I'd like to get the .org's opinion before I get butt-raped here. I took my car in for a state inspection, and I failed. I was at first told it was due to a torn CV boot. No big deal, they get worn out, I'll just replace it and be fine. Then I get told the "rear brakes" need replaced (vague statement, eh?). Then I get told front and rear need replaced. I ask for clarification, I'm told it's the pads. I have probably 8000 miles on these pads, I just had them installed last spring, so that's either BS or I need to file a complaint with Akebono. Luckily I put the Akebonos on right after I got the car and the car had BRAND NEW pads on it when I bought it, so those are going on for the time being.

BUT THEN...I get told the CV joint is also going to need replaced. I already got the boot from the dealer (simply called and picked it up, they had it in stock), but no one has the joint, I ordered it. $200+ for the joint

NOW, my question is...if there was anything wrong with the joint, wouldn't I notice? The car rides perfectly straight, there's no vibration or harshness in the steering, no noises, etc. If the joint was truly in need of replacement, I'd notice, right? I'm going to try and cancel the order for the joint or perhaps sell it if I don't need it...so I need an opinion here.

What I may do is have the boot put on and my old pads and simply take it somewhere else to be inspected. How would they know the joint is bad if I can't notice and the boot is new, eh?

 

Take a look at it, see if it even shows any signs of wear. They may just be trying to screw you. I hate replacing just the boot, it's a ***** and you have more of a chance of problems later on. Axles are cheap enough that you can just replace the entire axle, and no more issues.

Hell, personally I'd just run it through a different inspections station, see what they say.

 

Well if the boot is torn, I'd like to replace it regardless, just to hopefully prevent the CV joint from failing even if I keep the old one on.

I think what I'm going to do is just say screw you to the place the car is currently at, take the car and the new boot to a different place, have the boot put on, and run it through the inspection again.

I don't think my brake pads are in need of replacing. They stop great and they don't have that many miles on them. I'm gonna take a look myself and see what kind of meat they have left on them.

 

new cv axle is like 69 bucks and are easy to put on, if the boot was ripped, the yo should have grease all on the inside of your wheels and up under the car, if not then it has probably been ripped and while so i would just replace the whole cv axle and be done.

 

I was charged like $230+ for a new cv joint from the dealer

The parts guy also had to ask me which side, which made sense, it's the driver's side. But then he asked me about "4-wheel anti-slip" (I'm assuming he meant traction control?) and limited slip. How would I have either of those on a US-spec 1995 car?

 

When my joints went bad i heard a clicking noise so i replaced both of them.

 

bought them from ebay for like 49+15 shipping each. Have had them on for 7 months so far. No problem at all.

Installation is a paint in a but thought, i paid a guy $50.00 and he did them both.

 

They told you the join needed to be replaced because when a shop sees a torn boot, they see an opportunity to get more money out of you. "oh your boot is torn so your going to need a new joint too, if its not bad yet it will be soon so you need to replace that."

If all you wanted to replace was the boot, you should have done that yourself and then brought it back in or gone somewhere else. You also got raped on the joint too. You could have gotten a aftermarket reman axle for $70. That would have saved you money and replacing a whole axle is a lot less messy than just a joint and/or a boot.

 

Interesting. Well, I believe I can still get rid of the joint at Nissan (it was ordered) as long as I pay a restocking fee, which is no huge deal. I'll have the place I'm getting the car inspected at replace the boot, the boot was pretty cheap, even from Nissan. No way am I replacing the boot myself...I don't have the time, patience, and probably not the tools to do it.

If it ever does need replaced, thank you hiren for directing me to cheap ones.

 

You should have went to autozone for a new axle. Its easy to replace and you don't have to deal with that messy regreesing. The difference in cost is marginal.

 

Bad CV joints make clicking noises when you do a tight turn. If it doesn't make noise just repack the grease and replace the boot.

Go measure your brake pad front and back and compare with the "legal" limit per your states inspection requirements... That part is easy enough. Fast pad wear may indicate seizing pistons but probably not on all four corners!

Good luck.

 

In parts databases they will have PNs for I30 with LSD and sometimes even the ES 5sp. with LSD and also their ABS/non-ABS variants in addition to standard auto and open diff 5sp.

 

Yeah, really. They keep telling me all 4 brake pads need replaced. That's BS. Tonight they worked awesome on a little spirited drive.

I made a contact tonight (friend of a friend) that will do my inspection "no questions asked" so I have no problems, and then it's up to me to fix what I feel needs fixed. I think while the rents are paying for labor, I'll get the boot replaced and the grease repacked.

 

Don't buy Nissan axles. Raxles are only 120-160 and are of better quality than OEM. Autozone axles are not too bad either for the price, I have never had a problem with them but now have upgraded to Raxles(on drivers side at least havent changed pass side )

 

i've done both my cv joints. my mechanic only charged me $150 each installed. yours sounds like rape to me. they're right about the clicking but it's when they need to be replaced soon. if there is a tear in the boot, there is most likely contaminants in the joint which will cause it to fail more rapidly ( contaminants being water or dirt/ dust, rock and any other debris you pick up off the road). what i decided to do since replacing the boot requires nearly the same amount of work, was wait til the cv was toast. so i got a new one and was sure i didn't have to replace it. if you jsut fix the boot for inspection, you will still need to pay attention and see if it needs to be replaced. good luck with this man and definitely get a second quote

 

Turns out I have a friend of a friend that will simply pass me, no questions asked, and then I can do whatever repairs I feel are necessary from there.

Rico, good idea, I think I will simply let it run it's course and then replace everything all at once.

 

www.raxles.com. Brand new CV joints/ support bearing, synthetic grease, straight/ true axle. Not to mention less time installing.

Your state inspections are ridiculous by the way. Who needs a bunch of quasi-mechanics telling them what needs to be done? Checking the emissions is all they should really need to be doing anyways. In MN we don't have inspections anymore. You could always move...

 

I COULD move, except for this little thing called college

We have emissions in PA, but only in 47(?) of the 62 counties (63? I dunno). I happen to live in one without it. It's a whole separate inspection from the "normal" state inspection.

 

i'm having the same problem

 

Do a visual inspection. In my case the CV joint itself was still ok, but was quickly getting filled with dirt from the road because the boot was horribly torn. In which case, I'd recommend you replace yours. Rather than just the joint though, you may find it cheaper and easier to put in a whole new axle.

 

If you haven't already, find another inspection station. They are trying to GET you...

 

I hope you're not talking to me. That was like 9 months ago

 

Man, these newbs just keep bumping old threads.

 

WOW! reading IS fundamental...my bad!!