CV Boot Split All Way Around After Less Than 6 Months!!!

Lost all patience with this now and no time to do it myself again, so got the place that did my gearbox repair some time ago to replace cv boot. They are gearbox specialists and their work seems good, and when the van went into them for the gearbox repair they needed to fit a new outer cv boot on other side which has been good for couple of years now. So fingers crossed. (y)

The new boot fitted yesterday on this problem nearside cv joint is actually boot number 5 now, including the original that lasted approx 18 years.

Can't believe such a simple thing like a rubber boot causes so many problems. Hoping there no new boot number 6!!! :rolleyes:
 
OK, so cv boot number 5 fitted just over a week ago by the garage has pulled out of it's big clip (we've been here before) and spilled it's load of grease. Again!!!

Did suggest when it went in that they fitted a softer rubber one like the one they put on other side 2 years ago which is fine. Suppose the message didn't get through, because the new one is the more rigid plastic type.

This is getting farcial now. Going in for rectification on Monday. Boot number 6 coming up!!!
 
ReganAndCarter said:
OK, so cv boot number 5 fitted just over a week ago by the garage has pulled out of it's big clip (we've been here before) and spilled it's load of grease. Again!!!

Did suggest when it went in that they fitted a softer rubber one like the one they put on other side 2 years ago which is fine. Suppose the message didn't get through, because the new one is the more rigid plastic type.

This is getting farcial now. Going in for rectification on Monday. Boot number 6 coming up!!!
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Sounds like a cheap hard plastic type, not a rubbery stretchy type.
 
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Either way, the PSA products last a long, long time - that’s good enough for me.
In the last incident the boot was the incorrect diameter for the CV in question, i.e too big as it came adrift.
Had it been the right size, the clip would have compressed the boot into the groove of the CV and it would have stayed on.
I avoid Firstline products like the plague - once stretched ( which I don’t approve of) they remain bigger than they should.
R & C must have the patience of a saint!
John
 
Burnerman said:
Either way, the PSA products last a long, long time - that’s good enough for me.
In the last incident the boot was the incorrect diameter for the CV in question, i.e too big as it came adrift.
Had it been the right size, the clip would have compressed the boot into the groove of the CV and it would have stayed on.
I avoid Firstline products like the plague - once stretched ( which I don’t approve of) they remain bigger than they should.
R & C must have the patience of a saint!
John
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Some boots are designed to be stretched, some aren't.

But agree he has got patience. It does sound like a cheap and nasty boot was used at least once
 
Thanks to all for your advice, really appreciated.

Says a lot that the same garage changed the outer CV boot on other side two years ago to a softer rubber one when they had gearbox out - they spotted it was split when stripping down. It's been fine, no problems. That's why I went back to them this time because they did quite a complex gearbox reseal and repair job plus the other cv boot replacement - and all went without a hitch and I was impressed with their service.

I suppose that unless it's a garage that specialises in PSA vehicles they may not realise the problem with the more rigid plastic boots. Guessing they just order the part from factors and fit what factor supplies.

Am I best suggesting they put a rubber one on, and not one from Fiat?
 
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2 trains of thought here.

1 says fit the oe rigid type.

1 (me mostly) says fit a good rubbery stretchy type.

Both sides say definitely don't fit cheap nasty ones. The difference between cheap and good is probably around £5 to£10
 
Only my opinion here but I find the boot stretchers particularly brutal (although I have used them) so I now knock the CV off the driveshaft and fit the more rigid type.
John :)
 
Burnerman said:
Only my opinion here but I find the boot stretchers particularly brutal (although I have used them) so I now knock the CV off the driveshaft and fit the more rigid type.
John :)
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Nothing wrong with splitting the joint.

But I'd still use the softer rubber type. Very rare that a rubber type fails mot for splitting, nearly always the rigid type.

But different people, different opinions.

Just don't (let them) use a cheap aftermarket rigid type
 
carmanmemoranda said:
Just don't (let them) use a cheap aftermarket rigid type
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Wish I'd had that nugget a couple of dozen cv boots (feels like that amount with all the aggro) and two years ago.

Took the van into the garage today to rectify boot number 6 that had popped out of it's large clip. When I got there they said they were going to remove the boot they fitted previously which was a pattern part and fit a genuine one from Fiat. It's also a rigid plastic type, and the bloke at garage said the original one fitted at time of manufacture would have been rigid too.

Big lesson learned over such a simple thing - either genuine boot or pattern softer rubber. Fingers crossed - watch this space.




When I say 6 boots one was actually a feck up on my part that never actually saw action when I was fitting a universal soft rubber boot last autumn. I learned a big lesson. Universal boots come with 3 different size lips at the large end. Decide which one fits over the cv joint, and if not using the larger lip(s) on the end, trim off the one(s) you don't need. Except no one advised me to trim off the unwanted lips (in my case the middle and largest ones) AFTER you have stretched the lip you're using over the cv joint.

I tried the 3 lips for size on the cv joint, decided the inner/smallest lip was a perfect fit, trimmed off the two unwanted middle and large size lips, greased up the joint, then tried to stretch the smallest lip I had left on the boot over the cv joint. Except the smallest lip was quite a snug fit on the cv joint, and now the other two lips were removed, it was very difficult to try to stretch the lip over the joint. Nothing to grab hold of. Of course, the more I handled the end of the boot, vainly trying to get it over the cv joint, I was picking up grease on my fingers from the joint making the situation worse. The lip on boot that didn't want to stretch over the joint was getting more and more grease from my fingers on it, making a difficult task impossible.

Struggling for ages and getting nowhere, it was dawning on me that I should have left the two lips I had trimmed off in place on the boot so I had something to grip and easily slide the end of boot over joint and pull it over so the smaller lip located on the cv joint - THEN TRIM THE TWO EXCESS LARGER LIPS OFF AFTER - NOW THE BOOT IS FITTED IN PLACE.

So realising I was never going to fit the boot's by now very greasy and slippery lip over the joint, I lost my rag and cut the boot off. Ordered yet another boot and it went on really easily trimming off (just ran a Stanley knife around the joint carefully) the two larger surplus lips after the boot was fitted in place.

So boot number 3 never even hit the road or saw action. Binned, lesson learned. Experience is a wonderful thing!
 
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Been there, done that.

Let's hope its sorted now

Stretchy boots also come in a range of sizes, not just small, medium large etc, but virtually tailored for specific vehicles. Much better than the universal ones.
 
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