Drive joints

Metallic knocks during start-up or vibration of the entire vehicle indicate damage to the drive joints. Troubleshooting is expensive.

Metallic knocks during start-up or vibration of the entire vehicle indicate damage to the drive joints. Repairing a defect is expensive, as it usually consists of replacing the connection with a new one.

Drive joints are in every car with independent suspension. Most cars are front-wheel drive, which means that the joints work in tough conditions, as they have to transfer loads at large angles. Unfortunately, their durability at maximum deflection much less than in a straight line. However, the durability of the joints is high, provided they are used correctly.

Drive joints do not like two things - high loads from the rotation of the wheels and dirt entering through a damaged cover. If the shell is damaged, the connection can be destroyed within a few days. It also breaks down quickly if the driver often starts off with squealing tires and additionally on twisted wheels.

The outer hinges wear out the fastest, i.e. the ones on wheels. However, damage to internal joints can also occur. The symptoms of both wear are completely different.

External joint failure is manifested by sound effects. In the first stage, you only hear a metallic thud at full turn and heavy load. As the damage progresses, the noise gets louder, clearer, and audible with less twisting and less stress. In extreme cases, the connection may fall apart, making further movement impossible.

In most cases, the wear of the internal joints is manifested in strong vibrations transmitted to the entire vehicle. Vibrations increase during acceleration and almost completely disappear when driving in neutral. Sometimes the cause of these vibrations is too little grease in the joint, so repairs can be started by refilling with grease, even if no leaks are visible. When this does not help, there is nothing left but to replace the hinge with a new one.

Replacing a joint is not a complicated operation and takes no more than 1-2 hours in most passenger cars. In some vehicles, you don't even need to remove the driveshaft. All you need to do is remove the pivot from the hub, open the special ring and you can remove it from the driveshaft without any resistance.

However, on vehicles that are several years old, it may be difficult to loosen the bolts or remove the pivot from the hub, as the splines "get stuck" in the hub. The cost of replacing an articulation in passenger cars ranges from PLN 30 to PLN 100, depending on the suspension design and workshop.  

How much does a joint cost?

Hinges are an expensive item. In most cases, ASO prices reach PLN 1500 or even PLN 2000 per joint. Fortunately, substitutes can be successfully used, which are plentiful and available for most vehicles. They have a differentiated price, which also affects the quality.

When to replace?

You can ride for a while with a knocking joint. This is difficult to determine because the wear behavior must be controlled. If this happens very quickly, you should not delay the repair. When knocks occur only at maximum speed, they are insignificant and only audible under heavy load, you can wait for repairs.

Examples of prices for external joints

Make and model car	Joint price in ASO (PLN)	Price replacement (PLN)
Audi A4 1.8T	750	145 (4 max) 195 (Speed)
Peugeot Partner 2.0 HDi	800	240 (4 max) 360 (Speed)
Ford Focus i 1.6	1280	150 (4 max) 190 (GLO)
Toyota Avensis 2.0i	1600	160 (4 max) 240 (Speed)
Opel Corsa B 1.2i	1200	105 (4 max) 190 (Speed)