Will Damage To The Axle Total Your Car?

First And Foremost: The Car’s Axles

Your axles connect each pair of your car’s wheels and maintain their position. They deliver power from the engine to the wheels, pushing your car in the desired direction.

The numerous parts that make up your axles include:

• Driveshaft
• Gaskets
• Coil Springs
• Strut Assembly
• Sway Bar
• Ball Joints
• Front/Rear Axle Differential

Each of these components operates in unison to provide you with the smoothest ride possible. With all these items working together, it’s crucial that the integrity of your axles isn’t compromised.

Why Is Axle Strength Important?

The entire weight of your vehicle, its cargo, and any passengers inside sits atop your axles. Furthermore, they absorb the shock from uneven or poorly constructed roads, ensuring your drive is as smooth as it is safe.

Weakness in your car’s axles can impact the overall performance and safety of your vehicle. Damaged axles can make your ride rough and uncomfortable in the best case scenario and an absolute hazard to operate in the worst.

The types of axles include:

• Front Axles - Located at the front of your vehicle, these axles serve the purpose of supporting steering and absorbing the shock of uneven roads. They can either be classified as “live” or “dead.”

• Live Axles - These cars rotate the wheels and propel the car forward. Dead axles, however, serve to support the weight of the vehicle and do not transfer power or torque to the wheels.

• Rear Axles - Aptly named after their position, the rear axles are almost always live axles and propel your car forward. The rear axles are typically connected to the engine’s driveshaft, which powers the rotation of the rear wheels.

• Stub Axles - Stub axles are found on vehicles with rear-wheel drive. They are attached to one of the ends of the front axles via kingpins and come in four arrangements: Elliot, reverse Elliot, Lamoine, and Lamoine reverse.

How Do You Know If Your Axle Is Damaged?

There are a multitude of symptoms that can indicate that your car has a broken axle. Some are more noticeable than others, but all of them should be checked out by a professional mechanic.

Due to being composed of multiple parts, car axles can suffer damage at various points:

• Bent/Cracked Shaft - The severity of the crack may make your vehicle inoperable.

• Loose/Damaged CV Joint - A broken CV joint can cause instability in your vehicle.

• Cracked CV Boot - Causes grease leaks and exposes the friction the CV joint is exposed to.

Damage incurred to any of these parts can result in these experiences:

• Rough turning

• Vibrations while driving

• Clunking, grinding, or clicking noises

• Shaking steering wheel

• Pulling to one side when driving

• Wobbling wheels

• Sputtering noises

If you have rear-wheel or all-wheel drive on your car, you might be looking for signs of a bad rear axle, specifically. However, both front and rear axles can have similar symptoms.

How Much Does It Cost To Repair An Axle?

Axles aren’t cheap to repair and, on top of that, the repair costs for each axle can differ. Furthermore, repair costs can vary depending on where the damage is, what parts have been damaged, and how severe the damage is.

Smaller axle parts that can be replaced fall somewhere between $50-$200. Those include:

• CV axle replacement: $50 - $150

• CV boot replacement: $100 - $200

Larger parts, however, can run more expensive and are what you can typically expect to pay for when considering axle repair. These larger parts are:

• Rear axle shaft: $150 - $400

• Front axle repair: $500-$600

• Rear axle repair: $430 -$480

Replacing both your front and rear axle is much more expensive and labor intensive than just repairing them.

• Front axle replacement: $700 - $4,000

• Rear axle replacement: $900 - $3,500

They can easily run you several thousand dollars and time without access to your car. Additionally, labor costs for axle repair and a necessary wheel alignment can tack on an extra $200-$400 to the entire repair process.

If Your Axle Is Broken, Is Your Car Totaled?

Depending on the severity of the axle damage, the costs of repairs, and the value of your car, it very well may be totaled. Your insurance provider will make an analysis and determine whether or not to deem your vehicle totaled.

Axle damage is seen as structural damage, due to the load-bearing nature of axles and their involvement in vehicle propulsion. The cost of repairing them may be beyond the threshold of what your insurance company wants to handle.

Who Buys Cars With Broken Axles?

Once your car is deemed totaled due to axle damage, you’ll likely expect the usual suspects to purchase your vehicle: Junkyards and Private Buyers. Each has their pros and cons depending upon how quickly you’re trying to sell your car, how much money you’re trying to make, and how much hassle you’re willing to put up with.

Junkyards — When looking for places that buy totaled cars near you, local junkyards are the common choice. They purchase them quickly, but they make their profit by buying low and reselling the usable parts.

Private Buyers — Private buyers aren’t restricted by pricing or any condition constraints. If your model is popular and in demand, someone will want it. Finding that person, however, can be a massive hassle; vetting serious candidates and haggling being the most annoying parts.

While these are the common choices, a newer, convenient choice is CarBrain!

CarBrain specializes in buying less-than-perfect cars, including yours with the broken axles!

At CarBrain, we aim to make sure your entire process goes as smoothly for you as possible. It’s so easy, we can break it down into 1-2-3:

1. Get your free quote! Simply enter basic information about your car and you’ll receive a free quote within 90 seconds.

2. Schedule your pickup within 24-48 hours! If you’re happy with your quote, you’ll be able to schedule your vehicle retrieval with one of our partners within your area. They’re trusted to come to you at a time that works best for you.
   
   Don’t worry about towing! Vehicle retrieval is complementary; no hidden fees taken out of your offer so you get all the profit and none of the hassle.

3. Complete your sale! A short inspection and title transfer, then voila! you’ll receive the amount you were quoted without any haggling whatsoever. Your vehicle is taken off your hands and money is put in them!

Contact CarBrain today and sell your car without leaving the comfort of your own home!