I bent rear axle after hitting a pothole the other day. My right rear rear tire was bent facing right. A local shop shimmed it back into alignment but the actual axle beam is still bent? Would this perhaps possibly weaken my rear axle, I'm worried I will hit a big enough bump and my alignment will be knocked out again. Also would this put any extra stress on my strut and mount assembly?

How much is it bent? Degrees? I can't bee too bad if it shimmable.

He said it was off by an inch. Now that I think of it i am not sure what he meant. When I looked underneath the car, it is noticeable. You can clearly tell that the right side is bent when comparing it to the left side. It's the arm part of the beam that is bent not the actual beam.

I know it's hard to see but the circled area is bent in towards the left of the car. (not actually my car by the way).

bent parts are never good. if your concerned, replace it

It might have stressed the weld between the arm and the beam. If the arm is bent in an inch from where it should be, you're going to have other problems due to that. Best bet is to replace it just to be safe.

^^^^ what they said. if its bent that means its weaker than it was before so it'll be even easier to bend again. not to mention the potential stress on the welds that James mentioned. you don't want those to let lose while your driving. if you have the time and money yoiu should likely replace it

The mechanic did reassure me that it should be safe, but I don't know if I believe him. Has anyone ever replaced a rear axle? I am assuming it's held on by those two massive bolts on either side but can they be taken out without welding or cutting?

it just bolts right in, the biggest problem you will have is the brake lines, chances are they will but up a fit, beyond that its pretty straight forward