CV Joint Boot - Driver's Side

[DebbyM46227]

I took my Yaris in for an oil change today, of course they do the 14 point inspection for free :rolleyes:

And of course, they found something even though I have only 38,500 miles on my car. Told me my driver's side boot is slightly torn and it will cost $371.00 to replace the boot only. Then they start the scare tactics which if I don't HURRY like in the next week or 2, that my axle could seize while driving.

So I got home and called CarX and the guy told me they normally don't replace a boot only, they replace the entire shaft and it will be $235.00. I told him it was a Yaris but being Saturday he seemed to be in a hurry.

I think I read here where you can't buy an aftermarket axle?

First a clutch throwout bearing going out earlier this year and $850.00 for that at Toyota....now this. I treat my cars gently and I don't know why this is happening when I kept my last car, a 1997 Chevy Cavalier for 13 years and it still had boots in good shape when I traded it in.

I know for certain this will be my first and last Toyota.

[bronsin]

WARNING WILL ROBINSON WARNING!!!

I would be shocked shocked if what they told you is true!

Get the car up on ramps and look for yourself!

Sounds like BULLSHIT to me!

These boots almost never tear anymore...certainly not at 38,000 miles.

[IllusionX]

The boot should be replaceable, but taking the axle requires disassembling part of the suspension, so they will do an alignment too. 200-300$ is not surprising.

If they are using scare tactics, go elsewhere to have it verified if you cannot do it yourself.

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

[tmontague]

Boots don't wear out quickly on the Yaris ifwhatthey are saying is true (doubtful) than you likely ran over something that cut the boot. I have 142,000km on my Yari and the boots are still just a plyable as when brand new.

As for the bearing, also not a common problem, could be due to a few things such as the way you drive stick.

By all means never buy a toyota again, but don't be surprised when the other company you go for had double the issues and your mileage is half what was claimed

[Lux]

What do you do when one physician sells you a questionable prognosis or treatment?

Apply that hitherto.

[shepd]

If they are torn but somehow the grease is OK (LOL), why not do the same fix that Toyota would have done, but easier.

Go to the dealer and ask for a split CV boot kit. Toyota actually makes them (there's aftermarket as well, of course). You will not need to disassemble anything (other than cutting the old boot off) to install it, and, if you don't have a band tool to affix it, use black zip ties.

Typical non-dealer cost is under $20. Total repair time is 5 minutes, not including time spent jacking the car up and getting it on jackstands.

[tmontague]

The main reason i'm doubting what they said is because they stated they only want to change the boot. W/ prices of CV axles now a days and the cost of labor paired w/ potential damage to the cv axles due to the torn boot, almost all mechanics will just put a new cv axle in instead of just the boot.

It easy to charge a customer money and state that you put a new boot on and then when asked to see the old one, either show one from another car (look identical on all models) or just state it a small rubber piece and it was just tossed out. Tougher to do that w/ a full axle...

In many quick lube places the (insert # here) point inspection is rarely done or done half assed, chances are this is the new "your Trans fluid and power steering fluid is dark and smells burnt, you need to change it" line being given

[bronsin]

The OP really really needs to have another shop check the boot out because the odds are about 1 in a million that the boot is torn.

And if it is damaged most likely the shop that wants to "fix" cut it.

I concede its possible it was damaged by something the car hit on the road, but that's pretty far out.

[DebbyM46227]

It's the Toyota dealer I bought it from that says my boot needs replaced. They had a special on synthetic oil changes - otherwise I'd never taken it there yesterday. Today I'll try to look at it myself by turning the wheel. Being female, I'm not into jacking it up or fixing it myself.

Unfortunately there are no shops open for car repair here on Sunday.

As far as hitting something on the road, I'm very careful when driving. I started a new job in June and it's on the southwest side of Indianapolis, which seems inundated with trucking companies and gravel-hauling dump trucks, in addition our city dump is there. And lots of railroad tracks I have to cross. These trucks have destroyed the roads I have to drive on to get to work, and it doesn't help that I have to deal with White River and there are limited streets I can use to cross the river. I avoid pot holes when driving but the railroad tracks I can't avoid and I cringe every time I have to cross one.

I hope the bad roads didn't cause this, if I truly have a torn boot.

[CTScott]

It's the Toyota dealer I bought it from that says my boot needs replaced. They had a special on synthetic oil changes - otherwise I'd never taken it there yesterday. Today I'll try to look at it myself by turning the wheel. Being female, I'm not into jacking it up or fixing it myself.

Unfortunately there are no shops open for car repair here on Sunday.

As far as hitting something on the road, I'm very careful when driving. I started a new job in June and it's on the southwest side of Indianapolis, which seems inundated with trucking companies and gravel-hauling dump trucks, in addition our city dump is there. And lots of railroad tracks I have to cross. These trucks have destroyed the roads I have to drive on to get to work, and it doesn't help that I have to deal with White River and there are limited streets I can use to cross the river. I avoid pot holes when driving but the railroad tracks I can't avoid and I cringe every time I have to cross one.

I hope the bad roads didn't cause this, if I truly have a torn boot.


It is pretty hard to tear a boot on a low mileage and relatively young car, but they typical way that it happens in this case is by a piece of debris getting kicked up and nailing the boot. Shine a flashlight around under the car and you will see splotches of grease with loads of dirt stuck to it if the boot is really torn, as the boot is packed with grease and it comes flying out of a torn one and sticks to surfaces under the car.

If you really have a torn one it will not cause an immediate failure. It is keeping grease in to lubricate the CV joint and most people never realize that they have a bad boot until the joint fails. A failing joint will start making clicking noises when the wheel is turned all the way in one direction and the car is in motion. So, the dealer trying to scare you about the urgency of the issue is a farce.

[DebbyM46227]

Is an aftermarket axle even available for a Yaris? I read in older posts that there was not.

[tmontague]

$50-$100 for the full assembly on rockauto

[CTScott]

Is an aftermarket axle even available for a Yaris? I read in older posts that there was not.

Even Autozone stocks them. I replaced one of Crashy's with one from Autozone for $80.

[DebbyM46227]

Thank you! Getting ready to go out and look underneath with the flashlight.

[DebbyM46227]

OK, I took a flashlight out, turned the wheel both directions and looked at the best I could. I felt it and didn't feel any torn spots, but I couldn't feel the entire thing. I also shined the flashlight all underneath my car and I see no grease whatsoever. I'm amazed how clean it is underneath there since it's been 3 weeks since I had it washed.

So for now, I think I'll have Car-X take a look at it. This one store is really good with female customers, not taking them for things that don't need repaired. The last time I was there was due to a road noise I heard at certain speeds that wasn't there before. The Car-X mechanic spent 40 minutes inspecting it, including taking it out for a drive and concluded it was my tires that were making the noise, showing me where the treadwall was separating. I thought it was a bearing. And no charge for what they did.

[tmontague]

Yup, get car-x to take a look at it. If there is in fact no tear then i'd sure as he'll be heading back to the Toyota dealership and asking them to show you the tear.

[nookandcrannycar]

The main reason i'm doubting what they said is because they stated they only want to change the boot. W/ prices of CV axles now a days and the cost of labor paired w/ potential damage to the cv axles due to the torn boot, almost all mechanics will just put a new cv axle in instead of just the boot.

It easy to charge a customer money and state that you put a new boot on and then when asked to see the old one, either show one from another car (look identical on all models) or just state it a small rubber piece and it was just tossed out. Tougher to do that w/ a full axle...

In many quick lube places the (insert # here) point inspection is rarely done or done half assed, chances are this is the new "your Trans fluid and power steering fluid is dark and smells burnt, you need to change it" line being given

^^^^^ This

[nookandcrannycar]

It is pretty hard to tear a boot on a low mileage and relatively young car, but they typical way that it happens in this case is by a piece of debris getting kicked up and nailing the boot. Shine a flashlight around under the car and you will see splotches of grease with loads of dirt stuck to it if the boot is really torn, as the boot is packed with grease and it comes flying out of a torn one and sticks to surfaces under the car.

If you really have a torn one it will not cause an immediate failure. It is keeping grease in to lubricate the CV joint and most people never realize that they have a bad boot until the joint fails. A failing joint will start making clicking noises when the wheel is turned all the way in one direction and the car is in motion. So, the dealer trying to scare you about the urgency of the issue is a farce.

^^^^^ and this

[nookandcrannycar]

OK, I took a flashlight out, turned the wheel both directions and looked at the best I could. I felt it and didn't feel any torn spots, but I couldn't feel the entire thing. I also shined the flashlight all underneath my car and I see no grease whatsoever. I'm amazed how clean it is underneath there since it's been 3 weeks since I had it washed.

So for now, I think I'll have Car-X take a look at it. This one store is really good with female customers, not taking them for things that don't need repaired. The last time I was there was due to a road noise I heard at certain speeds that wasn't there before. The Car-X mechanic spent 40 minutes inspecting it, including taking it out for a drive and concluded it was my tires that were making the noise, showing me where the treadwall was separating. I thought it was a bearing. And no charge for what they did.

The only car I've ever owned that had 'weak' CV boots (ones that tore at all...and did so multiple times :eek:) was a GTI. I eventually found a boot product that was tough and constructed as (for lack of a better term) the two pieces of a clam shell glued back together. I just tore the ripped boot off, applied the proper grease/whatever that was required, put the glue that came with the boot along one edge, put the boot on, and applied pressure for as long as the directions stated. No issues after that. I don't know if these are still available, but I'd bet that your boot isn't even torn. It sounds as though Car-X will be honest with you :thumbsup:.

[DebbyM46227]

Well, I just got home from Car-X; it DID have a small tear, but none of the grease has slung out of it yet. Of course, they didn't have my axle in stock, but tomorrow they'll replace it.

I have no idea how it happened, as no one but me drives my car and I haven't run over any debris in the road.

[CTScott]

Hmm. Makes you wonder if the dealership did something.

[DebbyM46227]

Hmm. Makes you wonder if the dealership did something.

Yes, I was wondering the same thing. I've always been curious and I should ask if they have legitimate certified Toyota technicians working there on Saturdays - because the only thing you can have done on Saturdays is oil changes. Or maybe just lot boys or rejects from Jiffy Lube.

Do you think driving on rough roads could cause the damage? My new job is on the other side of Indy and that section of the city has horrible roads due to dump trucks and semi's.

[CTScott]

Yes, I was wondering the same thing. I've always been curious and I should ask if they have legitimate certified Toyota technicians working there on Saturdays - because the only thing you can have done on Saturdays is oil changes. Or maybe just lot boys or rejects from Jiffy Lube.

Do you think driving on rough roads could cause the damage? My new job is on the other side of Indy and that section of the city has horrible roads due to dump trucks and semi's.

I don't believe so. The boots on my 09 still look like brand new and I drive on a lot of rough roads. (I was doing an oil change last weekend and always inspect the boots when I have it up on the lift to do so). As they age they can dry-out and become brittle, but this is premature for that to happen on a 2010.

[DebbyM46227]

I'm at a loss on what happened. Before I got the Yaris, I had a 1997 Chevy Cavalier I bought new and drove 13 years and the boots still looked new the day I traded it in.

[bronsin]

Ask to get the used parts back when the shop does the work if possible. Id like to see the damage.

My own 09 only has 41k on it and has blown a water pump and an oil pressure sensor. Not the Toyota Im used to but Im sticking with it hoping for goodness in the long haul....

[tmontague]

I'd be interested what the tear looks like. That's a first I've ever heard on a Yaris and that's including the one's with over 400,000km on them. You'd think if it was from rough roads the tear would be substantial and you would have heard a loud noise when driving.

The fact that there is no grease coming out, paired with how they told you it needs to be changed immediately makes me suspicious of how that tear got there...

[jayeh]

I'd be interested what the tear looks like. That's a first I've ever heard on a Yaris and that's including the one's with over 400,000km on them. You'd think if it was from rough roads the tear would be substantial and you would have heard a loud noise when driving.

The fact that there is no grease coming out, paired with how they told you it needs to be changed immediately makes me suspicious of how that tear got there...

I feel bad for bumping an old thread, but here is a picture of mine!

http://i.imgur.com/kcPgjF5.jpg

[jayeh]

Bumping this again... but MINE HAS FAILED AGAIN!

What the heck is going on!?

[SRV2NV]

Bumping this again... but MINE HAS FAILED AGAIN!

What the heck is going on!?

What brand did you put on? I would be interested to know how aftermarket axles are holding up, and which ones are worth the money, and which ones aren't.