Hole in CV boot

[bigJake]

So I get the Santa Fe that I am selling inspected at one of the major chain stores (that sells tires and batteries but I don't want to bash them so I won't name them) last week. Mechanic shows me a microscopic "crack" in the edge of one of the rear brake pads and says they need replaced (for some ungodly amount of $) and a $1.49 license plate bulb needs replaced for ($16). I said I'll take the car home and replace the rear brake pads and lite bulb. At first the manager said he would have to charge me to reinspect the vehicle, but then agreed if I had it back within 2 days he wouldn't charge me again.

Take it back the next day, manager says 20 minutes. Mechanic puts it on the rack to verify the rear brake change. I'm kinda watching thru the window in the waiting room. First thing he does is removes the left front tire. I'm wondering, why did he remove the FRONT tire??? Then he removes the rear tires and checks out the new brakes. Then nothing for half hour....

Manager calls me out to show me the left front CV boot has a leak. A stream of fresh grease in one of the valleys of the accordion boot. MANAGER SAYS "it must have just happened because it wasn't leaking when we inspected it yesterday".
I'm thinking, hmmm quite a coincidence, but what can i say....

$300 to fix (he said they don't replace boots, they would replace the whole axle) BUT it's not required to pass inspection because it's not getting grease on the brake pads, yet.

I obviously don't tell them to fix it. Bring the car home and takes me a while to find a very small hole in the very top of the boot in the bottom of one of the accordion valleys.

So long story short, I did an internet search on what I could patch the hole with. Found one guy that said he successfully used Hondabond which I have never heard of and another guy suggested vulcanizing cement. Thoughts? Keep in mind I am selling the vehicle, so I don't want to replace the boot, but I also don't want to screw somebody over.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Black permatex will work as it stays soft but adheres to the rubber/plastic boot.

No one does boots as the labor is 3 or 4 times more than swapping an axle.

It's the same labor as r/r an axle but then the tear down time, new grease, new straps/clamps, then out it back together.

 

[bigJake]

Black permatex will work as it stays soft but adheres to the rubber/plastic boot.

No one does boots as the labor is 3 or 4 times more than swapping an axle.

It's the same labor as r/r an axle but then the tear down time, new grease, new straps/clamps, then out it back together.

I was thinking black permatex since I sealed a small hole in the bellows on my water regulator (on my GSX) 3 years ago and it has held. But didn't know if it was the best thing to adhere to the rubber or not.

 

[racerxxx]

Tough call, is there grease on the inner fender well? If not and it's so microscopic I would probably let it go, I don't think anything is gonna seal it due to the grease. How many miles are on the car?

Don't forget, 100K warranty on the drivetrain. https://www.hyundaiusa.com/assurance/america-best-warranty.aspx#1

I know on my Passat the outer boot went at just over 50K, did some leg work online and found out that VW would cover the repair for free so it might be worth a little internet time??? So they did cover it and I asked about the one on the drivers side and they said it wasn't split, so no dice. I politely told the service writer that he could put the car in the air once now or I'll be back in a week to have the drivers side done. The idiot asked how I knew it would be bad in a week, I told him my razor blade would let him know. Picked the car up and 2 new outer boots. Well I'm at 114K and I just replaced the first axle with a used unit because the outer boot split again, now 4 weeks later my drivers side split, so off to another used axle. I can buy an OEM boot and tear the axle apart or just swap the whole axle in less time. Not to mention the yard I bought it from on Ebay offers a lifetime warranty on the axles, LOL how can I possibly go wrong for $60 shipped to my door! Axle was fixed in like an hour from the time I put it on the lift until I backed it out of the garage.

Here's the place I got it from http://www.pamsauto.com/

 

[Spimothy Leary]

if duct tape doesn't fix it, your not using enough duct tape

 

[bigJake]

hmm, i hadn't even thought about the warranty. It is an '04 with only 72,000 miles on it. Warranty is 10 years/100k miles. I'm going to call the hyundai dealer now. Thanks for the tip. and no grease on the fender well. just some oozing down the side of teh boot.

 

[Coastiejoe]

hmm, i hadn't even thought about the warranty. It is an '04 with only 72,000 miles on it. Warranty is 10 years/100k miles. I'm going to call the hyundai dealer now. Thanks for the tip. and no grease on the fender well. just some oozing down the side of teh boot.

If there is a good quantity I grease in the boot, then clean the boot with fingernail polish remover or acetone. It will be clean and dry and the RTV will stick to it.

Assuming you can't get it replaced for free.

 

[racerxxx]

Ooops, I meant fingers crossed

 

[bigJake]

well, i tried getting through to 3 hyundai service depts. Only got through to one. They said it MIGHT be covered, they would have to look at it to determine if it was a manufacturer defect or some other cause... like how the hell do they determine that???? So I guess I will first try Joe's suggestion.

BTW, I was calling multiple service depts because years ago I had one place tell me something was NOT covered under the powertrain warranty and another said that it was.

 

[racerxxx]

I so would not go the silicone route, yet..... Once you dick with it you can't go back and your screwed if they will cover it. Both my boots split IN the accordion down in the V, so I would have to say if it's in the V or on the top of the V they might cover it, if it's on the flat of the V you might be SOL. You could always play the were giving this to our Daughter and contemplating a new one since this has held up so well. Tug at their heartstrings, LOL. Whatever it takes to get it for free. Patience.

 

[bigJake]

YOU ARE THE MAN RACER!!! Just got off the phone with the 2nd dealership and they said YES it is covered. Appt made to get it replaced for free . Only 2 months left on the 10 year warranty too.

They returned my call right after I got the wheel off and was looking at it. It is actually worse than I thought it was just from feeling. About 1/4" split just above the V groove.

 

[racerxxx]

YOU ARE THE MAN RACER!!! Just got off the phone with the 2nd dealership and they said YES it is covered. Appt made to get it replaced for free . Only 2 months left on the 10 year warranty too.

They returned my call right after I got the wheel off and was looking at it. It is actually worse than I thought it was just from feeling. About 1/4" split just above the V groove.

WOOOOOOOOT! I'll PM you my Paypal account info and just feel free to drop 1/2 the quoted charge in there, LOL. Maybe you guys on the western side of the state aren't too bad after all.


I am thrifty man and if I can get a warranty repair out of the dealer I will, sad part is most folks will just go along with the flow and just buy what they are being told, a little leg work pays off! Glad I could help you out and good luck with the sale of the vehicle, that I can not help you with, but all the paperwork you have on it does help keep your price firm.

 

[bigJake]

the story gets better. I Just sold it for full asking price. I told them about the CV and that I have an appt to get it replaced so I got a deposit and will do the transfer after the CV is replaced. Turning out to be a good day

 

[griz400]

if you woulda gotcha a box of that crap, i'm sure there woulda sumthin there to smear on that leakin boot ..... what did do, drive through a field of them there "leeks"

 

[bigJake]

if you woulda gotcha a box of that crap, i'm sure there woulda sumthin there to smear on that leakin boot ..... what did do, drive through a field of them there "leeks"

at first I thought it was just some pesky kudos, but yur right Griz, a full infestation of leeks.

 

[jammin777]

cool! glad the cv boot is covered! id have to say as an under car tech by trade i used to install tons of cv boots but nowadays it is getting pretty hard to find them so i find my self replacing whole half shafts. they simply are not supplying just cv boots these days.
there seem to be a lot of universal boots but are junk! too many comebacks due to premature failure.