So shame on me, I didn't do any research on rotoflex quality before buying the $35 special on ebay.

The kit came with new bolts and center bushing but everything I'm reading about the cheap units makes me wonder if I should even install it. It's already half apart (had to wait to remove the old center bushing until after work) but I'm gonna be pissed if it's toast in a weak or less.

Can I reasonably expect it to last a year or so?

 

You might get lucky. The last cheap-o rotoflex I bought a few years ago lasted less than 6 months on a stock suspension truck. That was a lesson I only had to learn once..... GKN Rotoflex or NOTHING! There really is a big difference in quality. Good Luck!

 

great... hopefully it will at least help me determine where my vibration is coming from

 

I hope you have a better outcome than I did. I still get pissed when I think about that Blue Bag with the $hitpart roto in it.

You probably already know this, and I don't remember if the cheap-o roto has the arrow markings for the bolts like the GKN does.... but anyway it mounts like in the pic

 

How long did yours last? Actually this one has no markings on it whatsoever.

 

I've been riding on a cheap amazon rotoflex for about 4 months now, I have an extra 2 junkyard ones in the car just in case. My car has a lift and spacers so it's getting tweaked a good amount and it still seems to be holding up good. Probably has a good 6k miles on it. I would pack a spare just in case but think you should be ok at least for 6 months.

 

Roughly 5 months, but it started to feel like crap around the end of the 3rd.
It started with slight driveline vibration and just got worse. And the roto didn't tear itself apart in some major way. In 5 months it had the stress cracks (few deep ones) that you could see on a GKN with 70K plus miles. The material of the cheap-o rotos is garbage made in china or india. And my experience was not the only that I know of.
IMHO if someone gave me one of these for free I would pass.

If you have to use it, so be it. Just save your $ and get a GKN (made in Germany) when you can. RovahFarm has them for $73 and you can probably find them even cheaper.

 

Alright, thanks guys! I'll install this one tonight and see if it solves my vibration but I'll go ahead and order a better one to throw in the glove box for the near future.

At least I've familiarized myself with a worn out piece. I've overlooked the one that was in it for months because it just didn't look that had but upon inspection it's is as soft as a marshmallow and the center bushing is very sloppy.

 

Cool you'll get it sorted. > RovahFarm for all your new Land Rover Parts and Accessories

Just for giggles, if you can tell, what brand was the old roto that you removed? Normally a GKN will stress crack with age and not really get "soft". Just curious to see what was in there.
The pic is what the markings on a GKN would look like.

 

Just as an aside, you *might* consider calling your Rover dealer with your VIN. If a prior owner ever had this work done, Rover may redo your rotoflex for free as part of this factory recall campaign for Discovery 2's: Rear Propeller Shaft Flexible Coupling Part Number TVF100010 | The Land Rover Center