1998 A6 Quattro - 173K

I changed out my brakes on my car this weekend and noticed that both boots are ripped on the driver's side axle.

- How urgent is it to get the boots replaced?

- How difficult is it to replace both of these boots? Are their special tools required?

- How much should a shop charged me to get this done.

Thanks

 

- You should replace it pretty soon. Although the CV joint is pretty tough, any crap that gets in there will destroy it soon.

- They sell outer boot kit. (I haven't seen an inner kit, but doesn't mean that it is not available.) It can be a pain if you decide to remove the ball joint. Another option is to replace the lower control arm. Not special tool per say...

- Due to the shop rate, a shop will generally replace the entire assembly. Not to mention that most shops will not warranty the CV joint if they only replace the boots. Anyways, I think I paid about $300 on the passenger side, including a remanufactured axle.

 

Thanks for the information I sure appreciate it. It is good to have a ball park estimate oh how much some jobs a shop should charge to do.