Excellent fit and quality. Highly recommended.

Way better than the cheaper option which has since been discontinued.

A bit of a tight fit, both into the differential and the hub, but other than that the part seems high quality and is a no brainer with FCP's lifetime warranty.

2001 325xit manual 147,000 miles Being a fairly competent mechanic, I usually opt for less expensive parts from FCP. Their lifetime warranty gave me the piece of mind that if I ever had any problems I could easily swap the failed component(s) at a minimal cost. This mindset has worked well over the past 7 years until my wife's 325xit developed a clicking noise from the from axles. A quick inspection revealed that the OEM axle boots had cracked/split. At the time FCP have several replacement options ranging from $170- over $600. I chose the least expensive option and quickly learned why those axles were so cheap! After the install I could feel a vibration under acceleration in 1st-3rd gear. Thinking this problem was a separate issue, I replaced the Guibo, driveshaft, and rear diff bushing. 7,000 miles later, the boots completely disintegrated which prompted me to replace them with a rebuilt set from A1Cardone (based on a few suggestions on a popular E46 forum). That set lasted about 13,000 before failing and the vibration upon acceleration problem still persisted. This time I opted for the GKN set and they made all the difference in the world! Not only did they correct the vibration problem, they made the car easier to maneuver while modulating the clutch due to I believe to be a huge decrease in drivetrain play (that I thought was caused by a failing transfercase. For anyone considering a less expensive product, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME, and don't forget to order a pair of driveshaft seals 33-10-7-505-601/104 or 01025620B(order 3 if you've never replaced them before).

I didn't waste time, after reading the stories on multiple forums of peoples problems with aftermarket/rebuilt axles. It's been about 6000 miles and no issues. They're expensive but these are the ones you will keep for a long time.

BMW axle shafts without the BMW name or "price". Still quite a bit more than lesser axles (I tried them) save yourself the time and headache and get these, you will not be disappointed!

The right front axle ('02 325XiT) is the biggest job I've tackled on this car, thank goodness there are lots of online videos to review before taking it on. The most important lesson I can pass on is that the tie rod did not need to be disconnected. Second would be that some videos comment on a "missing part", the ring that fits into the differential housing; be sure to move it over from the old axle to the new. Third lesson is that the effort to pop the axle in that last little bit is surprisingly high and a bit of a challenge doing it by yourself. I ended up using a short length of 2x4 as a lever to get it close (using the control arm as a fulcrum) and whacking the 2x4 right behind the axle stub with a really big hammer. Finally, the lower control arm connects via a small arm or rod to a lever on a box that controls the headlight up and down motion. It is really easy to have this lever on the box spin 180 degrees from its correct location and then your headlights no longer to the up and down thing when you start the car nor will they adjust properly when driving. Make note of the correct position before disassembly and again when you put things back together. If you mess it up, the easiest way to fix it is to remove the 2 nuts holding the bracket and rod to the lower control arm, spin the lever around and reassemble. It's been a year now and have absolutely no complaints with the replacement axle. It's a brand new product yet still far less expensive than having the dealer replace a torn boot, and only a few bucks more than a rebuilt part. When the left front boot goes again I'll get the companion axle and replace it too. I'm still debating what to do with the old axle: recycle as scrap or see if my local parts store can give it to their vendor for rebuild?