You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Both the outer boots on my boxster 986s are goosed (split right through). Don't know the state of the cv joint underneath however it's been at least 1500 miles like that I reckon, although no noticeable noises coming from either when driving.
Local mechanic tells me to replace the boots, but since the it's 4 hours of labour to remove both drive shaft he recommended a couple of new cv joints also. Issue is that it turns out that the outer joints can't be replaced separately, I'd need to do the entire drive shaft. Original porsche parts are 850 quid each, and I need to replace 2 of them!!
1- bite the bullet and replace both drive shafts at great expense
2 - pay for 4 hrs labour to change the boots only, and deal with the joints when they start causing an issue
3 - temporary bodge of new split boots on the outers and hope to prolong the life of the existing joints for a few more thousand miles something like this.. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JUST-BOOTS-Universal-Split-CV-Boot-Kit-Outer-Only-Fits-99-Vehicles-with-Ease/332137410778?_trkparms=aid%3D1110006%26algo%3DHOMESPLICE.SIM%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20200609154140%26meid%3D4a68f460320d4feb892ec91857490f47%26pid%3D100935%26rk%3D5%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D363000104866%26itm%3D332137410778%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2332490%26algv%3DSimplAMLv5PairwiseWebWithBBEV1Filter%26brand%3DJust+Boots&_trksid=p2332490.c100935.m2460
4 - do nothing and wait for it to disintegrate
So long as I can't wreck other parts of the car by not replacing the joints I'm tempted to go for option 3 or 4 and just replace when it finally becomes an issue.
The other option is an aftermarket drive shaft. The issue with that is that the only ones I can find cost about 100 quid and I assume at that price will be a false economy.
Yep, they seem like the kinds of options any car owner has to make occasionally. And probably one you are best placed to make yourself bearing in mind if you want to get rid of it soon, rely on it as a daily driver you can't do without, have another big bill for something not car related looming.
I don't know why you think someone else would be able to decide better than you.
I’d just do a proper job on the boots. You’d know if your cv joints were knackered. There is so much sticky grease surrounding and protecting the cv joints even with split boots chances are they have been well protected.
4hrs to remove driveshafts sounds a bit high though. I’d ring around a few specialists to check that.
Split boots are mot fail no?
I did one on my 05 mini last year (a few weeks before it was driven into when parked, and written off). The CV joint itself was fine.
You’d know if your cv joints were knackered.
That's what I was hoping for tbh. I only do about 1500 miles a year so reluctant to shell out best part of 2k to fix (4 hours labour pretty standard for the job on a boxster I'm afraid..I've checked)
Can't believe the descrpancy in cost of parts however. 800 quid for original parts, 100 quid for non original, and as far as I can see nothing inbetween.
Remove, degrease, clean and inspect. If everything looks OK and play is reasonable then repack with grease and fit new boots. If not new/recon driveshafts.
4 hours sounds reasonable if it's done properly and there's no point doing it if you don't. A bit of dirt in old grease = grinding paste.
I've never had much luck with the split type boots but recon you could try it yourself as it's a very cheap option. Sounds like the outer cv joint is part of the shaft and you have to take the inner joint off to slide the new boot on
Personally, if there's no knock from the joints, I'd just be replacing boots with fresh grease. Realistically any good mechanic would be checking the joint when stripping the boots off to see if the call needs making
Out of curiosity, anyone had experience with the split cv boots? I need to replace mine and would be interested to see if I don't have strip the axle to get to it.
Mine is not on a Porsche though, rather an aging ford focus I'd only like to get a couple more years out of.
No option for used driveshafts? Boxters must be pretty close to the bottom of their value curve with "less careful" owners and / or the cost of repairs exceeding the value of the car, I'd have thought there would be a few being broken for parts.
I'd have thought that as above, if they're not giving any trouble and whoever does the work cleans and checks them over well, you'd be fine. You're lucky, though, if they've had split boots for a year's worth of motoring and not degraded from dust / water getting in there.
I'd avoid the split boots as a short term bodge, even *if* they stick together well, you're not going to get them as clean / well greased while grovelling under the car to fit a bodge as you will working on the driveshaft on a bench.
Id avoid the split boots... more aggro than they're worth. You may be able to hire an air powered fitment tool or use a fitting cone, both of which work well if used properly
The only time our trusty Volvo has let me down is when the CV joint failed catastrophicly and without warning. It was the side that I noticed had a split CV boot when we were in Spain (blob of moly grease flung up the wing). Drove it the few thousand miles home till I pulled the shaft, cleaned and rebooted it. Failed a few years after that event.
Replaced with GKN Lobro CV joint who are OEM (for Volvo) and good quality.
Split boots are a waste of time.
If your saying you have done a few thousand miles with burst boots I'll bet there is very little grease left in there and given a proper reverse on hard lock test will likely bind up.
Can't be running a Porsche on a fiesta budget.
Of all your choices the 4 hour labour seems the best bet assuming they are not infact ****ed short of replacing with a pair of salvage shafts
4hrs to remove driveshafts sounds a bit high though. I’d ring around a few specialists to check that.
How many you changed ?
Shame they split up. It was the drugs,
Correct me if i'm wrong but are the driveshafts on the Boxster from the transaxle to the rear wheels? If such they do much less work than CV joints on front wheel drive cars which have to cope with steering angles as well as suspension movement. I guess they get a much easier life just goig up and down, and probably not that much of an angle either being a sports car. My guess is that they will be fine with a regrease if you can just get the new boots on there.
Yep rear drive.
I've totally cocked upon this one based partially on duff info. At last mot 900 miles (and 1 year) ago the boots were severely deteriorated. I was informed that you may as well replace the joint (a 50 quid part) at same time as boot and as such basically didn't bother doing it there and then as I thought I'd only be doing damage to a part I had to replace anyway.
Fast forward till yesterday and I'm thinking I best get round to sorting them out before next mot, have a poke around and both are split clean in 2. Which wasn't unpredicted..what was unpredicted was when I went to order the new joints only to find they didn't bloody exist.
As mentioned it's driving absolutely fine. Looking at the mot history it want mentioned in 2018 so I assume was fine. Since then I've done 2000 miles, it passed 900 miles ago so assume they weren't split at that point. So I may have just about got away with it.
Can’t believe the descrpancy in cost of parts however. 800 quid for original parts, 100 quid for non original, and as far as I can see nothing inbetween.
Tell me about it, I looked at a shaft for my Mondeo (I know, right?) and quality parts don't exist except for SKF units at ~ £300 a pop. No inner joints exist either except for the usual crappy suspects.
But yeah, 4 hours labour seems fair to:
remove wheels and brakes
remove suspension struts
remove hub carriers
split driveshaft (not sure about this one)
degrease and clean the cv joint
inspect for wear
repack and refit new boots
reassemble
presumably other parts will be inspected as they go, add in faffing time for belligerent fittings and that probably rounds up to 4 hours if he removes the driveshaft completely you can probably add diff oil and seals as well. It took me an easy 2 hours just to get everything torqued and the brakes refitted on the Mondeo the other day with a relatively straight run at it, faffing with shocks and carriers was another few hours.
Of course it's rwd doh.
In which case strip away and get regressed.
Still stand by 4hrs being fair.
Yep 4 hours seems fair from what I've read.
I've had a look and from what I can see I can get second hand genuine parts for about 50 quid a pop. Throw in New boots and that's still only 80 quid a side.
Am I right in thinking as long as folks haven't neglected the boots like I did that drive shafts will usually last the lifetime of the car...ie going second hand from a breaking yard would probably be a fairly safe bet?
1500 miles a year? I'd just pay for the boots.
Just checked where I get some of my 951 bits from and yeah near £900 a side.
If it was an oldie like mine it's just a case of undo 8? Bolts each end and drop the shaft, without even taking a wheel off.
On a Boxter its more involved and the hub nut needs to come off amongst other things to add time.
Edited to add:- I'd not mess around with second hand ones unless you know yours are shafted, so to speak.
Although mine are 34 year's old.
Or if there is a Porsche specialist near you, they can be worth using for their knowledge of parts sources and known routines. On the collectable stuff, original trumps pattern part, so reconditioned parts fill the middle ground.
Daft question but how easy is it to tell if they are goosed. Can the mechanic simply cut off the boots and check for play with them in situ, or does it need to be dismantled to tell?
Reason I ask is that I'm assuming if he has to strip it he can't drive it off the ramp afterwards. And I'm assuming he probably doesn't want my car taking up space on his ramp whilst I decide to source all the bits to fix it (if any are required)
Boots
Cut old boots of and inspect
Get some stretchy ones n a cone of doom.
Pack with grease
Rebuild
Go pub
What about the option of used shafts, complete with both CV joints
https://www.ebay.co.uk/b/Porsche-Boxster-Driveshafts/174102/bn_1263985
Outer boots can be done by home mechanic hardest part is sliding new boots on (even with a cone)
Don't go 4! Have the boots done at least, it'll probably be ok. I did my front boots (260bhp 4wd) they had been split for a while and started to hear knock knock knock round corners. Loads of grease and new boots fine for the next 10K until I sold it.
2nd hand driveshaft might be worse than yours is at the moment...
I’d have thought there would be a few being broken for parts
With 70% of all porsches ever made still being on the road I'd say this is not hugely likely.
OP: new boots, regrease and continue enjoying it.
dunno look at douglas valley breakers they are stacked 4 deep....
just do the boots man and dont worry
What you need is a financial advisor, can you easily pay for this, but like me you a ****** miser or are you a bit financially pressured atm.
What you need is a financial advisor, can you easily pay for this, but like me you a ****** miser or are you a bit financially pressured atm.
I'm a miser!! I hate paying for stuff that seems a rip off and especially when it's to fix something I already have!!
Have decided I'll get garage to fit new boots and decrease. If the joints are totally shot when its on the lift I'll go with second hand option. Not spending 1600 quid on parts.
If you can pick up a "good" set of used shafts for a good price, which is always easier when you're not in a mad hurry, you could buy those and the boots and tell the mechanic to put the car back together with whichever combination of your shafts / your newly acquired shafts are best and then resell whatever shafts you get left with!?
996 Carrera 4 here,did the front outer with a stretch boot from gsf or eurocarparts. Not hard to do and cheap as chips, had been split for a while looking at the state of the wheel but been fine since, 2k miles and I don’t spare the horses. Back looked similar to fit.
With 70% of all porsches ever made still being on the road I’d say this is not hugely likely.
If that's correct (I'd love to see proof) then 30% not and the Boxster one their best sellers, recently or currently bottoming out on price...a good chance he'll find them.
They have no steering input, just get them taken off, cleaned up and new boots on.
Dear god
Just replace the boots
As above there's **** all articulation in the joint so I can't see a massive wear issue....
1500miles, I suspect are dry miles too...
Christ I've packed joints that are bone dry on fwd stuff and never had an issue.