Use of aftermarket driveshafts

I am wondering if group members have experience with aftermarket driveshafts. I was working on replacing the front struts on my 2006 Highlander Hybrid (92K miles on the odometer), and the right side driveshaft dislocated the inner CV joint (this joint has a "tripod" which can slide in and out to some extent. Unfortunately it pulled out totally from its housing.)

The MSRP on the Toyota-branded driveshaft is $616; $462 at Olathe Toyota in Kansas. Meanwhile eBay has an aftermarket part for $87, and Rockauto offers a few choices, all priced under the $87 price.

I normally like to use Toyota-branded parts or at least an aftermarket part made by the original equipment supplier (like KYB in the case of struts/shocks) but the price gap on this driveshaft is too wide to ignore.

I'm interested in hearing about your experience with aftermarket driveshafts, and this doesn't even have to be related to Prius or Toyota vehicles. Thanks!

 

Thanks, I think it is fair to assume that the non-branded aftermarket parts are manufactured in China.

 

Here's an update to this situation: I decided that all that was needed was to install a new aftermarket CV boot clamp. I cleaned out the old grease with brake parts cleaner, bought two tubes of CV joint grease (the spec is ~6 ounces of grease in that particular joint) and was able to put the driveshaft back together.

I did not pull the inner portion of the driveshaft from the transaxle housing as I was able to replace the boot clamp with the driveshaft in place. Hence, no need to replace the transaxle seal or a plastic clip which holds the right side driveshaft to a bearing external to the transaxle. (That driveshaft is so long that it goes through a bearing a few inches to the right of the transaxle case opening.)

I bought a tool to install the aftermarket CV joint clamp and that worked well. The instructions provided with the tool were not helpful, but fortunately other tool users had posted videos to show how the tool works. Basically, this tool allows you to pull on the tail of the clamp to tighten it up against the rubber boot.

The repair manual indicates that you are supposed to match-mark the joint before disassembly so that you can reassemble with the same orientation between the housing of the joint vs. the tripod that inserts into it. Since the joint fell apart on me, I just put it back together with a 33% chance of putting the joint back to the original orientation. Regardless, it works and I do not notice unusual noise or vibration coming from the driveshaft.

It was necessary to completely disassemble the front suspension on that side: I removed the disc and disc caliper from the hub and steering knuckle; then removed the steering knuckle from the lower control arm and the steering tie rod.

I disconnected the 12V battery negative terminal prior to removing the disc caliper, to make sure the skid control ECU was not going to have a fit. After reassembly, I pressed hard on the brake pedal a few times before reconnecting the 12V battery, to take up any gap between the brake pads and the disc.

Amazingly, it was not hard to remove the hub nut using my Makita electric impact wrench. (The tightening torque is 217 ft.-lb.) The impact wrench was also helpful in loosening the other suspension hardware.

After completing the front struts, I took the HiHy for wheel alignment yesterday, as the front toe adjustment was way off. Now that the wheels are aligned, the ride is great.

I'll probably install the rear struts later in the fall, there is no rush considering the relatively high ambient air temps in the summer which makes it unpleasant to work on the car besides in the early morning hours.