Rear Axles (GKN)

Dave92N54 · 10-04-2024, 09:02 PM

Has anyone here purchased GKN axles for their 335?

Right before the hurricane hit I was in the process of replacing my rear left wheel bearing. Once I got the axle out I pretty quickly realized it may have been the source of my “wheel bearing” noise. The outer join had some audible rotational play in it. Probably explains the clicking noise when driving next to a wall too.

Well, I ordered a new axle and now with the rain gone I just got it in.

I went back to my old axle and immediately could see the OE shaft was much thicker than the new GKN. The GKN even had two areas that were stepped down to an even thinner design right by the joints. This is really odd to me, as the one that came off the car originally even has a GKN sticker and I was under the impression GKNs were the original part.

I’m looking to see if anyone else has noticed this and if they’ve had any issues with GKN replacements.

CarAbuser · Yesterday, 12:29 PM

You probably have the wrong part. I replaced one of my rear axles and the GKN part was identical to the original. There is a load of different part numbers out there for the E9x so easy to get the wrong one.

Dave92N54 · Yesterday, 12:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarAbuser

You probably have the wrong part. I replaced one of my rear axles and the GKN part was identical to the original. There is a load of different part numbers out there for the E9x so easy to get the wrong one.

I did order from FCP. Part # on the box, order, and axle shaft all match. I used RealOEM for the OE number and search.

whyzee125 · Yesterday, 10:09 PM

In my experience, OE parts are often significantly different than genuine parts. If the part number is for a 335 and you aren’t making crazy power I’m sure it’s just fine but I can think of a number of examples of this.

It’s also possible that there were several iterations as they cheapened quite a few things down on e90s later in their run.

10-04-2024, 09:02 PM	#1
Dave92N54 Major 532 Rep 1,169 Posts Drives: 09 E92 335i 6MT Join Date: Nov 2020 Location: Westminster, Maryland iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW 335i [10.00]	Rear Axles (GKN) Has anyone here purchased GKN axles for their 335? Right before the hurricane hit I was in the process of replacing my rear left wheel bearing. Once I got the axle out I pretty quickly realized it may have been the source of my “wheel bearing” noise. The outer join had some audible rotational play in it. Probably explains the clicking noise when driving next to a wall too. Well, I ordered a new axle and now with the rain gone I just got it in. I went back to my old axle and immediately could see the OE shaft was much thicker than the new GKN. The GKN even had two areas that were stepped down to an even thinner design right by the joints. This is really odd to me, as the one that came off the car originally even has a GKN sticker and I was under the impression GKNs were the original part. I’m looking to see if anyone else has noticed this and if they’ve had any issues with GKN replacements. __________________ 09 E92 335i 6MT / Alpine White / Coral Red / VRSF 7.5" / VRSF DCI / VRSF Catless Downpipes / VTT Charge Pipe / Turbosmart RacePort Gen V / RB OEM Billet Turbos / CD919 Custom Tune / Bilstein PSS9s
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Yesterday, 12:29 PM	#2
CarAbuser Lieutenant Colonel 486 Rep 1,547 Posts Drives: Z4 35i DCT / E92 335i DCT Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: United Kingdom iTrader: (0)	You probably have the wrong part. I replaced one of my rear axles and the GKN part was identical to the original. There is a load of different part numbers out there for the E9x so easy to get the wrong one.
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Yesterday, 10:09 PM	#4
whyzee125 Brigadier General 1937 Rep 3,970 Posts Drives: Dinan stage 2 335i Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Chattanooga Tn iTrader: (0)	In my experience, OE parts are often significantly different than genuine parts. If the part number is for a 335 and you aren’t making crazy power I’m sure it’s just fine but I can think of a number of examples of this. It’s also possible that there were several iterations as they cheapened quite a few things down on e90s later in their run.
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