CV gaiters

worried123

Could anybody tell me how long a new CV gaiter should last please.

I hate my car and will be glad to see the back of it when i can a afford a new one as its costing me a fortune to keep it on the road with repairs......I took it into the garange recently for some work to be done and was told, by the way, that both my front cv gaiters had split. However, I had a new front cv gaiter fitted last october. (it isnt the parts its the labour to fit those things)....

I dont believe my garage would rip me off....they would never say that things needed doing if they didnt - they are rushed off their feet and they kind of know me and are very kind when it comes to my MOT each year.......what concerns me is not that they might be lying about the split CV gaiters because i dont believe for one moment they are........but that i only had a new one 10 months ago (they have only just seen they are both split as they checked the car over - it could have been split for some time!!).......surely this shouldnt have happened so soon........could they perhaps be fitting cheap parts or even second hand ones - that is my worry....

Could anybody advise me please......its going to cost me about 180 to have 2 new gaiters.......when i collected the car recently fromt he garage having had a middle and rear exhaust silencers replaced and an anti roll bar link.......and the chap said, by the way both your front cv gaiters are split - I told him that i only had one of them replaced a little while back and he just said, yes, it hasnt lasted long........

Any advice would be much appreciated please......female driver and dont know the first thing about cars......again, my garage wouldnt tell me something was wrong if it wasnt - that much i know.....

Thank you

Gloomendoom

There are usually two CV's on each side, four in total, all fitted with boots. It is possible that only one on one side was replaced last year, but now the other needs replacing.

forgotmyname

Cheap ones are utter junk. Some of them are soft and stretchy so they dont have to dismantle the joints a special tool stretches them over the joints.

But after a couple of months they can harden and then crack and split.

Are they actually split and not come loose though? Sometimes they use cable ties. On the shaft side thats OK. But on the hub end they can sometimes contact the hub and get ripped off very quickly. Grease comes out and they appear to be split.

The correct metal fasteners require a special tool and not all garages have them.

worried123

Apparently both front cv gaiters need replacing and when i told them i only had one replaced a while back i was told, yes, its not lasted long - so basically they say that the one i had replaced 10 months ago needs replacing again (and it could have been split for some time - was only noticed very recently as the car was checked)......just doesnt seem right to me.

worried123

forgotmyname.......what would you suggest.....do you think that i should actually tell the garage that i am not happy with how long they have lasted etc.......I dont know why they have split again.....what type of materials were used etc.......thanks

Apparently they are split

Nodding_Donkey

The problem is that they can get split by debris in the road so it could happen at any time.

4743hudsonj

As above, you have two gaiters per wheel, an inner and outer so its still a possibility they are not talking about the same ones.

Other possibilities are they used a split gaitor (about £10) which is just glued together. These are worthless as they very quickly come undone at the seam but they command the lowest part and labour cost. Id only ever use these if it was as a quickfix to pass an mot or sell on the car.

Stretch boots (about £15) can last years or months depending on the car. Some cars they work just fine wheras others they will constantly slip off.

The proper gaitors can cost more like £40 plus and labour is usually 2 hours plus rather than one. These should last years but there is still the slim chance it can be split by debris.

Find out what gaitor was repaired last time and what type was used. then take it from there. You could probably spin any of the 3 options to your advantage.

worried123

Hi, many thanks for your replies.....they are have said that to have both front cv gaiters replaced will be £120 plus vat labour and £30 plus vat for parts.....so it sounds as if they would use cheap parts - two hours labour (which is how they make they money)....

I personally dont think they use the best parts at this garage.......i will obviously talk to them about the qulaity of the parts they are using etc.....

Thanks again.

Just want to add - having looked at past invoices and their advisories on last bill. The inner nearside driveshaft gaitor was replaced last time and the parts were £18.95 plus vat. I also had two cv joints replaced at £29.95 plus vat each and they charged me for two and a half hours labour.
My advisory on my recent bill says `Both front cv gaiters split`.....

4743hudsonj

worried123 wrote: »

Hi, many thanks for your replies.....they are have said that to have both front cv gaiters replaced will be £120 plus vat labour and £30 plus vat for parts.....so it sounds as if they would use cheap parts - two hours labour (which is how they make they money)....

I personally dont think they use the best parts at this garage.......i will obviously talk to them about the qulaity of the parts they are using etc.....

Thanks again.

Just want to add - having looked at past invoices and their advisories on last bill. The inner nearside driveshaft gaitor was replaced last time and the parts were £18.95 plus vat. I also had two cv joints replaced at £29.95 plus vat each and they charged me for two and a half hours labour.
My advisory on my recent bill says `Both front cv gaiters split`.....

Ok so your NS inner cv gaitor was replaced last time, what ones need replacing now..... if its the two outers then there is no foul play here at all.

As for the price of parts, its not that they're substandard parts, not at all. Its just what everyone quotes. If on garage decided to quote for the patent part or dealer part when the rest are quoting for stretch boots which 99% of the time are fine then they're going to lose business.


Before making any complaints find out what needs to be replaced now. ie Off Side Outer/Off Side Inner/Near Side Outer/Near side Inner the last of which was done last time.

worried123

Thank you very much 4743hudsonj - that is really helpful and what i will do....