Hey there,

I took my car in for an oil change (I usually do fluid maintenance myself but had a free coupon) and the guy at Tires Plus told me that my drivers-side CV boot is bad and that it's spewing grease.

The only problem is that they're asking for over $300 to replace the one boot, and I can't afford that much right now (hey, I'm in college). So my question is this: how hard would it be to replace the one boot myself? A 1 to 10 difficulty rating might help too (1 being easiest and 10 being most difficult).

Thanks a bunch,
Zach

 

That's too much money. It is possible to replace just the boot, but usually people just replace the entire axle, since dust and debris may have gotten in through the damaged boot.I had my entire pass. side axle replaced for $160. Shop around some more if you can.

 

not hard at all....i'd give it a 3-5 depending on all the tools n how fast you work. 3 being you're pretty quick and 5 being ur taking forever. But then again, i think that brakes and suspension is 2 because it just takes a lil bit of time.

 

i feel ya man, i just got done putting in my new y-pipe and noticed my drivers side boot is cracked w/ grease spilling everywhere ....my sis' altima also had her boot replaced just a lil while ago and had it done for $90 (20 parts/70 labor)...so i might just take it there (i dont have time to fix myself)....took about an hour....

yea like others said 300 is a bit much so you should shop around and it isnt too dificult but may be timeconsuming...especially if you never done it before...good luck

 

300 is way too much...i believe tires plus in orlando shot me 180 per side when i realized that both of mine were busted. I just went to autozone and got them for about 100 a piece with a 30 dollar core and swaped them myself. Being that you dont know how long the boot has been damaged i would recommend just replacing the axle. It might be more expensive but the job is easier, less tools are required plus the joint could already be on its way out.

 

Hi guys I'm new to this forum, but I also has the same problem. ALL about the CV Boot hehe... One day I took my car to a Infiniti dealer to do oil change (btw, my car is a 98 I30) and the result sheets says I need to change my CV Boot. I don't remember if its the driver side or both sides. But anyways, I seen you guys say you can shop around for cheaper prices. Can you give me any idea on where I should take it to?

I'm a so thank you for your help guys

 

I would say do it yourself. It isn't that hard to do. I did mine about 2 months ago and I had never done anything like it before. I would give it a 4 on a 0 to 10 scale. The hardest part is the passenger side bracket. the nuts are on the opposite side, but once you get that then you are set.

Here's a link to the boot repair
http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/401

 

just drive with the torn boot. and if your "mechanic" told you $300 to change it, I would find a new mechanic since he is probably robbing you elsewhere. hardware is only $20

http://replacement.autopartswarehous...20Kit&dp=false

 

replacing the cv boot is simple and cheap and as long as you catch it early enough, there is no need to replace the enitre axel. I did mine with ease, I bought a new boot that came with grease and clamps for under 10.00. Then I went to autozone to rent the tool to tighten the clamps nice and tight. Took me about 2.5 hours but thats because I never done it before and didnt want to damage anything.

Total cost10.00)

Boot, grease, clamps (carquest auto parts): 10.00
tool rental for autozone: free
Time: 2.5 hours give or take
satisfaction of doing it yourself: priceless

 

just paid 300 for both axles boot was busted so i replaced both axle cheaper

 

bad advice. do not follow!! thats like saying "my car had both front tires flat so I just bought a new car. it was cheaper"

 

If you decide to get a reman axle from autozone (or wherever) be sure to inspect it carefully. First I saw one the boot was already damaged when they opened the box for my inspection (passed on that). Next one I inspected the boot was good but when I installed realized the splines were beat up and had to use the axle nut to pull the hub on. Too bad a new Nissan axle costs a fortune, would be nice for the passenger side with that bearing.

 

I replaced the axle for 120 Canadian. If I consider my time is worth maybe 25 bucks an hour it works out cheaper for me to just replace the old one and not have to open it up, make sure it's clean, pack grease etc etc..

 

Replace it yourself. Stop into a local pep boys, autozone and pull yours out. It is VERY easy since it is the driver's side. Read the DIY and get it done, total cost will be 60-70 bucks and you will get lifetime warranty on it.

 

lol, how else could they make money on a free oil change coupon if they didn't tell people they had a ripped cv boot and it was going to cost $300. My vote's for the noob who suggested the $10 boot kit.

 

I think that's what I'm gonna do...but I've driven at least 500 miles on the torn boot, think too much crap might have gotten in there by now?

 

I've went to pepboys and gotten the reman ones and ALSO napa. I went to pepboys once and napa twice..all three were bad..one was clicking, one thumping, and another one made my car shake horribly. couldn't deal with taking the axle off anymore, so i called up raxles..

 

$300?!?!?! I paid $70!

 

BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH