85 300CD Rear Axle Cost of Replacement

A Mechanic wants $1000 to install new axles in my 1985 300CD. This includes parts and labor. Is this reasonable? I have a 1979 or 1980 300CD parts car. Are these the same alxes? How difficult to do do the job myself? Can I use these axles? Are the 123's axles all interchangeable for these years?

Forums

Body and Interior Specific Aid

Chassis Model Number

W123

Options

We have new axles available on a holiday special for $185 each that may fit your car. I have also written a manual on how to replace these yourself. Most 123 axles are interchangeable. There are other items that I recommend you replace at the same time.

CLICK HERE to read more.

Axles

Are these new ones you are sellling aftermarket or ATE? Do they come with the flex boots? How can I tell if my axles that I have on my parts car 1979/1980 300CD can be swapped for my 1985 300CD?

Axle swap trick?

Well I took out the old axles and put them in my 1985. They fit. One problem is that on the drivers side axle I can't seem to get it in far enough to get the retaining clip back on. I just need a coupl of hairs worth of more room. The passenger side has plenty of room for the clip. I even tried reinstalling the orginal axle back in to see if there was a slight size difference, but same issue with the original axle I just took out and removed the clip from?. Also I noticed on the 1985 axles they had a small thin washer on the section that slides into the diff. The 79/80 did not have these thin washers. They are interchangeable on each alxe. Sould I use them? It would seem to cause me more of a space issue on the drivers side though and I need every bit I can get. Also could I run it without one of the retaining clips? What's the chance of the axle comeing out of there going down the road? Seems like the tolerances are tight. Is there a trick to this? I tried jacking up the drivers side to see if it would come in more. Maybe slightly but I still need a tad bit more

I just had it done, and the

I just had it done, and the mechanic told me that it would be $1000, but they ended finishing faster than they thought and price ended up around $800. But it's kind of hard to tell because i had them do rear pads too.