Outer CV boot cracked. Leave it, or replace?

[TurnAround]

Originally Posted by TheGodfather

Is this the same diagram? realoem.com lists CV joints separately for 179.21 in conjunction with a repair kit. I am dealing with the same thing as you, and have opted to change both the inner and outer CV, I guess the whole CV shaft?

RealOEM.com BMW E53 X5 3.0i Final drive(frnt axle),output shaft,4whl

Yeah that's the diagram. My reading of the list was that it clearly denotes the inner CV joint but not the outer. I talked to BMW plus an indi today. Sounds like the outer CV joint is available but there's some in-field labor needed to attach it to the shaft.. enough that BMW offers the shaft with the outer CVJ already on.

Hey, here's some news; I'm going with the 'Autohaus' indi that I found $308 to replace just the boot. They, and the dealer, are saying that they rarely have ever replaced a CV joint and usually just do the boots. THey'll inspect the joint and call for a replacement if needed, but they really don't anticipate requiring that. So now I'm goin' boot only.

X is goin' in tomorrow.

[djmilleroh]

If I just did this repair myself while I replaced my front wheel hub. There is a great write up to do it yourself and all you need is time, I saved a ton of money this way, dont be intimidated by everything you have to take apart. at the same time the write up shows you how to take out the bearings, inspect them and re-grease everything. I bought 2 outer cv boot repair kits on ebay for $30.

[TheGodfather]

I am getting an amazing deal for this job. The guy doing my engine replacement us replacing the cv outer and inner shaft for 270 including install. He claims the part is oe BMW, he gets parts at cost somehow.

[TurnAround]

Originally Posted by TheGodfather

270 including install

That is a killer deal. Yeah.. anything for my BMW's that is in the less than $300 range feels like, ... "Well, this is normal wear and tear". But when it gets above that I start to feel ripped off.

But, that's all just car owner's emotion talkin'. The reality is, all cars cost this much, not just BMW's. My Subarus and my Dodge in the (distant) past have all cost me a fair amount. They are all the same kinds of parts and failures, and the costs are really no different. The Indi I talked to today.. he has an Audi and he was quoting me the prices for the same parts --> they're more than a BMW would be.

My cry is to all auto makers; Its like.. umm.. you KNOW the boots are going to fail. You know it. So make 'em out of half inch thick NASA space shuttle uber durometer inter terciary space folding dynamo rubber.. and charge another $5.00 per car to pay for it. Isn't that smarter than risking your rep on a very expensive repair?

[TheGodfather]

Originally Posted by TurnAround

My cry is to all auto makers; Its like.. umm.. you KNOW the boots are going to fail. You know it. So make 'em out of half inch thick NASA space shuttle uber durometer inter terciary space folding dynamo rubber.. and charge another $5.00 per car to pay for it. Isn't that smarter than risking your rep on a very expensive repair?

I was thinking the exact same thing. They should use another kind of material or something, like a flexible rubber coated carbon fiber fabric...with all this amazing engineering going on in other parts of the car, I dont understand why this wouldn't follow into improving things like the boot.

Maybe BMW leaves things like this alone so that they have stuff to charge us for after the warranty expires.

[X5 Meister]

I believe that's why BMW calls the CV boots "lifetime fill."

Originally Posted by TheGodfather

Maybe BMW leaves things like this alone so that they have stuff to charge us for after the warranty expires.

[c4racer]

Originally Posted by TheGodfather

I am getting an amazing deal for this job. The guy doing my engine replacement us replacing the cv outer and inner shaft for 270 including install. He claims the part is oe BMW, he gets parts at cost somehow.

Dealer cost for the CV joint is around $150 - that doesn't include the axle shaft. The entire assembly is more than $300 dealer cost, so I don't think you are getting a complete new BMW axle assembly for $270 installed. An indy in my area quoted $400 to replace the axle with an Empi - they quoted as $200 for the part and $200 for labor. Although it was interesting that I found the same axle assembly online for under $80.

Anyway - $270 sounds like a very good price no matter how you slice it, but you should clarify what parts will be replaced and what brand they are using just so you know what you are getting.

[TheGodfather]

Originally Posted by c4racer

Dealer cost for the CV joint is around $150 - that doesn't include the axle shaft. The entire assembly is more than $300 dealer cost, so I don't think you are getting a complete new BMW axle assembly for $270 installed. An indy in my area quoted $400 to replace the axle with an Empi - they quoted as $200 for the part and $200 for labor. Although it was interesting that I found the same axle assembly online for under $80.

Anyway - $270 sounds like a very good price no matter how you slice it, but you should clarify what parts will be replaced and what brand they are using just so you know what you are getting.

I was actually very inquisitive about what exactly I was getting.

I was told:

OEM CV "whole unit as one. inner and outer cv, both boots and axel assembly"
210 for part, 60 for labor.

Apparently he gets OEM parts at cost. Perhaps this a just a
supplier to BMW for CV assemblies.

Either way as you said, it is a good price.

The labor is so cheap because he is already getting a big chunk of
labor for replacing the engine.

[c4racer]

Originally Posted by TheGodfather

I was actually very inquisitive about what exactly I was getting.

I was told:

OEM CV "whole unit as one. inner and outer cv, both boots and axel assembly"
210 for part, 60 for labor.

Apparently he gets OEM parts at cost. Perhaps this a just a
supplier to BMW for CV assemblies.

Either way as you said, it is a good price.

The labor is so cheap because he is already getting a big chunk of
labor for replacing the engine.

$210 is well below dealer cost for a new BMW complete axle assembly. If that is real you should buy a whole box full of those and sell them on here for $300 each, because even that would be a steal.

[Repoman]

Originally Posted by TheGodfather

I was thinking the exact same thing. They should use another kind of material or something, like a flexible rubber coated carbon fiber fabric...with all this amazing engineering going on in other parts of the car, I dont understand why this wouldn't follow into improving things like the boot.

Maybe BMW leaves things like this alone so that they have stuff to charge us for after the warranty expires.

I guess their decison would be either to spend money to redesign the part to make it better for less failures in the future for their treasured customers who pay good money for their products . . . or who gives a crap about the customer and let's keep making the same crappy parts that keep failing prematurely and keep laughing all the way to the bank.