makeuw3t

im not sure what the parts called but its that like boot or rubber cover that covers and holds in the grese by where drive shaft meets the wheels. whats that rubber boot thing called? anyways, i noticed some squeaking recently and thought it was just my brakes but when i went in to look, i noticed a lot of dirt everywhere. then i noticed the boot had shreded away and all the grease flung everywhere, thats why all this dirt collected on it. so i think the squeakings coming from in there and i know i need to get that fixed. does anyone know how much it usually cost to get that fixed? should i take it to some garage or should i get raped and take it to nissan? what about the boot thing, should i get some oem one or would a genuine nissan be better?

any and all help is welcome!

thanx everyone.

one more thing, is it alright to drive with it broken like that? im affraid a rocks gonna jump in there and **** all those gears up and my left front wheels just gonna stop spinning. are there any potential big problems that can occur or do you think its ok to drive around like that for about another week?
thanx

broncoguy

It's called a CV joint, and it's common for the boot to rip over time. Once the boot goes, water and dirt get into the joint and ruin it. Once the boot goes, you are on borrowed time, but I have never heard of an immediate failure because of that. I suppose it will eventually seize up, which is not good, but you can probably get away with another week. Totally your call, though. In terms of replacement costs, if you are mechanically inclined you can get the whole axle assembly for between 50-75 bucks, and put in in yourself in a couple hours. If not, you'll pay cost plus markup at a repair shop, and whatever their labor rate is for a couple hours. One other thing- If one side has gone, the other probably will shortly. Mine went within 2 weeks of each other. So, do both at the same time, and be done with it.

KLoWnPR109

iTrader: (9)

cv boot.................

broncoguy

correct...he was asking specifically about the boot, not the joint..oh well. He got the full explanation anyway...

KLoWnPR109

iTrader: (9)

That was definetely the best explanation I've ever seen though.

makeuw3t

super. thanx a lot. i took it to the dealer today and they want $245! but my friend said he knows a place thatll do it for about 90-120.

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

Do the whole axle.
Same or less labor but more expensive part

MrGone

iTrader: (30)

If you dont mind getting your hands dirty you can save money and do it yourself. It really isnt a hard job, I'm sure theres a writeup somewhere on this site. Use the money you save on some mods or something

Also internetautomar can probably get you the parts you need
Its easier to do the whole axle because you just pop the old one out, slap the new one in and take the old one back to the store, then if it ever brakes again, and the axles you buy have lifetime warrenties, then it wont cost you anything in the future (assuming you do the work).

jaguax

iTrader: (1)

My CV boot is torn too. It's been like that for a while though, at least a month =/

Is it ok to drive until it starts giving me problems, and then replace it?

Because isn't it too late to replace just the boot?

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

Do the whole axle period.
You'll be time and cleanliness ahead.
unless you like spending an extra hour and getting greasy. just to save $40-$50
Not me I get POed to easily.
Besides you still have to pull the shaft to do the boot.

broncoguy

Internetautomar is 100% correct. It is not worth it to just replace the boot when you have to pull the axle anyway. Besides, you have both inner and outer boots, and if the rubber has deteriorated on the outer one, chances are it has on the inner one too. Jaguax, IMO, if it's been that way for a month, you've probably gotten enough dirt and water in there to cause damage. Maybe not immediately, but soon. A short term fix may be to take the old boot off, clean out as much of the old grease as possible, re-grease it, and then use one of those split-boot replacements. I have used them before, but have never really gotten them to work well. (maybe it's just me). But, for the time you will spend doing that, you could replace the axle and have 2 good, solid, joints and boots.
BTW, I have never driven on a bad CV joint until it flat out breaks, so I'm not sure what would happen. I suppose it could just come apart....

makeuw3t

heres a picture of my CV boot, or lack there of.

http://makeuw3t.freeservers.com/images/cv%20boot.jpg

notice how dirty it is. i guess there was A LOT of grease in there! before there was a slight squeal that went away after a few hundred feet. now its constant, and loud! you think its anything really bad, to the point where i have to change more than just the boot?

thanx

vwink182

iTrader: (2)

makeuw3t-
I'm in the same boat as you...my boot exploded like 5 days ago. Greese went everywhere. The best price I could find is 150 installed. If it were summer, i'd prolly try it myself, but with no heated garage...screw that.

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

Makeuw3t & Vwink182- Have them do a complete axle rather than just the boot. The labor IS less.
and then if there was damage to the joint that they / you don't see it's under warranty because you did the whole axle not just a boot.

Maxima-4DSC

iTrader: (1)

yea the axel is just as expensive if not cheaper to replace than just the boot. i got my axles for 90 bucks a pop and did them myself, just set aside an afternoon and tear into her. (easily)

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

$90 a pop! did they at least lube you first? In my area it's $60 or they walk out the door shops buy em even cheaper from the rebuilders directly.
Man at $90 maybe I should put em on my website after all.

broncoguy

$59.99 at Autozone every day of the week here...

vwink182

iTrader: (2)

Yeah I'm planning on doing the whole axle...i hear some squeeking noises and just figure its better to do it all at once. $60 bucks at autozone???!!? I'll definitely check that out.

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

That sounds more like it to me. they may be junk but they're cheap

broncoguy

Junk??? For the price I can deal with it, I guess. I had the left one replaced by the tranny shop when they rebuilt my trans. Charged me $90 installed, so they probably didn't pay a whole lot for it. I've used the ones from Autozone on other cars, and they seemed fine..
There is a core charge, but you get that back, or avoid it by taking the old one in with you.

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

Autozone like most mass retailers buy things to meet a price point not because of the quality or reliability.

broncoguy

I agree...you get what you pay for, no doubt. Unfortunately, this consumer has to buy things that meet a price point..

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

Unfortunately as do most of us

subs1000w

with a lifetime warrenty who cares

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

Those of us who don't want to do a job more than once

makeuw3t

has anyone here done the job themselves already? is it possible for you to do a little write up of how to do it? if it doesnt look as bad as pulling teeth, i might just do the whole axle myself and learn a bit more about my car.

thanx

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

http://www.cybrrpartspro.com/Chilton...961CH07_5.HTML

holy baloney, does ANYONE read the damned stickies?

makeuw3t

oh yeah, stickies...

anyways, its not as bad as the dentist, thats for sure! but it aint no walk in the park. seeing how im a student on his last year, i think ill just have a mechanic do it. im tooooooo busy with projects and school. ill learn on my 510 after i graduate!

jaguax

iTrader: (1)

Nope, I think the word "sticky" turns people off. You gotta make the stikeh threads more flashy so people will want to read them. For example, title the threads "HOW TO BOLT A TURBO ONTO A VG30E/VE30DE"

makeuw3t

ok, i went to 3 places to see how much it is.

Nissan dealer: $240 just for the boot and labor

decent garage around my house: $70 for boot and labor

another garage by my other home: $120 for the boot and labor. $450+ for the whole axle, left and right, $275ish+ for just the driverside axle.



ok, maybe im missing something but raplacing the boot is NOT about the same, nor is it anywhere NEAR the price of changing the whole axle!

i dont get it...am i missing something?

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

Nah the labor time should be about the same (ask em for the labor time) But the part markup is the difference

makeuw3t

ok, so i took it in today to get the boot fixed. decided to go to the place by my house that wanted 70 for just the boot. he lifted it up and took a look and decided that the axle was bad too and needed to be replaced because ive been driving on it like that for soooo long and that most to all of the greese is gone. so hes charging me 150 for the axle and boot....which doesnt seem too bad since that other place wanted what...like 180+ for the axle and boot and stupid nissan dealer wanted 245 for JUST the boot! freaks...

also, he took a look at the brakes and said those were fried too so those are getting changed for 120. that brings me to another question...my pads have aboot...1/8 of an inch or a little more of padding on them...are those pads really gone or was he just trying to make me pay for more stuff?

so yeah, my total is going to come out to be like....270 sounds kinda high but im kinda busy so ill pay the extra to have them do the work. it would actually be a bit cheaper from this other place, like 30 bucks less but...i dunno...i wasnt feelin' it with these guys...they seemed shady as ****. like those guy raised my car to check it out...and then when he put the rear drums back on and i left, i heard a noise coming from the back now. so i drove back to him and told him that i was hearing a new noise and he didnt even come out to talk to me, that bastard just stood inside and was like, "you watched me take everything off and put everything back on. theres nothing i can do for you." *******!!!!! ....could have had my business...jerks.

so anyways, wont know how itll be for another hour....im sure itll be fine. ive had them do other things for me before and they seem honest...im feelin' it with these guys.

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

thickness is only one indicator of pad life. There may be cracks / glazing on the that could render them unsafe as well.
He may also have been trying to save you some time as 1/8" is getting close to the end of the pads useful life even if no other problems are present

makeuw3t

ok, its all done. boot and axle feel fine...dont feel any thing bad...drives the same. the new brake pads are good too i guess. only thing is that there are some virations when braking, but only at certain speeds...like at about 20-30..and you can hear the virations. its not serious...just slightly. imma drive it around for a week and see if it goes away. im hoping its just what new pads do sometimes. braking wise is the same i guess. i dont feel like im stopping as fast but i think its because im not stomping on them that hard becasue theyre brand new and i dont want to wear them down so fast.

ok well, just thought id share.

oh yeah, i hear a lot about meets that people have but its all east coast. anyone out in the LA area ever have meets? my cars bone stock except for lights...but id like to see what others have done to their cars.