’97->00-ish 5-series / drive shaft / CV joint?

[Simon S]

A worn, late-90s, 5 series came into the shop yesterday to have a noisy CSB replaced (I’ve become a service writer at an independently-owned service shop as of late..) (Yay! a fun job, at last!!)

After tearing exhaust and shielding and D/S out, our tech determined it wasn’t the CSB – but a CV joint at the rear-end of the drive shaft.

1 – why in the holy balls is there a fancy, expensive CV joint there?

2 – right now, I’ve got a CV joint “rebuild kit” on it’s way from a local dealership. Is that the best cost-effective manner to fix this? (I’m told it makes popping, clicky noises as is)

Thanks for any input on this – I’m like a sponge learning – and want to understand things..

[mikeedler]

the best/cost effective way to repair it is to replace the driveshaft with a used one.
Never seen that problem with any e39, and I don't realy understand why you call it an expensive/fancy thing- it's a joint.

What I don't understand is ...... How is it in the U.S. that a service writer can have very little knowledge about a car, and have a job. Nothing against you, my brother is prob. going to start as a service writer at Audi in Chicago and has little knowledge of cars.

Over here you need to be a mechanic, with even more schooling (service tech)

[Simon S]

First off – thanks much for feedback on this. It is appreciated.

the best/cost effective way to repair it is to replace the driveshaft with a used one.
Never seen that problem with any e39, and I don't really understand why you call it an expensive/fancy thing- it's a joint.

Well – I know many general things about cars – but certainly don’t pretend to know everything. I suppose what I meant to ask was what is the reasoning or purpose of a c/v joint on a d/s when u-joints are less complicated with less parts and a proven/robust joint. My thinking is that a u-joint would be cheaper to manufacture and less failure-prone. i.e.: “why would BMW put a c/v joint on a d/s?”

What I don't understand is ...... How is it in the U.S. that a service writer can have very little knowledge about a car, and have a job. Nothing against you, my brother is prob. going to start as a service writer at Audi in Chicago and has little knowledge of cars.

Ah – well.. sorry there – a c/v joint on a d/s just surprised me is all.. and my function at this particular shop is mainly to assist the owner with customer interface, data entry, and getting parts ordered fast so the techs don’t have down-time. We tend to get problematic cars in, have our techs evaluate issues, then I step in to call around for parts pricing and refer to a software program to determine established tech hours. From there, I can communicate with the customer to see if they want the repair done. That sort of shit is fun for me – and I have a perverse love for ordering car parts. Even it’s a little wrong or the customer doesn’t want/can’t afford to do the job, the parts can always be returned. Also – we are by no means European/BMW specific. ALL manner of cars get worked on here.. from old 60s cars to newer US/domestic vehicles.

Over here you need to be a mechanic, with even more schooling (service tech)

I hear you – and you’re right. I’m pretty sure full-on service techs earn more than service writers – and to be a certified tech AND a service writer would be tricky to afford here in the states. The owner where I work is a super-decent guy, and appreciates that I’m passionate about cars – and passionate about helping people out. I understand that there is much to learn about ALL worldly vehicles made over decades of time, but that’s exactly why I’m so happy here – and again, appreciated by my employer.

https://www.reece-auto.com

[Simon S]

why would BMW put a c/v joint on a d/s?

Answer: smoother power delivery and a c/v joint can be built to withstand more torque. Was told Mopar was doing this using a cruder version of c/v joints as far back as the late 60s and 70s.

List price on the replacement c/v joint was $218 + packing grease + ~2.2 hours labor. Out the door and happy customer..