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2002 - Best place to get some-what affordable CV axles for the Forester?

('01-'02) 
3K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  all wheel power 
#1 ·
Has anyone ever had to replace CV axles on a suba? If So, what do you think is a good place to get them? I dont want to get them from subaru (They cost over $400 and time to actually get it) and Orielly's are said to be crap. Advanced auto parts dont seem great either. Autozone is wishy washy on reviews. I almost want to go pull 2 off some suba's at a pull a part place I know of. And rockauto sounds nice, but its not OEM like i see everyone says to stick with. (None of these have a lifetime warrenty either. They only support upto 90 days.) What do you think? Can anyone help with that? Thanks!
 
#5 ·
I picked up the cheapest axles I could find at first, and the boots didn't last 6 months. I then picked up Cardone axles from rockauto (still cheap, but not the cheapest). I've got 300hp available and they've held up fine for a few years now.

Note that most places call up the same axle L/R, however they are actually about half an inch different. I think all early SG have the male stubshafts coming out of the transmission.

Cheaper axles often have cheaper boots that don't last as long. In some cases, the joint quality is worse as well, which is why most people tout OEM.
 
#7 ·
How bad are your current CV’s? Are the boots intact? What are the symptoms you’re experiencing?

If you need to hold off for a bit, and the ones you’ve got aren’t that bad, just keep driving on them. You could clean and repack them, and put a new boot on them to keep them going a bit longer (maybe lots longer).

Rockauto usually have different quality levels. You could search the net for which brands get ok reviews. Then put quality boots on them, and replace with quality CV grease (with Moly).
 
#8 ·
How bad are your current CV’s? Are the boots intact? What are the symptoms you’re experiencing?

If you need to hold off for a bit, and the ones you’ve got aren’t that bad, just keep driving on them. You could clean and repack them, and put a new boot on them to keep them going a bit longer (maybe lots longer).

Rockauto usually have different quality levels. You could search the net for which brands get ok reviews. Then put quality boots on them, and replace with quality CV grease (with Moly).
They are getting worn out. They make noise when turning and sometimes in a straight line (though that doesnt happen alot). And i have been holding off for a bit. boots are ripped. They aren't in the best shape, but they still hold. Even if i get one of the more expensive ones from rockauto (not cheap out on whats there), i think it will be fine. I dont mind if i need to replace them in a year or 2 (i do my own work on vehicles). I was just wondering if anyone has used rockauto (or even just got some at pull-a-apart or something) for them and if they worked for a alittle while. Im not ready to spend for 4 of Subaru's EOM $400 CV axles (directly from them). lol
 
#9 ·
Personally, I've almost exclusively bought parts from rockauto.
Generally because I am not in a hurry for the parts and mostly do preventative maintenance.

One time, I bought cheap rotors and pads and they did nothing but squeel. Ended up spending a little more on better rotors which I am happy with now. That being said, what I paid for the cheap ones+ the more expensive ones combined was still less than what I would have had to pay for the econo versions locally!

2 things:
You get what you pay for (buying a $3 ball joint would be lower quality than the $13 version)
Your mileage may vary (not everyone has the same"luck")

From what I can see on rockauto, even the most expensive ones are sub $100, so not much of a gamble (of course, I don't know what you can afford)
 
#11 ·
Not sure about why exactly, but typically with reman ... or aftermarket CV's, they fock up the ABS tone ring, wrong shaft, etc..

But the #1 complaint is vibration / shudder. It's time consuming, but people rebuild or reboot their OEM axles because they are balanced + made well. I've had a Forester and an Outback that both had some type of reman or aftermarket CV shafts, and let me tell you, out of the few things that would annoy you while you are driving, a steering wheel vibration at freeway speeds is quite high on the list.
 
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