Aftermarket Axle Assemblies
 

My cv joint boots have been torn for a while now, and I recently ordered the gkn axles from pelicanparts, which came in damaged and we're refunded. This got me thinking about other solutions. So my question is: just how bad are the cheap aftermarket axles. Do they not fit? Or do they just not last? Do any of them come with the hanger and bearing? I am thinking about swapping to a cheap axle and keeping my originals to reboot with aftermarket reboot kits. I figured having the time with the axles off the car and still being able to drive would help me solve the clamp problem on the inner boot kit. Any reasons that I shouldn't go this route? It would save me about $380. Thanks to anyone with input :).

The aftermarket parts stores units fit...
But cheap Chinese metal and bearings... they fail fast, sometimes in days if you have much hp...
Totally stock, a couple months. Even the diameter of the shafts are smaller...they are just under sized I every way. Just a waste of time....and that is IF you get the right ones...
Each tranny has a different spline count on the shaft...so so stoked folks get the wrong ones too.

You might get away with rebooting the axles if they haven't lost too much grease. GKN is OEM if you want to go that route, quite a bit cheaper too.

Zippy, question for you (or anyone else who knows): why can't you just reboot and repack the grease even if the joints are clicking? Shouldn't the new grease lube things up again?

If they click...they are worn...
A bearing has very tight tolerances...the outer surface is the hard wear layer of sorts...once they loosen up, and start to click, I would say it's like a "rod knock"....you can lube the carp out if it...but it's gonna completely fail soon...the click is the warning, just like a rod knock is the warning the bottom end is gonna come appart soon...
If there is no clicking...cleaning and re-greasing is certainly an option. If you catch it before it dries out...with just a crack in the boot and so.e grease gone, it might last indefinitely...but if it has run dry or gotten dirty, then imo it is more if a band aid.
For some folks, the auto parts unit might last "long enough"...let's face it...these cars are getting old, and have lower values. But only the owner can determine if they want to go down the rabbit hole of swapping CV joints with a lifetime warrenty on a regular basis if they have a modded car.
If you want to fix it and forget it, the ideal situation imo, the OEM or OEM equivalent or upgraded aftermarket units are the way to go... price point parts, like aftermarket alternator's from the auto parts places have good warranties, but shift the cost to the driver with downtime and replacement costs....

Sounds like both my dad and I will be needing new axles soon... they've been clicking for awhile now. What upgraded units would you recommend? Will there be a change in driving characteristics with units capable of more HP (what I assume you mean when you say "upgraded")?

The stock units or the stock equivalents had a full warranty, even with higher up, so we know from experience they can handle it...be it a JCW or GP....AND FRANKLY most folks seem ok till they are 250+ hp...they are safe, but kinda $$.
For slightly less RMW has custom made units that are sometimes sold in group buys....are made to much higher than OEM specs and can be used even on monster builds, but STILL cost less...
Since parts sells have found the OEM units from what I call "great market" sources, aka, same parts, different boxes, for lower prices, imo they would be the way to go.
But like I have eluded too, much depends on the driver and how the car us used....
If you hammer it, spin the tires, and show off you need good parts...
But if you drive gently, and just need transportation, and think the car might be going bye...then there are other considerations.
The reality is, if a person says they are going to keep the car "forever " or they pay a 3rd party to turn a wrench , get good parts unless you value your time very little ..
Frankly, I have better things to do than fix my car...modding and tinkering is one thing...but cars always seem to break at the worst possible time...be it a full garage, bad weather, or far from home.
This stuff isn't rock science, but with a new crop of both CAR OWNERS and MINI owners on these boards, I try too keep it real. Unfortunately folks often get substandard parts cause the internet shows them they CAN...
I would bet $$ that the parts stores selling "lifetime" parts expect the car they are being installed on to be sold in about a year...so they never have to pay up...it is like selling a warranty on a new car...the FEAR of having to spend $$ get a person to pay now....and often the payoff is never there.
Maybe more of a rant here, but hopefully some folks that are looking for ideas, making decisions will read it, and get them thinking....kinda of like fatherly advise.

Both my dad and I plan on keeping our cars for a long time. He has had his car since 2002 and has always kept it stock, but if we can save some money by getting WMW axles, I think that sounds like a good bet. If I'm reading your post right, you like the WMW axles. Is that fair to say? I just don't want to pay $500 per axle, since we're going to need 4 and if WMW is selling a good unit for less, then it would make sense to jump on that instead.

The cheap units I tried wouldn't even fit in. The splines were poorly cut. The GKN fit perfectly. Only replaced one long ignored by a PO. Reboot when possible... It's fun and not nearly as bad as I feared. Wish I had started rebooting 25 years ago...

It's not too bad? The actual axle replacement or reboot? I'm definitely going to need 4 new axles at this point, they're all torn and clicking.

Rebooting is not too bad, I've done a couple of reboots on mini's, swapping out axles shouldn't be too bad either other than the cost of new quality axles. The bonus, I guess, is putting new oil in the transmission.

I was under the assumption that if I had 1 side jacked up, no oil would come out. I did a change of the gear oil about 3k miles ago and not looking forward to doing it again haha.

Just two axles on a first generation Mini. Neither job is very bad. I was scared to try the reboot as imagined 100 little pieces falling out, but it's not like that. Only a couple bigger parts and about half a dozen giant ball bearings - pretty easy to keep track of. I would remove the axles to reboot anyway, so you are in for that much work.

My dad's R50 has torn boots too, so 4. What tools did you end up needing? I don't have any, so I have to use my friend's driveway and his help, but when I asked him about it he said he wouldn't help because it'd be too hard.

An air impact wrench with an appropriate big socket makes getting the axle nuts off way easier, but you could do it with a 1/2 drive socket and a cheater bar. No other special tools. A couple of big screwdrivers work to pry the axle out of the tranny (held in with a spring clip). Then it's whatever normal sockets and ball joint remover you would use to free up the knuckle.

If you don't have a place to do it carefully, where you don't have to rush or rig something up in a hurry, then it seems like finding a reasonably priced Indy shop is a better choice

Job isn't too bad at all. The aftermarket ones are no where near as good as OEM, but the price difference is so drastic that it's a cost benefit you'll have to decide. I think last I checked you could do 4-6 axle replacements for the cost of one OEM.

And definitely try a reboot whenever possible, although these particular ones sound beyond that now - it's much easier than it looks and super cheap. Just need a small 3-jaw puller and CV crimpers (straight or right angle)

While an impact wrench is helpful in taking the axle nut off, you can do it with a long breaker bar. You'll have take the center cap off the wheel to gain access to the nut, use a flat screw driver to pry up the indent on the nut, put the wheel back on, put the car on the ground and then you can loosen the nut no worries.

Try Car Quest and have them look up the axles under World Pack. These are left over OEM pieces bought in bulk after the manufacturer is no longer required to hold supplies. I got an OEM drivers side axle for $90 last summer.

World Pack? Is there a way to access that on their website? You got a new OEM axle for $90? That's pretty crazy.

Wow, that sucks that Raxles doesn't make any for Mini. I have nothing but good things to say about them with Hondas.

Nope. Got to go in and ask them to look there.

local car quest was bought by advanced auto. they search for axles for my mini thru world pac and there were none available until after august or september. ordered a passanger unit from napa. i will see how they fit. how does the driver axle come out? just a pry bar to pop axle and the spring ring out of the manual tranny? will there be fluid leaking? or is that just on the automatic?

Yes, expect seepage.

yup that's how it works from what I've seen, I've never pulled the axle out of the transmission personally, but I looked into it when I was rebooting my axles. Fluid will drain out when you pull the axle, but I do like your idea of having only one side of the car jacked up and doing it that way, I think it would reduce oil loss but can't say for sure.

Yup, just pop it out with a pry bar, not difficult at all, and yes, doing one side at a time should cause no loss of fluid at all.
I prefer taking my spindles loose at the strut/shock and simply moving them out of the way, instead of popping the ball joint, you just have to be careful not to pull on the sensor line to hard.