Replace front and rear axle drive? What you need to know

Gaiters - you may not hear about them very often. Yet they are very important car parts. Driving around with damaged homokinetic joints can be life-threatening in some cases. What does this car part do? How do you know that it needs to be replaced and how much does it cost to replace a joint pinion? We tell you more!

What are homokinets?

Hubs are also known as pinion joints or homokinetic joints. It is the car part that connects the wheel to the drive shaft. It is an ingeniously designed joint that ensures that the wheels and the axle always rotate at the same speed, even when steering or taking a bumpy sandy road.

The part that often shows defects first is the sleeve that surrounds the homokineet. This shaft sleeve contains grease for the proper, smooth operation of the clutch. When the sleeve is damaged and gets torn, this grease leaks. Dirt also gets into the hub axle.

Crankshaft symptoms in the event of damage

Crank joints broken? The sooner you get there, the better. This will not only save you high maintenance costs, but will also be safer. In order to help you spot defective parts in time, we have listed the damaged joint pin symptoms for you.

Ticking sound when steering

Do you hear a ticking or clicking noise when you steer and accelerate at the same time? There is a good chance that one of the coil joints is broken. When in doubt, find an empty parking space where you have the space to drive in circles in reverse. Accelerate a little at a time. If the ticking gets louder, there is probably a defective axle box.

A grease spot

If the axle cover is damaged, grease will leak out. This grease ends up on the hub axle, the wheels and the tyres. Do you suspect that one of the joints is broken? Then don't conclude that you are wrong, because you don't see a grease spot on the wheels. In the beginning these grease spots are small. Only when the axle cover is damaged further and more grease is leaking, you will see this on the wheels. If there is a large grease spot, the car part is probably already so badly damaged that not only the axle cover, but also the homokineet itself and maybe the drive shaft need to be replaced.

Shock or vibration of the car

Homing joints in good condition ensure that the wheels and axle have the same speed. If a homokinetic clutch is not doing its job properly anymore, this will cause jolting or vibrating. In the beginning, you only notice this when you make a sharp turn and accelerate. The more the car part is damaged, the more severe the jolting and vibrating becomes. Eventually, you will also feel it when driving in a straight line at a constant speed. At this stage, driving with a broken hub cap becomes really dangerous. The joint is so badly damaged that it can now come loose, leaving your wheel disconnected from the axle. Your car becomes uncontrollable.

Replace front drive shaft - the sooner, the better

A seriously damaged axle box causes life-threatening situations on the road. No wonder that a cracked axle cover results in an MOT-approved car. When you hear a ticking or clicking noise for the first time while steering or accelerating, you do not have to take the emergency lane immediately. However, it is important to go to the garage as soon as possible. If you get there quickly, there is a chance that only the axle cover needs to be replaced. This is relatively cheap.

Does the homokineet itself also need to be replaced? That is a more expensive option. Often the axle is also replaced. The axle has to be dismantled anyway to replace the homokinets and often the drive shaft itself is also worn out. To prevent having to go to the garage again within six months, it is best to buy a completely new driveshaft. Sometimes you have no choice. Not all drive shafts are supplied separately. They are only for sale as part of the drive shaft. Since replacing the complete driveshaft is a very expensive undertaking, many people choose to get rid of their car.

Camshaft replacement costs

Replacing the axle cover of a joint pin usually costs between 90 and 150 euros. Replacing a single drive pinion joint costs between 400 and 750 euros. Replacing a drive shaft costs between 430 and 1200 euros, and replacing both drive shafts can cost between 760 and 2200 euros.

The large price differences for the same repairs are related to the cost of parts for specific car makes and models, but also to the workshop's labour costs.