When I was putting in my struts I accidentally put a small tear in the passenger side CV boot.What kind of problems will this cause?What should I do next?

 

replace it.

the grease will leak out, dirt/dust will collect. it will eventually make a horrible noise whenyou turn. it will dry up and then break.

will this happen if you drive to a shop to get it fixed no. but id recomend getting it done as soon as you can. not the end of hte world, just a pain in the butt.

 

I had both sides replaced a few weeks ago. I was told that it was needed and I waited and waited and the ride was getting VERY bad. I mean horrible. The wheel was starting shake very bad and I'm not talking about the known shimmy either. I had the shimmy and it's that times 10. Once the boots were replaced it was like riding on air. It was heaven. If you know you have a tear, I say replace as soon as possible.

 

You should replace the boot as soon as possible so that no water (rain) or dirt get into it ,because after that happens you'll need a new driveshaft. If you can do it quick enough then you can most likely save the driveshaft, more specifically the lubricated joints from damage.

 

Besides making a big mess of your wheel from the leaking lubricant from the cv joint. Like the other members said replace the boot as soon as possible or you will be asking for expensive problems later.

Good luck

 

you cannot not replace it.

 

What do you mean?

 

I've had mine both replaced, like most said do it sooner than later it shouldn't cost too much. But will later if you let it go...

 

I though I was clear there lol.

I mean you cannot not replace it = you can't afford not to replace it = you must replace it ASAP. DO IT!

 

Been down that road in a different car.... get it fixed asap.

 

LOL!! Sorry I didnt get what you were saying...sorry

What should it cost to have this done?

 

I think the boot is like $50, but there is a bit of labor to it. You'll have to get estimates.

 

basically if you drive the car with a ripped boot more than a couple days you will end up ruining the CV joint and needing an entire new CV which means a new axle assembly.

Get it done as soon as possible.

 

Honestly the tear is probably a little more than an 1/8" long and its on the top.When I did it I put a little silicone sealer on it to try to seal it.I do plan on getting it fixed very quickly though.

 

I looked underthe hood today and saw my right boot is totally destroyed and all of the grease is gone. How much is the labor on this? I'm at 56,000 miles plus I need a brake job too. I recently had an oil change, could they have ripped the boot changing the oil filter? This is starting to get costly.

 

Hi! I had mine done last month....my car is lowered and while turning right, out of a commercial exit (driveway) my inner axle boot was cut. I subsequently informed their security that their driveway is not easy to exit because they force you to drive over a speed hump and the hump is made with cut stones with sharp edges. The hump is angular (sharp) instead of a smoot assphalt bump. Anyway I made a claim against their insurance and asked that they redesign the exit as lowered cars, sports cars and even limos can not exit withour scraping bottom! They are looking in to it. The damage is too little to claim on insurance (less than deductible) however I feel that the driveway was not to code.

Anywaty get the repairs done ASAP otherwise you'll have a hell of a mess of grease to clean off your wheels and brakes not to mention the damage to your axle...and anyway, it's not an expensive repair.

 

Hate to say it, but maybe you're car is too low, and not to code...

 

I stopped at a few garages today and the best quote was from a local garage, $250 out the door. It covers a new axle, boot and labor. I learned that the ASE that teach the techs on how to do their repairs says that after 8 hours of driving with a torn boot they recommend a new axle b/c of all the contaminents that may have gotten into joint and will just cause problems later. This was told to me by 3 different shops. Oh well, gotta get it done.

 

Getting to the CV joints is the hard part, and when changing the brakes most of the work is already done, so they shouldnt charge much more to replace, or find someone you know to do it. I remember i got my brakes and drive shafts changed for 400

 

*on my accord.

 

That price sounds somewhat reasonable. I have replaced a whole CV joint in my Camry's before and it was not easy because you could not get it out by hand like some cars. They had to be pressed out with a press machine. I have yet to replace a whole CV joint for my 05 Maxima, and hopefully I won't drive it a way that would give me that issue. Generally when doing some hard stops while turning, or make some real hard turns will mess up you CV joints sooner. Sometimes it seems we only learn a lesson when we have to pay for the costs of repairs...