Hi guys,

My daughter just bought 2005 350Z. About 131,000.

The inner boot on the driver's side rear axle is completely torn in half. She bought a new "Import Direct" axle from O'Reilly but I know Z-1 has a rebuild kit for the inner boot for about $50.

Z-1 axle service kit

My question would be is if the existing axle is an OEM, would it be better to just use the Z-1 kit and if so, how can I tell if the existing axle is OEM?

Or maybe the OEM axles aren't anything special and the O'Reilly one is just as good?

Thanks for any input.

 

OEM axles are the best of the bunch. Aftermarket are generally garbage, there might be a few decent options, but none of those are sold from O'Reilly or Autozone.

If you can confirm no serious joint damage occurred on the axle with the torn boot, then a rebuild kit is the way to go. It's a messy job, but a much better option than replacing with aftermarket.

I recently upgraded to 370Z axles/bearings on my 06 350Z. I purchased *used* 370Z axles on Ebay because I don't trust the cheap aftermarket ones, not even NVA (Nissan Value Advantage). Original axles go for over $2k a set. If you're interested, I have a low mileage (~58k mi) set of spare OEM 350Z axles I'm willing to part with. Just PM me. Note: The set I have uses the 6-bolt differential flange, I think some years or automatic Zs have a 5-bolt.
Cheers!
-Icer

 

Thanks, I did PM you.

How can I tell if the existing axle is OEM? Are there any telltale markings I should look for?

 

There might be some markings, but I can't say if those markings in the steel castings are unique to OEM or not. I think one of the easiest areas to check would be the rubber boot moldings. These should say "made in Japan" on them somewhere if they're OEM.
Cheers!
-Icer