Axle replacement cost ......?

[Blackshuck]

Can anyone suggest what sort of figure a garage would charge to change a rear axle assembly ?

[ffrenchie]

It's impossible to say how much but an axle is £235 exchange and there can be problems with the fastening points to the bodywork rusted or breaking and the brakes can be a sod to get working again if they are disconnected. Labour rates vary around the country and even between independent garages in the same area. I would budget for something like £600 minimum and up to £800 and hope for a pleasant surprise if it comes in less.

[Thisisnotaspoon]

The impression I got was it's only really financially viable if you can DIY. And it was easier to buy a half-decent axle from a scrap car and replace the whole lot. Rather than spend more time than necessary transferring all the brakes across to the new axle.

That's on the basis you might find a good car with ~5 years left in the axle, and the rest of the car is unlikely to last another 15 years anyway.

[Gadgetman]

The replacement can be done in a day if you're halfway decent with a spanner and have the tools needed.

It's possible to remove the old axle and mount the new without having to disconnect the brakes, if you're careful and not everything is a pile of rust.

You will want to replace the rear rubber mounts (blocks of rubber in a metal frame) and the rear shocks at the same time.
The rubber mounts are often ruined and if not, they're on their way to fail anyway. You'll need a long, thin Torx bit that fits through a hole on the underside of the mounting frame to remove the bolt fastening the rubber to the bottom of the car.
And you need a torque wrench to tighten the bolts holding the frame onto the car afterwards.

A replaement axle from a breakers may come complete with hubs. If so, check that it's the right hubs. (ABS or not and how many teeth are on the rings)
if not, you may want to add those to the shopping list before starting, if you do it yourself.
They're easy enough to fit, but you need a large torque wrench to tighten them up.

5 years or 15...
That's a M59, which means it's at least 4 years younger than my M49... And I intend to keep mine running until Citroën builds an EL Berlingo with usable range... so quite a while yet...

[Blackshuck]

Anyone got any experience of
A B Axles based in Chard , Somerset - their website says they refurbish Berlingo ( & other Citroen / Peugeot ) axles & also offer a fitting service .
Say they can fit a replacement axle in a couple of hours .
Good reviews ......

[Jehu40]

I changed my rear axle a fortnight ago; an Imaxle for £235. Apart from rusted nuts and brake pipes it wasn't as difficult as I imagined it would be, and the six bolts holding the axle in place came out without any trouble. I had to buy the long torx but it was only a fiver. I needed a bearing puller for the hubs. I replaced the brake shoes and drums while I was at it, which was a much harder job than the axle. I did mine lying on the ground but access to a ramp with a gearbox jack would have been a lot easier.

[Gadgetman]

six bolts?

Shouldn't there be 8?
3 for each or the front mounts and one on each of the rear mounts?

Big tip for anyone doing this;
It's not the bolt that goes through the rubber bushing at the front mounts that must be removed to get the axle off, but the 3 bolts holding a triangular piece of metal above it. The main bolt goes through it and there's a nut on the other side that will rotate freely if you attempt to undo that bolt.
Don't touch them before the brakes have been removed from the axle, though.

Why did you need a bearing puller?
Did you reuse the old hubs?

[Jehu40]

Maybe you have a different car in mind? There are six bolts, one towards the rear of the car (the one that requires the long torx socket) and two other torx bolts at the opposite end, on each side.
The bolts on top of the rubber block where the long torx socket enters are hard to access and need not be tackled - the block is removed much more easily once the axle is off.
I wanted to reuse the bearings which are in good order and they were on very tight. The bearing doesn't come out complete, the rear part is left in after the front part and ball race comes out. I put some extra grease on the bearings when I put them on the new axle, as good as ever.

[oilyrag]

Interesting to keep the original bearings/hub - Haynes says the assembly needs to be replaced, but clearly the bearings can be recovered, albeit with a suitable bearing puller. When I struggled to fit new brake shoes I did think of pulling the hubs off, but read Haynes and decided not to !

[Jehu40]

The bearings are large and robust and not easily damaged. I was lucky to have a puller which I had bought a couple of year ago for less than £20 - a lot cheaper than new bearings.
I didnt think about putting the brakes back on before the hub - duh. I ended up taking the cylinder off.

PS If I didnt have a puller it wouldnt have been difficult to get two strips of strong steel, or even one wider piece with a suitable groove cut out of it to fit over the back of the bearing, another piece for the front, drill eight holes and extract the complete hub/bearing unit with four long nuts/bolts.