sanford7575

Anyone have experience using Nissan Value Advantage cv axles? I've just removed Sur/Track, Cardone, and now plan to remove autozone remans due to severe vibration when accelerating. Strange thing is that the new Nissan Value Advantage cv axles don't have vibration dampeners either. I can't believe that I am doing this job a 4th time. If at first you don't succeed...

maxiiiboy

Subscribing to this thread.

Three years ago, I had both of my OEM axles replaced with SureTrack axles. Now, the Driver side axle is starting to vibrate, mainly when accelerating in a left turn (like, making a left turn out of an intersection). The vibration is much less in straight line (and perhaps it might be due to my disconnected engine mounts .... not sure).

At any rate, I am pondering the same issue: SurTrack/similar for about $60, or Raxles for $300, or OEM for for about $500 ($499 + shipping)? Obviously, the labor cost is a big factor.

maxiiiboy

How much are the "Value Advantage" axles?

jackman

Maxiiiboy, Raxles just told me they don't have axles for this car (2000 GLE).

03VQMAX

iTrader: (46)

The value advantage line from Nissan is all Chinese stuff FYI.

maxiiiboy

Well, how much is Nissan charging for the Chinese value advantage stuff?

CS_AR

I will soon be looking to replace the OEM CV axles on my 4th gen. I noticed www.napaonline.com sells re-manufactured CV axles with the vibration damper. Price runs between $56.49 to $62.49. It might be worth a check if you can see them at a store before purchasing. Since these NAPA MaxDrive re-manufactured axles seem to have the vibration damper, I may give them a try. I've had very good luck with Napa re-manufactured parts along the way.

I've used a lot of CSP axles over the years. The only complaint that I have is the passenger side boot seems to come apart after a few years. While AdvanceAuto has a a lifetime warranty that covers replacement, I get tired of having to take them back for exchange a few years later.

sanford7575

Damn it, that's what I feared! More Chinese crap! The Nissan Value Advantage cv axles look just like the aftermarket axles, not like OEM (with the vibration dampeners). I wonder if they will vibrate like aftermarket? At this point, I have to try because the oem reman that I received from Autozone are absolutely terrible and making horrid noises. Truth be told, the first SurTrack / Trakmotive aftrmarket axles that I put in were the best of the aftermarket bunch in terms of noise, way ahead of the Cardone new and the autozone remans which make me not want to drive the car!
To answer others questions... The Nissan Value Advantage cv axles cost $117 for the drivers side and $130 for the passenger side from Nissan Parts Deal. This price is like double the price of aftermarket, but nowhere near the OEM price which is like $530 per axle.

mclasser

Are Raxles still available for our cars?

03VQMAX

iTrader: (46)

no

mclasser

Well damn. If that's the case, I'm gonna keep an extra close eye out for ripped boots on my factory ones from now on. Catch it early, re-boot, re-grease and keep the OEM cores.

jackman

That's what I did last week. But If I had one making noise, I'd bite the bullet and buy the $530 OEM replacement. Anything else means probably doing the job too many times. It's just not worth the grief.

Bonka

iTrader: (13)

I'm using the Nissan Advantage shaft on the passenger side on my I30. It produces a SLIGHT vibration between 20-30 but goes away. It was a trade-off as I had re-done the passenger side 3 times before with aftermarket new/re-man shafts and those had massive vibration (Napa, Cardone) and I wasn't willing to spend on the Nissan OE.

An used OE would be the preferred second choice but at that point I was fed up with dealing with it.

As mentioned the Advantage line is definitely a step down from the OE and I wouldn't expect it to last anywhere near as long as the OE. The boots alone are thin and you'll need to swap the ABS ring over.

sanford7575

Thanks for sharing your experience! I'll be redoing this job for the 4th time over Thanksgiving using the Nissan Value Advantage axles on both sides. At this point I'm fed up, but I won't stop until I get it right. If these don't do it I am going OEM. I'm in so deep at this point, it doesn't matter. I've only got 105k and I plan to drive this thing until the wheels fall off. My only consolation is that I've also had to replace bad Beck and Arnley control arms at the same time so it makes it a bit easier to remove the axles when the control arms are off too. Sometimes aftermarket sucks!

CS_AR

Has anybody tried EMPI brand? That's an OLD VW part supplier. I see they have Maxima CV Axles.

jackman

Where did you see that? Neither the manufacturer's site (US EMPI) nor two EMPI dealers that I searched online show axles for Nissans.

CS_AR

Found them on Amazon.com.

https://www.amazon.com/Empi-80-4632-...znybP9H587N_tt

sanford7575

I haven't tried EMPI, but I believe that Rock Auto has them listed under the manufacturer name Empire with the same part#. They probably vibrate as well because they don't have the vibration dampeners.

thenewguyy

I recently lowered my car, I have a hint of vibration here and there. Had the car on the lift and saw grease all out of the passenger side axle. Im sure soon enough it will seize and snap. Will be getting some oem from the junkyard and have them rebuilt and see how things go from there.

jackman

Wow, that took some time to locate! EMPI doesn't come up in the initial search by car and part description. I had to pull up everything EMPI first, then filter by the vehicle. Anyway, they do list both sides (80-4632 and 80-4634), but these are clearly Chinese axles. Also, neither has a dampener. The only thing worse than installing a Chinese axle that vibrates is having to rebox it and ship it five states away.

CS_AR

That's for sure.

I found some axles from a company selling parts as Detroit Axle. But didn't like the looks. It reminded me too much of Chicago Pneumatic I guess.

sanford7575

FINALLY!!! 4th time is a charm! I installed the Nissan Value Advantage CV Axles in my '02 Maxima today, and my car doesn't make that horrid vibrating sound when accelerating anymore (I think I heard a slight rumble from one of my incline accelerations during my test runs, but no where near what I was hearing and feeling previously!). I was a little skeptical at first due to the lack of vibration dampeners, but I could tell these nissan value advantage axles were the most OEM like when installing them; they went in very smoothly with no fitment issues at all! I cannot say the same for the SurTrac (-$104), Cardone (-$113), or Autozone Remans(-$157). We'll see how they hold up since the boots seem a little less rugged than all of the aftermarket boots. Overall, this whole experience has taught me a few lessons... (if it ain't broke, don't fix it; never throw away functional oem parts until after you test the new parts; sometimes you really do have to go OEM; ect...) but for any future org members who are looking to swap in any ole aftermarket cv axles into the Maxima, PLEASE USE NISSAN PARTS FOR THE CV AXLES! You'll be much happier in the end!

maxiiiboy

Interesting.
Of course, the obvious question is: "Does this prove that the Nissan Value-Added advantage axles are better than other aftermarket axles, or is it just another statistically irrelevant data point?".

Let's see how they work out over a longer period of time. We can compare notes. My SurTracks were perfect for 2.5 years, but now the driver-side is starting to vibrate in left-hand turns .... . Let us know how yours Nissan V-A do in 2 years or so, and perhaps then, we can draw some conclusions.

LA02MAX

iTrader: (3)

It also took me 4 tries in the last year and 20,000 miles to get a set of axles with no vibration. I recently purchased and installed these, which are new, not re-manufactured:

http://www.carpartswarehouse.com/sel...ront/90-0.html

So far after 1,000 miles the car has no vibration, which is a big change. The last set that I got from advance auto parts vibrated so much, I couldn't even drive the car. I took some pictures to compare the barely used advance axles with the new ones. Not much difference other than a slightly different design on the ABS gear and the boot design. They also didn't have vibration dampeners, but I highly doubt that's what is causing these severe vibration issues with the other re-manufactured axles.

jackman

I've reached that conclusion too, especially after hearing so many people say the vibration only happens during acceleration or when turning. My money's on the CV joints. Most Chinese machine work is garbage.

uptownsamcv

I am going through axle issues myself that has lead to putting new bearings in my 6 speed transmission. I had purchased an axle 2 years ago from autozone and it never fit the OEM seal tightly.. never had vibration issues just a real slow drip.. i was too busy with work ( 60 hours a week ) too change the axle and eventually the differential bearings and input shaft bearing went bad.......

jackman

So much of this stuff comes from China now with no alternative, I've reached the point where I measure all the critical dimensions and compare to the original before installing. It wasn't like this 20 or 30 years ago, and it's getting worse by the day.

sanford7575

Totally agree about Chinese parts. It's a crap shoot nowadays. Half of the stuff that I get from Rock Auto, I end up returning or throwing away. My highest failure rate has been on suspension / steering parts and now axles! I've also had a few faulty MAFs in my time as well.

A little update on my Nissan Value Advantage axles... After 500 miles, these axles are definitely more quiet than the other aftermarkets that I had from SurTrack and Cardone. There is no regular vibration, no chatter when accelerating hard on the highway to get up to speed, but there is still a pronounced rumble when accelerating on any slight grade from a stop. I don't even have to punch it hard to produce the rumble; any time that the car is not on totally flat ground, the axles rumble when you hit the gas from a stop! Now that it's getting cold in Philly, I will live with the rumble over the winter, but I definitely think I will purchasing the OEM axles after the holidays and will install in the spring. I guess the 5th time will be the charm???

uptownsamcv

I think the company that rebuilds them boxed up the wrong axle.. what sucks is how they couldn't find my name in the system and i had to pay for another one, which isn't a rebuilt one and seems to fit the seal tight.... but I've been so busy that i haven't had a chance to put the transmission back together yet...

Donkeypunch

Has anyone seen if a driveshaft rebuild place will do these?
I've had a driveshaft shortened and rebuilt it was just acouple hundred

03VQMAX

iTrader: (46)

Bumping this up, Nissan just sold it's Last OEM axle, and it's no longer available. Nissan Value advantage is available and they DO bring the vibration damper. I will be ordering the pair soon.

sanford7575

03VQMAX, who told you that the Nissan Value Advantage come with the vibration dampener? I purchased mine from Nissan Parts Deal (C9100-2Y17JNW & C9101-5Y81JNW) in November, and they did not have vibration dampeners on either of the axles. Please note that while better than SurTrack, Cardone, and Autozone remans; they still vibrate if you accelerate hard from a stop or on any type of grade. I've truly had to relearn how to drive my car so that they don't make that horrid vibration while accelerating. Good luck with yours and definitely let me know if they come with dampeners.

03VQMAX

iTrader: (46)

The Parts manager I've been dealing with ordering parts for several years now, I even took a pic to triple assure, I guess I'll find out when I get them.

sanford7575

Please let us know! It would be greatly appreciated if you could send a pic of the axles and the box when they arrive! Thanks in advance!

jackman

I have a lot of trouble with the concept that those little rubber rings can reduce vibration during acceleration. They're just not large enough to serve that purpose. They probably reduce vibration at highway speeds, but even then, only when the load is fairly light (such as cruising). The vibration from Chinese axles during acceleration is almost certainly due to inaccuracies in the machining of the CV joints or the axles not being centered or true.

mclasser

I think this as well. I have Duralast axles on my Accord; no rubber dampeners and they're fine. But this is more of an exception rather than the norm. Those overseas factories just have **** poor QC. For every one good axle they crank out, 5 garbage ones follow.

03VQMAX

iTrader: (46)

****UPDATE! They DO NOT come with Dampers, diagram shows it but He just got the axles in and they don't have them. Therefore they won't be ordered. You're right.

jackman

What choice is there? Aren't remanufactured axles the only other ones dampeners? The problem with remans is that noisy axles often look OK by eye. The rebuilders probably can't tell if they're rebuilding one that just needed new boots, or if the joints are already worn to the point of clicking. That means you won't know either until they're on the car.

Have you tried calling a different dealership, just to be sure your buddy didn't make a mistake? I'd buy new ones if they're still available.

03VQMAX

iTrader: (46)

I didn't call locally, but he can see inventory in the entire US. Last one passenger side was sold literally 3 days before I placed order. Or it could've been an inventory mistake because when he ordered it his order got cancel and they said it's no longer available, the OEM $500 one. Plus the price difference between my cost and regular dealer price would be about $150-200, screw that. Rebuild ones are US made, some use dampers and some dont.

03VQMAX

iTrader: (46)

I never had noise problem with aftermarket, just the vibration issue. Plus boots don't rip like OEM when lowered.