IM Axle Specialists have been repairing axles for over 10 years and in that time, we have refined our processes and manufactured our own bespoke tools to ensure every axle refurbishment can be completed to very high standards.
Although we now also offer new axles, we continue to refurbish used OEM axles and further refine our processes to ensure we can continue to deliver the service our growing customers worldwide demand from us.
What causes an axle to fail?
The main cause starts with the trailing arms filling with water, dirt and salt which then doesn’t fully wash out and over time causes rust on the needle roller bearings. The corrosion eventually works past the bearings and onto the axle shaft that the bearings sit on, which eventually results in the trailing arm becoming unstable.
A corroded axle shaft can be diagnosed by checking if the wheel is leaning in or out with excessive camber, or if the wheel is completely unstable and vibrating under normal driving conditions.
Renault axle failures are commonly caused by the torsion bar corroding to the extent where it breaks or by overloading the vehicle. We have a range of torsion bars in stock which can be replaced by most workshops if a full refurbishment isn’t required.
Peugeot/Citroen vehicles which have a rear axle can manage anywhere from 50k to 150k kilometres before failing depending on the local climate and road conditions, but we estimate an axle replacement will be required at some point in their lifetime.
Can’t a workshop refurbish an axle to the same standard?
It is possible for the workshop to change the shafts and bearings of an axle and both parts are available on the market from suppliers such as Ruville. However, to fit the repair kit a workshop must also invest in a tool kit and then also purchase a repair kit for every axle refurbishment.
There is of course much more involved in correctly refurbishing an axle other than replacing worn components, and you can find a full list of the steps we carry out on each axle refurbishment further down on this page.
The final price they quote to cover these costs is inevitably much higher than what IM Axle Specialists can charge as we already have a complete range of tool kits which we have manufactured and large stocks of the repair components in stock at all times.
There is an issue of a typical workshop being limited to only being able to replace the shafts and bearings which is usually not the only problem as the axle could be internally worn beyond repair. If such damage is discovered, then a workshop wouldn’t be able to complete the job due to their inexperience and access to equipment which is required to fix the various issues that can be found on an axle.
This could potentially leave the customer with an unfinished axle which can’t be fitted and a very high workshop invoice.
We estimate in a workshop environment, the total time to just dismantle an axle, change the shafts / bearings, apply a protective paint coating and reassemble the axle and can take up to 8 hours.
The total cost of the repair done in this way is much higher compared to purchasing and fitting an axle from IM Axle Specialists, which can be fitted by any workshop as no special tools are needed and it can all be done in only 2-3 hours.
How does IM Axle Specialists refurbish an axle?
Each refurbished axle that IM Axle Specialists supply goes through the following steps.
- Axle dismantled into component parts
- Old bearings removed and discarded
- Component parts shotblasted to remove all corrosion, dirt and old paint
- Trailing arms and centre tube are inspected for irregularities in dimensions
- Original axle shafts replaced with precision-engineered hardened axle shafts
- Bearing surface in the trailing arm is cleaned and resurfaced if necessary
- SKF bearings and seals fitted into trailing arms
- New axle bushes fitted
- Component parts repainted in factory colours using tough and durable 2 pack epoxy paint
- Axle is reassembled to OE factory specification and ride height*
*Custom lowered or increased ride heights can be arranged at no extra cost. Please specify when ordering.