Ripped CV boot: Replace Axle?

[turbo_bootin]

I was finally to get under my car today and saw that my CV boot is ripped. I'm not sure how long it was ripped for, but it definitely had been leaking the grease.

My question is this: Should I replace just the boot or should I just go with a whole new axle? And is it safe to drive on for another couple days so I can get the parts?

[infinitigor]

yea it should be safe to drive with it the way it is for a while, maybe grease it up a lil and duck tape it for a temporary fix. But id def recommend just getting a new axle, the work to repair it with a new boot would just be as costly as a new axle.

[flashovermac]

unless you do it yourself....

http://www.audiworld.com/tech/wheel37.shtml

[turbo_bootin]

yea it should be safe to drive with it the way it is for a while, maybe grease it up a lil and duck tape it for a temporary fix. But id def recommend just getting a new axle, the work to repair it with a new boot would just be as costly as a new axle.

Well the axle is about $130 and the boot repair kit is only about $30. I was just wondering if there was a good possibility that the CV joint would be damaged. If that's the case, then I would just get a new axle. And I do plan on doing it myself.

[audiluxary]

Get the whole axle you can find them for pretty cheap and it's just easier to do. I just replaced mine about 5 days ago and I just di the whole axle.

[turbo_bootin]

Get the whole axle you can find them for pretty cheap and it's just easier to do. I just replaced mine about 5 days ago and I just di the whole axle.

Got a source for a cheap axle? The cheapest I could find was ECS.

[D's Avant]

Got a source for a cheap axle? The cheapest I could find was ECS.

JHM Motorsports has them, good prices and great people too. Booth my axles are from them for like $100 +/- each. Much easier than doing the boot replacement mess (that grease gets everywhere). Good DIY on AudiWorld too.

[matthai5]

I replaced mine awhile back and got the axles from europartsdirect for something like $70 bucks a axle with free shipping.

[BlackBirdSR71]

Actually, the Audi CV joints are almost bulletproof and will take a huge amount of abuse. And that includes driving around for an extended period of time with a ripped boot.

I've heard of shops with customers driving around with ripped boots for over a year with no issues, before boot was replaced.

From personal experience, I had a ripped outer CV boot on my A4 for at least 6 months before I discovered it.

Aftermarket boot kit ( German made. Good quality with grease and hardware ) cost me $17.94 wholesale. That's right...$17.94!!

Pulled axle apart, cleaned CV with brake clean, greased and reassembled. CV joint was in absolutely PERFECT condition....despite the ripped boot. Absolutely no wear at all. ( Audi CV's are much better quality than VW CV's ). This was at 158,876 KM.

Car now has 187,00+ KM and not a hint of noise from CV's.

So from my experience, I would say....if the CV is not making noise and looks OK, service the joint and slap a new boot on it.

PS: I'm sure that the OEM German Audi CV or half-shaft is going to be a lot better quality than an aftermarket CV or half-shaft.

[walky_talky20]

^^What He said.

I'm sure that the OEM German Audi CV or half-shaft is going to be a lot better quality than an aftermarket CV or half-shaft.

Exactly. In our shop we always try to save the original axle, it is the best you can get. Just do the boot. The grease is messy, but after a few washes your hands will be kind of clean again.

Off Topic: As a side note, this logic sort of applies to starters, alternators, and other parts too. Why chance it with an aftermarket/reman alternator for $$$ when your old one just needs $5 brushes?!?

[BlackBirdSR71]

^^What He said.

Off Topic: As a side note, this logic sort of applies to starters, alternators, and other parts too. Why chance it with an aftermarket/reman alternator for $$$ when your old one just needs $5 brushes?!?

You're talkin' my kinda language

[stack]

Yea I got the same thing just that I have no boot..
Its been like this for a while...
I had no idea.
I just greased it up a lot. And put a plastic bag over it. Works fine but its just temp.
But honestly I don't think you need a new axle..
If anything napa has an axles. Oem for 80 bucks. I bought one already

[mholme]

I don't know if A4/S4 axles are similar enough, but I had a nightmare recently with aftermarket axles. I vote reboot the stock one.
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=302877 You can ignore the stuff about the transmission coming out, that was a seperate issue, but the aftermarket axle managed to destroy my passenger side flange.

[quattro16]

^^^^^ If its not clicking when turning hard left or right then just get a new boot kit. Theres a reason why audi axles are 500+ dollars and the replacement axle is 100-200 bucks. There junk and Personally dont last half as long. Especially if you have big power upgrades they will snap!! Seen it numerous times.

[turbo_bootin]

Thanks for the advice guys.

[LateraLex]

Boot kit will do it. Messy job though.

[goody6691]

i just did a boot while my car was down for my motor build. 45 min job with the right tools and a buddy

[audiluxary]

I got mine from Raxles. I don't have the space anymore at my new home to actually work on the car so I just swapped the whole axle out and called it a day. If you have the time and place to do it then save yourself a couple bucks and get just the boot.

[Tifun]

I'm stg3 and run axles advanced auto carries, and have had zero issues.......for me after replacing a boot only to have to replace it again a year later(used OEM) the axle swap was nice, it has a lifetime warranty so if the boot rips again or the axle fails, freebie. I feel confident recommending this axle as a good alternative. There are tons of these threads floating around as well. Search is your friend for this type of application.

[esee135]

If the boot is broken and it still has grease (like mine), and you're not getting clicking sounds, you can just do the boot, so far I've gotton 20000km on that axle, no issues yet. The only thing to be worned about is if you have alot of salt in your area, like mine, and if no one ever replaced the spindle bolt, don't be surprised that you strip the hex head when you line up for the olympic squat to release the bolt. I ended up having to weld an extension nut to the spindle bolt, and using my impact to drive it out. PB Blaster everything prior to removal and anti-seize every nut and bolt you can when you reassemble.

[b5blazing]

when my driver side ripped last winter i was lucky enough to have my father in the states. he is a old school porsche racer/tech and i asked him to prie them for me. imc in cali has oem axles for like 50 new. but if your going to drive with the boot rippedopen don't replace just the boot, even though its a small chance that something detrimental got in there if it did and you replace just the boot your going to feel like an ass if you drop cv guts all over the road. and who knows what else will get bombed if it does go. brake parts get costly quick

[jsquillz22]

have done it like 4 times!!! super easy

[mholme]

when my driver side ripped last winter i was lucky enough to have my father in the states. he is a old school porsche racer/tech and i asked him to prie them for me. imc in cali has oem axles for like 50 new. but if your going to drive with the boot rippedopen don't replace just the boot, even though its a small chance that something detrimental got in there if it did and you replace just the boot your going to feel like an ass if you drop cv guts all over the road. and who knows what else will get bombed if it does go. brake parts get costly quick

A proper reboot job does involve cleaning, inspecting and replacing of the internal washers and circlip. I hope no one just throws on a new boot and calls it a day.

[jsquillz22]

A proper reboot job does involve cleaning, inspecting and replacing of the internal washers and circlip. I hope no one just throws on a new boot and calls it a day.

yeaa i did that and actually cleaned every ball.... im pretty anal when it comes to clean balls

[optionet]

i believe o'reilys carry some rebuilt axle for cheap, like $50-60

[turbo_bootin]

So I got a boot kit from Autozone. At first, they didn't want to include the grease for some reason and refused to give it to me.

Now, I was re-reading the DIY and it said that the axle bolt "should always be replaced, never reused." Unfortunately, the shitty kit from Autozone didn't include the new bolt. Is it really that bad to reuse the bolt? I'm thinking my best bet is to try and get a new one from the dealer. Thoughts?

[le91688]

purems... i got 2 kits in my trunk, they got everything

[mholme]

So I got a boot kit from Autozone. At first, they didn't want to include the grease for some reason and refused to give it to me.

Now, I was re-reading the DIY and it said that the axle bolt "should always be replaced, never reused." Unfortunately, the shitty kit from Autozone didn't include the new bolt. Is it really that bad to reuse the bolt? I'm thinking my best bet is to try and get a new one from the dealer. Thoughts?

They are torque to yield bolts and intended to be used only once. If you reuse it, you run the risk of it not holding the specified torque and backing off. And they are quite expensive through the dealer, even world pac vendors.

[turbo_bootin]

How expensive is "expensive"? I don't really have too much of a choice now, since I already bought the kit and I need to do it this weekend. Is there any other places that I might be able to get it local?

[mholme]

15-20 dollars each, depending on which source you use. My boot kits came with new bolts that I didn't use since I had already got new ones. Impex got them for me at cost since the bunked axles I bought from them didn't come with any. I'd offer them to you but they wouldn't get to you until Saturday at the earliest.

[turbo_bootin]

15-20 dollars each, depending on which source you use. My boot kits came with new bolts that I didn't use since I had already got new ones. Impex got them for me at cost since the bunked axles I bought from them didn't come with any. I'd offer them to you but they wouldn't get to you until Saturday at the earliest.

$15. Damn. Thanks for the offer, but I need them by tomorrow.

[s4killer]

Get the whole axle you can find them for pretty cheap and it's just easier to do. I just replaced mine about 5 days ago and I just di the whole axle.

how much is the cost for replace ?

[bw86]

how much is the cost for replace ?

$69.99 at Advance

[s4killer]

$69.99 at Advance

labor??

[bw86]

labor??

It's a DIY - pretty straight forward

[s4killer]

It's a DIY - pretty straight forward

i think i cand do my self so in a shop how much you think charge for this i have a audi s4 01

[turbo_bootin]

I don't know. Try calling around to get a quote.

[s4killer]

actually, the audi cv joints are almost bulletproof and will take a huge amount of abuse. And that includes driving around for an extended period of time with a ripped boot.

I've heard of shops with customers driving around with ripped boots for over a year with no issues, before boot was replaced.

From personal experience, i had a ripped outer cv boot on my a4 for at least 6 months before i discovered it.

Aftermarket boot kit ( german made. Good quality with grease and hardware ) cost me $17.94 wholesale. That's right...$17.94!!

Pulled axle apart, cleaned cv with brake clean, greased and reassembled. Cv joint was in absolutely perfect condition....despite the ripped boot. Absolutely no wear at all. ( audi cv's are much better quality than vw cv's ). This was at 158,876 km.

Car now has 187,00+ km and not a hint of noise from cv's.

So from my experience, i would say....if the cv is not making noise and looks ok, service the joint and slap a new boot on it.

Ps: I'm sure that the oem german audi cv or half-shaft is going to be a lot better quality than an aftermarket cv or half-shaft.

oops i have two winter with a rippep boot