Unfortunately, it's listed that way in the pictures . Is there anything I can do to make it usable?

 

[VAGguy]

Aircraft paint remover and a toothbrush for the tone ring. The rest is cosmetic.

 

[scotts13]

Unfortunately, it's listed that way in the pictures . Is there anything I can do to make it usable?

Unless you count your own time and effort as having zero value, I wouldn't even bother. Take the $47 loss (or whatever you can get out of eBay) and go get a proper part.

 

[GuimMess]

Well I'm jobless AND poor. So ya, my time has no value and I can't just shell out the money for another.

 

[ylwagon]

Fixing it yourself is paying yourself, in a sense. So your time does have value: the repaired, usable car is worth more after you fix it.

 

[scotts13]

Well I'm jobless AND poor. So ya, my time has no value and I can't just shell out the money for another.

Well then, clean the tone ring as suggested, put it in, and cross your fingers. With minimal snark: If you have no financial alternative to using the warranty-less part you already paid for - why did you ask?

 

[GuimMess]

Because when I first posted, I didn't know that it was painted in the pictures on the listing. Meaning I thought it would have been an easy thing to get my money back from ebay.

Knowing what I know now however, it'd be an uphill battle to get my money back and probably not worth it. I just want to be sure I'm thorough and safe is all.