I'm in the middle of a fiasco with axles right now. I have an axle that is starting to click and has a leaky boot, so I figured it's time for replacement. The dealer axle is $650, and RockAuto had one from Cardone new for $66, so I gave it a shot.
Axle 1 arrives: bearing dust cap is smashed flat (it's a pressed on part). Send back for replacement since I assume it's a fluke.
Axle 2 arrives: bearing dust cap is smashed again. I call them and get talked into trying once more from a different shipping warehouse (maybe it's a bad batch)?
Axle 3 arrives and the outer joint is grinding as if there's no grease. RockAuto gives me hell and demands proof, so I make a couple videos demonstrating. They refuse to admit there is a problem, but accept the return for a refund (I'm not trying another one from them at this point)
Axle 4 is remanufactured from Autozone; takes 5 days to arrive (no one stocks this axle) and it is missing the press in dust cap, and the inner joint is really loose.
So at this point I realized I shouldn't continue trying to mess with anything but OEM and I hit up eBay. I found an OEM axle with 30k in apparently great shape for under $100 and went for it.
Now I'm waiting for the used OEM axle to show up, and I'm confident this is what I should have done in the first place.
So, this begs the question: what other parts should only be bought as OEM?
The only other one that immediately comes to mind is turbochargers - there really is nothing even close to OEM if you want a direct replacement; it's original or Chinese junk. Remanufactured can be good, but it's very hit or miss. I cringe when I see "replacement" turbos listed on eBay with hundreds sold.
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