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bmw4aaron
Veteran
Date registered: Dec 2006
Location: Fishersville, VA
Vehicle(s): Dodge 2500 CTD
Posts: 136
| Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
So back in August I contacted Driveline service of Portland about having a new front drive shaft made. I came into contact with a guy named Jerry. My Emails go as followed:
Me:
When you make the new shaft, will the slip joint and u-joints have
grease fittings? Also will there be a seal to keep sand and dirt from
entering into the slip joint? In other words how close to the factory
shaft will it be? I would like to retain the U-joints on each end and
NOT go with CV joints. Could I get an idea on price and a worst case
price?
Jerry:
We machine them for a greaseable, replaceable u-joint, but no
changes are made to the OEM design as far as the slip area is concerned.
The shaft will retain the OEM design as far as whether it has a u-joint, C/V
or Guibo at the ends. The pricing runs from $325 to $475 in most cases and
will include return UPS ground shipping.
So I sent my drive shaft out November 6th.
I get this reply back on the 11th,
"The driveshaft for your vehicle will be in the $850-$950 range. The parts to build it have to come in from Europe and will take 2-3 weeks to get here. Once we have the parts, it will take 2 days to finish. The driveshaft we build will have replaceable u-joints and will be fully rebuild-able, as opposed to the factory shaft. Please let me know if you wish me to order the parts and build this shaft. Thanks for your interest in our product."
My reply:
"What happend to the $325-$475 range you quoted me on October 29th, or
the $300-$600 quoted on August 28th?"
What I am told:
"This driveshaft requires a heavier duty series of u-joints then the other
two of these we did about 1-2 years ago(which I based my estimate on), and
they are more expensive The labor remains about the same cost. Time and
the weak USA dollar are the most likely reasons the parts are getting much
more expensive. I am sorry that there is this much of a difference, but
until we see the job we are giving a best guess estimate, not a binding
quote. I will be happy to ship this back to you and cover the freight cost
should you wish to take care of it a different way. We would like your
business but with this big a variance in the price, I will understand
completely if you don't want to have us do the job. Let me know how you
would like this handled."
So I give him the go ahead to build it. When it's all done he wanted me to pay for shipping but I pretty much put up a big stink and he threw it in for free. Dag on right for $895.
It finally showed up December 16th.
And this is what I get:
(I wish I had my old shaft still to compare, but this is NOT an OEM looking shaft as promised. There isn't even a grease fitting to lube the slip joint. Maybe with advances in materials or engineering there is no need? Who knows, but I'm done with this company, I hope I never have to deal with warranting this part. The bright side is the u-joints are replaceable, not like it would do me much good if the slip joint goes out again!)
Edited by bmw4aaron 12/20/2008 10:21 PM
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fourbyfourclub
Extreme Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: New Jersey, USA
Vehicle(s): 300G
Posts: 302
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
Aaron,
What is the offset angle for this shaft?
Vlad
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bmw4aaron
Veteran
Date registered: Dec 2006
Location: Fishersville, VA
Vehicle(s): Dodge 2500 CTD
Posts: 136
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
fourbyfourclub - 12/20/2008 10:36 PM
Aaron,
What is the offset angle for this shaft?
Vlad
Ya got me???? |
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bmw4aaron
Veteran
Date registered: Dec 2006
Location: Fishersville, VA
Vehicle(s): Dodge 2500 CTD
Posts: 136
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
resized pics
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dai
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Oregon USA
Vehicle(s): 300GD 300TD BMW R100RS Landini 80F
Posts: 2110
| Re: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
It looks to me that the yokes are lined up. That means no offset. The front shaft should hava a 70 degree offset if my memory is correct. The problem with driveline shops is that they want to "fix" or "correct" that offset and will pull them apart and balance them to zero offset. If that shaft has no offset the u-joints might fight each other because of the angles and out of parallelism involved in the front of the G.
-Dai |
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460332
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Europe
Vehicle(s):
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
It looks tiny, the U-joints too, or?
Looks like it will bend if you drove off road with a heavy loaded vehicle and had full flex?
With the diff locks enganged you will put even more torque to the shaft before you have a wheel spin...
Front axle offset:
SWB (2400mm):78°
LWB (2850mm): 78°
Rear axle
SWB: 0°
LWB:120°
Mid axle:
SWB: 0°
LWB: 0° |
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Bruce
Veteran
Date registered: May 2006
Location: Flagstaff, AZ
Vehicle(s): 230GE, 300TD, 200D
Posts: 191
| Re: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
"This driveshaft requires a heavier duty series of u-joints then the other
two of these we did about 1-2 years ago(which I based my estimate on)"
I wonder what the other two of these he did earlier were? Is there a G driveshaft with lighter duty u-joints?
Bruce |
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| Re: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
Bruce - 12/21/2008 7:53 PM
"This driveshaft requires a heavier duty series of u-joints then the other
two of these we did about 1-2 years ago(which I based my estimate on)"
I wonder what the other two of these he did earlier were? Is there a G driveshaft with lighter duty u-joints?
Bruce
Sure sounds to me like the shop was blowing smoke; and producing an inferior product while they were at it.
I sure hope the OP paid with a credit card that he can use to place the charge in dispute. |
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Bruce
Veteran
Date registered: May 2006
Location: Flagstaff, AZ
Vehicle(s): 230GE, 300TD, 200D
Posts: 191
| Re: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
DUTCH - 12/21/2008 5:21 PM
Sure sounds to me like the shop was blowing smoke; and producing an inferior product while they were at it.
I sure hope the OP paid with a credit card that he can use to place the charge in dispute.
One other point to strenghten the case for "blowing smoke" - The vendor said...
"This driveshaft requires a heavier duty series of u-joints then the other
two of these we did about 1-2 years ago(which I based my estimate on), and
they are more expensive The labor remains about the same cost. Time and
the weak USA dollar are the most likely reasons the parts are getting much
more expensive. "
The dollar is actually equal to or stronger than it was "1-2" years ago versus the Euro.
Here's a chart of the Euro going back 9 years. The Euro peaked last August and has been
falling since.
http://futures.tradingcharts.com/chart/EC/M
Bruce
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Braingears
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: St Petersburg, FL
Vehicle(s): G320 & ML320
Posts: 1450
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
So what is the going price for the front drive shaft? New and rebuild? |
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elevatorbernie
Expert
Date registered: Aug 2006
Location: Vancouver B.C. Canada
Vehicle(s): 1989 280GE
Posts: 1347
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
Here's a pic of my front shaft compared to yours, I'd say the yokes and u-joints are similar, but the part that worrries me is that spline section. It's clearly smaller than the MB one, it's smaller diameter means if it had the same size teeth as the stock unit there would be less of them and if it had the same number of teeth as stock, they would have to be smaller in size. Either way I think it's going to be weaker, but I'm not sure if will break on you; that will depend how you use it.
Edited by elevatorbernie 12/22/2008 2:08 AM
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drive shaft 002 (Small).jpg (65KB - 1 downloads)
DSC01347_(Medium) (Small).JPG (63KB - 1 downloads)
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
Braingears - 12/21/2008 9:03 PM
So what is the going price for the front drive shaft? New and rebuild?
I can't give you pricing for the 460, but I can for the 463 G500:
Front: $1350.00/$1053.00 (MBUSA List/Discounted Purchase)
Rear: $1360.00/$1060.80
Center: $1240.00/$967.20
Those are new prices for MB parts from an MBUSA dealer. For the small difference in price between these and the Portland Rebuild, I sure would go with new - especially when comparing the robustness of the two! |
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bmw4aaron
Veteran
Date registered: Dec 2006
Location: Fishersville, VA
Vehicle(s): Dodge 2500 CTD
Posts: 136
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
DUTCH - 12/22/2008 6:45 AM
Braingears - 12/21/2008 9:03 PM
So what is the going price for the front drive shaft? New and rebuild?
I can't give you pricing for the 460, but I can for the 463 G500:
Front: $1350.00/$1053.00 (MBUSA List/Discounted Purchase )
Rear: $1360.00/$1060.80
Center: $1240.00/$967.20
Those are new prices for MB parts from an MBUSA dealer. For the small difference in price between these and the Portland Rebuild, I sure would go with new - especially when comparing the robustness of the two!
Dutch,
When I was shopping for driveshafts I had a buddy who worked in a dealer network who had MB. His prices are cost + 10%. His cost on a new front shaft for my 460 was $1024. When I called him back to take him up on the offer the dealer was requesting proof of ownership. So my connection fell through.  |
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
bmw4aaron - 12/22/2008 7:00 AM
Dutch,
When I was shopping for driveshafts I had a buddy who worked in a dealer network who had MB. His prices are cost + 10%. His cost on a new front shaft for my 460 was $1024. When I called him back to take him up on the offer the dealer was requesting proof of ownership. So my connection fell through. :wah:
For drive shafts? I know they do it for keys, but drive shafts is a new one.
Shop around next time. The prices I gave above are from an MBUSA dealer website. Not all of them are willing to get European parts, but many of them can. So, too, can Vlad or Sean. |
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petermerle
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Cape Town ( deep south )
Vehicle(s): W460 *1, W123 *2, W124
Posts: 1315
| Re: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
the spline looks too small , which will quickly wear out because of the non parallelism of the drive faces . What is the length of the joint?
PEter |
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Braingears
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: St Petersburg, FL
Vehicle(s): G320 & ML320
Posts: 1450
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
DUTCH - 12/22/2008 6:45 AM Braingears - 12/21/2008 9:03 PM So what is the going price for the front drive shaft? New and rebuild? I can't give you pricing for the 460, but I can for the 463 G500: Front: $1350.00/$1053.00 (MBUSA List/Discounted Purchase ) Rear: $1360.00/$1060.80 Center: $1240.00/$967.20 Those are new prices for MB parts from an MBUSA dealer. For the small difference in price between these and the Portland Rebuild, I sure would go with new - especially when comparing the robustness of the two! It almost worth that just to get the damn shaft balanced properly (the first time). |
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bmw4aaron
Veteran
Date registered: Dec 2006
Location: Fishersville, VA
Vehicle(s): Dodge 2500 CTD
Posts: 136
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
Dave hasn't replied to this post yet, so this shaft must be OK.  |
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bmw4aaron
Veteran
Date registered: Dec 2006
Location: Fishersville, VA
Vehicle(s): Dodge 2500 CTD
Posts: 136
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
DUTCH - 12/22/2008 7:45 AM
bmw4aaron - 12/22/2008 7:00 AM
Dutch,
When I was shopping for driveshafts I had a buddy who worked in a dealer network who had MB. His prices are cost + 10%. His cost on a new front shaft for my 460 was $1024. When I called him back to take him up on the offer the dealer was requesting proof of ownership. So my connection fell through. :wah:
For drive shafts? I know they do it for keys, but drive shafts is a new one.
Shop around next time. The prices I gave above are from an MBUSA dealer website. Not all of them are willing to get European parts, but many of them can. So, too, can Vlad or Sean.
Dutch,
When you get employee pricing for parts they are supposed to check to make sure the parts you're getting is for YOUR vehicle. It's to deter side work. The key thing is a whole nother matter. BMW requires DL and vehicle registration. |
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
bmw4aaron - 12/22/2008 6:52 PM
Dave hasn't replied to this post yet, so this shaft must be OK. :raiseeyebrows:
?? |
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bmw4aaron
Veteran
Date registered: Dec 2006
Location: Fishersville, VA
Vehicle(s): Dodge 2500 CTD
Posts: 136
| RE: Driveline Service of Portland Driveshaft (finally here)
DUTCH - 12/22/2008 7:04 PM
bmw4aaron - 12/22/2008 6:52 PM
Dave hasn't replied to this post yet, so this shaft must be OK. :raiseeyebrows:
??
It's a joke. Dave was always the bearer of bad news to all my questions. So I figured if Dave had nothing to say about it, then it must be good. LOL.
I wrote Driveline back and asked them why the construction of the shaft was different than the factory one. This was their reply...
"The tubing is an industrial strength is as strong, if not stronger
then the OEM tubing. Generally aftermarket tubing is 25%-30% stronger then
what the OEM tubing is. The slip is packed with high quality grease and
comes with a "slippery" Glycoat which reduces needed maintenance. I will
get an answer from our engineer on at what interval it may needed greased." |
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