2 new CV Axles for the A5 shipped cost me $300 from RA.
Do you trust the cheapo ones from RA?
I was checking out of curiosity what they carry for BMW and they too have only cheapo ones...$60 for a CV axle?! Seriously, that's way too cheap....
The OE GKN is $300-$400 USD each. BMW Genuine is probably around $1000 CAD. The price difference is crazy....
Why do you constantly believe everything without a BMW/Audi/Porshe part number is "cheapo". Often they are made by the exact same company. Except with the company's logo rather than the OEMs logo on it. You are an OEM parts manager's wet dream. More expensive parts don't always equal "better". And the problem maybe isn't that something is cheap but rather the OEM pricing is grossly inflated.
I bought TrakMotive. Their sole business is CV joints...nothing else. Brand new and not re-manufactured. AAR socket design..the whole deal.
I'm confident that this will meet or exceed OEM. I find OEM German stuff is often questionable. And seem to fail far, far sooner than Japanese OEM stuff. Go check where some of the German OEM parts are made. Not Germany! I was told my water pump failure on the Porsche at about 90k was "normal". Seriously?
You grossly misunderstood my post and most likely my older posts on the parts choices. FWIW I didn't/don't buy any parts from the dealer other than hardware, trim pieces, sometimes accessories, so no, I'm definitely not the OEM parts manager's wet dream. I hope you can put that misconception to rest now.
I buy mostly from RA as you know, but I always look for the brand that makes the respective part for the manufacturer (I call it OE) but without the logo and branded box. Like you said, these parts are a fraction of the cost for the Genuine OEM part and gives some assurance on fit and quality, hence my preference. Typically these parts are not significantly more expensive on RA, if at all, than the alternative aftermarket brands so why not.
FYI: For better or for worse, with two or three exceptions, everything I bought to date from RA for BMW was either made in Germany or EU. A single part was made in China (headlight washers). The other exceptions are South Africa (radiator) and Turkey (some of the power steering and cooling hoses). Everything I bought Genuine BMW was made in Germany or Western Europe.
Back to my original post, in the CV axle case I commented on (if you read my post carefully), I pointed out as a simple observation the fact that the gap between the aftermarket brands available on RA and OE equivalent (which in BMW case is GKN) is quite significant - $60-$100 CAD vs $300-$400 USD. RA doesn't offer the GKN part for a direct comparison but it would still be $300-$400 CAD if they would.
This is why I called the aftermarket "cheapo" because to me, a CV axle at $60 CAD is ridiculously cheap, hence the question....and trust me, it was a genuine question in itself. I like cheap, but dirt cheap prompts questions.... I surely hope it works out good for you.