I'm not sure about the difference between the axle joint and the CV joint,
but I think that they are the same thing by your description.  When I had my
CV joints go out on me (both sides, one left me stranded, I discovered the
other when I repaired the first), I ordered reman halfshafts from my FLAPS
for about $120 + core, so I wouldn't have to install the CV on the shaft,
and by the time it was all said and done, the I got 2 ready to install half
shafts for the price of 3 individual CV joints, and less labor.  It took me
6 hours to do the job from start to finish (7 hrs if I include gathering
tools, animals visiting me under the car, and puting the car on jack
stands), but could be done faster if it was on a lift and I was a little
more sloppy about it.  As it was, I solvent washed the "sockets" that the
individual CV's fit into, and I was as sanitary as if I was rebuilding the
engine.  Hope this helps...

-Aaron Mckay
                                 mckayaa@oit.edu
                                 college student in mechanical
                                 engineering at Oregon Institute of
Technology
                                 '85 vanagon GL
                                 Blue Austrailian Shepard cleaning my face
                                 as I work under the van

-----Original Message-----
From: Timothy Crooks, RN,CDE <anc1cde@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Date: Thursday, January 21, 1999 12:43 AM
Subject: CV joint or Axle Joint?

>Whist having work done on my 1990 GL at a VW dealer (it was insurance
>work from the fire) the service manager mentioned that the tech wanted
>my to know there was an axle joint, the right outer that is, was going
>bad.  Yes it does sound bad, I wish I could record it and send it as a
>.wav file for you all to hear.
>    Any way my question is, is the axle joint synomonous with the CV
>joint?  My boot seems to be intact.  Has anyone had this happen before?
>I do have 215,000 miles in this thing.  Is the repair labour/time
>intensive?  Any advice would be appreciated.  Thank you in advance,
>-Tim
>Barnegat, NJ, USA
>1990 GL
>