CV BOOT REPLACED IN 30 MINUTES

[daneshfar]

Kindly excuse my stupidity. What is a drift?
Since I am not good at using heavy hammers and tend
To smash a finger I was hoping to use some kind of puller or pusher
I see what u sayin and if find out what a drift is
I can whack it with a hammer.

[pezho405]

Yep thats basically how i have done it. No need to remove rotor

[amacman]

A drift is any tool , such as a socket set extension bar which can be placed on the end of the axle shaft and you can tap on the drift with a light hammer .
Use a drift which is smaller than the axle shaft to avoid damaging the threads on the axle shaft .

One definition of drift - A tool for ramming or driving something down.
b. A tapered steel pin for enlarging and aligning holes

[stevekat]

I personally think the boots can be effected by many repeated tight turns that one might encounter on a regular basis in a tight space, that would not otherwise occur when just driving around. That you original boots went bad at 45K, getting 30K might not really not that bad. Also $590 for the job does not sound too crazy though obviously one does not want to incur the cost often. I recently had torn front boots and just replaced the axles with Cardone Select. The job is not at all fun, but doable. I picked up a Harbor Freight Rotary hammer, and used it in hammer only mode, and it pushed out the axles from the hub, using a bull point chisel rather easily (rather than manually hammer on it.) One of the reasons I replaced the axles, rather than the boots, is replacing the boots is a real mess...also, if the boots were torn for a while, the worry of contamination and pre-mature wear is obviously a consideration.

If you have worry that the CV joints are worn and making noise, the replacement axles might be the best option if you are unsure. I first was going to save my original factory axles, and put new boots on them once they were out, at my leisure, and keep them as spares, but ultimately decided to toss them.

[daneshfar]

I live in Louisiana, so no snow or salt etc exposure. Always garaged at home and overall looks great for 10 years old. But as i state before, changed the original one at 45k and now at only 76K needs it again. Curious if you never had to change your original CV boots at 160K thats incredible.

[TiAgX5]

Originally Posted by daneshfar

I live in Louisiana, so no snow or salt etc exposure. Always garaged at home and overall looks great for 10 years old. But as i state before, changed the original one at 45k and now at only 76K needs it again. Curious if you never had to change your original CV boots at 160K thats incredible.

So your first owner? Or you have contacted every owner and verified no salt/mag chlo exposure? If your X was EVER exposed to salt/mag chlo and not properly chassis washed, any exposure to moisture (wet roads/high humidity) will re-activate the corrossive process on rubber/plastic/exposed metals. Mag chlo is tenacious as coffee with cream and sugar, it sticks to whatever it dries on.

CV boots have been sprayed with tire cleaner, rinsed, allowed to dry then sprayed with Maguires Endurance for rubber. This has been done during tire rotation (every 10k miles), started doing this at 100k miles. Air bags are done too.

[daneshfar]

i'm first owner, and i can tell the second boots were not as good quality as first. No I did not clean them like you did, but obviously you doing something right, but you only did that after 100K. I don't have any air bags on this car. Your ideas are good to put on protectors on this rubber. There is this silicone lubricant used in swimming pools at 6 bucks a tube, designed for chlorine and salt. Maybe we should lather this on it too.

[TiAgX5]

I always try to be proactive when it comes to items like this. The name brand tire/rubber cleaning products are no scrub/no touch whatsoever, it's unreal how much grime and dirt comes off them, when they dry they are ultra flat black and unprotected, the Maguires Endurance makes them ultra gloss black and protects (no sling formula keeps it on). I hit the sway bar and subframe bushings too. Of course the black plasitc body panels/trim/tires/air vents get the treatment twice a year.

I'm 2nd owner, found 1st owners business card in glovebox, called and got history.

[Ricky Bobby]

Can any of the BMW techs on here give me a definitive answer as to whether I can undo the wishbone control arm at the frame and have enough clearance to swing the axle out of the hub? I'm doing wheel bearings and want to know the easiest way with least disassembly to push the axle out of the hub and get it to clear so I can tie it off to the side while I press the wheel bearings in and out.

I know for a fact I have enough clearance if I disconnect the strut but if a tech says I can get the same room or more just disconnecting the control arm at the frame I will do that. Thanks!

[stevekat]

You can definitely unbolt the front lower control arm that is furthest to the rear in the front system, from the frame, and subsequently clear the axle from the hub when you 'push' it out. Do not forget to put the weight of the car on the ground when you replace the bolt and torque to spec.

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

Can any of the BMW techs on here give me a definitive answer as to whether I can undo the wishbone control arm at the frame and have enough clearance to swing the axle out of the hub?