So I have owned my R52 MINI convertible for a month or so now - has 106k on it, and I'm in the initial phase of "tackle the known issues and maintenance bits".
I have a pile of parts already (damping pulley - and tensioner, belt, and 17% pulley while its apart. Supercharger oil change kit, the WMW ultimate kit with all the gaskets and water pump while its apart), but ever since my 2 hour drive home I noticed a scratchy constant noise that I thought was the hub bearings, so I bought one for each side.

Well - I'm getting married on Friday so time has been tight, but tonight had a couple hours to take things apart and swap the hubs for the new ones, but as soon as I got the rotor off, my diagnosis changed:

Man that's a lot of grease in that signature rotary splatter pattern. So... I guess I should have bought two CV axles because the hubs seem solid.

I did a last minute search at local parts stores, but none in stock. Funny enough, one of the desk guys pulled up Rock Auto and basically said "Look... We sell them for $75-100 and up. Rock has a bunch for $50."

"Do you think there's much variance in quality, for these kind of parts? I mean, there's differences between brands like Edelbrock and Moroso, but I never know about counter parts like these."

"Honestly, there's not much difference. Even the house brand parts we sell are decent. These parts they have at Rock are the same."

So - do you agree with the Advance Auto Parts guy?

I see it like this - there's 3 ways to buy car parts:

• Forum/enthusiast favorites, our specialized MINI vendors.
• Local car parts stores - Napa, Advanced, AutoZone, etc.
• Online parts stores - Rock Auto, even Amazon.

I love supporting the guys who support us - but I'm seeing OEM axle sets selling for $600-$700 through them, no inexpensive options. Certainly nothing in the $50-$150 range. Maybe this isn't the time to go that route.

How much difference do you think there really is between OEM and parts store parts? And - if they exist even - performance/upgrade axles?

Any recommended vendors for the best bang for the buck, in light of my needing to spread the dollars around all over this little money pit until I've nailed all the hot spots?

 

Since I'm tight on time and this is such an easy to replace part, it's not feeling like a huge gamble to even go with a Wal-Mart purchase, honestly.

But in trying to validate that any of those Rock Auto / parts store brands are at least decent, I stumbled on this interesting article:
https://rxmechanic.com/aftermarket-cv-axles/

For all I know it could be written by a shill for a distributor for these parts - but probably not. Hopefully sound guidance here.

 

I went through Rockauto and purchased Cardone brand. No issues for >20K miles.

 

I’m all for saving some cash! In my experience, the cheaper options on RockAuto usually skimp on quality somewhere, and it’s usually on the finish or rubber boots. I would expect the cheap axels to have cheap rubber boots, no protective coating on the steel, and a weak spring clip for holding it in the gearbox. If you’re ok with compromises like these, go for it.

 

I would also think so... But that article seems to imply otherwise, since two of those brands in the article with the nice premium features are two of the $50-$60 axles on Rock Auto.

I ended up making a barely-more-expensive purchase from an axle vendor on Amazon (which also might seem questionable) because there was a question the parts counter guy asked me that I couldn't answer...
And searching here STILL can't answer...
And searching RealOEM (by VIN even!) STILL can't answer...
...and the set on Amazon had all the premium features including a bearing carrier, AND since I can't determine if my car has:
"Does your car have the 35mm or 40mm inner seal?"
"I don't know - I put it back together to come here! How do I tell?"
...well, I need that good Amazon return policy, if nothing else but to stave off Murphy's Law.

And since my forum policy is to dig out the answers that aren't readily available already ON the forum - I'll post that detail here.

I'd really think this corresponds to something like the transmission changing to the Getrag 6 speed manual with the LSD which mine has - but that's not entirely clear yet.
I'll see if I can find that answer, now.

 

In my experience low priced axles / CVs are not worth buying - they're pretty much all crap.
I would recommend getting a GKN axle from FCP Euro.
GKN is the OEM supplier for Mini and FCP has an unlimited warranty on everything they sell.
Yes, you'll spend a few hundred $ on an axle but it's still way cheaper than "genuine Mini."

As for seal / axle size - This is dependent on the engine/trans combination in your car (doesn't depend on the differential being open or LSD). If you enter your car's parameters correctly FCP will make sure you get the right one.

 

+1 on GKN

rocksolid & reliable

 

Much appreciated - good info.

I did try to use my car's VIN on RealOEM and did find the axle assemblies, but no detail on the splines or seal size.
Will be great if FCP Euro has that info.
I've found myself ordering a lot from them recently. Been satisfied so far.

Thanks.

 

>GKN

Pelican carries both sides for slightly less, Outmotoring has the left (and OEM MINI right). Either could likely answer your spline questions.Ask for Aaron at Outmotoring in particular, that guy knows everything.

 

At this point I'm not going to be regretful having ordered the standard "parts counter" axles, given the scale of the price difference.

When the price difference is an actual multiple of the cheaper replacement cost options, the gamble shifts from "spend a little more on the better part" to "even if the cheap part only lasted 1/x as long, you'd still be better off buying the cheap one"

I think there's also an argument for high-abuse scenarios (track, autocross, SC pulley upgrades, etc) that the extra precision of the OEM axles will be lost quickly at any rate, and that's not where longevity comes from...
...and even some of the parts counter brands claim to exceed OEM specs. Even the expensive ones offer warranties that would be voided by signs of abuse or exceeding hp tolerances. Something to factor in.

I'd love to see a test of actual durability and longevity, comparing these, Consumer Reports style.

Of course all my hobbies and even career spawned from having a nerdy interest in how things work and "what matters", and I very much get "that ain't everybody".

But still - statistics work out:
When the believed-"best" part is close in price - do it.
When the "best" part is more than a 2x the price of the "good" part, the risk/reward starts to cross the line to favor the cheap parts. Especially if they are advertised to meet or exceed OEM specs and tolerances.

It's no guarantee, but it's at least a safe policy in principle since not even the worst product has a 50% defect rate, and not even the best has a 100% quality rate.

Just to motivate a little thinking.

 

You're better off until you're not better off, which is when you have an issue with a cheap part at a very inconvenient time. It's not always about longevity, but very often manufacturing / material quality. You get what you pay for. And sometimes you get less - some of the brick and mortar places (AutoBone, Pep Girls, CRAPA etc) all charge premium prices for Chinesium, if you can even find that at their stores.

You live in Buffalo. Your roads are crap, I've driven them.That alone qualifies for 'high abuse.'

Not necessarily. Just replaced all four on mine after the LR ate itself. Then come to find the RR was also going. Sound investment for high-wear parts like these.

 

+1
Can't tell you how many times I've regretted buying cheap parts. Even when they fail "conveniently" I'm stuck doing the same repair again. I always assure myself "never again" and then find myself in a pinch where I end up buying something from CRAPA and the cycle repeats.
With CV joints - even when the cheap ones hold up, their build quality is so poor they often introduce noise/vibration into the drivetrain. It's a hard "no" for me on this one.

 

Gkn + 1

 

Again - you have no assurance that the parts that you are paying more for ARE better quality.
Axle A - built to OEM specs. Factory ISO quality.
Axle B - built to exceed OEM specs. Also factory ISO quality.
You pick which you pay more for - except you don't know which one is the more expensive one. Which did you buy?

If you don't believe me - again, math. If you are paying multiples - that opens too many doors. You even could pay someone else to replace it if it ends up failing at a time you can't replace it yourself. You can pay a mechanic and STILL be less than your potentially lower-quality OEM part. Religious faith is religious faith - but math is proof.

That's the risk of paying more money with the blind assumption that paying more must be better quality. I know you aren't alone. I get it. I have grey hair. My first car was air cooled. It's experience that teaches "paying more" doesn't get you any semblance of a guarantee of a better part.
I know we're living in an Apple world - but I believe you shouldn't pay more blindly. You should pay more substantively.
Paying $75K for a Toyota Corolla is embarrassing and silly. Paying $75K for a Mercedes is quantifiable. This is the same ratio.

As it turns out - I inadvertently followed ModMini's own recommendation. I watched his video today to see how he popped out his inner splines. Turns out - the axles I bought are the same he used in his video, DTA. Yellow boxes. Right bearing carrier included. $175 delivered for both left and right axles. He even bought the same pack of both axles.
Also coincidentally - he made the very same points about "you shouldn't pay more for axles, it isn't worth it" - endorsed with his own experience.

I understand the desire to justify having bought parts at 3x-4x the price, but the vocal internet contrarian end product it produces is a little noisy and unproductive for my taste.

 

And here I thought McNamara was dead, though I suppose his math would be a lot less handwavey.

I got curious and looked up those axles on Amazon. I’m not a manufacturing guy, but weren’t both the ISO 9002 and QS 9000 certifications listed on that page terminated like 20 years ago?

 

I think you misinterpreted what I was saying.
I never said paying more will always assure better quality. In fact I've experienced this too where the $12 oil filter I got from NAPA was utter garbage compared to the $8 one I got from FCP. My point is that I make a concerted effort to buy reputable brands of parts because there's a lot of garbage out there - but sometimes falter when I find myself in a time crunch to make a repair.
Specifically with axles/CV joints, in my opinion GKN is the ONLY reputable brand that makes them for Gen 1 Minis and Modmini is entitled to his opinion too.

 

I can say from experience I only use NEW Genuine MINI axles or rebuild the original axles in my shop.

Over the years I've tried the various aftermarket axles, and I've had many customers try them and even drive with them for periods of time including very expensive "racing" axles and I have seen more issues than I can count. Issues include being too long, being too short, not machined right, bearing location wrong, coming out of trans, going into trans too far, causing seal leak, and even shattering and exploding.
Trust me if I could use an aftermarket axle that would be reliable I would as it would be clearly more profitable for me. But with my reputation to protect and the fact that we warranty our work in the shop I have to use the genuine axles. The price sucks, but cheaper than doing it twice or replacing a trans or something else that gets damaged from a failure. It would only take one broken axle to damage a trans case and cost me 10 times what the price of one axle was. And yes I've seen that happen luckily it wasn't an axle I sold someone though.