Hi all
My wife's 98 Micra has just passed its MOT. The garage told me that the driveshaft gaiter on one side was beginning to crack, but that it wasn't bad enough to fail the MOT. In fact, they have just noted it on their checklist, not actually made it an 'advisory'. They also said that there was no rush to change it, and it can wait until the next service which will probably be in October.
As this is my wife's car, I clearly don't want to take any risks over her safety or that of our kids. So my questions are as follows :
a) Do you think it's OK to wait until October?
b) If the gaiter fails, is this a safety issue? What will happen?
c) How can I tell if the gaiter is about to fail? Is this something I can easily check myself (not being mechanically-minded)?
d) How much is it likely to cost to get the gaiter replaced?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Edited within the new classifications
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 23/10/2007 at 22:11
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a. Yes
b. Dark grey grease will be thrown out of the gaiter. Eventually the CV joint will wear and knock on corners. It may then break up or sieze - there will be a lot of knocking/clicking noises before this happens.
c. It will have a split in the rubber and dark grey grease will be flung out.
d. The gaiter is about £15 IIRC (get a genuine item from the dealer). Fitting costs depends on where you have it done - its a very basic job so any mechanic should be able to do it. Anything from £25 - 80 labour - depending on who does it. A 'mobile' mechanic who does it on your driveway should be able to do this job cheaply.
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I think what your MOT man was trying to say is the the gaiter was showing signs of age, ie the rubber is begining crack and this is entirely normal and to be expected. It doesn't mean that it is close to failing, but it does mean that it is wearing out and will be advisable to change when the car is serviced. The chances of it splitting before October are reasonably slim anyway, as if it was well worn I am sure he would advised it as such. Even if it does split it is not the end of the world anyway as you normally notice the grease being thrown out of the joint and it takes a while of the CV running bone dry before it causes problems. Leave it until it is serviced, I'm sure it will be fine.
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garage told me that the driveshaft gaiter on one side was beginning to crack, but that it wasn't bad enough to fail the MOT.
I had that in 2002. 30k miles later it is now 2007 and I still haven't changed any gaitors. Just keep an eye on it every few months or so.
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Mike Farrow
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Thanks all for the useful comments, I'll wait until the next service.
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Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but I have now had my wife's car serviced and, as part of that, the gaiter has been replaced. However, in the last couple of days before servicing, I have noticed a knocking from the front when the steering is on full lock. There have been no other warning signs (eg no sign of grease).
When I drove the car home from the garage, the knocking was still happening, even though the gaiter has been replaced.
The garage said that I may now have also damaged the joint but to leave it for a while to see if the knocking disappears. My questions are :
a) is this logical? Is it likely that, if the knocking is there now, it will disappear in future?
b) does it matter? After all, I think the reason I did not previously notice it is that I very rarely have the steering on full lock. I don't really care if there is a knocking, but I would care if this is a safety issue, as it's my wife's car.
Thanks
Primera Man
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The problem won't go away - have the joint replaced.
As an aside I was warned about cracking boots in 2002. Since then, 38,000 miles, and 4 different MoT garages, none have been replaced or mentioned.
Always worth getting a second opinion. I would if I were you as I wouldn't trust a garage that tells me a problem will go away of its own accord.
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Mike Farrow
Edited by mfarrow {P} on 23/10/2007 at 20:13
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