debbiedo

I was told I need to replace the right front axel boot because it is
leaking. The Toyota dealer will replace it for $325. Big O Tire will
replace it for $175 using Toyota parts.My main mechanic will not
replace the axel boot alone (they state once it leaks the axel is
impossible to clean out and needs replacing). They will replace the
entire axel for $300. (toyota parts). (It will take them a week to get
to it though)

I have a 94 Camry with 137K miles on it. It is starting to nickle and
dime me but it runs great and I do not want to incur new car payments
now. Which is the best option to go with? Is my main mechanic telling
me the truth? If so, why isn't it standard practice to just replace the
axel instead of the axel boot alone?

Thanks in advance for all advice.

Debbie

daniel

I just answered this question on an older posting, the answer was:

Recently replaced the right side axle on my '94 Camry with
remanufactured Toyota part.
Dealer list was $218.79 - got it for $132.
BTW, first attempt, they looked up the wrong part number - the correct
part number (if you have no ABS and four cylinder) is: 43410-06151-84.
Here's another suggestion, if you plan on keeping the car - be sure
they order and also replace the snap ring and lock bolt for the carrier
bearing on the axle.
The factory service manual lists these as "non reusable parts" and they
should be replaced.
A prior mechanic had changed the boot once without changing the lock
bolt and the old part was allowing the bearing to rotate in the housing
- I believe it was also creating a high speed vibration because the old
part was missing the neoprene tip and essentially not working at all.
I just compare the cost of repair to the cost of new car payments.
It is always more economical to repair than replace your Camry.
The justification for buying a new car is that you want a new car.
I plan on keeping my '94 forever, but doing my own work keeps the
pricing much more reasonable and insures the work is done very
carefully and thoroughly.
My own personal opinion is that many cars are damaged in little ways by
having mechanics on a time schedule working quickly to make more money,
creating small or sometimes not so small errors in the work which
serves to shorten the life of the car.
Jay Leno said he still has the same car he had when he was married.
If you find a good mechanic you're in great shape.
If you want a new car, buy a new car, but not because you have normal
maintenance and repair.
Toyota is one of the most reliable and back in '94 they were very well
made vehicles that can last a long, long time when properly cared for.

daniel

It is not true that it is impossible to clean the CV axle joint and
install a new boot unless the old boot was open to the weather and
allowed contaminants to enter which will quickly ruin the joint.
If you replace the axle or boot when it begins to crack, in theory you
are fine, however, in my opinion it is better to install the Toyota
remanufactured axle for a couple of reasons:
1) you're getting new CV joints - I figure there's got to be some wear
in the old ones after many thousands of miles
2) you don't save very much money, if any at all by having someone
repack the grease in the CV axle joints and install new boots because
it takes longer so you're eating up most of the savings in extra labor.
The old joint needs to be completely cleaned of old grease first which
is messy and time consuming. If you go that route, be sure they use a
genuine Toyota replacement boot. Seems the prior owner's mechanic
replaced my right side boot once, and I wound up doing that axle again.
Plus the factory replacement boot comes with the right grease.
Aftermarket axle grease is not the right stuff far as I can see. It's
black instead of amber and much less viscous (thinner consistency) than
the original grease.
I'm a firm believer in using all genuine parts, but there is an online
place called raxles.com that many people seem to have been satisfied
with, so you could check their prices. BTW, they use synthetic grease
exclusively, which is a great idea, but I did not investigate whether
they balance the axles as Toyota does.
Actually, if you have the right tools, replacing the axle is not that
difficult.
I bought an air gun to remove the 32mm axle nut - it is installed very
tightly so once that is off, the rest is fairly step by step.
Hope that helps.

tomcas

I found the 2 piece boot opens up on tight corners. For inner joints or
independent rear joints the 2 piece is OK but for outer joints I will
never use them again.

bauz

There might be a safety issue with having a split boot that leaks grease.
The grease can be sprayed on your brake rotor and coat the pad. It would
not leave you without breaks, but it would cause you to loose control
during emergency breaking.
It is very common to replace the entire shaft instead of the boot, because
the time it takes to replace the boot is very expensive compared with the
price of a rebuilt shaft. Based of that, many decide to drive with a torn
boot until the joint breaks/make terrible noise, ignoring the safety
issue.