bondtimbond
Veteran Member
My symptoms on my 06 TDI DSG and 118,000 miles on it do not clearly differentiate between the bearing or the CV joints. For this I would like some input. I have no apparent vibration and no clicking on turning that might be typical of CV joint problems. Tires are Bridgestone Serenity Plus and fairly new with normal wear patterns. I hear a roar/growl noise that become noticeable around 38-40 mph and then tapers off above about 46 mph, but can still be heard to a lesser degree at full highway speed. This noise may have been building for some time, and now it is more noticeable. At first I thought it might be some strange tire noise, but I see no abnormal wear patterns in the tires and the tires are supposed to be fairly quite according to the Tire Rack, etc. Knowing I have that split in the drivers outer boot I know noise from that joint is a possibility, but I would really like to be able to confirm the source of the noise before I starting spending big dollars are new parts. New bearings appear to be at least $125 each by FAG or similar, and axles from Raxle are $249 each plus $60 shipping. So replacing axles and bearings would be allot of dollars. But I would rather take the car apart just once if possible.
On inspection the driver's side outer CV boot has a split in it and probably has been that way for some time, but doesn't open up at normal suspension heights and I see no grease being flung out of the split. I know it needs addressing, but just haven't gotten around to it yet.
I called Raxles for some input, and their first comment was that at 118,000 miles my inner CV joints are probably worn out. They said that the inner joints on our cars wear out faster than the outer and usually only last about 85 or 90K. I haven't read in the forums much about inner CV joints failing often at less than 100K so does that input from Raxles seem real to folks?
The guy at Raxles did say however that my symptoms didn't necessarily point directly to the axles however, and suggested I jack up the car and check for free play etc. I did that and have no apparent free play in the bearings - seemed very tight. He also asked if my noise changes with turning left or right while driving and it does not. The noise seems the same regardless of steering input.
Also, what is the normal good feel of slop in an axle? On the driver's side with the wheel off the ground, I can rotate the tire back a forth a good bit and I hear what is probably slop inside the transmission which is in park, but it is more on the driver's side than passengers side. Is there a way to easily check for play in CV joints on the car, and how much play is acceptable?
Lastly, how difficult is replacing the CV joints/boots on my own axle rather than replacing the whole axle unit with a new or rebuilt one? Buying two new decent CV joints per axle seems quite a bit cheaper than the $249 each plus shipping from Raxles.
On inspection the driver's side outer CV boot has a split in it and probably has been that way for some time, but doesn't open up at normal suspension heights and I see no grease being flung out of the split. I know it needs addressing, but just haven't gotten around to it yet.
I called Raxles for some input, and their first comment was that at 118,000 miles my inner CV joints are probably worn out. They said that the inner joints on our cars wear out faster than the outer and usually only last about 85 or 90K. I haven't read in the forums much about inner CV joints failing often at less than 100K so does that input from Raxles seem real to folks?
The guy at Raxles did say however that my symptoms didn't necessarily point directly to the axles however, and suggested I jack up the car and check for free play etc. I did that and have no apparent free play in the bearings - seemed very tight. He also asked if my noise changes with turning left or right while driving and it does not. The noise seems the same regardless of steering input.
Also, what is the normal good feel of slop in an axle? On the driver's side with the wheel off the ground, I can rotate the tire back a forth a good bit and I hear what is probably slop inside the transmission which is in park, but it is more on the driver's side than passengers side. Is there a way to easily check for play in CV joints on the car, and how much play is acceptable?
Lastly, how difficult is replacing the CV joints/boots on my own axle rather than replacing the whole axle unit with a new or rebuilt one? Buying two new decent CV joints per axle seems quite a bit cheaper than the $249 each plus shipping from Raxles.
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