Cv Boots

[celsteve]

Had a recommendation on last mot that the outer gaiters were replaced as they were perishing and so asked for a quote and my garage came up with £250 They said the book they consulted said 5 hours to do the job which does seem a bit excessive but I dont really know first hand so was after some advice please. They said if it doesnt take them as long then they will charge me accordingly but you never really know, unless I sit and wait for them to do it!!!!

The quote for a cambelt fitted was £150, them saying it takes 2.5 hours to change - seems ok (phoned Mr T just out of interest - £261!!! )

They have been a good garage so far and have just had an excellent write up in the local paper and I dont think they're trying to rip me off but £250 to just change the boots seems so expensive. Anyone ever done this job or had it done? Cheers lads don't want to spend that kind of money on them really and i haven't noticed any noise when accelerating or on lock so don't know how bad they are. Are they easy to check with a jack whilst parked on a slope?!!! Cheers

[daktari]

Unfortunately they are right. Autodata quotes 2.30 hours per side to replace an outer gaiter. It also quotes 2.30 hours to replace an inner gaiter and 2.30 hours to replace both gaiters on one side.

Not finished yet. :) It also quotes 3.70 hours to replace all four gaiters.

Which seems a bit strange to me because it only takes an hour and a half on a Gen 5 celica. Must be something to do with the superstrut set up on the Gen 6 Perhaps?

[celsteve]

When I saw it was you who had replied I thought "excellent - Dak'll tell me they're talking rubbish and that it can be done with an adjustable spanner and a jack in about an hour!" :D

Oh how cruel life can be at times! :) It's one of those do I don't I?

[daktari]

Well there might be some slightly good news. The genuine Toyota gaiters are made from toughened elephant hide it seems. Mine were perished last year and i still got an advise this year, although i`ve not exactly done a lot of mileage. But i had a look when the car was up on the ramp and they are seriously thick. I bought some cheapo replacements to fit last year which i never quite got round to. And they are like durex in comparison.

So i`d have a look at them before making a final decision. Obviously they`ll need doing eventually but it`ll give you time to shop around and maybe find someone who`s not aware of how long it takes to do and can quote you a silly price.

If you want to quickly check them just put the wheels on full lock and peer in from the front. You should be able to see them clear enough. However it`s always best to jack the car up and secure it on axle stands (On level ground :P ) this way you can put the wheels on full lock and spin them to examine the whole of the gaiter. HTH.

[GT4 BOOSTER]

i put a thin layer of grease on my gaitors when they begin to get old and cracking , simply put the steering on full lock and turn the wheel and apply a thin layer of grease, repeat to do the other side gaitor.

my brother is having his done next week , he recons 7 quid each for the gaitors and 25 quid labour ??????????????

[celsteve]

*breathes a sigh of relief* Thanks, seems like this may not be that urgent and I can sleep easy at night :) I'll concentrate more on getting a good look at them than getting more quotes. I'll have a look tomorrow (day off!!! !Just got to battle with the Devonshire hills now :P

Sounds a good idea to cover them in grease, time to get my hands dirty :)

Sounds like your brother has found someone who doesn't know how long it takes - result! :P

[daktari]

i put a thin layer of grease on my gaitors when they begin to get old and cracking , simply put the steering on full lock and turn the wheel and apply a thin layer of grease, repeat to do the other side gaitor.

my brother is having his done next week , he recons 7 quid each for the gaitors and 25 quid labour ??????????????

I think the price for genuine Toyota ones is quite steep. The ones i got (Masterpart) were only a few quid. But i`m genuinely surpised it takes so long to do them on the Gen6. I reckon they must quote for taking the driveshaft right out and removing the CV joint. Most garages nowadays use one of those pneumatic boot stretchers. Takes seconds.

I reckon i could do mine in less than an hour a side using one of those. Less if i had a 2 poster available to me.

[GT4 BOOSTER]

just a light smear steve , dont go mad , cos it will flick off all over place.

my brothers aint got ss either , just simple mcphearson struts.

[celsteve]

Cheers chaps - gives me something to do tomorrow!! :P

[martin_longbow]

Yep it's a bit of work, you need to take out the drive shaft and then do the cv joint on the outside to replace the boot. I got good replacements from masterparts, thick enough for me to be happy with when I did mine.

When you remove the short driveshaft you lose the gearbox fluid too and need to refil.

You can get the shafts out without stripping the hubs off just unbolt the brake calliper cradles to give you swinging room and take off the ball joint at the arm side (three bolts) if you have undone your big nut the shafts should come out. I have removed mine on an 3s-fe set up like this before, to change the inner circlips recently. Not sure if the super strut changes this. The inner boots are like a tripod internal fitting and can be difficult to get. If I had the shafts out I would be changing all of them with new circlips. I had a cv joint slip off because of this previously with my gen 6.

You can however get glue up CV boots for £8, which you put on without removing anything but the are not for me and you will probably need new ones for every MOT. If you do get water and grime in your CV joint it will cost you a lot more in the long run.

I'd be happy with £100 for changing them boots !!

[celsteve]

Thanks lads - Well I took a look and there was just some minor surface cracking on them so think I'll wait and hopefully they'll last a fair while yet. Might give them a good massage with a product I have for rejuvenating leather which says it's also great for rubber. It may soften the surface a bit to delay further cracking and then apply a thin coating of grease