should i repair r/f and l/f outer CV (axle boots) split/leaking $900

[312chi]

Hey folks - i was looking for advice weather or not to do this repair. the dealership told me this is the reason why my car is making a slight clicking noise when i turn at slow speeds.

I noticed a refresh kit for the outer CV joints on the ECS tuning website, Front Outer CV Joint Refresh Kit is like $60.

Should i do this repair right away, i'm getting a 10% off this price or is there a cheaper alternative?

EDIT: This is the kit i was talking about
http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B8_A4-...uter/ES450764/

[bluetori]

Your boots are torn?

[312chi]

Your boots are torn?

Yes they are torn and leaking

[bluetori]

Ok good to know for myself I have the same sounds. You out of warranty?

[312chi]

Ok good to know for myself I have the same sounds. You out of warranty?

yes i am out of warranty but i'm trying to figure out if i can apply the refresh kit or if i need to replace the joints

[o1turbo30v]

Hey folks - i was looking for advice weather or not to do this repair. the dealership told me this is the reason why my car is making a slight clicking noise when i turn at slow speeds.

I noticed a refresh kit for the outer CV joints on the ECS tuning website, Front Outer CV Joint Refresh Kit is like $60.

Should i do this repair right away, i'm getting a 10% off this price or is there a cheaper alternative?


EDIT: This is the kit i was talking about
http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B8_A4-...uter/ES450764/

Yes do it yourself asap, and yes you can buy a much cheaper kit from europaparts.com for $20 each (made by GKN-same as original equipment). Here: http://www.europaparts.com/cv-boot-kit-8k0498203b.html

[bluetori]

Not sure if the refresh will honestly help is the cv shaft messed up at all?

[312chi]

That's my concern i'm already hearing a small clicking noise so i hope it's not too late.

For 900 i figured audi is just refreshing the boot not replacing the joints, i would estimate joint replacement would be 1,000 each side.

[jfo]

If the boots are torn, the CV joint grease has probably leaked out. You usually would notice the grease on the inside of your wheel, as it's thrown about by the turning axle. The clicking indicates damage to the joint. It can be almost as much work replacing just the boots as changing out the axle shaft, since you need to separate the axle from the hub to repack the joint and slip on the new boot. Not a good idea if the joint is on it's way out. You can buy after market axle shafts for $85 to $200 at Rock Auto for a 2009. These appear to be re-manufactured and depend on your model, trans type, etc . I've not done these on my A4 but it looks like there is an inner and outer joint. I assume it's the outer boot that's torn? You may want to check with Raxles, a supplier that has a good reputation for after market axles. I'd get an indie shop that you trust to change them out unless you are capable of a DIY.

Edit: It looks like the outer CV joint can be replaced on the A4, rather than the entire axle shaft. I'm not sure if this true for all types of drive train. This would be more than just the boot, but less expensive than the entire axle shaft.

[TCHUN003]

If I was in your shoes and I was hearing that noise, I would get a genuine lifetime warranty complete axle at autozone or advancedautoparts and DIY since it's a pretty easy job. I had to replace my axle on my B6 3 times and I only had to pay once since it was a lifetime part. Autozone uses rebuilt OEM axles on the B6 and I bet they do for the B8 as well. IMO the OEM axles are the best. Labor costs for swapping the boot/joint is more costly than replacing the entire axle bc it's messy and sometimes a PITB.

[httuner]

If I was in your shoes and I was hearing that noise, I would get a genuine lifetime warranty complete axle at autozone or advancedautoparts and DIY since it's a pretty easy job. I had to replace my axle on my B6 3 times and I only had to pay once since it was a lifetime part. Autozone uses rebuilt OEM axles on the B6 and I bet they do for the B8 as well. IMO the OEM axles are the best. Labor costs for swapping the boot/joint is more costly than replacing the entire axle bc it's messy and sometimes a PITB.

^^ listen to this guy.

Just replace the axle, it's super easy and you can do it yourself. Use a guide, I know there was one I use that I found on google.

It's easier to replace an axle on an Audi than it is on a Honda. I come from working on a lot of Hondas, it takes me usually 2-3 hours to replace an axle but on an Audi I can do it within 1 hour. It's 8 bolts all together that needs to come off.

axle bolt (17mm allen bit)-use a breaker bar and a car jack. Place breaker bar on top of car jack and keep jacking until it breaks the axle bolt loose. Keep wheel on the car and car on the ground while doing this. Just remove the center cap to get access to the bolt.

Remove top pinch bolt that holds the two upper control arms on. (16mm socket), use a large flat and pry open the slots to remove control arms.

Remove 6, 10mm triple square bolts from the axle which mounts to the transmission. Put car in neutral and spin axle around to get to each bolt.

Have someone pull down on the spindle then you wiggle the axle out of the spindle, pull axle out from the front.

Install new axle in reverse. It's easier than a Honda. I swear lol

[TDIaholic]

Remove top pinch bolt that holds the two upper control arms on. (16mm socket), use a large flat and pry open the slots to remove control arms.

I would avod removing the pinch bolt as it can be a ral b**ch to take off if it's seized in the knuckle. Our cars have aluminum knuckles, which cannot be heated or spread a lot before the crack. If the bolt comes off easily, then removing it is a good way to do this, but if not, drop the whole strut assembly by undoing the 3 bolts in the engine bay and then disconnect the inside ends of the upper control arms from the strut assembly.

[o1turbo30v]

I wouldn't put an Autozone or Advancedauto part on my car if you gave me the part and paid me to put it in, have have seen there axles and axle boots fail in less than a year TCHUN003 even stated one failed and he had to do the job again. The OE axles are very high quality units and if you plan on keeping your car are worth putting new $20 boots on them if they aren't to far gone, if they are to far gone buy a GKN (OE) cv joint, get dirty and replace with that, stay away from Autozone parts.

[TCHUN003]

I wouldn't put an Autozone or Advancedauto part on my car if you gave me the part and paid me to put it in, have have seen there axles and axle boots fail in less than a year TCHUN003 even stated one failed and he had to do the job again. The OE axles are very high quality units and if you plan on keeping your car are worth putting new $20 boots on them if they aren't to far gone, if they are to far gone buy a GKN (OE) cv joint, get dirty and replace with that, stay away from Autozone parts.

That's the thing, they are OE parts. I stated that I used them because they are remanufactured OEM axles. The reason I chose to replace one (which was completely free since they have a LIFETIME WARRANTY :0) was because my car was a cvt and the passenger side is a PITB due to a transmission bar and I was really rough during the install. The axle DID NOT FAIL, but since it was completely free, I figured why not. The next time I installed it, I had to take the suspension apart on the passenger side, but this is because the car was a cvt, this was not required on quattro. They lasted 6 years before I sold the car and the new owner said they're still doing great. I bought MY B6 late 2004, changed them in 2007 and they've been solid ever since.

[NJRoadFan]

Just curious, how many miles/km does this car have? Usually the front outer CV boots start to fail after 100k miles. I have done the job before on my 1987 Audi, and its MESSY. Make sure you buy a fresh can of brake cleaner, a roll of paper towels, and a ton of disposable gloves. You'll be trying to get that moly grease out of your nails for a few weeks no matter what! The reason most mechanics charge a ridiculous amount of labor to do just the boots is because they don't want to get messy either.

I replaced the boots and left the old joints on the car. If they don't have any play, the old ones are fine. Check for pitting in the ball cage. Just be sure to dissemble and clean them with brake cleaner and properly reassemble them. I will highly advise against installing "re-manufactured" axles. All the companies do is grind out the ball cage in the CV joint and put in larger ball bearings to compensate. These units are not as strong/solid and tend to fail frequently, while a new CV joint will last many years without any issue. CV joints are expensive for a reason, its because they have to put up with harsh conditions and high levels of stress.

Before doing any work on the car, spray down all the bolts with your favorite penetrating lubricant (PB Blaster, Deep Creep, etc.) a few days before you start. Although these cars are much newer than my 87, they can still have corrosion in the salt belt. Also be sure to replace any hardware you remove with new nuts and bolts, many of the parts on suspension components are one time use locking parts. The Bentley and ETKA should note which parts.

EDIT: I'd like to add that the boot kit at the link is horribly overpriced. I am not finding any aftermarket parts though, which is unusual. The boot kits generally sell for $25 or so.

[bluetori]

Any updates on this my clicking seems to have gotten worse, trying to figure out what this is since my boots are fine.

[Alucard136]

Buy axles från raxle and change the entier axle. Cheaper than 900

[msgale]

Any updates on this my clicking seems to have gotten worse, trying to figure out what this is since my boots are fine.

the clicking noise is the sound of a slowly( or perhaps not so slowly) dying cv joint.
so it's too late for fixing the boot ( which isnt worth the trouble, anyway, in my opinion).
you need a new half axle, new or rebuilt.