1993 525i Drive Shaft Replacement - anyone tried?

[shield17]

I have been advised by local BMW Dealer that a vibration I am experiancing in my 1993 525i is due to a bad drive shft. Wants about $1500.00 to replace it! Anyone tried this at "home?" I am sick over the money issue. I have moderate mechanical experience. Anyone replaced one. How easy / time consuming? Any tricks of the trade or repairs to the present shaft? Any help would be appreciated!

[TheGeak]

$1500?! whoa....

i had the drive shaft replaced on my '91 M5 for about $550 at and indy shop (that was including the price of the driveshaft)

However, you might want to make SURE that its your driveshaft and not just a flex disk. or possibly a cv joint

[ryan roopnarine]

look?

[Warren N.CA]

I did my E30, recently. You need the car up on 4 jack stands. Get a new DS, complete with flex disk from BMA or someplace. Sell your old one for $25 plus shipping to a rebuilder. New DS will cost around $600-700. So, save around 500 by DIY. Must have Bentley book. Exhaust must come off first.

I have been advised by local BMW Dealer that a vibration I am experiancing in my 1993 525i is due to a bad drive shft. Wants about $1500.00 to replace it! Anyone tried this at "home?" I am sick over the money issue. I have moderate mechanical experience. Anyone replaced one. How easy / time consuming? Any tricks of the trade or repairs to the present shaft? Any help would be appreciated!

[Unregistered]

$1500?! whoa....

i had the drive shaft replaced on my '91 M5 for about $550 at and indy shop (that was including the price of the driveshaft)

However, you might want to make SURE that its your driveshaft and not just a flex disk. or possibly a cv joint

Jason, you mean u-joint, cv joint is off of the differential

[TheGeak]

hah, yeah....*note to self, pay attention to what the HELL you're typing*

[ryan roopnarine]

describe what you mean by "vibration". winfred "implied" to me that it was somewhat difficult for the driveshaft to be damaged beyond reuse unless it was in some type of collision or was just old, or at least that's what i got from speaking to him....he might have said something else. the cv joint at the back that connects the DS to the differential is serviceable, the u joint is not....

[BMW-F1-FAN]

Bought it from BMA for $600. If your u-joints are bad then get a new shaft. Try replacing the center support bearing and bracket fist. $38. Took me 3 hours to replace the driveshaft...pretty ease job. Helps to have someone shift it from neutral to park though.

[Hector]

buy one from BMP with the replaceable u-joints. If you can replace u-joints and center bearing (not the case for all models) dude, more power to ya.
hector

I have been advised by local BMW Dealer that a vibration I am experiancing in my 1993 525i is due to a bad drive shft. Wants about $1500.00 to replace it! Anyone tried this at "home?" I am sick over the money issue. I have moderate mechanical experience. Anyone replaced one. How easy / time consuming? Any tricks of the trade or repairs to the present shaft? Any help would be appreciated!