Puma Drive Flanges

[ExtinctPuma]

Hi all,

I know much has been discussed, but I am just shy of 30000 km with significant drive flange issues on a 2015 Puma...The usual flakes of metal and almost copper-coloured rust is present on the polyurethane caps. Lots of play is present, and LR will have to replace under warranty. Also there is movement between the top and bottom of the wheel. I suspect the idiot assembling didn't pre-load the new spaced bearing...I would assume all four wheels are the same.
How ironic. A production change to speed up assembly has resulted in more failures of such a basic item with more time spent re-doing all the work anyway.
I was at the wreckers today for another vehicle I own and curiosity got the better of me. I saw two discovery 1's, so I poped the front axle caps off to check out the flanges. Low-and-behold, the damn splines had been lubricated, with no obvious signs of fretting wear, even at half a million kms! Why the hell didn't LR implement this change to the Defenders! I suspect that because the flanges fail after warranty, there is no reason to implement a production change...Such a cheap, simple part and they can't even get basic mechanics right. ALWAYS grease splined shafts with an EP grease! :wallbash:. Alarmingly, how the hell can a disco 1 last half a million kms? Must be a millionaire to go that far...Thankfully, it's LR's issue now. New bearings the whole bit if required. All within warranty! Huzzah! [bigsmile]

My question is this. Why are HD flanges from Ashcroft's etc. so much better than standard flanges that have been assembled and lubricated correctly? The part is so cheap and it deflects potential driveline failure to these simple, cheap, easy to replace parts. I pity the fools who buy Defenders as status symbols who know nothing about twirling ratchets and so forth...They're gonna have a bad time...

[Toxic_Avenger]

Ashcrofts etc are Cad plated. Much shine!

[rick130]

and, apart from the bling, Ashcroft's and HTE IIRC use SAE4340 steel instead of cheddar cheese for the flanges so they're a tad harder and more resistant to fretting corrosion.

Lubricate the splines (and bearings) with oil, a la Land Rovers up to about 1990 and they never wear rather than having to be lubed every 30,000km or so if greased.

At any rate, use hub seal RTC3511 and you won't get water ingress during creek crossings, etc either, and remove the axle tube seal and let the oil flow freely !

[danny_]

Mine is at 60k with 2 months of warranty left.
When they had it at last service i asked them is there anything they can do about the play and they said no :/
I ended up changing to bearmach HD flanges and it made it maybe 20% better.

[DazzaTD5]

I've changed out standard axles / drive flanges with as little as 10,000km, its hit and miss if a dealer will do warranty, you get the same quality level part, even more hit and miss is if they will do the job properly.

Issue with the standard are:
*Assembled dry.
*Way too soft on the hardness scale, both the axles and flange. (likely have either changed suppliers to cheaper or have screwed down existing supplier on price)
*None existent Land Rover R & D
---
The last of the Defender production, as in the last couple of months have a one piece rear axle / drive flange.
The Ashcroft caps allow for unscrewing and regular applying grease that gets forced down the splines.

Regards
Daz

P.S Front axle / drive flange dont suffer fretting wear to the same extent (still recommend doing an aftermarket drive flange on front) and Discovery 1 on the rear are a 1 piece axle drive flange

[DiscoMick]

I've changed out standard axles / drive flanges with as little as 10,000km, its hit and miss if a dealer will do warranty, you get the same quality level part, even more hit and miss is if they will do the job properly.

Issue with the standard are:
*Assembled dry.
*Way too soft on the hardness scale, both the axles and flange. (likely have either changed suppliers to cheaper or have screwed down existing supplier on price)
*None existent Land Rover R & D
---
The last of the Defender production, as in the last couple of months have a one piece rear axle / drive flange.
The Ashcroft caps allow for unscrewing and regular applying grease that gets forced down the splines.

Regards
Daz

P.S Front axle / drive flange dont suffer fretting wear to the same extent (still recommend doing an aftermarket drive flange on front) and Discovery 1 on the rear are a 1 piece axle drive flange
Can I ask is it possible to retrofit the one-piece units from the final examples to earlier Defenders? Is this a good option?

[Toxic_Avenger]

I'd rather carry a spare drive flange or two than a whole set of axles.

[DazzaTD5]

Can I ask is it possible to retrofit the one-piece units from the final examples to earlier Defenders? Is this a good option?


Last time I checked they were not available and likely to be dearer than going the Ashcroft way and still poor quality

Regards
Daz

[Widdo]

I just checked mine at 32000km and they have no play, so applied anti seize grease and keep an eye on them.[wink11]

[ATH]

I had my Puma done by Dazza and it's much better with little driveline slack.
When I had a new transfer box fitted under warranty I asked the service foreman to make sure the connecting shaft was greased... his answer "It is not a service item"!!
It really doesn't give you any confidence at all in their level of service and an otherwise good product suffers for it. But that's been fixed by the above as well so it's good for many more kays in hopefully a new owners hands as I've now got a D4.
Selling it for health reasons only but why I'm bothering I don't know as the Cooks going to kill me anyway for doing it! [bigsad]
AlanH.

[ExtinctPuma]

Thanks guys for the input.
Thankfully, I have a very good relationship with my dealer and had the whole set of flanges were replaced and properly greased with Castrol LMM. The bearings were not seated from factory, and had play, despite the new spacer (ironic). These were seated and retorqued. No discernible wear was evident, so all ok at 30000km. The vehicle was becoming undrivable and a really bad to drive. I hated it. I really hated it. Now it is as smooth as melted butter, on silk, on a baby's bum. I am amazed. It is just so easy-going and plods along. Yes, the flanges are as soft as an aged cheddar, but they are supposed to be sacrificial. Axles are ok (thank-goodness!). If the proper assembly and lubrication lasts, I'm laughing. Disco 1's never really had this issue as far as I can tell, and they were basically the same design and all greased. If warranty will cover it, you're winning. Bearings weren't contaminated so I'm doing well. With any luck, I'll have one of the most reliable Defender's around. I'll be sure to regularly inspect and repack with LMM.
I suggest you spread the word to all Defender Puma owners, particularly with the influx of recent owners like myself. Get those flanges attended to. LR will come to the party. Credit where credit is due, LR have been very accommodating. See you all on and off the beaten track!

[ExtinctPuma]

Just to follow up, There is still a fair bit of slack in the driveshafts. You sometimes get the occasional clunk, but that's if you're a bit lazy with the clutch work. Is this anything to be worried about? The diffs don't seem to be making any noise. Is this normal for the P38 diffs and transfer diff? The play is much more than you'd get in RWD vehicle for instance (Old Volvo 240 for reference). It doesn't seem like it's gotten any worse over time...At 30,000km now.

[ExtinctPuma]

Just to follow up, There is still a fair bit of slack in the driveshafts. You sometimes get the occasional clunk, but that's if you're a bit lazy with the clutch work. Is this anything to be worried about? The diffs don't seem to be making any noise. Is this normal for the P38 diffs and transfer diff? The play is much more than you'd get in RWD vehicle for instance (Old Volvo 240 for reference). It doesn't seem like it's gotten any worse over time...At 30,000km now.
Following on from the previous reply, here is what my flanges looked like...123529123530

[PAT303]

Following on from the previous reply, here is what my flanges looked like...123529123530

Just buy aftermarket flanges and be done with it,if you don't the axle splines will also wear resulting in them also needing replacing.Do it once properly. Pat

[rick130]

Yes, the flanges are as soft as an aged cheddar, but they are supposed to be sacrificial.

No, they're not. It's just cheap arse engineering from Land Rover.
4340 flanges and Hy-Tuff axles just don't have issues.
Install an RTC 3511 hub seal, remove the axle tube seal and you'll never have to lubricate a flange or axle spline ever again, never have water ingress to the bearings during the worst river/creek crossing nor adjust a wheel bearing. Ever. (almost :D)


Disco 1's never really had this issue as far as I can tell, and they were basically the same design and all greased.

Nope, different design in the rear, one piece axles. ;)

[ExtinctPuma]

Thanks for the tips. As it was a warranty issue, I didn't have to pay a cent. If it happens again, then I'll change. Should failure occur now that the splines are properly lubricated, the true nature of cheap design will be revealed! As for the Disco 1's, I only popped the front axle caps, as the fronts are an identical arrangement of a separate drive flange. All of these junk-yard cars were well greased, and in good condition. One even had almost half a million kms and it looked good!

[rick130]

Yep, the front's don't give an ounce of trouble and they don't seem to need much lube.

To many have been left stranded when the splines finally shear on the rear. One old acquaintance had to be rescued from the Simpson when the splines finally let go.

[Pickles2]

Thanks guys for the input.
Thankfully, I have a very good relationship with my dealer and had the whole set of flanges were replaced and properly greased with Castrol LMM. The bearings were not seated from factory, and had play, despite the new spacer (ironic). These were seated and retorqued. No discernible wear was evident, so all ok at 30000km. The vehicle was becoming undrivable and a really bad to drive. I hated it. I really hated it. Now it is as smooth as melted butter, on silk, on a baby's bum. I am amazed. It is just so easy-going and plods along. Yes, the flanges are as soft as an aged cheddar, but they are supposed to be sacrificial. Axles are ok (thank-goodness!). If the proper assembly and lubrication lasts, I'm laughing. Disco 1's never really had this issue as far as I can tell, and they were basically the same design and all greased. If warranty will cover it, you're winning. Bearings weren't contaminated so I'm doing well. With any luck, I'll have one of the most reliable Defender's around. I'll be sure to regularly inspect and repack with LMM.
I suggest you spread the word to all Defender Puma owners, particularly with the influx of recent owners like myself. Get those flanges attended to. LR will come to the party. Credit where credit is due, LR have been very accommodating. See you all on and off the beaten track!
That sounds like good Dealer Service, which Dealer looked after you?
Pickles.

[PAT303]

Thanks for the tips. As it was a warranty issue, I didn't have to pay a cent. If it happens again, then I'll change. Should failure occur now that the splines are properly lubricated, the true nature of cheap design will be revealed! As for the Disco 1's, I only popped the front axle caps, as the fronts are an identical arrangement of a separate drive flange. All of these junk-yard cars were well greased, and in good condition. One even had almost half a million kms and it looked good!

Mate,just spend the 100 bucks and fix the problem once and for all [bighmmm]. Pat

[DazzaTD5]

RE standard axles / drive flanges
*The part about the axles / drive flanges being soft because they are sacrificial is yet another uneducated dealer spin bull****
*Defender TDCi (puma) 2007 onwards, the axles / drive flanges were not only poor quality, but also a poor spline fit or mis-match.
*ALL previous model Defenders were of a far greater hardness, lasted typically the life of the vehicle YET would still break (as in, still sacrificial) when abused.
*As mentioned, its very hit and miss if it gets done under warranty, Ive had plenty of customers where the dealer here wouldnt replace as JLR had said they hadnt failed.
*There is no need to use any type of special grease, wheel bearing grease is more than enough. The purpose of grease (or oil) is merely to prevent the oxygen from coming into contact with the fretted material, thus causing oxides, the oxides being harder than the parent material will then wear away the splines more.
*The poor quality in hardness I think has well and truely already been revealed, I have hardness tested at least a dozen sets of standard axles drive flanges removed from Defender TDCi (puma) models and ALL are well softer than the previous model Defender / 110 models

This is nothing new to the Defender TDCi (puma) model and has been well covered in greater depth here on AULRO

two videos, one at 10K, the other at 30K
Land Rover Defender TDCi (puma) rear axle & drive flange free play at 10,000km - YouTube (https://youtu.be/DtA19y5mIxs)
Land Rover Defender TDCi rear axle & drive flange free play at 30,000kms - YouTube (https://youtu.be/wdH987prCh4)

Regards
Daz

P.S As previously mentioned the fronts (be that Disco 1, Defender) dont suffer the same fretting wear. the rears on a Disco 1 are one piece.

[ExtinctPuma]

That sounds like good Dealer Service, which Dealer looked after you?
Pickles.

Dealer is Doncaster Jaguar/Land Rover. Good service there!

[ExtinctPuma]

RE standard axles / drive flanges
*The part about the axles / drive flanges being soft because they are sacrificial is yet another uneducated dealer spin bull****
*Defender TDCi (puma) 2007 onwards, the axles / drive flanges were not only poor quality, but also a poor spline fit or mis-match.
*ALL previous model Defenders were of a far greater hardness, lasted typically the life of the vehicle YET would still break (as in, still sacrificial) when abused.
*As mentioned, its very hit and miss if it gets done under warranty, Ive had plenty of customers where the dealer here wouldnt replace as JLR had said they hadnt failed.
*There is no need to use any type of special grease, wheel bearing grease is more than enough. The purpose of grease (or oil) is merely to prevent the oxygen from coming into contact with the fretted material, thus causing oxides, the oxides being harder than the parent material will then wear away the splines more.
*The poor quality in hardness I think has well and truely already been revealed, I have hardness tested at least a dozen sets of standard axles drive flanges removed from Defender TDCi (puma) models and ALL are well softer than the previous model Defender / 110 models

This is nothing new to the Defender TDCi (puma) model and has been well covered in greater depth here on AULRO

two videos, one at 10K, the other at 30K
Land Rover Defender TDCi (puma) rear axle & drive flange free play at 10,000km - YouTube (https://youtu.be/DtA19y5mIxs)
Land Rover Defender TDCi rear axle & drive flange free play at 30,000kms - YouTube (https://youtu.be/wdH987prCh4)

Regards
Daz

P.S As previously mentioned the fronts (be that Disco 1, Defender) dont suffer the same fretting wear. the rears on a Disco 1 are one piece.


Thanks for the info Daz, very informative. I am glad that this forum exists.
I have read bits and pieces about the flanges and hardness etc, but was unsure if the very last ones were any different to the earlier Pumas, especially given the incremental assembly and engineering changes over the Puma's life. You've even done hardness tests, which sure beats hearsay! Least this issue is now put to rest concisely. As I said, thankfully I didn't have to pay a cent or a moment of my time redoing things because of warranty. If they go in the future, then I'll replace with the HD items. It will be interesting to see how long they go.

[DiscoMick]

Can I ask about the merits of changing both HD flanges and axles or just flanges as I notice on eBay there are plenty of flanges for around $100 a pair, but add HD axles and the asking prices rise a lot.
Would doing just the flanges be enough for normal usage?

[PAT303]

The reason you need to change both the flanges and axles is because people just change the OEM flanges under warranty which doesn't fix the problem,eventually the constant movement causes the axle splines to wear also so both need replacing.Just spending the $100 on preventative maintenance saves many hundreds in repairs later.

[Beery]

Can't argue with the technical advantage of the HD drive flanges, but personally I haaaaate the look of them.
Is there any known manufacturer that makes OEM identical flanges but in a harder steel?

[rick130]

Can't argue with the technical advantage of the HD drive flanges, but personally I haaaaate the look of them.
Is there any known manufacturer that makes OEM identical flanges but in a harder steel?

No because the HD ones are machined and broached from bar stock vs genuine ones are cast and broached.

[Pickles2]

Can't argue with the technical advantage of the HD drive flanges, but personally I haaaaate the look of them.
Is there any known manufacturer that makes OEM identical flanges but in a harder steel?
I've heard that when fitted with these HD flanges, the standard centre cap cannot be fitted with Defender Dual Finish alloys,....Is this correct?
Pickles.

[Beery]

No because the HD ones are machined and broached from bar stock vs genuine ones are cast and broached.
I was under the impression that standard cast drive flanges from 20-30 years ago were a fair bit harder than the recent ones.

[ATH]

Darren (DazzaTd5) did my axles and I believe he lightly machines the HTE drive flanges so the end caps will still fit. Doesn't take much machining apparently, more of a skim with a couple of mm coming off.
No doubt he'll say what he does soon.
AlanH.

[Beery]

I've heard that when fitted with these HD flanges, the standard centre cap cannot be fitted with Defender Dual Finish alloys,....Is this correct?
Pickles.
Centre cap of the alloy wheel, correct as far as I know. Not an issue with the steel wheels on mine though.

[rick130]

I was under the impression that standard cast drive flanges from 20-30 years ago were a fair bit harder than the recent ones.

Put it this way, 200/300Tdi's and TD5's all had the same issues as the TDCi, flanges and axle splines flogging out.

My old 300Tdi 130 was an ex-lease vehicle. it had 76,000km on it when I acquired it.
I popped the axles and flanges off and there were hardly any splines left on either axle or flange, I would've been left without drive within the next 500-1000km.
Another bloke I knew at the time (early 2000's) was stranded in the Simpson when his flanges failed. When Land Rover went to greased bearings and then the narrower hubs/stubs with the 300Tdi it's been a problem.

Maxi-drive axles and flanges went straight on (now Hi-Tough) and nearly 300,000km later and no play at all.

[Beery]

Put it this way, 200/300Tdi's and TD5's all had the same issues as the TDCi, flanges and axle splines flogging out.

My old 300Tdi 130 was an ex-lease vehicle. it had 76,000km on it when I acquired it.
I popped the axles and flanges off and there were hardly any splines left on either axle or flange, I would've been left without drive within the next 500-1000km.
Another bloke I knew at the time (early 2000's) was stranded in the Simpson when his flanges failed. When Land Rover went to greased bearings and then the narrower hubs/stubs with the 300Tdi it's been a problem.

Maxi-drive axles and flanges went straight on (now Hi-Tough) and nearly 300,000km later and no play at all.
Thanks Rick. Think I'll probably just do the oiled hub conversion and kill two birds with one stone

[PAT303]

I've heard that when fitted with these HD flanges, the standard centre cap cannot be fitted with Defender Dual Finish alloys,....Is this correct?
Pickles.

No drama with Britpart flanges and sawtooths. Pat

[PAT303]

Thanks Rick. Think I'll probably just do the oiled hub conversion and kill two birds with one stone

I changed back to grease lubed hubs because the iron ore dust caused constant leaks.Both my vehicles get a blob of grease under the caps every now and again and both are slack free. Pat

[Toxic_Avenger]

Also interested in outcome regarding fit with dual finish alloys.

[PAT303]

My TDCi is sitting in the driveway if anyone around Perth want's to try different rims on it. Pat

[DazzaTD5]

The below has been covered in great depth on AULRO, use search function....

summary
*HTE (brand name) are a deeper spline, thicker flange on the rear only.
*Ashcroft (brand name) are a standard depth spline, standard thickness flange front/rear.
*A spline depths (in this application) does not add to its lasting ability.
*So a deeper spline in this application is pointless, HTE dont do standard depth splines (I dont know why).
*HTE - the centre cap on any Defender alloy wont fit on the rears.
*HTE - Cap can be machined a mm or so to allow caps on standard Defender alloys to fit, rear (I dont do this anymore, its another labour cost I cant carry).
*HTE - Sawtooth cap still wont fit, rear.
*Ashcroft - all caps will fit. no mods required, quick supply time.
*Greasing splines on a regular basis is far better than the old oil feed idea.

ALL splines will suffer fretting, what compounds this wear is:
*Rotational vibration.
*Torque or load (i'm sure there is a correct engineering term for this, but rears suffer badly, but fronts not so).
*Lack of lubrication.
*Formation of oxides due to the above.
*Poor quality material used.
*Poor mis-match in splines.
*The last two points has been the big elephant in the room for the Defender TDCi (puma) model.

Regards
Daz

[ATH]

"*Poor mis-match in splines." This is exactly what I've always thought. Poor quality fitting plus soft materials is to blame for the continuing problems with axles/driven ends.
Towards the end of my apprenticeship in the UK I used to build gearboxes for road pavers and graders and always matched splined gears and shafts so they were a decent slide fit with no wobbling.
Mate of mine did his own "adjustments" with any that were loose..... by using a hammer and chisel to produce a big burr which he reckoned solved the problem. Maybe he's been working for LR..... [bigsad]
AlanH.

[PAT303]

I bought Britpart because of the fit,they are the tightest of all the makes,and cheapest by far. Pat

[Island_Moose]

Hey all,

Any value in just buying and trying the HD flanges first? Don’t really want to buy half shafts if not needed.

Good clunk at 70K kms...sigh

[ozy013]

Problem is, that if the drive flanges are flogged, and your getting the clunk, then its highly possible that the axle splines will be worn also,(maybe not to the same degree as the flanges). Have they seen any form of lubrication in those 70,000km's?

Just remove the flanges and inspect would be my advice. You might get lucky...

[simmo]

I changed back to grease lubed hubs because the iron ore dust caused constant leaks.Both my vehicles get a blob of grease under the caps every now and again and both are slack free. Pat

I'm with Pat (again), on this one.

The later model defender owners could follow the lead of the Tdi guys and lubricate the splines. There's dozens of posts on the subject of axles and drive flanges.

My understanding from the forum comments is the dealers aren't paying attention, my advice is accept that and manage the problem yourself.

My car was 5 years old and had a 100,000 ks on it when i bought it. I did the usual checks you do when you buy a second hand car, check the wheel bearings, checking the drive flanges was incidental since i needed to take them off.
Yes they were a bit dry and shiny, I cleaned them with a toothbrush and put them back on with molybdenum disulphide grease, and put a level teaspoon of grease in the rubber hubcap.

I put grease in the rubber hubcaps every 5-6000 kms, it takes me 15 minutes. the problem is managed. Why bother chasing LR and the dealers etc when you can own the problem for a small outlay in time & materials. It probably takes longer than that to phone through to the workshop and make a complaint.

The front drive shafts on my car are OEM at 230,000 kms are like new. I also have excellent condition set of rear axles and flanges that have done 130,000 kms in my spares. ( removed for fitting maxidrive locker )

Agreed if the axle /flange metal characteristics have changed and the more modern ones are softer , we can only solve that problem by replacement with higher quality parts.

But so many times I have read here about the dry, rusty, flogged out LR OEM splines etc, being no good.

No matter what material the axle and drive flange is made from, if a drive spline is not kept clean and lubricated its service life will be greatly diminished.

Is there anyone out there who religiously lubricated the axles and drive flanges with molybdenum disulphide grease, and cleaned the each time them they did a bearing service who's had a drive flange or axle failure ?

cheers simmo

[DazzaTD5]

As previously noted somewhere...
*Front axles drive flanges arent subject to the same rotation load as rear.
*The hardness of both axles and drive flanges is way down on the previous model Defender TD5.
*Regardless of lubing the splines or not, you can have a 30 year old Defender (110 County) with very little wear on the splines.
*Yes lubing with oil or grease will prevent the fretted material coming into contact with oxygen thus no oxides are formed.
*Ashcroft axles/drive flanges are better quality and have a screw on cap making lubing with grease far easier.

[Rolly]

It’s a funny thing I’ve just cracked 50K Km’s in my 2013 Puma 110 and done some decent 4wding(Cape York,Border ranges,Fraser,Tasmania,Morton Isl etc) fully loaded(family of 5 plus all camping gear,fridge,wooden drawer system,roofrack spare fuel etc). Removed front flanges and no discernible wear. I’ve bought Hi-Tuff flanges to replace but seeing no wear re-greased and put old one back on.
Rear axles were replaced at the same time rear diff was replaced (under warranty).
QC at L.R seems a very hit and miss thing,......

[goingbush]

Thought I'd try something different on my Electric Landy , With the strong regen braking I had an idea the rear drive flange splines might cop a flogging.

I'm using Ashcroft HD 24 spline axles & Ashcroft supplied Drive flanges , the flanges just look like regular Series Flanges as the Maxi Style ones don't suit Series.

When I assembled the Axles I generously coated the splines with Loctite 660 retaining compound . Effectively glueing the axle to the drive flange , Like a RRC / D1 / 90 axle . ( The hubs are also oil filled obviously so if the retaining compound comes unstuck they are still lubed. )

Very early days yet but they are still effectively one piece axles . No perceptible backlash , & with the Truetrac the only slop in the whole assembly is the bees dick of crown wheel & pinion lash.

[rick130]

It’s a funny thing I’ve just cracked 50K Km’s in my 2013 Puma 110 and done some decent 4wding(Cape York,Border ranges,Fraser,Tasmania,Morton Isl etc) fully loaded(family of 5 plus all camping gear,fridge,wooden drawer system,roofrack spare fuel etc). Removed front flanges and no discernible wear. I’ve bought Hi-Tuff flanges to replace but seeing no wear re-greased and put old one back on.
Rear axles were replaced at the same time rear diff was replaced (under warranty).
QC at L.R seems a very hit and miss thing,......Fronts don't flog out, rears just disappear.....

[Rolly]

So with the one piece rear axle, do these also wear out an unacceptable rate and if so how do I (what should I be) checking for?

Cheers

[djam1]

Fronts don't flog out, rears just disappear.....

Its funny last week I was working on a 300TDI 110 that had done over 600k
The front Maxidrive style flanges were completely stuffed with almost nothing left in the spline area
They had only been in 5 years without lube

[rick130]

Its funny last week I was working on a 300TDI 110 that had done over 600k
The front Maxidrive style flanges were completely stuffed with almost nothing left in the spline area
They had only been in 5 years without lubeWow.

My old girl had 330,000km on the front flanges and they were original.

The rears I changed at 76,000 and there was no spline left on the axles or flanges.
They became oil lubed will Maxi X spline flanges and axles and that stopped the wear.

I suppose every time I checked the front wheel bearings I'd pack the rubber cap with grease and force it on.