My driver side axle is failing, as when I grab onto it and try to move it around... it moves... and you can hear it moving when going over bumps... sounds like a solid piece of something clunking about...

SO! I called MINI and they announced their price of nearly $800 for the parts... and a little over $200 in labor.. roughly $1,000! I don't have that money...

I found this axle online for much cheaper! It's from what appears to be a used auto wholesaler that sells parts from totaled vehicles and such. I'm only confused about the options it has listed saying "Excludes John Cooper Works"

So does this axle under the options "Excludes John Cooper Works S Model" seem like a legit purchase? I would like a second opinion.

Thank you in advance!
http://www.automotix.net/usedautopar...FU8XHwodXdQEgQ

 

I'm sorry for this post, please disregard - I just did a bunch of research on the website itself and apparently they're absolutely horrible to deal with - Parts arrive incorrect or completely unusable, but company says they're in "like new" condition.. it's fraud...

Sorry for wasting your time, the dealer might be my only option! :(

 

There are a bunch of cheap axle replacement available which have a spotty durability record. We are very careful when selecting aftermarket axles--we've learned the hard way that the cheapies often come back for repairs a couple of thousand miles later.

 

I found an OEM replacement, not aftermarket, but form the factory I'm guessing? It's on a site called "minimania" and the axle is like $630... which is better than $800... so if I spend $630 on that one, I could have my mechanic friend install it for roughly $150... so in reality I'm saving like $220 off the dealership quote...

 

The Genuine axle replacements are expensive, as you can see here. Where are you located? For axles, I always use a drivetrain shop that does axle rebuilds. They use OEM parts and have a warranty. Aftermarket axles will most likely cause issues so I would avoid them.

 

I'm located in CT, I'm not sure if there are any rebuild shops around me... plus I'm not sure how long that would take - Like if they would need my car for several days, or if they would need to send the part off somewhere - I just know that it's way loose and making a very annoying clunk, which doesn't give much confidence when I'm trying to go for a NICE drive...

 

What part of CT? Usually the shops need the axle for a couple of hours, unless they have one on the shelf already. One shop where I used to live had a 90 minute turn around time. Current one depends on how busy it is, but if you get it to them in the morning you'll have it back that day no problem. I've done this several times and it's what the shop I worked at did for axle replacements.

 

Penny wise saying applies here. If it craps out, you have no recourse other than maybe sending the part back. You would still be out the money to your friend, plus someone has to take it out and put a new one in. In the end it could wind up costing double what the dealer wants. I'd look for a reputable indy shop. It's a different story if you do your own install.

 

Just make sure if you do replace, there are ones for the automatic and manual transmission.

https://www.ecstuning.com/Mini-2012-Cooper-R56-S-Coupe-L4_1.6L_N18B16A/Drivetrain/Axles/

 

I'm just outside of Hartford, CT - I've looked some online but there's not too many shops that specify axle rebuilds - Not that I can find anyway - I called a local indy shop in CT called "NorthEast Motorwerks" or something along those lines... they ended up being slightly rude to me overall - I was attempting to get quotes on installation if I supplied my own parts - I was immediately interupted by "Ohh welll no no no sir, first of all we do not install customer supplied parts, we use our own parts here" and then proceeded to quote me a price well over what the dealership wanted...

 

That's not at all uncommon or rude. If a shop is expected to stand behind their work, they're probably not going to install customer supplied parts, ESPECIALLY if they've never done business with you before.

 

It was rude in the way it was said, in a belittling tone of voice. I had also told him the the exact parts I wanted to bring in for installation, brand name and all, and it was actually a brand he said they recommended, but I needed to purchase the part through the shop(so they could of course make more money)

 

Rude is bad.

But if you supply parts and they fail, you are going to have to pay for labor to replace them. If they supply parts that fail within the warranty period they eat the added labor! Some shops don't want to mess with supplied parts, I don't blame them as I had a business that was often bogged down with customer supplied material.

 

I understand completely, but when they are parts they supply? I don't see the big deal...

I had called them about brakes, when I asked what brakes they recommended they said OEM. Then when I asked about performance pads he said they like to use either "Hawk" or "EBC" products...

The brakes I told him I wanted to bring in for install were "EBC Redstuff" - He then responded "Oh those are going to just tear your stock rotors apart" - A friend of mine has EBC Redstuff on his stock rotors and they've held up very well... Now if he had said "It is recommended to change the rotors at the same time as the pads" I would have agreed as this is standard practice, but to just sit there and tell me they're just going to shred my rotors & that you wont install them, when you've already confirmed using EBC products... it just seemed weird to me.

 

The standard answer to ^this^ reaction is: "do you bring your own eggs to a diner?".

That having been said, there are circumstances where we will install user-supplied parts--most typically when we don't carry the specific part and we can't get a good deal on them. I do think the shop was rude, and incorrect about the Red Stuff brakes tearing up the rotors--there isn't a performance pad that's easier on the rotors than Red Stuffs (although they wear out twice as fast as other performance pads). You should also realize that it's vaguely rude to cold call a new shop and try to get them to install your supplied parts. Find a shop you trust, build a relationship with them, and they'll take care of you.

 

I just looked up for mine at Rock Auto and they were all in the $60 range. Don't know their warranty but worth a check. Here's a DIY video on replacing

 

EDIT: I didn't see Helix13s post before I wrote this, but the points stand.

If you went to a bar, and they served Budweiser, would you expect the bar to willingly serve you Budweiser that you purchased at the package store down the street without complaint? After all, it's the same stuff and far cheaper for you, right?

Same basic concept. Shops have a margin on the parts they sell, it's part of their business. By supplying your own parts, you're not only bringing in potential quality issues, but also profit issues. Your typical independent shop owner isn't a megayacht owner retiring in luxury to some tropical isle (though if he is, I'd worry about his business practices). Income streams are important to them. Trying to deprive them of one so you can save some money isn't likely to make them want to do business with you.

 

You know what's funny about all of this? Is that everyone is usually talking badly about dealerships and how they charge so much more. MY dealership (where I have built a relationship) offered to install my parts for a very cheap rate. There was no discussion about it.. "Hello, I have EBC RedStuff pads, would you guys be able to install them for me?" - "Sure! When are you available to come in? Shouldn't take more than 45 min. to an hour!"

You'd expect to get the rude treatment at a dealership, seeing as they are the ultimate money makers. It seems in this case the best route to go is the dealership.

Oh, and bringing your own beer to a bar is WAYYY different than having an indy shop install your parts. They still get paid on the labor, and they don't have to place the part under warranty.... so I'm really not seeing the big deal here. As for building a relationship with an indy shop, how is one supposed to do this if they're not willing to do ahything for you? Besides let them get one over on you the first couple times... screw that!

 

Dealership experiences vary wildly, that's for sure. If you have such a good relationship with yours, why are you shopping indies? Seems strange.

As for the beer analogy. You'd still tip, right? So you're still paying labor in a manner of speaking.

If I may ask, how old are you and what do you do for a living? I'm curious.

 

Having a good relationship with my dealership doesn't mean that it's ALWAYS the cheapest route to go. Getting quotes around the area from different Indy ships has, always will be, something that I do before paying for any work. Not just for my car either. I'll shop around for any services I plan on paying for. It's actually not that uncommon for people to want to spend less for what they want.

As for the bar scenario, again, it's not something you can compare to a shop, unless you call cracking a beer open labor. If you own a shop which charges $100/hour for labor, and I bring you brakes to install which take roughly an hour to install. Would your business not be bringing in $100 it did not have just 1 hour before? Who the hell cares if you squeezed every penny out of me and made me buy the same parts from you instead. I'm still paying you for the labor, and you don't have to replace the parts if things don't work out.

As for my age and my profession, I'm 27 and I work a sales driven customer service job 6 days a week.

 

< $100 @ napa with 3 year warranty. I'm not one to go with a cheap part to save a little but for 500+ I think i'd take a risk.