Driveshaft and mechanic troubles - looking for advice.
2006 w 187k. I have had major issues with a mechanic that replaced my front and rear driveshafts with aftermarket parts. The reason I had them replaced, was there were signs the front one was done, and the rear one was on its way out. Yes, I now know thanks to these forums that I could have kept my OEM parts and had the joints replaced.
I picked up my car after the repair and the entire car was violently shaking at highway speeds. Long story short, the mechanic denied an issue with the new parts, and I had to pay for a secondary diagnoses by another mechanic. They focused on the rear as it seemed after driving it, that was likely the culprit. I didn’t have them check the front driveshaft, though I should have in retrospect.
They said the slip yoke appeared to be seized on output shaft of transmission, and no free movement for the driveshaft to move (slip) freely during travel. It has destroyed u-joint at the rear dif. I also had to pay to have it towed back to the original mechanic, as the vibration was so bad - I was told continuing to drive it could damage surrounding parts.
After a lot of bs, with the original mechanic that I will spare you, as I did initially try and have them warranty the part, they agreed to put my old OEM rear driveshaft back on and refund me the rear part/labor. When I picked up the car, they randomly informed me the rear driveshaft they purchased was a few inches longer than my OEM. I am looking for confirmation that this is an issue and likely was causing the issues diagnosed by the first mechanic. They also tried to tell me the rear u-joint was not damaged, but as far as I know it should not be moving in such a stiff jolty way. I’ll include a video of the rear u-joint vs the front u-joint for reference. Can someone confirm for me a u-joint should be moving more freely?
My car is vibrating much less with the rear OEM driveshaft, but still vibrating and not running right. I called a trusted transmission shop who offered to try and replace the u-joints on my OEM parts, as they work with a powertrain shop on town.
I want to go back to the original mechanic once more and discuss the issues with the rear part they installed, and also ask them to remove and refund me for the front driveshaft as I have zero competence the part or installation is correct, and it might be causing the issue.
Either that, or I wait to have the transmission shop diagnose, repair, and if there is an issue with the front driveshaft, go back to them then and ask for a refund.
I don’t want the original shop doing any more work on my car, which is why I am going to push for a refund. I have to start new with the other shop for diagnoses fees/repairs, etc.
I have had a lot of feedback that the situation with the first mechanic was negligence.
I appreciate any input on this matter.
